Top 10 scariest runways

a Reuters news story

.."Nervous fliers, stop reading! Travel website Travel + Leisure has come up with a list of the world's scariest runways that can make even the most relaxed travelers grip their armrest"..

*I've been to Gibraltar airport myself* ;O

Supervilliany video

**Can't get this song out of my mind now**

AHHHHHHHHHHH-H-H-H! lol :)

The Scene and Heard Project

Scene and heard is an inner city project in London set up 10 years ago to help children (9-14) on a one-2-one basis, to write and produce their own plays.

And Samuel West is one of their patrons...
Scene and Heard

*so pleased to hear this* :)

Sam West at The Convention on Modern Liberty event

Sam signs the book with a "Good Luck" message

Samuel West recently attended the launch party for the forthcoming Convention on Modern liberty event which begins next month here in London. Great to see the old boy out and about again...and a pic on his own too. Wow we've been spoiled! hehe! ;)

credit to spiffyjellybean for finding the pic

Single cell 'can store memories'

.."Just one brain cell is capable of holding fleeting memories vital for our everyday life, according to US scientists"..

BBC chief holds peace talks in Jerusalem with Ariel Sharon

The Independent news story

.."The BBC is often accused of an anti-Israeli bias in its coverage of the Middle East, and recently censured reporter Barbara Plett for saying she "started to cry" when Yasser Arafat left Palestine shortly before his death"..

.."Fascinating, then, to learn that its director general, Mark Thompson, has recently returned from Jerusalem, where he held a face-to-face meeting with the hardine Prime Minister Ariel Sharon"..

.."Not many people know this, but Mark is actually a deeply religious man. He's a Catholic, but his wife is Jewish, and he has a far greater regard for the Israeli cause than some of his predecessors"..

Critics hail Tennant for part-time Hamlet

.."David Tennant was honoured today for the best Shakespearean performance of the year despite his limited London run"..

I know that David is a good actor, but would he of got this award if he hadn't been the current Dr Who? :\

Gaza donations double after appeal

.."Donations to the emergency fund for Gaza have doubled after three TV channels broadcast an appeal that the BBC and Sky News have refused to show"..

Tony Benn makes appeal for Gazza on BBC

Well done to Tony for putting the BBC in it's place...
Tony Benn on BBC News 24

Donate to the Gaza Appeal...
Disasters Emergency Committee

"I'm sorry but I'm a human being" -- Tony Benn

140 years of UFO sightings - Part I (slideshow)

.."What is often claimed to be the earliest picture of a UFO, this picture was taken from the summit of Mount Washington, New Hampshire, in 1870"..

**Parts 2 and 3 can be found on link above**

(((The truth is out there...)))

Sky News joins BBC in not broadcasting DEC emergency Gaza aid appeal

Telegraph.co.uk news story

.."More than 50 Members of Parliament are backing a parliamentary motion that states "this House is astonished by the refusal of the BBC and other broadcasters to broadcast the Disasters Emergency Committee Gaza Crisis Appeal; [and] notes the unconvincing and incoherent explanations given by BBC spokespeople for the decision"..

National demonstration for Gaza: In London. (Week 3)

Yesterday along with thousands of others, I attended the national demonstration for Gaza in London. There was a rally near to the BBC broadcasting house in Portland sq, before the march began. It's route took us across Oxford Street, down Regents street, past Piccadilly Circus, along Pall Mall, and into Trafalgar Sq. We were meant to go past Downing Street as well but this was cancelled at the last minute. I'm pleased to say that quite a few people joined the march en route which was amazing to see. Unfortunately the BBC decided against broadcasting more than a couple of seconds of the march itself, as well as defiantly choosing not to broadcast an appeal for aid to the survivors of the Gazza conflict. They say they want to remain impartial...yet during these horrendous weeks of mass slaughter of the Palestinians in Gazza, they have continued to give airtime to the Israeli government who justify their actions in unbelievable ways. Other TV channels have all agreed to air the charity appeal for Gazza for aid...but the BBC remain against the idea.

So before I get all militant and start ripping up my BBC TV licence, here are some of my pictures from the event...


