Cuttings from the Journal of Life

Salt on Ice?

spiritsense — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 12:28:58 GMT

I'm reading Bill Bryson's 'A Short History of Nearly Everything'. Here's an extract which I thought I'd share:

'The properties of the elements can become quite curious when they are combined. Oxygen and hydrogen, for instance, are two of the most combustion-friendly elements around, but put them together and they make incombustible water. (Oxygen itself is not combustible; it merely facilitates the combustion of other things. This is just as well, for if oxygen were combustible, each time you lit a match all the air around you would burst into flame. Hydrogen gas, on the other hand, is extremely combustible, as was demonstrated by the Hindenburg airship on 6 May 1937 when the hydrogen gas it contained to provide its lift burst explosively into flame, killing 36 people.)

Odder still in combination are sodium, one of the most unstable of all elements, and chlorine, one of the most toxic. Drop a small lump of pure sodium into ordinary water and it will explode with enough force to kill. Chlorine is even more notoriously hazardous. Though useful in small concentrations for killing micro-organisms (it's chlorine you smell in bleach), in larger volumes it is lethal. Chlorine was the element of choice of many of the poison gases of the First World War. And, as many a sore-eyed swimmer will attest, even in exceedingly dilute form the human body doesn't appreciate it. Yet put these two nasty elements together and what do you get? Sodium chloride - common table salt.'

A mystery then occured to me. Can anyone explain why it is that we put salt onto roads and paths in winter to stop them icing over, or to melt them when frozen? I'm sure there must be a simple chemical explanation but I can't think of it....

Paul

What does my birth month mean?

spiritsense — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 12:22:50 GMT

Well, I spotted this at rogueravenclaw's blog and thought it might be interesting to try out, and surprisingly for a generic test it is spot on:

Your Birth Month is July

Introspective and intense, you tend to be a deep thinker.
You are quiet and spiritual - and you have a unique perspective on life.

Your soul reflects: Lightness, luck and an open heart

Your gemstone: Ruby

Your flower: Larkspur

Your colors: Green and red

What Does Your Birth Month Mean?

What better way to let you know about me!

Paul.

New LJ Community

spiritsense — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 21:46:20 GMT

I thought you might be interested to know that I've set up a new LJ Community. It's for people who enjoy the music of the Renaissance period - and in particular the sacred choral music from that time. By this I mean the music of composers such as William Byrd, Josquin des Prez, Thomas Tallis, Robert Carver and others. I've called it 'Cantus Firmus' which is the term given to the main tune used in many Masses over which the composers wrote their choral parts.

If you - or someone you know - are interested in that style of music you're very welcome to join and contribute to the community. It's a space in which to share favourite composers from the 10th to 16th centuries (and some 20th century ones sneak in as well!) and learn more about this fascinating period of musical history.

link: Cantus Firmus

Paul

Leeds orchestra is tuning up for first live webcast

spiritsense — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 00:27:52 GMT

Well, tonight is our first live webcast of a Sinfonia of Leeds concert. Here's a report on it I found at
http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2007/01/27/2287021.htm

(Yorkshire Evening Post Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) By Tony Gardner

A
LEEDS orchestra will soon be able to blow its own trumpet by laying
claim to a musical first.

It may not rank alongside such seminal moments as when Dylan went electric or the Beatles played at the Cavern.

But the Sinfonia of Leeds is hoping it will be remembered as the first amateur orchestra to perform a live concert via webcast.

The 70-strong orchestra plans to combine classical compositions with
state-of-the-art technology for a two-hour programme that can be
enjoyed without ever having to don a dinner jacket.

An audience of around 200 is expected to turn up on the night.

But anyone with a broadband computer will be able to watch the
performance live from Leeds University's Great Hall on Saturday,
February 3.

Violinist and project supervisor Patrick Caulfield said of the event:
"It will be a complex combination of audio and computer engineering.

"We hope the performance will turn out to be a milestone in the 30-year
history of Leeds Sinfonia." A series of microphones will be
strategically placed around various sections of the orchestra.

