Archive
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New Section.
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It's tough at the top, Simon
Now that Simon Birch looks set to take on the mantle of chief executive of Swindon Council on a permanent basis, we wish him all the best. His appointment follows several months already in the post, so he can hit the ground running. He took charge during
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Courageous refusal to be intimidated
Good luck to the Swindon couple who have installed CCTV in their home in an effort to combat vandalism. While it is dreadful that they have been forced into taking this measure, they are to be commended for refusing to be intimidated by a gang of youths
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Lewis Signs
ANDY KING has added Leicester City midfielder Junior Lewis to his squad, and a First Division striker could yet follow as Town look to get back on the winning track against Bristol City. The Town boss promised he would shake things up after a third successive
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Westlecot men at the double
WESTLECOT men produced a fine double at the weekend to reach the Grand Finals of the Famous Grouse Top Ten competition and the semi-finals in the play-offs for the Wessex League title. Saturday saw Westlecot book their place in the last 16 of the Top
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Flirting for a contract
British businessmen lie, whereas women say flirting over lunch is the best way to land a deal, according to a new survey. The PizzaExpress study into the art of business lunching in 21st century Britain reveals that a third of new business is won each
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On the front line
MARCH 18: As the threat of an Iraqi conflict looms, GILES SHELDRICK and MARTIN VINCENT take a look at how people in the Swindon area feel about it and how war will affect them. THE Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry has a proud history - having first been raised
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Defence show postponed but air tattoo to go ahead
MARCH 18: The biggest ever public demonstration by UK Armed Forces has been postponed - because so many have been deployed to the Gulf. Defence 2003 was to have formed one of the major attractions at this year's Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford
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Diary from the Gulf
MARCH 18: SARAH Jane Masters is in the Gulf as a trooper with the Swindon-based A Squadron of The Royal Yeomanry. She works as a junior project manager for Vodafone and lives with her estate agent boyfriend Steve Pennicott, 34. Following is the first
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Saddam must be stopped
Though Thamir Yasen fears for the safety of his family, the Iraqi is hoping that war will bring democracy back to his homeland by deposing its leader. A DOCTOR from Iraq, who works as an eye surgeon at Swindon's Great Western Hospital, today said that
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Killing with chemicals
MARCH 18: With British troops waiting to go to war, scientists at a top secret germ warfare centre in Wiltshire are working flat out on projects that could save soldiers' lives if they are attacked by chemical and biological weapons. No-one at the Porton
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War criminals
I am totally opposed to a war with Iraq as I believe it is illegal under international law and if carried out would brand both the UK and US as war criminals. NEIL PRITCHARD Cornmarsh Way Swindon
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Killing with chemicals
With British troops waiting to go to war, scientists at a top secret germ warfare centre in Wiltshire are working flat out on projects that could save soldiers' lives if they are attacked by chemical and biological weapons. No-one at the Porton Down centre
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Rivals are up for the cup!
TWO of the Mid-Wilts Youth League's strongest forces met in two epic cup semi-finals last week, with honours ending even. Trowbridge Wanderers and Swindon's Green Baize both boast unbeaten records in the under 11 division and the two clashed in a terrific
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Firefighters remain in determined mood
FIREFIGHTERS in Swindon remain resolute should their union call a strike on Thursday in its continuing dispute over pay. Speculation is rife that the next 24-hour industrial action could be shelved, either because of the prospect of war with Iraq or the
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Warning that tests put primary school children under extra stress
Tests to be taken by children in their final year of primary school pose the same stress risk as the 11-plus exam, as pupils who do not make the grade often consider themselves a failure. The House of Commons Education select committee was told how working
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Marriage built on fighting
MOST couples have the occasional fight - but not all are martial arts black belts. Fortunately when Becky and Steve Dearlove spar, it is strictly non-contact. Steve, 38, is the instructor at Gorse Hill Tae kwon-do club and hopes to be promoted to third
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Danny's in Toon for seconds
A 27-17 triumph at Dorchester maintained Wootton Bassett 2nd excellent Dorset & Wilts 2nd XV Merit Table form. It was the day for the youth of the Bassett pack to shine as Danny Toon went over for a try after 15 minutes, Gareth Williams converting
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Bibby rides off with contract to distribute Hondas
HONDA has appointed Liverpool firm Bibby to handle the distribution of its motorcycles from Swindon to Scotland and the North of England. Bibby Distribution successfully bid for the contract after tenders were invited. Responsibility for distributing
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Firefighters called to free man trapped by scaffolding
A DECORATOR was taken to the Great Western Hospital after he slipped and became trapped under scaffolding while working in a house in Old Town. The man, who has not been named, suffered concussion and minor injuries in the accident, which happened at
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Swindon's Lucky 13
SWINDON had one of their best days on the road in Southern Counties North as they ground out a 13-0 win at Bicester. The visitors certainly did it the hard way against the fourth-placed side, choosing to play against the elements in the first half. Bicester
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Attack on home captured on film
A SWINDON couple who say they are being terrorised by vandals have installed video cameras in their home. Teenage tearaways have been targeting the Upper Stratton home of Valerie Hearn, 68, and her partner Ray Millin, 72, for the past six weeks. Problems
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Saddam must be stopped
