Can you believe it?

1. The Mayor of London is Boris Johnson.
2. Men are legally allowed to marry men.
3. The biggest political force in Britain is led by Nigel Farage of UKIP.
4. The biggest vocal opponent to Nigel Farage is Russell Brand.
5. There are women bishops in the Church of England.
6. The Pope is not very Catholic (towards his Cardinals).
7. Blue Peter and many other children's programmes are no longer on BBC1.
8. The most powerful football clubs in England are Manchester City and Chelsea.
9. More people watch films on phones and video screens than in cinemas (according to the Orange "2-for-1" deal, soon to be scrapped.).
10.There are next to no phone boxes, only mobiles.

Good Things: 28

Cinema coffee bars

Such a brilliant idea, and high time cinema chains thought of it, a throwback to the old days of cinema cafes/restaurants for shoppers. Also useful in that many of these town centre cinema coffee bars are open later hours to make town centres more people-friendly in the evenings.

"It's not what you say but how you say it."

A mantra much adopted by many people, including my mother.

Take two key examples this last week. First, the Vatican's sympathetic but at the same time considered words about the role of gays in the Catholic church, and then later, on a different topic, Tony Blair's latest polemic on teaching religious tolerance to potential extremists. Two messages which both espouse tolerance, but in rather different fashion; the latter statement hints at further echoes of Blair's holy crusade to liberate the Middle East, so misguidedly started by the second Iraq war.

The two statements and the way they read, are a fair indication of why Pope Francis is considered one of the most popular Popes for some while, and why Tony Blair is still considered - rightly or wrongly - to be one of the most unpopular of Prime Ministers.

"Sir" Donald Sinden dies at the age of 90. Ian Paisley dies at the age of 88, yet why does hardly anyone in the secular Media call him "Reverend Doctor" Ian Paisley?

Angel's Advocate: Rolf Harris

First Savile, then Stuart Hall, now Rolf Harris. The whole business is a revision (and a self destructive  inversion) of the whole celebrity culture, and also reflects the dark side not only of these famous personalities, but also the dark side of the permissive 1970s, where people, particularly famous people, felt they were free to do what they wanted.

Nevertheless, such activities were what was once considered to be people's private lives. The saddest thing in this case in particular, is that a lot of the victims are Rolf fans, and as great as their pain is from personal experience is also the prospect of their hero being brought down.

The baying public and Media are quick to condemn a person that until this week, they didn't believe was guilty. Sadly, all his monuments, some of his art and even possibly his honours, are being removed. It was once said that the deeds of a man outweigh his faults.

Many of these offences were also committed several years ago. I hope in decades to come, people will remember Rolf Harris as much for his entertainment as his personal history, once the public's indignation and horror has
a chance to cool down.