OneGuyFromBarlick

I heard that report also Tiz. In normal times it would have been a savage indictment but these days it seems par for the course.

From Uncle Bob's much appreciated daily offering -

"If you advertise to tell lies, it will ruin you, but if you advertise to tell the public the truth, and particularly to give information, it will bring you success." Edouard Michelin.

Oh boy where do you start. . .

Reading a Richard Dawkins book I was surprised to see the word advert used as a verb. It's in Collins as both a noun (abbreviation of advertisement, of course) and a verb: to draw attention to something. I'd never seen it used that way before.

I've seen that in old books Tiz, always thought it was an archaism. I don't think it was an abbreviation of advertise then, I think that usage followed, indeed it could itself be an abbreviation or development of 'animadvert'.
"animadvert. When you animadvert upon something, you criticize it openly and harshly. A high school debater might animadvert on the subject of the death penalty, for example."

Probably used 'inadvertently'.

Nice one David.....

Trainer Mark Johnson was on Desert Island discs today. Didn't think much of his choice, - except the one of his wife Deirdre singing Deirdre Jand Angus Johnson - but I liked this quote,

He could start an argument in an empty room, and if absolutely necessary would build the room.

I heard that David and agree, I wasn't struck with his music but liked that quote. Evidently someone once said it about him.
I also liked his story about how he achieved his first training licence by borrowing horses to get up to the minimum of twelve.
Was it "Train in good company race in bad"?

"Place yourself in the best company, and your horses in the worst"

He's a remarkable chap. Flies to the races, and realised one day that his pilot was in his 60's, so he decided that if one day he needed to land the plane himself, and he had better learn how to do so. He is now a qualified pilot and flies himself all the time in his own aircraft, which he keeps at the stables in Middleham.


The stable motto is "Always Trying"

John Bolton:- "I used to think Trump was a spoiled 11 year old. I was wrong, he is 1 year old...."

Later, Andy Burnham, Mayor of Manchester:- "We are about to find out if Johnson is serious about helping the North".

From BBC Radio 4 this morning

"Writing about music - is like dancing about architecture"

Birds of an endangered species of plover have been taken to a specially selected, predator-free island in New Zealand, but have now `absconded'. The conservationist leading the attempts to boost shore plover numbers explains: "It is frustrating, we can give them strict instructions, but they choose not to obey." He adds: "We persist."

I like 'giving them instructions'. Then they vote with their wings......

Prof Jonathan Heeney, a virologist at the University of Cambridge, talking to the Guardian about today's report that immunity against Covid-19 is not long lasting: “I cannot underscore how important it is that the public understands that getting infected by this virus is not a good thing. Some of the public, especially the youth, have become somewhat cavalier about getting infected, thinking that they would contribute to herd immunity. Not only will they place themselves at risk, and others, by getting infected, and losing immunity, they may even put themselves at greater risk of more severe lung disease if they get infected again in the years to come.”

The virus keeps surprising us doesn't it. I think I heard that discussion or one like it and the subject was long term effects on heart function. Social distancing for me. I suspect David will agree with us!

From the BBC this morning. Huffpost UK examines how the Tory MP Julian Lewis pulled off what it calls "a very British coup" to become the chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee, instead of the government choice, Chris Grayling. Paul Waugh describes Mr Grayling as "a picture of incredulity and puzzlement" when he realised he'd lost the vote, in what he calls, a "masterpiece of cloak and dagger politics".

One of the most encouraging acts to come out of Westminster in a long time. Nothing surprising about Grayling being "a picture of incredulity and puzzlement", I think that's his default mode.

Grayling is known for `incredulity and puzzlement' in the same way that Raab is known for saying `Perhaps I didn't realise the full importance of that' during the Brexit process!

Meanwhile....David Ward, president of the Global New Car Assessment Programme, told BBC News: “US crash standards are much lower for pedestrians... we simply can’t let American vehicles into the UK if they don’t meet our standards.” LINK

I remember watching a Horizon programme on crash testing many years ago and the worst vehicle was the Jeep estate car version.

We have our difference and occasionally try to throw people overboard but we are not daft enough to drill a hole in the bottom of the boat!
Terry Pratchett

True, but one has to wonder about some people. To me, Brexit looks like exactly that.

The Prime Minister just now in PMQ's

"Now is the time to double down on levelling up"

Nice one David...