Aberfan

In 1966, the mining village of Aberfan, South Wales [UK], was buried under 1,000 tons of mining spoil which had come sliding down a nearby mountain. The slagheap had been put there, in spite of warnings from local people that it was not safe. Apparently, the heap was erected on top of a stream. The slagheap came down the hill at 9.30 am on 21 October 1966 and engulfed the primary school, where pupils had just finished morning assembly. One hundred and nine youngsters perished, together with five teachers and thirty other people in the village. A frantic rescue effort, with people initially digging with their bare hands and shovels, later with bulldozers followed. Although the Coal Board declared the incident to have been an "Act of God", in other words beyond their control, an investigation later confirmed what local people had been warning about for some time. More on this story and pictures on this BBC News page.

Note on picture: the centre of attention would become the policeman you see at the bottom of the image, who is carrying a child away.

Tag: aberfan

Ground Zero

The after effects of 9/11 continue to haunt the city of New York. I was under the impression that, following the collapse of the Twin Towers, the whole site had been cleared of everything. Not so. Workers, digging a manhole, have found bodyparts buried in the ground. Relatives of victims have expressed their horror that the clean-up was not fully carried out. More in this story on BBC News.

Tag: 9/11

Hurricane update - 21 October

Haven't done one of these for a while, as the hurricane season appears to be whimpering out. Only just over a month left of it. The southern hemisphere is beginning to warm up, and the first attempts at tropical cyclones are starting to emerge. Anything threatening land down there will feature in this blog as well.

In the Northern Hemisphere, I need to post an advance warning for southern Baja California and the coast facing the peninsula, which can expect a visit from tropical storm (possibly hurricane) Paul by Wednesday, October 25th. As I indicate, it won't be much more than a weak category 1 hurricane at the very best. As Paul moves inland, its associated moisture will affect northern Mexico and southern and western Texas - in other words, expect a wet end to next week if you're in that area.

Another day over, another day done

That's me up to date with alerts; I'm trying to wind my way through the 70-strong list of nominees, if I don't leave a note in your journal, please don't be offended. My eyes are now square and I have to pack in for the evening. Tomorrow's another day. Looking back, on October 20th, 2004, I was in the Isle of Skye, marvelling at the first fall of snow of that winter. It was a crisp, cold but brilliantly sunny day. Went walking through the Skye Cuillins, which is a mountainrange that rises 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) from sealevel. A track threads through a valley, which divides the Red Cuillin (to the east) from the Black Cuillin. If you want to know what the area looks like, have a peep on this page. Googling "cuillins skye" or "glen sligachan" will yield more results. Although I did take pictures at the time, I don't have them available here.

The origin of the name "Cuillins" is shrouded in mist and mystery. The Hound of Cuchulainn, a 6th century figure, is said to be howling in the mountains, although the scientific explanation is an effect of the wind. St Columba is said to have banished that fiendish beast. If you can get hold of a copy of "Columba" by the excellent historic writer Nigel Tranter, you'll find the story included. It is a gripping read at any rate.

Well, there I am, gabbling away at one tangent after another. Better press SAVE, and go to bed.

Night night

Backlog

I have the J-land affliction "Behind With Alerts" BWA, which at the moment has a reading of 51. However, I also still have to do the rounds for congratulating VIVI nominees, which I just can see falling by the wayside. Hope not.

I'm being advised that I spend too much time behind this computer and all that lark, so we shall see where I end up. Off to making dinner now...

Width of blog

Some people have experienced problems with their text running off the screen to the right. If you browse through your blog, there is a fair chance that you have a huge graphic lurking in the archives, which shunts the right margin further to the right. Here is what you need to do.

* Find the guilty graphic
* Edit the relevant entry
* Switch the view to HTML, as opposed to Text - you find a drop-down at the top right of your edit window
* Locate the HTML string that links the graphic into your blog. This usually starts with <img src, also includes a http:// element and closes with a >.
* Immediately before the closing >, insert the following width=800. You may even need to reduce that further, if your blog continues to spread too wide.

