quote:

Originally posted by RonW:
Well, I'm now off to find the 'safe' place where I left my Chinese backscratcher!.

Give her my love...

Fil2,

Are you suggesting that there is a 'Chink' in my armour?

Ron.

You being so well travelled Ron I had an image of some sloe-eyed beauty you'd brought home from Hong Kong very, very slowly drawing her immaculately manicured fingernails down the length of your bare spine.

Perhaps the expression "Chinese backscratcher" doesn't conjure up the same image for everyone.

September ist and 2nd. New Brighton, Wirral. The National 'Hot Air Ballonists' meeting takes place. (Politicians banned)
A full two day programme.

September 2nd. 'The Spitfire Anniversary Air Show' Imperial War Museum, Duxford, Cambridge, celebrate 70 years of this legendary aircraft.
The display, includes the mass flypast of Spitfires, the largest for years.

Ron.

I would love to see-and hear-that but sadly have to work in the morning.

Fil2,
Is this of interest?-
A 'Duck Race' for charity will be held on Saturday, 16th September, at 2-oo PM at the West KIrby(Wirral)Marine Lake.
Entry £1-00. All monies going to local charities.
First prize £1,000. holiday voucher to be used anywhere.
Contestants may bring their own Duck. However, it must be thoroughbread and not a quack, nor will doing a 'Drake'by eliminating the opposition be allowed. All swims must be straight, no waddling nor cutting in from the'wing'.
It is assumed, that at the conclusion, many a tail(tale) will unfold. However, if a loser, don't let it get you 'down', join everone for a drink at the 'Feathers' Inn
The last highlight of the day, will be a 'Duck' flypast with a 'bombing' run on the return.
For further information;- 051-625-3636

Ron.

Saturday, 9th September. Anyone near Merseyside can see(free) the British Power Boat races on the Mersey. They can be viewed from both banks of the river, Liverpool or Bitkenhead.
Ron.

quote:

Originally posted by Fil2:
I would love to see-and hear-that but sadly have to work in the morning.

I presume you mean the spitfire show, Fil, and not the hot air balloons? Given the weather that day, I'm not sure how much flying went on and I certainly saw nothing from where I live (5 miles away!). Entry fees were extortionate. I'm hoping that we can have another EAFF trip there when the new Airspace hangar opens properly but that's unlikely to be this year. Mind you, the more they add to their colletions the less likely it becomes that you'll ever see the whole place in one day!

You are so right Jenni. This is the well-worn path taken by the NRM in York. Takes more than a day to get round all of it.

I remember watching a documentary on TV about the Japanese "Bullet" train gifted to NRM. It was a very close thing getting it in to the museum and if memory serves me right the Japanese took a lot more care and effort at their end when shipping it than we did receiving it.

Cheers

Ian G.

Some light entertainment from America;-

School Teacher Arrested.

NEW YORK- A public school teacher was arrested today at John F. Kennedy International Airport as he attempted to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a set square, a slide rule and a calculator.

At a morning press conference, Attorney General John Ashcroft said he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-gebra movement.

He did not identify the man, who has been charged by the FBI with carrying weapons of math instruction.

"Al-gebra is a problem for us," Ashcroft said. "They desire solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in a search of absolute value.

They use secret code names like 'x' and 'y' and refer to themselves as 'unknowns', but we have determined they belong to a common denominator of the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country.

As the Greek philanderer Isosceles used to say, 'There are 3 sides to every triangle'.

When asked to comment on the arrest, President Bush said, "If God had wanted us to have better weapons of math instruction, He would have given us more fingers and toes." White House aides told reporters they could not recall a more intelligent or profound statement by the president.

For anyone still interested in a quiz question, here's one;-
In England, because of a medieval law, where does one have to pay tax on a corpse?

On this day in 1787 The Constitution of the United States of America was signed.

1908 Lt Selfridge, on a test flight with Orville Wright, was killed when the plane crashed, becoming the first passenger to die in an air crash.

1939 Poland was invaded by the Russians, followed later by the Germans.

2005. One million plus Poles invade the UK.

Stirling Moss, English racing driver is 77 today.

