Seals at sunset

Went for a walk round to Goat Island this afternoon. A few strange noises from the sea below me attracted my attention, and there were these two seals playing in the water. Light levels were quite low, so photographs came out all fuzzy. So I thought I'd better record a video. I shot two - with the results below. Enjoy!

Postage stamps, religion and 9/11

I received an email this evening in which recipients were asked not to buy a US Postal Service stamp, featuring the Islam festival of Eid. Eid is the celebration of the month of Ramadan or month of fasting. The reason for this request was the string of atrocities, committed by people calling themselves Muslims against American people and interests around the world. The attacks of 9/11 were carried out "in the name of Islam". Another reason is that although the USA is a primarily Christian country, it is not deemed politically correct (I deduce) to have the Ten Commandments featured on postage stamps. I am aware that for the sake of political correctness, expressions of Christian faith (such as Christmas) are being suppressed, in order not to offend those belonging to other religions. I think that's ridiculous. I wrote a few days ago that the pope himself has said: "When in Rome, you do as the Romans do". Or words to that effect.

Although I am writing from Europe, I will make a point in this American matter.

The people who planned and executed the atrocities like 9/11, Bali bombings, 7/7 London Underground bombs etcetera claim to act in the name of Islam. I know sufficient of Islam and Muslims to be able to say that the overwhelming, vast majority abhor such acts. These are not Islamic.

The perpetrators abuse religion as a pretext for mass murder, stating that America is an anti-Muslim state. They also say that infidels, those who do not belong to the Muslim faith, should be killed, according to the Islamic scriptures. This is a fallacy too.
The Koran makes specific provisions for Christians and Jews, as being the great religions of the world. It also states that those who do not belong to Islam are not subject to its teachings and laws. Abraham is a common forefather for Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

Nonetheless, it is up to everybody individually in the USA to buy the Eid-stamp. Or not. I am not telling you either way. I fully understand that feelings run so deep, after 9/11, that many may never be able to tolerate anything remotely resembling Islam. I respect that.

Hurricane update - 16 November PM

I am copying the Public Advisory, issued by the National Hurricane Center in relation to Hurricane Sergio.

PLEASE RELAY

Rainbands associated with Sergio are affecting the coast of Mexico.

At 1pm PST (2100 GMT) the center of Hurricane Sergio was located near position 13.6 North 102.8 West or 385 miles / 620 km southsoutheast of Manzanillo (Mexico). Sergio is moving north at 6 mph, which it will continue to do over the next 12 to 24 hours. Maximum sustained winds are near 80 mph with higher gusts.

Sergio is a category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Some weakening is forecast over the next 24 hours. Satellite images and radar from Mexico indicate that rainbands associated with Sergio are affecting of the Mexican coast from Puerto Angel to Manzanillo. These rains should continue to increase tonight and Friday. The strongest winds associated with the hurricane are expected to remain offshore over the next 12 to 24 hours.

The next advisory will be issued at 7pm PST (0300 GMT) by the NHC

Anniversary

Today is the second anniversary of my stint in Lewis. Although I arrived in the island on November 15th, I don't start the count until the next day, when I took the bus to South Lochs to commence a stint in the Ravenspoint Centre which was to last for nearly 3 months. Early in February 2005, I relocated to Mrs B's in Stornoway, and here I still am.