The sounds will then be blended by a mixing desk operator before more computer wizardry enables the performance to be broadcast.

Computer Nick Field, a teacher at Leeds College of Music, will oversee
the audio aspect of the project with the help of his father and fellow
orchestra member Dominic, who works as a sound engineer for ITV.

Computer expert Mr Caulfield, who came up with the idea of making the
webcast, has the job of making sure the computer technology is all
right on the night.

He added: "It's not uncommon for pop bands to set up websites with
downloads and live broadcasts from pubs and clubs. It might sound
pompous, but I thought it would be a good idea to experiment with
making a recording of so-called 'higher art'.

"If nothing else, it will be nice for members of the orchestra who have
friends and family around the country who are not able to go to the
concert.

"We are now just looking forward to being let loose on the Great Hall
so we can start our plan of attack and get the set-up just how we want
it." To hear the performance, visit www.sinfoniaofleeds.org.uk.

The concert, at 7.30pm GMT, will be conducted by David Greed and comprises
the Rachmaninov Symphony No 2, Rakhi Singh as the soloist in
Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No 1 and the première of a new work by
Benjamin Oliver, entitled Nocturnal Dissonance.

just for fun....!

spiritsense — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 22:46:34 GMT

spiritsense — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 12:18:07 GMT

.who is the fairest of them all?'

I think the general concensus today [certainly among my generation) is that the two most attractive Hollywood actors are Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp.

But the quandry for me is this: who is the most attractive Hollywood actress? I've been giving it some considerable thought and in my humble opinion there are really only four candidates, who have both physical beauty and commensurate acting talent. These are:

Charlize Theron

I just can't decide which one is the fairest.... can you help me out?
Please make your selection below:

View Poll: #910397

Upping Sticks....

spiritsense — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 18:32:28 GMT

Just to let all readers and visitors to SpiritSense know that I have now moved this blog to http://otbt.wordpress.com. This is for a number of reasons - mainly to do with layout limitations at LJ; I have had fun posting to my journal here, but I am already settling in at Wordpress - and I hope you can visit me there!
I shall still remain a member of the Communities I have already joined - after all, I can't let the violas down!

Paul

MPs really drop themselves in it

spiritsense — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 06:40:12 GMT

This is a story which appeared in one of the UK newspapers yesterday concerning Members of the UK Parliament (MPs) in the House of Commons:

'MPs were told last night they can use the word 'shit' in the Commons - but only in certain circumstances. Deputy speaker Sir Michael Lord made the surprise ruling after Slough Labour MP Fiona MacTaggart let the word slip as she talked about sewerage. She apologised but, after Newport West colleague sought a ruling, Sir Michael said it was an 'appropriate' use in that context.'

Paul

Sinfonia Webcast

spiritsense — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 21:36:31 GMT

Last night was our first orchestral rehearsal after the festive break - and had some very exciting news: our next concert - on 3rd February - is going to be our first Webcast! It will an audio webcast and will be live (no later downloads available). I'm pretty sure some the orchestral members were quite sure what a webcast is - but personally I'm really looking forward to it.
If you're interested go to the Sinfonia of Leeds website at www.sinfoniaofleeds.org.uk in time for 7.30 GMT on Saturday 3rd Feb and listen in - you can read more details about the concert here or at the Sinfonia website.

Enjoy!

Paul

making a list....

spiritsense — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 09:08:57 GMT

I've just discovered a great website - it you like making lists. It's at www.listal.com and it's a social networking site where you can make lists of your favourite films, music, tv, books and games, and share them with others.

I've already got a list of my books at LibraryThing, and a DVD list at DVDSpot - so why more lists? Well, I'm all for comparing collections and making new friends online. And this looks like a great website! But I won't be relisting all, my collections again!

Paul

A note of sadness...

spiritsense — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 17:56:46 GMT

The daughter of legendary songwriter Burt Bacharach has committed suicide - she suffered from Asperger's Syndrome and died 'quietly and peacefully' to 'escape the ravages to her brain' brought on by the Autism. Full story from BBC News.

