Other News Stories that might be missed from 2019 to date

[boatbuilder]

Latest post of the previous page:

Wallingford: Mystery bangs heard in Midsomer Murders town



Mysterious loud bangs have kept residents awake at night in the town where Midsomer Murders was filmed.

The noises can be heard throughout Wallingford in Oxfordshire, the original filming location for the hit ITV detective drama.

Residents have taken to social media to determine the source of the bangs, with speculation they could be sonic booms, bird scarers or a gas explosion. Police are investigating reports of the noise between 2 and 8 July. A Thames Valley Police spokesperson said officers currently believed the bangs were fireworks.

Mysterious loud bangs have kept residents awake at night in the town where Midsomer Murders was filmed. The noises can be heard throughout Wallingford in Oxfordshire, the original filming location for the hit ITV detective drama. Residents have taken to social media to determine the source of the bangs, with speculation they could be sonic booms, bird scarers or a gas explosion.

Police are investigating reports of the noise between 2 and 8 July. A Thames Valley Police spokesperson said officers currently believed the bangs were fireworks.

BBC News

Whatever it is, it's within a very short distance from that camera - probably 3 to 4 hundred yards at the most. There is only 1 second between the flash and the bang and it's supposedly 5 seconds from the flash for the sound to travel 1 mile. As far as something floating down is concerned, I saw just one tiny speck and that's not unusual with CCTV's IR night vision - they easily pick up small insects, etc., near the camera as I get it all the time with my own outside cameras.

[boatbuilder]

This is not really a news story but some may find the article interesting

Gaps in the map: where aircraft aren’t found on Flightradar24



On Thursday, 6 July we tracked the highest number of commercial flights ever, following more than 134,000. We posted the map below the following day to illustrate the busy skies and we received numerous questions about the blank areas on the map. Why are there big holes in places around the world?

Geopolitics

The most obvious “hole” in the Flightradar24 map of global air traffic at the moment is Ukraine. Following the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight 17 in 2014, airlines began avoiding eastern Ukraine. When Russia began their full scale invasion in February 2022, all of Ukrainian airspace was closed to civil aviation.



The map above shows the entirety of Ukraine empty, but also the large buffer zone implemented by Russian authorities extending from the Ukrainian border.

Conflict avoidance

Civil aviation places safety above all else, meaning many of the most convenient international flight routes are avoided due to safety or security concerns. Often times it is not just a concern about overflying an area, but also “what happens if we need to divert here?”

For quite a few years now, flights have routed around Libya, but recent fighting in Sudan has expanded the area aircraft avoid, extending flight routes from Europe and northern Africa to destinations south of Sudan.

There are also areas around the world served by local airlines that are avoided by international carriers. Syria and Afghanistan still see regular commercial service, but those destinations are not served by large international airlines either due to governmental prohibition or the airlines’ own risk assessments.

Read the full article here: Flightradar24

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'I've lived in the same house for 105 years'

A 105-year-old woman who has lived in the same house her entire life has vowed she will never leave. Elsie Allcock was born in the two-bed property in Huthwaite, Nottinghamshire, and later bought it with her late husband for £250. During her time there, Elsie has seen the end of World War One, World War Two, five heads of state and 22 British prime ministers. She now lives there with her 76-year-old son, Raymond. Elsie, who recently turned 105, is still active around the house and enjoys gardening, doing jigsaws and word searches. The story of her and her humble abode has been seen and shared by millions on social media. "I've never left and I won't. They'll have to take me from here," she said.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-englan ... e-66204337

[boatbuilder]

Gateshead match abandoned after hearse drives onto pitch

A Gateshead FC match has been called off in chaos after a funeral hearse and a car were driven onto the pitch.



The National League club's friendly against Dunston was abandoned at half-time amid extraordinary scenes which stunned watching supporters.

Footage posted on social media showed the vehicles being driven in circles in the centre of the pitch.

Two men - who witnesses said were masked - then climbed out of the hearse and into the car and left the ground.

Gateshead fan Archie told the BBC the intruders "apparently barged through the gate from the car park" then broke through the railings along the edge of the pitch.

