Seen in the News

[Stanley]

THIS report caught my eye.....
Power cables worth £100,000 have been stolen from a railway line over Christmas. Network Rail warned passengers to expect disruption between Chorley and Bolton and services to Preston to be affected on Sunday following the theft. The firm said it would have to close the line so it could replace the cables and test the system. Network Rail said it is working with the police to find the culprits.
It must be so disheartening for anyone who wants to see improvements in our services but one is forced to ask searching questions about security.

[Tizer]

Police should check out the local bitcoin manufacturers!

[Stanley]

See THIS report of bad weather on its way!
Weather warnings for rain, snow and wind gusts of up to 70mph have been issued for parts of the UK on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, the Met Office has said. Yellow warnings are in place for Northern Ireland, northern England and parts of Scotland from Tuesday before extending across most of the UK on Wednesday. A series of warnings begin to come into force from 00:00 GMT on Monday and will last in some areas until 06:00 GMT on 2 January. The forecaster said there was likely to be travel disruption with almost all of the country impacted by at least one yellow alert over the four days.

[Stanley]

It begins to look as though that forecast of the weather was a bit alarmist. I note that in the latest forecasts there is no mention of snow....

And then I saw THIS headline in the news.
Edinburgh's outdoor Hogmanay celebrations have been cancelled as wind, rain and snow are forecast across the UK in the coming days. Eight separate weather warnings have been issued across the UK in the coming days, as the Met Office warns of "a wet and windy spell for many up into the new year". Much of the country will be braced for stormy conditions including rain and strong winds - with wind gusts of up to 70mph forecast in some areas. An amber warning for rain is in force in parts of Scotland, as well as flood alerts and flood warnings - including a rare severe flood warning - across the rest of the nation. Edinburgh's street party, fireworks display and outdoor concert headlined by Texas were cancelled on public safety grounds after the Met Office's yellow warnings for wind and rain.
It would appear that the worst of the weather is going to hit, as always, Scotland worse than us. I'm not even sure about the forecast of 'heavy' rain.

[Stanley]

See THIS for a look at how predictions went that were made in 1995.
In 1995, the BBC's Tomorrow's World programme decided to predict what the world would look like 30 years later, in 2025. The show, which is no longer broadcast, featured one of the most famous scientists of the age, Prof Stephen Hawking, who predicted: "By 2025 we can expect big changes." The programme team agreed, suggesting a raft of world-shaking innovations from hologram surgery to space junk gel. So, with the help of some experts - and the benefit of three decades of hindsight - let's take a look at how much of today's world that Tomorrow's World successfully anticipated.

[PanBiker]

Robot Surgery, The Yorkshire Clinic at Bingley advertises robot knee replacements, Its on a big sign at the entrance.

[Tripps]

I've mentioned several times that the shenanigans at Oldham Council are more interesting than most of what's on the TV at the moment. It seems that Elon Musk has been keeping up, and agrees with me. Oldham link No doubt the BBC will expand on the matter presently.

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report of the breach in the Bridgewater canal.
The banks of a canal in Cheshire collapsed on New Year's Day after parts of the UK were lashed by heavy rain. Drone footage showed how fields near the village of Little Bollington, which is close to Altrincham, were inundated with water pouring from the Bridgewater Canal. Cheshire Police said nearby properties were evacuated and a section of the M56 had to be closed. It came on the same day that Greater Manchester police declared a major incident due to floodwater trapping people in their homes across the north west of England.

[Mags]

I had my knee replacement done by a robot last year....no make that 2023.......

[Tripps]

I heard a professor from the University of Buckingham (private enterprise job) say today what I said here a few months ago. We need an "iron dome" defence set up, as that is the most likely threat.

There is no such system in place. He said (and it came as a surprise to me) that in theory anti missile defence is to be provided by Type 23 destroyers, of which have about six - in various states of readiness, but would not necessarily be in UK, and could be presently positioned on the Middle East , where they would not be much help.

His view was that we had spent too much on a nuclear defence force, and neglected the threat of a conventional attack.

I shall try not to worry too much about it all.

[Stanley]

I have been complaining about defence spending going on Nukes and vanity projects like white elephant carriers for years. I would say the Professor is correct, we haven't spent anywhere near enough on nuts and bolts and human resources. (We can't even maintain married quarters!)