Paul

Back to rehearsals

spiritsense — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 10:14:29 GMT

We've had a nice four-week break from rehearsals at the Sinfonia of Leeds. Unfortunately I've only managed to get around to doing one lot of practice at home in that time!

One of the pieces we are performing in the concert on 3rd February is the second symphony of Sergei Rachmaninov. It's a wonderful piece to play - but it is fiendishly difficult in some places, especially the final movement. So early on I decided I would have to make some sort of compromise between getting one of the following right: the notes, the rhythm or the bowing. Generally I tend to opt for the bowing as if that's wrong the audience will notice if my bow is going in the opposite direction to the rest of the viola players!

We'll also be performing the first Violin Concerto by Prokofiev (with solist Rakhi Singh) and a work called 'Nocturnal Dissonances' by Benjamin Oliver. This piece came second in a composers competition the orchestra held last year.

So if you're in the Leeds area of Yorkshire on the 3rd February, come along and enjoy an evening of great classical music!

Paul [click on the thumbnail photo to see the full-size flyer!]

Music is enough...

spiritsense — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 22:00:00 GMT

As I've been delving into the classical music podcasts on iTunes I came across this great quote from Rachmaninov (features on the website of British pianist, Samantha Newbold):

'Music is enough for a lifetime,
but a lifetime is not enough for music.'

Paul

i just found....

spiritsense — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 19:50:54 GMT

I have finally discovered iTunes! Almost by accident - I don't own an iPod was browsing the Classic FM website and spotted a podcast I fancied. But I needed to download iTunes.

Now that I've discovered iTunes i feel there is no going back! It is truly wonderful!

Paul x

The best things in life are FREE!

spiritsense — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 19:43:06 GMT

|The best things in life are FREE!

Having recently aquired a new computer as a gift and a Broadband connection, I've been looking out for free versions of some the most essential software programs to use. I am a man of rather limited financial means, and so can't afford to lay out the money for full price software packages.
So here, in purely alphabetical order, are my top ten free programs which everyone should have installed...

1/ ArtRage2 is an easy to use, stylish painting package that lets you get painting from the moment you open it up. You can paint with oils, sketch with pencils, sprinkle glitter, and more. You can paint with gold leaf, silver foil, and other metallic colors. You can even load in your photos as Tracing Images to help you recreate them as paintings.

2/ AVG AntiVirus is free and is more than a match for the likes of Norton and McAfee. You can set it to scan on a regular basis, and you get free updates, often daily.

3/ CCleaner is a freeware PC optimization tool. It combines a system cleaner that removes unused and temporary files from your system and also a fully featured registry cleaner! It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history and allows Windows to run faster, more efficiently and gives you more hard disk space. The best part is that it's Small, Fast and Free!

4/ EssentialPIM is to freeware what Microsoft Outlook is to full-priced stuff. If, liek me, you're used to using Outlook at work to keep track of appointments, contacts, tasks and keep notes, then you'll be right at home with this program. It's almost identical. It can securely schedule your day, manage your contacts, keep track of your To Do plans and organize your notes, all within a mouse click or two.

5/ AdAware SE is free anti-spyware version provides you with advanced protection against spyware that secretly attaches and takes control of your computer, resulting in aggressive advertising pop-ups, sluggish computer activity, even identify theft through stolen bank details, passwords, and credit card account numbers. A quick scan after an session online will quickly get rid of any miscreants who may have sneaked in!

6/ Money Manager Ex is the free equivalent of Quicken and Microsoft Money. It's a simple-to-use package to keep track of your finances, and unlike many freeware programs you can track many accounts, create reports and budgets. It is alot less complicated to use than Quicken and less time-consuming!

7/ OpenOffice.org is a free alternative to the mighty Microsoft Office suite. And it's better - packed with more features too.

8/ Picasa is, I know, just one of many photo organisers around. But I love it because its very intuitive and pleasing on the eye. The movements are all gracefully animated and the organising very efficient. It also has many basic photo-editing facilities as well.