Tony Benn begins the March with a Rally near BBC Broadcasting House



The March begins. There are literally thousands of people Marching with banners in support



Thousands of protesters line the route for as far as the eye can see in both directions



BBC broadcasting House. Protesters throw shoes in disgust at the way the BBC have been biased towards Israel by refusing to broadcast an appeal by numerous charities to help the survivors of the Gaza Massacre.



A TV cameraman films the demonstration from behind some dolls that were placed on the steps of All Souls Church, near to the BBC Broadcasting House. These are to symbolise the hundreds of innocent children who were massacred in the Gaza conflict by Israeli troops.

Protest over BBC Gaza appeal veto

.."A protest is to be held outside the BBC's London HQ over its refusal to broadcast a charity appeal for Gaza.

The BBC says it cannot show the appeal by the Disasters Emergency Committee because it does not want to compromise its commitment to impartiality"..
**I will be attending this event today**

Theatre pecking order

Producer:

• Leaps Tall Buildings In A Single Bound
• Is More Powerful Than A Locomotive
• Is Faster Than A Speeding Bullet
• Walks On Water
• Gives Policy To God
  

Director:

• Leaps Short Buildings In A Single Bound
• Is More Powerful Than A Switch Engine
• Is Just As Fast As A Speeding Bullet
• Walks On Water If The Sea Is Calm
• Talks With God
  

Playwright:

• Leaps Short Buildings With A Running Start
• Is Almost As Powerful As A Switch Engine
• Is Faster Than A Speeding BB
• Swims Well
• Is Occasionally Addressed By God
  

Actor:

• Makes High Marks On The Wall When Trying To Leap Buildings
• Is Run Over By Locomotives
• Can Sometimes Handle A Gun Without Inflicting Self-Injury
• Dog Paddles
• Talks To Animals
  

Technicians:

• Runs Into Buildings
• Recognizes Locomotives Two Out Of Three Times
• Is Not Issued Ammunition
• Can Stay Afloat With A Life Preserver
• Talks To Walls
  

Chorus member:

• Falls Over Doorsteps When Trying To Enter Buildings
• Says, "Look At The Choo-Choo!"
• Wets Self With A Water Pistol
• Plays In Mud Puddles
• Mumbles To Self
  

Stage Manager:

• Lifts Buildings And Walks Under Them
• Kicks Locomotives Off The Track
• Catches Speeding Bullets In Teeth And Eats Them
• Freezes Water With A Single Glance
• IS God!

Theatre Mayhem

~A random online joke~

A man was sprawled across three entire seats in a theatre. When the usher came by and noticed this, he whispered to the man, "Sorry sir, but you're only allowed one seat." The man groaned but didn't budge. The usher became impatient. "Sir," the usher said, "if you don't get up from there, I'm going to have to call the manager." Again, the man just groaned, which infuriated the usher who turned and marched briskly back up the aisle in search of his manager. In a few moments, both the usher and the manager returned and stood over the man. Together the two of them tried repeatedly to move him, but with no success. Finally, they summoned the police. The cop surveyed the situation briefly. "All right, buddy. What's your name?" "Sam," the man moaned. "Where ya from, Sam?" the cop asked. "The balconnnnyyyyy."

Israel guilty of War crimes: inside Gaza

Channel 4 news report...
Israel Hits UN School in Beit Lahiya (video)

**Reminder** ~ Demonstration for Gaza: Saturday 24th January 2009. Stop Arms Sales To Israel: Bring The War Criminals To Justice: Free Palestine. Assemble 2pm, BBC Broadcasting House Portland Place, London, W1A 1AA (Nearest Tube Regents Park and Great Portland Place) March to Trafalgar Square via Downing Street

more info here...
Stop the War Coalition

The death of the bonnet: BBC to overhaul costume dramas

.."A senior BBC drama insider told the Guardian: "There is to be an evolution in the presentation of period dramas, moving away from classic 19th century so-called 'bonnet' dramas to looking at other periods of history"..

**let's hope we get some more medieval ones**

President Obama's Inauguration Marathon

Barack Obama gets sworn into office as the 44th president of the united states of america

**Spent the best part of the afternoon and evening transfixed infront of the TV watching history being made**

Inauguration speech video... (BBC News)
President Obama

**Some random facts ~ my step mum has traced her family back to one of the US presidents. Not sure which one yet. Guess I will have to ask when I next speak to my Dad. lol**

Atheist buses to challenge religious messages

by Yahoo News...

