• Ticket inspector stabbed on a train at Tilbury.
• London apparently has a disproportionate amount of money splashed on its transport system.
• Prince Harry drives to South London shock headline (should be pointed out it was to help a friend in need).
• Life expectancy in Islington is the lowest in London.
• Outbreak of norovirus closes off parts of Bedford and Northwick Park hospitals…
• …whilst not to be outdone Kingston A & E had a chemical scare.
• Abandoned Twickenham swimming pool to be converted into a ‘public space’.

Annunciation, by aka Jon Spence via the Londonist Flickr pool.

Photo by Fin Fahey

Metal thieves have been taking a break from disrupting train services and lifting manhole covers to pinch a war memorial in Twickenham.

The stolen bronze plaque is the latest in what the BBC calls a ‘costly and annoying’ series of thefts. The soaring cost of scrap metal has led to a corresponding increase in its theft. Even bus stops have gone missing.

Sadly, Twickenham council says it is unable to replace the memorial before Remembrance Day.

The match switched hemispheres following the earthquake in Christchurch which damaged the Crusaders’ stadium. The high profile game will be part of a major fundraising weekend for the Red Cross earthquake appeal with £5 from every ticket sold going to the charity.

A memorial service for victims of the Christchurch earthquake will take place before the fixture at midday in Westminster Abbey.

The Super Rugby match is on Sunday, 27 March at 4pm. Tickets are available online now at £50, £40 and £30. Tickets for under 16s are half price in all areas.

The British Red Cross is also running a Japan Tsunami appeal and a Libya relief appeal. A donation to their general fund will help people in crisis wherever they are.

Image of Twickenham rugby statue by doug88888 via the Londonist Flickrpool

• Two teens have been arrested following the discovery of a man’s body in a burning car in Blackheath yesterday.
• Did Ashley Coleacccidentally shoot a fan last week?
• Benefit cheat of the year award surely goes to the bunch that apparently had 500 people living in one small Peckham flat…
• Guys and St. Thomas’ is participating in a trial scheme to design out hospital crime.
• A 14 year old girl was seriously injured in a hit and run in Croydon on Friday evening.
• Twickenham’s River Crane is to get some much needed dosh thrown at it.

Weather for ducks, by shwe . Selected from the Londonist flickr pool: new contibutors always welcome.

We bring you this news in case you’re pining for what some people consider the ‘warmer’ light – and tinkle of metal against glass when the damn things blow – in a spirit of slight bafflement and evangelism for fluorescent ones. They come on immediately now, honest, last for years and cost less to run. We’ve never quite understood the lightbulb wars; if you’re a diehard fan of the old bulby bulbs, pause a moment before stepping on that South West train and tell us why.

Photo by Matt From London from the Londonist Flickr pool

]]> Where’s the Thames gone? These pictures were taken during the lowest of low tides at Twickenham/Eel Pie Island yesterday, the result of the annual November draw-off. Every year the weirs at Richmond Lock are lifted to allow the Port of London Authority to carry out essential maintenance works on the lock, weirs and sluices. The weir being lifted allows the river between Richmond Lock and Teddington Lock to drain naturally at low tide and this creates a short annual opportunity to access the lower shore.

]]> http://londonist.com/2009/11/thames_annual_draw_off.php/feed 0 http://londonist.com/2009/09/monday_miscellanea_60.php http://londonist.com/2009/09/monday_miscellanea_60.php#comments Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:00:00 +0000 Dave http://londonist.com/?p=14606

Londonist, last week, in numbers and corresponding pictures…

300 years old: happy birthday to the ultimate Londoner Dr Samuel Johnson!

60,000 of taxpayer pounds pay for the hawks in Trafalgar Square

41 people got a serving of salmonella with their kebabs

9 – the Eurostar platform that suffered a collapsed high voltage cable to the dismay of the early evening passengers

24 hours of witheld service on the Victoria Line is planned as part of the ongoing RMT siege of London

(300 X 60,000) ÷ ((41 + 9)X 24) = 15,000 which is a futuristic glimpse of London by abhiiiiiii! in the Londonist Flickr pool. That pod hanging in the sky could be the commute of the future, though it would still find a way to get stuck waiting for signals during rush hour…

This Week In London’s History

• Monday – 28th September 1985: Following the accidental shooting of a woman during a police raid, riots break out on the streets of Brixton, south London.