Wednesday 15/11/06

Today, Muirneag is on time: arriving in port at 8 am. News comes through that £2m has been awarded by the National Lottery Fund to Storas Uibhist, a body which is committed to buying the South Uist Estate from its current owners. They need £4m for the whole venture, and are currently "only" £500,000 short. The South Uist Estate encompasses the islands of Eriskay, South Uist and parts of Benbecula. Read more here. The day starts bright, but high level cloud rolls in. It does not lead to rain, although heavy rain did fall further south. The Norwegian boat Frøyhavn is back in port again. The Discovery remains tied up alongside pier number 3. People are going on and off as I go round to the ferry terminal (which is situated on pier 3) to have a look at 4pm. When it's still light of course! The sun sets in glorious colours. A Swedish lady calls round with her young son to enquire about vacancies, but mrs B hasn't got one. A Polish man is the next customer. He has just arrived in the UK and in Stornoway to work in a fish factory. He is looking for a place to stay for a longer period of time. Mrs B and myself advise him to the best of our abilities. Supper is chicken korma. Hurricane Sergio blows up, with winds estimated close on 100 mph. He is the 10th named hurricane of the busy East Pacific season this year. An earthquake in the Kurill Islands, between Japan and the Russian island of Sachalin measures 8.1 on the Richter scale. The Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii issues a warning for all nations along the Pacific seaboard against a tidal surge, but in the end it's only a 30 cm high wave that laps the shores of Japan and only 8 cm at Alaska. The warning is cancelled 4 hours after the quake. Watch a nice performance of Ravel's celebrated Bolero and Beethoven's Coriolan Ouverture.

Note on pictures: The gallery above has more pictures in addition to the ones I showed in a separate entry yesterday.

Tuesday 14/11/06

Today's weather is punctuated by heavy but short downpours. At 9.30 a.m., the research vessel Discovery, callsign GNLE, comes into port. I blogged about her on the day. The day continues peacefully, with occasional rain and hailshowers, as well as great cloudscapes. Muirneag hovers outside port at 1 pm, waiting for the ferry to come and go. Go to Somerfields at 4.40pm, half an hour after sunset (at 4.10). The Discovery lies tied up alongside pier number 3, and I curse myself for not going down during daylight hours. Tonight's episode of The Archers on Radio 4 had it out between David and Ruth - regular listeners will know what I'm on about. Watch some carcrash TV, as well as a Hercule Poirot mystery.

Pictures were included in a separate entry on the 14th.

Monday 13/11/06

After a very late night, I rise by 10 a.m.. Mrs B's relatives are flying back to Glasgow early this evening. They are spending the morning browsing shops. Weather is changeable. Lunch consists of mrs B's minestrone soup. The ferry is half an hour late coming in at lunchtime. I didn't need much in the shop today. Mrs B's relatives finally depart for the plane at 5.30, after which we have a lazy evening. Ever watched shopping channels on Sky? What a total waste of time. I enjoyed the Sherlock Holmes rather more.

Hurricane update - 16 November

Hurricane Sergio is about in the eastern Pacific Ocean, southwest of Mexico. He carries winds of 90 knots [100 mph] but is weakening. Sergio's path is proving a wee bit difficult to forecast, and there is a chance that he could come ashore in Mexico, anywhere between Acapulco and Cabo Corrientes. This chance is only small, but not negligible. I'll update if necessary.

Please Execute My Son

with thanks to Rosie

These are actual excuse notes from parents (including original spelling) collected by Nisheeth Parekh, Univ. Texas Medical Branch @ Galveston :

My son is under a doctor's care and should not take P.E. today. Please execute him.

Please excuse Lisa for being absent. She was sick and I had her shot.

Dear School: Please ekscuse John being absent on Jan. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, and also 33.

Please excuse Gloria from Jim today. She is administrating.

Please excuse Roland from P.E. for a few days. Yesterday he fell out of a tree and misplaced his hip.

John has been absent because he had two teeth taken out of his face.

Carlos was absent yesterday because he was playing football. He was hurt in the growing part.

Megan could not come to school today because she has been bothered by very close veins.

Chris will not be in school cus he has an acre in his side.

Please excuse Ray Friday from school. He has very loose vowels.

Please excuse Tommy for being absent yesterday. He had diarrhea and his boots leak.

Irving was absent yesterday because he missed his bust.

Please excuse Jimmy for being. It was his father's fault.

I kept Billie home because she had to go Christmas shopping because I don't know what size she wear.

Please excuse Jennifer for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the Sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it Monday, we thought it was Sunday.

Sally won't be in school a week from Friday. We have to attend her funeral.

My daughter was absent yesterday because she was tired. She spent a weekend with the Marines.

Please excuse Jason for being absent yesterday. He had a cold and could not breed well.

