Boadicea's supposed grave beneath Platform 10 at King's Cross is the reason why Harry Potter's Hogwarts Express leaves, magically, from Platform Nine and Three Quarters - Robert Lacey, Great Tales of English History.
Really? Anyone know of anything corroboratory or otherwise?
Also from the Too Lazy To Research pile:
You know how in Central America etc where they take salt and goods to the levy - river bank/loading area - is that also where we take 'levy taxes' and so forth from?
Nepalling: A Nasty Surprise for Nepalese
Six days ago Nepal's king ended the country's 15-year experiment with democracy and took power for himself, imposing a state of emergency and suspending a host of civil liberties, including freedom of expression. Nepalis have been facing something between fear and a farce since then, adjusting to a combination of royal rule and martial law. Those in politics and the news media feel particularly under siege.
In a televised address last Tuesday morning, King Gyanendra said he was taking power for three years because the country's fractious political parties had failed to hold elections or bring Maoist rebels to peace talks. As he spoke, phone lines and Internet connections were being cut, political and student leaders were being detained and soldiers were arriving at news organizations' offices to take on their new role as censors.
Nepalis now have no freedom of assembly, expression or opinion; no right to information, property or privacy; and no protection from preventive detention. The government has banned any criticism of the king's action for six months, and any public comment that could affect the morale of the security agencies.
Whether road repair or kerosene distribution, he said, "We will get things done." He blamed the country's political parties for squandering and pilfering resources and distorting the bureaucracy with political pressures.
It is a sentiment widely shared among Nepalis, who wrested democracy from their king in 1990 only to find themselves saddled with corrupt and feckless democrats. That fact, as much as the communications blackout or fear of the military, helps explain why Katmandu residents have not yet taken to the streets to protest the king's actions. - nytimes.com
I guess it is easy to see why the king would wish to do this, and given that almost his entire family was shot by his nephew a year or two ago I guess maybe he is still grieving and ill-prepared for administrative power.
It also reminds me of a book I read recently on the Second Russian Revolution, post-communism.
Gorbachev's rhetorical question: 'Should we give power back to the communists?' was greeted by enthusiastic clapping and shouts of 'Yes, the Communists! It was better then', 'You sold out the country' and 'Russia needs a strong hand'. Gorbachev, the only ruler in Russian history to give way to a democratically elected rival, was aghast. 'Do you think some sort of Tsar can save you?' he scolded. 'I think we need not a strong hand but a wise head.'
A quote from a middle-aged, professional woman also struck me:
'My deepest wish now is for my sons to live in another country,' Lana told me. 'It is God's punishment to be born here. It's a terrible thing to say about your own land, but this is a country of theives and idiots. In Russia, it is impossible to be a patriot.'
Thanks
Posted by: Online Home Loans at November 19, 2005 11:34 PM