I was having a coffee break from reading in the British Library this afternoon when just as I was about to leave the cafe and go back to my book I saw a young man, lithe in jeans and trainers, a bounce in his step, leaping up the further stairs, with a paper carrier bag of sandwiches. He chose a table, put down his bag, then went back to the top of the stairs he'd just come up and waved to someone to show where he was. He was, at a guess, Chinese. He was wearing a white surgical face mask.

Moments later a girl joined him; also Chinese; also in a mask. She went off to get a tray of food. I lingered. Should I ask why? Could I? Intrusive certainly...but irresistible. I asked the young man - who indeed wasn't keen to answer - why are you wearing masks? Because I don't want to catch a cold, he said, but raised his hand to preclude further questions.

As I left I wondered how they were going to eat. He had a point, though. I'm just getting over a cold...

I was listening to a radio discussion this morning about how the markets have taken over every aspect of our lives. One tiny example of the many listed that struck me was the fact that people are apparently prepared to pay others to queue for them for entry to the FREE Shakespeare in the Park (Central Park that is). Then I had an idea about a sort of market efficiency that our market-bedazzled leaders might enjoy.

Imagine a man has been sentenced to a long prison term. Imagine that he is a rogue capitalist who made an enormous amount of money. But we admire that, don't we - making enormous amounts of money. So what a waste of talent to send him to jail. What if someone else were to do his stretch on his behalf - and be paid for his services of course, at something over the minimum wage? This worker might even take on a number of people's sentences simultaneously (how's that for productivity?), which would free up the felons to make more money while saving the authorities the costs of a number of prison places.

This should be attractive to the current political mind, no?

A couple around my age (not young) got on the 214 bus on which I was already sitting. He had a stick and was glad there were a pair of seats at the front. She had dyed brown hair that could have done with touching up, caked foundation, bright green eye-shadow and a great deal of lipstick, some of which was on her mouth.

He: This bus, you know. It's never so crowded as the others.

She: (in a sort of bleat) Yeh.

He: Because, you know, I think not so many people get on.

She: Yeh,

He: Except at this stop. too many people get on at this stop.

She: Yeh.

He: I mean, lots of people get on the 134. Crowds of people. But not so many on this bus.

She: Yeh.

He: But I wish people didn't get on at this stop. Not so many of them.

She: Yeh. Shall we get out at Tescos and walk back?

He: We could. Or we might not. What shall we decide. Let's say not, then, shall we?

She: Yeh.

Who knows www.philosophybites.com? Everyone, surely, as they've had 13 million downloads over their 5 year history. Well, today, at the ICA (Institute of Contemporary Arts) the two who run the philosophy website launched a branching out. www.socialsciencebites.com

Outside, on the Mall leading to Buck House, there was  a clutch of London taxis all parked up in an untidy group, nose to nose, as it were. The drivers were standing in a huddle. I asked them what was going on. Was this a cabby's convention? No, said one - young and cheery. Me and my mate have just driven all round the world in this (hand gesture towards decorated cab), and these guys are welcoming us back.

I love my (rainy) city!

The Culture, Media and Sports Select Committee of the British Parliament published a report this week that was very critical of Murdoch father and son for their handling of, and attitudes to, the phone hacking that went on at Rupert Murdoch's favourite UK newspaper, The News of the World. One sentence in the report said the Committee also found that Rupert Murdoch was not a fit and proper person to run BskyB, the real money-making arm of the UK bit of his empire.

But then it turned out that four Conservative MPs on the multi-party committee didn't sign up to that particular statement. One of them, MP and successful author Louise Mensch, said that in fact that specific issue had not actually come up for discussion.

She is blonde, rather attractive (I think), and was noticeably tough in her questioning of the Murdochs when they appeared before the select committee. But now - since she spoke up with her cavil about that most critical of many sentences, she has been the object of abusive tweets from Murdoch haters - amongst whom I would count myself. They are calling her a whore; they have said they would like to hit her in the face with a hammer, or strangle her...

Do these idiot tweeters really think they have done anything for our case?