Houston - We have a problem

My home PC has gone the way of the Dodo, so I'll be back when I can.

A boffin at work is sorting me a bootable Linux disk which may enable me to recover files etc before contemplating serious action. No point worrying - just hope I can get my MS Money file back.

Ho hum.

No tubes or trains till Tuesday. Enjoy!

Back on topic

I've hardly mentioned the Central Line recently, so to totally get back on topic why not have a look at this song.. it made me smile:

Tube Avoidance - Progress Report

Since a particular post last month, I have managed to significantly reduce my usage of deep-level tube lines. This isn't because I dislike traveling on the Underground (far from it), it is simply to avoid becoming over anxious.

My alternative journey between work and London Marylebone involves a walk from Soho up to Great Portland Street, followed by a bus or sometimes one stop on the tube along to Baker Street.

Morning journeys via this route ('door to door') take about the same time as my old route. Evening journeys take about five minutes longer than was previously the case, but I feel a lot better for it.

Unsung Heroes

Rotary is a worldwide organisation, with widely different levels of understanding and standing in the communities in which it operates.

In Cornwall, the Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard runs a scheme called Shelterbox which aims to provide urgent relief around the globe when natural disasters occur.

I quote from the Shelterbox website regarding the immediate response to the Cyclone Disaster that struck Burma (Myanmar) over the weekend:

"May 6th - Myanmar (Burma): ShelterBox responds immediately to the devastating cyclone to hit Myanmar. 22,000 lives are reported to have been lost and 95% of houses are destroyed as the cyclone swept in-land after several days at sea. 224 boxes left from the pre-positioned site in Dubai over the weekend, 220 boxes have left from Melbourne, Australia and a further 200 boxes with two tents each were packed this morning at the ShelterBox HQ in Helston, Cornwall. A team of four SRT members are making arrangements to assist with the difficult distribution of vital aid."

A number of things strike me:

• The speed of response
• The fact that ShelterBoxes are pre-positioned around the globe
• This is done by a voluntary organisiation that, in the UK, has an image of wrinkly doddery old farts. Clearly nothing could be further from the truth.

A quick review shows that Shelterbox distributed over thirteen thousand boxes in the aftermath of the South-East Asian Tsunami three years ago. Please explore the ShelterBox website and learn just how good some people can be.

Shelterbox team - I salute you. Why not give them a few quid? Thank you.