Early on Monday, I shall depart for Holland to spend Christmas and New Year with my father. As I've indicated before, it will be the first time he will spend either holiday alone following the death of my mother 8 months ago. I shall return to Stornoway on Monday 5 January 2009.
In the period I'm away from Lewis, this blog will feature a daily entry entitled "Remembering Today", which I shall set up tomorrow. You can schedule entries on Blogger to be published on a date in the future, so don't be surprised to see posts from me on Atlantic Lines from December 22nd until January 1st, a black date in Lewis history.
I am currently thinking about my activities, and that includes the Internet. At the moment, I spend too much time on the computer, much as though I enjoy that. Since we switched to Blogger, I have taken up with Facebook, which is an activity I may end up abandoning after the New Year. I am also not certain that I shall continue blogging on this blog. I set up Atlantic Lines following AOL's closure of our journals, which, like many of you, I found a traumatic experience. This blog covers a period marked by relationship problems, both on-line and in real life, underpinned by the continuing grieving for my mother - quite an unhappy episode to be truthful. The front picture, Dalbeg beach under looming clouds, is strangely evocative in that respect.
From next Tuesday, I shall make updates on my Dutch blog The Shell Gallery, until I return to Stornoway. I will not be calling round journals in that period, except for those mentioned in Call for Support. On 6 January 2009, I will make a final post on here, announcing my further intentions. You may want to prepare yourselves for my withdrawal from blogging for a protracted period of time.
Saturday, 20 December 2008
Remembering Today
20 December
On this day in the First World War, these four men from the Isle of Lewis lost their lives in the service of King & Country. RIP.
Private WILLIAM MACKAY
Last address in Lewis: 17 Fivepenny
Regiment / service: Seaforth Highlanders
Date of death: 20 December 1914 at the age of 19
Killed in action in France
Local memorial: North Lewis, Cross
Private ALEX MACDONALD
Last address in Lewis: 26 South Dell
Regiment / service: 1st, Seaforth Highlanders
Date of death: 20 December 1914 at the age of 24
Killed in action in France
Local memorial: North Lewis, Cross
Private JOHN MACLEOD
Last address in Lewis: 9 Fivepenny
Son of Angus and Catherine Macleod, of 9, Fivepenny, Port of Ness, Stornoway.
Regiment / service: 1st, Seaforth Highlanders
Service number: 3/7206
Date of death: 20 December 1914 at the age of 19
Killed in action in France
Memorial / cemetery: Ploegsteert Memorial, Panel 9
Local memorial: North Lewis, Cross
Private JOHN CAMPBELL
Last address in Lewis: 18A Gravir,
Son of John and Mary Campbell, of 18, Gravir, Stornoway.
Regiment or division: 1st Seaforth Highlanders
Service number: 3/7159
Date of death: 20 December 1914 at the age of 20
Killed in action
Memorial: Le Touret
Memorial reference: Panel 38 and 39
Local memorial: Pairc, Kershader
On this day in the First World War, these four men from the Isle of Lewis lost their lives in the service of King & Country. RIP.
Private WILLIAM MACKAY
Last address in Lewis: 17 Fivepenny
Regiment / service: Seaforth Highlanders
Date of death: 20 December 1914 at the age of 19
Killed in action in France
Local memorial: North Lewis, Cross
Private ALEX MACDONALD
Last address in Lewis: 26 South Dell
Regiment / service: 1st, Seaforth Highlanders
Date of death: 20 December 1914 at the age of 24
Killed in action in France
Local memorial: North Lewis, Cross
Private JOHN MACLEOD
Last address in Lewis: 9 Fivepenny
Son of Angus and Catherine Macleod, of 9, Fivepenny, Port of Ness, Stornoway.
Regiment / service: 1st, Seaforth Highlanders
Service number: 3/7206
Date of death: 20 December 1914 at the age of 19
Killed in action in France
Memorial / cemetery: Ploegsteert Memorial, Panel 9
Local memorial: North Lewis, Cross
Private JOHN CAMPBELL
Last address in Lewis: 18A Gravir,
Son of John and Mary Campbell, of 18, Gravir, Stornoway.
Regiment or division: 1st Seaforth Highlanders
Service number: 3/7159
Date of death: 20 December 1914 at the age of 20
Killed in action
Memorial: Le Touret
Memorial reference: Panel 38 and 39
Local memorial: Pairc, Kershader
Misleading
AOL Video Uncut was shut down on Thursday, and their site now redirects to Motionbox.com, another video upload site. The email that AOL sent me about that suggests that they would transfer the videos that used to be on Uncut to Motionbox. There is nothing on the Motionbox.com website that suggests that this is actually possible, being done.
I copy the relevant paragraph:
Our records show that you had uploaded videos to the site. While the AOL Video Uploads site is no longer available, we have made your videos available to be transferred to Motionbox.com for a limited time. Learn more at Motionbox.
No, that's not the case at all. Motionbox offer former Uncut users a premium membership at a reduced rate for 30 days. No videos have been transferred at all. I copied mine to YouTube the moment the closure of Uncut was announced.
AOL?
I copy the relevant paragraph:
Our records show that you had uploaded videos to the site. While the AOL Video Uploads site is no longer available, we have made your videos available to be transferred to Motionbox.com for a limited time. Learn more at Motionbox.
No, that's not the case at all. Motionbox offer former Uncut users a premium membership at a reduced rate for 30 days. No videos have been transferred at all. I copied mine to YouTube the moment the closure of Uncut was announced.
AOL?
Christmas - 2007
Christmas last year was tainted with sadness in J-land, as was, with the loss of two of its writers on both days. On Christmas Day, Lahoma (who used the AOL screenname of mzgoochi) passed away after a struggle with cancer. On Boxing Day, Kim (demandnlilchit) followed in her footsteps, also succumbing to cancer. I hope Christmas this year will be a merrier affair, although the community doesn't seem to be the same after our expulsion from AOL.
Saturday 20 December
Phew, a bright, sunny day with very little wind. The storm died down late last night, moving east to batter Orkney and Shetland. It's not very warm, only 5C / 41F. Yesterday's heavy rain and wind has led to flooding problems across Scotland. I was sorry to hear that the winterstorm across the northeastern USA continues to wreak havoc, likewise in Washington State.
There are currently problems with internet traffic due to severed subsea cables south of Sicily. This is thought to have happened as a result of seismic activity - Sicily hosts an active volcano, Mt Etna.
There are currently problems with internet traffic due to severed subsea cables south of Sicily. This is thought to have happened as a result of seismic activity - Sicily hosts an active volcano, Mt Etna.
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