Little Eye On The Provinces

[Cudzoziemiec]

Dan Norris, the recently elected Western Super Mayor, has announced that he doesn't think the region he's mayor of should be called WECA, West of England Combined Authority. In his opinion it sounds too reminiscent of Waco, Texas (younger forumists might not have heard of the siege of religious cult's HQ that happened there in the 90s).



This has inevitably led to suggestions of other names that could be used, by far the best of which is this:
Western Urban & Rural Zones Legislature Executive.

 

[Wowbagger]

https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/19449153.condom-birdboxes-installed-two-tree-island-nature-reserve/

I bet Swindon can't match that.

[Beardy]

The TdF went near to the town of Condom today, a fact that I felt obliged to point out to my boy when he got here. He can be relied upon to behave in a totally puerile manner when presented with such facts 

[Kim]

The TdF went near to the town of Condom today, a fact that I felt obliged to point out to my boy when he got here. He can be relied upon to behave in a totally puerile manner when presented with such facts 

The real question is why didn't P@nd3m1c Pr0duckt10nzTM® cover this key fact?  (And the answer is probably shitverts.)

[Mr Larrington]

The TdF went near to the town of Condom today, a fact that I felt obliged to point out to my boy when he got here. He can be relied upon to behave in a totally puerile manner when presented with such facts 

The real question is why didn't P@nd3m1c Pr0duckt10nzTM® cover this key fact?  (And the answer is probably shitverts.)

“Near” is probably not close enough to warrant a mention on ITV4, particularly if it happened while M Rendell and chirpy Manx idiot Tiny P Kennaugh* were on duty.  If it had been *** and the C Boardmen…

IIRC it went through Condom a few years ago while *** and the C Boardmen were in the colemantary Sheds (and Super D was snoozing off his lunch) but they were busy talking about something totally unrelated to the race – probably something to do with EO Aquitaine, caves or pine trees – and utterly failed to notice.

* who, I recently learned, is only 1” shorter than Nice C, but everyone looks like a dwarf alongside Super D.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Well, here's a surprise or two. Or maybe not. Firstly, apparently the oft repeated but unverifiable claim that Bristol's Gloucester Road is the Europe's longest high street of independent shops originates from a housebuilder's brochure.
https://www.barratthomes.co.uk/new-homes/south-west/bristol/

As the South West’s retail capital, the centre of the city has all the big names you’d hope for including Harvey Nichols. Gloucester Road is Europe’s longest street of independent shops. Clifton Village is Bristol’s Chelsea with boutiques, antique shops and trendy cafes, while it’s ‘Christmas Steps’ date back to the 1600s.

And secondly, Wetherspoons is modelled on Orwell's Moon Under Water.
https://thebristolcable.org/2021/07/gloucester-road-wetherspoons-a-chain-changing-the-bristols-fiercely-independent-high-street/

Both Wetherspoons and the micropub movement were influenced by George Orwell’s 1946 essay about his favourite – fictional – pub the Moon Under Water. It is “always quiet enough to talk”, serves food, has friendly staff, and a garden for children.

Which leads to the third, probably largest, surprise, that by inference Tim Martin has read Orwell.

[rogerzilla]

I've been to a real Moon Under Water in Leicester Square.  I imagine there are many.

[Regulator]

Dan Norris, the recently elected Western Super Mayor, has announced that he doesn't think the region he's mayor of should be called WECA, West of England Combined Authority. In his opinion it sounds too reminiscent of Waco, Texas (younger forumists might not have heard of the siege of religious cult's HQ that happened there in the 90s).



This has inevitably led to suggestions of other names that could be used, by far the best of which is this:
Western Urban & Rural Zones Legislature Executive.

 

A weka is a NZ flightless bird.    We used to have a few living at the bottom of our garden.

[Mr Larrington]

A weka is a NZ flightless bird.    We used to have a few living at the bottom of our garden.

Described by Douglas Adams as:

a fierce and disorderly duck-sized bird

[andrewc]

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/naked-man-spotted-riding-bike-21087497


Not guilty.  I've not been out on my bike for ages....

[Cudzoziemiec]

A spokesperson for Bristol Rovers Football Club said in a statement: “With regard to manager Joey Barton’s court appearance by video link this morning, the club has been informed that the matter is proceeding to trial and is, therefore, sub judicial.”

Not at all a light-hearted matter, but I can't help wondering if "sub judicial" for more usual "sub judice" is a typo, a deliberate use of an adjective, or a reflection of the local accent...

[andrewc]

https://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2021-08-10/telecommunications-mast-in-north-yorkshire-has-caught-fire

[Kim]

https://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2021-08-10/telecommunications-mast-in-north-yorkshire-has-caught-fire

I believe that 'stray firework' is the traditional excuse.

[andrewc]

https://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2021-08-10/telecommunications-mast-in-north-yorkshire-has-caught-fire

I believe that 'stray firework' is the traditional excuse.

Or nutters trying to stop the 5G rollout....


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-58169501    "concerns about the structural integrity of the mast"

[Kim]

Perhaps an RF enginerd could comment on whether the smoke emanating from various points along the tower is indicative of something on the tower being forced to give up its magic smoke due to a particularly spicy malfunction, or just smoke from the transmitter hut finding its way up hollow coaxial conductors?

[Feanor]

Perhaps an RF enginerd could comment on whether the smoke emanating from various points along the tower is indicative of something on the tower being forced to give up its magic smoke due to a particularly spicy malfunction, or just smoke from the transmitter hut finding its way up hollow coaxial conductors?

From what I've read, there was an engineer on-site who reported the fire.
He observed smoke from a point on the mast somewhere below the first guy point.

The mast itself is a tubular steel affair, so smoke comes out the top and bottom.

No-one has yet speculated on the actual origin of the smoke; as you say up a feeder from a fire in the hut, or from a failure in the feeder itself.
But the initial report was for fire in the mast, not in the building.

[Kim]

Right.  Squirrel sabotage, then.

[Jaded]

Giren how the BBC protest went so well the other day, I imagine that any attempt to burn down this transmitter would have resulted in an 18th Century folly 35 miles away being attacked.

[Kim]

Giren how the BBC protest went so well the other day, I imagine that any attempt to burn down this transmitter would have resulted in an 18th Century folly 35 miles away being attacked.

Like this one?  https://thefollyflaneuse.com/towers-and-telecommunications-follies-as-phone-masts/

[Jaded]

 

[L CC]

Once you get up close and personal with it, it looks a lot like Harry Potter's wand. I reckon an incendio went wrong.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Cave could only house a small giant.

[Mr Larrington]

Cave could only house a small giant.

If it was USAnia she'd have sued someone for $300 million.

[Salvatore]

Cave could only house a small giant.

I'm sure I don't need to remind you, Cudzo, that there's a Polish supermarket chain called Lewiatan (Leviathan). And that small shops in the chain call themselves MINI Lewiatan. And what is a mini leviathan but a small giant? They should open a sklep in the cave on that reviewer's recommendation.

This one's at Złotogłowice.

[Cudzoziemiec]

A sklep in the cave is so appropriate, as sklep in Slovak means cellar. And what is a cellar but a cave?