Monday musings

Nice afternoon here if cold - only 4C. A few showers passed by to the south at lunchtime. Went out for a walk through town this afternoon, taking pics around the Nicolson Institute, the secondary school.

Cyclone Gamede is still around, sucking its thumb as a 110 mph hurricane some 240 miles northwest of La Reunion. It's stationary, making up its mind which way to go. Probably south, but the forecasters on the French island have taken up the attitude "seeing is believing".

The rail crash in Cumbria last Friday is thought to have been caused by a faulty set of points. Poor maintenance seems to be behind that, as essential bolts and bars appear to have been missing. The train stood up well in the crash, signalling was correct at the time.
The last fatal rail crash, at Potters Bar near London in 2002, was caused by a similar problem. A number of people remain in hospital with serious injuries, none of those life threatening.

Found a news item which showed that people suffering from lung cancer show changes in the chemical composition of their breath. The cancer cells emit certain compounds, which can be detected. Scientists have now developed a detector. Apparently, dogs are able to smell cancer on a sufferer's breath.