Things that make you go .....Hmmm, that's interesting.

[muppet]

http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20151012-feral-the-children-raised-by-wolves

[highorlow]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-07/venezuela-declares-every-friday-a-holiday-to-save-electricity

[Declan]

Young athletes should not undergo routine screening to prevent sudden cardiac arrest because it is not proven to save lives, according to a new study.
The  findings show the harms outweigh any benefits, and no robust evidence exists to confirm it actually prevents deaths, according to the study authors at the Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre.
 
Around 0.001pc of young athletes die from sudden cardiac arrest every year, often caused by an underlying cardiovascular condition, the British Medical Journal reports.

Pre-participation screening is an attempt to identify these conditions and prevent deaths. However, there are disagreements about the harms and benefits.
Researchers carried out the study of screening programmes in non-professional athletes aged 18-34 years.

Commenting on the findings, Dr Deirdre Ward, a cardiologist at the Centre for Cardiovascular Risk in Younger Persons at Tallaght Hospital in Dublin, said the evidence backing mandatory screening is slim.
 
"It sounds like a no-brainer to test everyone, but it is not as simple as that," she said.

"You could end up banning 10 times as many people from sport as those who have conditions. When we meet families where a sudden death has occurred they want every child in the country be screened. The centre we run is for families with a one-in-two risk, rather than one-in-1,000 risk."
 
ECGs don't pick up all symptoms associated with cardiac disease, and the sensitivity of this test is generally low. Overall, 25pc of people with a condition that may lead to a sudden cardiac death would not be identified, say the authors, and there are a high number of false positives.

Irish Independent

[muppet]

http://sluggerotoole.com/2016/04/28/overwhelmingly-the-main-victims-of-dissident-republicans-are-catholic-do-we-have-a-response/

[seafoid]

https://secure.palmcoastd.com/ows-img/commentary/bestofpremium/Best%20of%20Commentary%20for%20iPad%2040s.pdf

[muppet]

I had never connected Professor Brian Cox to this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCtK0E50OLc

[theskull1]

House prices in England and Wales 1995 to 2015

http://m.imgur.com/hZhne6L

[foxcommander]

I had never connected Professor Brian Cox to this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCtK0E50OLc

How did you not know that bit of trivia?!

Top tune from a great era of dance music. Knocks spots off the modern day rubbish.

[ziggysego]

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Tory Island lies off the coast of County Donegal in Ireland, aerial, Baelor's Fort (Credit: Credit: David Lyons/Alamy)

        Europe Ireland History

The last king of Ireland

Royalty is elected and legends live on through this strange, tiny island off the coast of County Donegal.

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    By Nicola Busca

1 December 2015

Ireland's tiny Tory Island isn't home to much. There are 150 inhabitants, one road, one church, one grocery store (which doubles as a post office), one lighthouse, one hotel, one hostel, one social club and – despite the 1800 Acts of Union that unified the kingdoms of Ireland and Great Britain – one king.

Patsy Dan Rodgers has ruled Tory Island for over 20 years (Credit: Credit: Philip Dunn/Alamy)

Patsy Dan Rodgers has ruled Tory Island for over 20 years (Credit: Philip Dunn/Alamy)

His name is Patsy Dan Rodgers, he's 71 years old and he has lived on the 5km-long and 1km-wide County Donegal island since he was four. He became king in 1993, though not – as you might expect – by inheritance. Instead, as per the island's custom, he was elected.

It's a tradition that, according to Rodgers, dates back the 6th Century, when Saint Columba (Colm Cille, in Irish) disembarked on Tory in order to spread Christianity. "He came to the island, and it was all pagans," said Rodgers. "The islanders agreed to meet him, and Saint Colm Cille had a conversation with a man called Duggan."

Life on Tory Island is quiet, but at the whims of the weather (Credit: Credit: Nicola Busca)

Life on Tory Island is quiet, but at the whims of the weather (Credit: Nicola Busca)

Duggan, Rodgers continued, expressed to the saint his fears about the pirates who were descending onto the island and destroying its houses. Saint Columba gave Duggan the honour of being the king of Tory, adding that the island would survive the peril if Duggan challenged the pirates. When Saint Columba's prediction turned out to be real, the pagans converted to Christianity and erected a monastery in the saint's memory. (Destroyed in 1595, the monastery's surviving bell-tower remains one of Tory's symbols today).

Columba also gave Duggan a present: a pot of clay with magical properties (it kept away rats and protected fisherman while at sea). The holy clay – which has left the island without rats since then – is still believed to be magic and can be handled exclusively by the oldest family member of the Duggan clan.

"From that day to this day, the islanders are very serious" about the tradition of the king, Rodgers said.

