Djokovic said he was "extremely disappointed" but accepted the ruling. He has left on a flight to Dubai.

On Sunday 22 May 2022, I'll be taking part in the Marsden March, a 15 mile sponsored walk from the Marsden Hospital in Chelsea to the Marsden Hospital in Sutton to raise money for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.

The Royal Marsden is a world-leading cancer centre. Their nurses, doctors and research teams provide the very best care and develop life-saving treatments, which are used across the UK and around the world. From funding state-of-the-art equipment and ground-breaking research to creating the very best patient environments, they will never stop looking for ways to improve the lives of people affected by cancer.

Over the years I've lost a lot of friends and relatives to assorted types of cancer, so I'd like to raise as much money as I can for the charity.

The website of the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity gives a lot of detail about the March at https://www.royalmarsden.org/support-us/marsden-march

In the past many generous people on Scooploop have donated to my Marsden March fund so I'd like to ask for your support again this year.

If you'd like to donate you can do so at:

https://march.royalmarsden.org/fundraising-page/tony-lang-marsden-march-2022

Whether you donate £1 or £50. Every donation helps to make a difference.

Thank you in advance.

Cheers.

Tony

Today's North London Derby is postponed because Arsenal have just one player with Covid, and four players away at the AFCON. I think this is just an excuse so they can rearrange the match when they have a stronger team available.
On a more personal theme, the screen on my phone shattered so I decided to contact samsung repair. Website says you can take it to one of their shops for a same day repair but when I got on to their live chat was told "because of covid that service is suspended". So I agreed to have my phone picked up by DPD, have it fixed, and returned by them. In the confirmation email the covid excuse struck again. "repairs usually take 2 days from when your device is received by us, but during these covid times please allow up to 10 days".
their 10 days is up tomorrow, and I've not heard a thing from them.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1541197/prince-harry-sues-for-uk-police-protection

Sunday afternoon football because the later match between Spurs and Arsenal has been postponed because Arsenal have just one Covid case. Get your predictions in for West Ham v Leeds by 1.30pm.
Good luck

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMLedV5cw/

"The latest changes from the Department of Transport are hoped to improve safety and confidence in smart motorways, with £390 million designated for additional emergency areas.

In line with the Transport Committee’s most recent recommendations, the rollout of new ALR smart motorways will be paused until a full five years’ worth of safety data becomes available for schemes introduced before 2020. After this point, the Government will reassess the data and decide on the next steps.

Government changes to existing smart motorways include the creation of 150 additional Emergency Areas so drivers have more places to stop.

The Department for Transport welcomed the Transport Committee’s report, backing how it focused on further upgrading the safety of existing ALR smart motorways rather than reinstating the hard shoulder.

The Committee report said evidence suggests hard shoulders do not always provide a safe place to stop, and by reducing motorway capacity, they could put more drivers and passengers at risk of death or serious injury if they were to divert onto less safe local roads.

Despite this, at the inquest for Jason Mercer and Alexandru Murgeanu, Sheffield coroner David Urpeth said “a lack of hard shoulder contributed to this tragedy” and that smart motorways “present an ongoing risk of future deaths”.

Grant Schapps said >>>

“Pausing schemes yet to start construction and making multi-million-pound improvements to existing schemes will give drivers confidence and provide the data we need to inform our next steps. I want thank safety campaigners, including those who have lost loved ones, for rightly striving for higher standards on our roads. I share their concerns.”

So the driving public will die over the next five years acting as as the Government's"guinea pigs? Your thoughts?

​ I have either seen, heard of, or read about almost every single miraculous feat accomplished by humans in my time. It seems impossible to isolate any one of these unbelievable feats as being special.

But I must personally choose the exploits of Alain Robert, the French Spiderman as the most outstanding personality I have ever seen. Alain Robert is now 60 years old, is married to Nicole and has 3 sons, Lucas, Hugo and Julien.

He has climbed almost every one of the world`s tallest buildings freestyle, without ropes or any safety equipment. Just his fingers, talcum powder and feet in all this death defying activity. He has climbed over 85 of the tallest buildings all over the world.
And when he has climbed these buildings, he has to climb down again to a point where he can enter the building via a door or window, sometimes many hundreds of feet below. The police are always waiting to arrest him, but a few days in jail and Alain is free again.

He suffers from Epilepsy and has to take daily medication and also has moderate Vertigo.

To give examples of Alain`s accomplishments would be impossible. You must surf the web and see/read them all for yourself, plus video`s and lots of photo`s.
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alain_Robert

I have some small experience of being subjected to heights and to see this man standing on the top spire of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur without any support and waving his arms about at 1,483 feet high, most probably with a significant wind gives me the creeps.

Below is a shot of him after climbing the Petronas Towers enjoying his success on top of the spire. A helicopter is seen flying way below him.
He climbed in June 2017 the Melia Barcelona Sky Hotel without a safety harness.

​See image - click for size - ​Alain on top ​spire ​of the Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

I have exposed myself to heights in my life, but this takes my breath away - it is simply unbelievable how somebody can calmly do that.

I just had an email from GiffGaff saying if I don't use my mobile in the next 3 weeks they will close my account and I will lose my number - I didn't know that was one of the rules as i only have the mobile for emergencies and have a credit of over £10.

Drax power station, maybe not so green after all?

https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1550326/boris-johnson-nuclear-energy-green-drax-power-plant

Saturday Night Football. Get your predictions in by 5pm.
Good luck

What a fine example he sets

Party on

See - https://tinyurl.com/2p993wvd
Yes he is but not much else - a reduction to the ranks.

