Why didn’t we think of this!

G’day to you. How’s it going? Gill and Audrey in Calgary get an extra treat with their coffee today as thanks for sending in this delightful story. I know that, as soon as you fill up your mug and choose a tasty treat, you’ll get a hoot out of it!

From The London Times: A Well-Planned Retirement

A perfect example of government mismanagement.

Outside England’s Bristol Zoo, there is a parking lot for 150 cars and 8 buses. For 25 years, its parking fees were managed by a very pleasant attendant. The fees for cars were (£1.40), for buses (about £7.00).

Then one day, after 25 solid years of never missing a day off work, he just didn’t show up; so the Zoo Management called the City Council and asked it to send them another parking agent.

The Council did some research and replied that the parking lot was the Zoo’s own responsibility.

The Zoo advised the Council that the attendant was a city employee.

The City Council responded that the lot attendant had never been on the City payroll.

Meanwhile, sitting in his villa somewhere on the coast of Spain, France or Italy, is a man who apparently had a ticket machine installed completely on his own and then simply began to show up for work every day to collect and keep the parking fees… estimated at around £560 per day…for 25 years.

Assuming seven days a week, this amounts to just over 7 million pounds…and no one even knows his name.

Ingenious larceny? Good on you, mate?

Or…

Bloody thief should be put in the stocks or Old Bailey immediately…when the find him. Europe’s a big place with lots of villas inhabited by foreigners and good luck if nobody even knows his name, eh?

See ya!

Bob

Comment from Paul in Tokyo:

This sent me looking for an article I was reading online a couple of weeks ago, but I cannot find it now. It was an amazing self-serving piece about why publishers are justified in charging the same or even higher prices for e-books than they are for the paper editions. It was amazing.

Bob’s reply:

Let me know when you find it. I’d be interested in reading it.

Comment from Jenny in Farnborough, England:

Hi bob, I have kindle on my iPad ,1- you can't read it in the sun, if you managed to strain your eyes, it will over heat, " you don't get that on real books ". 2_you can't get the latest books from your favourite authors , but is good for down loading for holidays" less in you luggage, more room for favourite shoes. Lol.        Jenny x

Sent from my iPad

Bob’s Reply:

Aha! Aha! See! See! I told you they have work to do!

Why would you need shoes on holiday, Jen?