Most people don’t know that back in 1912, Hellmann’s mayonnaise wasmanufactured in England. In fact, the Titanic was carrying 12,000 jars ofthe condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico, which was to bethe next port of call for the great ship after its stop in New York.
This would have been the largest single shipment of mayonnaise everdelivered to Mexico. But as we know, the great ship did not make it to NewYork. The ship hit an iceberg and sank, and the cargo was forever lost. The people of Mexico, who were crazy about mayonnaise, and were eagerly awaiting its delivery, were disconsolate at the loss. Their anguish was so great, that they declared a National Day of Mourning, which they still observe to this day.
The National Day of Mourning occurs each year on May 5th and is known, of course, as Sinko de Mayo.
I read some interesting comments from Dame Stella Rimington (former head of MI5) today. She believes that the government is using the fear of terrorism to erode people’s liberty and move towards a police state.
I grew up in Rhodesia during the 1970s and I lived in a very security conscious environment. I remember one day, the bomb squad came to our school and blew up a teachers bag as the teacher in question had left it somewhere they shouldn’t.
Personally, I have no problem with things like ID cards…….in principle. However, the concern I have is how the data would be used. Local councils already sell our data to make money, and there have been plenty of scandals recently where personal data has been lost by government officials or 3rd party companies they use.
Its all very well having this data and information about people but it must be used correctly and the judicial system must have the power to deal with people who are a genuine threat to our country. Last week, a Dutch member of parliament was banned from entering the UK because he wanted to show a film to a group of Lords (so not a public broadcast). The government didn’t approve of the subject matter so banned an EU citizen and a democratically elected official from entering the UK before he had actually done anything.
This is an example of what Dame Stella means. There is a very good film called ‘Taking Liberties’ which highlights how people’s rights have been eroded. Its well worth watching.
Friday the 13th certainly proved to be unlucky for anyone who wanted to sit down and watch a days cricket at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua between England and the West Indies. As soon as the game started, it was delayed due to rain but when the players emerged to continue, the game was only going to last a few more minutes.
The problem was caused by the poor state of the outfield and the huge amounts of sand that had been put down. It made it very hard for bowlers to get a firm footing on their run up. Discussions took place between the captains, umpires and match referee before the game was abandoned citing concerns over the safety of the players.
No doubt there will huge fallout over this and the blame game will start. It really does beggar belief that an international fixture in an sport with such a following can fall victim so such dreadful preparation.
Most people don’t know that back in 1912, Hellmann’s mayonnaise wasmanufactured in England. In fact, the Titanic was carrying 12,000 jars ofthe condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico, which was to bethe next port of call for the great ship after its stop in New York.
I read some interesting comments from Dame Stella Rimington (former head of MI5) today. She believes that the government is using the fear of terrorism to erode people’s liberty and move towards a police state.
Friday the 13th certainly proved to be unlucky for anyone who wanted to sit down and watch a days cricket at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua between England and the West Indies. As soon as the game started, it was delayed due to rain but when the players emerged to continue, the game was only going to last a few more minutes.