Wimmen

The girls in the museum for reasons of their own posted this picture today.  It features some of the 2000 women who worked at Crittalls during the Great War making shell casings and other required items.  They were paid the same as the men and began at 12/6d a week ending in July 1918 at £2/10/- a week.  Considering the soldier began at ten shillings a week and few got much more the lassies were doing well. 
Having posted this I sent it on to the local facebook page where so far 13 women and one male (he says) have 'liked' this.  Typical women self obsession.  How many would have liked it if men were shown doing the real hard work at the foundry?  Tsk!

I thought I would add this to it as if they are interested they might part with all that money they earn and buy one of the books relevant to women.  I have not read them myself though I did look through the one on terrorists called 'The Suffragettes.'  It only costs a pound yet so far only one has sold.  I wonder how many of these women who 'liked' the post actually vote round here in UKIPLand?  It would be sad if they refused because 'it makes no difference.'  Sadly we have no vote this next local election so none of the Conservative members offering us rate rises and service cuts will notice the public apathy on May 3rd.

It was a quiet day with no schools in, only three visitors and three other callers, even the phones were quiet.  This is usual in between exhibitions.  However I still managed to fall asleep for half an hour after lunch anyway.  I expect it will be full of females for the next week or two as we have the textile (yawn) exhibition on.

Hypocrisy

For some time now the Arsenal fans encouraged by the media have been determined to remove Arsene Wenger from the club.  Fans unhappy that trophies, bar a cup or two, have been lacking have decried this man loudly and now the fans are drifting away from a club standing in sixth place and ready for a try in next years UEFA cup.  
Arsenal fans make me sick!
Here is a man who changed football for the better.
He changed the way players look after themselves by bringing the drinking culture to an end, forcing players to concentrate on what they eat, introduced sport scientists and other ideas to improve the player and the game in general.  Football in the whole of the UK took advice and followed his ideas as much as they could.  He won the league, he won cups, he gave Arsenal fans over twenty years of Champions League football and all they do is moan and now they have got their way.
I suspect that many who loudly grumble were not born when Wenger arrived, to them much of his time is history.  I suspect also many of those who did not appear at recent games are mere 'glory hunters' who wear red this year and blue next year, such 'fans' are not lost to Arsenal.
It is true that success has slipped, that the side is failing to succeed at the top level but the attitude of fans and indeed the board who are concerned only about the shareholders (themselves) is vile.  Now a man who ought to be feted has been forced out and who knows who will replace him?  I wish that man luck.
It is true Wengers time has gone but the hypocrisy now seen among the media and others gathering to tell us what a great man Wenger is while pushing him out the door is sickening.  It may well be time to go but it ought to be with head held high not a knife in the back.
I say this and I don't even like Arsenal that much.

More hypocrites are found in Carnoustie!  
A school there has received a complaint demanding the removal of the Church of Scotland minister who is the pastor.  The petition comes from the gay lobby at the school and they demand the man's removal because he is not 'inclusive.'  In short he holds to the biblical beliefs on marriage and once again the gay lobby attack the truth, and the biblical view is true, demanding those who disagree with the 'tolerant' gay lobby be removed.  Not since the Nazis have we seen truth opposed so well in Europe as by this lot.
A 'Change.org petition featured 56 names from the school, a large secondary school, a number which rose to over 300 once it went public, how many outside the 56 attend school there?  Now a local councillor has jumped into the fray telling lies about the minister and also demanding his removal.  I wonder what will happen now in this 'free society' in which we live?
This situation is repeated all over the nation, shops refusing to sell gay items are attacked by a loud minority, hospital staff who refuse to kill children are drummed out, anyone who does not bow before the gay/transgender lobby is seen as a criminal for standing up to what is right.
I have mentioned this before, I will mention this again as it will continue to grow and soon Christians will be outlawed.  I am up for that as Jesus Christ is alive and he will stand by his people even if the rest of the nation runs away under the guise of 'love.'  If you 'love' you speak the truth, you do not lie to those who require help and acceptance you tell them the truth.  Too many today refuse to face the truth, too many allow the nation, and indeed the west, to be run by liars who often do not understand what they do.  The spiritual war is very real and nothing good will come from this.

