Dawn

Dawn

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Having cheated death several times myself, I can't say I was surprised to read today that 40% of traffic accidents involving pedestrians in Spain occur on zebra crossings or at traffic lights.

On the other hand, I was surprised to read that there are what the Spanish call kamikaze drivers in England. Or one at least. An 85 year old woman took a wrong turn at a train crossing and drove 75 metres down a high-speed train track before deciding to stop and think about things. Prompted by the train in front of her. She was rescued and treated for shock. As was her passenger.

Telefónica's UK operation, O2, is in the dock after it was discovered they'd supplied the numbers of millions of their customers to various web sites. Sales have not been going well recently and exposing their clients to spam and viruses is not calculated to help matters. Either with existing or potential customers. Especially as no explanation has yet been given.

Carlos Tévez is a football player with Manchester City. He's been in dispute with them for a while and is currently taking French leave in South America. The club announced this week that his behaviour had cost him more than nine million pounds in fines and lost income. Nine million pounds! What an odd world.

I saw an American film recently which showed 'sign holders' in New York - people who hold up signs to places where you can get a hot dog, for example. I didn't think these folk were part of the UK's street furniture. But in Leeds centre yesterday I saw a woman holding up a sign for a seamstress. And truth to tell we have in Headingley an unhealthy looking young man who carries a sign reminding us that all sandwiches are only a pound each at Mr Sandwich. Whose shop, in my view, is poorly located. It'll be interesting to see whether the business survives. If it wasn't poorly located, Mr Sandwich wouldn't need to employ the young man to stand three hundred metres away, at the traffic lights.

Finally . . . Between Headingley and Leeds centre, there are three shops dealing in fancy dress costumes. Presumably one of them supplied the duck/chicken outfits I wrote about the other day. Student partying is clearly on a different level from the one I knew.

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