WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[Stanley]

(I'm trying for a 'beach birth', but no joy so far...)
This is the bit that intrigues me.... Exactly how are you trying?

[Marilyn]

Yes..indeed!
Little Ollie's Mum deserves some kind of medal. Fancy being organised and energetic enough to take the kids to the beach just 24 hours after giving birth!

[Stanley]

(I'm trying for a 'beach birth', but no joy so far...) This is the bit that's intriguing me... Exactly how are you trying?
Witness 'Sarah' who worked in social services at Rotherham has blown the whistle on how they were instructed not to log incidents of abuse so as to get the targets right. (LINK)
Shock and horror... Have a look at THIS for news of dirty work in the BBC Great British Bake Off programme. Is nothing sacred!?

[David Whipp]

Not aiming for a miraculous personal delivery Stanley... (though I accept my belly looks like it could be managed).

[Stanley]

The last time it happened a bloke came down the road on a donkey carrying a gold brick....
Have you noted the art installation where small gold bricks have been buried on the beach and people invited to look for them, finders keepers? Now there's an idea for next year.....

[PanBiker]

The gold brick on the beach stunt is an effort to create a "transient sculpture" by the actions of the beach miners. The artist could have got exactly the same result with a few hundred kids, given a bucket and spade each and paid by ice cream. It would have been a hell of a lot cheaper but not had the news value, art - I don't think so as it's uncontrolled by the artist but what do I know?

[Thomo]

There is a parallel here with the display of expensive cars owned by the overpaid "stars" of the football world. This left fans shrieking with excitement, some of these "stars" earn more in one week than the fans do in a full year. Blind adoration or what?

[Tizer]

Talking of money, Mrs Tiz has just made our latest donation to the upkeep of the OG forums. As well as fun and education for both of us, we've recently had a lot of very useful advice from the other members. Also time for me to say thanks to Pluggy and the moderators for all the work they do to keep these forums working and to keep the online barbarians away from us.

[Pluggy]

Received with thanks. Give my regards to Mrs Tiz.

[Stanley]

Dead right Janet and Tiz. Ian's modification of the registration has stemmed the tide of illegal immigrants and everyone is behaving reasonably at the moment so moderating is very easy. Long may it continue!

[Tripps]

On the old site, I put a link to the test which immigrants had to take to get citizenship. I don't think a single member who attempted it got a pass mark. There is a new test now - I have just got full marks.

That's a relief . I love the spin in Q 18 where it is implied that the Royal family is of immigrant stock.

Try the test

[Wendyf]

Same here Tripps, such a relief.

[PanBiker]

I didn't realise Magistrates were unpaid but having said that I think I did, Still dropped the question though. Q1 is very ambiguous, I think the question is confusing language with dialect.

[Wendyf]

For sale on Ebay, an old deed for Hey in Barnoldswick dated 1713....looks interesting!

HERE

Also THIS Which has a very high price tag.

[Stanley]

Ian, please will you bid a tenner on the Hey Farm doc for me? Usual terms..... [Just realised that Wendy posted that.... my bloody eyes! But the request stands Ian if you read it}
I've just heard the father of the little boy whose battery has run out. What struck me was the way he said that he wanted to treat the boy's illness his way and not what the doctors advised. That worries me.....

[David Whipp]

(Yesterday)... the power cut in the town centre yesterday, when one of the phases went down; knocked us out at the beach and the shops at the Fernlea Avenue end of Albert Road for several hours.

[Stanley]

Didn't know that had happened. Pesky electricians and rewiring lamps and signs?

[David Whipp]

More likely a sub-station fault...!

It's happening far too often, affecting businesses badly.

[Tizer]

In our local town the traffic lights at one of the busiest junctions have been out of operation for a week now but nobody has put in any temporary lights, so you can imagine what the problem is like with all the drivers trying to be first through! What makes it all the more annoying is that these are supposed to be superduper new type lights installed at great expense - and with great disruption when the junction was dug up for ages while they were installed. I get the impression that no-one is taking responsibility and it's one of those cases of "It's your fault"..."No, it's yours"...

[Stanley]

You've reminded me of the days when the trigger in the road was a large rubber strip, no doubt hollow and a pneumatic switch for the lights. Sometimes they didn't work and the cure was to back up a bit and go over them again. I remember being in the depths of Trafford Park Industrial Estate in Manchester early one morning and this happened. There was a police car parked just down the road so I did the usual reverse and drive over. When this didn't work I got out and jumped on the strip but no result. There was no other traffic so I drove carefully over the junction. You've guessed it! The police pulled me over and gave me a lecture about traffic lights! I think they were just bored, at least they let me off without a ticket....
I noticed that my neighbour had power washed his yard so I asked him where he had hired the washer from. Turned out that it was his and hardly ever used so he lent it to me. Half an hour later....



I noticed this morning that a side effect of the snow white flags is that my motion activated security light comes on faster, stays on longer and is more sensitive. It was a bit sharp before but I never altered it, now it's just about perfect!

[David Whipp]

Glad to see your cleaning mania isn't getting the better of you, Stanley!

[Stanley]

I've just been vacuuming.... It's a serious matter!

[Stanley]

The poor little terminally ill five year old lad separated from his parents in Spain. Whatever the legalities of the case, this is cruel and unusual punishment all round.
The satisfaction of managing to do another 20 pages of editing.
The persuasive Panorama programme last night on BBC 2. Particularly the terrible treatment the researcher endured after submitting what is now seen as an accurate report and a timely warning. (LINK)

[Bodger]

Our early ancestors could think ?
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... r-science/

[Stanley]

Bodge, the more I learn about them the more respect I have for them. They were definitely not cretins...
Another beheading... Islamic State are trying to get US to crack and go back in, that's the big danger. Time for cool heads.
Finished the waterwheel paper edit and got a nice mail back thanking me for it.