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LIONEL COWIN A JOURNALIST OF THE OLD SCHOOL

I was very saddened to read of the death of Lionel Cowin former Editor of Isle of Man Newspapers but best remembered by me for his days at the IOM Courier when it was a self standing freesheet and considerably more bulky than it is these days.

Lionel was one of the old band of journalists in the mould of the late Harry Bregazzi and of course from the world of TV and Radio journalism Terry Cringle who I’m pleased to say is still ‘bounding’ around!

The great disappearing data mystery reported by IOM Today does seem to have something to do with Manx Radio if the graphic rich construction to this link on Crown Dependency News is anything to fo by (link):

https://www.facebook.com/crowndependencypoliticalnews/posts/200695890265...

The Elgin Marbles, or Parthenon sculptures, have long been the subject of dispute. The collection of classical Greek marble sculptures were originally part of the temple of the Parthenon and other buildings on the Acropolis of Athens.  They were removed and shipped to England, in what the poet, peer and politician Lord Byron described as an act of vandalism or looting. They have been kept in the British Museum since 1817.

Its like a bus you wait for one and them two come along at once. I mentioned in the earlier post about a possible coup but in the case of PAG they don’t want to take politicians power they just want to subordinate them by slashing the pay...of some.

PAG have been applying ‘The Chris Thomas Theory of Economics’ to MLCs pay and they were in the star spangled studio of MTTV to set out their stall - obviously the one they nicked of Mec Vannin on Tynwald Day (link):

I hear worrying rumours of conspiracies in the corridors of power I hope these are false - as Howard would put it ‘fake news’. However my source is a pundit not known for flights of febrility.

Our democracy may not have much going for it but one of the good things is that at the inception of the new Tynwald ‘the head honcho’ is chosen and should short of breaking any political crockery get to carry through his programme. Well that’s how its worked with the exception of an unfortunate turn of affairs some years ago.

Men Gurta - St Breock Downs Longstone
The heaviest standing stone in Cornwall

This menhir or prehistoric longstone, which was originally about 16 feet high known as Men Gurta - the waiting stone - and also called St Breock Longstone. Weighing about 16.5 tons it is still the heaviest standing stone in Cornwall.

The word menhir is a combination of two words found in the Cornish language; men (stone), and hir (long).

Men Gurta is 4.9m high and is of local shale with veins of feldspar

Among dozens of sites revealed in Cornwall were an unusual prehistoric settlement surrounded by concentric ditches at Lansallos, and an iron age settlement surrounded by a circular ditch with marks of other circular and rectangular structures within one field at St Ive – evidence of continuity of settlement over at least 4,000 years.

Its layout is unusual, with concentric ditches with entrances connected by two parallel ditches. The inner ditch may have surrounded a settlement from the bronze or iron age. 

This curious story about how the Isle of Man is tying itself in knots over Freedom of Information requests begs more questions than it answers:

http://www.iomtoday.co.im/article.cfm?id=42382&headline=Why%20have%20rep...

‘Shy Ronnie’ (aka Isle of Man resident HNWI John Whittaker) has had another setback with his wind turbine plans:

http://www.iomtoday.co.im/article.cfm?id=42363&headline=Wind%20turbine%2...

Jeez! Aren’t the Isle of Man and Ireland lucky we both have Chief Ministers who are ‘cool’ and in touch with the people.

Manx Chief Minister Howard Quayle MHK often avers in his regular soirees with Paul Moulton at MTTV how in touch with the common man, ‘the hoi polloi’, that’s us, he is. Howard makes it sound as if you could drop into the Cabinet Office and have a coffee with him anytime - just try!