Loch Mor Barabhais with Brue on the skyline
Stream in the machair
Along the shoreline
Former church in Upper Barvas, now a home (for sale, again)
Road north out of Barvas
More pictures here - still being uploaded at time of posting
Friday, 17 April 2009
Visit to Barvas
Went to Barvas this afternoon, once again to visit a graveyard. Collected 29 images of wargraves, or war casualties remembered on family gravestones. It was breezy, but the sun helped to keep it agreeable. The cemetery at Barvas is draped over sanddunes, and offers nice views southwest along the coast.
Loch Mor Barabhais with Brue on the skyline
Stream in the machair
Along the shoreline
Former church in Upper Barvas, now a home (for sale, again)
Road north out of Barvas
More pictures here - still being uploaded at time of posting
Loch Mor Barabhais with Brue on the skyline
Stream in the machair
Along the shoreline
Former church in Upper Barvas, now a home (for sale, again)
Road north out of Barvas
More pictures here - still being uploaded at time of posting
Nor'easter - Friday 17 April
It is spring and we're having the usual weather. A cold northeasterly wind and bright and clear weather. Temperature 9C / 48F at the moment, which I prefer to the muggy, thundery weather of lower latitudes in this country. I am told that for 6 weeks in May and June 2008 there was NO rain at all in Lewis.
I am disappointed to note that Barack Obama will not prosecute those implicated in the use of torture as an interrogation 'technique'. Wonder what lies behind that, I do not.
Women with excessive hairgrowth (hirsutism) are advised to check with their doctors as it may be due to a hormonal imbalance with various underlying causes. Read the article for more info.
I am disappointed to note that Barack Obama will not prosecute those implicated in the use of torture as an interrogation 'technique'. Wonder what lies behind that, I do not.
Women with excessive hairgrowth (hirsutism) are advised to check with their doctors as it may be due to a hormonal imbalance with various underlying causes. Read the article for more info.
Thursday, 16 April 2009
Syrophenikon
Petar Vodogaz used to write in Jland, until he closed down his blog to leave AOL. He now writes on LiveJournal in a blog called Responsorium. Petar, an Australian blogger that I have known for a few years through this medium, is perturbed by a rise in apparent racism in his country. His latest post, accessible after clicking through a contents warning (nothing untoward, but it is a horrible story), warrants wider airing - I think this is a worldwide problem.
Responsorium
Responsorium
Hurricane update - 16 April
Tropical cyclone Bijli is currently swinging northeast, later east through the northern part of the Bay of Bengal, east of India. It is at tropical storm strength, with maximum sustained winds of 50 knots (55 mph), which will increase to 60 knots (70 mph) in the next 24 hours. The storm will make landfall on the border between Bangladesh and Myanmar [Burma] early on Saturday. As per usual with tropical cyclones, the greatest hazard is rainfall.
Tropical cyclones (hurricanes) are common in the Bay of Bengal at this time of year, ahead of the monsoon, which will start to move north later in the spring. Last year, tropical cyclone Nargis wreaked devastation near Myanmar's capital Rangoon - vehemently denied by the country's military junta. They also tried to thwart the much-needed supply of emergency aid.
Tropical cyclones (hurricanes) are common in the Bay of Bengal at this time of year, ahead of the monsoon, which will start to move north later in the spring. Last year, tropical cyclone Nargis wreaked devastation near Myanmar's capital Rangoon - vehemently denied by the country's military junta. They also tried to thwart the much-needed supply of emergency aid.
Thursday 16 April
Another bright and sunny day, but with quite a cold northeasterly wind. Am currently processing the pictures I took at the cemetery in Bragar yesterday, and came across a little piece of interesting history.
One of men buried there, Duncan Macleod, died in 1943 whilst held in a POW camp in Burma. He himself is interred near the camp on the infamous Burma railway, where so many Allied POWs perished. His name is mentioned on one of the private gravestones at Bragar, and as I had him on record for the World War II memorial for Lewis, I looked into it further. I had little information on him, save that he came from Lochcroistean, a schoolhouse in the Uig district of Lewis.
His father was one of the school's headmasters, Norman Macleod, who held sway there until 1923. He died 20 January 1938 at the age of 75. He was married to Bell Ann Mackay, who died 8 December 1944 at the age of 69.
The website for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission interestingly state that they came from Tighnabruaich in Argyll. They had four children, two of whom (Iain and Chirsty Mary) died in infancy. Jessie died in May 1980 at the age of 73; their son Duncan died on 19 September 1943 at the age of 42.
Lochcroistean is located in a remote part of the island, but was itself a central school (of sorts). It acted as a hub for several side-schools, in places like Morsgail, Luachar and Ardbeag. The latter two places no longer exist. Luachar lies by the head of Loch Reasort, some 10 miles from Lochcroistean to the south; Ardbeag is even further away, by my estimation at least 15 miles to the southwest.
One of men buried there, Duncan Macleod, died in 1943 whilst held in a POW camp in Burma. He himself is interred near the camp on the infamous Burma railway, where so many Allied POWs perished. His name is mentioned on one of the private gravestones at Bragar, and as I had him on record for the World War II memorial for Lewis, I looked into it further. I had little information on him, save that he came from Lochcroistean, a schoolhouse in the Uig district of Lewis.
His father was one of the school's headmasters, Norman Macleod, who held sway there until 1923. He died 20 January 1938 at the age of 75. He was married to Bell Ann Mackay, who died 8 December 1944 at the age of 69.
The website for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission interestingly state that they came from Tighnabruaich in Argyll. They had four children, two of whom (Iain and Chirsty Mary) died in infancy. Jessie died in May 1980 at the age of 73; their son Duncan died on 19 September 1943 at the age of 42.
Lochcroistean is located in a remote part of the island, but was itself a central school (of sorts). It acted as a hub for several side-schools, in places like Morsgail, Luachar and Ardbeag. The latter two places no longer exist. Luachar lies by the head of Loch Reasort, some 10 miles from Lochcroistean to the south; Ardbeag is even further away, by my estimation at least 15 miles to the southwest.
Wednesday, 15 April 2009
97 years ago
The SS Titanic went down in early hours of 15 April 1912 with the loss of 1517 lives, although 706 survived. Only one of that number is left alive today - a lady now aged 97, then aged only 9 weeks. In remembering those who drowned in Titanic, I would like to point to other maritime disasters in peacetime which claimed large numbers of lives as well.
SS Norge was holed on Rockall in June 1904 and sank in minutes, taking 635 emigrants to the bottom with her. Lifeboats did manage to take 160 to safety, but there were nowhere near enough lifeboats on the Norge to take all. Nine casualties made it ashore at Stornoway, but did not survive. They lie buried at Sandwick Cemetery, 20 minutes' walk from the town. The lessons that should have been learned from her sinking (which was to provide sufficient lifeboats and rafts for all on board) could have saved hundreds of lives on Titanic. But false economies meant that the recommendations, drawn up by the Danish maritime authorities in the wake of the tragedy, were never implemented.
HMY Iolaire went down on rocks just outside Stornoway Harbour on 1 January 1919. She was carrying 300 sailors from the Outer Hebrides home after four years of war. The two lifeboats were useless, as they were smashed against the rocks immediately after launch - and would never have been enough to carry all on board.
SS Norge was holed on Rockall in June 1904 and sank in minutes, taking 635 emigrants to the bottom with her. Lifeboats did manage to take 160 to safety, but there were nowhere near enough lifeboats on the Norge to take all. Nine casualties made it ashore at Stornoway, but did not survive. They lie buried at Sandwick Cemetery, 20 minutes' walk from the town. The lessons that should have been learned from her sinking (which was to provide sufficient lifeboats and rafts for all on board) could have saved hundreds of lives on Titanic. But false economies meant that the recommendations, drawn up by the Danish maritime authorities in the wake of the tragedy, were never implemented.
HMY Iolaire went down on rocks just outside Stornoway Harbour on 1 January 1919. She was carrying 300 sailors from the Outer Hebrides home after four years of war. The two lifeboats were useless, as they were smashed against the rocks immediately after launch - and would never have been enough to carry all on board.
Visit to Bragar
I took advance of the nice weather to go to Bragar, 15 miles north of Stornoway, to photograph wargraves in the cemetery there. I found about 36 gravestones; I took more than 30 more pictures of the area. Including two of young lambs - the first of the season I've seen. All today's images can be seen here. When they have been uploaded (currently in progress), I'll post a selection on here.
Hillsborough disaster
Twenty years ago today, 96 people died at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield. They were among thousands who had come to the stadium to watch a match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. The people who lost their lives were crushed against railings and fencings in the stadium. The Sports Secretary, Andy Burnham, was heckled as no blame has ever been attributed over the tragedy. At 3.06pm, people across Liverpool observed two minutes' silence, punctuated by church bells ringing out 96 times, for each of the victims. RIP.
Wednesday 15 April
Brilliantly sunny today and not a cloud in the sky. Not terribly warm though, only 11 degrees / 52F. The sea surrounding this island is not very warm at all, so no great surprises there.
Today, a memorial service will be held at Aberdeen's St Nicholas Kirk for the sixteen men who died two weeks ago off Peterhead. Their helicopter suffered a catastrophic gearbox failure, causing it to lose its rotorblades which in turned sheared off the rear of the aircraft. It crashed into the sea some 14 miles from land, from an altitude of 2,200 feet. One of the casualties was from Latvia; the others were British, with the majority from northeastern Scotland. The service will be relayed via Radio Scotland on 810 kHz mediumwave, BBC2 Scotland and on-line.
Tomorrow will see the 263rd anniversary of the Battle of Culloden, in which Prince Charles Edward's bid to take the British Crown was finally crushed. Culloden is a turning point in Scottish history, marking the demise of the clan system (which was already on the way out) and the start of a vigorous repression of Gaelic culture in the north and northwest of Scotland. A group of enthusiasts are reenacting the retreat, which you can follow on Twitter via @nightmarch.
Prince Charles Edward, also known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, is a revered figure in certain quarters of Scotland. I am not going to beat about the bush in my negative opinion of the Young Pretender. He was very ill advised to proceed with his adventure, which was executed with a good degree of military ineptitude. I will say that if he had had the guts to proceed beyond Derby (that's where he wimped out), he just might have made it to London. At which point, his supply lines would have been cut off. His flight round the highlands and islands, looking for any boat to whisk him back to Paris should be an object of shame. He came to Stornoway in June 1746, to Kildun Cottage - which stood within the line of sight of my position - to ask for help. He was asked to leave. The burghers of Stornoway would not betray him, but could not help him either. Kildun Cottage was pulled down in the early 1970s to make way for the current Fabrication Yard.
Today, a memorial service will be held at Aberdeen's St Nicholas Kirk for the sixteen men who died two weeks ago off Peterhead. Their helicopter suffered a catastrophic gearbox failure, causing it to lose its rotorblades which in turned sheared off the rear of the aircraft. It crashed into the sea some 14 miles from land, from an altitude of 2,200 feet. One of the casualties was from Latvia; the others were British, with the majority from northeastern Scotland. The service will be relayed via Radio Scotland on 810 kHz mediumwave, BBC2 Scotland and on-line.
Tomorrow will see the 263rd anniversary of the Battle of Culloden, in which Prince Charles Edward's bid to take the British Crown was finally crushed. Culloden is a turning point in Scottish history, marking the demise of the clan system (which was already on the way out) and the start of a vigorous repression of Gaelic culture in the north and northwest of Scotland. A group of enthusiasts are reenacting the retreat, which you can follow on Twitter via @nightmarch.
Prince Charles Edward, also known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, is a revered figure in certain quarters of Scotland. I am not going to beat about the bush in my negative opinion of the Young Pretender. He was very ill advised to proceed with his adventure, which was executed with a good degree of military ineptitude. I will say that if he had had the guts to proceed beyond Derby (that's where he wimped out), he just might have made it to London. At which point, his supply lines would have been cut off. His flight round the highlands and islands, looking for any boat to whisk him back to Paris should be an object of shame. He came to Stornoway in June 1746, to Kildun Cottage - which stood within the line of sight of my position - to ask for help. He was asked to leave. The burghers of Stornoway would not betray him, but could not help him either. Kildun Cottage was pulled down in the early 1970s to make way for the current Fabrication Yard.
Tuesday, 14 April 2009
Across the Atlantic
The title of this blog is Atlantic Lines, as I reside about 20 km (12 miles) from the Mighty Atlantic, and feel the effects of its proximity on a daily basis. As does everybody else in these islands.
Another aspect of this ocean is that it generates hurricanes in the summer season. Although the first tropical wave of 2009 is yet to emanate from the African continent, June 1st is only 6 weeks away, which heralds the start of the hurricane season. The southern and eastern seabords of the USA are only too familiar with these storms - next August will see the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina which (as we all know) devastated New Orleans.
One of the major bones of contention left behind by Katrina has been the handling of the crisis, both before and afterwards. Today, it is reported that a leading scientist at the Louisiana State University's Hurricane Center, Dr Ivor van Heerden, was fired. The reason for dismissal, which will come into effect in March 2010, was not related to his professional performance.