I once again purchased stuff form the local shops and fund that goods made in Bangladesh lie when they say size 'XL.'  What they mean is 'L' or more likely 'M.'  In future I will have to spend more money or buy larger sizes 'XXl' to ensure I get something that fits.  The old pair fit well and they are 'XL' and made in China, I suspect Bangladesh is cheaper and use less cloth to save cash. I will be careful when buying next time. Grrrrr!

Ugly Success

Life is a strange thing.  The yellow press are always filling their ages with nonsense yet people still pay for in hard copy or click on links to fill their faces with adverts (unless they use Adblockpro) and total nonsense.
While clicking on advertless yellow press I came across 'This' rather daft study.  Satoshi (who?) from the LSE (London School of Economics) and Mary (who?) from the University of Boston have conducted a study (who paid for this) measuring 20,000 Americans over a 13 year period to discover that those who were most conscientious and extroverted made the most money.
Hmmm.
However the story headline claims being unattractive leads to money but the finding show a more dedicated approach does the job.  Your looks mean nothing.  This reveals the twisted nature of the media and the half truths of such study.  Who paid for this nonsense?  For a start the use if US folks who are all loud and thoughtless in a society that worships money and rewards hard work with no thought for those who suffer in between does not make for a decent society.  Just making money is not enough, a top level footballer, a businessman or a politician can make money but they may not be nice people (Boris anyone?).  
Anyway if being ugly made you rich I ought to be rolling in it by now, I've had practice!  It does annoy me that talentless individuals get fame and money by being talentless and appearing constantly in the press.  These 'celebs' contribute nothing, make vats piles of cash and remain for the most part broken people with damaged lives.  I must state that if having no talent lead to money and fame can I just let entrepreneurs know that I am here waiting for you.  I have absolutely no talent, as you can confirm, no singing ability, no acting talent, fail at everything and cannot even pout properly, so start sending the money and I will pose for the papers when you are ready.
How does Mrs Beckham do it...?

"We Apologise for the Delay..."

The sun is shining, it's everywhere, don't have no worries, don't have no care so I trooped off to the bus stop for what the internet told me was the 10:29 bus.  Naturally the Bus station indicator read 10:33.  I waited, he waited, then she also waited but nothing happened.  We stared at the bus station entrance but that did not work until I got fed up of warming myself amongst this lot and headed down to the railway station where I changed my tentative plans and reached for my old man 30% off card.  Colchester it was then and he comes my train as I changed at Witham running on time to take me to my destination.
My knees were not too keen however.

This was not my real intention today as I had t come here many times a few years ago and did not find much enthusiasm for the place.  I had less enthusiasm for the adolescents from the collage wandering about like 16 year old's.

 
The Mill here on the Colne River has been in use at least since the 1100's and possibly from before that.  Most of the time it dealt with 'corn,' that is wheat to you and me, but occasionally had other uses.  Colchester of course goes back to the Romans and before them possibly the site was used early after the last ice age 8000 years BC.

You can see from this how effective the hillside offered a defensive perimeter.  After the Romans rather stupidly did not organise such defences Boudica destroyed the place and Mr Emperor ensured such a mistake did not happen again.  Much altered since it shows just how difficult an attack from ground level would have been.  

Being one not renowned for intellectual stimulus I continued to walk very slowly in heat reaching some say 29%.  The walk around the castle park is indeed long and while my body ached I found I just had to see what was around the corner.  I knew a pill box stood nearby having found it 20 years ago and here it remains.  Blocked off now and impossible to enter it was part of the UK's defences against that nice Mr Hitler who did not bother to visit. 

Situated here on a bend of the Colne it offered the defenders a good view of the river, and I suspect most of the trees had been removed then to give a clear sight to them, it also offered a very good chance of death if attacked as not other pill box stands nearby to cover, unless it stood on the other bank among the new housing estates.

 

If indeed the trees were scrubbed in 1940 they have returned well in the years since.  All around the trees tower overhead and these men in particular impressed me with their height.  That may have had something to do with the blue sky and burning sun behind them of course.

Now remember I just wanted a dawdle in the sun not a twenty mile hike and here I was, at two miles an hour, hurpling along further and further from the railway station and knowing full well that I had miles to go back to get home.  It was however the old desire to see what was round the corner once again that made me limp on.  How stupid can an individual be?  I was aware of many things forgotten since the last sunshine many moons ago.  I ought to have worn the sunglasses glasses not these ones, I ought to have a hankie to wipe away the perspiration that flowed so easily, and I ought to have ensured I had bought a lighter jacket from a charity shop for the summer.
The only bright spot was buying a 59p bottle of fizzy water to carry in my pocket, usually I forget that.

