Two Zoos

This week I've been to two different zoos - making hay while the sun (for a change) shone.

On Tuesday it was Howlett's in Kent, where they have the giant Siberian tiger Malchek. He's an old boy of 17 now, and he's really looking it. He knows where and when his grub's coming, though.



There's also a young girl cub sent over from the sister park to be hand raised. She and her brother were rejected, and it was only after they'd been rescued by staff that it became clear mother was right. He was epileptic, and when he failed to respond to treatment he had to be euthanized. SHe had brittle bones, and surgery has so far been only partially successful. Sadly they will be unable to include her in the gene pool.



Then there were the black lemurs. Only the male is actually black, but the tiny head of the baby one female was carrying was pretty dark. Difficult to get a clear picture though.






Today I've been to London Zoo again, and managed a few shots of JaeJae on the prowl. You can hear how excited he makes the crowd. If only those who destroy these creatures, and those who believe in the "medicine" nonsense, would appreciate them alive instead of colluding in their murder.

All In

No need to ask how we feel about this episode.

Only one good thing in it.

Darling in the dark.

Hellifax

One of the banks that had to rely on government intervention to stop it going under was the Halifax. I have banked with them for some time, and have not found them to be particularly clever. For example, when they sent me a letter containing my details and those of a complete stranger, saying one account was going to pay the credit card bill of the other in monthly payments, I phoned them up straight away so that it could be put right. All I asked was a couple of pounds put into my account to pay for the phone call. Their later letter refused, saying that, as they had already refunded me £12 over another of their mistakes, they didn't owe me anything! Pay for one mistake, get the other one free. After the intervention of the regulator, they paid me £100!

Well this time, I won't be laughing. Today I came home to a letter, dated 31st May, saying that on 3rd June and every month thereafter, they would be paying £995 from my account into the account of a total stranger. It obviously did not occur to them to check in advance the legitimacy of this uncharacteristically large sum, so by the time I heard about it my account was nearly £1000 light. That's close to four times the amount of my largest standing order, for the remainder of my mortgage. Yet it has been nodded through as though I did transactions like that every day, or indeed every month "until further notice".

Well I did notice, and they say that the money will be back in my account by close of business tomorrow. But if they find that it isn't a mistake by the bank or a fraudulent transaction, they will take it back again.

What the FUCK do these people think they are doing with MY money?

Albatross

The perfection of the Season 6 hair...

Acts of Contrition

I've gone back to A-Z mode, though my list doesn't include later series, so be prepared for some episodes to be missing for now.

I know this picture is ever popular.

Melati, Judge Judy and stuff I don't get.

JaeJae was too busy at the zoo on Friday trying to imagine how he could magic a giant tortoise into his mouth. Melati spent most of the day hiding, but towards the she was checking out the world in public view.






I am a recent follower of Judge Judy, mostly because I cannot believe - not just the things people sue one another over - but the differences in law and responsibility between our two nations, especially where things to do with cars are concerned.

There don't seem to be any rules about the condition a car ought to be in to be legally allowed on the road. People are suing over vehicles that would have been off the road decades ago. They are disputing insurance liability. And here I get really confused.

In a case broadcast today the statement was made that "the insurance follows the car". So you can lend your car to anyone (presumably with a licence) and your insurance covers the car as driven by them. They can write it off and not owe you a penny.

Well, folks, see if you prefer the UK version.

It's the driver who is insured. They can be insured for more than one car, and they can insure a car for more than one driver. This allows new young drivers to be insured on their parents' policies instead of paying more than the price of a car just to drive one. The pricier and faster the car, the more the insurance costs.

I can buy insurance that allows only me to drive just my car; I can allow another (named) person, or anyone I choose later, to drive my car. I can apply my insurance to any car I am qualified to drive. I can insure my car third party only, third party fire and theft, or fully comprehensive. The cost on these various options will vary. And I can phone my insurance broker at any time to vary my cover.

But I cannot decide on the spur of the moment to let someone else drive my car unless that is the kind of insurance I have taken out. I would expect them to be insured to drive it, and wouldn't let them anywhere near it if they couldn't prove that to me.

If the bright sparks on Judge Judy are anything to go by, a lot of folks in the US have NO idea what their insurance is and what it can and can't do.

Add to that our MOT test (stand for Ministry of Transport) which every car legally on the road must pass annually once it reaches the grand old age of 3 years. No bangers on our roads! I hope...

I'm glad I'm over here.