Quiet Day

Not much happened today. The most interesting thing was discovering, after an accident in front of the fridge, that 2p coins were magnetic. I wanted to share this news with the World, did a Google search first and discovered that they had been made that way since 1992. I hadn't noticed.

BBC News 24 was also having a slow day today. In the middle of coverage of the Iraqi hostage crisis, where they were interviewing someone from the British Muslim Council, a series of spiffy 'Breaking News' logos were blasted onto the screen and some suitably dramatic music played. The newsreader looked stern as she repeated her voice prompts ...

'Breaking news just in ... Belfast ... a passenger ferry is stuck outside
Belfast ... Fifty passengers are tra... can't get off the ferry ... because
the crew can't get the doors open'

Then she scowled, round about the same time I started laughing. Presumably there's someone in the studio who's has the key job of hitting the 'Breaking News' alert button as soon as possible in attempt to beat Sky and CNN to the story. Either that person was a little premature or, hopefully, the BBC has started a policy of giving minor news stories totally disproportionate attention. The thought that some sailor was having a little problem with a sticky door lock and somehow, 10 minutes later, it was being beamed around the world by satellite to millions of people amused me intensely. All that technology, all those people just straining at the leash to report some mayhem, any mayhem. Ah well, it will be fireworks night soon enough and there's always Iraq.

There was also a report that Tony Blair had confided to a friend that he had considered quitting ealier in the year. This is the sixth time I've heard that story in the last two months

Like I said, quiet day ...