 
This huge building was working when I last passed this way 20 years ago.  The water, with a tidal reach of about 20 feet from what I could guess, was full of suitable working boats.  It is of course now flats!

Next door the building, called 'The Mill' was an interesting sight, also flats and possibly some other noisy use.  I did not venture round to look.

Camulodunum was built on the hill and here at the bottom near the quay stood a variety of aged houses.  The river has been in use for thousands of years and the Romans made good use of it at this point to bring in goods from Gaul and troops from wherever.  This house appears to have been quite substantial in itself and had another 'front' added on to the side facing the road at a point later in time. 

This is more typical Essex substantial house, one that began with a 'hall' and added things as they prospered over time.  I suspect it goes back to the 16th century at least.  

It looks like some rich man has benefited the poor by providing 'almshouses' here.

In the days before Thatcher, sorry the benefits system people often stuck their hands in their pockets to aid the poor, a system that does not exist today because the media through constant propaganda have convinced the nation at large that those on benefits are all scroungers, even if their legs have been blown off and an arrow sticks out of their head, they are fit to work!  Much more of that after Brexit!

The main building supplied all their needs although i suspect this is now accommodation of some sort and the whole place may no longer be for the poor but for the very rich!   It is important when wandering about to look up as above the road there are always signs from the distant past to see.

By now I was aware of how far I still had to travel and my muscles were informing me of my stupidity in a manner worthy of a medical student.  I ached and ahead of me lay 'East Hill' and like most hills this one went upwards.  Not the names, nothing fancy here, 'East Hill,' 'North Hill,' I suspect that is the military influence, still strong as until recently a huge army complex, now housing, lay in the middle of town.  I think I am right in saying the Para's still have places here though this time I saw no army vehicles whatever.

This building intrigued me, a small 'church' looking style of housing with unreadable words above the window.  However my bleary eyes made out the word 'Orphanage' in time, yet another example of church people doing the work the state now does, possibly better!  It was also used as a girls school and was paid for by a Mr A. Diss and cost him £700 to erect!

No charitable person appeared offering to carry me up this hill past the run down aged housing come shops that have stood there for hundreds of years.  They were not built to withstand such traffic rumbling past though the ones on the other side of the road were better built and mostly of a Georgian or Victorian time.

Foolishly I watched as a bus stopped at the bus stop and the driver remained there in an attempt to fit into his timetable.  Foolishly I ought to have whipped out the bus pass and got myself up the hill.  I didn't!  He drove on.
However on the other side sat a large once glorious building now refurbished and possibly an office complex featuring this fine bird high above the road making it obvious what the original company stood for, well not to me!   
In fact the area here is the 'Eagle Gate' one part of the towns defences.  The building was built by the 'Colchester Brewing Company' in 1888 indicating a flow of cash had arrived since 1828. 

Beer was beginning to lodge itself into my temperance mind as I ploughed on uphill.  The I noticed this Georgian (?) building squashed alongside two more showy offerings.

Above the door we see yet another image of Jesus tending his sheep.  The image of the shepherd not really working too well in this concrete jungle in which many live but the fact remains true.  This also must have been an offering towards improving or teaching people, probably young folks.  Do similar works exist today?

Almost at the top of the hill I found St James the Great standing ready to welcome me with open arms, which it didn't last time I passed as it was closed.  This church like so many others would open daily but folks do tend to wander in and pinch things so it was open this time for a small service in the side chapel.  A very nice chap at the entrance encouraged me to enter even though the service was almost finished and so I did and thankfully sat in a pew at the back and discovered my body preferred sitting to walking uphill.

As you might expect this cavernous church has stood here from around the 1200's and most likely a wooden Saxon building stood here before that.   I sat and listened at a distance unwilling to wander about as the wee service continued in the corner.

  
I was hesitant about photos also in this high church anglo-catholic church but I managed one or two.
These long poles carried by the verger during parades in such churches are often delicate artistic items.  However reading about the local church in the 1600's we see the verger/beadles often using their staffs to ensure unruly youths ((forced into church by law and uninterested in what was taking place) paid attention and kept the noise down.  Such churches often have graffiti on pillars as the crowd stood through the service and often found ways to keep themselves occupied.

