Two stories from the UK made the front page of Canada's National Post today - "seemingly staid British PM had steamy four-year affair." Major yawn. The other story covered the opening of the British Empire & Commonwealth Museum saying that it only struggled into existence due to political correctness.
Meanwhile the Dutch are celebrating the fourth centenary of the Dutch East India Company. The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is mounting four exhibitions.
Monday, September 30, 2002
Island escape
To Toronto Islands for a Sunday excursion, take the ferry to Center Island and have lunch at a restaurant by the amusement park. Sit outdoors probably for the last time this season. Seagulls, ducks and bees (the birds and the bees) attend our lunch.
Escape the crowds on a stroll to Gibraltar Point and return via the small car ferry at Hanlan's Point. A coffee at our favourite Second Cup at Queens Quay and ride the streetcar home. Sometimes you don't need to go far to get the best.
Escape the crowds on a stroll to Gibraltar Point and return via the small car ferry at Hanlan's Point. A coffee at our favourite Second Cup at Queens Quay and ride the streetcar home. Sometimes you don't need to go far to get the best.
Sunday, September 29, 2002
Friday, September 27, 2002
No Halifax Pier
After my visit to Halifax, Nova Scotia I keep finding out more about the place. I received this from my Dad:
"You may be interested - and perhaps surprised - to learn that although I have never been to Canada I once saw Halifax, Nova Scotia from the sea. This was in 1940 when I was on my way to India! The ship on which I sailed was not a troopship but an ordinary passenger liner, the City Of Venice belonging to the Ellerman Line. For our own safety we were ordered to join a convoy with a large naval escort to cross the Atlantic. All the rest of the convoy went into the port of Halifax but we left them there without going ashore and went down the coast of North America. Our next sighting of land was a lighthouse near Pernambuco in Brazil, or so I was told by one of the ship's officers. Afterwards we went ashore at Cape Town and also at Durban before arriving in Bombay just after Christmas."
"You may be interested - and perhaps surprised - to learn that although I have never been to Canada I once saw Halifax, Nova Scotia from the sea. This was in 1940 when I was on my way to India! The ship on which I sailed was not a troopship but an ordinary passenger liner, the City Of Venice belonging to the Ellerman Line. For our own safety we were ordered to join a convoy with a large naval escort to cross the Atlantic. All the rest of the convoy went into the port of Halifax but we left them there without going ashore and went down the coast of North America. Our next sighting of land was a lighthouse near Pernambuco in Brazil, or so I was told by one of the ship's officers. Afterwards we went ashore at Cape Town and also at Durban before arriving in Bombay just after Christmas."
"serious error of judgment"
The Guardian picks up on the spat at the BBC over the bias of The Today Programme and it's lefty editor Rod Liddle. Liddle is in trouble for slagging off the countryside marchers as a bunch of toffs in a Guardian column. The largest political demonstration in British history did little to impress him.
Saying that the BBC is full of left-of-centre apparatchiks is like saying the sun comes up in the morning. The Times had it right with the best placard on the day saying "No Taxation without Morris Dancing."
Saying that the BBC is full of left-of-centre apparatchiks is like saying the sun comes up in the morning. The Times had it right with the best placard on the day saying "No Taxation without Morris Dancing."
Prize-winning cheek
Whilst in Toronto viewing the new Renaissance Train (see below) we took in the 50th anniversary of the CBC celebrations at the same venue - fifty years of telly. This also featured a train, cross-country from Vancouver to Halifax, with artists travelling aboard and performing at the numerous stops. The first act we caught were Frank Leahy and Friends with a tribute to Don Messer - an old-timey violinist from Nova Scotia.
Frank proved to be a jolly fiddler in more senses than one - he rather spoiled the effect when he asked the audience a question and promised a CD as a prize for the first correct answer - when my wife answered correctly he acknowleged her and then absconded without dishing out the prize. Robert Maxwell would have been proud of him.
Anyway the band were damn good notably guitarist Paul Chapman picking on the semi-accoustic Fender Telecaster. Two 'Riverdance' girls periodically trod the boards and they closed their set with a frantic rendition of "Orange Blossom Special," appropriate on the forecourt of Union Station.
Rick Mercer made a brief appearance chiefly to demonstrate that he didn't know what the hell was going on. He was followed by the young Aselin Debison from Cape Breton who sang to backing tracks. After a shaky start she trouped through four numbers including "The Dance You Choose" and "Sweet is the Melody." We saw enough to know that she has a big voice for a small girl and should go far in the business. After some celebratory cake George Leach and his Band closed the afternoon, wildly miscast playing heavy rock to a rapidly dwindling seniors audience.
