Frankie and Benny's

So, off we went to Frankie & Benny’s new outlet in Cambridge Retail Park, Aylesbury. Now at this stage I need to explain myself, as after a visit to Frankie & Benny’s in some god forsaken retail park outside Coventry a couple of years ago I made a vow to myself of NEVER AGAIN!! And at the Sage’s great age he knows that NEVER is a very BIG word indeed. So, why was I off to sup at the forbidden trough? Well the Sagette had been nominated by her sister as a warm wonderful human being, or some such nonsense, and next thing you know there is a DJ from MIX 96 Radio (“MIX 96, The Voice of the Vale!”) at the door with a Frankie & Benny’s £40 plus a bottle of Champagne voucher with the Sagette’s gasping unbelieving tones broadcast live to the awe inspired denizens of Aylesbury Vale. Very nice too, and thank you to MIX 96 which is an excellent local radio station.







So rather than be a fully paid up member of the Grumpies I found myself in the company of the Sagette and her delectable sister going to have “Italian” food whilst being watched over by the pictures of dead Italians which line the walls of F & B. All this points to an American influence for if you look into the freezer displays at American supermarkets huge trays of frozen Lasagne with black and white pictures of at least one dead Italian on the front will alarmingly stare back at you. But as we approach this vision of Italy dreamt up by a marketing manager from Croydon the nagging thought occurred to me “Would FREE be too expensive a price at Frankie and Benny’s?”



This new branch of Frankie & Benny's New York Italian Restaurant and Bar is one in a chain of over 100 restaurants throughout the UK, run by the Restaurant Group PLC. The chain is styled as a fun 1950's American restaurant; it has a number of booths with red seats, old black and white photography and a bottle-lined bar in each restaurant. The food is marketed as authentic American / Italian cuisine. A story of the origins of the chain is given on its website: This outlines a 10 year old Sicilian boy Frankie Giuliani landing at Ellis Island, New York in 1924. They opened a restaurant and it prospered due to Mamma's home-style cooking. Frankie became lifetime friends with Benny and in 1953 Poppa retired. Frankie and Benny took over the business and the rest, as they say, is history. Well that’s just what it is; a made up story or the “Brand Story” as it is entitled on their website and it is as authentic as some of the stories I’ve read on made up Irish Whiskey, cider or Liquor brands, that is not true at all.







In fact, the first branch in Leicester was opened in 1995. There are also an additional three branches in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia.



However, according to a report in the Daily Mirror on 5th June 2008 the benevolent, paternalistic Italian image is bogus in more ways than one;



“Staff at the Restaurant Group, owner of Frankie & Benny's, Chiquito, Garfunkel's and Blubeckers, are being ordered to encourage credit card rather than cash tips - or face the sack. Why? Because the group pays below the £5.52 adult minimum wage and uses credit card tips to top up salaries. It's legal thanks to a loophole in the minimum wage rules. But it's not moral.



Restaurant Group staff keep cash tips, but a notice recently circulated to them makes clear it would prefer customers to leave credit card tips. "It is essential that the customer is offered the opportunity to leave gratuity via chip-and-pin," says the notice. "Not offering this facility means you could be encouraging the customer to leave a cash tip." The notice goes on to state this could "contravene" company policy and "is likely to lead to disciplinary action and possible dismissal". The Restaurant Group made pre-tax profits of £43.5million last year with boss Andrew Page trousering more than a million.” The fact that staff don't actually get the tips left is a lose / lose for customers - why make an effort if all you are going to get is the minimum wage anyway?







The menu sounds great. Some classic Italian dishes and some classic New York dishes and then some funky twists added in here and there. You've got your typical pasta dishes, lasagne, Bolognese, Alfredo and there are the typical burgers and chips and Pizza / Calzones. There is also a brunch and a lunch menu for smaller meals. Prices aren't fast food cheap but they're not overly expensive at first glance either. Most main meals cost around £8.95 or £5.95 off a lunch menu. However if a family is going in for a 3 course meal plus drinks then you could end up spending a small fortune.



