Phil the Greek Speaks

Prince Phillip of the UK, or Phil the Greek as he is known locally, is not consider particularly bright by many.  He is famous for his 'odd' public statements. 

To Scottish driving instructor, 1995: “How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to pass the test?”

At a wildlife conference in China in 1986: “If it has four legs and it’s not a chair, if it’s got two wings and it flies but is not an aeroplane and if it swims and it’s not a submarine, the Cantonese will eat it.”

At Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme, 2006. “Young people are the same as they always were. Just as ignorant.”

To black politician Lord Taylor of Warwick, 1999: “And what exotic part of the world do you come from?”

To parents at a previously struggling Sheffield school, 2003: “Were you here in the bad old days? ... That’s why you can’t read and write then!”

Asking Cate Blanchett to fix his DVD player because she worked “in the film industry”, 2008: “There’s a cord sticking out of the back. Might you tell me where it goes?”

“People think there’s a rigid class system here, but dukes have even been known to marry chorus girls. Some have even married Americans.” 2000.To a group of industrialists in 1961: “I’ve never been noticeably reticent about talking on subjects about which I know nothing.”

In Canada in 1976: “We don’t come here for our health.”

To the Aircraft Research Association in 2002: “If you travel as much as we do, you appreciate the improvements in aircraft design of less noise and more comfort – provided you don’t travel in something called economy class, which sounds ghastly.”

End Of An Era.

For more than 150 years English police have worn a helmet during routine duties.  Modeled on a Prussian military helmet of the time, it has become a symbol of policing worldwide.  But the hats are cumbersome, fall off frequently and can't be worn in cars. So the English have given police agencies permission to change to the American peaked cap.  Several forces have done so already with more to follow shortly.  The helmet will still be worn on special ceremonial occasions.  The Scottish and Northern Irish police have never used the helmet.

Too Fat To Work

Stephen Beer, 45, and wife Michelle, 43, like their food fast - and were spotted coming out of a KFC with a bargain bucket to celebrate their first wedding anniversary.

The couple, of Plymouth, Eng,  became national hate figures when they appeared on the documentary ‘Too Fat to Work’ and admitted they receive $3,000 a month in welfare because they are 'disabled by their weight.'  Their combined weight is 770 pounds.

The Classics Are Still The Classics.

Unfortunately, the quick wit of Groucho Marx is lost to much of the last few generations. But take the time to find copies of 'You Bet Your Life' and one is quickly reminded that a class act is always a class act. Some examples: 

Next time I see you, remind me not to talk to you.

I have had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it.

I won't belong to any organization that would have me as a member.  

I didn't like the play, but then I saw it under adverse conditions - the curtain was up.

The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made.

Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others.

Buddhism, a non theisitc religion

   

The Buddha did not believe in God, the soul, or salvation.  He concluded, after years of searching, that there 'was no evidence.'  And he may have been the first proponent of the god myth. Argued by many contemporary scholars, the myth holds that primitive man created the idea of all controlling ‘supreme beings’ as a means of gaining some influence over the fears and mysteries of their lives through prayer and sacrifice.  Instead, the Buddha believed that the problems of mankind were the product of human behavior, and thus curable by man and 'the way.'

Leonardo's Real Contribution - A factoid

De Vince is most remembered as one of the world's greatest artists, responsible for classics like the Mona Lisa, the Baptism of Christ, and the Last Supper.  But in reality, only 15 paintings exist that can be attributed to him, with another 3 or 4 contested pieces likely to have been his work. On the other hand, his sketches and notes from more than 30 autopsies cover thousands of pages from a time when human anatomy was one of sciences greatest mysteries. His diagrams and explanation of the heart were unrivaled until the 20th century.

The Wisdom of the POOH

Been revisiting the wisdom of Winnie the Pooh.  

"If there ever comes a time when we can’t be together, keep me in your heart, i’ll stay there forever."

Useless Factoid, History of the Handshake

The handshake dates to at least the 5th century BC in Greece.  It was a symbol of peace, showing that neither person was carrying a weapon, as depicted in the relief bove. During the Roman era, the handshake was actually more of an arm grab. It involved grabbing each other’s forearms to check that neither man had a knife hidden up his sleeve. Some say that the shaking gesture of the handshake started in Medieval Europe. Knights would shake the hand of others in an attempt to shake loose any hidden weapons.  The custom is found round the world but is losing popularity in the US, replaced increasing by the fist bump.