Frank proved to be a jolly fiddler in more senses than one - he rather spoiled the effect when he asked the audience a question and promised a CD as a prize for the first correct answer - when my wife answered correctly he acknowleged her and then absconded without dishing out the prize. Robert Maxwell would have been proud of him.
Anyway the band were damn good notably guitarist Paul Chapman picking on the semi-accoustic Fender Telecaster. Two 'Riverdance' girls periodically trod the boards and they closed their set with a frantic rendition of "Orange Blossom Special," appropriate on the forecourt of Union Station.
Rick Mercer made a brief appearance chiefly to demonstrate that he didn't know what the hell was going on. He was followed by the young Aselin Debison from Cape Breton who sang to backing tracks. After a shaky start she trouped through four numbers including "The Dance You Choose" and "Sweet is the Melody." We saw enough to know that she has a big voice for a small girl and should go far in the business. After some celebratory cake George Leach and his Band closed the afternoon, wildly miscast playing heavy rock to a rapidly dwindling seniors audience.
Sunday, September 22, 2002
UK's loss is Canada's Renaissance
To Union Station in Toronto to view the new VIA Rail Renaissance Train. The PR effort behind showing off the train to the public does them credit - although a lady was wailing on the platform that she couldn't buy a green VIA polo shirt. There were 400 visitors in the first hour.
VIA Rail Canada has purchased 139 new passenger cars, the first major purchase of passenger rail cars in more than 20 years. The words 'new' and 'train' seldom go together.
These made-in-Britain railcars, manufactured by GEC-Alsthom in the mid-nineties, were bought as a job lot at far below market price. The market value was stated by VIA as $400-500 million but they paid a "fraction" of this amount. Final assembly on some of the cars was carried out by Bombardier in Canada.
The new cars were originally commissioned by European Nightstock Services, a consortium of railways from France, Germany, Britain, Denmark and Belgium, for operation on overnight trips through the U.K.-Europe Channel Tunnel with destinations in the U.K., France, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. Chaotic management of the UK rail network, the cancellation of the London rail 'bypass' and increased competition from budget short-haul airlines sank the project.
The new equipment will expand the total VIA passenger fleet by one third, allowing VIA to improve service on the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor; introduce new services between Montreal - Halifax/Gaspe and free up equipment to respond to increased demand on the Western transcontinental service. There is also talk of a Toronto-Ottawa sleeper.
The cars we saw were magnificent and certainly made you want to book a trip. Every car includes 50 seats, a seat for a passenger in a wheelchair, adjustable lighting, a luggage compartment and plugs for computers and cell phones (from January 2003). The Service Car has waiter service, a take-out counter, a suite for passengers with disabilities, a lounge with standing area for drinkers (hurrah!) and an electronic message board for displaying route information. The only criticism I would have is that the corridors in the sleeping cars are very narrow and would be difficult for outsize persons to negotiate.
Bras d'Or in 2003
A public affairs spokesman for VIA Rail told me that they "had sold a lot of tickets for the Bras d'Or for next year." The Bras d'Or is a summer-only tourist train between Halifax and Sydney (about 230 miles). When asked about the future of the line , he said "if the owners lift the track then it's SOL!"
This is a world-class trip aboard a magificient 1950's streamliner complete with observation cars, table service and live entertainment. The ride through Cape Breton stands comparison with any of the great railway journeys anywhere with wonderful views of the lake, countryside and wildlife. Get on it while you still can.
VIA Rail Canada has purchased 139 new passenger cars, the first major purchase of passenger rail cars in more than 20 years. The words 'new' and 'train' seldom go together.
These made-in-Britain railcars, manufactured by GEC-Alsthom in the mid-nineties, were bought as a job lot at far below market price. The market value was stated by VIA as $400-500 million but they paid a "fraction" of this amount. Final assembly on some of the cars was carried out by Bombardier in Canada.
The new cars were originally commissioned by European Nightstock Services, a consortium of railways from France, Germany, Britain, Denmark and Belgium, for operation on overnight trips through the U.K.-Europe Channel Tunnel with destinations in the U.K., France, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. Chaotic management of the UK rail network, the cancellation of the London rail 'bypass' and increased competition from budget short-haul airlines sank the project.
The new equipment will expand the total VIA passenger fleet by one third, allowing VIA to improve service on the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor; introduce new services between Montreal - Halifax/Gaspe and free up equipment to respond to increased demand on the Western transcontinental service. There is also talk of a Toronto-Ottawa sleeper.
