OneGuyFromBarlick

Hear Hear Bodge!
Richard, like you (I suspect), I'm a tad suspicious of the conditions and use of Schedule 7 power to detain for up to nine hours without any specific reason for its use. The powers that be say that it has proved useful but according to a QC I just listened to on World service 60,000 are stopped a year but only 40 kept in custody for over 6 hours. He'd like to see 'the rough edges taken off it' and what worries him is the powers that state that all questions must be answered and the use of the powers to do things like download the contents of electronic equipment.
On a similar subject, I watched the Horizon programme on hackers last night and reflected that when I was born I worried about Hitler and falling bombs, later I worried about the Cold War and Mutually Secured Destruction by atomic bombs. Now it appears I have to be worried about terrorists taking over my computer. The funny thing is that the older I get, the less sure I am that the threat is genuine. I didn't have any problem with bombs, not too sure about paranoia in my daily life. Question is, are we being lulled into more draconian laws by fear of fear itself?

Was it not a former editor of one of the tabloids who said that the British public requires its daily diet of hate? Which in turn morphs into fear. We are led to fear myriad things: terrorists, the Unions, the immigrants, the robbers and muggers, the asylum seekers, the robber banks, the scroungers and dossers, our bodies and how we look. That's just a few of the animate; there's also the inanimate. As Ben Goldacre has noted, the Daily Mail appears to be in a quest to link every inanimate 'thing' to its ability to give you cancer. The Daily Express exists seemingly to scare us senseless over either extreme heat, or extreme cold.

Its not a particularly healthy discourse. Far better an optimistic discourse. But I guess that requires a narrative around harmony, goodness and communality. The better part of our natures if you like. Clearly a rum do, that.

Richard Broughton

An epic history of Britain through Lego:

http://lego.gizmodo.com/an-epic-history ... 1162632691

I like the Globe

Slightly concerned that 60,000 people can be stopped using these powers per year but someone only complains when it is a journalist, who could be breaking the Law (no public defence)

Then the reported story in the Guardian unravelled when it was revealed that Miranda refused the proffered legal help and there may be state secrets on his computers

Apparently it is from the 2000 Terrorism Act and was put there essentially to combat the IRA according to Blunkett on Today this morning

I liked the Guardian editor's comment on the Today programme that it's getting dodgy when you begin "to conflate journalism with terrorism". On the other hand, although I like to have as much freedom of the press as possible there is a limit and it seems that they are expecting too much now. The Guardian has held state secret material and copied it to it's offices in other countries (and possibly to associated businesses) so that it's now spread around - who knows where it is, who is in control of it and takes responsibility for its safe keeping. Why should we believe it's as safe with the Guardian's computers and employees as with the state system?

I suppose you're right Tiz but I think my worry threshold is quite high. Perhaps that's why I will never camp outside an oil site or Menwith Hill.
Look at it this way, there is absolutely no doubt that sooner or later the earth is going to be hit by something big enough to kill us all. Does that mean that we start worrying and protesting now? I'd rather get on with the LTP......

The fact that the play site and this one are refusing to accept my edit of Billy Brooks so I've saved it and have shouted for help.
On an entirely different matter.... I may have solved a small mystery which has always intrigued me. There is a large detached house down Gisburn Road called Walden. Not a common name in Britain, the only instance I can think of is Walden Pond in Massachusetts. I was editing the Stephen Pickles tapes this morning and knew that in about 1870 the whole family had migrated to Fall River in Massachusetts but had returned to Barlick after two years. Many years later when they had established themselves Harry Pickles lived in the house called Walden and I wonder if he named it. He would know about Walden Pond from his time in Fall River and who knows, may have been a fan of Thoreau as well.
Nothing concrete of course but there is a connection there somewhere....

More than a tenth of all cases going through the courts are people avoiding paying their TV licences:

http://www.cityam.com/article/137704605 ... ourt-cases

More than 180,000 people – almost 3,500 a week – appeared in front of magistrates during 2012 after being accused of watching TV without paying the £145.50 fee.
Magistrates handled a total of 1.48m cases last year, meaning a record 12 per cent of court cases now involve TV licensing

Is that why they are clogged?

Making and flying flags:

DCLG wrote:Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles has today (22 August 2013) praised the Flag Institute for their new guide for communities to design their own flags and the Department for Communities and Local Government is now flying the nation’s newest flags in Whitehall.

The new guide from the Flag Institute, with a foreword from the Secretary of State, outlines how community groups, councils, sports clubs and other organisations can design and register an official flag.

The government has relaxed the rules on flying flags without official permission, enabling communities to express their pride in local identities, heritage and traditions without falling foul of petty bureaucracy. The Flag Institute’s new guidance encourages communities to go one step further and create their own flags.

The North and East Ridings of Yorkshire, designed by members of the public, are being proudly displayed alongside the Union flag outside Eland House, the London offices of the Department for Communities and Local Government. The North Ridings flag is being flown on 22 August while the East Ridings flag will fly on 24 August.

Mr Pickles said:

As a proud Yorkshireman, I’m delighted to see my compatriots in the Ridings are renewing their sense of local pride with these newly designed flags. These new designs are absolutely great.

This proves that your sense of belonging can’t be wiped out by a bureaucrat’s pen stroke on a map. The new guide from the Flag Institute, the UK’s national flag charity, will lead to many more local flags being designed and registered and I look forward to flying them on the streets of Whitehall.