Random London Quote Of The Week

London, the needy villain’s general home,

The common-sewer of Paris and of Rome,

With eager thirst, by folly or by fate,

Sucks in the dregs of each corrupted state.

Samuel Johnson, London: A Poem in Imitation of the Third Satire of Juvenal

If you’ve not headed off to a muddy field in Somerset but still want some live music this weekend, then fear not! There are plenty of muddy fields in London to enjoy instead.

Twickenham is the place of action for Bon Jovi fans today and tomorrow, as the fists in the air band fill up the stadium for some almighty cheesy rocking out. We expect to hear Livin’ On A Prayer well into West London. Tickets are still available both on Ticketmaster and Scarlet Mist.

Bang in the heart of town we’ve got the question of whether Amy Winehouse will actually show up at tonight’s 46664 concert. We’re actually secretly looking forward to seeing Leona Lewis perform and we’ll be bringing you a full review of the concert later this evening.

Then tomorrow and Sunday Hyde Park will transform into Hard Rock Calling, a two day event jampacked with music. Eric Clapton headlines Saturday night while The Police play their final UK gig on Sunday. If you’re heading down and want to know who’s on when then check after the jump for full set times. Tickets are between £50 and £65 and avaliable on the Live Nation site.

Saturday:

Stage 1

15.00 – 15.20 : Steve Boyce Band

15.40 – 16.10 : Robert Randolph & the family band

16.30 – 17.10 : Jason Mraz

17.30 – 18.15 : John Mayer

18.35 – 19.50 : Sheryl Crow

20.15 – 22.15 : Eric Clapton

Stage 2

15.00 – 15.25 : Scott McKeon

15.40 – 16.10 : Ryan Bingham

16.25 – 17.00 : Loose Salute

17.15 – 17.55 : Dawn Kinnard

18.10 – 18.55 : Eddie Reader

19.15 – 20.15 : The Charlatans

Sunday

Stage 1

15.00 – 15.30 : The Micki Free Electric Blues Experience

15.50 – 16.20 : Arno Carstens

16.40 – 17.20 : The Bangles

17.40 – 18.25 : Starsailor

18.45 – 19.45 : KT Tunstall

20.15 – 22.15 : The Police

Stage 2

15.00 – 15.25 : The Galvatrons

15.40 – 16.10 : Will Rendle

16.25 – 17.00 : Broken Records

17.15 – 17.55 : They Flying Padovanis

18:10 – 18:55 : Carbon Silicon

19.15 – 20.15 : The Stranglers

Photo of Sting taken from Bill Janis’ flickr stream.

So you’re driving along, say, and you hear a strange hissing noise from underneath the seat. Do you (a) pull over and investigate the cause, or (b) slither to the conclusion that a sneaky snake has ensnared itself in your vehicle?

Embarrassed of Twickenham opted for (b). She quickly hailed down a passing AA patrol car, the driver of which was able to locate the culprit: a can of de-icer that had lost its cap and was spluttering away merrily to itself.

This is just one of many tales from the Automobile Association’s list of festive-period frolics. While not busying themselves rescuing stranded motorists or changing tires for clueless 20-something lads while their girlfriends look on and snigger, AA drivers are kept active with a host of odd call-outs. Aside from the story above, they were involved in rescuing hamsters and cats from car-based pickles, retrieving frozen turkeys from locked boots, and assisting broken-down Santas and panto fairies reach their respective destinations.

All fun and games, but aside from these AAnimal AAntics (that’s enough double-A shenanigans for now. Eds), the anecdotes seem a little domestic. We’d like it if the fourth emergency service were to have a few more close encounters of the third kind. Springing stuck kittens from carburetters is one thing, but surely it would be more interesting if the mechanics were fighting off hoardes of alien invaders, or tackling killer bees, or were tasked with changing Herbie‘s spark plugs. That kind of caper that would really excite us.

Pic of AA man from jovike’s Flickrstream