WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[Stanley]

Comrade, a man once told me to count the number of commands I gave my dog during the day and then to count the number he gave me! No contest, man is the dog's best friend. They talk about 'companion animals' but get it completely the wrong way round!
Talking about animals.... I heard a piece on R4 this morning about the imminent closure of a privately funded birth control clinic in Denver, Colorado. One of the contributors was a creationist who informed us that the present tsunami of sex in the younger generations was solely due to teaching Darwinism in schools. He reckoned that if you convince kids they are descended from animals they behave like them. Another candidate for Bonkerdom?
By the way, M has got a job at Bacup, better hours and more money. He's passed the managerial qualifications as well. Not bad for a dyslexic ex squaddy!

[David Whipp]

As a product of Chrisiana Hartley Maternity Home myself, I can't to be a born Yorkshireman (though very probably bred). There is a Lancashire Day, which is celebrated in Nelson during November (can't remember the date though - 23rd?).

[Thomo]

The brazen bastard who came into our garden yesterday whilst we were both out and stole part of a garden ornament. This was a pair of meerkats on a see saw log, if they would care to come back, they will get the base, Navy fashion. Said item was a Mothers Day present from our Daughter.

[Bruff]

''............can't remember the date though - 23rd?)''

Yes, the (rather brief) Wiki entry on Lancashire Day notes that it is 27 November and commemorates the day in 1295 when Lancashire sent its first representative to Parliament.

The (rather longer) Wiki entry on Yorkshire Day, which characteristically can't resist a boast in its first sentence, suggests the celebrations arose out of a protest against Local Government reorganisation in 1974 by the 'Yorkshire Ridings Society' with the date alluding to the Battle of Minden (which being in what's now North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, is at some remove from Yorkshire) and perhaps the emancipation of the slaves in the Empire (Wilberforce being a Yorkshire MP).

Richard Broughton

[Thomo]

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bruff]

WHAT???????????????


Richard Broughton

[plaques]

Bruff & David. Just a little reminder of where you were born. Sadly the name has be chiselled away but you can still make out the original markings.

[David Whipp]

Thanks P.

I don't recall my first visit... but I have canvassed the former maternity home more recently...

[Stanley]

Bob's Bit this morning. At first glance I thought it was Nigerian Spam!
Later in the morning THIS report on the Glen Parva young offenders institution caught my attention. It seems to me that this and other reports signal that the government has lost control of the prison system by privatising and cutting costs by reducing staff. Outsourcing services such as these makes good sense to the accountants and the politicians like it because they can divest responsibility. This is a mirage because society as a whole is always responsible for the treatment and hopefully, rehabilitation of criminals. This is not happening, the prisons are breeding more criminal behaviour and in the end we will pay for it. This negates any 'paper savings'.

[Bruff]

Whether this is true or not I don't know but according to my (almost entirely Yorkshire-born) family, Dr Robertson had fallen out with the midwifery team at Skipton for some reason and so sent all his expectant mothers to Colne, much to my family's chagrin.

Richard Broughton

[PanBiker]

Nurse Barlow was still doing sterling service in the town in late November 1953, she attended to mum and delivered me! Mind you when dad went for Doc Roberston he was refereeing a rugby match down at the park, so maybe could not be bothered to seek out a phone to make alternative arrangements.

[David Whipp]

Six years for David Driver, who pleaded guilty to some of the burglaries he committed in Barlick last year and was sentenced today. He also received a criminal ASBO with a 10 year ban on entering Barnoldswick.

[Stanley]

Good!
Edith Barlow.... Rabbit catcher extraordinaire.

[Thomo]

Edith was the young Sister of the John Robert Barlow buried in Ghyll Churchyard. He died on the 15th of February 1919 at the St. Margaret Hope Hospital on Orkney after being taken ill aboard his ship HMS Cinceria. The Family were originally from Barrowford.

