Dmitri Shostakovich wrote this second movement to his 2nd Pianoconcierto in A-minor. Don't say you aren't reaching for the tissues by the end of it.
Sunday, 23 November 2008
Six minutes five seconds
Dmitri Shostakovich wrote this second movement to his 2nd Pianoconcierto in A-minor. Don't say you aren't reaching for the tissues by the end of it.
Sunday 23 November
It is pitch dark as I type this at 5.40pm, the sun having long since set. The weather today was wet, windy and cold, a maximum of 7C / 45F just being achieved. Nothing to write home about. Having a quiet day, with a bit of reading and catching up. I am currently going through "A Shilling for your Scowl", about abuse of power by one man - who was allowed to do so by the establishment in the mid-19th century in the Isle of Lewis. He held 32 public offices at the same time, some patently incompatible with being held by one man.
A couple is suing McDonalds after images on a phone they accidentally left behind in one of their stores appeared on the internet. Nude ones. McDonalds had promised to secure the phone, but something leaked. Cautionary tale: if you put compromising material on your phone, either lock it or take it off as soon as possible.
A couple is suing McDonalds after images on a phone they accidentally left behind in one of their stores appeared on the internet. Nude ones. McDonalds had promised to secure the phone, but something leaked. Cautionary tale: if you put compromising material on your phone, either lock it or take it off as soon as possible.
Saturday, 22 November 2008
AOL dial-up
If there is anyone in the UK still accessing AOL by dial-up, I would like to know how they do it. Last week, my broadband connection (not by AOL) failed and I wanted to go on line to find out on the ISP's website. I had previously removed the AOL 9.0 software, but reinstalled it for this purpose. When it came to the bit where the program dials a number to find out the access numbers for the dial-up service, the modem could be heard receiving the "number not known" signal, but not acting on it. So, is there still a dial-up service on AOL UK, and there is, what is its access number?
Saturday 22 November
Quiet if rather cold day out here, the weatherstation at the airport (3 miles away) reports 3C / 37F. My father, over in Holland, sent me pictures this morning showing a blanket of snow. Much like we had in Stornoway 4 weeks ago. Not today - it is just overcast with little wind.
Mainland Scotland is affected by heavy snow, which makes driving very difficult. Further south, a warm front which will come in off the Atlantic is expected to bring black-ice and freezing rain on Sunday. This will herald a change to milder weather. It's late November, so what do you expect.
Once more, suicide by chatroom has reared its ugly head. A young man, aged 19, had announced he was going to take his life, which he proceeded to do live on webcam. For hours, he lay motionless in front of his camera, before the moderator of the chatroom was notified and police were called. Although some chatters had tried to dissuade the victim, others had egged him on to go for it. Just goes to show what some people are like. It also goes to show how a chatroom serves to de-personify people, by making them less like real people.
Mainland Scotland is affected by heavy snow, which makes driving very difficult. Further south, a warm front which will come in off the Atlantic is expected to bring black-ice and freezing rain on Sunday. This will herald a change to milder weather. It's late November, so what do you expect.
Once more, suicide by chatroom has reared its ugly head. A young man, aged 19, had announced he was going to take his life, which he proceeded to do live on webcam. For hours, he lay motionless in front of his camera, before the moderator of the chatroom was notified and police were called. Although some chatters had tried to dissuade the victim, others had egged him on to go for it. Just goes to show what some people are like. It also goes to show how a chatroom serves to de-personify people, by making them less like real people.
Friday, 21 November 2008
Friday 21 November
Very cold today, with the mercury not even touching 40F / 4C at the moment. It is snowing as I type, or is it sleet. Over on the mainland, the A9 trunkroad linking Inverness with the Lowlands is blocked at the Slochd summit north of Aviemore. Ferry sailings from the far northeast (Caithness) to Orkney are disrupted due to bad weather, and our freight service is not operating today.
BBC presenters Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross were suspended for 3 months in October, following a grossly offensive broadcast, in which they left crude messages on the answerphone of a well-known actor. Apparently, Mr Ross can be expected to defile our airwaves again in January, and Mr Brand could well be back as well. I never liked Jonathan Ross, and hope he stays off the BBC.
Generally speaking, I find very little worth watching on TV these days. I have access to satellite TV, which pumps 500 channels into the set. Only the BBC channels are really worth watching, particularly the Gaelic channel BBC Alba. And, to my disgrace, Tom & Jerry lol (video courtesy CartoonyA on YouTube)
BBC presenters Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross were suspended for 3 months in October, following a grossly offensive broadcast, in which they left crude messages on the answerphone of a well-known actor. Apparently, Mr Ross can be expected to defile our airwaves again in January, and Mr Brand could well be back as well. I never liked Jonathan Ross, and hope he stays off the BBC.
Generally speaking, I find very little worth watching on TV these days. I have access to satellite TV, which pumps 500 channels into the set. Only the BBC channels are really worth watching, particularly the Gaelic channel BBC Alba. And, to my disgrace, Tom & Jerry lol (video courtesy CartoonyA on YouTube)
Thursday, 20 November 2008
AOL & Washington Post
On Sunday, I sent off a Letter to the Editor of the Washington Post. It is now Thursday, and it has (to my knowledge) not been published, and therefore not likely to. On average, only about 6 or 7 letters are published in the Post on-line, so I only had a small chance. I'll copy its content here for reference.