For anyone who has the Eurosport channel, tune in at 10.30pm tonight to watch the final stage of this years Dakar rally.
Going into the final stage, British motorcyclist Sam Sunderland is leading the field. There are 165km to go, and his lead is almost 7 minutes.
There is a chance that the programme could start late if the previous programme over runs, as it's Live Masters Snooker. So, if you plan to record the Dakar, it's wise to also record the scheduled programme after.

It's the M23 Derby for the Friday Night Football. Get your predictions in by 7pm.
Good luck

Marks and Sparks are going to change the name of a traditional and popular sweetie from [ guess the name ] to Mini-Gems - due to pressure from the Petty Concern movement.
As there are many thousands of MG Midget [oops] sports cars one wonders how this problem will be solved?
Should Bristol Harbour be prepared?
Incidentally having just bought a quarter of ##### jacks, what will they be called shortly?
Can you think of more brand names that deserve the notice of the woke PC?

Just before Christmas a man finds a frog in his lettuce and keeps him as pet. Names him Tony

Notice the man’s surname is Curtis 😃

https://www.insider.com/man-found-frog-in-box-of-lettuce-kept-as-pet-2021-12

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/next-refusing-give-unvaccinated-staff-22743310

What do members think

I haven't seen any sign of her for a few days now and am a little concerned!

So, Andrew has been stripped of his titles and honours and now faces trial as a private citizen not a royal. This civil case will be interesting

Click on to read full message

So from next Monday isolation rules will be 5 days. Thoughts?

Tonight is the 1st leg of their Carabao cup semi-final. Get your predictions in by 7pm.
Good luck

So I'm at Pets at Home buying a bag of dog food for the whoofies 🐶
While in the queue, a woman behind me asked if I had a dog 🤔 Why else would I be buying dog food?
So being down with the banter I told her "No, I don't have a dog, I'm starting my Dog Food Diet again" and that I probably really shouldn't cos last time, I had ended up in hospital, in intensive care with IV's in both arms and tubes coming out of most orifices. But I had lost 3 stone in 4 Weeks!
I told her that it was essentially the Perfect Diet and all you have to do is load your pockets with dry dog food and just eat one or two every time you feel hungry. I get the 'Complete' food cos it's nutritionally balanced, so it works really well and I decided that I was goin to give it another go.
(I have to mention here that practically everyone in the queue was now enthralled with my story)
Horrified, she asked if I had ended up in intensive care because the dog food poisoned me.
I told her "No, I stepped off a curb to sniff a Cocker Spaniel's arse and a lorry hit me.
I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack he was laughing so hard.
Now that you've read this I have to confess, I nicked it from another page! Now go make someone else laugh 😂😂😂

https://uk.yahoo.com/news/planners-set-approve-52-storey-182731966.html

The 150 voices of Wimbledon Choral plus soloists and orchestra will be performing Handel's Messiah at Fairfield Halls on March 19. Save the date. It will be incredible.

https://www.change.org/p/westminster-council-save-the-marble-arch-mound

Tongue in cheek

Love the reasons people have given 😂

Gary Waldhorn who played Councillor David Horton in The Vicar of Dibley has died aged just 78. RIP Sir.

Is Boris going to survive or has he been arrogant one step too far?

https://twitter.com/MichaelRosenYes/status/1480664420946780164?s=20

https://www.mylondon.news/news/uk-world-news/e-scooter-rider-hit-london-22700805?utm_source=mylondon_newsletter&utm_campaign=myeastlondon_newsletter2&utm_medium=email

https://twnews.it/gb-news/fuming-vegans-complain-about-ignorant-meat-sign-erected-by-psychopath-butchers

https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1547648/gina-miller-news-new-political-party-true-and-fair-party-brexit

The final 3rd round FA cup tie is an all Premier League clash. Get your predictions in by 7.30pm.
Thanks

We always use the sniff test, it easily lasts at least 2 more days.

https://www.aol.co.uk/news/morrisons-scrap-dates-milk-reduce-122702789.html

https://news.sky.com/story/amp/sinead-oconnor-please-be-at-peace-irish-singers-teenage-son-shane-dies-after-going-missing-12511557

According to this article we are more likely to catch Covid doing the weekly shop than sitting in a cinema for 3 hours. I find that really difficult to believe.

https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1546933/covid-shopping-twice-the-risk-of-infection-omicron

Am trying to renew my passport online but it won't accept any of the pictures we've taken on the mobile. It's looking like I'll have to go to a photo booth but does that mean I'm going to have to send the application rather than loading it up online?

This 3rd round FA Cup tie is another Championship v Premier League clash. Get your predictions in by 4.20pm.
Good luck

Scotland have halted IVF treatment for women who have not had their covid vaccinations

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-59914425

Do members feel this is fair, should be stopped elsewhere, or is discriminatory?

Did anyone else watch this last week on BBC1?
About the gay serial killer Stephen Port. Some very good serioius acting by Stephen Merchant. And by Sheridan Smith as the first victim's mother.

I have just seen that the UK has now had more than 150,000 covid deaths, and that's the most in Europe, but 7th after the US, Brazil, India, Russia, Mexico and Peru. As all those countries, except Peru, have populations of millions more than the UK, doesn't the percentage make our numbers of deaths even more shocking? I don't know we we stand in Europe in terms of percentage of deaths per population - and I don't know at what point the named countries reached 150,000 deaths, or what the totals for those countries are now. Some journalist somewhere needs to "do the math" as it were. But comparative percentages are more indicative of seriousness of the outcomes, and therefore some analysis of the success or failures of various protections taken or not taken.