.."An advertising campaign by atheists has been launched after exceeding its donations target by 2,400 per cent"..

.."There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life" is the message on the 'atheist buses', the results of a campaign by comedy writer Ariane Sherine"..

3rd Demonstration for Gaza in London | Saturday 24th January 2009

more details here...
Israel Out Of Gaza Now: Lift The Blockade
Assemble BBC Broadcasting House
Portland Place, London, W1A 1AA
(Nearest Tube Oxford Circus)
March To Trafalgar Square

End Gaza Massacre Rally and Children's March, Trafalgar Square | January 17 2009

Videos taken on the day...
4 videos post on the Stop the War Coalition website

**Will add my own photos of the event here soon**

Who is your Role Model?

NO CHEATING!!!!!!


WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL???


Try it without looking at the answers!


1. Pick your favorite number between 1 and 9.


2. Multiply it by 3.


3. Add 3, then again Multiply by 3 (I'll wait while you get the calculator....).


4. You should have a 2 or 3 digit number.


5. Add the digits together.


Now Scroll down ..............



Now with that number see who your ROLE MODEL is from the list below:

1. Einstein
2. Nelson Mandela
3. Shakespeare
4. Dalai Lama
5. Bill Gates
6. Gandhi
7. Brad Pitt
8. Buddha
9. Maria aka m4sure... of course =)
10. Barack Obama

I know I just have that effect on people.
One day if you work very, very hard you too can be like me!

PS: Stop picking different numbers.

I AM YOUR IDOL, JUST DEAL WITH IT!!!!!! :P

Stand up for Shakespeare Campaign

Stand up for Shakespeare campaign video...

.."The video clip above gives examples of children and young people living out the principles of the manifesto and interviews with actors who are key supporters of Stand up for Shakespeare, including David Tennant, Patrick Steward, Ian McKellen and Judi Dench. We hope it will inspire you and your students to support the manifesto!"..

UN Outraged As Its Gaza HQ Is Hit

A UN foreign worker runs outside the UN warehouse in Gaza after Israeli strikes

Sky News Report...
.."The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has suspended its operations in Gaza after its headquarters was hit by several Israeli shells, injuring three of its employees"..

Gaza death toll tops 1,000

A shell fired from an Israeli army tank explodes over a building in Gaza

The death toll in Gaza rose above 1,000 as efforts to broker a truce intensified. Egypt and Hamas were negotiating a proposal for a 10-day ceasefire in Gaza, officials said. The proposal would then be presented to Israel for approval. Israel, which began its offensive on December 27, struck some 85 targets in the strip bordering southern Israel. One airstrike hit an overcrowded cemetery, spreading body parts and rotting flesh over a wide area. The army said the airstrike targeted a nearby weapons cache. Israel launched the onslaught in Gaza to punish the ruling Hamas militant group for years of rocket attacks on southern Israel.

The offensive has killed at least 1,018 Palestinians, about half of them civilians, including 300 minors, said Dr Moaiya Hassanain, of the Gaza health ministry. The toll included 68 Palestinians who were killed or died of wounds on Wednesday. Thirteen Israelis have been killed, four by rocket fire from Gaza. Rocket fire from Lebanon, the second time in a week, caused no injuries in Israel. Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed group that fought a month-long war with Israel in 2006, denied involvement in last week's attack, and speculation focused on small Palestinian groups. The Muslim world has expressed outrage over Israel's Gaza offensive, and in a new condemnation, al Qaida leader Osama bin Laden urged Muslims to launch a holy war against Israel. Israeli military officials have said talks in Cairo will determine whether Israel moves closer to a truce with Hamas or widens its offensive to send thousands of reservists into urban areas where casualties on both sides would likely mount. Israel wants an end to rocket attacks from Gaza and guarantees of a halt in the smuggling of weapons into Gaza through the porous Egyptian border. Hamas has called for an immediate Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

The Isles of Scilly paradise

Link to interview...
Sam West's Heaven on Earth

I've always admired the Isles of Scilly. Was meant to go there many years ago with my Mum, but never got around to it. From what I've seen on the tv etc, it's an extremely beautiful place to visit. Quite near Cornwall. The nearest I've been to this place was facing its direction from ontop of the Land's End landmark about 15 years ago now. I hope to get the opportunity to visit the islands one day. It's on my 10 things to do before I'm too old to care list. :)

Stop the Gaza Massacre: London demo 17th January 2009

As the number of palestinians killed rises to 1000, 40% of them women or children, there will be protests in cities and towns across Britain this Saturday 17th January, including an all-London rally in Trafalgar Square 2pm. Millions worldwide continue to demonstrate against the endless Israeli war crimes.

