Arcticterntalk.org

The blog of a travelling psychiatrist and football lover. Who happens to be a halfway decent photographer. Takes a cynical view of the world

Archive for the month “July, 2012”

30 Jul 2012

Airport Security – what is your opinion?


Over the last 5 days I have travelled on 8 flights through various continents and been subjected to varying degrees of airport security . In general terms it has been tedious with slow queues essentially due to too few people and sometimes too few scanners to walk through. Sometimes the belt I wear sets the alarm off and sometimes not. That is not the reason for the blog. The reason is the security specifically at Newcastle Airport this afternoon. To give context the airport is incredibly busy with folks setting out on holidays and filling the bars beforehand to give them a headstart. I saw a family with two small children, they both looked about 2 in a double pushchair. The gate was unlocked to allow the pushchair not to go through the scanner. Looked sensible to me overall. I then saw a male security guard ask to frisk the children. The girl was taken out and given a totally perfunctory patting down because she was howling and trying to reverse rapidly away from this man ( totally predictable and understandable). The boy remained asleep in the pushchair during his also somewhat perfunctory examination. He was not moved so actually anything could have been underneath him. The parents and grandmother seemed not to object. My conundrum is that I would have objected if this had been my youngsters on a number of grounds. Firstly if the exercise was in airport security, then ” nil points” as any item could have remained undetected. Secondly it did all seem so unnecessary. We really have to use some common sense in security and mostly this seems to happen. I tweeted this story and Newcastle Airport tweeted back and to their credit send an email address to where a complaint might be made. I am not going to make any complaint as this did not happen to my children and presumably the parents will not either.

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29 Jul 2012

A Final View on South Korea from Sherlock Holmes


There is no doubt that I would like to come back here. Based only on two days I would say that this is one of the most polite and pleasant nations I have visited. I saw no aggression nor irritation with two exceptions. A Korean man trying to check in for his flight before the counter was open ( the clue for him was a huge queue and the massive sign saying opening at 14.50) and a Korean man paying his executive level room bill with wads of cash. No smile, no communication. Deadpan face. No thanks either and no bowing. Everyone else in Korea bows to everyone else on every occasion. Let me give you an example. When the check-in desks did open at 14.47 the whole team of 7 check-in staff, stood up, said something together to the waiting travellers ( rather like one might address a church congregation ), bowed to us all, and then rapidly motioned for us to come forward. I will not criticise British Airways for not doing this, but maybe a smile instead of a bow? And not one of those sour mouthed ones either.

The other learning in South korea is that in two days with mostly affluent doctors and other souls, I saw only two overweight people ( out of hundreds if not thousands). One of these was a morbidly obese Korean man in the hotel ( BMI>30, maybe >35), and the other a slightly overweight young woman (BMI maybe 27-28). Why? Easy. They eat less. How do I surmise this? Am I Sherlock Holmes? Well, maybe….

The portions served at mealtimes are much smaller than western sized portions. The meal last night in a grand hotel ( Lotte Busan, if you want to look it up. It has a casino and theatre etc, to give context) was 4 courses. Four small courses. Fish as a starter with bread roll about half the size of UK bread rolls a la Co-Operative. Third of a bowl of asparagus soup. Small steak with side salad, other vegetables and small amount of potatoes. Dessert a small slice of a sort of light cheesecake. No alcohol served at all, and in fact only water and coffee. This was a meal served to a group of top physicians in Korea attending an important annual congress. My second observation was actually a secondary one. I was trying to work out why the airports function better and quicker than UK. The answer is essentially no shops ( certainly no unnecessary ones) and few restaurants. So the whole area is not clogged up by people rampaging for their ninth meal of the morning. Compare and contrast with any USA airport where it seems de rigeur to eat a massive meal even though one is going on a 1 hour flight. So, simple deductions,Watson. Eat less and do not get overweight.

I would definitely return here both in a professional capacity and for a holiday. And in fact I am quite taken with South Korea and shall be cheering them on in the olympics!

