Lights Out' ends day of WW1 centenary commemorations

A candle-lit vigil at Westminster Abbey and a "lights out" event have concluded a day of ceremonies marking 100 years since Britain entered World War One.

People were invited to turn off their lights for an hour until 23:00 BST, the time war was declared in 1914.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and David Cameron attended a twilight ceremony at St Symphorien Military Cemetery near Mons, Belgium.
The Prince of Wales was at a service in Glasgow, among other commemorations.
The Lights Out event - organised by 14-18 NOW, a cultural programme to mark the centenary - saw households, businesses and public buildings across the UK turn out their lights to leave a single candle or light burning.
The event was inspired by the words of wartime Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey, who said on the eve of WW1: "The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime."
The conflict between 1914 and 1918 - which became known as the Great War - left 17 million soldiers and civilians dead-.READ MORE AND VIDEO LINK

The family that pulls strings

A long time ago, in a land far away, there was a little girl who made puppets. "I made them myself," recalls Lyndie Wright. "I filled my mother's oven with papier-mache." One day, a touring puppet company came through Pretoria, in South Africa, where the little girl lived. She went to a show and was spellbound. "There is a picture in the archives somewhere, showing me in the audience," she says.
Years later, the puppet company came back. By now, Lyndie was a student at art school, but she joined up to be general dogsbody and went touring through South Africa and neighbouring countries. The man who ran the theatre, John Wright, was older than her, but they fell in love. When Lyndie moved to London to study at the Central School of Art, John came too.
In a back alley in Islington, they found a ruined temperance hall. There was no roof and trees were growing in the main space. They decided to buy it and set up a permanent puppet theatre. They offered £750, John's inheritance from an aunt, and for this sum they were given the hall and a tiny adjacent cottage.
That was 50 years ago. Today, the Little Angel Theatre is known as the home of British puppetry, with an extraordinary reputation for developing talent. Patrons include Judi Dench, Simon Rattle and the author Michael Rosen. To mark the anniversary, the theatre is putting on a version of The Tempest in collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company. The show has just opened in Stratford before coming home to the tiny north- READ MORE

Raines explains

https://db.tt/rqunztz5

Enterprise to create Star Trek-style glasses that will allow the blind to see

The spectacles, already being developed for a mass market by the Royal National Institute of Blind People, won a public vote in the Google Impact Challenge Awards, joining another three winners receiving funding of £500,000 each.

The award will allow the charity to give a prototype of its smart glasses to 1,000 people to test for the next 18 months, with the aim of making a finished product available by 2016. It is estimated 150,000 people in the UK and about 15 million worldwide will benefit from the spectacles which echo the sci-fi Visor of Star Trek character Geordi LaForge, played by actor Levar Burton.

In his fictional case his vision came via implants into the optic nerve which delivered imagesread more

'why'

'why'

Siegfried Sassoon's war diaries published online- IN MEMORY OF THE FALLEN AN D FORGOTTEN , INNOCENT WHO LOSE THIER LIFES IN WW1

The diaries of war poet Siegfried Sassoon are being published online for the first time.

The archive of 23 journals and two notebooks of poetry has been digitised by the Cambridge University Library, which bought the collection in 2009.
Until now only Sassoon's official biographer - Max Egremont - has had access to the complete 4,100-page archive due to its fragile state.
Librarian Anne Jarvis said the war diaries were of "towering importance".
The journals, which are made freely available online from Friday, offer a unique insight into life on the front line during World War One.
Writing in a "distinctive" but clear hand, Sassoon describes life in the trenches, including the moment he was shot by a sniper at the Battle of Arras, and his depiction of the first day of the Battle of the Somme as a READ MORE"sunlit picture of hell'"

Are black cats being abandoned because they don't look good in selfies?

Hundreds of the animals are being abandoned as their owners complain that black animals do not photograph as well as their lighter and brighter-coloured counterparts, making them less popular with those who enjoy posting self-portraits with their pets on sites such as Facebook.
The RSPCA in the UK said that 70 per cent of more than 1,000 cats in its care in Britain are black or black and white. Other rescue centres said that prospective owners were asking for a cat of any other colour than black.
The Millwood Cat Rescue Centre in Edwalton, Notts, which has been running for 20 years, is “full to bursting”, according to its owners. Ronnie McMillen, 71, the centre’s founder, said: “We have had a lot of black cats in this year – people don’t like black at the moment.