He said posters were thrown out of the car's window in an apparent protest before "two people in ski masks" jumped out of the hearse and into the silver car and drove off.

Matty Hewitt, a football writer at the Newcastle Chronicle, said Northern Premier League club Dunston's Dunston's UTC Stadium was evacuated as a police helicopter circled overhead following the incident.

"Two cars driven onto the pitch with masked men getting out and leaving a hearse on the pitch," he tweeted, describing it as a "terrifying experience with plenty of children about".

Gateshead FC said: "Due to an incident on the pitch occurring shortly after half time, tonight's match has been abandoned by the referee."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-66273898

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Football that’s out of this world

Scientists and engineers predict the first competitive football match on the Moon could happen by 2035.

The Institution of Engineering and Technology’s (IET) panel of engineers, technologists, and science professionals have created the first Lunar Football Rule Book – to adapt the game to the conditions on the Moon. The panel reveal the science and tech we will require to play football on the Moon - how it would feasibly work and what it would look like. Changes to the game include a 1.5x bigger football, four quarters of play, a netted ground, with no offside rule and the game becoming a no-contact sport. To celebrate the findings, the IET has launched a competition asking children to design a football kit for the first Lunar Football team Moon Utd.

Football may be the most popular game on the planet, but as the world’s biggest international football tournament kicks off for 2023, engineering and technology experts predict the first match on the Moon could take place there as early as 2035, based on developments from the ‘big three’ space-faring nations*. That’s according to a panel of scientists and engineers brought together by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), who have outlined the innovations required for humans to have a competitive kickabout on the Moon’s surface once a lunar base has been established. The panel of STEM experts has also created the first-ever Lunar Football Rule Book, to adapt the beautiful game to the vastly different conditions players can expect, including harsh, dusty terrain, zero oxygen and potentially fatal risks of collision - making lunar football a strictly non-contact sport. The IET’s predictions and rule development of Lunar Football aim to excite and educate children on what careers in science, technology, engineering, and maths can look like and inspire a generation of budding engineers and technologists.

[*] With just one-sixth of the gravity of Earth and no wind or air resistance, the ball will behave completely differently. A kicked ball travels at the same speed as on Earth - at approximately 70mph - but will travel roughly SIX TIMES further - meaning a return to the long-ball game of the 1980s rather than Pep Guardiola’s tiki-taka.

[*] Instead of a standard kit, players will require a flexible airtight suit which is slightly slimmed down, with in-built padding for knees and elbows. Each suit will require a cooling and heating system adjustable to the temperature of the lunar climate, with flannel in the seat to absorb sweat.

[*] Helmets must be designed to enable communication between players and coaches, with a 180 to 270-degree view, as well as a Heads-Up Display in the visor to deliver referee decisions, player suit status and their positions and red and yellow cards.

[*] To ensure safety and avoid collisions, Lunar Football will be a five-a-side, strictly no-contact sport, with possession of the ball gained solely through interceptions. Slide tackles or headers are not permitted to avoid damage to players’ suits and helmets.

[*] The ball will be 1.5x the size of a terrestrial football marked in black and white for visibility of the ball, given it will be extremely bright on the Moon. Critically, the ball must have a core of Next-Gen Aerogel which is a spongy structure to give the ball compressibility to allow bouncing while not containing any air.

[*] The field of play must be prepared using laser sintering – where a laser is fired at the surface to melt particles, so they stick together in a single solid layer – to achieve an even and consistent pitch.

[*] This will ensure that the field of play is durable, as failing to do so would cause the pitch to erode during the match, endangering players as a result. With space at a premium, the referee will be stationed at basecamp, but will still have a visible presence on the pitch as a hologram.

[*] To ensure players avoid over-exhaustion on the Moon, the pitch will be 32 metres long and 25 metres wide - an area eight times smaller than that of a terrestrial football pitch. The match itself will be played in four 10-minute quarters with 20-minute breaks between each quarter for refuelling and equipment repair.