According to Dr Jeff Masters, whose hurricane blog I follow, it was likely related to his stance on hurricane preparedness for Louisiana and New Orleans. This sat very uneasily with certain figures in authority. Dr Van Heerden favoured a flood prevention scheme for the Gulf Coast along the lines of the Dutch flood defenses, rather than the current flimsy arrangements. I would echo Dr Masters' conclusion that the removal of Dr Van Heerden from his position should be cause for concern for all who rely on flood defenses along the Louisiana coastline for protection against another Katrina. Read Dr Masters' blog entry here.
Another aspect of this ocean is that it generates hurricanes in the summer season. Although the first tropical wave of 2009 is yet to emanate from the African continent, June 1st is only 6 weeks away, which heralds the start of the hurricane season. The southern and eastern seabords of the USA are only too familiar with these storms - next August will see the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina which (as we all know) devastated New Orleans.
One of the major bones of contention left behind by Katrina has been the handling of the crisis, both before and afterwards. Today, it is reported that a leading scientist at the Louisiana State University's Hurricane Center, Dr Ivor van Heerden, was fired. The reason for dismissal, which will come into effect in March 2010, was not related to his professional performance.
According to Dr Jeff Masters, whose hurricane blog I follow, it was likely related to his stance on hurricane preparedness for Louisiana and New Orleans. This sat very uneasily with certain figures in authority. Dr Van Heerden favoured a flood prevention scheme for the Gulf Coast along the lines of the Dutch flood defenses, rather than the current flimsy arrangements. I would echo Dr Masters' conclusion that the removal of Dr Van Heerden from his position should be cause for concern for all who rely on flood defenses along the Louisiana coastline for protection against another Katrina. Read Dr Masters' blog entry here.
Tuesday 14 April
Quite a sunny day with once more a lot of high cirrus clouds about. The forecast is that we'll have the best weather in Scotland. The west coast of the mainland should see the mercury nudging 60F this afternoon; this is partly due to the effects of the mountains further inland. In Alpine countries, they refer to this as the föhn effect. There is a southeasterly wind which will descend once past the mountains and warm up in the process.
Am continuing to line up my on-line memorial site and its Excel back-up on the computer. Did a major update in the first months of this year, and didn't immediately incorporate it in the Excel file. I forgot that the many names starting with Mac in this part of the world could also be spelled Mc. Once that is complete, I can then start to refer to portrait photographs (of which I have about 400) and cemetery pictures (about 330). Conversely, it is then possible to take each of the island's war memorials (about 20) and expand details on each casualty listed thereon.
Am continuing to line up my on-line memorial site and its Excel back-up on the computer. Did a major update in the first months of this year, and didn't immediately incorporate it in the Excel file. I forgot that the many names starting with Mac in this part of the world could also be spelled Mc. Once that is complete, I can then start to refer to portrait photographs (of which I have about 400) and cemetery pictures (about 330). Conversely, it is then possible to take each of the island's war memorials (about 20) and expand details on each casualty listed thereon.
Monday, 13 April 2009
Monday 13 April
Easter Monday, and it is quite a nice day out here. Sunny (through a lot of high cloud) not a lot of wind and 11C. No great shakes on the temperature scale, but could be a lot worse.
Locally, there has been a lot of discussion on the location of the secondary school. The Nicolson Institute needs new premises, and the local authority has proposed a site near the old buildings. Only problem is that the Health & Safety Executive are not happy, as the site is in the vicinity of an LPG plant, which converts LPG into household gas for use in the town of Stornoway. A former safety officer for the local authority has written to outline what exactly happens if the LPG plant blows up. It doesn't make for pleasant reading.
Locally, there has been a lot of discussion on the location of the secondary school. The Nicolson Institute needs new premises, and the local authority has proposed a site near the old buildings. Only problem is that the Health & Safety Executive are not happy, as the site is in the vicinity of an LPG plant, which converts LPG into household gas for use in the town of Stornoway. A former safety officer for the local authority has written to outline what exactly happens if the LPG plant blows up. It doesn't make for pleasant reading.
Sunday, 12 April 2009
Views of the weekend
Today was a brilliantly sunny day, and the last light is just fading in the northwest. Although I did not go anywhere, there was sufficient inspiration around to point a camera at over the last few days.
The distortion caused by a frosted window
The flat calm before sunset on Sunday
Choppy waters on Saturday
Local talent on display in the Grinneas nan Eilean exhibition
The distortion caused by a frosted window
The flat calm before sunset on Sunday
Choppy waters on Saturday
Local talent on display in the Grinneas nan Eilean exhibition
Easter Sunday
It is sunny although a tad breezy in the Western Isles today. As it is Sunday, things are very quiet out here. Very little moves, apart from the wind and anything stirred up by it.Talking of the wind, it created a stir on Loch Ness today, when the same yacht had to be rescued for the second time in three days. On the second occasion, it ran aground 50 metres out of Urquhart harbour. The RNLI towed it free and its skipper given a lecture on setting forth in suitable conditions. Canoeists got into difficult near Invermoriston yesterday afternoon, when their vessel capsized in rough conditions. One of them reportedly was barely unable to walk due to hypothermia. He had been in the water for 20 minutes. The RNLI wish to reinforce the message that conditions on Loch Ness, which is more than 20 miles long, can be as bad as out in the open sea.
Today is Easter Sunday - I hope everybody is having a nice one this year.
Saturday, 11 April 2009
Retrospective
In a retrospective mood tonight. Runrig's unsurpassed album Long Distance is playing in the background, which puts me back to the early days of Northern Trip. The winter of 2004/5, when I was in Kershader, 12 miles south of here (22 miles by road). It was the CD I was always listening to on my portable player in those dark evenings. I don't think any of you who read my journal nowadays were reading it at that time. The two who did (and commented regularly) have disappeared from my (on-line) life. At the time, I was staying at the Ravenspoint Centre in the tiny hamlet of Kershader, and would go to Stornoway by bus every second or third day. A journey of about 45 minutes and £3.60 return. After doing my business on the library computer I'd go for some lunch in one of Stornoway's restaurants. Having gotten whatever shopping was required, I'd go back to Lochs (the area where Kershader lies) on the bus at 12.30 if I was in a hurry to get back. Well - hurry is not a word that carries any meaning in this island. It would drop me off by the road junction in Balallan, and I'd have to walk the 5 miles back to Kershader. I would think nothing of doing that, it took me 90 minutes. A later bus from Stornoway, at 2.20pm, would provide a connection that would drop me off by the door of Ravenspoint. On other days, I'd be tramping the moors of the area through the day - making sure to return to a road by nightfall.
That is now 4½ years ago, and a closed chapter.
That is now 4½ years ago, and a closed chapter.
Progression
Tomorrow will be Easter Sunday. Three years ago, it was a similar time of April - being the 16th of the month in 2006 - when Easter came along. It was also the time that I entered the world we used to call J-land (until AOL pulled the plug on our blogs). Beforehand, I had raised my flag at the not-lamented VIVI-awards in November 2005. The passing of Pamela Hilger, who wrote under AOL screenname his1desire, prompted my full involvement in the community. I had kept an eye on her journal for a while in the weeks leading up to her death on Easter Sunday 2006.
I have found the (former) J-land community to be a friendly and welcoming crowd who, on the whole, take newcomers at face value and accords them a cordial welcome. The support element I have found to be crucial, and it has brought home to me how many folk out there are utterly lonely. And you can be lonely even if you are not strictly speaking alone in the house. Sometimes, there are issues you'd like to talk about that cannot be discussed in the home situation.
The transfer to Blogger, a mad dash in 4 weeks last October, has changed us. The introduction of Facebook and Twitter has leached a lot of journaling away from the blogs themselves, shifting it to those other sites. Although initially I found Facebook a useful addition to blogs, their recent format change has rendered their site cluttered and difficult to keep up with people.
The past 12 months have been difficult for me personally, with a family bereavement and other matters I cannot discuss on an open journal. I do hope that the Jland Community on Blogger will stay together as much as possible, and continue to draw on its strengths.
I have found the (former) J-land community to be a friendly and welcoming crowd who, on the whole, take newcomers at face value and accords them a cordial welcome. The support element I have found to be crucial, and it has brought home to me how many folk out there are utterly lonely. And you can be lonely even if you are not strictly speaking alone in the house. Sometimes, there are issues you'd like to talk about that cannot be discussed in the home situation.
The transfer to Blogger, a mad dash in 4 weeks last October, has changed us. The introduction of Facebook and Twitter has leached a lot of journaling away from the blogs themselves, shifting it to those other sites. Although initially I found Facebook a useful addition to blogs, their recent format change has rendered their site cluttered and difficult to keep up with people.
The past 12 months have been difficult for me personally, with a family bereavement and other matters I cannot discuss on an open journal. I do hope that the Jland Community on Blogger will stay together as much as possible, and continue to draw on its strengths.
Easter Weekend
Just to wish everybody out there a happy Easter weekend, and hopefully with better weather than we've got in the Hebrides at the moment. Don't overdo it on the eggs.
Saturday 11 April
Bright but very windy day today - gusts up to galeforce. There is a "mass evacuation on the ferry" today (ignore, nothing serious) but I think it won't be just people being "evacuated".
Investigators have found that a catastrophic gearbox failure, in itself unexplained, caused the helicopter crash that killed 16 off Aberdeenshire on 1 April. There is an extensive article on the BBC website, to which I'll refer for detailed info.
Looking through the news today, I came across the footballer who was handed a yellow card for breaking wind just as a penalty was being taken. The penalty was missed - only the referee heard the noise. Suppose he handed the player a card for a fart.
Investigators have found that a catastrophic gearbox failure, in itself unexplained, caused the helicopter crash that killed 16 off Aberdeenshire on 1 April. There is an extensive article on the BBC website, to which I'll refer for detailed info.
Looking through the news today, I came across the footballer who was handed a yellow card for breaking wind just as a penalty was being taken. The penalty was missed - only the referee heard the noise. Suppose he handed the player a card for a fart.
Friday, 10 April 2009
Good Friday 2009
Rain clearing away east after a beefy shower. It being Good Friday, I am listening to recordings of the Matthaeus Passion by Bach. I am giving you the German, as that is the language of the recording I am viewing on YouTube. The chorale behind the link actually closes the Passion, and the title runs in English: "In tears we are sitting down", and those familiar with the Easter story do not need reminding what juncture that is occurring. In my mind, it rates as the most emotional piece of classical music, and I rate myself as well-versed in that area of music. The St Matthew Passion is not well-known in the Anglo-Saxon world (UK and USA), but is widely performed in Holland and Germany on this day.
Happy Easter.
Happy Easter.
Thursday, 9 April 2009
Cyclone Jade
Jade is a tropical cyclone that is currently moving south from Madagascar, and will soon disappear off the weather maps. The storm moved along the east coast of the Indian Ocean island over the past few days, claiming 8 lives and making 3300 people homeless. The cyclone season is ending by the end of this month, and has once more claimed many lives and caused much devastation in Madagascar, one of the poorest nations in the world. In January, two cyclones hammered the island at the same time - Fanele from the west and Eric from the east.
Paralytic shellfish poisoning
I was asked on Twitter this morning which website issues warnings for paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). This danger involves shellfish (bivalve molluscs), which ingest algae from the seawater. The toxins contained in the algae accumulates in the shellfish and can accumulate to dangerous levels. Each week, samples are taken from waters around Scotland and Northern Ireland and are assayed using a method called HPLC for the presence of the toxins. The results are published here.
It is worth bearing in mind that algae are plants, and using sunlight and photosynthesis for their energy requirement. Therefore, algal blooms will occur mostly in summer with their attendant risk of PSP. They are becoming an increasing problem, due to pollution like run-off of fertiliser from the land into the sea.
If PSP levels reach the warning level, local authorities will issue a press release specifying which area has been closed to shellfish harvesting. As far as I can tell, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar issued such a prohibition in 2006 on Loch Roag - a major shellfish harvesting area.
It is worth bearing in mind that algae are plants, and using sunlight and photosynthesis for their energy requirement. Therefore, algal blooms will occur mostly in summer with their attendant risk of PSP. They are becoming an increasing problem, due to pollution like run-off of fertiliser from the land into the sea.
If PSP levels reach the warning level, local authorities will issue a press release specifying which area has been closed to shellfish harvesting. As far as I can tell, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar issued such a prohibition in 2006 on Loch Roag - a major shellfish harvesting area.
Thursday 9 April
Overcast and drizzly at the moment, but the sun is trying to come through. We can expect a force 8 southerly gale later today and a maximum of 15C. Current temperature is 8C, so I've got doubts about that. Those living near the sea will be aware that we are having springtides at the moment. This affects ferry sailings around our coasts. The service between Leverburgh in Harris (55 miles south of here) and Berneray (off Uist) is reduced to one sailing a day (from 3) due to low tides. It also affects the flights at Barra airport (which is a beach). This combination of factors led one visitor to exclaim 2 years ago: "What a place! At low tide the ferry can't sail and at high tide the planes can't fly!"
Wednesday, 8 April 2009
Rescue!
I often relay stories of rescues out at sea, or in distant mountain ranges. Those of you who used to read the predecessor to this blog, Northern Trip, may remember the day that there was a rescue just yards from my position. Literally.
