WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[Big Kev]

That's good news Kev. Have you asked them if they've found out what's causing it?

Something in the air...

I'm sure you know the punchline

[Cathy]

Congrats Kev and Paulette . You’ll have to adjust your budget again . Hehe.

[Big Kev]

Congrats Kev and Paulette . You’ll have to adjust your budget again . Hehe.

I know, all these babies are an expensive hobby

[Stanley]

Tell me about it.......

[Stanley]

See THIS report of a 'one-off' rape.
A doctor found by a tribunal to have raped a young woman at his home avoided being struck off over what the panel described as a "one-off" attack. Dr Aloaye Foy-Yamah, then a consultant at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, instead had his medical licence suspended for 12 months for attacking the woman. Police investigated but did not charge Dr Foy-Yamah, but the Medical Tribunal Practitioners Service (MPTS) concluded on the balance of probabilities that he had raped the woman - which he denies. The panel, which emphasised the incident had not taken place at work, has been accused of "victim-blaming" and failing to properly assess Dr Foy-Yamah's risk given that it found he had raped someone. Campaign group Surviving in Scrubs, founded by two doctors who aim to highlight sexism, sexual harassment and sexual violence in the healthcare workforce, told the BBC it was "appalled" by the ruling. "This belittles the traumatic experiences of survivors of sexual assault and undermines public trust in the profession," co-founder Dr Becky Cox said. "It sets a standard that perpetrators of sexual violence face minimal consequences for their actions."
'One-off attack' suggests to me that the panel believed that the woman had only been 'raped a bit'. Clearly ridiculous. If they believe he committed the crime he should not be allowed to practice. How can any woman feel safe with him? It smacks to me of the profession closing ranks and protecting one of its own....

[Whyperion]

Elon Musk has sold X to his xAI company , for 33billion USD. He Bought X for 44billion USD . Both companies are private. I suspect the reason is two fold , possibly bank in some way a tax loss of 11billion (I dont know how US Tex works for related party transactions on acquistions (memo I mean supposed to work)). It also make it difficult for govts to attempt to control X and puts up the value of xAI making it more difficult to take over. X was planning greater advertising revenues for year and years forward. There are alternatives to X, perhaps the free west should switch to them esp govt agencies as Musk is not a nice person to feed money to.

[Big Kev]

I ordered some flowers for my mother last week. They were delivered, as buds, in a box that fitted through her letterbox. They arrived on Monday with the expectation they would be in bloom today, and they are. She is very pleased.

IMG-20250330-WA0001.jpg

[Cathy]

Kev, how lovely for your Mum .
.
On another level it doesn’t seem natural, very clever tho.

[Stanley]

Someone has put a lot of thought into marketing...... They deserve success.
How nice our weather and the outlook for the week is. I think we may have wintered!

[Stanley]

THIS caught my eye this morning....
1 hour ago
Some 68 years ago today, millions of people tuned into a BBC Panorama report about a Swiss family harvesting spaghetti from trees. It may sound implausible, but many viewers believed it. Watch the grainy black-and-white footage today and you almost forget everything you know about Italian cuisine for a moment. The actors "harvesting" spaghetti strands give committed performances, and the late Richard Dimbleby's deadpan narration lends an air of authenticity to the report. It was, of course, an April Fool's Day joke. For the avoidance of doubt, spaghetti is made from wheat and water. It does not grow on trees. But spaghetti was not a common dish in the UK at the time, so you can see why some may have taken it seriously. This vintage Panorama report is part of what became a tradition in the UK press.
The item goes on to detail some famous spoofs and is worth a read but what struck me is that so many news reports we hear these days sound like bad jokes. Trump offering to buy Greenland for instance. There is always room for some humour and personally, I'd welcome some!

[Cathy]

Does anyone say ‘A Pinch and A Punch’ these days?

[Stanley]

Never heard of it Cathy.... What is it?

[Mags]

The only good thing about today is that my little girl is 30..........how the hell did that happen, its only 5 mins since I gave birth to her............

[Stanley]

I mailed her this morning and said basically the same thing. My main memory is that her ginger hair looked like a lavatory brush......

[Cathy]

A Pinch and A Punch is a game played on the 1st of the month, especially on April Fools Day.
Kids give a friend a light pinch and punch while saying “A Pinch and a Punch, it’s the first day of the month, and no returns”, then you run off. If you don’t say ‘and no returns’ they can pinch and punch you back.
Some people say “White Rabbit, White Rabbit “, but I’m not sure what that is about.
It’s played before mid-day.

[Stanley]

I don't remember it!

[Cathy]

Yes Mags I know what you mean. Mine is 38! Haha.
Lovely to see them grow into their own person and become independent.

[Stanley]

Laura is holding down a very responsible job.....

[Big Kev]

A Pinch and A Punch is a game played on the 1st of the month, especially on April Fools Day.
Kids give a friend a light pinch and punch while saying “A Pinch and a Punch, it’s the first day of the month, and no returns”, then you run off. If you don’t say ‘and no returns’ they can pinch and punch you back.
Some people say “White Rabbit, White Rabbit “, but I’m not sure what that is about.
It’s played before mid-day.

I remember the 'pinch and a punch' from school

[Stanley]

I tripped over this and thought you might like it.

[PanBiker]

Some people say “White Rabbit, White Rabbit “, but I’m not sure what that is about.

White Rabbit is normally repeated three times, I don't know why either though!

[Wendyf]

Only if there is an R in the month!

[PanBiker]

Ha, I forgot that bit Wendy.

[PanBiker]

Just Googled it and this is what the AI assistant says:


Here's a more detailed explanation:

Superstition:

It's a long-held belief that uttering "white rabbits" (or variations like "rabbit rabbit" or "bunnies bunnies") first thing on the first day of a new month can bring good fortune for the entire month.

Origin:
The exact origin of this superstition is unclear, but some theories suggest it might have roots in the 1909 book "Notes and Queries" where children were said to say "rabbits" as their first words of the month for luck.

Other Theories:
Another theory links it to RAF bomber crews during World War II who believed saying "white rabbits" upon waking would protect them.

Why Rabbits?
Rabbits, particularly their feet, are considered lucky in some cultures, possibly due to their association with fertility, spring, and renewal.

Variations:
Some people say "rabbit" three times, while others say "white rabbit" or even "bunnies bunnies"

What if you forget?
Some people believe that if you forget to say "rabbit rabbit" on the first of the month, you can say it backwards to reverse the bad luck.

[Whyperion]

Musk's Space X is taking a research rocket into space (to the station?) funded by Chinese Crypto Billionaire as a private trip to undertake looking into how mushrooms grow in micro-gravity (dont we know that already?)