[*] The goals will expand to be 1.5 x wider (36ft) and 1.2 x higher (9.6ft) to account for the larger, size eight ball, and the fact that jumping is easier on the Moon.

https://www.theiet.org/media/press-rele ... hefuturist

[boatbuilder]

Stack Rock Fort: Victorian island reclaimed by nature



The island has slowly been reclaimed by nature

Just off the Pembrokeshire coast lies a long-deserted island fort that has slowly been reclaimed by nature.

For decades Stack Rock Fort off Milford Haven has been disturbed only by gulls and creeping weeds, but its new owner invited photographer Steve Liddiard to take a look inside the 19th Century time capsule.

"When you first walk through it takes your breath away," said Steve. "It's like a huge cathedral, an oval shape, completely overgrown with these sea birds circling it. "It doesn't seem real... it looks like a film set, something from Jumanji or something like that."

Steve, who works in the IT department at Swansea's Morriston Hospital, started taking photos as a hobby five or six years ago. He spotted the long-abandoned fort on the Milford Haven Waterway, took some photos and shared them on social media. Steve said he then received a message from the owner, who said he loved the photos. They began chatting and a few weeks later he and a handful of other photographers were invited to visit the fort by boat and take photos from inside.

"When you start walking around it you can see the actual scale of it, it's over three different levels," said Steve. "It is a complete time capsule with massive cannons inside. There's weeds and ivy growing all over it which sort of adds to it more than anything, I think."

The property has been bought by Anoniiem, a community interest company, which plans to preserve it as a "living ruin".

"We want to preserve it in its current state, not in its formal use, so if it can be stabilised as it is, in this amazing combination of nature and architecture, that's the goal," said the company's director Nick.

The project began after Nick and his wife were watching the BBC series Coast and found themselves captivated by this part of the Pembrokeshire coast. They began looking into the area, stumbled upon the fort and were blown away by its "fantasy and magic". They discovered there was a company looking to turn it into a community space and despite never having taken on a project like this before decided to partner with them.

"It's definitely a passion project, it's definitely not a money earner, there's no plans for a five-star hotel or any of these kind of things," he said. "It's a stabilisation accessibility project and preserving it for the future."

The original idea for a fort on Stack Rock goes back to Thomas Cromwell in 1539 but it was not until the mid-1800s that any plan came to fruition.

The Royal Dockyard at Pembroke Dock was deemed in need of further defences in case of an invasion from France under Napoleon III. During World War I it was manned by just a small number of soldiers and eventually disarmed in 1929. Taking on a building with this history and in this location presents a myriad of challenges - it is a scheduled monument, part of the national park and can only be accessed in certain conditions by boat.

There are also issues around security, which have been referred to the police. "People have been lighting bonfires on there. It's not safe for the schedule monument itself but also for the people who are breaking in," said Nick who has a team of volunteers working to help secure the structure but admits they are "a lifetime away" from being able to open it up to the public. "In the meantime, we're looking to allow for some explorers, such as Steve to safely access it in a way that lets it kind of live," he said.

Despite the overwhelming scale of the project he is undeterred. "It's a hell of a project," he said. "It's been effectively untouched for 100 years so the preservation is on another level. The fact that that nature is taking over again is part of the appeal of it, it's all aesthetically so incredible."

Report with the images by Steve on the BBC

[boatbuilder]

The Crooked House: Fire rips through famed 'wonky' pub


Image: Chris Green

A famed 18th Century building once known as "Britain's wonkiest pub" has been completely gutted by a fire.Smoke was reported coming from The Crooked House at Himley, near Dudley, at about 22:00 BST on Saturday.

Pictures from scene showed the property, which drastically subsided in the 19th Century, engulfed by flames.

Last month, it was confirmed the owners, Marston's, had sold the popular Black Country landmark to a private buyer for "an alternative use".

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said six crews tackled the blaze overnight. It said the fire had largely been extinguished but the incident was ongoing and the area remained closed from High Arcal Road to Brick Kiln Lane Watch commander Chris Green, from Tipton fire station, said: "The crews had to roll out 40 lengths of hose from the Himley Road which was the nearest hydrant."

The Crooked House was a popular attraction in the West Midlands for decades after Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries bought it and turned it into a pub in the 1940s. Visitors flocked to see the distinctive building and witness the optical illusion of coins and marbles seemingly rolling uphill along the bar.

