News during downtime

My PC has been out of action for the past couple of weeks, which is why there's been nothing new either here on the website, although I'll hopefully be getting things back up and running shortly.

And what a week to be off the blog-scene. Wimbledon came to an end and normality returned to my little corner of London, yet that's about as far as normality went. Live8 kicked off with the mammouth musical experience to pressure the 8 world leaders to get their act into gear at the meeting in Gleneagles. Pressure was rising in Scotland as the G8 approached, but all focus was placed on it.

That was until London won the Olympics, and a sideline of euphoria in the city (and hopefully the country as a whole) made us feel good for a while.

Yet the feel-good feeling didn't last anywhere near as long as anyone expected, as the following morning bomb explosions swiftly changed moods and the focus of all those in London and much further afield. Over 50 are dead, yet the people of London gritted their teeth and proclaimed that it would business as usual. I'm in central London now on Sunday afternoon, and it seems as busy as ever. Not been on the tube yet, but that's due to the sunny weather rather than any fear factor. I can imagine some will feel put off for a while, but life goes on, and everywhere I look around, that is definitely what's happening. In the face of the atrocitity that occured just days ago, the city-wide attitude of resolve is truly fantastic.

Back to the G8, and although the focus wasn't there as much as would have been liked, their business continued and was concluded, and although it would never bring what everyone would have hoped for, there was a good deal of progress, not least it seems in bringing aid without the strings of privatising services of the developing nations, which normally meant benefits for the Western companies operating them, and increased problems in the countries supposedly benefiting.

I've never known a week like it. Such a roller-coaster ride of emotions, headlines, triumphs and tragedies. Apologies for this rather rushed update. Normal service will be resumed soon.