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“Others look at the black cats and then just say 'Oh, have you got anything else?’ Ginger male cats are the most popular but I think the black cats are beautiful and photograph fine.”
Black cats have been the subject of conflicting myths since the Middle Ages, when they were associated with witchcraft. Many Britons reject the negative superstitions, believing on the contrary that they bring good luck.
However the RSPCA said it was struggling to rehome abandoned black cats, partly because of the difficulty of capturing the cats in pictures, making owners less likely to “engage” with those animals in online profiles. A spokesman said: “In UK folklore, black cats symbolise good luck, yet sadly in reality they are not so lucky.
“There are a number of reasons for this, ranging from the fact that black cats are harder to tell apart than cats with more distinctive markings and the fact that black animals tend not to photograph as well.”
A spokesman for Blue Cross, the animal charity, said it had seen a 65 per cent rise in the number of black cats it took in annually between 2007 and 2013, to 895. This year it has taken in

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life/popular-culture/are-black-cats-being-abandoned-because-they-dont-look-good-in-selfies-20140730-3cssy.html#ixzz39FDHcd2V

Giving new life to fallen timber with unique carvings of the natural worlds

Creating one beautiful example from nature from another is a former boat builder Andre Daniel’s passion. Andrea Kuhn met him at his South Devon studio to see his wonderful work.
He began his career on a large scale, building classic wooden boats, but now a Devon craftsman is hoping that the tiniest of projects will become his trademark.
In his South Devon workshop Andre Daniel creates delicate wooden moths which celebrate the many varieties of British timber.
Each piece is different as it uses the whorls and ripples of the wood grain to represent the features of the moth. They are then given their own Latin name; Gigas Ulmus Tinia, the Giant Elm Moth; Accipiter Taxus Tinia, the Hawk Yew Moth.
“I love the fact that every single one is unique because I look at the wood for inspiration,” says Andre.
“I have been making them for about a year now so I’ve refined the process. But I think every day they’re getting better and better.”
Each moth also comes with its own tree-provenance; a storm-felled tree from nearby woods; a blackened post from Sutton Harbour.
“Times have moved on and we have much more respect for our wildlife now than in the past,” he says. “We don’t want to see a real moth pinned behind a glass.
“But they are such beautiful insects and such an important part of our countryside and I wanted to show that.”
Andre has been making furniture for almost ten years, often decorating his work with an inlaid dragonfly, but one day he decided to trying and make something more three dimensional and an idea was born.
He has been selling his Devon Moths locally but, encouraged by their popularity, he now plans to take them to a wider market in London.
“I have had such a good response that my biggest challenge now will just be to produce enough of them,” he says.

Read more at http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/Giving-new-life-fallen-timber-unique-carvings/story-21947734-detail/story.html#fcxMdiagox3CFdrW.99

2 MINUTES-KEEP FIT OLDIE

Old or a Pensioner you could improve your health by doing intense exercise 2 times a week.This was done   through a group that did 2 rapid weekly exercise bike  sessions at Abertay Kniversith,Dundee. 

BUGS DON,T LIKE BUMPED FISTS

Here is a  intesting  claim that if you high five or  bump fists its  more  hygienic than shaking hands.This was conducted by various hand  greetings in a e coli smeared rubber glove.

Mobile phone app sheds new light on risk taking behaviour

Scientists found that four puzzles in The Great Brain Experiment app can measure several different aspects of cognitive function.
Other games test our visual perception and our ability to remember things.
Scientists hope that results from thousands of participants will help them address population differences.
The research has been published in the journal Plos One.
By playing games participants can compare themselves to the other players while sending data back to the scientists.
"Each of these games is a serious scientific experiment," said Dr Peter Zeidman, a neuroscientist from University College London who was involved with the research.
"By playing the games people can not only have some fun but can contribute to the latest research in psychology and neuroscience," he added.

Continue reading the main story

• The Great Brain Experiment

The "Am I Impulsive?" game, for example, asks participants to smash fruit that is falling from a tree using their fingers, but to refrain from smashing it when it is rotting, indicated by the fruit turning brown.

Harnessing big data "That ability to hold yourself back from an action - trying to not do something - is a really important human ability and something we want to understand better.
"People with certain psychiatric illnesses or neurological problems have an impaired ability to inhibit their actions, for example ADHD or schizophrenia... If we can better understand just in the healthy population how people inhibit their actions then we'll learn a lot more," Dr Zeidman told the BBC's Science in Action Programme. READ MORE

Weird

Weird: http://youtu.be/hatJdwTPp3A

Mosquito

Big cat debate re-ignited by a chance photo which captures 'the Beast' -mysterycatblog post repost