Though Thamir Yasen fears for the safety of his family, the Iraqi is hoping that war will bring democracy back to his homeland by deposing its leader. A DOCTOR from Iraq, who works as an eye surgeon at Swindon's Great Western Hospital, today said that
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Chippenham target a national league position
Chippenham Rugby Club have unveiled their five-year plan and have stressed their ambition to reach the national leagues. Club chairman Ian Lyons and manager of rugby Jerry Field outlined their aims and objectives to help them move up through the leagues
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Ace Whatling's bench duty
Chippenham youngster Simon Whatling had a special day at the weekend when he was selected in Bath's 22-man matchday squad for the Zurich Premiership clash against Northampton. The 18-year-old, a member of Chippenham's development squad as well as the
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Sevens up as Marine edge local rivals
SUPERMARINE took their minis sides to Chippenham's Allington Fields for a series of age group matches against the home side. The three under sevens clashes ended 2-1 in favour of the visiting side, who lost the opener 6-3. Game two went to Marine 6-4,
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Six-a-side festival
HIGHWORTH Town are looking for teams to play in their annual junior six-a-side football festival in the summer. The festival, which runs on the weekend of June 21/22, attracts hundreds of teams each year. Teams can enter teams for any section from under
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Eldene fail in bid to halt title rivals
MALMESBURY virtually secured the under 13 title with an emphatic win over nearest rivals Eldene. The under 14 Division is still in the balance after leaders Mitel were held by Croft, giving Stratton and Malmesbury a glimmer of hope. Cirencester Juniors
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Kintbury's cup hopes dashed
Kintbury Rangers failed in their bid to become the first ever North Berks side to win the Berks & Bucks Intermediate Cup, losing 2-0 against Buckingham Athletic. Hard-working Stanford in the Vale Reserves reached the final of the A.G.Kingham Cup,
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Top of the league
Eastville Boys have been crowned under 12 Division Two champions, stretching their 100 per cent record to 16 games. A 2-0 triumph over Lydiard Youth ensured Eastville retain their league title. The all-conquering club will have the chance to complete
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Sun fail to shine against leaders
Division Five leaders Queensfield recorded what could be a crucial 2-1 victory over nearest rivals Sun Inn Coate to open up a six-point lead. Neil Robinson and Dave Smith netted for the leaders with Wayne Palmer replying for the Sun. Jovial Monk retained
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Wedding costs likely to rise
COUPLES who marry in Swindon Council Chamber or its main committee room face increased fees from May 5. Council officers have recommended that the fee for the chamber on weekdays should rise from £75 to £85, and Saturday and Sunday fees should increase
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Magic gift from top authoress
A TEENAGE boy who has suffered at the hands of thieves twice in the past six months has been cheered by a surprise package from Harry Potter author JK Rowling Mark Huggins, 13, a pupil at Commonweal School, had his wheelchair stolen and vandalised only
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Street wardens earn a glowing report for their work
STREET warden patrols have been hailed as a success in a report. A street warden scheme, covering Parks and Walcot, was launched by Swindon Council last July 5. It has now reached its full anticipated strength of nine wardens and an administrator. Now
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Swithin captured village life on film
PHOTOGRAPHER Swithin Fry, who recently captured residents in his home village of Coleshill on film, is about to start a new project. And his latest venture is one which will take him further afield. He plans to take photographs of seascapes and coastal
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Calling all personnel
RAF ST Eval, Cornwall, would like to contact all ex-personnel, all ranks, RAF, WAAF, WRAF, including those on detachment, for membership and two reunions a year. If you are interested, please phone membership secretary Graham on 01179 672547 or Dave on
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Pulling together for the good of Lyneham
Am I right in suggesting that the ludicrous High Court decision to give asylum seekers the right to sue for stress incurred over lengthy delays finding accommodation will open up the flood gates? The Government's continual stalling in decision-making,
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Good riddance to Ruddy Duck
Having read the letter by Ajaye Curry (March 11) regarding the culling of ruddy ducks in Britain, I felt it necessary to reply to put this issue in context. The letter gives the impression that this is a UK problem being orchestrated by the RSPB, whereas
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Book your funeral and beat inflation
I AM sure the letter from Mr R Morse will provoke some response from funeral directors explaining why funeral costs have increased faster than inflation. Certainly bank and building society savings accounts have not kept pace with these increases and
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Power to the older people
R W Selway has written to suggest a course of action for Age Concern Swindon in the run-up to the local council elections on May 1. We will, of course, be encouraging older people to exercise their right to vote, using all the different means available
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Late tries seal thirds' loss
CHIPPENHAM'S third team emerged from a three-week break but they came out on the losing side, 17-5 against Walcot. Eager to dust off the cobwebs, visiting Chippenham came out of the blocks quickly and soon had Walcot on the back foot. The pressure soon
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MPs learn how scientists are pushing the boundaries
RESEARCHERS working for the Swindon-based Particle Physics, and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) have gone to parliament. A special event for MPs, called Taking Science to Parliament, took place yesterday. It illustrated the range of research and development
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Bibby rides off with contract to distribute Hondas
HONDA has appointed Liverpool firm Bibby to handle the distribution of its motorcycles from Swindon to Scotland and the North of England. Bibby Distribution successfully bid for the contract after tenders were invited. Responsibility for distributing
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Reasons to be cheerful one, two three . . .