More info at this link...
Stop the War Coalition

If you are able to attend this rally then please do.

I for one will be going to show my support.

Random facts about Art, Literature and Music

• Picasso could draw before he could walk and his first word was the Spanish word for pencil.
• The first history book, the Great Universal History, was published by Rashid-Eddin of Persia in 1311.
• A grand piano can be played faster than an upright (spinet) piano.
• Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote Meteorologica in 350 BC - it remained the standard textbook on weather for 2,000 years.
• The first illustrated book for children was published in Germany in 1658.
• The word "novel" originally derived from the Latin novus, meaning "new."
• It is said that if a statue of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle; if the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle; if the horse has all four legs on the ground, like the Zizkov Monument, the person died of natural causes.
• Music was sent down a telephone line for the first time in 1876, the year the phone was invented.
• To save costs, the body of Shakespeare's friend and fellow dramatist, Ben Jonson, was buried standing up in Westminister Abbey, London in 1637.
• Jean-Dominique Bauby, a French journalist suffering from "locked-in" syndrome, wrote the book "The Driving Bell and the Butterfly" by blinking his left eyelid - the only part of his body that could move.
• The only guy without a beard in ZZTOP surname (last name) is Beard.
• The shortest stage play is Samuel Beckett's "Breath" - 35 seconds of screams and heavy breathing.
• The first colour photograph was made in 1861 by James Maxwell. He photographed a tartan ribbon.
• In 1952, John Cage composed and presented ' 4'33" ', a composition consisting of 4 minutes and 33 seconds of silence.
• Beethoven was the first composer who never had an official court position, thus the first known freelance musician. Born in 1770, he grew up poor, but published his first work at age 12. By age 20 he was famous. He often sold the same score to six or seven different publishers simultaneously, and demanded unreasonably large fees for the simplest work. He was short, stocky, dressed badly, didn't like to bath, lived in squalor, used crude language, openly conducted affairs with married women, and had syphilis. Beethoven was deaf when he composed his Ninth Symphony.

Harry's Game by Clannad

English Translation

I will go east and go west
[To the places] from whence came
The moon and the sun
The moon and the sun will go
And the young man
With his reputation behind him
I will go wherever he came from -
The young man with his reputation behind him

Harry's game (video)

The Cemetery is full in Gaza

After 18 days of fighting, Israeli soldiers reach Tel Hawwa, the closest they have come to the centre of Gaza City.

There have also been air strikes on Rafah in the south, and shelling in Beit Lahiyah.

The cemetery is full, reads a sign in Gaza City, as Israeli aircraft attacked some 60 targets across the territory.

The head of the Red Cross accompanied an aid convoy into Gaza during a three-hour ceasefire, although witnesses said the shelling continued.

Hamas also kept up its attacks, firing 10 rockets into Israel.

Thirteen Israelis and more than 900 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict began.

Channel 4 news report (video)

Gaza humanitarian crisis deepens

Some 3,500 people have been
wounded in Gaza, many seriously


.."Gaza is "on the cusp of catastrophe", a senior UN official currently in Gaza City has said"..

.."Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on Gaza for the past 18 months, allowing little more than humanitarian basics into the coastal territory. Health, energy and water infrastructure were already close to breaking point before the fighting broke out"..

.."Some 750,000 people - half Gaza's population - are dependent on food hand-outs from the UN relief agency, Unrwa. Distribution has been hampered by security problems and was suspended for a day on Friday 9 January after a truck driver for the UN was killed. The UN blamed Israeli fire, which the Israeli military later denied"..