1 July 2006
Just as we're having lunch, the sound of the helicopter becomes noticeable. The helicopter is right outside the house, hovering over the basin. Hotel Lima is tending to a yachtsman that we noticed earlier, struggling to control his boat in the force 6 winds. His boat lies overturned, and a winchman is going down to assist the hapless sailor. Newton Street very quickly fills up with spectators, the police are in attendance, directing traffic and all who are outside are drenched by the water which the helicopter's updraft is spraying around. The yachtsman manages to make dry land under his own steam - his own two legs. Meanwhile, the wrecked boat lies on its side in the basin, and slowly drifts towards its mouth. The lifeboat moves to the mouth of the basin and launches a dinghy. There is a sandbar across the basin, which makes it impossible for boats to leave it at low tide, and the tide is falling right now. The wreck is towed to Goat Island, where the damage is assessed. The boat is not holed, so it's left anchored on a mooring.
More pictures here.
1 July 2006
Just as we're having lunch, the sound of the helicopter becomes noticeable. The helicopter is right outside the house, hovering over the basin. Hotel Lima is tending to a yachtsman that we noticed earlier, struggling to control his boat in the force 6 winds. His boat lies overturned, and a winchman is going down to assist the hapless sailor. Newton Street very quickly fills up with spectators, the police are in attendance, directing traffic and all who are outside are drenched by the water which the helicopter's updraft is spraying around. The yachtsman manages to make dry land under his own steam - his own two legs. Meanwhile, the wrecked boat lies on its side in the basin, and slowly drifts towards its mouth. The lifeboat moves to the mouth of the basin and launches a dinghy. There is a sandbar across the basin, which makes it impossible for boats to leave it at low tide, and the tide is falling right now. The wreck is towed to Goat Island, where the damage is assessed. The boat is not holed, so it's left anchored on a mooring.
More pictures here.
Wednesday 8 April
I thought it was going to be a nice day, but that was before the showers started. Hey ho, it's only April.
It is reported that 97% of all emails are now unwanted and unsolicited spam. Worldwide, 86 out of every 10,000 computers is infected with malware and potentially part of a so-called botnet. There is no reason to panic - one very good prevention is to keep the software up-to-date.
In L'Aquila, the scene of Monday's earthquake, 15 people are still missing. I cannot find an up-to-date casualty toll (247 at 7 am this morning). The devastation is severe, and it is said that L'Aquila will not be able to function properly for some time.
Down in London, evidence has emerged that a man who died during last week's G20 protests was allegedly pushed over by a police officer. After remonstrating with officers whilst on the ground, he walked away and collapsed with a heart attack. He was going home after a day's work, selling newspapers. This is now subject to an inquiry by the Independent Police Complaints Commission, and calls are going out for a criminal investigation.
It is reported that 97% of all emails are now unwanted and unsolicited spam. Worldwide, 86 out of every 10,000 computers is infected with malware and potentially part of a so-called botnet. There is no reason to panic - one very good prevention is to keep the software up-to-date.
In L'Aquila, the scene of Monday's earthquake, 15 people are still missing. I cannot find an up-to-date casualty toll (247 at 7 am this morning). The devastation is severe, and it is said that L'Aquila will not be able to function properly for some time.
Down in London, evidence has emerged that a man who died during last week's G20 protests was allegedly pushed over by a police officer. After remonstrating with officers whilst on the ground, he walked away and collapsed with a heart attack. He was going home after a day's work, selling newspapers. This is now subject to an inquiry by the Independent Police Complaints Commission, and calls are going out for a criminal investigation.
Tuesday, 7 April 2009
Jokes off the seawall
I am adding more things to my jokey journal - got loads more to put in. Go and have a laff.
Tuesday 7 April
It is pouring with rain this morning, although the odd bright spell does pass along. Winds are strong, but that does not help to move the rain away. April showers and no mistake.
At least 179 people have died in the earthquake in central Italy. Rescuers are still combing the rubble of collapsed buildings in the city of L'Aquila and surrounding towns, occasionally withdrawing when an aftershock occurs. Another severe earthquake occurred near the Kurill Islands in the Pacific (northeast of Japan) at around 0430 GMT this morning; although measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale, there are no reports of damage or tsunami waves.
At least 179 people have died in the earthquake in central Italy. Rescuers are still combing the rubble of collapsed buildings in the city of L'Aquila and surrounding towns, occasionally withdrawing when an aftershock occurs. Another severe earthquake occurred near the Kurill Islands in the Pacific (northeast of Japan) at around 0430 GMT this morning; although measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale, there are no reports of damage or tsunami waves.
Monday, 6 April 2009
Obama - either way
I am interested to note the starkly divergent views on Barack Obama, now that he has been in office for some 10 weeks. I cannot help but notice the distrust and cynicism with which he is being greeted in some sections of American society - and I am not being personal towards anyone on here. As far as I can tell, people in the USA are deeply mistrusting of all politicians. Even a new broom like Obama appears to be instinctively treated with that approach. The man is a great speaker, but the final reckoning will lie in his actions, and the results of those actions. From my position, 3,500 miles away in Europe, it is not possible to judge whether what I see on the TV or on here is a reliable guide towards Mr Obama's actions.
At the moment, the president is in Europe and Asia, and seems to be hitting the right notes most of the time. Everybody is falling over him, and probably quite relieved to see a new broom who is speaking a different tone to his predecessor(s). Again, actions speak louder than words. But, 10 weeks is a very short term to judge any politician newly in power.
At the moment, the president is in Europe and Asia, and seems to be hitting the right notes most of the time. Everybody is falling over him, and probably quite relieved to see a new broom who is speaking a different tone to his predecessor(s). Again, actions speak louder than words. But, 10 weeks is a very short term to judge any politician newly in power.
Hurricane season
On May 15th, just over 5 weeks from now, the East Pacific hurricane season will start. The North Atlantic season, including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, will commence on June 1st. If you live in an area likely to be affected by hurricanes, please start to review your preparations now. As per usual, the National Hurricane Center in Miami has an excellent article of advice. Do review.
When the season starts in earnest, I will copy details of hurricanes approaching land on this journal. Regular updates will be carried on my Tropical Cyclones blog, but ALWAYS go to the NHC site for the latest information.
A hurricane is a useful mechanism for our planet to syphon the sun's energy, beamed onto the tropics to higher latitudes. There is enough energy in one average system to power planet earth's human population 200 times over. In other words, nothing can be done to divert a storm's path. Apart from strong wind, the other dangers associated with hurricanes lie in heavy rains (causing flooding) and a tidal storm surge, which in extreme cases can be as much as 25 feet high - as demonstrated at Galveston last year. Follow all official orders and advice. Trying to ride a hurricane against official advice is jeopardising your life.
Monday 6 April
Increasing cloud heralding the arrival of rain this afternoon. As if we haven't had enough rain yesterday; it never stopped.
An earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale has reportedly killed dozens of people in the Italian town of L'Aquila, 60 miles northeast of Rome. The deathtoll is set to rise further, as remote villages are accessed. Nearly thirty years ago, a strong earthquake killed 3,000 near Naples. Italy lies across a major faultline in the earth's crust, giving rise to 4 active volcanoes and much seismic activity.
Locally, it is reported that the Arnish Fabrication Yard, a mile from my position across Stornoway Harbour, is set to reopen in the next few weeks or months. This means a welcome boost to a dire employment situation, where at one point 600 people were chasing 6 jobs at the local job centre.
More later.
An earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale has reportedly killed dozens of people in the Italian town of L'Aquila, 60 miles northeast of Rome. The deathtoll is set to rise further, as remote villages are accessed. Nearly thirty years ago, a strong earthquake killed 3,000 near Naples. Italy lies across a major faultline in the earth's crust, giving rise to 4 active volcanoes and much seismic activity.
Locally, it is reported that the Arnish Fabrication Yard, a mile from my position across Stornoway Harbour, is set to reopen in the next few weeks or months. This means a welcome boost to a dire employment situation, where at one point 600 people were chasing 6 jobs at the local job centre.
More later.
Sunday, 5 April 2009
Helicopter tragedy - update
The bodies of all the people who died in the helicopter crash off Aberdeenshire last week have now been recovered.
Blogger Community Photo Challenge
Signs of spring
Taken on 27 March 2009 at Stornoway, Scotland (position 58 degrees North, 7 degrees West).
Helicopter tragedy
Search teams have located the wreckage of the Super Puma helicopter in 330 feet of water, off Rattray Head in northeastern Scotland. It went down last Wednesday, with the loss of all on board. Eight bodies were found in the immediate aftermath of the crash, another seven were recovered from the wreckage on the seabed this afternoon. The 16th body is yet to be found. The black box recorders of the aircraft have been retrieved as well.
/AOL
That is me finished for good with AOL. I just had a warning from the Resident Shield on my AVG Virus scanner, saying a Trojan (Trojan horse Agent2.ceg) had been found on my computer. It had infected a file on AdAware, and AVG had shunted it to the virus vault. The Trojan had come in on the back of an unsolicited download from AOL called Triton_uk_2.2.25.1\setup.exe. As I said I have not asked for this b****y download at all.
My apologies for anyone who got plagued by my emails from Bebo.com as well. AOL shunted its user profiles over to Bebo in January, and I cannot cope with yet another social networking site. My account with Bebo will be closed down today. I have quite enough to keep up with on Blogger, Facebook and Twitter.
My apologies for anyone who got plagued by my emails from Bebo.com as well. AOL shunted its user profiles over to Bebo in January, and I cannot cope with yet another social networking site. My account with Bebo will be closed down today. I have quite enough to keep up with on Blogger, Facebook and Twitter.
Sunday 5 April
With thanks to Sugar for providing this image of spring, which is still some way off in the islands. Particularly today, when heavy rain and strong winds are strafing the Hebrides.
Found a story about a youngster in southern England who had told an Facebook contact he had taken an overdose. The girl, in Maryland USA, contacted police. They in turn, through the UK Embassy in Washington and police channels in this country managed to locate the boy in time to get him to hospital for treatment. Makes a difference to the horror story from the last few years when chatters in a chatroom sat by and let someone take their life on webcam.
Northern Madagascar is hopefully bracing itself for tropical storm Jade, which is bearing down on the region. I am dismayed at the differing forecasts; the regional forecasting centre on the French island of La Reunion shows the storm veering south down the east coast of Madagascar, whereas the Pacific-based Joint Typhoon Warning Center sees Jade continuing on a westbound course. I tend to agree with the latter, as JTWC's forecast has been shown to be more accurate over the last day or so.
Saturday, 4 April 2009
Saturday 4 April
Grey and wet this morning - headache has gone, thank you. Ferry service appears to be back to normal, now that the southeasterly wind has dropped. Plenty of wind in the South Pacific: tropical storm Lin is making its way through the kingdom of Tonga with stormforce winds battering the tropical paradises. This is a late one; the season closes later this month.
My sympathies go out to the friends and family of the 13 victims of the gun siege in Binghamton, NY. Another 40 people were injured; the gunman himself was found dead after police entered the compound. The debate about guns across the pond was revived and remains as divisive as ever, with those in favour pointing to the Constitution and the right to self-defense as well as incidents like Binghamton, and those opposed pointing to the many instances like this to call for tighter control.
An elderly lady in Cornwall took off on her mobility scooter, and she was finally found 5 miles away on a busy road. It took an hour for the machine to be driven back to the point where she got separated from her husband.
Jade Goody's funeral is on today - and that is positively the last I shall say on that subject. It is the top subject on the BBC's News website. Says enough.
My sympathies go out to the friends and family of the 13 victims of the gun siege in Binghamton, NY. Another 40 people were injured; the gunman himself was found dead after police entered the compound. The debate about guns across the pond was revived and remains as divisive as ever, with those in favour pointing to the Constitution and the right to self-defense as well as incidents like Binghamton, and those opposed pointing to the many instances like this to call for tighter control.
An elderly lady in Cornwall took off on her mobility scooter, and she was finally found 5 miles away on a busy road. It took an hour for the machine to be driven back to the point where she got separated from her husband.
Jade Goody's funeral is on today - and that is positively the last I shall say on that subject. It is the top subject on the BBC's News website. Says enough.
Friday, 3 April 2009
Closing notes
And I'm shutting up shop for tonight, as my headache developed into the nasty variety this afternoon. Shame, but the bright sunshine did not help at all. More tomorrow.
Ferry troubles
Our ferry had a spot of bother with an on-shore stiff breeze this pm. Upon reaching the harbour, the MV Isle of Lewis could not safely berth at number 3 pier, so she shunted round to the far side of the pier and disembarked and embarked footpassengers. At 2.50pm, she moved to number 1 pier, from where MV Muirneag had meanwhile departed to wait outside the harbour, to repeat the process for cars. Nonetheless, the ferry has just returned from the evening crossing from Ullapool, 80 minutes late.
Friday 3 April
Trying to shake off a developing headache, but with the weather being what it is, I'm probably not going to succeed: Brilliantly sunny today, but with a hazy in the distance and a brisk southerly wind. We are once more defying the forecast for a maximum temperature of 12C: the mercury has inched up to 14C in actual fact and could go a degree or so higher yet.