 
 I left the friendly Beadle and made my way into the edge of town for lunch which comprised one £3:90 worth of Colchester No1 in the rather trendy 'Three Wise Monkeys' 'Tap House.'   Here I was served by an attractive friendly young woman who along with her friend helped lift me out of the soft clinging chairs used to trap folks into staying all night.  At that price right enough I could have bought food!

Staring out the pub window I cogitated on my return to the railway station.  Either through the crowded hot town (always a 'town' here not a 'city' as they wish to keep the dubious accolade of 'England's Oldest Town.'  I decided again my aches crying out to get the bus to wander through the castle grounds, a mistake by the way as it was downhill and I could hardly walk properly as I went down the slope.  Fool that I am!  

After a slog through the uninteresting boring hot streets full of decent houses I took what I considered a short cut and got to the station as quick as if I had gone the other way.  Here announcements informed me as I drank my £2:50 Americana coffee provided by the busy yet friendly lass in the 'Pumpkin' cafe on the platform, that the train was late, very late as it happens, because of signalling problems.  Surely I thought others would also be late until I realised this one came from a different starting point.  'Slow' is a word many of my teachers often used, one or two used other words.  However my carriage arrived as we see here and happily the crowd climbed aboard and I found myself sitting in a suitable seat to get the full benefit of the sun shining through my window, jolly!

 
I have to change trains as on the outward journey and was greatly cheered to find I had arrived seven minutes after my hourly train had departed!  Once again I sat in the sun watching the girls trains go by, once again near to the arrival of my train the repeated announcement that the '15:29 for Colchester Town is running late de to technical difficulties.'  This was running also in front of mine which meant my 15:35 was going to be late as indeed it was becoming the '15: sometime or other' when it arrived.  
I entertained myself by taking pictures of the rabbit in the distance chewing away at the abundance of vegetation on the remains of the one time Maldon line.  No trains here since Beeching and few before that.

The train speedily made it to home arriving at the time he ought to be departing.  I was home by 16:12 aching, hot and bothered, and desperate for food, rest and a massage from an attractive young woman.  One of these has not arrived.
I ache, I was daft in walking so far in the sun, my head is like a beetroot and as hot as an oven, and I am not planning going anywhere tomorrow, bar Tesco that is.  However the change in plans was enjoyable, I love the train!  I met good people, saw interesting things and got out of myself for a while, much needed at that.  So I am pleased but the pictures are snapshots as I was too weary to compose properly and just snapped things I liked.  I missed a great deal.  However it was a good day in the sun.

Sunshine!

As I wandered in the gardens gathering Vitamin 'K' (or is it 'D'?) from the sunshine I cogitated on Theresa May's handling of these Caribbean types who have lived here fifty or so years and are being chucked out by the dozen.  It seemed to my little mind that a woman who while spending six years as Home Secretary has forgotten that during her time she ordered advertising vans to drive around 'ethnic' areas plastered with information regarding how these folks should go back home.  Nothing racist in this, just obeying the 'Daily Express' and the like.  Somewhere along the line the records of such immigrants from the West Indies have been deleted by the home Office, Labour say she did this, now today she claims this was done under the Labour government, I wonder who to believe? 
The speed in which the Tories have apologised for such blatant racism reveals how much this situation has hurt them.  Even Brexit has been put aside, or is being hidden, by the fuss.  The poor Junior Minister who first had to admit the policy of dumping folks back home was wrong was bad enough, especially as she appeared not to care one whit, but the Home Secretary Amber Rudd, she who cavorted with an 'activist' at the Party Conference, she also has admitted the wrong although again without any heart showing through.  This is driven by the desperate PM, desperate to inspire her troops, desperate to keep her job, desperate to hide the Brexit failure.
All this and the Labour opposition under Corbyn can make no headway.  It makes you laugh!

             
Sitting under this tree I had my first take of warmth today.  All around the kids were screaming, mums chasing them, people happy as Larry as the sun shone properly for the first time.  The wind chill was a nuisance but I missed it sitting here.  The warmth forced me to open my shirt and let the sun pretend we were in the Mediterranean and not Essex.  It of course did not take long for the attractive young ladies to arrive.  They gathered around offering compliments like "He will never get that belly back in that shirt!"  And "Captain Ahab, the white whale is here!"  
I hope they all get mumps.  