It was first built in 1765 as a farmhouse but, due to mining in the area during the early 19th Century, one side of the building began to sink.

In March, Marston's listed it for sale with a guide price of £675,000 but thousands of people signed a petition in the hope of keeping it as a pub.


Image: Google

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-66421163


Could this have been arson?

[muzzy]

Did India let down the maharajahs?

They lived in fairy-tale palaces, amassed untold fortunes in diamonds and precious stones, maintained fleets of Rolls-Royces, and travelled in specially appointed train carriages, arriving in the capital Delhi to the sound of thunderous gun salutes. They had the power of life and death over their subjects, and thousands of minions attended to their every need.

On the eve of Indian independence in 1947, India's 562 princes occupied nearly half its landmass and ruled over a third of its population. As Britain's most loyal allies, they were virtually untouchable - only those who committed the most heinous of crimes were censured, or, in the rarest of cases, removed. In the endgame of empire, however, they were the biggest losers, and three-quarters of a century later, all but the richest, and the most politically active, live ordinary and mundane lives.

Looking closely at the tumultuous events leading up to independence and its aftermath, as I did while researching my new book,it is clear that the princes, while fatally undermined by division and delusion, were let down by the power they trusted the most. The rulers' best chance of being able to preserve their kingdoms, and co-exist with an independent and democratic India, was to become more democratic themselves. However, British officials pressed tepidly, if at all, for such reforms, leaving the princes with a false sense of security.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-66370541

[boatbuilder]

Further to my last post on Sunday, regarding 'The Crooked House', it seems someone was in a hurry to demolish it.
Hmmm. I wonder why?

Demolition of Crooked House pub unacceptable - council





Full story on BBC

[muzzy]

Man builds Johnny 5 robot from Short Circuit film

A film fanatic who has built a fully-functioning replica of the robot from the 1986 film Short Circuit said fans get emotional when they see his creation. Ryan Howard, 34, from Nottinghamshire, started building the Johnny 5 robot during lockdown and said working on the 200kg robot helped him through the Covid-19 pandemic. The former forklift engineer said: "I've never done anything like this before. "I stopped counting [the cost] at £20,000 and we've missed many family holidays. I'm very proud of it."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-englan ... e-66464622

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The Hay Poisoner: Was Herbert Armstrong wrongly hanged?

Fresh doubt has been cast on a 100-year-old murder conviction that saw a solicitor sent to the gallows for poisoning his wife with arsenic. On 22 February 1921, Kitty Armstrong died at their home in Hay-on-Wye, Powys, from supposed gastritis, heart disease and inflammation of the kidneys. But just months later, her husband, Major Herbert Armstrong, was accused of poisoning a rival solicitor, which led to his wife's body being exhumed and a murder trial that gripped the nation. In his new podcast, US journalist Joe Nocera and a host of experts conclude it was a miscarriage of justice.

The case of "the dandelion poisoner", as Armstrong was referred to by the papers of the day, has all the ingredients of a classic Agatha Christie novel and has been intriguing armchair detectives for more than a century. Stephen Bates, author of The Poisonous Solicitor, describes Armstrong as a pompous little man with a waxed moustache and spectacles, proud of his station who insisted on being called by his military title, despite never being in active combat. Kitty, meanwhile, is described as a woman with a reputation for being highly strung, reserved and bossy. In February 1921, Kitty came down with a severe case of diarrhoea, she could not hold down food, or get up and down the stairs without assistance. She died early on 22 February.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66439470

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Five things you probably didn’t know about periods

Menstruation is a natural process that affects half of the world’s population during their lives. But it’s little understood.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/ideas/videos/five ... s/p0g1kh69

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Wrexham: Cows take take bank holiday tour of Rhostyllen village

Residents were in for a surprise when a heard of cows flooded their streets on bank holiday. A free delivery of milk straight to their doorstep? Not quite. They were left wiping poo off their shoes and looking at dented cars after the cows' rampage. It is not yet known how the cows managed to escape to Rhostyllen, Wrexham, but it is alleged they came from the nearby farm. Residents have been reassured that they have been safely returned.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-wales-66650503

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Brain fog after Covid linked to blood clots - study

Blood clots in the brain or the lungs might explain some common symptoms of "long Covid", including brain fog and fatigue, a UK study suggests. In the study, of 1,837 people admitted to hospital because of Covid, researchers say two blood proteins point to clots being one cause. It is thought 16% of such patients have trouble thinking, concentrating or remembering for at least six months. Long Covid can also develop after milder infections.