A very sad story today about an elderly man who lost his home to a lottery scam. We are all familiar with scam emails, saying we have won a huge amount in a lottery - that we never bought tickets for, or submitted any details towards. Letters to that effect also do the rounds, and at least two people in southwestern Scotland have fallen victim to that.
General advice: ignore emails and letters like that. If it seems too good to be true: it usually is.
A very sad story today about an elderly man who lost his home to a lottery scam. We are all familiar with scam emails, saying we have won a huge amount in a lottery - that we never bought tickets for, or submitted any details towards. Letters to that effect also do the rounds, and at least two people in southwestern Scotland have fallen victim to that.
General advice: ignore emails and letters like that. If it seems too good to be true: it usually is.
Thursday, 2 April 2009
Evenings opening out
The ferry came in at 8.10 pm this evening, practically in full daylight. Now that the equinox is past, and the clocks have gone forward, the evenings are really lengthening. At 9pm, there was still a little light in the sky. It never ceases to amaze me.
I read somewhere this week that with the advent of Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites, the emphasis is shifting away from blogs. In our community, kicked out of AOL last October, this is particularly in evidence. In a way, it is a shame. Facebook has gone through a revamp, which is not exactly an improvement. Twitter is something that can easily overwhelm you.
Earlier this week, I received a copy of my photobook Lewis Light. And it was less than perfect, with blotches and all. So I complained, and I am getting a new copy, for free, from Lulu.com. Good service, but I'll hang fire until I receive the new book.
I read somewhere this week that with the advent of Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites, the emphasis is shifting away from blogs. In our community, kicked out of AOL last October, this is particularly in evidence. In a way, it is a shame. Facebook has gone through a revamp, which is not exactly an improvement. Twitter is something that can easily overwhelm you.
Earlier this week, I received a copy of my photobook Lewis Light. And it was less than perfect, with blotches and all. So I complained, and I am getting a new copy, for free, from Lulu.com. Good service, but I'll hang fire until I receive the new book.
Thursday 2 April
Nice sunny if blustery day. Temperature no great shakes, 10 degrees, but then we are surrounded by the cold, cold Atlantic.
In the North Sea, 200 miles east of here, an operation is now underway to recover the bodies of 8 men still missing from the helicopter which went down off the Aberdeenshire coast nearly 24 hours ago. The remains of the 8 found yesterday were brought ashore at Aberdeen overnight. AIS Aberdeenshire is showing a clutter of vessels off Rattray Head. All flights with the type of helicopter involved in this incidents have been cancelled today.
Police have confirmed that the body recovered from Loch Bi in South Uist a few weeks ago is that of Simon Macmillan, who went missing on Boxing Day 2008. His funeral will be held in the island on Saturday. He was 21; his death is not treated as suspicious.
In the North Sea, 200 miles east of here, an operation is now underway to recover the bodies of 8 men still missing from the helicopter which went down off the Aberdeenshire coast nearly 24 hours ago. The remains of the 8 found yesterday were brought ashore at Aberdeen overnight. AIS Aberdeenshire is showing a clutter of vessels off Rattray Head. All flights with the type of helicopter involved in this incidents have been cancelled today.
Police have confirmed that the body recovered from Loch Bi in South Uist a few weeks ago is that of Simon Macmillan, who went missing on Boxing Day 2008. His funeral will be held in the island on Saturday. He was 21; his death is not treated as suspicious.
Wednesday, 1 April 2009
Closing notes
Approaching midnight after a day of experimenting with Flock (too cluttered, although potentially useful) and monitoring a tragedy some 200 miles from here. I think all hope is now fading fast for the 8 people still missing from that helicopter that went down off Rattray Head, north of Aberdeen. Eight bodies have been recovered from the water and are currently en-route to Aberdeen on board MV Caledonian Victory. The AIS for North East Scotland told its own story, with a clutter of ships in the area of the accident earlier this evening.
More tomorrow.
More tomorrow.
Helicopter crash - update
Latest reports suggest that all 16 on board the helicopter, which crashed into the sea 40 miles north of Aberdeen, may have died. The bodies of 10 were spotted in the water, indicating that the aircraft crashed rather than made a controlled landing on the water.
These reports are as yet unconfirmed.
These reports are as yet unconfirmed.
Aurora Borealis
The Northern Lights should become more noticeable over the coming few years. In the year 2012, the sun should reach a maximum in a 11-year cycle of activity. This means that areas of Earth near its poles (both North and South) will see an increase in the Northern / Southern Lights. Apart from it being pretty, the Aurora can accompany severe magnetic storms in the earth's atmosphere. This is caused by charged particles being blasted our way by the sun. As they are captured by the ionosphere (a layer in the atmosphere), they can generate a magnetic pulse. In an event in March 1989, this pulse was so strong that it tripped out electricity networks across the USA and Canada. The accompanying Aurora was visible as far south as Cuba.
Flock - part 1
The one thing I am not liking about Flock is the way they handle imported feeds. I downloaded my feeds from Google Reader, and I have those categorised into two sections for J-land (blogs I read regularly, and others I have on file), news, Scottish blogs, etc. Well, that got messed up a little on uploading into Flock. Can live with that though.
You can also write blog posts through the browser, monitor Twitter as well as Facebook. I am getting less enthusiastic about Facebook, but that is nothing to do with Flock.
You can also write blog posts through the browser, monitor Twitter as well as Facebook. I am getting less enthusiastic about Facebook, but that is nothing to do with Flock.
Blogged with the Flock Browser
Helicopter ditching
A helicopter is reported to have ditched into the North Sea off the east-coast of Scotland at around 2pm this afternoon, an hour ago. A major rescue effort is underway, with lifeboats, a reconnaisance aircraft and search-and-rescue helicopters being directed to the area, 35 miles east of Crimond in Aberdeenshire. Will update as news comes in.
Back in February, a Puma helicopter ditched into the North Sea about 125 miles east of Aberdeen. An alarm is thought to have failed, and the aircraft had flown into a fogbank upon approaching the oilplatform it was heading for. All 18 on board survived the incident without injury.
Back in February, a Puma helicopter ditched into the North Sea about 125 miles east of Aberdeen. An alarm is thought to have failed, and the aircraft had flown into a fogbank upon approaching the oilplatform it was heading for. All 18 on board survived the incident without injury.
Flock Browser
I am currently exploring the Flock browser. It has come a long way since I first looked at it a few years ago. Today's version allows you to pull all your social networking strands together in the one browser - Twitter, Blogger, Facebook, Flickr, Photobucket and others. Looks like a useful piece of kit, and one that is not very widely used.
Wednesday 1 April
So what April Fool fooled you? Or what April Fool did you play on others? I nearly got taken in by Google's Cadie (see their homepage today), much like Google Tisp a few years ago. Remember that? Internet connection through the sewerage system.
Nice sunny day in Stornoway, but I do not trust the cloudscape or the fact that we have a reasonable breeze going at the moment. It is supposed to get up to 16C this afternoon; could yet happen, it's 12C at the moment (midday).
A yacht that came adrift in galeforce winds at Rodel, Harris, last week had tried to tie up to a mooring buoy. Unfortunately, the buoy was no longer attached to the seabed. This had apparently been reported for the past 3 months, but no action was ever taken. The yachtsman had sought shelter in Rodel Bay because of the conditions. The buoy is owned by the local council, and they are now looking into the matter. The yacht was holed below the waterline and nearly sank.
Nice sunny day in Stornoway, but I do not trust the cloudscape or the fact that we have a reasonable breeze going at the moment. It is supposed to get up to 16C this afternoon; could yet happen, it's 12C at the moment (midday).
A yacht that came adrift in galeforce winds at Rodel, Harris, last week had tried to tie up to a mooring buoy. Unfortunately, the buoy was no longer attached to the seabed. This had apparently been reported for the past 3 months, but no action was ever taken. The yachtsman had sought shelter in Rodel Bay because of the conditions. The buoy is owned by the local council, and they are now looking into the matter. The yacht was holed below the waterline and nearly sank.
Tuesday, 31 March 2009
Watching the grass grow
That is the impression I had upon switching on BBC News just before 8pm tonight. It showed a plane on the tarmac at Stansted Airport near London, and the caption said that Barack Obama had arrived in the United Kingdom. So, we are supposed to sit pretty and get bored out of our minds watching a plane sit in gathering darkness, waiting for the president of the United States to walk down the steps? Where is the real news? Worse is to come.
Over the next couple of days, twenty leaders and heads of government of various countries across the globe will be attending a meeting to natter about the gathering economic crisis, row about ways to combat it and stuff their faces with grub and booze. Yes, I'm being thoroughly disrespectful, but I am getting bored out of my box with all this talk, talk, talk, whilst nothing changes. Government ministers claiming expenses for their hubbies watching dirty movies at home while they are away, bank directors feathering their nests with the full knowledge if not connivance of the government. And it just goes on. Does anyone care that economic growth is now expressed in negative figures? No.
People are interested in the consequences for their jobs, their personal finances. Are they going to be laid off, will their home be repossessed, their cars or other items. Will they be able to let their kids go to university. Will they have a pension to look forward to after they retire - or will it all be gobbled up by greedy bankers, who cannot let go of a lifestyle of gluttony. They will not and cannot. One so-called fat cat committed suicide last year over that prospect. Says enough.
Meanwhile, it was a matter of global interest that Barack Obama hopped down those steps onto British soil this evening. Some would say it was of global importance. Perhaps it is. The practical results, down on the farm or at the coalface, is all that matters in the short or long run. If the course of this recession, now projected to possibly last 5 years, is not altered, then it will all have been a colossal waste of time and money.
Over the next couple of days, twenty leaders and heads of government of various countries across the globe will be attending a meeting to natter about the gathering economic crisis, row about ways to combat it and stuff their faces with grub and booze. Yes, I'm being thoroughly disrespectful, but I am getting bored out of my box with all this talk, talk, talk, whilst nothing changes. Government ministers claiming expenses for their hubbies watching dirty movies at home while they are away, bank directors feathering their nests with the full knowledge if not connivance of the government. And it just goes on. Does anyone care that economic growth is now expressed in negative figures? No.
People are interested in the consequences for their jobs, their personal finances. Are they going to be laid off, will their home be repossessed, their cars or other items. Will they be able to let their kids go to university. Will they have a pension to look forward to after they retire - or will it all be gobbled up by greedy bankers, who cannot let go of a lifestyle of gluttony. They will not and cannot. One so-called fat cat committed suicide last year over that prospect. Says enough.
Meanwhile, it was a matter of global interest that Barack Obama hopped down those steps onto British soil this evening. Some would say it was of global importance. Perhaps it is. The practical results, down on the farm or at the coalface, is all that matters in the short or long run. If the course of this recession, now projected to possibly last 5 years, is not altered, then it will all have been a colossal waste of time and money.
Evening notes
Quite a mild afternoon, and the 14 degrees C at 2pm was most certainly not forecast. As per usual. I am now looking out across the basin towards a placid cloud scene. Although the sun is not out, it is looking very springlike. The hooded crows are smashing shells by dropping them from a great height. Yet another Norwegian trawler called into port this afternoon - the Ronge. Within the space of a week, we have seen more than half a dozen fishing vessels from Norway in this port, one as a result of an emergency when its nets fouled the propellor.
In August 2007, I mentioned on the old Northern Trip blog the plight of people trying to cross from Africa to Europe by boat. Until a few years ago, the main route was from northwest Africa to the Canary Islands (Spanish territory), but a surge of refugees is also using a route between Libya and Italy. Today, it is reported that more than 200 people drowned in a boat when this was affected by severe weather.
I remember that in the late 1970s, many people fled Vietnam as 'boat people', and I have met Vietnamese people in Western Europe in the early 1980s who had come that way. The Africans I mentioned above are coming from south of the Sahara, fleeing grinding desperate poverty, trying to get a better life. An even more atrocious story keeps emanating out of Yemen, when refugees of the lawless nation of Somalia are put across the Gulf of Aden, and more often than not abandoned on the high seas.
In August 2007, I mentioned on the old Northern Trip blog the plight of people trying to cross from Africa to Europe by boat. Until a few years ago, the main route was from northwest Africa to the Canary Islands (Spanish territory), but a surge of refugees is also using a route between Libya and Italy. Today, it is reported that more than 200 people drowned in a boat when this was affected by severe weather.
I remember that in the late 1970s, many people fled Vietnam as 'boat people', and I have met Vietnamese people in Western Europe in the early 1980s who had come that way. The Africans I mentioned above are coming from south of the Sahara, fleeing grinding desperate poverty, trying to get a better life. An even more atrocious story keeps emanating out of Yemen, when refugees of the lawless nation of Somalia are put across the Gulf of Aden, and more often than not abandoned on the high seas.
Tuesday 31 March
It is brightening up here in Stornoway after a wet morning. I've been cleaning out the archives, copying stuff into address books and what not, disposing of anything not needed. Made a huge difference. And having a fireplace is most handy for getting rid of confidential material.
The row about the bus service in Lewis is continuing, but I have to say in all fairness that saying that timetables change 3 times in as many days just because there is a (different) Saturday service is taking it too far. Having said that, there is only a reduction in service, no correct timetables (at bus station, in the stances, with the drivers or on the council's website).
