Just one point of correction to some reports on the memorial build; it is now scheduled to be completed in 2009, not in time for the 40th anniversary of King’s death in 2008. A spokesperson told me: ” Unfortunately, with these types of monumental endeavors, the time line can be tricky. There are a lot of reasons that the completion date has been pushed back, including construction issues, materials, etc.”
One thing learning history and social science taught me was that you have to create your own world, or you’ll end up living in someone else’s. 
Watched ‘In the Hands of the Gods’ about five mates united by a passion to meet their hero Diego Maradona try and make it from the streets of London to the favelas of Argentina, etc. Great film. Nice sponsorship from Nike.
I got to travel to Kaka’s home town in Brazil thanks to Shirley, meet the lady who did his mum’s nails, and walk down the street he grew up – and without even planning to! Ah, the power of coincidence. Cheers lads.
Indeed, come to think of it the reason I met Shirley was down to footie too – I took Michael Bowring to meet a friend of a friend who was working for a development charity to talk about the idea of a book based on pics of ordinary guys in Africa wearing English football shirts which Michael had taken. And at the same pub, the Barley Mow in Shoreditch, I met Shirley.
If you live in the Barking/SW Essex area I recommend:
1. For boilers & plumbing, HEH (High Efficency Heating). Phone: 0800 389 9613 / 01708 752 700. Actually, scrub that 
after they left following a recent service the bolier started leaking badly after the guy put too much air (so the next bolier guy said) into the system. Cool.
2. For dishwashers etc, KDS Appliances Ltd, Ilford. Phone (020) 8518 1988. They know their stuff.
3. Cool Geeks Computers Ltd. Phone (020) 262 1808. They came, they saw, they fixed it. Got the ‘dead Dell’ one night, and brought back the next night at half the price PC World would have cost.
Photo by Stuart Glendinning Hall
Me, around 1978, with 6 cousins and 1 brother. That’s my Harry Potter wand I’m holding.
The two tallest ones have the highest paid jobs. So there.
One to watch – Mercury Computer Systems (MRCY) which recently launched Visage Imaging. 52 Week High = 14.66; currently pretty near the low; watch?
PS: Talking about ‘mercury’ heard the amazing news that the first emperor of China is reportedly buried with rivers of mercury surrounding him. Got to get to that exhibition at the British Museum. Was a great BBC TV documentary last night. Loved the moment where the two curators laughed at being sent an acrobat with one leg. I think you missed the point there.
I’ve decided to start medical imaging markets coverage on this blog, trying to post something once a day.
My self-confidence in predicting patterns before others is based on science I’ve worked on since 1999.
A few trivial examples which exemplify the value of chance and luck in understanding patterns and behaviour, being in the ‘right place at the right time’; I will be using my own trained instincts, not someone else’s system in other words:
1. Spotting Kaka as the best footballer in the world a fair few months before Sir Alex Ferguson.
2. Spotting the value of ‘shift handover’ in health and taking that to the NHS Innovation Centre for consideration.
3. Spotting Leicester as a property market worthy of consideration at a time of market turbulence, just a few months before the new Eurostar terminal opens on 14 Novermber, just down the train line from Leicester.
4. Spotting the value of upright MRI manufacturers FONAR (FONR) just before I confirmed their stock recently increased by 90%. Maybe worth buying? 
Then again strange how Agfa-Gevaert which has just won a five year $35m contract has seen its shares fall. Though as reported in Medicexchange it’s not the only fall in share price its seen recently: “Belgian imaging technology group Agfa-Gevaert delayed its planned split-up after second-quarter results fell below market expectations.” Their Oct 31, 2007 Q3 2007 Earnings Release should be fun.
PS: If you have a tip on a med imaging company feel free to contact me in confidence by email.
Nice to know that on 14 Nov Eurostar moves from Waterloo to St Pancras, and worth a look at the of the converted station where I used to arrive from Leicester as a teenager!
Photo by EurostarForTomorrow
“With the opening of the high-speed line from St Pancras International to the Channel Tunnel, the UK will become part of the high-speed rail network that covers much of Europe. It’s pretty big – it already stretches over 5000km of railway line, and it’ll be three times that size by 2020.”
PS: Handy with the new apartment in Leicester.
Saatchi’s get Labour’s account. So here’s the advert, slightly reworked.