9/ Trilliun is a chat client that supports AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo Messenger, and IRC. It has features which the software from the big chat sites don't provide. And it also supports the standard features such as audio chat, file transfers, group chats, chat rooms, buddy icons, multiple simultaneous connections to the same network, server-side contact importing, typing notification, direct connection (AIM), proxy support, encrypted messaging (AIM/ICQ), SMS support, and privacy settings. (I copied that bit off the website!). I use it for my MSN chatting and find it very easy to use. As a novice chatter I would recommend it!

10/ ZoneAlarm is an easy-to-use firewall which blocks hackers and other unknown threats. It systematically identifies hackers and blocks access attempts and automatically makes your computer invisible to anyone on the Internet. Surfing the web without a firewall is like walking down the street with your credit card round your neck. Asking for trouble!

I hope these are of some help to those for whom money is a problem....

Paul x

Best Buy of 2006

spiritsense — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 12:51:44 GMT

It's always tricky when you receive a gift voucher from a loved one. Is it because they can think of nothing specific to buy you? Or are they just giving you the freedom to buy something you really want instead of something you'll politely thank them for, and then go to swap with someone else on www.freecycle.org

This year I received a Gift Card for HMV from my sister. It was for £20. 'Great!' - I thought. Then - what to spend it on? I checked out the HMV on-line store I spotted the box-set of Life On Mars for £16. Something I'd been secretly coveting for some months, ever since it was aired on TV last years. So I trotted up into town to my local HMV store - no copies on the shelf. So I toddled back home and got on the phone to the local HMV. No, they had no copies in stock. And when the new batch arrived they would not be available and would be priced at £40 (the usual price). They offered to put one by for me, but I declined. So I rang the store in Leeds (where I work). Same story there - none in stock, expecting more soon, but at full price. So I decided to turn my attention elsewhere and look for another title to buy.

I returned to the Wakefield branch and as I entered, piled up in the doorway, were copies of The Adventures of Indiana Jones' - a four-DVD box set including the three feature films (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) plus a whole disc full of extras. Full price £39.99 - in the sale for £19.99. So I picked it right up and took it to the checkout - no hesitation!

I have to say that these are fantastic films, and they've been 'digitally remastered' (as most things are these days!). The sound and picture quality is excellent - and the music scores by John Williams (god of the cinematic score) is very clear.

These were the action films I grew up with - I was twelve when Raiders came out - and I have very fond memories of the first time I saw them. It's also great to see the full versions - the one's we had were on VHS video, taped off the TV.

I shall be indulging myself this New Year and watch all three, and await eagerly the fourth and final installment sometime in the next year or so (after all, Harrison Ford will be 65 in 2007...).

Paul

Season's Greetings?

spiritsense — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 16:39:16 GMT

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit my best wishes for an
environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive,
gender neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practised within
the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion or secular
practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular
persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice
religious or secular traditions at all;

PLUS a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically
uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar
year, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other
cultures and without regard to the race, creed, colour, age, physical
ability, religious faith, choice of computer platform, or sexual
orientation of the wisher.

[Disclaimer: By accepting this greeting, you are accepting the following
terms:
This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely
transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no
promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for
her/himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law, and is
revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to
perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a
period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting,
whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish
or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher who assumes
no responsibility for any unintended emotional stress these greetings may
bring to those not caught up in the holiday spirit.]

I received that message by email and thought I just had to pass on such heart-felt wishes to all readers!
Seriously, to all who read SpiritSense a happy Christmas and a great New Year!

Paul x

noting music

spiritsense — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 22:56:19 GMT

Why is musical notation computer software so expensive?!?! I've had opportunity to use the full version of Sibelius and it's an amazing piece of kit. So I was very exited when a composer friend of mine told me about Finale Notepad - a free version of the full Finale package which costs hundreds of $s. The Notepad version does have some limitations - you can't change key signature or time signature halfway through a piece, and there are certain symbols you can't include (the harmonic 'o' being one of them), but other than that it's very good for simple pieces.
You can of course download the Demo version of Sibelius (although its 16Mb) but it's much more limited in what it can do.