I just wished they would leave Jade Goody to rest in peace. I've had it with all the revelations about her final moments, who will and won't attend the funeral and all that. It's making me feel quite ill.
The row about the bus service in Lewis is continuing, but I have to say in all fairness that saying that timetables change 3 times in as many days just because there is a (different) Saturday service is taking it too far. Having said that, there is only a reduction in service, no correct timetables (at bus station, in the stances, with the drivers or on the council's website).
I just wished they would leave Jade Goody to rest in peace. I've had it with all the revelations about her final moments, who will and won't attend the funeral and all that. It's making me feel quite ill.
Monday, 30 March 2009
Needle alert
There is a batch of counterfeit needles in circulation in the United Kingdom. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has issued an alert, which I relay:
The counterfeit needle details are: Novofine Needles 31G (0.25mm x 6mm) lot number 08J02S labelled as manufactured by Novo Nordisk Ltd. People who have these insulin pen needles should stop using them. They can return any affected needles to their pharmacist where they should also be able to obtain replacements.
There is no assurance that these counterfeit needles are manufactured to the appropriate quality standards. The possible consequences of using these counterfeit needles could include adverse reactions; pain and discomfort; infection and difficulty in attaching the needle to the pen injection device.
MHRA Director of Device Technology and Safety, Clive Bray said,
“Please check the Novofine needles that you are using. If you are unsure about the needles you have, then please visit your pharmacist as they can assist you. Alternatively contact Novo Nordisk Ltd. The MHRA has issued a Medical Device Alert (MDA) today to healthcare professionals including pharmacists and specialist diabetic health workers. They have been asked to quarantine any affected stock and to stop supplying the affected needles. We encourage people to report faulty medical devices and suspected counterfeits to the MHRA by calling our Adverse Incident Hotline on 0207 084 3080 or via our website."
The counterfeit needle details are: Novofine Needles 31G (0.25mm x 6mm) lot number 08J02S labelled as manufactured by Novo Nordisk Ltd. People who have these insulin pen needles should stop using them. They can return any affected needles to their pharmacist where they should also be able to obtain replacements.
There is no assurance that these counterfeit needles are manufactured to the appropriate quality standards. The possible consequences of using these counterfeit needles could include adverse reactions; pain and discomfort; infection and difficulty in attaching the needle to the pen injection device.
MHRA Director of Device Technology and Safety, Clive Bray said,
“Please check the Novofine needles that you are using. If you are unsure about the needles you have, then please visit your pharmacist as they can assist you. Alternatively contact Novo Nordisk Ltd. The MHRA has issued a Medical Device Alert (MDA) today to healthcare professionals including pharmacists and specialist diabetic health workers. They have been asked to quarantine any affected stock and to stop supplying the affected needles. We encourage people to report faulty medical devices and suspected counterfeits to the MHRA by calling our Adverse Incident Hotline on 0207 084 3080 or via our website."
Time of the month
Ladies, do you find you turn into a shopaholic in the week before 'that' time of the month? There could an explanation for it, in terms of hormonal changes. And if you find it a problem, well, don't go shopping at 'that' time of the month. More here.
Monday 30 March
Reasonable day, with some brightness in amongst the clouds. The Uist freighter Nord Star was hauled up onto the Goat Island slipway this morning. She is a relatively large boat and only just fits on. Received my copy of my photobook Lewis Light, that I promoted a week or so ago, and am not entirely impressed. Printing of some pictures has left blotches on the photographs (phooey, Lulu), and I noticed that some of the captions were wrong (phooey, Guido). Oh well, keep correcting. Will feedback to Lulu about the print quality. I don't like having to shell out £20 and more for that, let alone innocent punters.
Sunday, 29 March 2009
The Binfight in the Creed Park Corral
In May 2006, the local council launched a scheme whereby all the residents of the island of Lewis were eligible to receive free 3 composting bins. Everybody could call round at the Creed Park recycling centre, 2 miles south of Stornoway. Well, everybody did turn out that Saturday morning. The morning that the Stornoway Half Marathon was being run around the town as well. Result: a tailback on the A859 road which leads past the centre - and tailbacks are unknown here. At the centre, police tried to stop people driving in, but they just blew past, saying "we are entitled to our bins, so we'll get them!". In the end, there were not enough bins for everybody...
Oh, the bins were later spotted in use as chicken coops and sheep shelters.
Oh, the bins were later spotted in use as chicken coops and sheep shelters.
Sunday 29 March
Pretty abysmal weather today with strong winds and continual rain. Not expecting much improvement into the week until Wednesday, when the weather pattern shifts from west to east. Shame; yesterday was a nice day, except for the low temperatures. So, I'll close this post with some of yesterday's pictures.
Courtyard in the Bridge Centre
Bridge Centre from the Inner Harbour
Bar area in An Lanntair
I am returning to An Lanntair tomorrow to take pictures without people in them; as you know, I'm very reluctant to publish pictures of people on this blog without their consent.
Courtyard in the Bridge Centre
Bridge Centre from the Inner Harbour
Bar area in An Lanntair
I am returning to An Lanntair tomorrow to take pictures without people in them; as you know, I'm very reluctant to publish pictures of people on this blog without their consent.
Saturday, 28 March 2009
Closing notes
First of all, don't forgot to change your clocks tonight if you're in Europe.
Second, tomorrow I shall be calling round some journals - I've woefully neglected that again.
Thirdly, I shall be putting some of today's 24 pictures on the journal. Those who follow me on Facebook or Flickr will be able to see them in the next half hour or so.
Night night.
Second, tomorrow I shall be calling round some journals - I've woefully neglected that again.
Thirdly, I shall be putting some of today's 24 pictures on the journal. Those who follow me on Facebook or Flickr will be able to see them in the next half hour or so.
Night night.
Cold and sunny
That was today's weather. It didn't get any warmer than +5C / 41F this afternoon, in spite of copious amounts of sunshine. I was invited to have a look inside a new community centre in Stornoway, the Bridge Centre, which was built at a cost of £4m over the past few years. It also offers low-cost housing to young students as well as temporary accommodation for hospital doctors. Later in the afternoon, I attended the opening of Grinneas nan Eilean, a showcase for local artists - to which I have submitted a picture. Quite a pleasant afternoon; as I said on Twitter earlier on, is this me? Going to two functions in a day??
Saturday 28 March
After yesterday's horrible weather, we are now looking out on bright blue skies with fluffy clouds and the odd snow shower. Temperature is at a fantastic +3C / 37F. Very cold in other words, and I've got a few things to do that require me to go outside. Not looking forward to that.
Tonight at 2030 GMT, several landmarks in Scotland will have their illumination switched off for Earth Hour. Private individuals could switch off as many electrical appliances as possible, including lights. Did that last year, was great fun.
And tonight at 0100 GMT, the clocks go forward one hour in the whole of Western Europe. In Britain, we'll be on British Summer Time until 25 October.
Tonight at 2030 GMT, several landmarks in Scotland will have their illumination switched off for Earth Hour. Private individuals could switch off as many electrical appliances as possible, including lights. Did that last year, was great fun.
And tonight at 0100 GMT, the clocks go forward one hour in the whole of Western Europe. In Britain, we'll be on British Summer Time until 25 October.
Friday, 27 March 2009
North wind
It is blowing a force 7 from the north this evening, straight in from the Arctic. Temperature at the moment +5C, which is not too bad for late March. At 7pm, I went outside to get some coal in, but I was 'frozen' by the time I came in. It is pouring with rain as well, which makes it doubly cold. A northerly wind is bad news in this part of the world, and it is borne out by the disruptions page on the Calmac website - full of orange and red, meaning disrupted or cancelled sailings. The 5.35pm sailing from Ullapool to Stornoway was called off, meaning the 7 am sailing in the opposite direction tomorrow morning will not operate either. Looking at AIS Minch, I see nearly a dozen fishing vessels of Dutch, Danish and Norwegian registration in port or sheltering south of here along the coast, where the Point peninsula provides some shelter.
Friday 27 March
March still rules supreme, and it's the usual alternating between brilliant sunshine and heavy showers. A battle royal between summer warmth and winter cold, and the battlefield as per usual lies over Scotland. I don't really mind, it's what makes these parts interesting and attractive.
Three weeks ago, a horse was taken on the ferry between Ullapool and Stornoway to go into semi-retirement in Lewis. Unfortunately, upon arrival at Stornoway the animal was found dead in its horsebox on the vehicle deck. There are suggestions that carbon monoxide fumes from a refrigeration unit on an adjacent trailer were to blame, but there is no firm evidence. Ferry operators Calmac state that the air on the vehicle deck is refreshed every 3 minutes, and the horsebox was placed next to an air intake.
Buses in Lewis have gone to summer timetable as of today, but due to a legally required tendering exercise and cutbacks, there have been some serious changes. As not many of my readers are intimately familiar with the geography of this island, I won't bother you with the details. Suffice to say, there is a good chance that some people can't find their bus, and even if they find a bus it may well not take them to their destination.
Three weeks ago, a horse was taken on the ferry between Ullapool and Stornoway to go into semi-retirement in Lewis. Unfortunately, upon arrival at Stornoway the animal was found dead in its horsebox on the vehicle deck. There are suggestions that carbon monoxide fumes from a refrigeration unit on an adjacent trailer were to blame, but there is no firm evidence. Ferry operators Calmac state that the air on the vehicle deck is refreshed every 3 minutes, and the horsebox was placed next to an air intake.
Buses in Lewis have gone to summer timetable as of today, but due to a legally required tendering exercise and cutbacks, there have been some serious changes. As not many of my readers are intimately familiar with the geography of this island, I won't bother you with the details. Suffice to say, there is a good chance that some people can't find their bus, and even if they find a bus it may well not take them to their destination.
Thursday, 26 March 2009
Karen Aim
This woman of 26 was walking home from a party in Taupo, New Zealand, in January 2008 when she was wantonly attacked by a boy of 14. He struck her over the head with a baseball bat, killing her. Fourteen months later, her attacker was sent to life imprisonment, with a minimal term of 12½ years. He is one of the youngest convicts ever to receive a life term. Karen came from Orkney, and her family was there to hear the verdict in New Zealand. Her father, speaking on BBC Scotland, said he was smiling broadly - because he had known her. Although he was very sad that instead of seeing her in her wedding dress, he now had to see her in her coffin. She was buried in Holm, Mainland Orkney, in late January '08. RIP.
More on this story here.
More on this story here.
Thursday 26 March
Very unfriendly weather today, with winds gusting in excess of 60 mph at the moment. The ferry services up and down the west coast are severely disrupted. Calmac, the ferry company, tell us that on 26/03/09 Ullapool/Stornoway route is liable to disruption and is sailing on a sailing by sailing basis. Sun has just come out, but that doesn't negate the heavy showers. South of here, I can just make out the outline of a cable-laying ship, the Leonid Thevenin. It has been joined by another cable-layer, the Silure. I do not know whether they are laying cables, or just sheltering from the weather. I get the information from this website. If you live near a port, either in the UK or elsewhere, there may be an AIS site for your location.
Wednesday, 25 March 2009
Sat nav is naff
There continues to be a steady stream of stories of people who are led astray by their satellite navigation system. The latest involved a man who was going to drive his car over the edge of a 100 feet precipice because his sat-nav insisted his narrow track was a road. His vehicle was left dangling over the edge of the cliff, and the emergency services took 9 hours to get it out again. The man is now facing a court appearance for driving without due care and attention.
When you're using a satellite navigation system, don't close your eyes to the world around you. If it leads you onto a cliff, into water or onto undrivable terrain, just don't follow it. Satnav systems are known to be out of date or just plain wrong.
When you're using a satellite navigation system, don't close your eyes to the world around you. If it leads you onto a cliff, into water or onto undrivable terrain, just don't follow it. Satnav systems are known to be out of date or just plain wrong.
Wednesday 25 March
Bit of a non-descript day, weatherwise. We get the odd shower, it's neither really cold or really mild. Tomorrow should see the start of a decidedly windy spell. The weatherchart shows a deep depression moving in over Scotland, and hanging around for a day or so. Result: galeforce northwesterly winds in the Hebrides.
Those familiar with affairs in the West Highlands and Islands of recent years will have heard of community buy-outs. That means that local residents can buy the land they sit on from the landowner, who more often than not is not himself living in the area. The most high-profile ones were in Assynt and the Isle of Eigg in 1992 and 1997 respectively. They were not the first community-owned tracts of land in the West. Back in 1923, Lord Leverhulme was going to sell the islands of Lewis and Harris (one landmass), but offered the residents of Lewis the right of first refusal. The parishes of Lochs, Uig and Barvas declined, not trusting anything a landlord offered. The parish of Stornoway accepted, and the Stornoway Trust was set up to administer the area. Elections for trustees were held yesterday. The focus was on Sunday ferry sailings and renewable energy. I disagree with the Trust's stance on both issues. I am in favour of a ferry on Sunday, and I don't want huge big turbines spoiling the natural beauty of this island.