.."Save the Children says it fears newborn and sick babies may be dying because their parents are unable to reach hospitals. At the Rafah crossing, Egyptian and foreign doctors have been prevented from entering Gaza from Egypt. Egypt, with Israel, closed the border when Hamas came to power in 2007"..

Paper trail to the past

.."Almost the entire 1911 census goes online for public access on Tuesday. Rob Liddle looks at what we can hope to find out from it and how organisers hope to avoid a repeat of the deluge that shut the 1901 census website last time"..

.."One householder completed his form with the words: "Would you like to know what our income is, what each had for breakfast and how long we expect to live on anything else?"..

."Elsewhere, the humour of the British public is apparent. A mother of five children lists her occupation as "slave to family", and a man claims his is "anything, nothing special". In another household the family cat is listed as a servant whose nationality is "Persian"..

How to get rid of an annoying cough

1. Make a new airway (see pic)

or

2. Go buy some cough mixture

Definition for cough
To expel air from the lungs suddenly and noisily, often
to keep the respiratory passages free of irritating material.

Family Reunion time is now over

"Why I have this election I do not understand.
It must have been preparing always, and I see
what I always wanted. Strength demanded that
seems too much, is just strength enough.
I must follow the bright angels."

I went to last nights final performance of TS Eliot's play Family Reunion at the Donmar Theatre. My 5th time. But it so nearly didn't happen. Had to drag myself out of my sick bed to attend. I decided to go along to support Samuel West like I promised one last time, even if it finished me off in the process. I tried so hard not to have a coughing fit during the play. A difficult task I can tell you from way up in the rafters, better known as the notorious circle area. A place where the phantom birds like to hide, and secrets are kept. A world few seldom see...unless you happen to like heights and confined places. The show itself was excellent as ever, and I felt sad that it was all coming to an end. So much had happened during its run. Christmas had been and gone, the conflict in Gaza dominated the news, Harold Pinter's subsequent death, and the beginnings of a new year. All this, yet here in the Donmar time stood still for just over 2 hours. Some would say a perfect escape from the harsh realities of the outside world. When the play had uttered its last word and cheer, I made the lonely walk down the many flights of stairs, past the auto hunters, before I snuck out into the cold dark night to become just a memory again.

I hope the bird brought you luck Sam. It was meant too. All the best for your next project, whatever that may be.

UFO mystery over wrecked wind turbine

Is there an innocent explanation for the strange
lights in the Lincolnshire sky, or was it a UFO?

An investigation is under way after a 65ft wind turbine blade was sent flying into the night sky and another left bent and distorted amidst dozens of sightings of mysterious "strange lights" in the sky. Dorothy Willows was in her car when "strange lights" appeared in the evening sky, reported the Sun. She was among dozens who spotted the mysterious flashing orangey-yellow spheres over Lincolnshire... "The lights were moving across the sky towards the wind farm. Then I saw a low flying object. It was skimming across the sky towards the turbines," Willows said.

Local newspaper Louth Today spoke to another witness, John Harrison, who described how he looked out of his landing window to see a "massive ball of light" with "tentacles going right down to the ground" over the wind farm. "It was huge" he said "At first I thought it must have been a hole where the moon was shining through but then I saw the tentacles – it looked just like an octopus. "It was an incredible site; I have never seen anything like it before. I have no idea what it was, all I can say is what I saw."

The chairman of East Lindsey District Council, Robert Palmer, also reported seeing something strange in the sky, a "round, white light that seemed to be hovering". "That is the only way I can explain it - it wasn't a flare-like light - it was just round, white light with a slight red edge to it that seemed to be over the wind turbines"

Russ Kellett, from the Flying Saucer Bureau, said up to 30 witnesses had told him of activity in the area. "One saw what they at first thought was a low-flying aircraft on the Saturday evening and another heard a loud banging in the early hours of Sunday," he said. "This is the second most reports of activity we have ever had."

"To hit two of the blades, any object must have been about 170ft long," he said. Dale Vince, founder of the renewable energy company Ecotricity that owns the wind farm, told the BBC's Today Programme that although wind turbines do sometimes suffer mechanical failures that can cause them to lose blades, the damage to this turbine was "unique". "We don't have an explanation at the moment as to what the cause was," he said. "We have been crawling all over it and have sent bits off for analysis to see if we can work out what caused it. "Until we have some idea, some plausible explanation that it was not a UFO, I don't think we should rule it out."

