Your Chariot Awaits, My Lady

Paying Homage To The Cinderella Factor

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Quite understandably, I was reminded of the story of Cinderella as soon as I saw this sight. I was walking through the city some months ago when this hackney carriage went past me on St Kilda Road.

There are a handful of carriages that operate in the city proper, taking tourists for rides along a pre-determined route. They do a roaring trade in summer, especially with the long daylight hours, but even now as we move into our second month of autumn they are still fairly busy.

One of my favourite stories about ceremonial carriages actually relates to the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey. I recently heard an interesting yarn about well-heeled members of the aristocracy. Apparently several members of upper-crust society masqueraded as coach attendants to serve visiting dignitaries.


So of course I went to that bastion of truth, chronology and good reporting, the BBC. I simply Googled the words "Coronation Westminster Abbey Queen Elizabeth" and found my way to Queen Elizabeth Takes Coronation Oath, where the story was indeed confirmed.

The BBC reports states: "There was a shortage of professional coachmen to help transport dignitaries to Westminster Abbey in horse drawn carriages. Millionaire businessmen and country squires offered their services and on the day they dressed up as Buckingham Palace servants and helped take people to the ceremony."

Of course, they were all well coached.


For earlier posts in this series, check out The Doors Archive.

Gizmo Machismo :)

Emission Impossible

The humble office laser printer can damage lungs in much the same way as smoke particles from cigarettes, a team of Australian scientists has found. According to a BBC report by Nick Bryant, an investigation of a range of printer models showed that almost a third emit potentially dangerous levels of toner into the air. Scientists at the Queensland University of Technology have called on ministers to regulate these kinds of emissions. They say some printers should come with a health warning. The researchers carried out tests on more than 60 machines.

The Life And Death Of Anna Nicole Smith

How The Websites Reported Her Passing

It was interesting to watch the four-way race on the websites of BBC, CNN, Fox and MSNBC as the news broke about Anna Nicole Smith’s death. All four websites raced from prominent news flashes to full coverage in minutes, and this is how the contest unfolded …
BBC posted a full report at 21.14 GMT, which is 4.14pm Eastern Time. MSNBC was next, at 4.19pm. CNN was a heartbeat behind, at 4.20pm. And FOX News simply ran with a dateline that said `` Thursday, February 08, 2007’’ with no time mentioned.
This was how they reported the news.

BBC – Headline: ``Former Playmate Smith dies at 39’’.
The report began: `` The flamboyant former model Anna Nicole Smith has died near Miami, Florida at the age of 39, her lawyer has said.
Smith, a former Playboy bunny, married Texas oil billionaire J Howard Marshall II in 1995 when she was 26 and he was 89. He died a year later.’’

CNN – Headline: ``Anna Nicole Smith dies’’
The report began : ``Reality TV star and former model Anna Nicole Smith was pronounced dead Thursday after being taken to a Florida hospital, a law enforcement source told CNN. Smith, 39, collapsed at a south Florida hotel, according to news reports.’’

MSNBC - Headline: ``Former Playmate Smith dies at 39’’
The report began: ``The flamboyant former model Anna Nicole Smith has died near Miami, Florida at the age of 39, her lawyer has said.
Smith, a former Playboy bunny, married Texas oil billionaire J Howard Marshall II in 1995 when she was 26 and he was 89. He died a year later. ''

FOX NEWS – Headline: ``Anna Nicole Smith dies’’
The report began: Reality star Anna Nicole Smith died Thursday after collapsing at a South Florida hotel, one of her lawyers said.Smith, 39, did not respond to CPR, and her boyfriend, Howard K. Stern, was with her when she passed, her attorney, Ron Rale, told FOX News.