Friday afternoon

Day drawing to a close, as far as the sun is concerned; sunset in 45 minutes. Had a quiet day, after the unwell person recovered overnight. Been to the shop, for the shop from hell - Friday afternoon, and you get overrun by trolleys. Our freight ferry didn't come in until 11.45, 4 hours late. Unfavourable weather condition at Ullapool, the mainland terminus of the service, probably delayed departure until daybreak, 8 am. Normally, Muirneag departs Ullapool at 3.30 am. Will be preparing supper in an hour's time, sweet & sour chicken with added pineapple chunks. Weather? Indifferent, lots of high cloud and very hazy. Not cold though.

Close of day

Still got 48 alerts outstanding, but have a sick person to deal with here, so that's got to wait until the morning. By the way, thanks to all who nominated me; I'll do the rounds on that front during Friday as well.

Night night all

Fireworks

A gentle reminder for those celebrating Guy Fawkes' Night on November 5th, not much more than 2 weeks away, to PLEASE be careful with fireworks. For the UK, I have copied the Fireworks Code from the DTI website.

• Only buy fireworks marked BS 7114.

• Don’t drink alcohol if setting off fireworks.

• Keep fireworks in a closed box. 

• Follow the instructions on each firework.

• Light at arm's length, using a taper.

• Stand well back.

• Never go near a firework that has been lit. Even if it hasn’t gone off, it could still explode.

• Never put fireworks in your pocket or throw them.

• Always supervise children around fireworks.

• Light sparklers one at a time and wear gloves.

• Never give sparklers to a child under five.

• Keep pets indoors.

Radiation overdose

The 16-year old girl from South Ayrshire [Scotland] who received repeated overdoses of radiation has died. Lisa Norris had been suffering from a braintumor, and was treated with radiotherapy. Some time after the treatment, the doctors could tell her that the tumour had shrunk, but also that she had received an overdose of radiation - 17 times in succession.
Lisa had been an inspiration for many. The cause of her death, which occurred on Wednesday (October 18th) is not known. More here

Wednesday 18/10/06

The rain duly arrived overnight, and it's cold, windy and wet. Apparently, the Muirneag [freight ferry] never sailed last night and the shops are now empty. Mrs B is struggling with paperwork. Following last night's convention chat, I now have access to info on the possible venues in Myrtle Beach, SC. I do not know whether I'll be going. Following an excursion into town, mrs B is entertaining her BIL. He is in his 80s, and going strong. Hop out to the shop and find it cold and unpleasant out there. Supper is a cajun-chicken stir-fry.

Tuesday 17/10/06

Today's entry was previously published on this blog in 4 parts under the headings Blog Britain.

Awoke to a cloudy morning, with the sun peeping through the clouds. A nice chunk of salmon was left on the doorstep for us to consume for dinner tonight. Paperwork, don't we all love it. And particularly if you have to wait 3 whole months for an accountant to send it back for a very simple set-up. Sigh. And then an irate local council waiting for said paperwork, oh heavens. Jehovah's Witnesses call at the backdoor, a place that only family knock at, so they're sent back to the road. Only for them to turn up at the FRONT door at the other end of the house. No, no, no! The usual flood of emails is reduced to a trickle this morning; only 18 as opposed to the normal 65.
After midday, the laundry needs doing, and after a good soak this goes into the machine. At the same time, I'm filling up the coalbucket and the drossbucket. The bags containing said materials have been on the ground for a while and have become a hiding place for woodlice and worms. The kingsize woodlice scamper off at a canter, the worms aren't that nimble but head off for the grass. One sees a big lump of coal and thinks that that might be a nice hiding place. Oh darn, it gets lifted away! So, the worm turns round and heads for the grass as well. As I post a few letters, I catch sight of the ship that was at anchor off Arnish Lighthouse last night. It is now moored alongside pier number 3, which is undergoing refurbishment. Will be able to read its name when I go down to the shop later on. The laundry finishes at 2 o'clock, and it dries nicely on the line outside. As we only have a short line, the rest goes into the tumble-drier. It is a breezy day out there, although nice and sunny. The temperature is reported at 12 C / 54 F and the wind a northeasterly, force 4. The weatherforecast for tomorrow is poor, with rain moving up from the south. My confirmation of that comes in the highlevel cloud moving up.
At around 3.15pm, I walk down the road to Somerfields and am able to read the name of the freighter, which is docked at no 3 pier. It is the Aasheim, an Icelandic ship, delivering this winter's supply of roadsalt. Lorries scuttle back and forth from the pier, with humps of sand. My shopping activity takes less than 15 minutes, so I return not much after half past three. By four o'clock, a visitor comes to call and is given a cup of tea and some toffee cake, one of my purchases at Somerfields. He leaves just after five, but is quickly followed by anotherAfter the last visitors departed, dinner was prepared. The hunk of salmon, left at the frontdoor in the morning, was wrapped in foil and cooked in the oven with a bayleaf and a slice or two of lemon. A very generous helping came my way, accompanied by boiled potatoes. The sweet tonight consisted of a fruit corner for B, but I heated up a blackberry sponge cake in the microwave and finished it off with half a pint of custard. What more do you want. Sorting out paperwork was called for after supper, as well as a lot of on-line work. Not to mention getting the hoover out - no not for vacuum cleaning. This was a hoover that had been taken to bits by a passing electrician and declared dead, for want of a soldering iron. The latter implement could be used for sticking the mains cord back on to the machine. Someone had promised to come with a soldering iron, but as with so much, never followed it up. Anyway, it'll be taken to the electrical hardware shop in the town centre at some stage. If it really is a dodo, then a new appliance will have to be bought.