A cure for all ills

Captain Jack Harkness and the Doctorrrrrr

*the more the merrier I say* :P

Mystery of Alexander Selkirk, the real Robinson Crusoe, solved

By Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent Telegraph.co.uk


Scottish sailor Selkirk was marooned on a small tropical island in
the Pacific for more than four years. Photo: MARY EVANS PICTURE LIBRARY

Cast away on a desert island, surviving on what nature alone can provide, praying for rescue but at the same time fearing the sight of a boat on the horizon. These are the imaginative creations of Daniel Defoe in his famous novel Robinson Crusoe. But the story is believed to be based on the real-life experience of Scottish sailor Selkirk, marooned in 1704 on a small tropical island in the Pacific for more than four years, and now archaeological evidence has been found to support his existence on the island.

An article in the journal Post-Medieval Archaeology claims that an archaeological dig on the Argentinian island of Aguas Buenas, 470 miles off the Chilean coast, reveals evidence of the campsite of an early European occupant. The most compelling evidence is the discovery of a fragment of a pair of navigational dividers which could only have belonged to a ship's master or navigator, which historical evidence suggests Selkirk must have been. In Selkirk's rescuer, Captain Woodes Rogers' account of what he saw on arrival at Aguas Buenas in 1709 lists "some practical pieces" and mathematical instruments amongst the few possessions that Selkirk had taken with him from the ship. Dr David Caldwell, National Museums Scotland, who helped lead the dig, said the find finally confirmed the whereabouts of the castaway camp. "The evidence uncovered at Aguas Buenas corroborates the stories of Alexander Selkirk's stay on the island and provides a fascinating insight into his existence there.," he said. "I am satisfied in my mind that this is the place where Selkirk set up his camp. I never thought we had a chance of finding it but the discovery of the divider was crucial."

The finds also provide an insight into exactly how Selkirk might have lived on the island. Postholes suggest he built two shelters near to a freshwater stream, and had access to a viewpoint over the harbour from where he would be able to watch for approaching ships and ascertain whether they were friend or foe. Accounts written shortly after his rescue describe him shooting goats with a gun rescued from the ship, and eventually learning to outrun them, eating their meat and using their skins as clothing. He also passed time reading the Bible and singing psalms, and seems to have enjoyed a more peaceful and devout existence than at any other time in his life. Alexander Selkirk was born in the small seaside town of Lower Largo, Fife, Scotland in 1676. A younger son of a shoemaker, he was drawn to a life at sea from an early age. In 1704, during a privateering voyage on the Cinque Ports, Selkirk fell out with the commander over the boat's seaworthiness and he decided to remain behind on island, now named Robinson Crusoe, where they had landed to overhaul the worm-infested vessel. He cannot have known that it would be five years before he was picked up by an English ship visiting the island. Published in 1719, Robinson Crusoe is one of the oldest and most famous adventure stories in English literature. Whilst it is unclear whether Defoe and Selkirk actually met, Defoe would certainly have heard the stories of Selkirk's adventure and used the tales as the basis for his novel.

Milky Way spins faster, has more mass than thought: astronomers

The Milky way. We are in there somewhere. A solitary speck of mischief.

.."The Milky Way, the Earth's home galaxy, is spinning much faster and has a mass 50 percent larger than previously believed, raising the probability of a collision with another galaxy, according to a report out Monday"..

Twelfth Night on 12th night at Wyndams Theatre

**Update to say**...

I did go along in the end to see the show with a box of tissues and bottle of water stuffed inside my bag. I really did enjoy the play. A bit strange that they called the character 'Maria' Mary or Mar-iah instead. How dare they. I stayed on at the end for the Q&A with the cast and director Michael Grandage who looked ill as well. Didn't take any photos though due to the cast all staring at this mad woman blowing her nose in the front row every few minutes. One amusing fact that I found out, was that Michael was in an episode of Cadfael with Derek. I've got the boxset already so will now have to take a look when I'm feeling a bit better. Michael with a tonsure. That has got to be seen.

I'm meant to be going tomorrow to see this play starring Sir Derek Jacobi if my seasonal lurgy eases up a bit. It will be a shame to miss the show. Well if all else fails, here's a game to occupy my frail self in my recovery...