The cars we saw were magnificent and certainly made you want to book a trip. Every car includes 50 seats, a seat for a passenger in a wheelchair, adjustable lighting, a luggage compartment and plugs for computers and cell phones (from January 2003). The Service Car has waiter service, a take-out counter, a suite for passengers with disabilities, a lounge with standing area for drinkers (hurrah!) and an electronic message board for displaying route information. The only criticism I would have is that the corridors in the sleeping cars are very narrow and would be difficult for outsize persons to negotiate.
Bras d'Or in 2003
A public affairs spokesman for VIA Rail told me that they "had sold a lot of tickets for the Bras d'Or for next year." The Bras d'Or is a summer-only tourist train between Halifax and Sydney (about 230 miles). When asked about the future of the line , he said "if the owners lift the track then it's SOL!"
This is a world-class trip aboard a magificient 1950's streamliner complete with observation cars, table service and live entertainment. The ride through Cape Breton stands comparison with any of the great railway journeys anywhere with wonderful views of the lake, countryside and wildlife. Get on it while you still can.
Saturday, September 21, 2002
Metcalfe's Law
I've often wondered why telecommunications or computer network planners could not apply their skills to the railways.
Metcalfe's Law states that the value of a network grows by the square of the size of the network. See useit.com
So a network that is twice as large will be four times as valuable because there are four times as many things that can be done due to the larger number of interconnections.
Conversely it follows that if you start partitioning the network (shutting lines and stations) the effect on the utility of the network can be quite devastating. You also lose redundancy (spare capacity) in the network - for example alternative routes should a route be blocked for any reason.
Travel planners are familiar with the concept of reducing travel time between two points on a given route increasing demand on that route but do they model the impact on the network?
Metcalfe's Law states that the value of a network grows by the square of the size of the network. See useit.com
So a network that is twice as large will be four times as valuable because there are four times as many things that can be done due to the larger number of interconnections.
Conversely it follows that if you start partitioning the network (shutting lines and stations) the effect on the utility of the network can be quite devastating. You also lose redundancy (spare capacity) in the network - for example alternative routes should a route be blocked for any reason.
Travel planners are familiar with the concept of reducing travel time between two points on a given route increasing demand on that route but do they model the impact on the network?
Friday, September 20, 2002
Canal comeback
The Guardian covers the opening of the Millennium Ribble link, the first new canal for over a century. The new four-mile section connects the landlocked Lancaster canal to the rest of the country's 2,000 mile network, making it possible to travel by narrow boat from London to the edge of the Lake District for the first time. See Punchbuggy past.
Plans are now advanced to open another section and push towards Kendal in Cumbria as part of a £500m programme of waterway restoration throughout the country. Over the past decade more than £2bn has been ploughed into the network.
The new £6m section, which links the Lancaster canal to a branch of the Leeds-Liverpool canal, is the first new waterway to be built since the Manchester ship canal opened in 1894. With nine new locks and four bridges, it is dependent on tidal conditions because part of the route crosses the estuary of the river Ribble.
Plans are now advanced to open another section and push towards Kendal in Cumbria as part of a £500m programme of waterway restoration throughout the country. Over the past decade more than £2bn has been ploughed into the network.
The new £6m section, which links the Lancaster canal to a branch of the Leeds-Liverpool canal, is the first new waterway to be built since the Manchester ship canal opened in 1894. With nine new locks and four bridges, it is dependent on tidal conditions because part of the route crosses the estuary of the river Ribble.
Darling of the rails
The Independent reports that Alastair Darling, The Transport Secretary, has finally tumbled that British trains are dirty, late and unreliable.
Tell us something we don't know. You almost wish for the return of John 'Two Jags' Prescott - at least he made you laugh.
Tell us something we don't know. You almost wish for the return of John 'Two Jags' Prescott - at least he made you laugh.
Consignia disintegrates
The fire sale goes on at the Post Office. The BBC reports that Securicor is moving in on the Consignia cash handling business. The long-time competitor must be feeling a quiet satisfaction at finally seeing off the red vans.
After losing billions; the risible name change to Consignia and a catastrophic collapse in morale the Post Office "managers" are busy flogging off bits of the business in a bid to cut costs. The fat cat managers have been made to look foolish - it amounts to an admission that almost anybody could manage better than they. Never mind guys hold on for the golden parachute.
Crony to Tony Blair, Post Office chairman, Allan 'Freefall' Leighton, has been given carte blanche to restore profits. If The Post Office hadn't been used as a government cash cow down the years maybe it could have been different. Anyway Blair is desparate to avoid another fiasco to go with Railtrack, British Energy, and the National Air Traffic Services.
After losing billions; the risible name change to Consignia and a catastrophic collapse in morale the Post Office "managers" are busy flogging off bits of the business in a bid to cut costs. The fat cat managers have been made to look foolish - it amounts to an admission that almost anybody could manage better than they. Never mind guys hold on for the golden parachute.