Monday 16/10/06

Late start after a cold night. Overnight low only +3C, and the fog lifts slowly. At lunchtime, smoke is rising from the side of Gallows Hill; they're probably burning wood cuttings in the Castle Grounds. I head out for the shop after catching up with emails &c, to get the list of goodies needed for the next few days. Mrs B has got nobody staying except me. A ship can be seen at anchor near the lighthouse late in the evening. With no 3 pier out of action, there is a merry-go-round every evening. The Ullapool ferry Isle of Lewis docks at 8pm alongside pier number 1. It discharges passengers, then moves into the Outer Harbour. MV Muirneag, our cargo ferry, then moves over to number 1 pier to take the place of the Isle of Lewis to load lorries for the overnight transfer. The passenger ferry sits alongside the eastern side of number 3 pier (she normally docks along the western side) until about 6 in the morning, when she transfers over to number 1 for the 7.15 sailing. Muirneag doesn't return until about 8am, so no problems there. The reason for this rigmarole? Pier number 3 is being refurbished.

Forgot to mention that I had an unexpected visit from a fellow blogger from elsewhere in the islands. Nice enough chap, we nattered for about 45 minutes, but I was a wee bit taken aback that he didn't drop me a line beforehand. I had the impression from previous correspondence that should he ever be in Stornoway, he'd let me know. Yes, I have been in touch with him before, by email and through reading mutual blogs. But using that information to guess at my location somehow didn't quite go down the right way.

Scams

We are all familiar, too familiar perhaps, with the so-called Nigerian scam. The spam email from a person somewhere in deepest West Africa, having a couple of million to burn following the "death" of an eminent person. And YOU of all people are the most trusted person on earth to receive all that cash. Only need to do is to divulge all your personal finance details - and you won't have a cent left.

I normally delete that sort of c**p as a matter of course. This morning, I received a novel and very sick version of this type of scam. I looked at the spam I had in my Hotmail account (you never know if something inadvertently gets sent there that should go into your Inbox) and found this message from a guy who had funds in a Swiss bank account belonging to a victim of the Holocaust.

Following World War II, thousands of Swiss bank accounts were left behind by those exterminated in Adolf Hitler's "Final Solution", and the Swiss had to be hauled over the coals to sort it out. The Claims Resolution Tribunal deals with claimants to these funds. My scammer, based in Russia, sought to phish some details on the back of this. He claims to be the chairman of the ICEP, the Independent Committee of Eminent Persons.

The CRT website carries a warning that spam, allegedly coming from an executive of the so-called ICEP, is in circulation.

Hope springs eternal

Petar in his journal Syrophenicon has written a great entry on the subject of Hope. Go and check it out!

Info for J-land Convention

I COPIED THIS ENTRY FROM THE J-LAND CONVENTION JOURNAL.
It was written by Gina [motoxmom72].

Without further ado....here is the information you all have been waiting for.  Warning:  This is a LONG entry!  It took me a while...LOL!!