Twelfth Night penalty shootout (online game)

Try it out...I scored 6 out of 10. Yay me! :)

Definition of lurgy (plural lurgies)
(UK, slang) A fictitious, yet highly infectious disease; often used in the phrase "the dreaded lurgy", sometimes as a reference to flu-like symptoms

Getting into Space by Broomstick

The prospects for the space elevator have been shaken up with a simple prototype using a broomstick.

Did Dark Matter Power Early Stars?

by Nancy Atkinson


The galaxy cluster Cl 0024+17 (ZwCl0024+1652) as seen
by Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys. Credit: NASA, ESA,
M.J. Jee and H. Ford (Johns Hopkins University)

The first stars to light the early universe may have been powered by dark matter, according to a new study. Researchers from the University of Michagan, Ann Arbor call these very first stars "Dark Stars," and propose that dark matter heating provided the energy for these stars instead of fusion. The researchers propose that with a high concentration of dark matter in the early Universe, the theoretical particles called Weakly Interacting Massive Particles(WIMPs), collected inside the first stars and annihilated themselves to produce a heat source to power the stars. "We studied the behavior of WIMPs in the first stars," said Katherine Freese and her team in their paper, "and found that they can radically alter the stellar evolution. The annihilation products of the dark matter inside the star can be trapped and deposit enough energy to heat the star and prevent it from further collapse."The philosophy behind this research is that 95% of the mass in galaxies and clusters of galaxies is in the form of an unknown type of matter and energy. The researchers say, "The first stars to form in the universe are a natural place to look for significant amounts of dark matter annihilation, because they form at the right place and the right time. They form at high redshifts, when the universe was still substantially denser than it is today, and at the high density centers of dark matter haloes." The concentration of dark matter at that time would have been extremely high meaning that any ordinary stars would naturally contain large amounts of dark matter.

Dark stars would have been driven by the annihilation of dark matter particles releasing heat but only in stars larger than 400 solar masses. That turns out to be quite feasible since stars containing smaller amounts of dark matter would naturally grow as they swept up dark matter from nearby space. The stars continued, and may still continue to be powered by dark matter annihilation as long as there is dark matter for fuel. When the dark matter runs out, they simply collapse to form black holes. If they exist, Dark Stars should be able to be detected with future telescopes, and if found, would enable the study of WIMPs, and therefore be able to prove the existence of dark matter.

Campaigners condemn Gaza raids

.."Celebrities and politicians have called for an end to Israel's bombardment of the Gaza strip"..

..."Annie Lennox, Alexei Sayle, Ken Livingstone, Bianca Jagger and George Galloway spoke at a press conference organised by the British Muslim Initiative"..

National Demonstration London: Free Gaza protest

All images taken by me...

*Justice in Gaza needs to happen now*

A Man Who Fired The Imagination

by Julia Lafferty posted in the Hackney Gazette


Clapton Cinematograph Theatre Hackney

With the passing of Harold Pinter on Christmas Eve, the world has lost a great dramatist and writer, and a man of deepest principle and humanity. Harold Pinter was born into a working family in Hackney's Jewish community in 1930. His father was a jobbing tailor and the family lived as 19 Thistlewaite Road in Lower Clapton. After a period of war-time evacuation, he attended Hackney Downs Grammar School, where he met schoolteacher Joseph Brearley, who was to prove a major influence on his future development. Pinter relates in his anthology of writings, Various, Various, how he and Joe embarked on a series of walks which continued for years, discussing literature and drama as they went. On Joe Brearley's death in 1977 Pinter commemorated him in a poem which concluded with the lines: "You're gone. I'm at your side, walking with you from Clapton Pond to Finsbury Park, and on and on." Pinter wrote: "Joe Brearley fired my imagination. I can never forget him." Across the world, many are now echoing this sentiment about Pinter himself. His plays are lauded the world over. Works such as The Birthday Party, The Homecoming and The Caretaker occupy an important place in the history of world theatre and have established Pinter as a playwright of international reputation. This was recognised in 2005 by the award to him of the Nobel Prize for Literature. Pinter was also passionate about the cinema and was responsible for 22 screenplays, including such classic films as The Servant, Accident, The Go-Between and The French Lieutenant's Woman.