Read THIS BBC report of a huge winter vortex from the Arctic bringing winter storms to much of the Mid West and then reflect that we often get the Norgh American weather a dew days after them......

[Tizer]

...neglected the threat of a conventional attack.

...and talking of that, the Daily Mail has reported this today: Offshore wind farms 'could blind Britain's radar to enemy missile attacks': Defence experts are working on radical solutions to prevent offshore wind farms blocking radar systems amid fears they could leave the UK vulnerable to missile attacks.
It's not as if the government and military haven't been considering this danger. For example, this web page from April:
`Windfarm Mitigation for UK Air Defence: successful projects ' Gov.uk
And this from 2020:
`Offshore wind industry investigates air defence radar issues' TGS Offshore

[Stanley]

Oh Dear! There's always something isn't there.....

Have a look at THIS BBC report on snowmen. No mention of any missile threat.....

[Tizer]

People say they melt when the weather gets warmer but the true story is that they go into hibernation until the next winter then reappear. I know it's true because a man called Trump is going to buy Greenland so the snowmen can go there for a summer holiday instead of hibernating. It's so important that Trump is sending his son to be the boss of Greenland. Snowmen like to drink Coca-Cola! You didn't know that did you? His friend Neelon Musk is going there too because America has a space station there already!

[Stanley]

Ahh, but how will he fit that in with sending all the illegals back and taking over the Panama Canal.....

[PanBiker]

Don't forget stopping the war in Ukraine on his first day in office as well!

[Tripps]

I read fairly recently that currently the Panama Canal is a liability due to lack of water, and the Chinese are busy building a rival nearby. Someone should have a word with the Donald?

[Stanley]

The UK news this morning is all about cold weather. The forecasters seem to have woken up to the fact it is cold now that regions in the South are forecast to be colder than us in the North. (LINK)

[Cathy]

Feeling sorry for all those who are caught up in the Los Angeles and California Wild Fires. 5 people dead so far.

[Stanley]

Indeed Cathy. I too have been listening to the reports and I'd rather have our iron frost than their wildfires.... Said to be the worst in history....

[Stanley]

THIS report shocked me.....
A doctor who bullied, swore at and racially abused his colleagues over a five year period has banned from the profession. The Medical Practitioner Tribunal Service (MPTS) found that the actions and behaviour of Alexandru Boanca were "anything but respectful or polite and fell well below the standards expected of a registered doctor". The doctor, who practised at various locations including the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT), even verbally abused an investigator from the General Medical Council (GMC). The tribunal found Romanian Dr Boanca had the potential to bring the profession into disrepute and ruled his fitness to practise is impaired by reason of misconduct.
The caring professions are the last place you expect to meet up with behaviour like this.

[Stanley]

See THIS Nelson news....
A family-run bakery chain has closed after 120 years in business with the loss of more than 100 jobs. Oddie's, which was based in Nelson, Lancashire, but had branches across the east of the county including Burnley and Colne, was established in 1905 and was run by the same family. The firm said the Covid pandemic and "economic slowdown" had "a profound impact on the business' ability to operate at levels we were accustomed to". They had sought a rescue deal late last year, but said a potential sale "fell through after extensive negotiations".
And yet a firm like Gregg's marches on..... Raises some questions.

[Stanley]

See THIS report about the road at Hebden Bridge.
A major road between two West Yorkshire towns is to remain closed for another two weeks due to "further complications" and recent extreme weather. The A646 Halifax Road near Hebden Bridge was closed on December 13 after a sewer collapsed and was set to reopen on January 13. In a joint statement, Calderdale Council and Yorkshire Water said the road would remain closed until at least January 27. It said: "Our teams are working extended hours, in very difficult weather conditions, with extreme cold and melting snow adding to delays in completing what is a complicated issue."

[Stanley]

I've never come across THIS before......
The annual No Trousers Tube ride has taken place despite plunging temperatures in the capital. Trouserless passengers were seen across the London Underground network including in Westminster, Waterloo and South Kensington. Launched in January 2002 with just seven people in New York, it has spread across the world with dozens of people taking part in this year's event in London. Creator Charlie Todd told the BBC: "The whole point is just to create unexpected moments of joy, delight and confusion."
Given the choice between this and Comic Dumming's activities I think you can guess who I prefer......

[Tizer]

I found this interesting...
`Norway on track to be first to go all-electric' BBC