Does anyone else know of any other Sibelius-like software that is not quite so high in price for us non-professional musicians who are not able to obtain a student license??

Incidentally, Finale does have a section called the Showcase where musicians can upload their Finale-created compositions for others to hear.

Paul

ah - rachmaninov!

spiritsense — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 09:46:32 GMT

At Leeds Sinfonia we've just started rehearsing for our next concert (Feb 3rd 2007) and we're performing Prokifiev's 1st Violin Concerto (soloist Rakhi Singh - this is one of my favourite pieces!). But our main work is Rachmaninov's Second Symphony. I'd heard it before but never realised what a great piece it is - and what a very interesting viola part it has.
Just wondered if anyone else has played this and what you thought of it...

Spiritual Sounds

spiritsense — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 09:58:31 GMT

I won't be posting next week (on vacation!) but here's something to mull over. As a music lover and someone who is spiritually aware I thought I would share with you my five favourite 'spiritual' pieces of classical music. [In no particular order]

1.'Passio' ~ Arvo Pärt
Pärt uses a system of composition all his own, which he calls Tintinabulum. He takes a text (in this case the crucifixion narrative in the gospel of John), pares it down to individual syllables and ascribes each syllable a pitch and length value. But inspite of (or perhaps because of) this structural control he creates a unique sound world which is simple yet complex. He describes his music as being like light shone through a prism. Each listener hears it a different way. [Amazon.co.uk link]

2. Last Sleep of the Virgin ~ John Tavener

This piece is written for string quartet and handbells. Tavener instructs the performers to play 'at the threshold of audability'. [Amazon.co.uk link]

3. Seven Last Words from the Cross ~ James MacMillan
MacMillan has a very individual style which at both very modern and emotionally engaging. In this piece (commissioned by the BBC) MacMillan uses mixed choir and strings to paint in music the seven last utterances of Jesus as he hung on the cross. The music is richly textured and very emotional. The setting of 'Verily, I say unto you...' is especially moving. [Amazon.co.uk link]

4. Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis ~ Ralph Vaughan Williams

This is a popular piece which I find really uplifting. I listen to it and see vaulted cathedral ceilings, but also rolling English hills, little English churches, and landscapes. I love the way Vaughan Williams creates so many different textures, from full string chords to single lines (it has a gorgeous viola solo!), based on very little material. [Amazon.co.uk link]

5. Violin Concerto No 1 in D major ~ Prokofiev

This might appear to be an odd choice, but for some reason this has a real ethereal feel to it. It has little of the sharp pointy aspects which characterise much of Prokofiev's music; instead there is a beauty here which I find very spiritual. Especially so in the opening and closing bars of the first movement, and the coda of the final movement. [Amazon.co.uk link]

I hope you enjoy reading about my favourite spiritual pieces - they're best enjoyed in a darkened room with a few candles!

Paul

A Holographic Universe?

spiritsense — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 10:28:21 GMT

Every so often you read a book which fundamentally changes your perception of the world. I've just finished such a book - called 'The Holographic Universe'. The author, Michael Talbot, develops the theory that 'reality' is based on the theory of holograms.

Talbot takes as his starting point the hologram theory and applies it to the whole of reality. He shows how this theory is the only one which fits with the many 'supernatural' and 'paranormal' phenomena which science tends to push to one side. He particularly focues on Near-Death Experiences, Stigmata and Telekinesis. He suggests that our perception of 'reality' is a result of our brain interpreting the 'interference patterns' of varying wavelengths as a three-dimensional construct.

Amazon gives the following synopsis of the book:
'Despite its apparent materiality, the universe is actually a kind of 3-D projection and is ultimately no more real than a hologram, a 3-D image projected in space and made with the aid of a laser. Using this model, a world-renowned physicist and a Nobel prize winning neurophysiologist has developed a new description of reality. It encompasses not only reality as we know it, including hitherto unexplained phenomena of physics, but is capable of explaining such occurrences as telepathy, paranormal and out-of-the-body experiences, "lucid" dreaming and even mystical and religious traditions such as cosmic unity and miraculous healings. In part one, the author explains in simple prose the theory behind a holograph and its traditional applications to science. In part two, he shows the panoramic way in which the holographic model makes sense of the entire range of mystical, spiritual and psychic experience. Finally, in part three, he explores the implications for other universes beyond our own.'