Please excuse Mary for being absent yesterday. She was in bed with gramps.

Gloria was absent yesterday as she was having a gangover.

Please excuse Burma, she has been sick and under the doctor.

Maryann was absent December 11-16, because she had a fever, sore throat, headache and upset stomach. Her sister was also sick, fever and sore throat, her brother had a low grade fever and ached all over. I wasn't the best either, sore throat and fever. There must be something going around, her father even got hot last night.

Graphic description

(with thanks to Rhonda)

The Middle Wife
By an Anonymous 2nd grade teacher

I've been teaching now for about fifteen years. I have two kids myself, but the best birth story I know is the one I saw in my own second-grade classroom a few years back.

When I was a kid, I loved show-and-tell. So I always have a few sessions with my students. It helps them get over shyness and usually, show- and-tell is pretty tame. Kids bring in pet turtles, model airplanes, pictures of fish they catch, stuff like that. And I never, ever place any boundaries or limitations on them. If they want to lug it in to school and talk about it, they're welcome.

Well, one day this little girl, Erica, a very bright, very outgoing kid, takes her turn and waddles up to the front of the class with a pillow stuffed under her sweater. She holds up a snapshot of an infant.

"This is Luke, my baby brother, and I'm going to tell you about his birthday. First, Mom and Dad made him as a symbol of their love, and then Dad put a seed in my Mom's stomach, and Luke grew in there. He ate for nine months through an umbrella cord."

[She's standing there with her hands on the pillow, and I'm trying not to laugh and wishing I had my camcorder with me. The kids are watching her in amazement.]

"Then, about two Saturdays ago, my Mom starts saying and going, 'Oh, oh, oh, oh!' " [Erica puts a hand behind her back and groans.] "She walked around the house for,
like an hour, 'Oh, oh, oh!'

[Now this kid is doing a hysterical duck walk and groaning.]

"My Dad called the middle wife. She delivers babies, but she doesn't have a sign on the car like the Domino's man. They got my Mom to lie down in bed like this."

[Then Erica lies down with her back against the wall.]

"And then, pop! My Mom had this bag of water she kept in there in case he got thirsty, and it just blew up and spilled all over the bed, like psshhheew!"

[This kid has her legs spread and with her little hands are miming water flowing away. It was too much!]

"Then the middle wife starts saying 'push, push,' and 'breathe, breathe.' They started counting, but never even got past ten Then, all of a sudden, out comes my brother. He was covered in yucky stuff, they all said it was from Mom's play-center!, so there must be a lot of stuff inside there."

[Then Erica stood up, took a big theatrical bow and returned to her seat.]

I'm sure I applauded the loudest. Ever since then, if it's show-and-tell day, I bring my camcorder, just in case another Erica c omes along. Now you have two choices...laugh and close this page or pass this along to someone else to spread the laughs. I know what I did!!

Pictures 15 November

Tomorrow, I shall endeavour to update the diary entries, but today showed a couple of skies of the "stunning" variety. Enjoy!


11 a.m. Sun shines brightly, but high level cloud moves in


12.25 pm


3pm


4pm - Sunset





5pm - Coastguard Station

Tsunami Warning - cancelled

As indicated in the updated entry on the tsunami warning, which I posted earlier today, the warning was cancelled at 3pm GMT today. A wave of 30 cm (1 ft) in height was reported at ports in Hokkaido; a wave of 8 cm in height was reported from a port in Alaska. No damage or injury is reported in connection with this incident. By "wave" I mean a temporarily elevation in sealevel.

The tsunami of Boxing Day (December 26) 2004 was caused by an earthquake measuring 9.1 on the Richter scale, and measured 6 metres / 20 ft in height. It wreaked death and destruction across the Indian Ocean basin, through Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and even as far as the East African coast.

Lack of young people

Highlands and Islands Enterprise HIE is launching an investigation why there is a lack of people aged 16 to 35 in the north and west of Scotland. One person from that agegroup, speaking on local radio this afternoon, said a lack of higher education facilities was one contributary factor.