What better and more appropriate tribute to his memory could there be than the establishment of a centre for the cinematic arts at the former Clapton Cinematograph Theatre building at 229 Lower Clapton Road, opposite Thistlewaite Road where Pinter spent his youth. Due to celebrate its centenary in 2010, the old cinema building has stood empty and unused since 2006, and is in danger of falling into dereliction. The recent petition undertaken by The Friends of Clapton Cinematograph Theatre for the restoration and re-opening of the building as a cinema has attracted thousands of signatories already, and a recent poll in the Hackney Gazette, held in conjunction with The Hackney Society, put the Clapton Cinematograph Theatre near the top of the list of historic buildings which readers wished to see restored. More information about the Friends of Clapton Cinematograph Theatre can be found on the http://www.saveourcinema.org/ website. Join us in campaigning to create a centre for the cinematic arts at Clapton Pond - a lasting tribute to one of our greatest dramatists and writers.

Julia Lafferty,
Secretary,
Friends of Clapton Cinematograph Theatre,
32 Ickburgh Road,
Hackney
London
E5 8AD

Old cinema could be a memorial to Pinter

Harold Pinter in The Hothouse (1995)

A fitting tribute, say campaigners

by Russ Lawrence for the Hackney Gazette

Calls have been made to resurrect a crumbling former Lower Clapton cinema as a lasting tribute to Harold Pinter, the Nobel Prize-winning Hackney born playwright, actor and author, who died last week aged 78 after a long battle with cancer.

Pinter widely regarded as one of the greatest post-war playwrights, was born in 1930, the only son of immigrant Jews who ran a tailor's shop in Stoke Newington. He spent his youth growing up in Thistlewaite Road, Lower Clapton - a stone's throw from the old Clapton Cinematograph Theatre, which opened in 1910. It later became the Kenninghall Cinema before shutting in 1979 - and, more recently, was the troubled Palace Pavillion nightspot. The building has stood empty and derelict for two years following Hackney Council's decision to revoke the nightclub's licence. Residents have been campaigning since last year to restore the cinema to its former glory and say it will be a fitting memorial to the acclaimed dramatist, who during a career spanning five decades wrote more than 60 plays and screenplays as well as scripts for cinema and television.

"Pinter plays are rightfully lauded the world over and masterpieces such as The Birthday Party, The Homecoming (which borrows from events in his own Hackney upbringing) and The Caretaker have earned him an important place in world theatre history," said Julie Lafferty, secretary of the Friends of Clapton Cinematograph Theatre. "He was so passionate about cinema and wrote 22 screenplays, including such classic films as The Servant, Accident, The Go-Between and The French Lieutenant's Woman." "What better and more appropriate way to honour his memory and his Hackney roots than to establish a centre for the cinematic arts in the former cinema and providing a lasting tribute to one of Hackney's most famous sons and one of our greatest dramatists and writers," she added.

Pinter's natural intellect as a schoolboy saw him earn a place at the former Grocer's Company's School in Downs Park Road where he was a pupil from 1944 until 1948. The Victorian school building was destroyed by fire in 1963 and in 1966 it became Hackney Downs comprehensive before the government closed it as a failing school in 1995. It is now the site of the Mossbourne Academy. Pinter was inspired to write by his English teacher, Joe Brearley, and his love of drama blossomed in Shakespeare roles which included Macbeth and Romeo. He was also self-taught and spent many hours studying in Hackney Central Library, now the site of the closed Ocean music venue. He was a rebel from an early age, declaring himself a conscientious objector and refusing to do national service. He began his acting career in provincial theatres in 1959 and The Caretaker established him as a commercial and critical success, making him one of Britain's foremost dramatists. He was made a CBE in 1966 and a Companion of Honour in 2002, joining an exclusive order which has only 65 members at any one time. He won many awards for his plays, the greatest of which was the Nobel Prize for Literature, which he received in 2005. He was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus in 2002 and underwent a major operation and a course of chemotherapy. A small private funeral attended by just family and close friends was held yesterday (Wednesday).

Venice Beach California 2006

All images taken by me...

I will be back one day...

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courtesy of Yahoo news...

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