Some thought has gone into the setting although it is all very derivative - An old style American diner feel but with a self conscious “lay it on with a trowel” Italian overlay. The toilets are usually papered with old New York papers and they talk to you in Italian in them (apparently quite confusing if you've had too much to drink). You can see where the chefs are cooking as its an open style kitchen, as a consequence you do get a lot of the kitchen noise but the 50's music will drown this out. Lighting is always quite dim, even during the day as the furnishings are rather dark.







There is a good selection of alcoholic beverages, a good cocktail menu and a sophisticated looking bar. However a word of caution – many of the Cocktails use “pre-mix” concoctions and the Strawberry Daiquiri uses tinned strawberries so they taste very plastic, also the bar staff are not really up to speed or well trained. Drinks are uniformly expensive, particularly given the lack of quality in the contents of the cocktails. They do a children’s pack, with crayons and a colouring book for parents that would like a quiet chat that is free for every child. Some idea of the target C and D demographics of the customers they are aiming at can be gained from this advert from a local (horror of horrors!) stretch limo company.



“A Frankie & Benny's VIP Limo Party starts from £225 plus VAT (party of eight). Price includes a chauffeured limo transfer from school or home to the restaurant with a formal introduction to the restaurant manager. A two-course party tea (including drinks) is served at your decorated VIP party table. Finally, you enjoy the limo journey home again. Just watch the proud faces on mums and dads as their VIP's arrive home by limo.” Proud Chav faces indeed as they hand over £225 plus VAT to “entertain” the spoilt monsters!





Chav VIP's?



When we arrived the Sagette announced to the waiter that we had booked (to let them know we were the special MIX 96 people!) but that didn’t register with the Polish waiter who showed us to an unsuitable table considering one of the party was walking with crutches after an operation. Where he then showed us to was equally unsuitable as it was a tight booth but we sat down rather than bring him over again. We were left with menus and it took 15 minutes for him to come back to take our order and a further 15 minutes for the champagne to be served and 35 minutes for the starter to arrive. This left plenty of time to look at the workings of the 2 chef kitchen whose inhabitants seem to have signed up here because they could express their creative flair better than at Little Chef!



They seemed to spend most of their time arguing with the waiters who obviously had meals going out incomplete, in the wrong order or too slowly. In fact kitchen is a bit of a misnomer for while steaks, burgers, fish etc; are cooked on a charcoal grill the food offer obviously comes in pre-prepared and is mostly heated in ovens or kept in bains Marie. So for instance, if you didn’t want mushrooms with your pasta sauce this wasn’t possible as “that’s the way it comes.” So we played safe and ordered the “Sharing Platter” and then respectively a Rack of Ribs, a burger and “herby potatoes” and a Quarter Chicken on Mash.





The sharing platter



The sharing platter is described on the menu (for £11.95) as “a giant feast of our house favourites; chicken strips, BBQ chicken wings, fully loaded potato skins, spicy onion rings, bread sticks and garlic ciabatta. Served with a selection of delicious dips and crunchy celery sticks. Four of everything, ideal for families!” Well it is as described but everything on it could have been bought in the freezer section of Tesco’s except for the 4 grissini and the small celery sticks. It comes with 4 small cardboard tubs of sauces. These tubs are popular because my rack of ribs came with coleslaw in one of these small tubs. It is served with fries and half a corn cob but didn’t come with the butter for the corn and the extra barbeque sauce shown on the menu. For £12.95 I kept imagining the “chef” taking the plastic vacuum packing off it shortly beforehand, it certainly didn’t have the fresh taste you get in America. The herby fries with the somewhat overdone burger covered most of the plate and once again were pure Tesco freezer cabinet. The chicken was dry with that strange colour you get when they paint it with food colour to give that corn fed / nicely roasted look but of course this hadn’t been anywhere near a rotisserie. Cucina Italiano it wasn’t and indeed at £10.95 the chicken worked out at twice what a similar (but tastier) dish would cost in Nando’s.