Dear Sirs,
Dear Sirs,
On October 31st, AOL Journals, an on-line blogging service, was closed down. The way this was carried out has not shown AOL in a favourable light in terms of customer service.
Although AOL Journals were earmarked for closure on July 25th, 2008, its users were not informed until September 30th. An option was offered to users for them to transfer any on-line journals to another service provider, but the company went out of its way to stifle further cooperation with users, threatening employees with dismissal if any help was discovered being made.
The point with Journals was that although they were a declining service, they meant more to their users than could be expressed in dollars and cents. For many, their journal kept them going through illness and other challenging times in life. Others passed away, leaving behind their journal as a posthumous tribute and legacy. The community of users helped each other. It was quite unique, but is left torn apart.
All enterprises want to make money, but when doing so goes to the detriment of its users, the company's ethical standards can be called into question. Not just AOL – any company.
Yours sincerely,
[signed with name, address and phonenumber]
Thursday 20 November
A brighter day than of late, with a few clearances in the clouds. Bit breezy, with a force 5 wind going from the west to northwest. Temperatures nothing out of the ordinary for the final part of November, at 8C. Tomorrow, the north of mainland Scotland and Orkney & Shetland are under warning for snow and gales. It would appear that the Western Isles will escape the worst of it.
The southern hemisphere hurricane season has kicked off with two tropical storms, one of which looks set to reach Western Australia over the weekend. It won't bring more than galeforce winds to an area between Port Hedland and Exmouth - but I'm jumping the gun a bit with this forecast.
The southern hemisphere hurricane season has kicked off with two tropical storms, one of which looks set to reach Western Australia over the weekend. It won't bring more than galeforce winds to an area between Port Hedland and Exmouth - but I'm jumping the gun a bit with this forecast.
Wednesday, 19 November 2008
Missing in transfer
I have noticed that automatic line breaks, inserted in AOL Journals, have not been carried through in the transferred Blogger journals. As a result, you'll find wordsmerged [sic] together. See if it also happened to any of your transferred blogs.
Plugging one of my blogs
Unashamedly plugging my photoblog Atlantic Light, which I am filling with all the pictures I have taken since August 2004. Each entry, related to each day I took pictures, shows up to 3 or 4 photos, with links to more pics (if available) as well as to a diary entry.
Wednesday 19 November
Chucking it down this morning with a strong westerly wind. The temperature, 11C / 52F, is academical in conditions like that. We're supposed to get a dip in temps by Friday, introducing a few flurries of snow here in Lewis. Mainland Scotland and the Northern Isles (Orkney and Shetland) will get rather more of the white stuff.
If you're in the UK, you may have had an email from HM Customs & Revenue that several hundred pounds are waiting for you. You guessed it, it's a scam. Looks convincing, except for the usual pointers like spelling mistakes etc. I copy an article from a local news website:
If you're in the UK, you may have had an email from HM Customs & Revenue that several hundred pounds are waiting for you. You guessed it, it's a scam. Looks convincing, except for the usual pointers like spelling mistakes etc. I copy an article from a local news website:
Trading Standards Officers are warning the public to beware of an email claiming to offer a tax refund.The email is supposedly from HM Customs and Revenue but is actually an attempt to gain personal information.
A spokesperson said: “This email looks genuine and offers a refund of hundreds of pounds in return for sending personal information. It is a scam designed to get people to send their personal information and should be deleted. Banks, Customs and Revenue etc would never ask for such information by email and similar scams should be similarly deleted.”
Tuesday, 18 November 2008
Remembering
In June of last year, a man of 60 went out canoeing with his youngest son. He was a father of 11, living in the village of Arnol, 15 miles north of Stornoway. That afternoon, the two were seen by a chance walker off the coast by the next village, Bragar. Thinking nothing of it, the walker went on her way, and after a little while came to the beach by the cemetery at Bragar.
Where one of the canoes was found washed up. She immediately raised the alarm, and the Coastguard found the man in the water. He was quickly transferred to hospital, but did not survive. His son was not found for another 3 weeks, in spite of intense search efforts which were carried on quite late in the evening, on account of the long evenings in June.
Whenever I pass through Arnol, I pass the house where the family used to live - I seem to remember they moved away - and feel the sadness. As in all communities by the sea, this is only too common an occurrence. Even in the few years I've been here, several tragedies like this have occurred. Those left behind remain in my thoughts.
View across the walls of Arnol to the next village, Bragar.
Where one of the canoes was found washed up. She immediately raised the alarm, and the Coastguard found the man in the water. He was quickly transferred to hospital, but did not survive. His son was not found for another 3 weeks, in spite of intense search efforts which were carried on quite late in the evening, on account of the long evenings in June.