Those familiar with affairs in the West Highlands and Islands of recent years will have heard of community buy-outs. That means that local residents can buy the land they sit on from the landowner, who more often than not is not himself living in the area. The most high-profile ones were in Assynt and the Isle of Eigg in 1992 and 1997 respectively. They were not the first community-owned tracts of land in the West. Back in 1923, Lord Leverhulme was going to sell the islands of Lewis and Harris (one landmass), but offered the residents of Lewis the right of first refusal. The parishes of Lochs, Uig and Barvas declined, not trusting anything a landlord offered. The parish of Stornoway accepted, and the Stornoway Trust was set up to administer the area. Elections for trustees were held yesterday. The focus was on Sunday ferry sailings and renewable energy. I disagree with the Trust's stance on both issues. I am in favour of a ferry on Sunday, and I don't want huge big turbines spoiling the natural beauty of this island.
Tuesday, 24 March 2009
Closing notes
Not that much more to comment on really. Although the sun did come out later in the afternoon, the weather remained unpleasant and cold. The lorries rumbled past on their way to the freight ferry half an hour ago, and by 11.30pm, we'll see MV Muirneag sailing by on its way to Ullapool.
Today, elections were held for the Stornoway Trust. Since 1923, all the land between Stornoway and Tolsta is managed for the community by the Trust. Trustees are elected by secret ballot, and in recent times candidates have been issuing their policy statements. That sounds grand, but is not. It mainly focuses on land usage (crofting) and the vexed issue of Sunday sailing and trading. The Sabbatarians have a strong foothold in Lewis, and are opposed to the breaking of the Sabbath, the Day of Rest. Without being disrespectful, I just don't see how that reconciles with the opening on Sundays of pubs, restaurants, airport and the petrol station cum shop. This link, 13 days old, explains further.
Off to bed shortly, and hoping for more springlike weather tomorrow. Fat chance.
Today, elections were held for the Stornoway Trust. Since 1923, all the land between Stornoway and Tolsta is managed for the community by the Trust. Trustees are elected by secret ballot, and in recent times candidates have been issuing their policy statements. That sounds grand, but is not. It mainly focuses on land usage (crofting) and the vexed issue of Sunday sailing and trading. The Sabbatarians have a strong foothold in Lewis, and are opposed to the breaking of the Sabbath, the Day of Rest. Without being disrespectful, I just don't see how that reconciles with the opening on Sundays of pubs, restaurants, airport and the petrol station cum shop. This link, 13 days old, explains further.
Off to bed shortly, and hoping for more springlike weather tomorrow. Fat chance.
Tuesday 24 March
The day started wet and windy, but the rain stopped a little while ago. Whether we had a frost last night I do not know; the reports say we went down to -3C, but I find that very hard to believe. Looking at the Met Office reports, we had +1.1C. That's more like it. We certainly had high winds yesterday, going up to 54 mph at one stage.
So we now have zero inflation, and going down further. That means we're having deflation in the UK for the first time since 1960. Not as good as it appears on the surface, according to the economists who say it will slow the economy down even further. When you expect prices to fall in the future, you'll put off your purchases, won't you.
More later.
So we now have zero inflation, and going down further. That means we're having deflation in the UK for the first time since 1960. Not as good as it appears on the surface, according to the economists who say it will slow the economy down even further. When you expect prices to fall in the future, you'll put off your purchases, won't you.
More later.
Monday, 23 March 2009
Sold out
This is the look of one of our local supermarkets on Monday. It will also look like this if supplies have been disrupted due to poor weather. Although it is currently blowing a near-gale (see report in previous entry), the ferry is sailing. However, we had Mothering Sunday yesterday, which explains the bare shelves. I hope everybody who was celebrating yesterday had a great time.
Otherwise, the current weather does provide for some great cloudscapes, so here goes.
And I'm going to close with this greenfinch
Monday 23 March 2009
We've lost spring and are back to soft hail and rain showers. Oh, isn't that normal in March? Yes, actually it is. I've just been to the shop, a five-minute walk up the road, but it was singularly empty of stock. Had to have an in-depth search for bread and other stuff. Ferry was late getting in this afternoon, and consequently equally late going out again.
I couldn't help noticing when checking the weather reports on the NOAA site that the quality control had missed that dip to -25C in the middle of the night out here. This is the listing for the last 24 hours:
Think it just went down to about 4C in the night, actually. Don't see how you could possibly get light rain at -25C.
I couldn't help noticing when checking the weather reports on the NOAA site that the quality control had missed that dip to -25C in the middle of the night out here. This is the listing for the last 24 hours:
Think it just went down to about 4C in the night, actually. Don't see how you could possibly get light rain at -25C.
Sunday, 22 March 2009
Sundown notes
Ten to seven and it's not even dark. The equinox is behind us, and from now on the nights will become shorter - and a lot shorter than points south. As I say every year, Stornoway lies on the 58th parallel north, and that leads to short nights in summer and short days in winter. Come June, the sun will rise at 4.20 am and set at 10.35 pm.
Not springlike at all today, intermittent rain at the moment. The navigation lights around Glumag Harbour (which lies across my field of vision) are on, with the buoy next to the lighthouse and two smaller lights by the Fabrication Yard, more than a mile away to the south. A small sailing craft came in earlier this afternoon.
There is not much going on regards hurricanes (Ilsa keeps trundling west across the Indian Ocean, more than 600 miles from any land), the email inboxes are checked, I have been round those of you who posted in journals, Facebook and Twitter. Have downloaded Tweetdeck, but will probably throw it off - don't need it that much, really. Dinner will be served shortly, and I am going to close my Internet and computer activities for the day.
Not springlike at all today, intermittent rain at the moment. The navigation lights around Glumag Harbour (which lies across my field of vision) are on, with the buoy next to the lighthouse and two smaller lights by the Fabrication Yard, more than a mile away to the south. A small sailing craft came in earlier this afternoon.
There is not much going on regards hurricanes (Ilsa keeps trundling west across the Indian Ocean, more than 600 miles from any land), the email inboxes are checked, I have been round those of you who posted in journals, Facebook and Twitter. Have downloaded Tweetdeck, but will probably throw it off - don't need it that much, really. Dinner will be served shortly, and I am going to close my Internet and computer activities for the day.
Sunday 22 March 2009
Sunny intervals and showers on a cooler day than of late, with the mercury back at 9C / 48F. The end of the past week saw us at 13C, but that quickly went.
Jade Goody has died in the night. RIP.
She has made good use of her celebrity status by raising awareness of cervical cancer and the importance of cervical smear tests and following up any adverse results. There is ample coverage in the media about her, so will simply refer to that, and my previous postings.
The search for two men, missing (now presumed dead) on Loch Awe in Argyll, has resumed this morning. They disappeared after setting forth in a boat at 11pm on Friday night. Two others were found dead on Saturday morning.
Jade Goody has died in the night. RIP.
She has made good use of her celebrity status by raising awareness of cervical cancer and the importance of cervical smear tests and following up any adverse results. There is ample coverage in the media about her, so will simply refer to that, and my previous postings.
The search for two men, missing (now presumed dead) on Loch Awe in Argyll, has resumed this morning. They disappeared after setting forth in a boat at 11pm on Friday night. Two others were found dead on Saturday morning.
Saturday, 21 March 2009
Exhibition
Well, made the bold move and entered a framed photograph of mine in local exhibition Grinneas nan Eilean. This runs in Stornoway's art centre An Lanntair from next Saturday until mid-May. There is the odd chance someone may buy it, but it's more for the sake of making a contribution of sorts. Like the book I plugged last night. That was not the first book I produced on lulu.com, but the first one (a printed copy of Faces from the War Memorial) is not publicly available.
Saturday 21 March
First day of spring by the astronomical calendar. Quite a springlike day, with blue skies, scattered clouds and a mild breeze. I am watching the afternoon ferry coming in, which will depart back to Ullapool at 2.30pm, in 90 minutes from now. It will return here at 9 o'clock this evening. The crossing takes just under 3 hours, and can be a bumpy affair.
Police are searching Loch Awe, east of Oban, for two men who went missing on the loch overnight. They were in a party of four, two of whom were found dead in the water. Searching was severely hampered by dense fog (visibility 5 yards) overnight. Loch Awe stretches for 24 miles and is up to 300 feet deep. It is not as deep as Loch Morar, further northwest near the port town of Mallaig, which goes down more than 1,000 feet.
All Coastguard helicopters in the north of Scotland are grounded, pending the fitting of essential parts. Last week, a fatal crash off Newfoundland claimed 17 lives, and a faulty part was found to have played a role in that incident. Replacement parts are being transported to Lewis and Shetland, but the 4 helicopters will remain out of action until they are fitted. RAF helicopters out of Prestwick and Lossiemouth will provide cover in the meantime.
Police are searching Loch Awe, east of Oban, for two men who went missing on the loch overnight. They were in a party of four, two of whom were found dead in the water. Searching was severely hampered by dense fog (visibility 5 yards) overnight. Loch Awe stretches for 24 miles and is up to 300 feet deep. It is not as deep as Loch Morar, further northwest near the port town of Mallaig, which goes down more than 1,000 feet.
All Coastguard helicopters in the north of Scotland are grounded, pending the fitting of essential parts. Last week, a fatal crash off Newfoundland claimed 17 lives, and a faulty part was found to have played a role in that incident. Replacement parts are being transported to Lewis and Shetland, but the 4 helicopters will remain out of action until they are fitted. RAF helicopters out of Prestwick and Lossiemouth will provide cover in the meantime.
Friday, 20 March 2009
Picture book
I have now compiled a book with about 260 of my pictures, which is available for anyone to purchase on-line. It's a wee bit on the dear side (£20.75 baseline price, excluding P&P), but if you're feeling like it, why not get yourself a copy of Lewis Light from lulu.com.
End of commercial.
End of commercial.
Friday 20 March
Last day of winter, and I'm glad to leave it behind. Another sunny day, but quite blustery in contrast to yesterday's mild breeze. Temperatures at 12C at the moment, and may rise higher.
It seems to be relatively common for women to give birth on planes, but one lady from Samoa left her newborn baby in the garbage bin in the toilet. Charges are now likely to be brought against the woman involved; she was spotted by airport staff at Auckland as her clothes were bloodstained.
I am pleased to note that a debate has commenced in the UK on the difficult subject of assisted suicide, mercy killing, euthanasia. All descriptions of the same. Helping someone end their life when there is great suffering with no hope of alleviation or improvement. The BBC has a forum thread into the subject which shows the spectrum of opinion.
Personally, I advocate the Dutch model, in force in the 1980s. In such a situation, the patient discusses the subject with their doctor, who then seeks a second opinion. It is ensured that the decision is made by the patient of their own free will, being of sound mind at the time. After the patient is deceased, the death is reported to the procurator as an unnatural death. He will review the evidence and decide not to prosecute if all prerequisites are met.
It seems to be relatively common for women to give birth on planes, but one lady from Samoa left her newborn baby in the garbage bin in the toilet. Charges are now likely to be brought against the woman involved; she was spotted by airport staff at Auckland as her clothes were bloodstained.
I am pleased to note that a debate has commenced in the UK on the difficult subject of assisted suicide, mercy killing, euthanasia. All descriptions of the same. Helping someone end their life when there is great suffering with no hope of alleviation or improvement. The BBC has a forum thread into the subject which shows the spectrum of opinion.
Personally, I advocate the Dutch model, in force in the 1980s. In such a situation, the patient discusses the subject with their doctor, who then seeks a second opinion. It is ensured that the decision is made by the patient of their own free will, being of sound mind at the time. After the patient is deceased, the death is reported to the procurator as an unnatural death. He will review the evidence and decide not to prosecute if all prerequisites are met.
Thursday, 19 March 2009
Blogger Community Photo Challenge
Mailboxes is the subject of this challenge. Well, this picture dates from 6 August 2006 and shows a house in the village of Laxay, some 12 miles south of Stornoway in the Isle of Lewis (Scotland). The microwave oven on the post is actually the mailbox for 38 Laxay.
Volcano
I have always found volcanoes intriguing natural phenomena, and my interest was tweaked when an underwater volcano erupted near Tonga in the South Pacific. My attention was already focused there on account of tropical cyclone Ken (now a mid-latitude depression). The link shows an impressive display of ash and steam being ejected from the volcano.
Fritzl
Josef Fritzl, aged 73, was sentenced to life in prison today. He kept his own daughter imprisoned for 24 years, raping her and fathering 7 children by her - one of whom died because Fritzl denied medical help to the child. The man will be held at a secure psychiatric facility, and will be assessed whether he can be treated. If so, he will be transferred to a normal prison and could be eligible for parole in 15 years from now.
The twists and turns of this mind-boggling case have gained high prominence in the media in the past year or so, and the nation of Austria is still to come to terms with the horror of this scenario, enacted by one of its own citizens.
The twists and turns of this mind-boggling case have gained high prominence in the media in the past year or so, and the nation of Austria is still to come to terms with the horror of this scenario, enacted by one of its own citizens.
Thursday 19 March 2009
Bright and sunny with hardly a cloud in the sky. Feels like spring, and certainly the birds are behaving in that fashion. The mercury has crept up to 13C / 55F, a value not seen on a sunny day like this so far this year. So, long may it continue.