Crony to Tony Blair, Post Office chairman, Allan 'Freefall' Leighton, has been given carte blanche to restore profits. If The Post Office hadn't been used as a government cash cow down the years maybe it could have been different. Anyway Blair is desparate to avoid another fiasco to go with Railtrack, British Energy, and the National Air Traffic Services.
Railroad "intermodal" growth
News from the Globe and Mail that railroads in the United States may soon receive more revenue from moving containers and trailers of consumer goods than from hauling coal. A report commissioned by the railroad industry says that the "intermodal" shipments - those moved by a combination of road and rail - could become the industry's biggest single source of revenue by 2003 equating to $9 billion US or more than twenty per cent of total revenue.
Could this be an integrated transport system?
Could this be an integrated transport system?
Wednesday, September 18, 2002
Runaway train went down the track
News from Wales of a train that left of its own accord.
This must be the most exciting thing to happen in Rhymney for many a long year.
This must be the most exciting thing to happen in Rhymney for many a long year.
Thursday, September 12, 2002
USS Chesapeake - strange coincidence
The USS Chesapeake first came to my attention when strolling in Point Pleasant Park in Halifax, Nova Scotia where I saw a plaque which says:
"Confidence in the British Navy faltered early in the War of 1812 when American vessels won several single ship engagements. This pattern was broken on June 1st 1813 when HMS Shannon, commanded by Captain Philip Broke, closed with USS Chesapeake under Captain James Lawrence off Boston harbour. The latter was taken in a short and bloody fight and brought into Halifax by her captor on June 6th. This engagement was long considered a naval classic. It marked a change in British fortunes at sea and vindicated Broke's insistence on gunnery training, neglected by the Navy since Trafalgar."
After my return to Toronto I chanced upon this BBC item detailing the ultimate fate of the Chesapeake.
"Confidence in the British Navy faltered early in the War of 1812 when American vessels won several single ship engagements. This pattern was broken on June 1st 1813 when HMS Shannon, commanded by Captain Philip Broke, closed with USS Chesapeake under Captain James Lawrence off Boston harbour. The latter was taken in a short and bloody fight and brought into Halifax by her captor on June 6th. This engagement was long considered a naval classic. It marked a change in British fortunes at sea and vindicated Broke's insistence on gunnery training, neglected by the Navy since Trafalgar."
After my return to Toronto I chanced upon this BBC item detailing the ultimate fate of the Chesapeake.
Virgin breakthrough
The first train to reach Swanage, Dorset from the mainline network for thirty years arrived on 7th September 2002.
Christened The ‘Dorset Voyager’ at a special ceremony the train was supplied by Virgin Trains. Half a mile of track had to be specially restored to connect the Swanage Railway with the national network.
See the website of this railway run by enthusiasts.
Christened The ‘Dorset Voyager’ at a special ceremony the train was supplied by Virgin Trains. Half a mile of track had to be specially restored to connect the Swanage Railway with the national network.
See the website of this railway run by enthusiasts.
Thursday, September 5, 2002
smart secret
I received the following from my brother who is on tour in Germany:
"We had a very amusing visit to the Smart emporium in Dusseldorf; needless to say, with two weeks to go before the launch at the Paris show, most staff had never heard of the Roadster and kept insisting 'you VILL have a Smart cabriolet!'
Eventually, a lady conceded there was such a thing but they had no information and would send me some; I bet they don't; they didn't reply to my email. Apparently this is typical of Germany."
Strangely the local paper here in Toronto, The Etobicoke Guardian, carried a feature on the new smart roadster and coupe this week - in a market where the smart is not sold. The maxim is customers always know more about products than the staff selling them.
Check out the smart roadster here.
"We had a very amusing visit to the Smart emporium in Dusseldorf; needless to say, with two weeks to go before the launch at the Paris show, most staff had never heard of the Roadster and kept insisting 'you VILL have a Smart cabriolet!'
Eventually, a lady conceded there was such a thing but they had no information and would send me some; I bet they don't; they didn't reply to my email. Apparently this is typical of Germany."
Strangely the local paper here in Toronto, The Etobicoke Guardian, carried a feature on the new smart roadster and coupe this week - in a market where the smart is not sold. The maxim is customers always know more about products than the staff selling them.
Check out the smart roadster here.
Wednesday, September 4, 2002
Abandoning traffic lights
In short get rid of the lights at junctions and let drivers sort it out among themselves aided by a 20mph speed limit. Apparently there are ten fatal road accidents in the UK every day. What about roundabouts? More BBC.
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