Mobile Shed Racing

Another unusual English sport.  Top record speed, 88 mph.  And these people once ruled an empire.

Another Important Holiday.

Nature-lovers are shedding their clothes and heading outside to mark World Naked Gardening Day. The event is celebrated on the first Saturday of May each year and encourages free-spirited gardeners to embrace nature in the nude.  Excuse me, got to get changed and plant some grass.

More Yeats

When You Are Old by William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)

When you are old and grey and full of sleep, 

And nodding by the fire, take down this book, 

And slowly read, and dream of the soft look 

Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;





How many loved your moments of glad grace, 

And loved your beauty with love false or true, 

But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you, 

And loved the sorrows of your changing face;





And bending down beside the glowing bars, 

Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled 

And paced upon the mountains overhead 

And hid his face amid a crowd of stars. 

Compliments Of John Patrick

 I was at the bar the other night and overheard three very hefty women talking at the bar. 

Their accent appeared to be Scottish, so I approached and asked,

"Hello, are you three lassies from Scotland?"

One of them angrily screeched,

"It's Wales, Wales you bloody idiot!"

So I apologized and replied,

"I am so sorry.

Are you three whales from Scotland?”

And that's the last thing I remember.

Humans Inhabited Ireland longer than believed.

Butchering marks on a bear bone discovered in 1903, but just reanalyzed has been dated to 12,500 years ago.  Further examination proves the marks were made when the bone was fresh.  The find is the first proof that humans inhabited Ireland during the Paleolithic Era.  Previous findings demonstrate the oldest evidence of human occupation dates to 8,000 years ago.

Frost Flowers. another useless factoid.

Frost flowers are actually frost found on new ice lakes and the northern oceans in late autumn or early winter.  In some climates, the Ozark Mountains and Scotland, the ice crystals appear on vegetation in woodlands. Conditions require some humidity and at least a 15 C degree temperature difference between the air and the surface.  Proof of the existence of God?

Camping North of The Artic Circle

Beautiful but burrrrrrrr.

Another One for JP's gallery.

Araksya Karapetyan, a 29 year old weather person for Fox News Los Angeles, was born in Armenia and represents all that is beautiful in the Armenian people.  She performed an ethnic dance during a recent broadcast.

The Beast of the Danube

The Danube salmon is an unusual beast in that it commonly lives for 30 years, grows to as much as six feet in length and weighs as much as 60 pounds.  Threatened by dams build on the river, the 'beast' is at risk of extinction.  Fishing for one is called 'hunting' by the locals.  I can understand why.

Zulu, the movie.

Zulu is a 1964 historical war film depicting the Battle of Rorke's Drift between the British Army and the Zulus in January 1879, during the Anglo-Zulu War where 150 British soldiers, many of whom were sick and wounded as patients at that field hospital, successfully held off an army of 4,000 Zulu warriors. Starring  Michael Caine, with the attacking warriors played by the Zulu home defense forces, wave after wave of Zulu attackers are repelled.  After 24 continuous hours of battle, the Zulu withdraw temporarily.

In the final assault, just as it seems the Zulus will finally overwhelm the tired defenders, the British soldiers fall back to a tiny redoubt constructed out of mealie bags. With a reserve of soldiers hidden within the redoubt, they form into three firing ranks, and seamlessly pour volley after volley into the stunned wave of attacking natives, who are completely annihilated. The defenders are still recovering when the Zulus reform.  Resigned to their defeat, the British are astonished when the Zulus instead sing a song to honour the bravery of the defenders before peacefully withdrawing.The actual battle led to the awarding of 11 Victoria Crosses, the most ever awarded in a single British action.  All time great flic.

Doctors Prescribe Gregorian Chant

Research has established the health benefits of regular Gregorian Chanting.  It lowers blood pressure, improves heart rate,  reduces tension, restores emotional balance, improves efficiency in the workplace, and is an effective team builder.  And hospitals report positive results in reducing pain and  healing time when patients listen to Gregorian Chants, and its positive influence in calming the acting out mentally ill has been well known  for ages. And I have long used it as background during difficult student exams.  

Listen free http://www.last.fm/tag/gregorian%20chant

Rare Clouds Over Scotland

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These eye-catching rainbow colored clouds, nacreous clouds, (sometimes called mother of pearl clouds) are extremely rare.  They form in the Earth's stratosphere at around 70,000ft over polar regions , way above where other clouds are normally found and in much colder air.  The color comes from ice crystals refracting the sun's rays to give the rainbow effect.  

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