Sunday 8 January 2017
Not Hollywood but Hollyweed.
Saturday 7 January 2017
JAN29-2017 IN HOLSWORTHY- Marksmemorywalk
JUST A WALK TO RAISE SOME FUNDS FOR THIS CHARITY I WOULD LIKE TO RAISE A 100.00 POUNDS TY-READ MORE AND PLEASE HELP-https://www.facebook.com/events/1370720929666126/-
Urbanisation signal detected in evolution, study shows
A "clear signal" of urbanisation has
been identified in the evolution of organisms, which has implications
for sustainability and human well-being.
In analysis of more than
1,600 cases around the globe, researchers said the changes could affect
ecosystem services important to humans.More than half of the world's human populations now live in urban areas, and this proportion is set to grow.
The findings appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"We found that there is a clear urban signal of phenotypic change, and also greater phenotypic change in urbanising systems compared to natural or non-urban anthropogenic systems," said co-author Marina Alberti from the University of Washington's Department of Urban Design and Planning.
"So urbanisation, globally, is clearly affecting things."
Phenotypic change refers to change in an organism's observable traits, such as it morphology, physiology, phenology, or behaviour.-Read More
'Aliens' spotted in Elite Dangerous space game
After years of waiting, a player of the Elite Dangerous game seems to have encountered its mysterious aliens.
Gamer DP Sayre recorded a video of his encounter with a massive, flower-shaped organic craft late on 5 January.Other players of the space exploration and trading game have grabbed videos of similar meetings in deep space.
The encounter ends a three-year hunt by players for signs of belligerent aliens known as Thargoids that featured in the game's earlier versions.
Hidden hints
Hints about the eventual appearance of Thargoids have been dropped regularly since the game launched in 2014. Strange objects floating in space and structures found on isolated moons and planets have revealed clues about the location of the aliens.In an official statement, Elite creator Frontier Developments said: "We are currently investigating reports of unusual sightings around the Elite Dangerous galaxy, but we are otherwise unable to comment on galactic rumour and speculation."
DP Sayre's encounter took place when he was travelling between star systems using-Read More
Sunday 1 January 2017
NEW POUND COIN
The new 12-sided £1 coin will enter circulation on 28 March, the government has said.
The round £1 will be legal tender alongside the new, more-secure coin until 15 October.
The public are being urged to use their current £1 coins or bank them before they lose their legal tender status.
The government estimates around a third of the £1.3 billion worth of coins stored in piggy banks or saving jars around the UK are the current £1 style.
Some of those returned by the public will be melted down and used to make the 12-sided version.
The new style was announced in the 2014 budget and has been billed by the Royal Mint as "the most secure coin in the world".
Why the new coin is harder to counterfeit
- 12-sided - its distinctive shape means it stands out by sight and by touch
- Bimetallic - The outer ring is gold coloured (nickel-brass) and the inner ring is silver coloured (nickel-plated alloy)
- Latent image - it has an image like a hologram that changes from a '£' symbol to the number '1' when the coin is seen from different angles
- Micro-lettering - around the rim on the heads side of the coin tiny lettering reads: ONE POUND. On the tails side you can find the year the coin was produced
- Milled edges - it has grooves on alternate sides
- Hidden high security feature - an additional security feature is built into the coin to protect it from counterfeiting but details have not been revealed
PA
Its introduction will come as a new set of coin designs are also brought into circulation, celebrating the achievements of Jane Austen and Sir Isaac Newton.
The Royal Mint said the new designs have a "strong pioneering theme" and will start appearing this spring.
A Jane Austen £2 coin will celebrate the author 200 years after her death, while another £2 version will remember the Royal Flying Corps.
A 50p coin will mark the achievements of mathematician Sir Isaac Newton, a one-time Master of the Royal Mint.
Dr Kevin Clancy, director of the Royal Mint Museum, said: "This is a particularly significant year in Royal Mint history as we welcome in the new 12-sided £1 coin, with its innovative security features.
"This year we also mark the achievements of Jane Austen, Sir Isaac Newton and the Royal Flying Corps - all pioneers in their own field.
ITV launch new 'soap-style' reality show featuring glamorous… dogs
The show is said to follow the format made famous by the Real Housewives franchise, which first followed a group of Orange County women.