Anne Bancroft, Actress, is 75.

1985 Laura Ashley, Welsh designer and fabric retailer, died on this day.

So did 1999 Frankie Vaughan (born Frank Abelson), British singer and entertainer. One of the kindest and nicest guys I have ever known. He was a friend whom I cannot replace.

Ron.

quote:

Originally posted by RonW:
Anne Bancroft, Actress, is 75.

Ron.

Anne Bancroft died on 06/06/2005

quote:

Originally posted by Jenni:

quote:

Originally posted by Fil2:
I would love to see-and hear-that but sadly have to work in the morning.

I presume you mean the spitfire show, Fil, and not the hot air balloons? Given the weather that day, I'm not sure how much flying went on and I certainly saw nothing from where I live (5 miles away!). Entry fees were extortionate. I'm hoping that we can have another EAFF trip there when the new Airspace hangar opens properly but that's unlikely to be this year. Mind you, the more they add to their colletions the less likely it becomes that you'll ever see the whole place in one day!

Yes, I enjoyed my first vist to Duxford best, when there were loads of rusting engines lying around and the place looked more like a scrapyard. Cosford was a bit like that the last time I went, impressive collection of prototype aircraft and missiles plus the "haunted" Lincoln.

quote:

Originally posted by Ann Wilkinson:
funny thing Steffan -most groups seem to get religious tolerance bar christians

...some average Christians are intolerant of 'others' without even realising it sadly

Ref;Anne Bancroft. Sorry, Basil. I took yhat date from todays 'Hutchinson'

Owain, you would have enjoyed todays aircraft display in aid of the lifeboats. A Lancaster bomber,Spitfire and Hurricane flew up the Mersey at a few hundred feet.

Ron.

The Guardian is commemorating radical moments in history and asking readers to vote for the most important moment in radical thinking. Th echoices are: the Peterloo Massacre, the Merthyr Riots, the Derby Day suffragette, the Putney debates or the Cornish Prayer Book Rebellion. Check them out on Guardian online. Moments in history which have shaped our freedoms and rescued most of us from peasantry. At the very least moments which are too often overlooked in the teaching of history.

Ron W

Sounds as if it was the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight from RAF Coningsby.

I see too that late last week Raymond Baxter died. What a great commentator he was, as well as being an ex Spitfire pilot.

One of the most intolerant people I know is an atheist -cannot brook any difference of opinion

intolerance is shown by humanists, communists, any ist you can think of -all fundamenalists are intolerant

there are very intolerant christians -who get right up my nose - intolerance usually comes from fear

however... did anyone watch an old film this evening called The Lion Has Wings? Made in the first months of the war -yes propaganda at its best/worst but one thing struck me -the last speech - we are fighting for 'Freedom of Speech' - that is my philosophy - that is my defining historical moment anything that fights for freedom of speech -whether I agree with it or not. And ww2 was a time when any difference went out the window when the chips were down -my father, a village lad fought alongside Oxford scholars and landed gentry, my mother, having been blitzed and having spent many nights under the bed with a baby and toddler because she couldn't get to a shelter -cried for a German pilot killed in front of her as he crashed.

No one ever came to our door and was turned away -ever and freedom of speech was always valued and is in my house - even anti -christian

and strange to say the people who have never shown any intolerance to my faith are Hindu, Muslim and Shintoist!

So - sorry but on the count of intolerance and freedom of speech -I am furious that the Labour Party will not allow the families of killed and wounded servicemen to demonstrate outside the Party Conference.

Ann, I find agree with much you have written. I am an atheist but not intolerant of anyone's religion. Indeed I find peoples religious beliefs of great interest. I have found intolerance amongst atheists and I find it as unpleasant as the intolerance of religious fundamentalists. Why are you surprised that Hindus, Muslims, or Shintoists should be tolerant of your religion? I can't see why they would be any more or less tolerant than anyone else. They are people first so have the capacities for good or bad that we all do.