Busan from the 33rd floor

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28 Jul 2012

South Korea


There is always an expectancy about a place that mixes in awe and dread. This is my first visit. The usual British Airways debacle, arriving 3 hours before departure to Terminal 5 and then reaching the gate in good time to be told minutes before departure of a delay due to a mechanical engineering problem. This then throws out all the other arrangements and the flights subsequent get missed and so on. Do BA care? In my view no. The aircraft that transported me to Hong Kong was an old 747. It looked old and had none of the niceties that other newer planes have. The socket on the floor did not work. The design of the cabin was bizarre.

In contrast Hong Kong, Seoul Incheon , Gimpo and Busan airports were a delight. The Thai airways flight to Seoul was one of the nicest I have been on, comfortable seats and great food and service. The airports too were modern and clean and passengers just flowed through them rather than getting stuck, such as Terminal 5. When one tries to analyse why one airport works well it is interesting to note that the South Korean airports have few shops and restaurants. People turning up this morning to fly from Gimpo ( this is the smaller of the Seoul airports. Seoul is in fact about an hour on the express train from Incheon airport. ) wanted to do just that, fly. They were not piling into restaurants in hordes or shopping as though the day of destiny was approaching. A good learning . Airports are for flying from.

Busan is the second largest city in South Korea and is a modern place. My hotel has placed me on the 33rd floor , and below me is the medical institute and dentistry institute . Somewhere there is a casino. I like this place and the people. Wi-fi is free in the hotel and many other places ( Marriott are you listening?), modern defibrillators line the corridors of the airport but rather confusingly are labelled IPAD. I am sure some younger visitors will get a shock if they disturb the item……

Busan from 33rd Floor

Busan

Busan

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26 Jul 2012

Charity cycle ride from london to Istanbul by Charles Bushe and Exeter university students


Up at 5 am to get the first train up to london to see Charles Bushe leave on his charity cycle expedition with the Exeter uni team cycling to Istanbul. I am informed that this is 4500km.
Whitehall was deserted and coffee was only obtainable from McDonalds. Loads of army up there ” guarding” the beach volleyball arena. Rather appropriate as the charity that Charles is cycling for is Help for Heroes. An awful train service from First Great western meant that his mother and siblings missed them depart. They waited until the last moment but then at 7.30 am really had to head off from the Cenotaph on their way to Dover.
This is going to be an amazing expedition for them and I suspect that there will be many life learnings on the way. But am I worried? Not at all. why not? Do not know.
If anyone would like to still sponsor them ( a few pounds would be brilliant), then this is the link and also the link to their blog, which allegedly they will update daily. Photos of their deparature follow in an album. Enjoy.

 

http://www.justgiving.com/Charles-Bushe

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24 Jul 2012

England v South Africa. Day 5. Oval


As most people expected this game was over by tea. But England, well some of them did put up a fight. Ian Bell and Matt Prior worked hard and were somewhat unlucky in getting out. Ravi Bopara looked the average county player he is. But the real story of this game is the great weather, the fact it went 5 days and the superb South African bowling, England were outplayed frankly in almost every regard except Wicket keeper where AB de Villiers looked average to poor.

As a result of making ticket prices 15£, the Oval was decently filled with only the hospitality guests absent as judged by their empty boxes. Dozens of pints were consumed, seemingly by some individuals, and the food prices remain too high for me with the choice poor. A picnic every time for me. But a great day out, a great test match.

Lastly, the stewards. What exactly is their role? Some were gifted lovely luminous jackets with “steward” emblazoned on the back, if we might not have guessed, but others had simeply ” response” on theirs and green jackets. None of them performed any useful purpose other than on occasions blocking visibility. but there again Bopara’s batting or a stewards bottom? The difference is what?