Big cats are again in the headlines with a claimed but disputed sighting in West Cornwall. With new evidence on the phenomenon expected later this year, Lyn Barton examines whether it is the stuff of silly season or a genuine cause for concern.
In the broad light of a Cornish day, a creature leapt at a amateur photographer leading to claims that a big cat, akin to the Beast of Bodmin Moor, is yet again on the prowl.
Henry Warren as out and about taking pictures in fields near his home in Gwinear, West Cornwall, when the large cat-like creature pounced.
The 19-year-old, who despite being stunned managed to keep his finger on the shutter button to grab an image, said he was convinced the animal must have been a big cat.
The publication of his photograph has once more re-ignited the debate about whether the Westcountry is home to packs of secretive puma-like creatures which roam the fields or - as many people claim - that the only thing on the loose is an overactive imagination.
Mr Warren said he was in no doubt about what he saw.

Read more at http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/Big-cat-debate-ignited-chance-photo-captures/story-22012030-detail/story.html#yay4bLEwqApkUDzK.99

Mysterycatblog vid

Subject: My interest in and being an Investigator of Anomalous Phenomena-steve rider interviewed bymark antony raines -ghostman

What Inspired You?

Well, I have always had an interest in anything anomalous. Not just Ghosts, UFO’s and Monsters But, subjects like Healing, ESP, Timeslips, Automatic writing, forbidden archaeology and ancient sites like Avebury and Stonehenge etc, etc.

I can’t exactly pinpoint where my interest started but, it was there when I was very young. I guess one thing that did peak my interest though was my father telling me of the Ghost he and his younger brother saw when they were teenagers.

It was in an area of Southampton in Hampshire. They were at a place where there was a ruined house. They both saw a figure of a cavalier (from the days of the English civil war in the 1600’s). I remember my Dad’s description. He told me it was a figure, perfect in every way and detail. But, he did say that it was white and you could see through it. That was all as they both ran.

But, since then many things and people have inspired me to continue.

What are your Aims?

In recent years I have trained in Anomalous Phenomena Research with MAPIT at basic and Advanced Level but, I have also done many other things such as Reiki, I am a Reiki 2 healer and I.E.T. (Integrated Energy Therapy) and I am an IET Master Instructor, among other things.

My aims are to settle here in North Devon and to get my new Group, Eternal Realities, off the ground. What I am to do with Eternal Realities is to set up a group with a difference. Eternal Realities will be an Anomalous Phenomena research group with far reaching aims to integrate all of what I have learnt. It will provide a group which will look into reports of Phenomena but, will also provide healing and other services should they be requested by witnesses or experiencers.

I may even take it further in the future as I have some other ideas but, that’s for another time.

What plans do you have for the future?

For the future I hope to establish Eternal Realities and also create good links with other groups. I already work closely with the local group CFZ (Centre for Fortean Zoology) run by my good friend Jon Downes and I also have a group in Southampton I helped to found called South Coast Paranormal, who run paranormal events for the public. SCP is different in that we don’t look to use loads of

technology and equipment but, try to help our guests work with their own personal energy in experiencing phenomena. I also work closely with some other groups via facebook where I help with my knowledge and advice etc.

So, for the future it is all about getting the group up and running here and to forge close ties with other groups and helping those people out there who are seeing and experiencing things they can’t explain.

If anyone would like to know more about me, my background and the new group then feel free to look me up on facebook or via my group Eternal Realities also on facebook or email me at steve.rider@rocketmail.com

I will also be at this year’s Weird Weekend at the Small School in Hartland, North Devon, doing a little photography for the event so, please come have a chat.

stuffed lion talks

Big cat sighting prompts claims they may be breeding -http://mysterycats.blogspot.co.uk/part of cfz-http://www.cfz.org.uk/

Henry's picture shows a cat-like creature running for cover

Comments (2) A TEENAGER'S snaps of what appears to be a large cat have prompted speculation that the animals might be breeding and spreading in Devon and Cornwall.
Henry Warren, 19, was taking pictures in fields when the huge cat-like creature leapt out in front of him.
The student managed to rattle off several frames before the animal disappeared into undergrowth and has since reported the incident to the Plymouth-based British Big Cat Society.
Britain's most famous big cat was first spotted in 1983 and there have been over 60 recorded sightings since. There have been sightings on Exmoor, Dartmoor and several other rural locations.
It was declared a phantom in 1995 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food but Henry thinks they're wrong.
Henry, of near Gwinear, west Cornwall, said: "I was taking pictures of our new house when I saw something run across the field and-read more at link

http://www.middevongazette.co.uk/Big-cat-sighting-prompts-claims-breeding/story-21944388-detail/story.html-

Gardener

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