It took some time for the pleasant but overworked and linguistically challenged Polish waiter to come back to clear, drop down the desert menu and then take our order. I asked for an espresso macchiato (spotted with milk) and was amused when he said that couldn’t be done as all around on a frieze on the walls there are key Italian foodie words and the word “Macchiato” was behind his head. The manager worked out how to do it on the machine which looks like a proper espresso machine but is in fact an automatic machine with pre-sets. The coffee was just OK as they normally taste out of a machine. One of the party ordered (for old time’s sake) a Knickerbocker Glory which was standard enough except it was awkward to eat as the chunks of fruit were too large. The best part of the meal was the perfectly acceptable bottle of Mercier champagne which was very drinkable at £20 a bottle, but was just put on the table without an ice bucket.



For the shared starter, 3 mains, one desert and coffee and the champagne the bill came to £72 against which we offset £60.00 on our voucher. Now it may seem ill tempered to complain about a free meal but the truth is the indifferent service, delays and the fact that the food was supermarket freezer quality and the ambience of Frankie & Benny's very plastic "Little Italy" impersonation did not make for a sense of occasion or an enjoyable evening and if I had paid the full price I would have resented it. But there is more for the next day all three of us were very “gastrically challenged!” So when it comes to Frankie & Benny's there are times when FREE is still too expensive and when NEVER is not too big a word. Ciao and Arrivederci Frankie and Benny for your “Brand Story” is going to continue without me!



If you are in Aylesbury Town and want to check out honest, simple Italian fare then check out Buon' Amici. It is full of noisy live Italians who strangely don’t feel the need to add lustre to their offer by putting pictures of dead Italians on the walls. It also serves the best coffee - La Passione Del Caffe as they say themselves!



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/04/buon-amici.html





The Antidote

BURN'S NIGHT TALE - A NEW TWIST

Robert Burns

On 25 January 1759 poet Robert Burns was born so this year the 250th anniversary of his birth is being celebrated.

Scotland's National Bard entered the world in a clay biggan at Alloway. Although born into a poor family, Burns's father enrolled him at a local school and the poet's love of language was born. John Murdoch taught Burns and his brother Gilbert in a school founded by their father and neighbours. Murdoch introduced Burns to the works of Alexander Pope, schooling him in English, French and Latin. In 1774, Burns wrote his first song, ‘Handsome Nell’, for Nellie Kilpatrick.

Burns wrote in a light “Scots” dialect which is not Gaelic but an English dialect spoken in the Scottish Borders and Lowlands. The Scots language (the Scots leid) refers to Anglic varieties derived from early northern Middle English spoken in parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland. In Scotland it is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic traditionally spoken in the Highlands and Islands. Scots is also spoken in parts of Northern Ireland and border areas of the Republic of Ireland, where it is known in official circles as Ulster Scots or Ullans.

In honour of his Celtic compatriots the Sage publishes this New Twist for Burns Night. The Burns Supper is an institution of Scottish life: a night to celebrate the life and works of the national Bard. Suppers can range from an informal gathering of friends to a huge, formal dinner full of pomp and circumstance. The highlight of the entertainment on Burns Night is the “Address To a Haggis” which is quoted below.

Guests should normally stand to welcome the star attraction, The Haggis, which should be delivered on a silver platter by a procession comprising the chef, the piper and the person who will address the Haggis. A whisky-bearer should also arrive to ensure the toasts are well lubricated. During the procession, guests clap in time to the music until the Haggis reaches its destination at the table. The music stops and everyone is seated in anticipation of the address To a Haggis.


Piping in The Haggis

So for the New Twist;

Boris Johnson is visiting an Edinburgh hospital. He enters a ward full of
patients with no obvious sign of injury and greets one.

The patient replies:

"Fair fa your honest sonsie face,
Great chieftain o' the pudding race,
Aboon them o' you take your place,
Painch, tripe or thairm,
As langs my airm."

Boris is confused, so he just grins and moves on to the next patient.

The patient responds:

" Some hae meat and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it,
But we hae meat and we can eat,
So let the Lord be thankit."

Even more confused, and his grin now rictus-like, the Mayor moves on to the next patient, who immediately begins to chant:

"We sleekit, cowerin, timorous beastie,
Thou needna start awa sae hastie,
Wi bickerin brattle."

Now seriously troubled, Boris turns to the accompanying doctor and asks

"What kind of facility is this? A mental ward?"

"Och, nooooo……" replies the doctor.

"This is the serious Burns unit."