Ian Bell

Ravi Bopara departs bowled

South Africa Keeper and Slips[gallery columns="1" orderby="ID"]

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22 Jul 2012
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Burlington Junior School. How a child changes in 7 years. A photographic dissertation


Burlington junior school is a primary and secondary school deep in the suburbs of New Malden in Surrey. By chance it sits less than 300 yards as the crow flies from our house. When our daughter was 4 we took a look around and made a decision that this was a good school and more importantly the right school. We were not wrong. Our daughter now 11 years of age leaves the school today after 7 years to venture into secondary school next term. What have we learned? Firstly that this school nurtures children. Yes, there is the flurry of excitement to get good SATS results, yes, the homework is annoying at times, but at all times the children are encouraged to be children. School is so much more than rote learning. It is about socialisation and working out how the world functions. The teaching experience has been good with many examples of excellence. Looking back would we change anything? I dont think so.

We have watched many of the children grow up in a lovely manner and for our daughter we took a photograph each first day of the school year. So the first one was taken when she was almost 5 and the last one today when she is almost 12. Without doubt the biggest change is in Year 6 ( when the children become 11 years old and some even almost 12 years old).

So please enjoy seeing these changes and it is going to be a strange old walk tomorrow for the last time to Burlington Junior School. Thankyou for all your kindnesses.

5 years old. First day at school

6 years old

7 years

8 years

9 years

10 years

11 years

Last Day

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22 Jul 2012
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England V South Africa Day 4. Oval test.


Test matches are always a spectacle and more so when England are playing at the Oval. A ground that although lacking the majesty of Lord’s has something of its own. A sort of “people’s ground”. Today the ground was packed with cricket fans paying their £60 to watch a day’s play and that is what they saw. South Africa dominated throughout. Scoring around 200 runs without losing a wicket, nor looking as though they might, to declare around 250 runs ahead of England. So the final session began with England needing to bat out 4 sessions to draw the game. The alleged best team in the world should be able to do that on a placid pitch. Wrong. England’s batting was appalling. A few good balls got wickets ( England got no wickets because they did not bowl any good balls) but Kevin Pietersen seemed determined to get himself out. A stupid cameo innings that gained the team 19 runs before his middle stump went cartwheeling out. Strauss was even worse, sweeping a harmless ball up in the air to square leg. Andrew Strauss has had a bad game all round. Bad batting and bad captaincy. The highlight of the day was seeing Hasim Amla score 300 not out. He looked like he might score 1000 if left there for a few days.

Meanwhile the sun shone, 30 degrees at least, the food selection was poor and expensive. We settled on a pastie for £4.50. No alcohol is allowed in the ground, cycnical. But we all enjoyed the occassion and no doubt will be back next year.

Oval

Oval

Oval

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12 Jul 2012

Robin Mae and the Impressionists


Last night this band played in bar area of the Rose Theatre in kingston and were fantastically recieved. Encore was demanded. Nothing new about this sequence of events until one takes a closer look and you see that the two youngest band members are 11 and 12 years old. No need to make any excuse for age as they are a quality act. Great songs and surprisingly good stage presence for a singer so young. They have talent in abundance and I really think that we saw a star in the making last night. Here are a few photos to give you an idea but the full album sits on my facebook page

facebook.com/chris.bushe.3

Enjoy and when you can go and see them

 

Robin Mae and the impressionists

Robin Mae and the Impressionists

Robin Mae and the Impressionists

Robin Mae

Robin Mae

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11 Jul 2012

Pirates of The Curry Bean. A wonderful production by Burlington Junior School Year 6


I think we all know that there is a lot of raw talent out there, but exactly how much only gets measured when a school is brave enough to put around 90 year 6 children into a complicated production. Auditions were held and fairness played a role as the major 12 parts are played by different children each of the two nights. The scenery and props were truly brilliant and the simplicity of what was done was mesmerising. There was humour, a few forgotten lines ( but over 90 minutes hardly any), bravado, great acting, great delivery and great singing. The teachers have clearly put a lot into this production and it showed. Local residents from a home for the elderly were invited, parents, friends and importantly children in all the other classes.  There were so many good performances that one could not , even being unbiased, pick any special one because they all were. the audience loved the pirates, loved the dancers, laughed at the jokes. A few photographs just to remind us what a great evening it was.

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09 Jul 2012

Brave Robin


Images, wisley, rhs wisley , robin redbreast

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