There is the UHI Millennium Institute, UHI being short for University for the Highlands and Islands. The Institute has NOT yet been awarded formal university status, as the quality control agency feels its structure needs to be strengthened.

The person interviewed on Radio Scotland did say he would return to his native island to bring up children, as it was a safer environment.

Having observed things here for the last year or two, the enterprise company needs to be a good deal stronger to lure companies here, or get them to stay. It also needs to twist the arm of the Scottish Executive (the devolved government of Scotland) to stand its ground against large conglomerates (such as operators in the fish-farming and salmon industry) who may want to move out of the islands in particular.
Another area of failure was the Arnish Fabrication Yard, which I look out on every day. Two operators have come and gone bust there, even though there is a market for renewable energy components (like wind turbines).

It is an objective for HIE to raise population levels in the area back to 500,000, an number last seen in 1851. Currently, 440,000 live in the Highlands and Islands. If HIE has this admirable objective, I hope they get those in authority committed to that aim as well.

Tsunami Warning - further information

UPDATE 15.00 GMT: All warnings have been cancelled.
Further information

13.18 GMT
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, located in Hawaii has issued a detailed bulletin, containing this evaluation of the threat:

IT IS NOT KNOWN THAT A TSUNAMI WAS GENERATED. THIS WARNING IS BASED ONLY ON THE EARTHQUAKE EVALUATION. AN EARTHQUAKE OF THIS SIZE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO GENERATE A DESTRUCTIVE TSUNAMI THAT CAN STRIKE COASTLINES NEAR THE EPICENTER WITHIN MINUTES AND MORE DISTANT COASTLINES WITHIN HOURS. AUTHORITIES SHOULD TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION IN RESPONSE TO THIS POSSIBILITY. THIS CENTER WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR SEA LEVEL DATA FROM GAUGES NEAR THE EARTHQUAKE TO DETERMINE IF A TSUNAMI WAS GENERATED AND ESTIMATE THE SEVERITY OF THE THREAT.

* For the Pacific region, excluding the American continent, warnings are issued here.

* Alaska, British Columbia, Washington State, Oregon and California: go to this page
Click on the red cross on the map, just to the east of Japan and choose the most recent Event Bulletin on event 596.

* Japan: messages are being broadcast continually on radio and TV. Read the latest bulletin from the JMA here

PLEASE RELAY
Tag: tsunami

Tsunami Warning - Japan and Russia

A tsunami is expected to hit northern Japan and Russia's Pacific coast, the US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says.

UPDATE (13.40 GMT): A 40 cm / 16 inch tsunami wave has hit Hokkaido Island in Japan.

Japan's meteorological agency says a tsunami of at least two metres (6.5 feet) high could hit the islands of Hokkaido and Honshu. Warnings are being broadcast on all Japanese TV and radio stations advising people to move to higher ground.

It comes after an earthquake of at least 8.1 magnitude rocked the Kuril Islands, north of Japan. The earthquake struck about 390km (240 miles) east of Iturup, known as Etorofu in Japan, at 2015 (1115 GMT), Japan's meteorological agency said. Other smaller waves may batter the Pacific coast of Japan, the agency said. The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the tsunami warning also applied to Marcus island, Wake island and Midway island.

There have been no reports of injuries or damage following the earthquake, while live television pictures from Nemuro, a port on Hokkaido, show calm waters. 

The BBC's Chris Hogg in Tokyo says in the past tsunamis have caused extensive damage in Japan but they were of a far greater magnitude than is being predicted.

Tag: tsunami

Vatican and the Veil

I know it's late, and I should be going to bed. This headline caught my eye, though, and I had to put it on. It's not often I agree with the Vatican, but I do so wholeheartedly on this issue.

I copy from the BBC website, and have highlighted the line I strongly agree with:

Cardinal Renato Martino said immigrants must respect the traditions, culture and religion of the nations they go to. They ought to abide by local laws banning the wearing of certain types of Muslim veils, he added. "It seems elementary to me and it is quite right that the authorities demand it," said Cardinal Martino, who heads the Vatican department dealing with migration issues.