Burns Cottage Alloway

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

There may be more wonderful actresses than Audrey Tautou but the Sage humbly submits that there is none more wondrous! However the follow up to the charming Oscar-nominated hit “Amèlie” was always going to be subject to much scrutiny. Wisely, she's decided to sidestep the fairytale image of that film, instead going for a much darker role in Laetitia Colombani's “He Loves Me...He Loves Me Not”.

In He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not the adorable Audrey Tautou from Amèlie plays the central role in a deceptive story of a rather unusual romance. He Loves Me...He Loves Me Not (“A la folie...pas du tout” in the original French) offers a surprisingly dramatic romance with a twist which keeps the audience guessing until the end.

It would spoil the film's clever design to reveal what happens halfway through, so let's just say that Tautou is cast as a winsome girl in the sunny town of Bordeaux whose relationship with a married doctor has more layers than first it seems. Samuel LeBihan, from Brotherhood of the Wolf, plays the doctor, but it's the casting of cutie-pie Tautou that sets up the movie's gradually sinister undertow. He Loves Me…He Loves Me Not, in the true form of French films, is not quite what it seems at first glance. Angélique, played by bright-eyed actress Audrey Tautou is a young woman working in a café to support her studies as an art student. Although having just been selected for a generous scholarship, Angélique’s heart is elsewhere, focused upon her love affair with cardiologist Loïc Le Garrec (Samuel Le Bihan). Her love knows no limits and she sends thoughtful anonymous gifts to the doctor, who cannot guess who they are from, but who accepts them as appreciative gestures from patients whom he has cured.



We see her follow him furtively at a party; we see him smiling fondly over her gift of a single rose; we see all sort of besotted trysts. But then, a good way into the movie, everything is rewound and we see everything again from his point of view. It becomes clear that she is a stalker, an "erotomaniac" obsessed with a man who hardly knows she's alive. Audrey Tautou plays an art student who is deeply in love with this married man. She is attentive and caring, doing all she can to make this man happy. However his unwillingness to leave his wife begins to change Audrey as she becomes increasingly distressed and her character transforms beyond recognition and it is not until later on in the film that you discover the cause behind these changes. Audrey is thoroughly convincing and a truly remarkable actress, bringing you into the story straight away and not leaving you a shadow of a doubt that her words are true.

Director Laetitia Colombani's inventive structure plays a satisfyingly tricky game with the audience, and may have some viewers going back to the beginning to make sure they saw what they thought they saw. Just don't go in expecting Amèlie, Deuxième Partie and you should find this an ingenious little number. For those of us who thought Audrey Tautou's character in Amèlie was a bit creepy and psychotic, this film makes an interesting, if faintly challenging companion piece, directed by 26-year-old first-timer Laetitia Columbani. Tautou does her gamine act once again in a film that blends Amèlie with Fatal Attraction and a touch of The Sixth Sense.


Audrey Tautou

The film combines comedic moments with serious drama beautifully as the story twists and turns. You will feel yourself swept into this film due to the brilliant acting, beautiful directing and outstanding script. The film is thoroughly moving, making you laugh, cry as well as think. Not only was the story thought provoking but it was also a very enjoyable cinematic experience.

Angélique's world of soft focus romanticism is full of reds and warmth while Loïc lives and works in a colder, more blue-toned space. Tautou shines as Angélique, looking as fresh and as dewy as a freshly picked flower herself in the florist’s scenes but convincingly descending into madness as the film progresses.

First time writer and director Colombani doesn't quite manage to pull the whole thing off but there's enough in “He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not” to show promise for the future. An interesting experiment and almost a precocious masterpiece, I’m sure Hitchcock wasn’t directing anything as accomplished at the age of 26.

I recommend this film to everyone especially those who love beautifully created scenes, a great story and a film with real depth of emotion. People who feel they do not like "arty" films or subtitled films are missing out on the real challenging journey which this movie brings you on.

Walking the Tube

Britain is in the grips of an obesity epidemic with health care professionals predicting life expectancy could even begin to fall particularly as a result of childhood obesity. One response is an anti-obesity pill will soon be available to buy at chemists without prescription. But is this the right way to deal with Britain's weight problem? An anti-obesity drug will soon be available without prescription over the counter – but only if the phar­macist thinks you are fat enough.