Hoteliers Roy and Monica Dutton have a triple cause for celebration this month. Not only are the couple celebrating 50 years in the hotel business, but this year also marks their golden wedding, and if all that weren't enough, their hotel, The Lodge in
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Killing with chemicals
With British troops waiting to go to war, scientists at a top secret germ warfare centre in Wiltshire are working flat out on projects that could save soldiers' lives if they are attacked by chemical and biological weapons. No-one at the Porton Down centre
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What the town shares with Baghdad
MARCH 18: ACCORDING to one war correspondent, the centre of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, which was expensively redeveloped in the 1970s, now looks less like your typical Middle East city and more like the centre of Swindon. BBC Radio 4 defence correspondent
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MPs' minds are still not made up
MARCH 18: JULIA Drown is still undecided as to her stance over the Iraqi conflict - and as to which side she will support in today's Commons vote on war. Ms Drown, who represents South Swindon, said: "I know I'm not comfortable with Bush's policies although
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Biological agents are not confined to Iraq
MARCH 18: Iraq is not the only country to possess biological and chemical weapons, although Saddam Hussein is seen as the biggest threat. In fact it is estimated that there could be as many as 20 states around the world who either possess or have shown
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Killing with chemicals
With British troops waiting to go to war, scientists at a top secret germ warfare centre in Wiltshire are working flat out on projects that could save soldiers' lives if they are attacked by chemical and biological weapons. No-one at the Porton Down centre
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Fisher quietly confident for Senior Cup
HIGHWORTH boss John Fisher believes his side are 'slight favourites' for tonight's Wiltshire Senior Cup semi-final against Melksham. "It could go either way, but we are probably slight favourites," admitted the Highworth manager. "Whoever wins this will
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Bookmen charge through
Selectabook recovered from a goal down to claim a place in the final of the Linpac Sports & Social Cup semi-final to beat Devizes Snooker Club 4-1. Gary Campbell gave the Snooker Club the lead, but Luke Rudman equalised and Julian Alexander's fine
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Final is in the bank
Four Seasons became only the second Division Four side in 29 years to reach the final of the WG Parr Trophy, with a 1-0 victory over Division Two Wingfield. The Chippenham side set up a showdown with two-time winners Maud Heath Sports who made the final
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All the results in Mid-Wilts Youth League
Under 16 League Cup Semi-Final: Malmesbury 0, FC Chippenham 1; Stratton 4, AFC Corsham 3. Under 14 League Cup Semi-Final: Westbury Yth 0, Salisbury Jnrs 1; Bath Arsenal 4, Melksham Park 2. Under 12 League Cup Semi-Final: Warminster Highbury 1, Chippenham
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MPs learn how scientists are pushing the boundaries
RESEARCHERS working for the Swindon-based Particle Physics, and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) have gone to parliament. A special event for MPs, called Taking Science to Parliament, took place yesterday. It illustrated the range of research and development
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Audis's youngsters come up with goods
Chippenham 2nd shrugged off the loss of several key players to put Bristol visitors Keynsham to the sword 32-24. Coach Tony Audis was forced into several changes as several players moved up to the first team. But the youngsters who stepped in proved more
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Simon poised for council's top job
SIMON Birch is due to be named as the new chief executive of Swindon Council. And although his appointment has yet to be ratified - borough councillors will be called on to do so at a meeting tomorrow night - council leader Coun Kevin Small (Lab, Western
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Minety's second-half power
MINETY'S second-half strength came to the fore as they won the second team battle with Supermarine 22-12. The visitors trailed to Marine at the break, but came good after it as they outscored their opponents by four tries to two. Marine got off the mark
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David leads Bassett the glory hunt
WOOTTON Bassett under 16s delivered a nine-try performance to stay on course for their sixth successive Wiltshire title with a 49-0 win over Bradford on Avon. With five changes to the line-up, Bassett found the early exchanges difficult but once full-back
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Festival joy for Corsham