[Tizer]

Obama forced to break his promise and to start operations in Iraq again to counter Islamic State who are on the verge of slaughtering thousands of Christians. We're heading for another Crusade.

But here's something from the BBC web site to take your mind of the world's problems: `The return of the beer cocktail'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazin ... r-28683074

[Thomo]

Yesterday several noticeable things happened on our patch. First a large number of Butterflies, then at dusk, and Owl across the road, but it was busy day at the Old Fosters Arms site. The drains and footings have gone in for the 4 new houses, and the blocks for the foundations have arrived. The footing are impressive by modern standards at around 4' deep by 2.5' wide and steel reinforced. In respect of the stolen garden ornament, it appears to have been taken by someone delivering leaflets. Two Asian men were working this area and one was seen on our property whilst we were both out, this would explain why we did not get a leaflet and everyone else did, it would have been a dead give away.

[Stanley]

THIS caught my attention this morning. In 1891 I was in the flat of a friend of mine in NY watching daytime TV while I waited for her to finish what she was doing before we went out. I thought I was watching a soap and commented that showing the PM being shot would not be allowed in the UK. Ethel came out and asked me what I was on about. We then realised that I was watching a news report live of Reagan visiting a facility and I had seen him shot on TV!
What followed was hilarious as the TV anchors tried to cash in on the news with no information. At one point General William Haig came on the screen to say that he was now in charge of the US but this was quickly followed by another politician saying that this was wrong.... This went on for about three hours until hard news started to filter through. Definitely TV to remember!

[chinatyke]

THIS caught my attention this morning. In 1891 I was in the flat of a friend of mine in NY watching daytime TV while I waited for her to finish what she was doing before we went out. I thought I was watching a soap and commented that showing the PM being shot would not be allowed in the UK. Ethel came out and asked me what I was on about. We then realised that I was watching a news report live of Reagan visiting a facility and I had seen him shot on TV!
What followed was hilarious as the TV anchors tried to cash in on the news with no information. At one point General William Haig came on the screen to say that he was now in charge of the US but this was quickly followed by another politician saying that this was wrong.... This went on for about three hours until hard news started to filter through. Definitely TV to remember!

Very advanced those Yanks, TV in 1891. Sorry, couldn't resist that. You off to Specsavers soon, Stanley?

[Thomo]

Yes, and that would put Stanley at around 140 years old.

[Tizer]

...an Owl across the road

Thomo, that owl is the spitting image of the Little Owl (Athene noctua) that we see on top of the electricity pole behind our house on many evenings and which also likes to sit on the apex of our house's gable end. I'll bet it was one of the same species, they like to perch in just that sort of position and look out for food - they eat slugs and large insects, as well as mice and voles.
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Here's an interesting story from the Beeb's web site (nothing to do with owls):
`Victorian Strangeness: The great balloon riot of 1864'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazin ... r-28674654

[Stanley]

China, I see the surgeon on Friday... As the right eye gets stronger the double vision gets worse.... Patience Stanley......

[Thomo]

The Canadian Lancaster has arrived at RAF Coningsby.

[Bruff]

The first female winner of the Fields Medal in mathematics, generally thought of as the mathematics world's Nobel (three others were awarded too, as is usual). Only taken 80 years. Maryam Mirzakhani, an Iranian-born and raised Prof at Stanford University. Apart from the medal, the prize brings with it 15,000 Canadian dollars, which interestingly would be nowhere near enough money to attract the 'best' into banking....(cough).

Story here

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014 ... mirzakhani

Some of the comments are interesting, particular on the education of women in Iran - Iran leads the world in the number of women studying physics and maths etc at University level

Richard Broughton

[Stanley]

There was an interesting piece on R4 about the award and the low number of women in senior positions in science in the UK.
The fact that I had to put the heating on for an hour yesterday dinnertime....

[Tizer]

Coincidence, we put the central heating on for an hour yesterday morning but only to make sure it was working OK and to flush the radiators. We didn't really need the heat.