Orlistat, which is marketed under the name alli, will cost about £1.45 when it goes on sale after it was given final clearance by European regulators on Wednesday. The drug will be placed behind the counter in pharmacies so staff can question patients to make sure they are sufficiently overweight.

However there is a growing concern that the Drugs Industry is trying to create a drug dependency amongst people medicating for lifestyle issues (smoking, weight loss, type 2 diabetes) which would be better dealt with by changing lifestyles. In this vein health campaigners have urged commuters to walk between Underground stations instead of using them. Ministers and doctors trying to combat obesity are backing the drive.

A new map has been released detailing the number of steps that an adult walking at medium pace would take to travel between each central London station. It shows, for example, how alighting at St Paul's and walking 947 steps to Bank would burn almost 30 calories - equivalent of a double vodka.

The shortest walk is between Cannon Street and Monument, which takes 99 steps, while the longest is King's Cross to Farringdon, which takes 2,438 steps. People in search of a real workout could attempt the entire Circle line at 31,536 steps.

The map, compiled by insurance firm PruHealth, was calculated by volunteers using pedometers. Chief executive Shaun Matisonn said: "Taking 10,000 steps a day can help protect you against a wide range of diseases including strokes, diabetes and some types of cancer.


KEY: Numbers show how many steps were taken by PruHealth volunteers to walk between each Tube station. Walking 1,000 steps at a medium pace burned off about 30 calories. Walking 1,000 steps at a medium pace took about 7.5 minutes

Judy O'Sullivan, a cardiac nurse for the British Heart Foundation, said: "If you work near Covent Garden and catch the Piccadilly line then get off at Green Park and walk briskly for 15 minutes each way then that's half your daily physical activity requirement."

Walking up escalators is also important and Ms O'Sullivan said the health benefits of walking outweighed the risks of air pollution. Researchers calculated it took about 4.5 seconds to walk 10 steps at a rate of four miles per hour, while 1,000 steps took 7.5 minutes. At this rate, walkers burned about three calories per 100 steps, or one calorie every 15 seconds.

This would see travellers use nearly 100 calories by walking from Green Park to Covent Garden and back again, a journey which would take about 25 minutes. A Department of Health spokesman said: "In London we tend to rely on Tubes and buses to get around these days when we could be using our feet.

"Think about walking. If the journey is too far, you could always stop [your Tube or bus trip] a bit earlier, and walk the rest of the journey." Government figures show more than 21 per cent of London's 10- to 11-year-olds are obese, three per cent more than the national average. Almost 10 per cent of the adult population are obese in parts of the capital, including Barking and Dagenham and Bexley. In Enfield, Newham and Greenwich, eight per cent of adults are so overweight that their health is in danger.



And here are the calories to be burned off by walking;

Marble Arch to Chancery Lane (Central Line)
Quickest walk taking in all stations: 4,927 steps
Burns: up to 147 calories
Equivalent to: one doughnut.

Route: From Marble Arch walk straight along Oxford Street, past Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road Tube stations, down New Oxford Street taking in Holborn Tube and then walk along High Holborn.

Monument to King's Cross (Circle Line)
Quickest walk: 7,888 steps
Burns: up to 236 calories
Equivalent to: one chicken tikka masala.

Route: From Monument walk along Eastcheap and Byward Street to Tower Hill, up Minories to Aldgate, along Houndsditch and Bishopsgate to Liverpool Street station, cut through Finsbury Circus to Moorgate. Walk through the Barbican estate to Barbican Tube, down Charterhouse Street for Farringdon, then Farringdon Road, King's Cross Road, Acton Street and Gray's Inn Road to King's Cross station.

South Kensington to Bayswater (Circle Line)
Quickest walk: 5,833 steps
Burns up to: 174 calories
Equivalent to: one Cadbury's Crème Egg.

Route: from South Kensington tube walk along Thurloe Street and Stanhope Gardens to Gloucester Road, then along Cromwell Road and Marloes Road to High Street Kensington station, along Kensington High Street, up Kensington Church Street, then Bayswater Road and Queensway to Bayswater.