The format has done incredibly well spawning nine American versions and nine international, including The Real Housewives of Cheshire in the UK.
Filming will apparently begin in the new year and will focus on Britain's glamorous dogs and their breeders.read more
The New Saints break Ajax's 44-year world record after Welsh club win 27th straight game
Welsh Premier League champions The New Saints have broken Ajax's 44-year world record for the most consecutive wins.
The great Ajax team of Johan Cruyff, Johan Neeskens and Arie Haan won 26 consecutive games in 1972 at a time when the Dutch club were dominating European football.
But TNS - who are currently 21 points clear at the top of the Welsh Premier League - eclipsed that by winning 2-0 at Cefn Druids on Friday night.
The Guinness Book of Records have already verified that TNS will remove Ajax from the record books.read more
Motorway speed limits near roadworks could be raised
The Government has announced new plans to raise speed limits near roadworks on motorways to cut congestion
Motorways and trunk roads could see faster speed limits introduced near roadworks under new plans to cut down on congestion.
The Department for Transport wants to raise speed limits near roadworks from the current maximum of 50mph, and has tasked Highways England to determine whether this can be done "safely."
The agency is currently running a trial on a four-mile stretch of roadworks on the M1 with a 60mph limit. If the trial is declared a success faster limits could appear throughout the country.
Transport minister John Haynes has also asked Highways England to limit roadside works to no longer than 10 miles, as well as increasing the number of lanes open during roadworks.
The reforms are much needed as the latest traffic predictions by the DfT estimate a potential 55 per cent rise in traffic numbers by 2040. The next few years will also see a rising number of roadworks as Highways England is currently busy converting over 4,000 miles of the motorway network into new ‘smart’ motorways. Smart motorways will use the hard shoulder as an added lane during busy periods as well as variable speed limits to cut congestion. -read more
You now need ID to vote
From next year you will need to bring identification to the polling station in order to cast your vote, following the adoption of recommendations to crack down on electoral fraud.
Traditionally, voters bring a polling card posted to their address, but a pilot scheme will be introduced next year in which a driving licence, passport or utility bill will also be required.
Earlier this year, former cabinet minister Sir Eric Pickles produced a report into electoral fraud, following widespread corruption in Tower Hamlets, and concluded abuse of Britain’s electoral system was widespread.read more
Massive jellyfish found washed up on North Devon beach
image: http://www.northdevonjournal.co.uk/images/localworld/ugc-images/276410/Article/images/29982522/15741991-large.jpg
The Barrel jellyfish washed up near Fremington Quay
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This giant jellyfish was discovered this week on a North Devon beach.
The marine animal - thought to be a Barrel jellyfish - measured around 40cm across.
Read more at http://www.northdevonjournal.co.uk/massive-jellyfish-found-washed-up-on-north-devon-beach/story-29982522-detail/story.html#q2RuxMly3ed5dEVv.99
Worlds Smallest Radio Receiver.
Built by a team of Harvard scientists with parts size of 2 atoms.It could work in space or a heart pacemaker.The radio uses diamond imperfections or nitrogen -vacancy centers to convert radio waves and a magnetic field can be used to change channels.
Protected Status.
The following have been protected status by government body historic England-a bronze age mound in the suburbs,set of lampposts,rock carvings by conscientious objectors,18th century artificial beehives are among 1,00 places given this status.
Saturday 31 December 2016
Curious tale of folklore and smuggling...
ONCE upon a time there lived a dragon in a deep, dark pool at Lyminster that terrorised the local community until it was killed by a brave farm lad armed only with a poisoned pudding! Once upon a time a mill once used by a smuggler collapsed in a storm, sending a millstone hurtling down the hill until it hit and crushed to death a man at Angmering. Once upon a time great supernatural horses appeared in a shimmering mist to the terror of lonely travellers. Once upon a time the ghost of an executed highwayman haunted his own gibbet high up on the downs near Burpham.
‘Once upon a time’ is the starting point of many folk stories and recalls an age when the lines between fact and fantasy were far more blurred than today. People accepted that strange, inexplicable things happened and put it down to the activity of unseen forces.