Charles Ashburner, Chief Executive of the Flag Institute said:

Mr Pickles has done more to champion the rights of ordinary people to fly flags than any minister before him. His work in this area has been about democracy rather than politics, and the Flag Institute is proud to play its part in changing the flag landscape of Great Britain for the better.

Our new guide to creating local and community flags is available free of charge to everyone.

A spokesman for the East Riding Society said:

The East Riding of Yorkshire Society is delighted to see the new East Riding flag flying today from the Department for Communities and Local Government building, Eland House, London in celebration of the second East Riding Day and the cultural heritage of the East Riding. Today is indeed a historic day for all East Riding folk.

http://www.flaginstitute.org/wp/

My beloved returning from the shops pleased as punch with a bargain Garden Clock. The clock now has pride of place on the side of the shed, is this progress and a natural evolvement of the garden sundial or just the clever Chinese selling us something we don't need?

The news that Oliver will have his operation this Thursday, done privately, paid for by generous local donations because the NHS wouldn't fund the life changing opportunity

I wish him well, such a bright boy

Heavy construction
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KyFdvAaRbU

I am not 100% certain, but I believe that 5 Mins ago we had a visit from a Spitfire at fairly low altitude, this then cleared off rapidly as it started to rain, all of the BBMF Spitfires/Hurricanes are down South today, could it have been the one we are hoping for 2 weeks tomorrow?

We had a very low flying helicopter. It turned 90 degrees left just above the house

This was not a paraffin pigeon, I can tell the difference.

Bodge, interesting video. Sounds cheap compared with H2S! Have you ever read The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870—1914 (1977) by David McCullough? Found a copy for £1.26.... LINK. You'd like it.....
I'm feeling mildly frustrated at the moment. Fully committed to re-editing the LTP but a small matter is nagging in the back of my head. I've always been fascinated by the fact that there is sound documentary evidence that we had 'an ancient church' in Barlick in the 12th century when the Cistercians came into the town to found a new monastery. I've recounted the story of how it happened many a time and speculated as to where it was but never had any proof. The other day I came across a snippet of evidence about a similar foundation in Yorkshire and it got me to thinking, so much so that I want to do some digging and re-examine what we know about this early church. I am not going to be able to come up with the smoking gun but I have an idea that I will be able to construct a credible alternative story which might shed a little more light on the subject. As soon as I have finished the edit of the LTP I'll have a go at this. Until then it will have to stay in the back of my head as an itch that requires scratching!

There isn't another Barnoldswick is there?

There is the small hamlet of Barnoldswick about 35 miles up the road the other side of Ingleton. I doubt if it's anything to do with Stanley's itch though.

Since you mention the Panama Canal - Did you know that the Chinese are going to build a rival to it which will take container ships up to 250,000 tons.
This Link gives the detail.

I note the cost is said to be £26bn. Seems cheap to me. This is about half (depending on which estimate you believe) the cost of our new High Speed railway line. Perhaps we'd be wise to get the Chinese to tender for that job.

Barnoldswick, from here, turn left at Clapham and its just beyond the railway lines, may be another one in Scotland.

Yesterday actually but no time to post at the time. Just booked a holiday in the sun for mid September. Last 9 months for us has been very family intensive to say the least and Sally and I feel that we need some time on our own. To that end we have booked a week in Zakynthos (Zante if you prefer the Italian name).
Sixty years ago, almost to the day the islands down the west coast of Greece were devastated by a 7.3 magnitude earthquake. The group of islands sit in the Ionian Sea on top of one of the most active fault lines on the planet and back in 1953 only three buildings survived on Zakynthos. Epicentre was in the sea off the south coast of Kefalonia which is just North of Zakynthos. Consequently there is little of the modern architecture and buildings on those islands that is older than 60 years. Since the event in 1953, all building work has to be built to a standard to withstand earthquakes. The introduction of such measures has been quite successful in that very little damage is caused now when a seismic event happens. The area is prone to magnitude 3 - 4 events which happen quite frequently. We visited Kefalonia a few years ago and experienced what the locals regarded as mild tremors, no physical damage to property but enough to shake us off the bed during afternoon siesta, (yes the earth did really move)! Looking forward to it, been on Trip Advisor and where we are going is regarded as paradise by a lot of the reviewers, many returning year after year, must have something going for it, can't wait to find out what.

You both deserve it! But neither of you is allowed to emulate Cath!

It is open to debate, but the consensus seems to be that there are 196 countries making up this planet. Why again do I open my paper to see only two mentioned getting involved in the Syrian problems. Are the other 193 remiss in their international duties or the afore mentioned brace just warmongers?

So there are 3 Barnoldswicks, what is going on, what went on? I remember ages ago hearing of 1 other. Am I right in thinking that Bernulf was only involved in this one?

How did two places so close together get the same name?

(Just thought that back in the day when our Barnoldswick was settled, people probably had very little idea about what was happening 53miles away, but still it would be interesting to know how they named each place with the same name.)

It's a very good question Cathy but probably answered by migration at one time or another.

Here's the location on streetpap. The other Barnoldswick is an area rather than a distinct place, between Burton in Lonsdale and Ingleton, just North of High Bentham.

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=36 ... rnoldswick st=3&tl=Map+of+Barnoldswick,+North+Yorkshire+[City/Town/Village]&searchp=ids.srf

Link looks a bit trashed but it does work, looking at the problem.