 

Crown Reef Resort

 

http://www.crownreef.com/results.cfm

 

Room Type B Oceanfront Efficiency 2 Queen Beds, a stove, refrigerator, microwave, electric coffee pot, toaster, eating and cooking utensils, iron, ironing board, in-room safe and a TV with Free HBO.

 

$85 per night.

 

Lunch Buffets range from $10.95 per person to $14.95 per person.

Option A: The Cook Out:  Grilled 1/3 pound hamburgers and jumbo hot dogs, with all the trimmings, plus homemade potato salad, Tidewater cole slaw, baked beans, dessert and coffee or tea.....$10.95

Option B:  La Fiesta:  Crisp taco shells, soft flour tortillas, chicken strips, seasoned ground beef, shredded cheese, sour cream, green chile salsa, guacamole, shredded lettuce. diced onion and tomato, Spanish rice, red beans, Chef's assorted desserts and coffee or tea......$12.95

Option C: The Market Place:  Homemade soup, tossed salad, pasta salad, potato salad, assorted breads, roast round of beef, turkey breast, ham, cheddar, provolone and Swiss cheeses, lettuce, tomato, onion, condiments, assorted desserts and coffee or tea......$12.95

Option D: ItalianBuffet:  Caesar salad, chicken cacciatore, lasagna, penne pasta with Alfredo sauce, Tuscany vegetable blend, garlic bread, assorted desserts and coffee or tea......$13.95

 

 

Breakfast Buffets are $9.95 per person.

The breakfast buffet is served in a facility across the street that could accommodate us all.

OR:  we have options to have in a meeting room.

You could choose from a list to have foods laid out on tables to select from.

You also have to include 20% gratuity and 7.5% sales tax.  I did all the figuring out for the Sea Mist resort below. 

 

I just wanted to get the information here in the journal so you all could view it.

 

You can view Crown Reef here:

Crown Reef - The Place to Stay in Myrtle Beach

 

Sea Mist Oceanfront Resort

 

Oceanview Studio:
A one room unit in either the Driftwood or Sandcastle Building. The room features two double beds, a kitchenette and a ground floor patio or private sit down balcony.  The kitchenette has the same features as the Crown Reef.

$85 per night.

Breakfast Buffet:

Includes:  Country Fresh Scrambles Eggs, Sausage Links, Sliced Ham, Center Cut Bacon, Seasoned Hash Brown Potatoes, Buttered Grits, Toast, Hot Homemade Biscuits, Assorted Jellies and Butter, Assorted Fruit Juices, Freshly Brewed Coffee, Tea and Milk.

Price per person:  $6.75 + Gratuity $1.35 and Tax @ 7.5% $.51 = $8.69 total.

 

Lunch Buffet:

There are 2 options for the Luncheon Buffet.

Option 1: Price per person is $13.00 + $2.60 Gratuity + $.98 = $16.58 total.

Choice of 2 Entrees from the following:

Roast Round of Beef (Au Jus), Grilled Ham Steak with Sweet-n-Sour Sauce, Baked Stuffed Pork Chops, Baked Chicken with Dressing, Turkey and Dressing, Southern Fried Chicken or Barbequed Chicken, Shrimp Creole, Seafood Casserole, Fried Fillet of Fish, Italian Spaghetti with Meat Sauce and Beef Tips Burgundy.

Choice of Potato or Rice, Vegetable and one dessert.

Comes with Freshly Brewed Coffee and Ice Tea.

Option 2: Price per person is: $15.95 + $3.19 Gratuity + $1.20 Tax = $20.34 per person.

Southern Buffet

Salads:

Tossed Salad Greens with choice of two dressings, Potato Salad and Cole Slaw

Entrees and Sides:

Collard Greens, Green Beans, Confetti Rice, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Fried Chicken, Fried Fillet of Fish, Sliced Roast Beef with Au-jus and Pasta Primavera.

(Tartar Sauce and Lemon Wedges)

Dessert:  Assorted Cobblers

Beverage:  Sweet Tea, Un-sweet Tea and Fruit Punch

You can view The Sea Mist here: http://www.myrtlebeachseamist.com/

These prices are based on at least 50 people attending the get together.  So I have HOPE and FAITH that there will be *at least* 50 of us there!!!

Activities / Things to do

Gorgeous white sand Beaches, Myrtle Beach Amusements & Attractions, Myrtle Beach Theaters / Nightlife, Shopping and Dining.