Fishing boats line the port of this remote Irish island (Credit: Credit: Gareth McCormack/Alamy)

Fishing boats line the port of this remote Irish island (Credit: Gareth McCormack/Alamy)

Today, the king undertakes duties such as ambassadorial obligations on the mainland and abroad; welcoming visitors when they arrive at the harbour and saying goodbye to them when they leave; and entertaining tourists at night by playing the accordion or telling them stories about his home land.

As well as king, Rodgers is also a painter. Together with Tory's other artists, he keeps alive the island's 50-year-old tradition of primitive painting, which was started by English painter Derek Hill when he first visited Tory in 1956. Rodgers' main subject is the island itself: sun-kissed in the summer and flagellated by violent Atlantic storms in the winter.

Patsy Dan Rodgers in his kingdom (Credit: Credit: Nicola Busca)

Patsy Dan Rodgers in his kingdom

(Credit: Nicola Busca)

It isn't just the king's paintings that are influenced by Tory. His temper also seems to have been shaped by the same extreme sceneries as his artwork. Like the sea roughened by a hurricane, Rodgers can be indomitable, particularly when speaking about the island's future or how people look to him as a leader. But when the blizzard calms down, he speaks gently again.

"People think I am higher up than I am," Rodgers said, "that I have powers to do things for the island and if something goes wrong, I should be able to fix it. I try to do my best, but I don't feel I should really be looked at like that."

The Anvil on the Tory Island coast (Credit: Credit: Stephen Emerson/Alamy)

The Anvil on the Tory Island coast (Credit: Stephen Emerson/Alamy)

Although the kingship is the most famous of Tory's traditions, the island's legends date back even further than the 6th Century, and they strongly tie in with some of Ireland's most important mythology. King Balor – a one-eyed giant and lord of the supernatural race of Fomorians – is said to have lived in Dún Bhaloir (Balor's Fort), a promontory stronghold on Tory's east coast that dates from the Iron Age. In the tower of Tor Mór – the island's highest point – Balor allegedly kept his daughter Eithne in prison, fearing the prophecy that said he would be killed by his grandson, the warrior of the light, Lugh. The fort, naturally defended on three sides by 90m-high cliffs and on the land side by four massive banks, is believed to date back to 700 BC, while the first archaeological evidence of human occupation on the island dates from around 2500 BC.

Legends aside, the landscape surrounding Balor's Fort is breath-taking. At the end of the only road that leads to the island's east side – through East Town, one of Tory's only two settlements – the path turns into a small track, and then passes over a natural land-bridge that connects the two sides of the island. After a wire fence, the walk proceeds uphill toward the fort's ruins.

The wild, rocky coast of Tory Island (Credit: Credit: Klaus Bossemeyer/Alamy)

The wild, rocky coast of Tory Island (Credit: Klaus Bossemeyer/Alamy)

Even if it's hard to identify the fort – there's little of it left and there isn't any sign – the scenery is well worth the effort. Dramatic and steep cliffs; waves that shatter against Tory's northern, rocky face; sharp ridges that scare hikers at first glance – it's easy to understand why this side of the island has inspired all sort of legends. When walking around the stone field that dominates the cliffs, pay extra care to the cliffs' edges; one strong wind could send you off course.

The landscape is totally different on the island's western side, where storms and winds have sanded away all its rough edges, leaving nothing on the ground except for small bushes.

"It is very hard to live here in the winter," said Eilis Rodgers, the daughter of former Tory king Patrick Rodgers (unrelated to the current king). "One year, in the night, a big wave threw a plastic tank against my house and it destroyed a window. I remember I heard a big crack, but no one was hurt."

Colourful cottages in the small village of Tory Island (Credit: Credit: Gareth McCormack/Alamy)

Colourful cottages in the small village of Tory Island (Credit: Gareth McCormack/Alamy)

In 1974, because of massive Atlantic storms, Tory Island was cut off from the mainland for almost two months. The Irish government tried to resettle the islanders in Donegal.

"From the 11th of January 1974 – seven weeks and three days", remembered the king, "At that time, we had three shops and we were able to divide with one another. I wouldn't say we would not help one another now, but it's completely different now."

"They [the government] offered every family of the island a house on the mainland and they encouraged 130 people. That was very, very sad," Rodgers continued. "It was a war with us but we fought, and here we are today, still on the island."

Of the 150 people who live on Tory Island year-round, there are 21 children, eight of whom were born in the last four years. However, both the survival of the community and its peculiar "royal" tradition are now in danger.

"I am not sure I want to be king until I die," Rodgers confessed. "For the benefit of the island I hope there will be somebody else, but it depends on who is more active on the island. I wish I could decide who can be the next king, but it's not the case."

Tourism is the main source of income for the islanders. But extreme weather conditions and – according to Rodgers – access challenges are negatively affecting Tory's survival.

The king greets all visitors who ferry to Tory Island (Credit: Credit: Design Pics Inc/Alamy)

The king greets all visitors who ferry to Tory Island (Credit: Design Pics Inc/Alamy)

"I would love for this island to be powerful for friends and visitors that travel so long," Rodgers said. "I want them to be able to buy handcrafts or paintings, or have a good meal, or find a good place to stay."