Here's how the book begins...

'In 1982 a remarkable event took place. At the University of Paris a research team led by physicist Alain Aspect performed what may turn out to be one of the most important experiments of the 20th century. You did not hear about it on the evening news. In fact, unless you are in the habit of reading scientific journals you probably have never even heard Aspect's name, though there are some who believe his discovery may change the face of science.

'Aspect and his team discovered that under certain circumstances subatomic particles such as electrons are able to instantaneously communicate with each other regardless of the distance separating them. It doesn't matter whether they are 10 feet or 10 billion miles apart.

'Somehow each particle always seems to know what the other is doing. The problem with this feat is that it violates Einstein's long-held tenet that no communication can travel faster than the speed of light. Since traveling faster than the speed of light is tantamount to breaking the time barrier, this daunting prospect has caused some physicists to try to come up with elaborate ways to explain away Aspect's findings. But it has inspired others to offer even more radical explanations.

'University of London physicist David Bohm, for example, believes Aspect's findings imply that objective reality does not exist, that despite its apparent solidity the universe is at heart a phantasm, a gigantic and splendidly detailed hologram.' You can read the rest of this excerpt here...

Paul

pulling out all the stops

spiritsense — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 07:22:45 GMT

I saw a billboard today for the movie 'Saw III' which had the tag line 'This time he's pulling out all the stops!'. It occurred to me that the English language is littered with phrases and saying which come from the world of music.

'Pulling out all the stops' means 'trying your very best' and comes from the way pipe organs have stops which control the air flow and pulling them out increases the volume.

Another that came to me was 'as fit as a fiddle' which means very fit and well. To find it's origin I consulted www.phrases.org.uk which tells me that:

'Of course the fiddle here is the colloquial name for violin. Fit didn't originally mean healthy and energetic, in the sense it is often used nowadays for the inhabitants of gyms. When this phrase was coined fit was used to mean 'suitable, seemly', in the way we now might say 'fit for purpose'.

Thomas Dekker, in 'The batchelars banquet', 1603 referred to 'as fine as a fiddle':

"Then comes downe mistresse Nurse as fine as a farthing fiddle, in her petticoate and kertle."

Not long afterwards, in 1616, there's W. Haughton's 'English-men for my Money', which includes:

"This is excellent ynfayth [in faith], as fit as a fiddle."

So, can anyone else think of other phrases we use which come from the world of music? It'd be interesting to see how many we can come up with!

Paul

Mind the Gap...

spiritsense — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 13:56:46 GMT

A colleague just sent me an email with the following. Enjoy!

A list of actual announcements that London Tube train drivers have made to their passengers...

1) "Ladies and Gentlemen, I do apologise for the delay to your service. I know you're all dying to get home, unless, of course, you happen to be married to my ex-wife, in which case you'll want to cross over to the Westbound and go in the opposite direction."

2) "Your delay this evening is caused by the line controller suffering from E & B syndrome: not knowing his elbow from his backside. I'll let you know any further information as soon as I'm given any."

3) "Do you want the good news first or the bad news? The good news is that last Friday was my birthday and I hit the town and had a great time. The bad news is that there is a points failure somewhere between Stratford and East Ham, which means we probably won't reach our destination."

4) "Ladies and gentlemen, we apologise for the delay, but there is a security alert at Victoria station and we are therefore stuck here for the foreseeable future, so let's take our minds off it and pass some time together. All together now.... 'Ten green bottles, hanging on a wall.....'."

5) "We are now travelling through Baker Street... As you can see, Baker Street is closed. It would have been nice if they had actually told me, so I could tell you earlier, but no, they don't think about things like that".

6) "Beggars are operating on this train. Please do NOT encourage these professional beggars. If you have any spare change, please give it to a registered charity. Failing that, give it to me."