CORSHAM under nines triumphed in the Warminster Minis Festival at the weekend. Seven other clubs were involved Melksham, Trowbridge, Devizes, Frome, Midsomer Norton, Bradford on Avon and the hosts and Corsham won through to their semi-final with wins
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Cup Showdowns
THE line-ups for the cup finals in each division are a little clearer after a glut of semi-finals were concluded last week. Swindon side Green Baize led the charge with a 1-0 win over Trowbridge Wanderers in the last four of the under 11 competition (
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Red Star are on track for league title
Red Star look to be hot favourites for the league title with two wins in as many weeks against BP and Mainlink. In a battle between the top two teams Red Star completed a resounding 6-0 win against BP. Red Star's hero was Richard Kolasinski with a hat-trick
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Duck for Aylesbury as Town coast to victory
SWINDON Town Ladies picked up three points when they travelled to face Aylesbury United in the South West Combination League and won 4-0. Play was fairly even with both sides creating openings. Louise Corcoran split the Aylesbury defence to find Lucy
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Woolworths cruise past their rivals to land title
WOOLWORTHS are the Division Two champions after beating their nearest rivals, Queenstown Reserves, 4-1. Woolies' scorers were Jason Kearns with a hat-trick and Ken Richards. They were reduced to 10 men when defender Alan Byrne was sent off after bringing
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A revolutionary play
Hold on to your head as a new play written by a Swindon historian on the French Revolution unfolds tonight. Liberte is written by Chris Scott, a local historian and lecturer at Swindon's New College. This is the first production by The Phoenix Theatre
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Chance to have a say
A QUESTION and answer session about the proposed A419 flyover and other road improvements will the focus of Blunsdon Parish Council's annual parish assembly. The Highways Agency traffic expert, David Radway, will speak to local people at the meeting on
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Kerbstone mix up will prove costly
WROUGHTON residents and councillors demand to know why new kerbstones are being dug up and replaced just two months after they were initially laid. Swindon Services subcontractors started work on the A4361 between Red Barn and the Uffcott turning, just
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Reunion is missing a few former classmates
ORGANISERS of Wootton Bassett School Reunion are keen to contact all former pupils who began their secondary education in 1964 and left in 1968 or 69. Plans for the Reunion Weekend, on May 24 and 25, are well under way, but the committee has been unable
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Traders see red at lights
TRADERS in Gorse Hill who claim their livelihoods are in jeopardy because of a set of traffic lights have collected a 2,000-strong petition. Maggie Mays, who runs Big As You Like lingerie store, is spearheading the campaign to "keep Gorse Hill alive and
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Youngsters choose their favourite writers
YOUNGSTERS in Swindon have been asked to name their favourite author. A new project, the Fantastic Fiction Award, was launched last week. Teenagers will get the chance to review books and nominate their favourite author for the award. Youngsters were
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Festival's literary stars are lined up
SWINDON's annual literary bonanza is about to get its official launch. Poets, journalists, writers, political pundits, chefs and comedians will be descending on the town for the largest ever Swindon Festival of Literature in May. Among the stars of the
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Back to the battlefield
I AM the local contact for the War Research Society, run mainly by retired and serving police officers and ex-servicemen as a charitable hobby. It was founded many years ago and supports a number of charities including the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal
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Come on, council
WHAT a surprise councillors agree a 43 per cent pay rise and I bet everybody was there (no holidays booked). Then we get the rantings of Jim D'Avila about the Evening Adver and being negative. But as you are our local paper you are doing your job, reporting
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Save our wildfowl stop fishing
IF C Roberts (Letters, March 6) is really concerned about waterfowl, I suggest he stops fishing. Wildlife rescue centres around the country would tell him that the vast majority of injuries and deaths to waterfowl are caused by tackle. To give an idea
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Sounding the last post for our sad, slipshod society
WHAT slipshod ways this country is slipping into! Now the post boxes inform you of the first and last posts, but as for the rest, between morning and evening, you have to guess collections as necessary. Of course, if you take a ride to the depot, many