To get a better view for yourself go here: http://www.visitmyrtlebeach.com/things_to_do/ 

 

I know this is a long entry.  Please take the time to view the links for each hotel.  I must have place at least 30 calls and asked MANY, MANY questions.  I got better rates at other hotels- but they didn't have a meeting room.  So, I just kept calling around.  These 2 hotels were very nice with me answering questions via e-mail and by phone.

There are a few points I wanted to point out.  The Crown Reef does buffets for 30 or more people.  The Sea Mist specifies that there must be at least 40 people, but are set up for 50+ number of people.  The guest services woman insisted that we could work around that.  But we shall see.

Please keep this in mind:  I need a definite Yes or No - in regards to attending by December 1st.  That is the deadline.

In the chat this evening- campgrounds were brought up.  It would be entirely up to you.  There are campgrounds in the area that provide Camping Cabins.  They are half the price of the hotel per night, but you have to furnish bedding linens and other stuff.  They don't have kitchens in them, either. I personally think would not be as fun as being in the hotel with everyone else.  I do have some information on campgrounds in the area if anyone wants it.

Please go over all the information and direct any questions to me as needed at Motoxmom72@aol.com .  Otherwise, leave comments here and I'll get back to you.  For the next few evenings, I'll be online after 6 p.m. EST and will have the Special Interests - Journals Cafe Chat room open if anyone pops in to chat.  If I don't respond- you will have to IM me to let me know you are there.  I want to be as available as I can to keep things moving along.

Thanks and pass the word around!!

J-land Convention Update

As I reported in previous entry, we had a chat last night about the proposed J-land convention. The chatlog is available on http://modmusic.bravehost.com/convention171006.htm

The state of play is as follows:
Date: 23-26 March 2007
Location: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA

Gina [motoxmom72] will post a selection of two hotels there which have slightly differing facilities at similar prices - about $90 a night.

Gina also needs to know if you are coming by 01 December 2006. That constitutes a definite commitment.

The journal to watch is J-land Convention

With thanks to everybody for creating a great atmosphere, it is beginning to take shape!

Convention Chat

The J-land convention chat took place on Tuesday evening. I'll post an entry about the results on Wednesday - it's now 12.35 am, and I'm heading for bed.

G'night!

Blog Britain entry - evening

After the last visitors departed, dinner was prepared. The hunk of salmon, left at the frontdoor in the morning, was wrapped in foil and cooked in the oven with a bayleaf and a slice or two of lemon. A very generous helping came my way, accompanied by boiled potatoes. The sweet tonight consisted of a fruit corner for B, but I heated up a blackberry sponge cake in the microwave and finished it off with half a pint of custard. What more do you want. Sorting out paperwork was called for after supper, as well as a lot of on-line work. Not to mention getting the hoover out - no not for vacuum cleaning. This was a hoover that had been taken to bits by a passing electrician and declared dead, for want of a soldering iron. The latter implement could be used for sticking the mains cord back on to the machine. Someone had promised to come with a soldering iron, but as with so much, never followed it up. Anyway, it'll be taken to the electrical hardware shop in the town centre at some stage. If it really is a dodo, then a new appliance will have to be bought.

Miniskirts

In a crowded city at a busy bus stop, a beautiful young woman  wearing a tight mini skirt was waiting for a bus. As the bus stopped and it was her turn to get on, she became aware that her skirt was too tight to allow her leg to come up to the height of the first step off the bus. Slightly embarrassed and with a quick smile to the bus driver, she reached behind her to unzip her skirt a little, thinking that this would give her enough slack to raise her leg. She tried to take the step, only to discover that she couldn't.

So, a little more embarrassed, she once again reached behind her to unzip her skirt a little more, and for the second time attempted the step. Once again, much to her chagrin, she could not raise her leg.
With a little smile to the driver, she again reached behind to unzip a little more and again was unable to take the step.
About this time, a large Texan who was standing behind her picked her up easily by the waist and placed her gently on the step of the bus. She went ballistic and turned to the would-be Samaritan and yelled, "How dare you touch my body! I don't even know who you are!" The Texan smiled and drawled, "Well, ma'am, normally I would agree with you, but after you unzipped my fly three times, I kind'a figured we was friends."