Italy has a law, banning the wearing of masks. This was drawn up at a time when very few Muslims lived in the country. The government in Rome is trying to draw up a charter of Common Values, but runs into some pretty extreme views on both sides of the argument.

More to the point, when you go to a Muslim country, like Saudi Arabia, you cannot consume alcohol in public, and women are expected to dress according to Islamic rules.

Potential islanders

I mentioned yesterday the large body of applications from people wishing to come and live on Canna. It is very unusual, I have to agree with Cathy [luddie343]. However, if there are that few residents to start with, it would make sense to put them through a vetting process.

It isn't just that any personality clashes should be spotted from the word go. Even that cannot be wholly foreseen. The BBC's Castaway 2000 project was an example in itself. Psychologists spent weeks selecting characters they felt should constitute a community. What a load of twaddle that turned out to be. The scorn is still close under the surface in these islands.

Vetting processes also turned out to be a failure in Muck, as I alluded at the end of my last post on Canna. Apart from the fact that himself turned out to be an arrogant so-and-so, and her upstairs a stuck-up bovine, there was the more important factor of weather.

Even our big ferry gets cancelled if the wind exceeds force 8, 40 mph. The ferry to Canna, Muck and their neighbouring islands Rum and Eigg is a lot smaller. So, you can get stuck there, with the hail clattering against the window, the wind shaking the house and daylight hourse from 9 am until 3 pm. My first winter here was punctuated by periods of insomnia if the hail did NOT clatter or the wind did NOT howl.

Having spent 2 years in these islands, I've got a small idea what constitutes a good island dweller. Living on the harbour front in Stornoway, I can see every boat that comes and goes. I am aware when the ferry is not sailing. So, I go to the supermarket, expecting empty shelves. Then you have the numpties who walk through the doors at Somerfields and have to pick up their jaws from the floor when they see no fresh fruit & veg, and no bread. And they do NOT believe it when they hear that this is caused by a cancellation of the ferry. Even if they were blown off their feet getting to the door.

Nonetheless, you can vet until you see blue in the face, but it all has to come out in the wash. The poor folk who fled Muck were top of the pops of the vetting charts.

Tuesday's images - part 2

Sun appearing behind a cloud


Hailstones on dustbin


MV Discovery alongside no 3 pier

Awareness appeal

This evening, I was watching the 10 o'clock news on BBC 1 television, when a report came on about an obscure disease which afflicts people in Africa. It is called elephantiasis; its medical name is Lymphatic filariasis or LF.

LF is caused by a parasite, carried by mosquitoes. When the mosquito bites a human being, the parasite is transmitted into the body. These migrate into the lymphatic system. They then upset the fluidbalance within the body, leading to gross disfigurement.

The news report showed a lady's foot, swollen to several times its normal size, and a man's scrotum, swollen to the size of a lemon.

The disease is not fatal, but destroys quality of life. The lady I mentioned above could not walk very far. LF is eminently treatable through a course of medicines. These are provided free of charge to those countries that ask for them. 82 of the world's poorest nations are affected by LF, with 120 million people. The problem lies in the logistics of bringing the medicines to the people that need them.

It is the objective to eradicate this disease by 2020, in just under 15 years' time. An effort needs to be made to make this happen.

Read the report, which is available on the BBC News website. If you are in touch with any person or organisation that can help, please relay this message.
I copy the final paragraph of the news report below:

Professor Johnny Gyapong, from the Ghana Health Service, is in charge of the treatment programme. He said that with concerted international action LF could be eradicated. The drugs were available, it was simply a question of prioritisation.

"Lymphatic filariasis is largely a hidden and neglected disease, but with grave socio-economic effects. It is my view that the media has a role to inform, educate and communicate the appropriate messages relating to the disease, because the condition is manageable. So if we put our resources together and get our act together, it is possible that at least we get one disease off the list of manydiseases that are troubling the underdeveloped world." 

Call for support

Got an alert through from Lu-Anne [thebaabee], who is in so much pain that it is getting her seriously down. Please call round at her journal. Thanks.