Au revoir Altaa

Altaa left on tour this morning for nine days. She'll return with her tourists on 4th July from a trip through central Mongolia and the Gobi. Soon her little brother will off on a tour arranged by the company that employs him. I'll be left home alone and to make my meals by myself. Great.

I know most thinking people have done this to death but today occurred a quite exceptional example of placing national interest first in the news. On BBC World it reported its headline - the floods in England where so far three people have died and it followed straight after with its second-order headline the massive floods in Pakistan and India where hundreds have died. It's understandable that a British home report would have as its focus the home nation but this is BBC World unless the British in BBC signifies its position ahead of the World.

It's Tony Blair's last full day in office as Prime Minister. He meets Arnold Schwarznegger. Surely, there should have at the joint news conference the pun "Hasta la vista, Tony."
And Blair will be replaced by one-eyed Gord. It sounds like a mythical wineskin, but courtesy of the BBC I learnt that Gordon Brown has only sight in one eye as a result of a sporting accident. Brown wants to make some striking statements in his first few weeks in office - how about wearing an eyepatch - that would certainly get world recognition with a swashbuckling romantic reputation (and increaed poll numbers) guaranteed.