Freedom of speech has been hard won in this country - hence my earlier post. But there are other freedoms which don't seem so welcome on this thread. Freedom of movement takes a hammering here. 'Invading' Poles? One of my work colleagues is Polish and you would be aghast to hear of the routine abuse she receives at the moment. My son has also worked alongside many Poles, who work hard to earn money to send home to their families. A free market economy has left the 'eastern bloc' in a parlous state. Can you blame people for wanting to get out? In my home city we have had the opening of Polish shops, bringing new foods and products to our attention. Far from being a threat this seems to enrich all our experiences.

As for the Labour Party Ann, at the parliamentary level it is travesty of a party that is supposed to represent the interests of working people. The control freakery is also beyond the pale.

Ian,

One story behind the 'Mersey' flypast was interesting.
The Spitfire which led the trio, had stood at the gate of Sealand Airodrome for over 20 years as a symbol of the Battle of Britain.. On the other side of the RAF base stood a Hurricane.
Three years ago, when it was announced that the base would close, the Ministry sold what they believed was a shell of an aircraft(the spitfire) for a pittance.
Upon purchase, the new owner discovered that the 'plane was complete, including the Rolls Royce Merlin engine.
The 'plane underwent a complete renovation and has been airworthy and flying for a couple of years. It was this Spitfire that flew up the Mersey on Saturday. Imagine its true worth, as apposed to the scrap price received.

Ron.

Hi Ron

Your comment was very interesting. Because the Lanc was involved I assumed it was the BoB MF. Their Lanc is one of only two in the world which remain flying.
Rebuilding of original a/c is very common but not many receive a Certificate of Airworthiness from the CAA so they remain as static displays. A case in point [and a 'sore' one with me] is the last Halifax. Many years ago when I was monitoring YTS Schemes I visited Hawker Siddeley Aviation [as it was then] at Brough-on-Humber. The trainees were tasked with refurbishing the tail gun turret of this plane. It had been used as a chicken hut by a farmer but surprisingly it was intact apart from the barbette ring which had corroded badly. I was very surprised when the instructer told me that this was only a small part of the reconstruction and that the complete a/c was being restored. I believe it is now housed at Elvington Air Museum [I have pix of it somewhere ]

Jenni

How I do agree with you. I have come to the conclusion that the more our freedoms are eroded the more legislation is passed to "enforce" these freedoms. Talking of which I see the Phantom Surgeon has been at work again and excised my posting to the Dark Knight thread. And people wonder why I absent myself from this website

Quod! Me anxius sum

quote:

Originally posted by Ann Wilkinson:
One of the most intolerant people I know is an atheist -cannot brook any difference of opinion

intolerance is shown by humanists, communists, any ist you can think of -all fundamenalists are intolerant
there are very intolerant christians.

I've never met an intolerant Pagan mind,and its really interesting when it comes up in conversation what people will say when they just presume you are 'one of them'.

Ron- I was walking along the shore with one of my children.I turned and said 'I wonder what it was like here during the war'?
With that a Spitfire appeared from the clouds on its way to RAF St.Athan
....I may wonder what 6 lottery numbers would look like next time

One of what Owain?

I actually have a lot in common with the local pagans. Would rather have a pagan that reverences life than a christian who thinks the world is his/hers to plunder without responsibilty

or perhaps I should say
one that lives by their beliefs rather than pays lip service when it suits - but then hey ho we are all fallible

To presume means closed mind and certainties which one is afraid to test

not to presume means discovery and a lot of fun

don't you think?

Ian,
With your vast knowledge of the RAF and flying, I wonder if you can help?
Briefly, -I returned home from a job in West Africa a few weeks ago, suffering the worst case of Mosquito bites that I have experienced for 20 years. I looked as if I had a bad dose of the 'Pox' and had to undergo medical treatment. Therefore, I have spent the past few weeks relaxing in beautiful North Wales, with plenty of books, a loan of a Jet Ski and a daily swim.
During my daily swim, I met a facinating old gentleman, who. over an after swim cup of tea, told me his life story from when he was born in 1930, until today. It was better than a book.
At 17 he joined the Royal marines. Was sent to Korea at the outbreak of that war. Was captured by the Communists and underwent torture over a three year period. Eventualty released and