I suppose it is a terrible thing, facebook stealing all our info, but when they merely use it to pass on to advertisers of whatever persuasion I remain unmoved.  For years I have used  Ad Block Plus on Firefox and Chrome and rarely ever see and advert.  One or two appear for seconds and then disappear but any advert of whatever nature is hard to see on facebook or indeed anything else.
The sight of the creepy wee man Zuckerberg facing the US committee ensured any love for him was lost.  His appearance reminded me of the weird types seen in some old US movies, the one who turns out to indeed be weird, or a gangster or a zombie perhaps.  He did not appear as one you would trust in any capacity.  He also gave the impression the US committee could do nothing about him or his actions, and he is right.  With so many billionaires working alongside him no Congress committee will get far in putting him down.  
However it is worrying just how much info people can gather through 'social media.'  Fine as long as you do not become opposed to the tyranny that rules and unfortunate of you do as they will know more about you than you do.  At this point I'd like to say "Hi!" to MI6, MI5, the FBI, Scotland Yard, the CIA and Mr Putin.  The Chinese we met when they had the Olympics and their lackeys watched for any disagreement worldwide and were always ready to spout the party line.  It kept them out of jail I suppose. 
At least they will not see the adverts.

Look, blue skies!!!

Pah!

So much for getting out and about!
I got as far as the gardens!
Having forgotten to eat last night, I ate but not properly, I found I had no energy this morning for some reason.  Listlessly staring at the laptop did not improve things and only after a light lunch did I twig what was wrong.  Stupidity runs in my family but appears to stop at me.
The gardens were bereft of flying creatures, small kids were found aplenty spoiling the view, mums who need to diet strolled around with mobile clamped to their ears while little ones wondered whether to throw themselves into the pond.  I moved away at this point...

This boy posed for me however.
No idea what it is, don't say 'Butterfly' I know that but I know not what kind.  One or two other flying beasties were around as the chill in the air did not deter the Spring like weather.  In the next day or two it may get hot, probably because I am inside the museum tomorrow!

  
Daffodils.  Why more daffodils you ask?  Because there are myriads of the things blooming all over the place.  Most other flowers are as yet to small to make a real splash but they will soon enough.
There was little else to see as I passed by.  Too many kids to wander about with a camera these days. No activities of any sort to be worth taking pictures, nothing new in this small town today.
Of course most sweet little ones have gone back to school, the rest go back tomorrow.  This means the museum will be quiet and we have just finished one exhibition so there will be a mere half museum to see tomorrow.  It will take two weeks to set up the next one. 
I will sit and watch...

Trump Cruising...

Apparently World War Three broke out last night.  A handful of spare cruise missiles fell on parts of Syria and Russia has now declared a 'Red alert.'  I suppose it would be a 'Red alert' wouldn't it?  
In fact, according to a BBC man whom I usually don't believe, this was stage managed for the people. The Syrians, well the Russians, would have been told where the missiles would land, no Russian, almost no Syrian would be hurt, little real damage would occur and, as the last time the west responded to chemical weapons being used, nothing changes.
However the media will shout and scream with almost as much ignorance as I, political lightweights will appear spouting the party line and most folks will go out and enjoy the sunshine, such as it is.
I was impressed by the appearance of our local MP spouting the Boris Johnson line, he is one of Boris's lackeys and now has a good job out of this, he was telling us we do not require a vote in the house by MPs who have no information on the circumstances of the situation. That means MPs are ignorant or info is withheld, I don't know which.  Either way the MP ought to spend more time answering constituents letters, which he does not, and less time brown nosing for promotion.