Walk the Network

If after you try Tube Walking and find it is addictive how about emulating Neil Johan and walking 378 miles between ALL Tube stations!

http://www.londonphotoproject.co.uk/blog/

London Olympics 2012 – Stratford Station

Stratford Station today



On the 6th July 2005 at 12.49 pm BST, it was announced to the world that the hosts of the 2012 Olympic Games would be.... London! Beating off close competition from Paris, Madrid, New York and Moscow, London had been awarded the largest event of its kind on earth. So in the first of an occasional series up to the Olympics this piece covers the regeneration of Stratford Station which along with Stratford International 400 metres away will form the lynchpin of the Olympic transport arrangements serving the Olympic Park and contributing to the regeneration of East London. More than this the hosting of the 2012 Olympics is a proud moment for London to display the diversity and dynamism it enjoys as a truly World City.







The Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games will take place on 27 July 2012 and the Closing Ceremony on the 12 Aug 2012. 18 days later, the Paralympic Games (the second largest event of its kind in the world) will stage its Opening Ceremony.



See Paralympic Games;



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/09/paralympic-games.html





The scene in Trafalgar Square London on 6th July 2005



The challenge was set by the Beijing 2008 Olympics which were widely perceived as highly successful but closer examination reveals some transport problems and solutions which would not be portable to an open city like London and an open society in modern Britain. Firstly the Olympic Park in Beijing was a huge concreted area of 12 K m² (what / who was there before?) without merchandising and catering leading to much criticism that the Park was an atmosphere free wasteland outside of the stadia and venues.





Beijing Metro with Line 8 serving Olympic venues



In addition the Olympic Park was served by Metro Line 8, a 3 station line which had only opened 18 days before the opening ceremony and whose uneven track wear revealed unacknowledged teething problems. Because the security arrangements were changed shortly before the games (due to bombings in Western China) all passengers had to disembark at the interchange station of Beitucheng, go through security and then re-enter the system leading to long delays. This meant many people didn’t get to the venues on time. One of the 3 stations on Line 8 was outside the Security Zone and could not be used and the final huge Olympic Sports Centre Stadium was distant from the venues in the Olympic Park and was lightly used. Also much of the inward crowd control was achieved by using lines of soldiers to form human corridors and that is not an option for London 2012.





Stratford Regional Upgrade



It is expected that during the Olympic Games, more than 7.7 million tickets will be sold during the 16 days of competition. This will allow spectators to watch nearly 11,000 athletes from over 200 nations compete in 26 sports at 300 different venues across the United Kingdom. In London, these venues fall into 3 zones:



• The Olympic Park - this includes the main stadium and several smaller venues for the hockey, swimming, cycling etc



• The River Zone - this includes the ExCel Centre, O2 Arena and Greenwich Park



• The Central Zone - which includes Hyde Park, Regents Park and Horse Guards Parade



The Olympic Transport plan calls for 100% of ticketed spectators to travel to the 2012 Games by Public Transport or by walking or cycling. The vision for Olympic Transport in 2012 is for existing public transport services in London to be improved and enhanced in the years before 2012 and additional services will operate during the Games to meet the extra demand. It is estimated that these enhancements will mean a train arriving at the main Olympic Park every 15 seconds. Services due for improvement include:









2012 Stadium



• Docklands Light Railway - through the addition of an extra carriage (from 2 to 3 cars) on the entire fleet, which will also be increased, track extension to Woolwich Arsenal and service enhancements.



• North London Line - will become part of "London Overground" which will see new rolling stock as well as new terminating platforms at Stratford and an increase in services. In addition the extended East London Line will reopen in 2010.



See East London Line



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2007/12/east-london-line.html



• Stratford International Station - the introduction of the "Javelin" service which will run from St Pancras International, through Stratford International, to Ebbsfleet - with a train arriving every 7 mins.



See St. Pancras Reborn;



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2007/11/st-pancras-reborn.html



• LU initiatives - West Ham Station Upgrade, Stratford Regional Upgrade and 2012 Service Plan



• Olympic Route Network - As well as the transport enhancements undertaken, an Olympic Route Network (ORN) will be implemented, which will comprise a network of roads linking all competition and key non-competition venues to enable the Olympic Family members to travel quickly and securely between accommodation, competition venues, airports etc.