7) During an extremely hot rush hour on the Central Line, the driver announced in a West Indian drawl: "Step right this way for the sauna, ladies and gentleman... unfortunately, towels are not provided."

8) "Let the passengers off the train FIRST!" (Pause.) "Oh go on then, stuff yourselves in like sardines, see if I care - I'm going home...."

9) "Please allow the doors to close. Try not to confuse this with 'Please hold the doors open.' The two are distinct and separate instructions."

10) "Please note that the beeping noise coming from the doors means that the doors are about to close. It does not mean throw yourself or your bags into the doors."

11) "We can't move off because some idiot has their hand stuck in the door."

12) "To the gentleman wearing the long grey coat trying to get on the second carriage - what part of 'stand clear of the doors' don't you understand?"

13) "Please move all baggage away from the doors." (Pause..) "Please move ALL belongings away from the doors." (Pause...) "This is a personal message to the man in the brown suit wearing glasses at the rear of the train: Put the pie down, Four-eyes, and move your bl**dy golf clubs away from the door before I come down there and shove them up your a**e sideways!"

14) "May I remind all passengers that there is strictly no smoking allowed on any part of the Underground. However, if you are smoking a joint, it's only fair that you pass it round the rest of the carriage."

Gunshots in a place of peace

spiritsense — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 11:47:57 GMT

Here in the UK we are always shocked by reports of school shootings which take place in the United States. In the last week there have been three, aparently.

But one sticks out as sickening and almost beyond belief. The murder of four girls in a schoolhouse in a remote Amish community in Pennsylvania. The Amish are probably most well known from the Peter Weir movie 'Witness' made in 1985 starring Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis. But the Amish Communities are more than a mere cultural curiosity.

The Amish are descendants of Swiss Anabaptist groups formed in the early 16th century during the radical reformation which took place mainly amongst the peasant class of Germany and the Low Countries. The most conservative, Old Order groups of these reclusive, religious people drive horses and buggies rather than cars. Many have no telephones or electricity in their homes. They send their children to private, one-room schoolhouses until the age of 13. They eschew technology and preach isolation from the modern world. They do not join the military or accept assistance from the government. (There's loads more fascinating historical information at Wikipedia and Who are the Amish?).

Most Amish are trilingual. They speak a dialect of German called Pennsylvania Dutch at home, use High German at their worship services, and they learn English at school. This is similar to the development of the Afrikaans language in South Africa amongst descendents of the original Dutch farmer settlers following their arrival in the seventeenth century.

The whole ethos of the Amish is to maintain a peaceful environment based on Biblical principles. This peace has now been shattered by one Charles Carl Roberts IV - who, it appears, was not Amish himself. Unlike other schools and communities who suffer after an experience like this, I fear the Amish in Lancaster County may take a lot longer to move on from this....

My thoughts and prayers are with them all.

Paul

[see Fatal shooting at US Amish school, How the Amish shooting unfolded]

On Pendle Hill

spiritsense — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 07:25:43 GMT

Once a week I travel from my workplace in Leeds, in West Yorkshire, across the Pennine Hills to Blackpool (in Lancashire) for meetings. The journey takes me past a landmark called Pendle Hill.

Nothing remarkable there. Except Pendle Hill is famous for two events which took place in the 17th Century. The first was the case of the Pendle Witches. On August 20, 1612, ten people were hanged at Lancaster Castle for the murder by witchcraft of seventeen people. These events have so over-shadowed the history of Pendle that the Most Haunted team spend Halloween 2004 at two properties in the area - Tynedale Farm and Lower Wellhead Farm presenting a live ghost/paranormal investigation. [Interestingly, one of the accused Witches was called Alice Nutter, and the word 'Nutter' allegedly entered the English language via its connection with witchcraft and associated behaviour. Also, Tynedale Farm is now owned by the Nutter family, descendents of Alice Nutter.]

The second 'claim to fame' for Pendle Hill is connected, ironically, to the Quaker movement. In 1652, George Fox claimed to have had a vision while on top of Pendle, during the early years of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Today, the name Pendle remains strongly linked with the Quakers, giving its name to their centre of learning in the USA.

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