Hurricane season is drawing towards a close in the southern hemisphere. Tropical cyclone Ilsa is roaring away with winds in excess of 110 mph, about 600 miles from Australia. It is not going near any land as far as the forecasters can tell. Hurricanes are one of Mother Nature's safety valves, and serve to disperse heat from the tropics to higher latitudes through a venting mechanism in the upper atmosphere. The amount of energy involved in your average hurricane would be sufficient to power everyone on planet Earth for a year - 200 times over. Annually, there are about 100 tropical cyclones anywhere on the planet. They can only occur over warm water (80F / 26C or more) with a specific set-up in the atmosphere (winds all blowing at the same speed and in the same direction at all levels) and away from the equator. They only happen in summer - which is why the southern hemisphere is currently having cyclones (= hurricanes). The phenomena are poorly understood, and are highly unpredictable, both in terms of course and intensity.
Hurricane season in the northern hemisphere will resume in two months from now. If you are in an area likely to be affected by these storms, please review your preparations now and make sure everything is in readiness for hurricane season.
I have kept my Tropical Cyclones blog since July 2006, and update it daily - if there are any storms or tropical disturbances to be reported on.
Hurricane season is drawing towards a close in the southern hemisphere. Tropical cyclone Ilsa is roaring away with winds in excess of 110 mph, about 600 miles from Australia. It is not going near any land as far as the forecasters can tell. Hurricanes are one of Mother Nature's safety valves, and serve to disperse heat from the tropics to higher latitudes through a venting mechanism in the upper atmosphere. The amount of energy involved in your average hurricane would be sufficient to power everyone on planet Earth for a year - 200 times over. Annually, there are about 100 tropical cyclones anywhere on the planet. They can only occur over warm water (80F / 26C or more) with a specific set-up in the atmosphere (winds all blowing at the same speed and in the same direction at all levels) and away from the equator. They only happen in summer - which is why the southern hemisphere is currently having cyclones (= hurricanes). The phenomena are poorly understood, and are highly unpredictable, both in terms of course and intensity.
Hurricane season in the northern hemisphere will resume in two months from now. If you are in an area likely to be affected by these storms, please review your preparations now and make sure everything is in readiness for hurricane season.
I have kept my Tropical Cyclones blog since July 2006, and update it daily - if there are any storms or tropical disturbances to be reported on.
Wednesday, 18 March 2009
Wednesday 18 March
Late entry for today, after being sidetracked on various fronts. Had to install Windows Vista Service Pack 1, which took me several hours this afternoon. Downloading nearly half a gigabyte of file (took me about 45 minutes), then installing the update, which took me 3 hours in all. Let's hope it does make a difference - we shall see. So far so good, I can now try to update my firewall software which it would not do without SP1.
It has been a grey and overcast day, although dry. Not exactly warm either. Caught a glimpse of one of the press conferences linked to the trial of Austrian man Josef Fritzl, who held his own daughter captive for 24 years, fathered 7 children by her, allegedly killing one of them. I speak German, although the Austrian accents had me straining a bit. The trial is expected to be over by the end of the week.
It has been a grey and overcast day, although dry. Not exactly warm either. Caught a glimpse of one of the press conferences linked to the trial of Austrian man Josef Fritzl, who held his own daughter captive for 24 years, fathered 7 children by her, allegedly killing one of them. I speak German, although the Austrian accents had me straining a bit. The trial is expected to be over by the end of the week.
Tuesday, 17 March 2009
Tuesday 17 March
Another sunny day in Stornoway, although the actual temperature is still low, 7 degrees this afternoon. Behind glass, it feels a lot warmer. You feel the chill when you're outside in the wind. Visibility is very good, as I can clearly see the hills of Applecross Forest [no trees there by the way] some 60 miles to the southeast across the Minch.
I am currently trying to get Windows Vista Service Pack 1 installed on this computer. It doesn't show up on the Automatic Updates list, so I have asked Microsoft for help. Can't find anything useful on the web, apart from downloading the 434MB stand-alone version. The A.U. version is 45MB, so if I can get and spare my broadband traffic cap, that would be great.
I am currently trying to get Windows Vista Service Pack 1 installed on this computer. It doesn't show up on the Automatic Updates list, so I have asked Microsoft for help. Can't find anything useful on the web, apart from downloading the 434MB stand-alone version. The A.U. version is 45MB, so if I can get and spare my broadband traffic cap, that would be great.
Monday, 16 March 2009
Spring is here?
Sunny afternoon in the Outer Hebrides, even though it is not very warm. Mercury is firmly stuck on 9C / 48F once again, although the sun does help to take the edge off it. Took an amble earlier on to Sandwick Cemetery, a 20 minute walk from here, to take photographs of some World War II gravestones. A WWI stone that I had pictured before was now untraceable. Looked up and down both the Old and New cemeteries, without result. Anyway, as I said, it was a nice afternoon so I didn't really mind.
Sandwick Bay
Lower Sandwick
Sandwick Bay
Lower Sandwick
Monday 16 March 2009
Overcast today, but not much wind and mainly dry. The South Pacific is eyeballing a developing tropical cyclone, which the agency in Honolulu suspects will develop soon; their colleagues in Fiji say it won't have much chance. Just goes to show that forecasting for these phenomena is still fraught with much uncertainty.
Josef Fritzl, who incarcerated his own daughter for 24 years, raped her and fathered 7 children with her (one of whom was allegedly murdered by him) has pleaded guilty to the charges brought against him. The judge presiding over the trial at St Pölten in Austria closed proceedings to the public due to the sensitivity of the evidence about to be submitted in court.
The family of Simon Macmillan, whose remains were recovered from Loch Bee in South Uist yesterday, is returning to the island. A post-mortem will be carried out in due course and, as per procedure in Scotland, a report submitted to the Procurator Fiscal into the circumstances of the man's death.
Josef Fritzl, who incarcerated his own daughter for 24 years, raped her and fathered 7 children with her (one of whom was allegedly murdered by him) has pleaded guilty to the charges brought against him. The judge presiding over the trial at St Pölten in Austria closed proceedings to the public due to the sensitivity of the evidence about to be submitted in court.
The family of Simon Macmillan, whose remains were recovered from Loch Bee in South Uist yesterday, is returning to the island. A post-mortem will be carried out in due course and, as per procedure in Scotland, a report submitted to the Procurator Fiscal into the circumstances of the man's death.
Sunday, 15 March 2009
Map skills
Sunday 15 March
Windy day with occasional light rain. The ferry is docked for the Sunday, but big plumes of dirty smoke were coming from its funnels at a time this morning. Rumour has it that the new fuel is giving the engines a spot of bother; it is rather heavier than previously, and comes under the header of cheap and nasty.
The remains of a young man were recovered from a fresh-water loch in South Uist this morning. Police are conducting enquiries, but it is thought likely that the corpse is that of Simon Macmillan, who went missing over Christmas. He was last seen alighting from a minibus a few miles from his home village. Persistent searching by local residents has finally paid off, even though the police had given up the formal search. Simon was missing for 11 weeks. He was a merchant navy seaman, home for unexpected leave. He was returning home from a social event in Daliburgh, in the south of the island of South Uist when he disappeared.
RIP.
I am pleased to note that the English chief medical officer is proposing to introduce a minimum price for alcohol. The Scottish Government has already launched proposals, and not doing a similar thing in England is feared would lead to a huge blackmarket in drink. The minimum price for a can of beer in England would be £1, and for a bottle of wine about £4.
The remains of a young man were recovered from a fresh-water loch in South Uist this morning. Police are conducting enquiries, but it is thought likely that the corpse is that of Simon Macmillan, who went missing over Christmas. He was last seen alighting from a minibus a few miles from his home village. Persistent searching by local residents has finally paid off, even though the police had given up the formal search. Simon was missing for 11 weeks. He was a merchant navy seaman, home for unexpected leave. He was returning home from a social event in Daliburgh, in the south of the island of South Uist when he disappeared.
RIP.
I am pleased to note that the English chief medical officer is proposing to introduce a minimum price for alcohol. The Scottish Government has already launched proposals, and not doing a similar thing in England is feared would lead to a huge blackmarket in drink. The minimum price for a can of beer in England would be £1, and for a bottle of wine about £4.
Saturday, 14 March 2009
Saturday 14 March
Pretty dreadful weather today, with strong winds blowing in a lot of rain. Visibility barely 1 mile, although the sun is trying to put in an appearance. Mercury is at 9C / 48F, and the wind is blowing a near-gale (35 mph) with gusts of nearly 50 mph.
Hebridean blogger Donnie, who specialises in black and white images of the western islands of Scotland, posted a very evocative image. Boreraig is a derelict township in the south of the Isle of Skye (click on the Location link at the bottom of this post to view its position on a map), which was cleared in the middle of the 19th century. Historian David Craig did some great research on it, which he published in his book On the Crofter's Trail. The villagers of Boreraig, together with their neighbours from Suisnis, were thrown out of their houses and marched east along the coast towards Druimfearn on the Sleat peninsula (if you are familiar with Skye you'll know the area I'm talking about). The people were kicked out to make way for sheep.
Donnie's picture shows the ruins of a cottage, with the opening for a door and a lintel across it; the sun shines in. Makes you think of the people that will have seen that afternoon light coming into their house for many a year; and then never to see that, or the hills around them, or the view down Loch Eishort, never again.
Hebridean blogger Donnie, who specialises in black and white images of the western islands of Scotland, posted a very evocative image. Boreraig is a derelict township in the south of the Isle of Skye (click on the Location link at the bottom of this post to view its position on a map), which was cleared in the middle of the 19th century. Historian David Craig did some great research on it, which he published in his book On the Crofter's Trail. The villagers of Boreraig, together with their neighbours from Suisnis, were thrown out of their houses and marched east along the coast towards Druimfearn on the Sleat peninsula (if you are familiar with Skye you'll know the area I'm talking about). The people were kicked out to make way for sheep.
Donnie's picture shows the ruins of a cottage, with the opening for a door and a lintel across it; the sun shines in. Makes you think of the people that will have seen that afternoon light coming into their house for many a year; and then never to see that, or the hills around them, or the view down Loch Eishort, never again.
Friday, 13 March 2009
Mission Statement
Originally drafted: April 2005, revised March 2009
I was amazed at the colours at sunset these past days. And at sunrise as well. Normally, I expect light to start to fail 25 minutes after sunset, but at this latitude this is extended to 40 minutes. I am not a native of the islands, but one of the reasons I have come here is the natural beauty. Whether it is in the images shown on Flickr, at a time of good weather - or in bad.
Being caught up in a thunder, hail, snow, sleet (and kitchensink) shower back in January 2005, whilst going down the Lochs Road at Leurbost, with the bus driver being forced to reduce speed to a crawl. No snow or ice at the next village, Keose.
The many rainbows in the spring, going down the Lochs road.
The joy at seeing the first green shoots, in April, out at Keose.
Hearing the first bleating of lambs in a pasture at Breascleit late in March. Walking the island in the bitter winds of February, and seeing the sad remains of the sheep that did not make it through the winter. Or the sheep that was knocked down at the Marybank cattlegrid in April, and was slowly decomposing in peace in the ditch that it was dumped in over a period of 6 months.
Seeing the days lengthen to an incredible extent, sunset at 22.30, with the light lingering to the nadir of the night at 01.30, then returning fully at 03.30. But also shortening of the days, with the daylight hours of 09.15 to 15.35 at Christmas.
The howling of the gales. Clattering of hail and thumping of the wind against the window at night - waking up in the middle of the night because there is no noise.
Watching the breathtaking coastal scenery at Filiscleitir, or the stunning mountain scenery from Rapaire, Teileasbhal, Mullach an Langa. Or beautiful Glen Langadale, where I'm forever fording that river under the frown of Stulabhal. The little mouse on the slopes of that mountain, the one that allowed me to stroke it.
The yellow grasses on the moors of South Lochs, finding your way in amongst a myriad of lochs, streams and bogs. Loch nan Eilean, south of Garyvard.
Place seems to have gotten under my skin.
I was amazed at the colours at sunset these past days. And at sunrise as well. Normally, I expect light to start to fail 25 minutes after sunset, but at this latitude this is extended to 40 minutes. I am not a native of the islands, but one of the reasons I have come here is the natural beauty. Whether it is in the images shown on Flickr, at a time of good weather - or in bad.
Being caught up in a thunder, hail, snow, sleet (and kitchensink) shower back in January 2005, whilst going down the Lochs Road at Leurbost, with the bus driver being forced to reduce speed to a crawl. No snow or ice at the next village, Keose.
The many rainbows in the spring, going down the Lochs road.
The joy at seeing the first green shoots, in April, out at Keose.
Hearing the first bleating of lambs in a pasture at Breascleit late in March. Walking the island in the bitter winds of February, and seeing the sad remains of the sheep that did not make it through the winter. Or the sheep that was knocked down at the Marybank cattlegrid in April, and was slowly decomposing in peace in the ditch that it was dumped in over a period of 6 months.
Seeing the days lengthen to an incredible extent, sunset at 22.30, with the light lingering to the nadir of the night at 01.30, then returning fully at 03.30. But also shortening of the days, with the daylight hours of 09.15 to 15.35 at Christmas.
