nature photographs

Unsure where this is

This is Hawaii

The Northern Lights

I can't remember where I got these from, it was probably National Geographic, but I wouldn't swear on it. However, they are pretty damn good, wherever they are from.

toodle pip

things you don't see anymore (part 328)

I was pondering (as is my wont) about how language changes and words evolve. Also about insults and old expressions (exciting life I lead), and it occurred to me that you never have anyone saying "Phwoor!" while doing the motion above (Ray Langton in Coronation Street, 1974, for all you youngsters out there).

I might start a one man campaign and try to bring it back. Wish me luck.

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keep out signs

Nothing to say really, apart from the top one is my favourite

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alex higgins

I will be away next week (In Turkey!), but have set the Sky controls to tape the Alex Higgins documentary on the BBC. I used to see him out and about in the Boro a few years ago, and he wasn't looking too good even then. I was still pretty surprised to see the photos of him just before he died, he was definitely not a well man. By all accounts he could be a right twat, but one thing was also certain, he was never that dull, and popularised snooker for the likes of myself, who previously just thought the game was for sad old bastards and boring. Sport could do with more mavericks like Alex, who cared more for living a full life rather than just trying to fit in and please everyone. He was only letting himself down, as his was an individual sport, not a team game whereby he had to take the other team members into account. Obviously in his private life he would have also let people down, but that was between him and them. I am just amazed that he lived so long.

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the hairy chest shirt

Is it brilliant and ironic, or just disgusting? I'm not sure myself

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olaf otto becker

Pictures of Greenland by Olaf Otto Becker. It was called Greenland to try and attract folk to move there (if I remember my history properly). It doesn't look as though it has worked. Still, some great pictures to admire.

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wc fields juggles

Pure Genius

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another mad tattoo

Trouble is, I can't decide if this is a genius idea or the guy is a fucking idiot. I think it would be great if it was covered up by hair, but was then exposed in a hospital when they were about to do surgery or something. It would then give everyone a surprise and be brilliant. If however, the guy just kept his head shaved all the time to show it off, I don't like it and he is a fucking idiot.

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Russian photographer Sergey Mikhaylovich Prokudin-Gorsky's 100 year old colour photographs

These were all taken 100 years ago, but look really fresh and full of life. Obviously everybody in the photographs are now dead, and that is before thinking about the fact that these were taken before the First World War.

Amazing.

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guitar shop front in southampton

This is a shop in Southampton that sells guitar stuff (as if you couldn't guess). What a great idea. It makes me want to travel there and get myself a guitar from them (and then buy an amp, leads, learn how to play it etc etc - maybe I won't bother after all). I love the clever advertising though.

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the busby stoop

When I was out and about at work the other day, I had to go to Thirsk to pick someone up. On the way there, I called in at the Busby Stoop, the first time I have ever stopped there, although I have driven past it plenty of times.

It is a famous pub in Ghost hunting circles, as it had a chair in it that was an old customers favourite, and when he died, it resulted in bad luck to anyone who sat on it.

The tale goes that some soldiers from Catterick didn't believe the tale, sat on the chair for a dare, and then crashed their car on the way back to Catterick and died (if true, it probably had nothing to do with the beer they would have drunk while in the pub, I'm sure).

The chair is featured on the pub sign, and people travel to the pub because of the tales, but it is actually not there anymore, and hasn't been for some time. It is now housed in Thirsk museum, which I think is a bit crap, as it should still be in the pub. It could always be put up out of the way, I do think it was attached to the wall at one stage, but it could surely be put in a place that made it impossible for people to sit on it. Don't get me wrong, I think the tale is a load of hookum, but if true, let people sit on it and take their chances. I certainly would, just to disprove the ghostly tale, but I also guess that is why they do not want it in the pub.

Softies.

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getting the loop recorder checked

On Tuesday I had to go to The James Cook hospital in Middlesbrough to get my loop recorder checked out (it was fine). Glad to say I was only in the hospital for 32 minutes in total (the parking ticket machine gives out the information). As usual though, it was another crappy August day. Bloody English summers, where's the bleeding sunshine?

toodle pip.

early for the meeting in darlington

I had to go to Darlington this week for a work meeting, but I decided to come in early and have a wander round while listening to my ipod. Arrival time was about 8am and my meeting was at 10am, so it gave me plenty of time to doss about. Good job the weather was OK, or I wouldn't have been so keen.

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william arthur (ludgate hill) 1894 - 1940

"When lions were being led by donkeys, I led the donkey"

William Arthur (sometimes known as Ludgate Hill), was a Manchester born poet who died in the blitz. He was a stretcher bearer during the First World War and ended up in Rampton Mental Institution in the 1930's. He was also part of a firing squad (see 'The Coward).

When everyone goes on about 'Help the Heroes' nowadays, I think it's the ordinary people like William Arthur that were conscripted in the past who are the real embodiment of heroes. At least the soldiers today are going off to fight through choice, as nobody forces them to join up now (although I do realise it's often the poorer and less well educated members of society that choose to do so).

Here's some of William Arthur's work.