In his new book, historian Chris Hare delves into the world of folklore in Sussex and Hampshire and attempts to separate historical fact from fantasy. This new book, The Secret Shore: tales of folklore and smuggling from Sussex and Hampshire, is published by the South Downs Society, and is a result of a two year long Heritage Lottery funded project. It is a companion to the previously released CD, South Coast Songs and Shanties.
Chris led a team of volunteer researchers during the summer and autumn of 2015, who interviewed people living on the Sussex and Hampshire coast about the folk tales and superstitions that still exist amongst our modern coastal communities. The results of this survey were set against the ground-breaking research undertaken in Sussex by pioneering folklorist, Charlotte Latham in the 1860s.
In his book, Chris is able to show how many old beliefs that Charlotte Latham thought were dying out in her day, still survive in our own times. Many people still wish magpies a good day for fear of inviting bad luck if they omit to do so. There are numerous stories still in circulation about mysterious tunnels, just as there were 160 years ago. Some of our local residents still smash their spoons through their empty egg shells for fear that witches will put to sea in them if they fail to do so!-read more
New Year´s Eve countdown takes longer due to leap second
Counting down to 2017 will take longer than usual this New Year’s Eve as clock experts compensate for a slowdown in the Earth’s rotation.
To be precise, it will last an extra second.
In a move guaranteed to make revellers’ heads spin, time lords at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) are to introduce a “leap second” after 23:59:59 on December 31.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-4075538/New-Year-s-Eve-countdown-takes-longer-leap-second.html#ixzz4TlcoNqN7
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Three music fans share memories of The Who's 1966 Barnstaple concert at Queen's Hall
Three Journal readers contacted a music writer researching performances by rock band The Who in Barnstaple in 1960s – here are their stories.
Richard Houghton asked anyone who saw The Who perform in their early days, specifically in Barnstaple, to get in touch to help inform his people's history book and he was overwhelmed by the response.
Richard Houghton said: "I've had some great stories from Who fans of seeing the group up close and personal in Barnstaple, where they appeared in July 1966 at the Queen's Hall.
Read more at http://www.northdevonjournal.co.uk/three-music-fans-share-memories-of-the-who-s-1966-barnstaple-concert-at-queen-s-hall/story-30018527-detail/story.html#b0mlx6FYy3qfuqwj.99
Saturday 24 December 2016
IN MEMORY OF Status Quo guitarist Rick Parfitt R.I,P
Status Quo are an English rock band whose music is characterized by their distinctive brand of boogie rock. The group originated in The Spectres, founded by schoolboys Francis Rossi and Alan Lancaster in 1962.[1] After a number of lineup changes, which included the introduction of Rick Parfitt in 1964, the band became The Status Quo in 1967 and Status Quo in 1969.
They have had over 60 chart hits in the UK, more than any other rock band,[2] including "Pictures of Matchstick Men" in 1967, "Whatever You Want" in 1979 and "In the Army Now" in 2010. Twenty-two of these reached the Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart. In July 1985 the band opened Live Aid at Wembley Stadium with "Rockin' All Over the World". In 1991, Status Quo received a Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.[3]
Status Quo starred in their first feature film, Bula Quo!, which was released to cinemas in July 2013. The film coincided with the release of the soundtrack album Bula Quo!, which peaked at number 10 in the UK Albums Chart. The first single from the album, "Bula Bula Quo" was released in June 2013, and is Status Quo's one hundredth single release.[4]
Some young dinosaurs shed teeth, say experts
Some dinosaurs lost their teeth as they grew up, according to fossil evidence.
The hatchlings ate meat with their teeth, then used beaks to peck at plants as adults, say scientists.
The discovery is a surprise and has not been seen in any other reptile.
Limusaurus inextricabilis lived in China around 150 million years ago. The first fossilised remains of the animal were discovered about a decade ago.
"Initially, we believed that we found two different ceratosaurian dinosaurs from the Wucaiwan area, one toothed and the other toothless, and we even started to describe them separately," said Shuo Wang of Capital Normal University in Beijing, China, who led the research.
The palaeontologists then realised that the dinosaurs looked remarkably similar, except for the presence of teeth.
They found that the dinosaur lost its teeth over time, making it the first known reptile to do this.read more
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