The howling of the gales. Clattering of hail and thumping of the wind against the window at night - waking up in the middle of the night because there is no noise.
Watching the breathtaking coastal scenery at Filiscleitir, or the stunning mountain scenery from Rapaire, Teileasbhal, Mullach an Langa. Or beautiful Glen Langadale, where I'm forever fording that river under the frown of Stulabhal. The little mouse on the slopes of that mountain, the one that allowed me to stroke it.
The yellow grasses on the moors of South Lochs, finding your way in amongst a myriad of lochs, streams and bogs. Loch nan Eilean, south of Garyvard.
Place seems to have gotten under my skin.
Gobbledegook
Apologies for the entry (now deleted, but probably showing on your Google Reader), saying it was a message from a mobile phone. Please ignore.
Easter sidebar
I have changed my sidebar to reflect the advent of Easter (sic) in just over 4 weeks from now. Lent came upon us some 2 weeks ago or so, and I hope everybody manages to stay off whatever they resolved to stay off for 6 weeks. The above-left graphic is one of Donna's creations, and I am sure all readers will wish her a speedy recovery in her current ill health.
Adsense
I've removed the advertising block from the top of this blog. Google have recently started to introduce picture ads, and I found the busty babe that has been adorning my journal of late not entirely in keeping with my writing. Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate natural beauty, but not to the point of distraction. Adsense hasn't made me packets of money; I used to get a lot of revenue (few dollars) out of my webcam site, which was discontinued last May. There now is a steady trickle. My first cheque will probably come some time in 2011 or so.
Was out for a wee walk round the basin across the street; it is a tidal affair, and as the tide was out, I was able to walk round the bottom of it. I even found a healthily sized scallop. However, one scallop does not fill a stomach, so I'll probably put it back later today.
Was out for a wee walk round the basin across the street; it is a tidal affair, and as the tide was out, I was able to walk round the bottom of it. I even found a healthily sized scallop. However, one scallop does not fill a stomach, so I'll probably put it back later today.
Friday 13 March
Once more Friday the 13th. I used to have a black cat, and it was a very sweet, half-human cat that ate what we ate, would tap me on the shoulder to ask for a bit out of my plate. Outside our house, it would chase mice, birds and rabbits, bring latter in for live consumption under bed at 3 in the morning with attending screeching by rabbit followed by crunching of its bones. Leaving only its tail. Same cat also went out on the pull at this time of the year, resulting in black kittens all over the place.
The teenager who shot 15 people in Germany last Wednesday was being treated for depression last year. He did not continue treatment after it was relocated from one town to another. More on this story on the BBC News website.
A vast amount of information on casualties from the First World War has been uncovered in Geneva, and is currently being collated. It is hoped to have it on-line in five years' time. British man Peter Barton has been given access to the vaults of the Red Cross headquarters, and details on 20 million casualties were found on index cards and ledgers. Read more here.
The teenager who shot 15 people in Germany last Wednesday was being treated for depression last year. He did not continue treatment after it was relocated from one town to another. More on this story on the BBC News website.
A vast amount of information on casualties from the First World War has been uncovered in Geneva, and is currently being collated. It is hoped to have it on-line in five years' time. British man Peter Barton has been given access to the vaults of the Red Cross headquarters, and details on 20 million casualties were found on index cards and ledgers. Read more here.
Midnight post
I have drastically cut the number of applications on Facebook from about 300 to 50. The number of requests was getting silly, and if you don't get a reply from me on a certain app, it just means one of two things: either I have not added the app, or I have just clicked through.
As far as journals are concerned, I am monitoring Call for Support daily, and will try to reestablish my reading routine. This has been disrupted by Facebook, and some attendant difficulties off-line, as I reported at the start of this week. Twitter I do not find much use for if truth be known; you'd have to monitor it continually, which I can't do. However, if you look up adb44, you'll get my postings, if and when. Many of them are directed at tweeters in the Isle of Lewis.
I have decided to ditch Open Office.org. I was processing a document that originated from Word, and it was turned into a mess that needed clearing up in Word. I've purchased a license, and now have the program in its full glory (Word, Excel and Powerpoint).
As far as journals are concerned, I am monitoring Call for Support daily, and will try to reestablish my reading routine. This has been disrupted by Facebook, and some attendant difficulties off-line, as I reported at the start of this week. Twitter I do not find much use for if truth be known; you'd have to monitor it continually, which I can't do. However, if you look up adb44, you'll get my postings, if and when. Many of them are directed at tweeters in the Isle of Lewis.
I have decided to ditch Open Office.org. I was processing a document that originated from Word, and it was turned into a mess that needed clearing up in Word. I've purchased a license, and now have the program in its full glory (Word, Excel and Powerpoint).
Thursday, 12 March 2009
Thursday 12 March
Where I am from, April showers are referred to as March showers. So, that's what we're having today. Sunshine and beefy showers, blown on a strong wind. No complaints about temperatures: 10C is very acceptable for mid March. Tide is going out from a high of 5.1 metres (17 feet) at 7.25 am to an ebbtide of 0.2 metres (8 inches) at 2pm. I may go out and look for scallops, although there were not many last time we had a springtide that low. Only one baby scallop, that needed to grow a lot bigger before I'd have it on my dinner plate.
I have recently commented on the actions of the Vatican in relation to bishop Williamson, who is on record as denying the Holocaust. I can only say that I wish the Holy See would stop digging, as they are only making the hole they are in deeper with every statement they issue on the subject. I applaud their statement of contrition, admitting that mistakes have been made. The Vatican now says that they should do more research on the Internet before making decisions of this nature. Excuse me? They don't know what problems are caused by their own senior clergy? Oh please.
I am very upset this morning: those who read Linda's World (from Washington State) and / or Call for Support know that she's had to take her cat Gabi to the Rainbow Bridge. The poor creature was very seriously ill, without any prospect of getting better. As all pet owners know, you do carry an ultimate responsibility to end suffering in those circumstances, however upsetting that is.
I have recently commented on the actions of the Vatican in relation to bishop Williamson, who is on record as denying the Holocaust. I can only say that I wish the Holy See would stop digging, as they are only making the hole they are in deeper with every statement they issue on the subject. I applaud their statement of contrition, admitting that mistakes have been made. The Vatican now says that they should do more research on the Internet before making decisions of this nature. Excuse me? They don't know what problems are caused by their own senior clergy? Oh please.
I am very upset this morning: those who read Linda's World (from Washington State) and / or Call for Support know that she's had to take her cat Gabi to the Rainbow Bridge. The poor creature was very seriously ill, without any prospect of getting better. As all pet owners know, you do carry an ultimate responsibility to end suffering in those circumstances, however upsetting that is.
Wednesday, 11 March 2009
Wednesday 11 March
Unpleasantly wet and windy today, although the temperature has shot up from -2C at 11pm last night to +10C right now. The tropical cyclone that has grumbled along the Queensland coast for a few days has been torn apart by conflicting winds at various levels in the atmosphere. Hamish is now little more than a spell of bad weather, bringing gales to the coast north of Brisbane. Another cyclone is bringing gale-force winds to the islands around Rarotonga, 50 degrees in longitude to the east in the Pacific. Joni won't get much above force 9 on the Beaufort scale.
Had a laugh when watching Prime Minister's Questions this afternoon. The MP for Chesterfield in Derbyshire had a go at the neighbouring constituency for Bolsover - and the MP for that town is veteran Dennis Skinner who promptly had a go back at Chesterfield. Skinner, a left-wing Labour MP for a former mining constituency, is one of the characters in the House of Commons, and everybody had a good laugh out of the encounter.
Absolutely not amusing was an incident in southern Germany, when a 17-year old gunman entered his former school at Winnenden near Stuttgart and opened fire. After killing 9 pupils and 3 teachers, he fled to the town of Wendlingen, 25 miles away, and was killed in a shoot-out in the supermarket. This also left 2 bystanders dead.
Had a laugh when watching Prime Minister's Questions this afternoon. The MP for Chesterfield in Derbyshire had a go at the neighbouring constituency for Bolsover - and the MP for that town is veteran Dennis Skinner who promptly had a go back at Chesterfield. Skinner, a left-wing Labour MP for a former mining constituency, is one of the characters in the House of Commons, and everybody had a good laugh out of the encounter.
Absolutely not amusing was an incident in southern Germany, when a 17-year old gunman entered his former school at Winnenden near Stuttgart and opened fire. After killing 9 pupils and 3 teachers, he fled to the town of Wendlingen, 25 miles away, and was killed in a shoot-out in the supermarket. This also left 2 bystanders dead.
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Tuesday 10 March
Clear end to the day, as the sun is just about setting now. Sun was out for most of the afternoon, after one or two showers in the morning.
I am pleased to note that two arrests have been made in connection with the murder of a policeman in Northern Ireland last night. This follows hard on the heels of the killing of two soldiers in a barracks elsewhere in the province. The two factions alleged to be involved in the incidents have been roundly condemned.
Gerry McCann, father of the disappeared girl Madeleine McCann, has spoken out critically about sections of the media in connection with her disappearance in 2007. Speculation was branded as less than helpful. Mr McCann has every right to be critical of the press, but he should remember that he courted publicity quite deliberately with the aim of tracing his daughter. Madeleine remains missing, nearly 2 years after she disappeared from her parents' holiday apartment in Portugal.
I am pleased to note that two arrests have been made in connection with the murder of a policeman in Northern Ireland last night. This follows hard on the heels of the killing of two soldiers in a barracks elsewhere in the province. The two factions alleged to be involved in the incidents have been roundly condemned.
Gerry McCann, father of the disappeared girl Madeleine McCann, has spoken out critically about sections of the media in connection with her disappearance in 2007. Speculation was branded as less than helpful. Mr McCann has every right to be critical of the press, but he should remember that he courted publicity quite deliberately with the aim of tracing his daughter. Madeleine remains missing, nearly 2 years after she disappeared from her parents' holiday apartment in Portugal.
Monday, 9 March 2009
Monday 9 March
A very late post for today, which has not found me very happy. My motto for the Internet is You don't know what goes on behind closed doors, and this is a door I have to keep closed. Suffice to say that we all have off-line lives as well as on-line, and in my case, the former has clashed with the latter. Full stop.
Sunday, 8 March 2009
Abortion
What would you do, if your daughter aged 9 was raped by her stepfather, resulting in a double pregnancy? That awful decision was cast at the parents of a young girl in Brazil. The mother of the girl decided on an abortion, which was carried out last week.
The Roman Catholic Church in Brazil has excommunicated the girl, her mother and the doctors involved in the abortion, saying that the law of God stands above any law of man. The law of God is 'you will not kill'. The law of man was: Abortion only allowed if the pregnancy is a threat to the health of the woman involved.
I am absolutely appalled at this attitude, condoned by the Vatican incidentally, which is beyond description in my book. A girl of 9, having twins? After sexual abuse? Oh dear. What sort of a message does that send out. I'd better cut short my post, else I'd offend a fair few people.
The Roman Catholic Church in Brazil has excommunicated the girl, her mother and the doctors involved in the abortion, saying that the law of God stands above any law of man. The law of God is 'you will not kill'. The law of man was: Abortion only allowed if the pregnancy is a threat to the health of the woman involved.
I am absolutely appalled at this attitude, condoned by the Vatican incidentally, which is beyond description in my book. A girl of 9, having twins? After sexual abuse? Oh dear. What sort of a message does that send out. I'd better cut short my post, else I'd offend a fair few people.
Sunday 8 March
Cloudy day out here, with some heavy downpours. Earlier on, there was some wet snow in amongst it all. Spring is supposed to be on its way, but we usually don't see much of it before mid April, early May. My crop of beans is sprouting nicely in the windowsill, showing large green leaves and promise of much more. The birds outside are going through one birdfeeder's worth of seeds every other day, greedy things.
I read that the woman who threw green custard in the face of Business Secretary Lord Mandelson on Friday has (finally) been arrested. She should have been taken arrested on the scene. Mandelson, although not my favourite politician, is a former Northern Ireland Secretary, enjoying 24/7 police protection during his stint in that office.
Talking of Northern Ireland, I was sickened to hear of the murder of two soldiers at a barracks in County Antrim. The crime is thought to have been committed by a Republican splintergroup - may I suggest we just call them a criminal gang without granting them the dignity of political affiliation? That should take the wind out of their sails. They enjoy no public support, as everybody in Ulster was sick to death with all the mindless violence and thuggery of the Civil War, otherwise referred to as the Troubles.
I read that the woman who threw green custard in the face of Business Secretary Lord Mandelson on Friday has (finally) been arrested. She should have been taken arrested on the scene. Mandelson, although not my favourite politician, is a former Northern Ireland Secretary, enjoying 24/7 police protection during his stint in that office.
Talking of Northern Ireland, I was sickened to hear of the murder of two soldiers at a barracks in County Antrim. The crime is thought to have been committed by a Republican splintergroup - may I suggest we just call them a criminal gang without granting them the dignity of political affiliation? That should take the wind out of their sails. They enjoy no public support, as everybody in Ulster was sick to death with all the mindless violence and thuggery of the Civil War, otherwise referred to as the Troubles.
Saturday, 7 March 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)