We Gassed Fritz Today (The Somme 1916)

We dropped mustard gas on Fritz today

The wind blew it back in our faces

Mother of God we murdered our own

Lined up dead in old munition cases

And the Padre he blessed all of the bodies

The General he addressed all of the men

Tomorrow the wind would be turning

And we’ll be gassing the Hun again

Mud There Was (The Somme 1916)

Mud there was and more mud to see

Mud there was for the 22’s and me

Mud there was on July the bloody first

And it’s the mud I remember the worst

Mud there was when the whistle blew

Mud there was when cannon shell flew

Mud there was when little Nobby died

Mud there was when he fell by my side

Mud there was and more mud to see

Mud from the front to the infirmary

Mud there was on July the bloody first

And it’s the mud I remember the worst

The Coward (Etaples base camp 1916)

We Shot Harry for cowardice

But I never met a braver man

But I was on the hill that morning

And I saw that Harry ran

They picked a shooting party

They chose at random by lot

And I was chosen to shoot Harry

For something that he was not

And he refused his last cigarette

And he refused his blindfold too

And we shivered behind our rifles

But we aimed them straight and true

And one of the six had a blank

And a target fixed to Harry’s chest

And each man discharged his rifle

And each man earned one day’s rest

We Shot Harry for cowardice

But I never met a braver man

And I sent home all his possessions

And a letter to his Mam

This article would not have been possible without the research of Mike Duff (and United We Stand)

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johnny walker ad with robert carlyle

I bet that script took some remembering. Apparently this was take 40 when they finally nailed it.

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national geographic images

Some more great animal pictures. Respect Daddy O.

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antichrist, the idiots, and lars von trier

Sky have just had this on 'Anytime TV'. Its a 2009 film by Lars Von Trier that had a lot of controversy when it was first shown. It stars Willem Defoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg, who have their baby fall to it's death while they were having sex. They (but especially Charlotte Gainbourg) are consumed by guilt, and things start going downhill rapidly from there. The film contains some pretty graphic scenes and some great photography, but l felt it was trying too hard to be arty or shocking. That's not to say l didn't like it, because l did, but l would have preferred a better story and less of the shock tactics. As usual, there is plenty of nudity and graphic sex scenes (albeit with body doubles and fake genital parts). No change there then. Charlotte Gainsbourg, however, was excellent, especially when she was being strangled, that just looked so believable. It's about time Lars Von trier got over his depression and concentrated on making a really good film. l do think he seems capable of doing a lot better (l sound like a schoolteacher). His films are so close to being unique and excellent, but also so far away (if that makes any kind of sense). Another one of his films, 'The Idiots' (one of the Dogma '95 films, from 1998) had a crap storyline, and was mainly just shocking for the sake of being shocking (and filming in a different way), but l still liked it, and would rather watch Lars' stuff than a Hollywood blockbuster. Still haven't seen 'Dancing In The Dark' or 'Breaking The Waves' yet, but l'll be waiting to check out his next one as soon as possible (without actually buying it or going to the cinema). At least his films make you think a bit.

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sing sing prison

I've been reading about Sing Sing prison in upstate New York (about 30 miles north up the Hudson river). It was opened in 1826 and was extremely brutal, ensuring the prisoners remained silent by copious amounts of beatings and whippings. The prison (Correctional Facility) is still open today, but no-where near as harsh. The cell above is one of the earlier examples, and does not look like it was a lot of fun to live in. The term "Going up the river" meaning to be sent to prison, originated from when prisoners were sent up the river to Sing Sing. The electric chair photograph is of Ruth Snyder, who was executed in the chair in 1928, and the picture was sneaked out by Tom Howard, a newspaper reporter who had a camera strapped to his leg, so he could capture the image at the moment of execution. It all makes Durham prison (where l went) seem pretty boring (although Bronco, who l shared a cell with, was certainly a character).

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whispering bob's 40th

At one time l couldn't wait to see The Old Grey Whistle Test with Bob Harris. He featured so much stuff that l love (Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Tim Buckley etc ), even though he did mock The New York Dolls after they had just stormed the place with Jet Boy. It is 40 years today since he started broadcasting, and although l certainly don't share a lot (or even many) of his musical tastes, at least he has a genuine love of the music and knows what he is talking about (New York Dolls excluded). He went bankrupt a few years ago and nearly lost all of his records, but thankfully managed to keep hold of them as they were deemed essential for his job. It's also about time some more Whistle Test DVD's were released, it's been way to long since the last ones. Anyway, we need more DJ's like like him, playing the music they like, rather than a preordained set list from the radio station. As l said before, a lot of the stuff Bob plays l don't really like, but at least l am opened up to new (and old) music that l haven't heard before. Maybe l should start my own station......

What am l saying that for? Everything is out there now on t'internet. Mostly for free if you know where to look. It's much better now for discovering new music, but it has lost it's special appeal, as you don't really have to make any effort to track anything down and then treasure it because it was hard to find. Then again, most people only get a few CD's, and then love them. I am just a saddo.

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natural history museum wildlife photos

This is one of this years entries for the Wildlife Photograph Competition by the Natural History Museum (I won't bother with the sponser's name). It's an black oil beetle taken by Juan Jesus Ahumada. Pretty damn good l think, but it will have to go some way to beat the 2005 winning picture (as featured on the 2007 Wilco album Sky Blue Sky) of a peregrine falcon chasing some starlings over Rome (by Manuel Presti). Not as good as my picture of Nozzer though (lovely little boy that he is!).

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even more beatles bootlegs

I definitely need to get out more. What a sad bastard l am. Even more Beatles Bootlegs!

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more beatles bootlegs

Lots and lots of Beatles Bootlegs

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