With the Heart of Midlothian taking the weekend off as it is cup semi final weekend I have spent time listening to the end of season promotion and relegation battles featuring teams with delightful names from out of the way places. The image offered by football team names is intriguing, 'Queen of the South' is a famous name even amongst people who have no idea they come from Dumfries in the Scottish borders.  'Partick Thistle' are much better known even though they do not play in the 'Partick' area of Glasgow.  At the end of the 19th century they moved between two or three grounds, as most clubs did, until they received help from Rangers football club to move to the new district in the north of Glasgow called Maryhill.  This allowed Thistle a good crowd in the new area and Rangers then obtained all the fans in the shipbuilding parts of Govan.  This also gave them the 'Ulster loyalist' approach as pretend protestants which in itself meant little until Celtic arrived in Glasgows east end and made a play for the Catholics in that area.  Both clubs have used sectarian bull to gather crowds ever since.  But you ask why is the name pronounced 'Celtic' with a soft 'C' and not 'Keltic' with a hard 'C,' nobody appears to know but stupidity might play a part.
Based in Paisley 'St Mirren,' pronounced and spelt 'St Mirn' by many,  are named after a man called Mirin who founded a church where Paisley Abbey now stands, he became the Paisley patron saint.  On the other hand 'St Johnstone' did not get their name from a saint directly but from the church in Perth where they originated.  This was dedicated to St John the Baptist and Perth was often referred to as 'St John's Toun' and the name came from this.  
Raith Rovers come from Kirkcaldy on the Fife coast but there was no town called Raith in times past.  Instead there was an area stretching across a few miles across Fife reaching to the west of Kirkcaldy area.  A Battle of Raith took place here in the late 6th century and a Raith Tower and Raith House sit close by.  'Raith' itself comes from old Scots and means a 'fort.'  A common tongue in cheek comment is to refer to 'Dancing in the streets of Raith' as this was said to have been announced by a sports commentator years ago, he might have been using sarcasm.
'Brechin City' come from Brechin a small town in Angus with a population of under ten thousand.  However having a cathedral, once a Roman Catholic and now belonging to the 'Episcopal Church' allows the townsfolks to make use of the word 'City' although this has now no official use.     
The Heart of Midlothian I must point out were not named after a book by Walter Scott!

One day I will be fit!  Since the turn of the year every time I attempt some form of exercise something, the bug, funeral, sloth, gets in the way, however this time I will get on with it and improve life.  For a start I have actually cleaned the fridge, as I said, and the oven is next, maybe, and as the weather appears to be improving I must get out and about making use of the bus pass and rail card.  I need to see the sea again, I forget what it looks like.
Of course last week was a washout but as the kids were on holiday it was not a time for wandering abroad.  From Monday, or Tuesday most of them will be locked up inside where they ought to be  allowing decent people to prowl the land upsetting other decent people doing similar.  
One problem here is that all the best attractions to visit are not on the bus line or train line, this is great of you have a car but not if you are impoverished and inept like me.  I also don't as yet feel like walking miles to see things but we will get out soon and find some better pictures than what we find now.

 

Thursday

Life, in this misty world today, was full of surprises.
For a start I was not sick, I had food, except bread, I did not need to rush out and no crabbit emails arrived.
Instead I slowly wandered about Tesco enjoying the need not to rush.  Of course I came home to remember what I forgot to buy!  
I then cogitated on Deuteronomy 7, the book that lies at the heart of our liberal thinking.  
Not that a Guardian reader will agree.
After exercising I counted the aches and went for a haircut.  What a surprise, I got in!  Instead of being crowded with kids being trimmed for next weeks back to school there was only a spotty teenager, scowl attached, awaiting a 'Number Two,' whatever that is.     
Naturally I felt cold wandering home with a lot less hair, and my mind was full of wondering where all that silver stuff had come from.  I also wondered why I have hair while my dad (who died at 61) has so little.  His hair was thin, possibly this was the old army back and sides showing through and his army need to cut hair that was not long.  My brother and I had plenty of hair and of course I retain my youthful looks.
The only disturbance was a call from the landlord's man while I was unavailable.  It sounded urgent.
I called back expecting to be turfed out, rent increased, damage reported, complaints made, and found they merely wished to send a man in to test 'energy performance.'  Naturally I pointed out there has been no energy performed here for at east fifteen years but it appears she was talking about the building.  I still fail to understand as this has not happened before and sounds like they have something up their sleeve.  It may lead to improved windows, these are 'listed' so cannot be replaced by plastic ones, and this certainly would increase the 'energy performance.'  These windows for the most part are original, 1812 I believe.  That is probably the last time they were cleaned.   I wonder what the man is up to with such exploits?
I have been ignoring the telly, the news happens but I have missed it today, Commonwealth Games are taking place somewhere but I have little interest, and other things are happening but if I ignore them they actually do not change my life in any way.  There is a story in there somewhere.
One thing I have noticed in the adverts that fill most screens is the way you never see black people together.  One add showed a black man suffering while coaching kids football, his wife appears at the end but she is white.  Another shows a black man on a train hand his 'tablet' to a child, who is white, yet another shows a sentimental mother dressing her daughter for her wedding - to a white man!  Why is it that a black couple are never shown?  There have been adverts for products featuring black or Indian families, why are they not shown now?  Did UKIP object?