Florence Train Journey in 2012
Once in a while I look at this photograph and laugh. These really were people, normal people, maybe, travelling from Pisa Airport to Florence. Surely it was the cast of Father Ted, Ab Fab and others? 
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 day “February 3, 2013”
Candidates for the Most Ridiculous Lampshade in the world
This is a new annual competition I am running. Here is the first entry from Barcelo Raval Hotel Foyer in Barcelona. A life size horse, with the lamp coming out of its head. This one gets 7/10 for nonsense factor. 
Yoevil 3 Brentford 0. Divine intervention fell on the crowd but not the Brentford team
One of the crazy things in football is how Chelsea can be European champions, and even crazier thing is how one week Brentford can effectively beat Chelsea and then lose comprehensively to Yoevil Town.
To be positive a visit to Yoevil is always pleasant, the roads lead straight there, car park right next to the away terrace for a mere 2£, decent programme, but Bees always seem to lose and never seem to have much luck. Essentially, that was the pattern from yesterday, and after Bees missed a few chances, the writing was on the wall. A lucky rebound for a first goal for Yoevil, a stunning volley for a second and a decent third. Brentford to me played the wrong team from the start with the wrong tactics with the wrong attitude. The pitch before the game looked good, but as soon as the game started it was clear it was a pudding of a pitch. Bees were well beaten, and frankly beaten on merit, effort and luck. Marek Stech the Yoevil keeper looked as good as I have seen this year, other than our own Simon Moore.
How can football fans live their lives without Stewards? Let us rejoice in their wonder and let rays of sunshine descend onto their heads.
The importance of stewards at football is renowned. I feel so safe when I see the stewards, well trained in social and administration skills, and clearly combat at times too. However clearly those of a Divine nature have the same opinion as evidenced by a single ray of sunshine onto this Steward at Yoevil Football club yesterday.
What would we do without stewards? I must thank the ones yesterday for frisking me so thoroughly to ensure that I was not carrying in items such as plutonium or other radioactive substances, or maybe Semtex cleverly disguised as a football programme, or even a dreaded water bottle. Such attention to the important things in life makes me forgive them for not knowing where such unimportant things are such as gents toilets, refreshment kiosk or why they were attempting to cram a large cohort of Brentford fans into only half the terracing initially. Luckily I engaged them in some counting of numbers activities that extended beyond binary, and all said terracing was then opened. But feel free to suggest what they might have been searching me for?
Misleading Advertising. How can they get away with this?
Sunday morning just glancing through newspapers whilst waiting for family members to remove their hangovers and play Wi games. Different family members I must add.
Sunday Times, travel section 3/2/2013. Page 9. Just read it and wait to get excited. Surrey is a grey kingdom today, damp and uninspiring. But hope is on the horizon. In the remainder of the travel section the theme is reductions in certain holidays due to low demand. For example 7 night cruises on great cruise lines ( not Costa for example) for as little as 599£.
So wandering in front of my eyes I see an advertisement that clearly states. Atlantis. From only 199£ per person, 3 nights including half board and flights. Plus 6 other enticing either pleasant or free things to look forward to. Ridiculously cheap, yes. Unbelievable, yes. Both actually correct. Because in far more wordage in some minuscule font at the bottom to which we are directed by an asterisk, there are some more details to consider. Firstly the minor detail that this price is actually per person per night. Secondly this pricing is only for July. Thirdly various other caveats apply such as for some strange reason a flight supplement charged only for 12-16 year olds. Might this relate to the fact that they ” eat and play for free”.
To me this advert is misleading and although I have never done this before I am going to make a formal complaint to ASA.
Why am I so concerned? I work in the Pharmaceutical industry and our advertising is complex, well vetted and there are clear guidelines laid down by ABPI as to how and what claims can be made. But this kind of advert would not be allowed. It is very misleading and to the casual eye would seem impossibly cheap I agree, but some things are these days, and secondly the asterisk does require decent eyesight to read the three lines of blurb and conditions.
Lastly,I am surprised that the Sunday Times does not vet its own adverts more carefully. They have a duty to their readers. End of rant.
A Great Place
The rants and warblings of an active and some would say disturbed mind. A Brentford Fc supporter and a psychiatrist and photographer. Welcome to my musings and rants.
chris1957
Arcticterntalk.org 