WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[Stanley]

Very hard to understand Peter. There must be something wrong with the siting of the bollards, too many people are hitting them, even a police van! I agree with you, not a car friendly council!

[Stanley]

A man was doing maintenance on the aerials on the tower at the fire station yesterday. The telescopic high lift platform wagon he was using was registered in the Netherlands. You may or may not remember that I noticed this same foreign registration the last time they did this maintenance.

[Stanley]

An official warning that the rate of increase in the spread of the Omicron variant is going to be 'staggering' over the next few days, London and Manchester are expected to be the most badly expected. (estimated 400,000 today and a million in two days.)
Cancel Xmas? No worries Johnson says it is going to be fine.

[Whyperion]

Carrie Johnson names her daughter
Romy Iris

Presumably after Boris' Wandering Eye

[Whyperion]

The Queen has cancelled her Christmas (presumably to save herself for the Platinum Jubilee)

[Tripps]

Here's a little bit of serendipity from yesterday.

I've looked at a few videos like this one from Nelson recently - Jaloos

By a sort of 'word association' thing I immediately connected the costumes, and thought of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves - a feature of my childhood in the pantomime, and the primary school story book which included Sinbad the Sailor, from 1001 Arabian nights.

I then mused that modern woke / PC attitudes and a fear of being accused of 'cultural appropriation' had probably turned such a title into 'no go' territory., so I Googled it. Seems well recorded including this link Alibaba Aur 40 Chor

That's interesting thinks I - I've heard the Hindi word Chor before. First from a local villager who said he had seen men returning from 'choring' expeditions at 4.00 am - then from my lad who also knew the word . He was pushing his broken down motor bike in Bradford when a youth admiringly said to him "have you chored it?"

No - it was somewhere else - so I turned to "The English Gipsies and their language" by Charles G Leland. I'm sure you've all got a copy.
There I found a book dart marker which highlighted this - "Well " I answered; "I suppose you have heard occasionally that Gipsies used to chore Gorgios' chavis - steal peoples children?"

Once again something which I'd forgotten that I'd forgotten. A direct link between Hindi and Romany. You couldn't make it up could you?

[Stanley]

That really is interesting David, I think it qualifies as an LKF.... Well done for ferreting it out and no, I am not going to buy Mr Leland's book.

[Tizer]

`British or Irish reached remote Faroe Islands before Vikings' LINK
`People from Britain or Ireland may have reached the remote Faroe Islands before the Vikings, according to new evidence. Historically, the North Atlantic archipelago was part of the Viking world and its inhabitants speak a language derived from Old Norse. Now, evidence has emerged that people reached the island by 500 AD - some 350 years before Scandinavians arrived. This early settlement pre-dates the adoption of long-distance sailing technology by the Vikings.'...

[Stanley]

I heard that interesting report by the archaeologists Peter. The more we dig the more we find....
What grabbed me was the two sets of twins left alone in a house and all killed by fire. I see the mother has been arrested for neglect in that she left them. (LINK)

[Tizer]

I thought these three stories were best posted here...

Mrs Tiz found this one about a 1943 DC-3 Dakota plane being used to seek out lithium in Cornwall - you can't keep a good plane down!...
`Plane surveying Cornwall for minerals' Dakota

This man is not happy with the sky-high developments in Salford...
`Salford skyline 'the grimmest place on Earth', says councillor' Salford

Think of all those anti-5G protesters going around wearing one of these - I suppose if you're gullible enough to be anti-5G you're gullible enough to subject yourself to harmful ionising radiation from a real source...
`Anti-5G necklaces found to be radioactive' Anti-5G

[Stanley]

I'd missed the DC3 story but caught the last two. I suppose we'd better review putting foil in our hats in the run up to Xmas....

[Big Kev]

Just in case anyone is heading that way.

I reported a leaking fire hydrant, on the A56 at Foulridge, several weeks ago. United Utilities emailed me this morning, they're coming to fix it tomorrow 20/12/2021
Probably best to avoid the area as it's in the middle of the carriageway.

UU ref is :00963886.

[PanBiker]

What is wrong with some of the 20- 40 age group blokes? Been to Aldi today and it was the same as at the Coop yesterday, quite a few without masks. One particular individual wandering round whistling Christmas carols! Nice potential present from him for lots of folk if he happens to be a carrier. Bloody morons.

[Big Kev]

Can't put sense where there ain't none, Ian. The great unwashed will continue to not give a sh** so it's a pointless exercise trying to educate them.
Hopefully the imminent evidence, of the impact of the Omicron variant, will be favourable and we can go back to just being sensible.
Personally I think the government are taking the right approach in waiting, any restrictions now will just delay the inevitable. Over 80% of the most vulnerable are boosted which, evidence shows, greatly reduces the symptoms and if early signs of the impacts of the Omicron variant are mild it may be best to let it run its course.
A different beast, but still a virus, the 1918 flu mutated and pretty much disappeared all on it's own after a couple of years. The advances in medicine and how the current stats are looking I wouldn't be surprised if the same happened with Covid-19.
Obviously I'm no expert, that's just my opinion.

[Stanley]

None of the 'experts' has the evidence to argue against you Kev. If that wasn't true the world would be full of endemic viruses fatal to man.

[Tizer]

Pity the poor octopus which probably has more intelligence than those morons but is now going to be farmed by a Spanish firm...
`The world's first octopus farm - should it go ahead?' LINK

[Big Kev]

Just in case anyone is heading that way.

I reported a leaking fire hydrant, on the A56 at Foulridge, several weeks ago. United Utilities emailed me this morning, they're coming to fix it tomorrow 20/12/2021
Probably best to avoid the area as it's in the middle of the carriageway.

UU ref is :00963886.

It's been busy through Foulridge today, the Colne bound queue was back to Lower Hague at lunchtime.

[Stanley]

I agree Peter,I heard the reports. The cruelty that will be inflicted on sentient beings just for a quick buck. It should be stopped. If you don't believe that look up octopus intelligence on Youtube, there are some amazing examples.
I'm glad I don't drive any more Kev. I think I might have seen the glory days.....

[Whyperion]

Shortest Day. Winter Solstice confuses me, is the longest night the 20th/21st or 21st/22nd

[Tizer]

From MoneySavingExpert.com...
`Warning: HSBC customers should triple check payments when transferring cash after app update – some almost sent £1,000s by mistake' LINK
You'd think that the nation's biggest bank would have the sense, intelligence and technology to prevent their customers falling into the trap!

[Big Kev]

We're back online

[Wendyf]

Well done Ian.

[plaques]

The best thing since sliced bread, You must have been working your socks off. Thanks for all the effort Ian.

[PanBiker]

Thanks, not finished yet, still a work in progress but with a bit of respite.

Please see the appeal:

ReadMe-Appeal

[Stanley]

How many of you did what I did, filled the empty OG hours by doing useful household tasks? I washed the bedding and deep cleaned the kitchen floor.....
We're very lucky to have someone as skilled as Ian looking after us. We'd be in a fine pickle if it was down to me!