Whenever I pass through Arnol, I pass the house where the family used to live - I seem to remember they moved away - and feel the sadness. As in all communities by the sea, this is only too common an occurrence. Even in the few years I've been here, several tragedies like this have occurred. Those left behind remain in my thoughts.
View across the walls of Arnol to the next village, Bragar.
Award
I am very pleased to see the resurgence of awards, memes and what have you in J-land. Jeannette (Outside Looking In) passed the Let them Eat Cake award to me.
.
I'll think about who to pass it on to, but it's pretty much done the round - also, I'm not fully back into the swing of things yet, so please don't be offended if I pass on this one.
.I'll think about who to pass it on to, but it's pretty much done the round - also, I'm not fully back into the swing of things yet, so please don't be offended if I pass on this one.
Reminder
Can I ask everyone who needs / wants to email me, please do so on adb422006@gmail.com, and no longer on pharmolo@aol.com? I'm minimising my exposure to AOL.
Conversely, can I also ask everyone who wants a reply from me (some do) to allow mail from above email to reach their email Inbox. Natalie!!!
Conversely, can I also ask everyone who wants a reply from me (some do) to allow mail from above email to reach their email Inbox. Natalie!!!
Front picture
The pic at the head of my blog shows the beach at Dalbeg [Dail Beag] on the west coast of Lewis, some 20 miles west of Stornoway. This is a short video of waves crashing into the shore at Dalbeg.
Dalbeg itself is a one horse town, consisting of about half a dozen houses, a lily pond loch in summer and plenty sheep. This set on Flickr shows more than 150 pictures of the place.
Dalbeg itself is a one horse town, consisting of about half a dozen houses, a lily pond loch in summer and plenty sheep. This set on Flickr shows more than 150 pictures of the place.
Have a look
Regina (known as wumzels2 on AOL) has started a poetry journal (Somewhere in Time), and I think it is very good. Can't say I'm much of a poetry buff, but would like to recommend this for reading.
Tuesday 18 November
Overcast day with a few chinks in the clouds. Very quiet weather today, but winds will pick up tomorrow to galeforce.
Last night, I lost Internet service after 8pm, but things are back up now. The ISP advises that it is affecting a large geographical area. I hope it stays on up here, suppose I suffer from internet addiction (winks).
I went to the supermarket last night, and saw a bevvy of flashing blue lights near the town centre, just down the road. It turns out two youngsters crashed their car into the busstation. They were slightly hurt and taken to hospital. Their car was damaged in the incident.
Last night, I lost Internet service after 8pm, but things are back up now. The ISP advises that it is affecting a large geographical area. I hope it stays on up here, suppose I suffer from internet addiction (winks).
I went to the supermarket last night, and saw a bevvy of flashing blue lights near the town centre, just down the road. It turns out two youngsters crashed their car into the busstation. They were slightly hurt and taken to hospital. Their car was damaged in the incident.
Monday, 17 November 2008
A Question of Perspective
A man was attacked in Germany in 1996 by neo-nazis, which left him paralysed from the neck down. His wife died of cancer in 2000, and he is now contemplating assisted suicide at a clinic in Switzerland. That is all I will say about this story, which continues on this BBC webpage. Read it, and come back here to leave a comment.
Fat cats
With all this talk of fat cats and the credit crunch, I just wanted to feature this well-fed moggie that I found in Hoy last month.
Monday 17 November
Horrible day, strong winds, heavy rain, low temperatures. November at its worst.
I have resized the front picture, in order that it fully fits the screen when the blog loads. It has also been decreased in actual load size (by about 1/3), to suit those of you with slow connections.
Baby P, the 17-month old that was allegedly killed by his parents, continues to make headlines 15 months after his died. The focus remains on the social workers involved. Without making excuses for any mistakes made in this sad case, I have to say that when it comes to deciding whether a child can stay at home or not is an extremely hard call to make. I used to know someone who would take children away from their parents, under court order, and that would always happen in the presence of police. The most extreme case was a baby, taken from its mother the moment it was born. I need not remind you of the emotional repercussions of taking a child away from parents. However, if the health and safety of a child is at serious danger, then a decision will have to be made. Finally, I was not amused or impressed by the sight of two leading politicians shouting across the floor of the House of Commons last week over this, and they were rightly rebuked by Mr Speaker.
I have resized the front picture, in order that it fully fits the screen when the blog loads. It has also been decreased in actual load size (by about 1/3), to suit those of you with slow connections.
Baby P, the 17-month old that was allegedly killed by his parents, continues to make headlines 15 months after his died. The focus remains on the social workers involved. Without making excuses for any mistakes made in this sad case, I have to say that when it comes to deciding whether a child can stay at home or not is an extremely hard call to make. I used to know someone who would take children away from their parents, under court order, and that would always happen in the presence of police. The most extreme case was a baby, taken from its mother the moment it was born. I need not remind you of the emotional repercussions of taking a child away from parents. However, if the health and safety of a child is at serious danger, then a decision will have to be made. Finally, I was not amused or impressed by the sight of two leading politicians shouting across the floor of the House of Commons last week over this, and they were rightly rebuked by Mr Speaker.
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