But the research team, from the universities of Oxford and Leicester, stress:
[*] Their findings are relevant only to patients admitted to hospital
[*] They are "the first piece of the jigsaw" but further research is needed before they can propose or test any potential treatments
[*] They tracked cognitive problems at six and 12 months only and through tests and questionnaires, which may "lack sensitivity"
[*] Identifying predictors and possible mechanisms was "a key step" in understanding post-Covid brain fog, study author Prof Paul Harrison, from the University of Oxford, said.

But there may still be many different causes of long Covid. Leicester's professor of respiratory medicine, Chris Brightling, said: "It's a combination of someone's health before, the acute event itself and what happens afterwards that lead on to physical and mental health consequences."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-66658257

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Dead Sea reveals four 1,900-year-old Roman swords in cave

A cache of four excellently preserved Roman swords have been discovered by Israeli researchers in a cave overlooking the Dead Sea. Three of the 1,900-year-old weapons, whose iron blades are 60-65cm long (24-26in), were still in wooden scabbards. They were found in a near-inaccessible crevice by a team photographing an ancient inscription on a stalactite. Archaeologists believe the swords were hidden by Judean rebels after they were seized from the Roman army as booty.

"This is a dramatic and exciting discovery, touching on a specific moment in time," Eli Escusido, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), said in a statement. Mr Escusido said that the dry desert climate around the Dead Sea enabled the preservation of artefacts that would not survive elsewhere in Israel. "This is a unique time capsule, whereby fragments of scrolls, coins from the Jewish Revolt, leather sandals, and now even swords in their scabbards, sharp as if they had only just been hidden away today."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-66728207

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What is the history of Wales' national flag?

From Wales’ World Cup opener against Fiji in France, to our football Euro qualifier in Lithuania, the Welsh Dragon will be proudly flying across Europe this week. The first use of a dragon in connection with what is now Wales is thought to date from the 7th Century. It was only officially recognised as the Welsh national flag in 1959 but the version we know today was in fact only defined in law in 2005. Graham Bartram, an expert in flags said the flag is "unique" and a "symbol of Welsh identity".

The oldest recorded use of the dragon to symbolise Wales is from the Historia Brittonum, written by the historian Nennius in around 820AD. Another historian, Geoffrey of Monmouth, in his Historia Regum Britanniae, written between 1120 and 1129, also discusses the dragon and its history. His historia links the dragon with the Arthurian legends, including Uther Pendragon the father of Arthur, whose name translates as Dragon Head. Geoffrey's account also tells of the prophecy of Myrddin (or Merlin) of a long fight between a red dragon and a white dragon. Thus symbolising the historical struggle between the Welsh (red dragon) and the English (white dragon).

The dragon also became a key focal point in Henry VII’s 1485 decisive intervention in the War of The Roses, according to chief vexillologist of The Flag Institute, Graham Bartram. He said people used the dragon as a banner and rallied under it, which created a "Symbol of Welsh identity". Mr Bartam said: “Indeed it was Henry VII who first had the Welsh Dragon blessed, at his coronation at St Paul’s Cathedral, when it was first placed on a white and green background."

Until the mid-20th Century several versions of the flag were in circulation. Including variants with tail-up/tail-down, pointed/curved wings, differing fire from its mouth, and a myriad of poses and backgrounds. “It was a people’s symbol, so they didn’t have to stick to a regimented heraldic concept. Plus there was no way of communicating the precise details to each other, so variations inevitably crept in." Mr Bartam added. It was in 1959 that the flag of Wales was legally adopted. However, it took almost 50 years more for the design to be settled.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjld93x65kyo