This is truly amazing!

Well in the last five minutes I have put myself on the map, flown to Baghdad and then jaunted over to Half Way Tree in Kingston, Jamaica. No I didn't win the lottery, I just discovered "Google Earth." They describe it as a 3D interface to the planet. It is actually a program navigator/browser which you download and run on your computer. It then streams satellite images of earth to your screen. Tap in a location, do a search and find places, business... Dont take my word for it, download and enjoy!

Link

Mobile equipment database - double check

I posted about 'MEND' the mobile equipment national database way back in January see "Technology - get on the MEND" It seems to offer a convenient way logging your mobile device serial number and if it gets stolen you report it as such. All this came flooding back into my mind this weekend when a private function my daughter attended suffered a gang of gatecrashers who appear to have robbed up to a dozen people of their belongings and ransacked their bags and wallets in the gents toilet before casually leaving.

Well now they have "CheckMEND." If you are being offered a piece of mobile equipment for sale you can check to see if it is flagged as stolen for the price of a text against the database register. At least then your conscience is clear and you won't subsequently be done for receiving or handling stolen property. Sellers can even obtain a "CheckMEND" certificate to enhance their 2nd hand items saleability. Click the link below for more information.

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Doing the Lambeth walk

Popped down to the One Love Festival at Brockwell Park on Sunday 17th July. It was a massive event with a funfair, food stalls, craft fair, alternative health marquee, childrens rides and a mammoth open air field stage for a music concert. It seems that the commercial side of this event pays for a free music festival. Mafia and Fluxy were the backing band, artists on stage were Winston Reedy, Savana, Chukki Starr, Prince Malachi, Dennis Alcapone, Dave Barker and topped by the Mighty Derrick Morgan. DJ'ing in between sets was DJ Malachi who is the son of the legendary Jah Shaka. Follow the link for some pics of the music event.

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Two Sevens Clash

I remember not venturing too far from home around the 7th of July in 1977. Why? Quite simply because being a reggae fan I had a suspicion that Reggae Trio Culture might well have been "in the know" when the released their landmark "Two Sevens Clash" single back in those days. I slept peacefully for a while after that date imagining it must be meant for another century and not something for me to be worried about. Not realising that its impact would be felt alarmingly close to me some 28 years later. Destruction eventually came by synthetic man-made forms of lightning, earthquake and thunder in London yesterday. Can't actually relate it to Mr Hills startling vision way back in the 70's but it does make you think. Lyrics

Live 8

It doesn't matter how you viewed the events of the Live 8 campaign or whether you did or did not support the events the underlying message has to make sense to conscious people. Don't sit back and think the leaders will automatically change their policies. We need to maintain constant political pressure and participate in demanding a change. Lending your support to the 'make poverty history' campaign is easy just follow the link and "sign up" all it will cost you is a moment of your time.

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G8 Summit

The G8 summit starts and is disrupted by a coordinated bomb attack targeted at London transport systems. Who suffered? So far as I write this the death toll is reported at 37 people with up to 700 people injured. The vast majority of these people will be normal everyday people going about their normal everyday existence. Probably none of them have any direct influence in the systems of oppression and are just travelling to their everyday jobs to provide and maintain food and shelter for themselves and their families. What is the result of these acts of murder? Absolutely nothing! The attacks will achieve nothing except more contempt towards the perpetrators and more confusion and probably retribution towards other innocent people whom the perpetrators pretend to represent. My thoughts go out to the innocent victims and their family and friends.

Stratford Class of 2005 meets Olympics 2012

I waited at home before venturing into work today. I decided to watch the announcement of the Olympic bid to host the 2012 games. London were victorious, I was not too surprised about this as I travel past Stratford and its surrounding areas several times a week and have witnessed mountains of earth moving and mass scale development going on around the area for a long time.

However, today I was on the bus. As I reached the Halfway House junction on Leytonstone High Road I saw the little urchin who regularly stops passers by in this manor and tries to sell them expensive looking fake watches (well I think they are fake)! They are boxed and look something like a Tag Heuer or Breitling. When the bus reached Maryland it got held up in traffic. It took ages to get past Stratford obviously traffic delays because of the celebrations. Ken and fellow cronies take note - organisation means here and now and not to wait until 2012 to get it right!!! So anyway while we were waiting in traffic one young upstart gave everyone on the upper deck of the bus an impromptu "true tone" concert. Four or five full tracks of the most mindless break beat music played at annoying level direct from his mobile phone (no headphones). I have observed this is becoming a trend on the upper deck of the buses lately.

I thought it was bliss when he switched it off but then I noticed that 4 other young upstarts had got onto the bus and sat near to him so his mobile had been quickly hidden away for tax avoidance purposes. These four youths then conversed openly but in heavily disguised street language. In the bits I could understand they discussed the drugs they take, places they had been breaking and entering, a list of associate hooligans who were all inside and "coming out" anytime during the next 2 weeks and up to 5 years and finally one reminisced about an assault that he recently took part in and wished he had filmed on his mobile but failed to. They got off along Hermit Road which is sort of sandwiched between Plaistow and Canning Town. Wonder what this rabble will have graduated to by 2012? Out on the street they call it - Welcome to Stratford!!!