GHOSTMAN

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.

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

Limusaurus inextricabilis: the dinosaur ate meat as a youngster, then switched to plants

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

Scientist claims future humans will have to live like Martians

EARTH is slowly turning into a barren red world just like Mars and it spells doom for every living being on the planet.

That’s the terrifying warning from a top scientist who wants our species to wake up to the grim fate awaiting us.

Anjali Tripathi, an astrophysicist at Harvard University, has spoken out about a “frightening” natural effect called atmospheric escape.

In a recent TED talk, she said that 400 pounds of hydrogen and almost 6.6 pounds of helium escape from Earth into space with every single minute that passes.

Eventually, this will cause such a massive change in the makeup of Earth’s atmosphere that life will be unable to cling on any longer and the planet’s surface will turn blood red and barren.read more

/Seal-pup-farmer-s-field-seven-miles-sea.

A Stranded seal pup has been rescued – after turning up in a field seven miles from the sea.

The male pup was found dehydrated and a little underweight on a farmer’s land near Cowbridge, South Wales.

Officers from RSPCA Cymru believe he must have travelled up streams connected to the River Thaw before making his way onto land.