Stratford Station signage reflects the multi operator environment



Stratford Regional Station is a major public transport interchange that enables passengers from east of London to travel to Canary Wharf without travelling into central London. It also provides interchange opportunities for passengers using Underground services to or from central London. Stratford Regional Station has been identified as a gateway station for the Olympic Park.











Olympic Park - Model and Map of the site



Stratford Regional Station currently experiences occasional periods of passenger congestion. As well as the Games there are other sources of additional future demand at Stratford Regional Station. These include the underlying significant increase in demand to 2016 which was forecast in the Mayor's London Plan and the Stratford City Development (SCD) adjacent to the station. Stratford City is a project to create a major new mixed use urban centre in East London on the site of a former railway goods yard at Stratford. The project will cost £4 billion funded from both public and private sources. The site lies to the north of the existing Stratford town centre around Temple Mills. The development totals 13.5 million ft² (1,300,000 m²), including 5 million ft² (460,000 m²) of offices, 1.6 million ft² (150,000 m²) of retail and 4,850 new homes. The retail element will be anchored by three department stores and it is hoped that it will become the third most important retail centre in London after the West End and Knightsbridge shopping districts in the city centre. There will be a cluster of tall buildings including towers of 50 and 30 storeys designed by Richard Rogers.





Stratford City



A package of improvements to Stratford Regional Station is being implemented. These improvements will provide a long-term legacy benefit before the Games, as well as additional temporary measures to meet the specific needs of the Games. This package is part of a larger scheme which includes works related to the Stratford City Development and the proposed Docklands Light Railway extension to Stratford International Station.







The programme of works being developed includes the following elements:



• re-opening the eastern subway with new stairs to platforms 3/5 (westbound Central line and westbound mainline) and 6/8 (eastbound Central and eastbound mainline);

• an additional westbound platform for the Central Line;

• widening the eastern end of platforms 6/8,

• platform extensions and associated network works for platforms 10a, 11 and 12 (mainline);

• improved accessibility and connectivity to, and between, platforms through the provision of additional lifts and staircases;

• a new mezzanine structure to link the Jubilee Line with the proposed Town Centre Link bridge;

• upgraded station domestic power supplies, and increased station command and control facilities;

• de-cluttering of platforms 3/5 and 6/8; and

• a temporary footbridge on platform 6/8, if required.



In addition there are other planned or proposed works being developed by other parties:



Docklands Light Railway will construct two new platforms (12a and 12b) for use by the North London Line. The platforms will be connected to all subways, which will be extended. There will also be a connection between the central and eastern subways;





Stratford Regional - view from Stratford City side



Docklands Light Railway will convert the existing North London Line platforms (1 and 2) for use by the Docklands Light Railway on the Canning Town to Stratford International Station route;



Docklands Light Railway has also upgraded the existing mezzanine level platform to two terminating platforms (4a and 4b) for services to Poplar; and as part of the Stratford City Development a new Northern Ticket Hall will be constructed along with the Town Centre Link Bridge, (also known as the 'Living Bridge'), which will link Stratford town centre with the new Stratford City Development.



The planned works will increase the peak capacity of Stratford Regional Station for existing and new services. The infrastructure works will provide much needed additional capacity, but it will also be essential to develop robust operational plans for each of the modes in order to deliver these essential works.





Stratford Platforms



The transport arrangements for London 2012 will succeed or fail based on the success of the arrangements at Stratford Regional and Stratford International. By 2012 London Underground is expected to be supporting 4M daily passenger journeys (up from 3.3M at present) but during the Olympic period this will increase to 5M passenger journeys a day driven by the Olympic venues, workforce and the Olympic Events each day in Hyde and Victoria Parks which are expected to attract around 65,000 people each day. For Stratford it means handling 120,000 passengers during the 3 hour morning peak, up from 37,000 today. Of these 3 to 4% are expected to be mobility impaired and larger wider lifts will be designed to make access easier.



