Blogs

‘BREATHES THERE THE MAN’ ETC

‘Are the Chamber patriots or d they just love money?’

Good to see the President is at work as with the exception of CM Howard Quayle MHK, suitably kitted out in summer ‘strides’, all the rest of the political class seem to be absent at present:

http://www.iomtoday.co.im/article.cfm?id=42576&headline=Bill%20joins%20M...

I don’t watch UK news much these days but was glad I tuned into Channel 4 News last night to watch Michael Crick slaughter Theresa May over her visit to Nelson Mandela’s cell on Robben Island:

https://www.joe.co.uk/news/journalist-decimates-theresa-mays-record-on-s...

Manx Chief Minister Howard Quayle MHK is in reassuring mood about Brexit. Alex Allinson MHK is praying for rain meanwhile Howard is saving up for a rainy day. Apparently we are putting a few bob aside in case things go (to use the vernacular) ‘tits up’!

http://www.iomtoday.co.im/article.cfm?id=42551&headline=Money%20will%20b...

A new booklet has been produced by VisitScotland highlighting television programmes which have either been filmed in Scotland or have Scottish links. It coincides with the 130th anniversary of the birth of John Logie Baird. Scottish engineer and inventor John Logie Baird (13 August 1888 – 14 June 1946) was born in Helensburgh (Scottish Gaelic: Baile Eilidh). He was one of the inventors of the mechanical television, demonstrating the first working television system on 26 January 1926.

On 1st to 4th November 2018 Lowender Peran Celtic Festival is celebrating its 40th Anniversary. The Festival welcomes people from around the world to enjoy music, dance, arts and culture, representing the Celtic nations of Scotland (Alba), Ireland (Éire), Wales Cymru), Brittany (Breizh), Cornwall (Kernow) and the Isle of Man (Mannin). Information on the event and programme can be obtained from the Lowender Peran website.

I bet next time I pop up before the beak (there has to be a next time my anger management equilibrium is defo starting to slip again) Manx Radio won’t be as discreet as they are in this story about firms dodging Tax and NI:

https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-business/well-known-companies...

The Manx media is banal at present. I’ve banged the chops in (Manx lamb of course) and have an hour to fill so go in search of news but there is none. Manx Radio is full of something called the Festival of Motoring which consists of sheep looking at empty roads. I ponder that Tim Glover is probably doing the equivalent of Gene Hackman's ‘cold turkey’ in the French Connection and screaming: ‘Get PAG, Travelwatch….anything’.

As part of Historic Environment Scotland (HES) five year Gaelic language plan Gaelic speakers, and those with an interest in the language are being recruited as volunteers at tourist attractions across the north of Scotland. The aim is to promote the historic origins of the language and its place in Scotland’s history. Urquhart Castle, Dunstaffnage Castle and Arnol Blackhouse on the Isle of Lewis are some of the attractions where such tours are planned.

Its doom and gloom time at IOM Today with the paper predicting a hyper-ageing population for the Isle of Man on the basis of UN reports. I have this mental age of hordes of people on zimmer frames collecting plastic on the beaches and getting bogged down in the sand. What will happen to the world's ocean when the Beach Buddies demographic age wise becomes critical.

Further protests took place today in Cardiff against plans to dump 300,000 tonnes of mud off the South Wales coast that has been dredged from near the Hinkley Point nuclear power stations in England.  Hinkley Point A stopped producing electricity in 2000 after 35 years of operations and Hinkley Point B has been generating electricity since 1976. Now EDF plan to extract the mud and sediment with the aim of drilling six vertical shafts for the cooling water system for the new Hinkley Point C power station.