"But to double the number of visitors, the ferry has to be replaced," Rodgers continued. "Other islands with roughly the same population of Tory have two ferries and they can board double as many people. Other islands are so strong, and we have the same culture and language. We seem to be lost along the road, and that's not fair at all."
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That's some terrible quoting there hi.

[Denn Forever]

Was watching a progam on BBC 2 sunday night about the great north road goes on the coast around the glens of Antrim.  Stunning scenery but a bitch if you had to commute along it.

The interesng point was when they were taking about a kingdom, Dál Riata, that was made up of Antriim and the western islands of Scotland.  Had never heard of it before.   

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%A1l_Riata

[Jeepers Creepers]

Was watching a progam on BBC 2 sunday night about the great north road goes on the coast around the glens of Antrim.  Stunning scenery but a bitch if you had to commute along it.

The interesng point was when they were taking about a kingdom, Dál Riata, that was made up of Antriim and the western islands of Scotland.  Had never heard of it before.   

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%A1l_Riata

Coastal parts of the Glens probably have more in common with their Scottish neighbours than anywhere else in Ireland.

[Tony Baloney]

Was watching a progam on BBC 2 sunday night about the great north road goes on the coast around the glens of Antrim.  Stunning scenery but a bitch if you had to commute along it.

The interesng point was when they were taking about a kingdom, Dál Riata, that was made up of Antriim and the western islands of Scotland.  Had never heard of it before.   

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%A1l_Riata

Coastal parts of the Glens probably have more in common with their Scottish neighbours than anywhere else in Ireland.

Back then it was as handy to take the boat 12-15 miles across the water as it was to head inland. The fact that you can see the Mull of Kintyre means it's not a journey into the unknown either.

[bannside]

Last ever greyhound race at Wimbledon stadium going off in a few minutes. Home of the Derby for many years and scene of some great nights!

[MoChara]

The Rhinoceros Party of Canada

a Satirical party than ran for government positions between 1960's and 1990's
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinoceros_Party_of_Canada_%281963%E2%80%9393%29

It declared that the rhinoceros was an appropriate symbol for a political party since politicians, by nature, are: "thick-skinned, slow-moving, dim-witted, can move fast as hell when in danger, and have large, hairy horns growing out of the middle of their faces".[5]

Some of their policies are very good


Repealing the law of gravity[18][19]
Providing higher education by building taller schools[10][20]
Instituting English, French and illiteracy as Canada's three official languages[10]
Tearing down the Rocky Mountains so that Albertans could see the Pacific sunset[19]
Eliminating unemployment by abolishing Statistics Canada, thereby eliminating the bureaucrats that measure unemployment. [21]
Making Montreal the Venice of North America by damming the St. Lawrence River[22]
Abolishing the environment because it's too hard to keep clean and it takes up so much space[10]
Annexing the United States, which would take its place as the third territory in Canada's backyard (after the Yukon and the Northwest Territories—Nunavut did not yet exist), in order to eliminate foreign control of Canada's natural resources[23]
Ending crime by abolishing all laws[24]
To provide more parking in the Maritimes and to create the world's largest parking lot respectively, paving the Bay of Fundy and the province of Manitoba [10][19]
Turning Montreal's Saint Catherine Street into the world's longest bowling alley[10]
Amending Canada's Freedom of Information Act: "Nothing is free anymore; Canadians should have to pay for their information".[25]
Making the Canadian climate more temperate by tapping into the natural resource of hot air in Ottawa.[25]
Storing nuclear waste in the Senate: "After all, we've been storing political waste there for years".[25]
Adopting the British system of driving on the left; this was to be gradually phased in over five years with large trucks and tractors first, then buses, eventually including small cars, and bicycles and wheelchairs last.[12]
Selling the Canadian Senate at an antique auction in California[19][23]
Putting the national debt on Visa[26]
Declaring war on Belgium because a Belgian cartoon character, Tintin, killed a rhinoceros in one of the cartoons[20][27]
Offering to call off the proposed Belgium-Canada war if Belgium delivered a case of mussels and a case of Belgian beer to Rhinoceros "Hindquarters" in Montreal (the Belgian Embassy in Ottawa did, in fact, do this)[20][27]
Painting Canada's coastal sea limits in watercolour so that Canadian fish would know where they were at all times[22]
Banning guns and butter, since both kill[22]
Banning lousy Canadian winters[10]
Building a bridge spanning the country, from Vancouver Island to Newfoundland.[28]
Making the Trans-Canada Highway one way only.[28]
Changing Canada's currency to bubble gum, so it could be inflated or deflated at will.[29]
Donating a free rhinoceros to every aspiring artist in Canada[23]
Counting the Thousand Islands to see if the Americans have stolen any[8]

[muppet]