The London 2012 Olympic Challenge is a huge undertaking but for both the spectators and residents of London the first measure of success will be how well transport arrangements cope with the exceptional demand both of “normal life” and the Olympics, the all night running on the days of the opening and closing ceremonies and the late running to 2.30 am on other nights. How London copes with this exceptional demand whilst maintaining safety and security will be largely gauged from how well the crucial Stratford Hub works.





Aquatic Centre

Barack Obama's Inauguration Speech

Barack Obama has been sworn in as the 44th US president. Here is his inauguration speech in full.





My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and co-operation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms.
At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we, the people, have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents. So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights. Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.



On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labour, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and travelled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and ploughed the hard earth.



For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn. Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply.



The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - that a nation cannot prosper long when it favours only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defence, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.



Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the spectre of a warming planet. We will not apologise for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defence, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.



To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honour them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the fire-fighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.



Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths.

What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.



This is the price and the promise of citizenship. This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have travelled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive... that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.

Boris puts his stamp on City Hall

Boris Johnson

Grateful to Steve Platt ( http://plattitude.blogspot.com/2008/05/city-hall-refit-almost-complete-says.html ) for his introduction to John O’Farrell’s NewsBiscuit website (‘the news before it happens’). This is one of those rare things on the web: a place for ‘humorous writing’ that is actually humorous. Newsbiscuit is on my Blogroll on the sidebar or catch it here;

http://newsbiscuit.com/

These are just a few of the recent headlines in the ‘You write the news’ section' - City Hall refit almost complete, Boris says.’ ‘Boris Johnson to replace bendy Tube.’ ‘Boris Johnson pledges to get tough on things that something should be done about.’ ‘Boris Johnson extends free travel to fare dodgers.’

Some of the other recent stories by its core team of writers are ‘Charity collectors worse than actual disease’ and ‘Brown comforted by Labour gains in made-up places.’ This featured the prime minister photographed alongside the Mayor of Casterbridge, with a Downing Street spokesman boasting of gains in places like Ambridge, Holby City and the London Borough of Walford – though angry farmers were blamed for Labour’s failure to take Emmerdale, one of several fantasy locations it had targeted.

As I said, a humorous Blog which does what it says on the tin is a rare creature so drop by!


City Hall

Sadie McMahon in Holby City

Sadie McMahon


One of the more interesting actresses in the UK and a good buddy of the Sage is appearing in the BBC 1 Medical drama Holby City tomorrow night. Sadie McMahon has filmed 2 Episodes of Holby City playing security guard Lindsey Jones in a tragic & moving storyline where unfortunately she is attacked and stabbed by a patient.



Sadie is a transformed person when she is on stage and many of us men folk have not quiet recovered from her smouldering portrayal of Amanda in Tight Fit Theatre Company’s production of Noël Coward’s “Private Lives.” As well as her theatre work Sadie is a well known face on TV having recently appeared in adverts for Vodaphone and Transport for London. "Very flat, Norfolk,'' sighs Amanda in Noël Coward's Private Lives (1931) but as a Norfolk girl herself Sadie somewhat belies that description!



Sadie graduated from the Academy of Live & Recorded Arts in July 2001 and has notched up impressive Stage & Screen credits since. Her theatre credits include The Trap at the White Bear, the lead role in Camille, Mavis in Stepping Out and Merteuil in Les Liasons Dangereuse. Broken Blossoms with Negativequity Physical Theatre Company and she was the evil Snow Queen in the Wheelhouse production of Snow White.

Sadie's episodes of Holby City can be seen on Tuesday 20th Jan and Tuesday 3rd Feb on BBC1.

Catch it either on BBC1 or on BBC iPlayer;

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcone/watchlive/

Catch the trailer here;

http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/holbycity/episodes/comingup.shtml

Tomorrow’s story line is;

"Joseph's concerned Jac might be pregnant after their night together. Is she leading him up the garden path? Linden, meanwhile, is becoming more attached to Faye, Ric gets tough with the patients and a member of staff is attacked at Holby."

The drama is set in Holby City, London twinned with Casualty (Casualty is the A & E department downstairs and Holby City is based upstairs at Holby General.

Sadie is one to watch not just in Holby City but as a face for the future and a very talented actress.


Lindsey Jones Memorial Service