anniversary

noun (plural anniversaries)

the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded in a previous year:

     the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain
     the 75th anniversary of the RAF
     the date on which a couple were married in a previous year:
     he even forgot our tenth anniversary!

Origin:

     Middle English: from Latin anniversarius 'returning yearly', from annus 'year' + versus 'turning'

Spelling help

     Spell anniversary with a double n at the beginning; the ending is -ary.
 
From: http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/anniversary 

Today, Monday 5th December 2011, is the first anniversary of this blog 'Fair View', which was actually created on Thursday 2nd December 2010, when deep snow prevented me from working, but which took its first post on Sunday 5th December 2010, a review of the newly re-released Come Taste the Band album by Deep Purple. At the time, I intended the blog to consist of album reviews, timelines and discographies, but instead it briefly became a diary, followed by a series of progressive rock lists. The latter starting with Classic Rock Magazine's surprisingly popular 'Classic Rock: State of the Prog Nation - Progressive rock is taking over. Again!' This was a 'free' booklet given with the magazine and which consisted of a list of 'The 50 Albums That [according to the publication's staff] Built Prog.' In between the reviews and lists, have come a miscellany of design, poetry, songs and other assorted ephemera. There may be further diary entries (several are overdue from July 2011!), but my intention, at this stage, is to continue the lists and return to the reviews - many of which are drafted, awaiting posting. In one more year, we will see if this has come to fruition.

Thank you to all who have contributed, visited (8,151) and commented.

Originally posted on Monday 5th December 2011, on a mild, damp day when there was no snow! 

Tory MPs on Bank Payroll

Conservative Party Links to Fat Cat Bankers

A. The results of the Conservative Party's links to the banks

- Conservative Chancellor George Osborne imposed a levy of just £2.5 billion;

- The Tories introduced laws that give a full tax exemption for British companies’ tax haven branches and let them get away with an 8% tax rate for profits diverted to havens through internal financing;

- Mr Osborne has slashed corporation tax rates from 28% to 24% meaning the impact on the finance houses will be minimal;

- The Government has said the banks will not have to pay the tax on the first £20 billion of liabilities;

- Mr Osborne has failed to take forward the recommendation of Sir David Walker that banks should be forced to disclose all pay packages above £1 million;

-  There has been no action to curb the bonus culture which is expected to see £7 billion lavished on fat cats this year;

- The big four banks between them paid some 200 staff an average of £1million last year;

B. The reasons for the Conservative Party's links to the banks

- More than a quarter of all Conservative MPs and peers have held jobs in banking or the financial sector;

- Of the 498 Tory MPs and peers, 134 are or have been employed in the financial sector; 

- 70 of the Conservative Party’s 305 MPs are or have ben employed in the financial sector. 

- Among the 193 Conservative peers, more than a third work or have worked in finance or banking;

- Altogether there are more Tory MPs who have been on the banks’ payroll than the total number of Lib Dem politicians;

- Among the Cabinet members with links to the City are:

    Pay-master General Francis Maude, who has worked for Solomon Bros and Morgan Stanley; 

    Leader of the House of Lords, Lord Strathclyde who was chair of Trafalgar Capital Management from    2001-10; 

    Cabinet Office minister Oliver Letwin, who worked for NM Rothschild & Son from 1986-2009; 

    International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell, who worked for Lazard Bros from 1979-2009; 

    and Commons Leader Sir George Young, who worked for the Samuel Hill merchant bank.

- Eleven Tory MPs and peers have worked for Barclays including: 

    

    Richard Bacon MP, 

    Jesse Norman MP, 

    former Chancellor Lord Lawson, 

    Earl Howe 

    and Andrea Leadsom MP. 

- A further eight Conservatives have been at Rothschild, including:

    John Redwood MP, 

    Mark Garnier MP, 

    former Chancellor Lord Lamont

    and Jacob Rees-Mogg MP.

- Four Conservatives worked for Lehman Bros, the company whose collapse sparked the financial crisis. They include:

    Steve Baker MP, Chief Architect, Global Financing and Asset Servicing Platforms at the company from 2006-2008; 

    Brooks Newmark MP 

    and Lord Freeman. 

- Others with links to the financial sector include:

    Billionaire Lord Ashcroft, 

    Welfare minister Lord Freud, 

    Harriet Baldwin MP 

    and Kwasi Kwarteng MP.

- The real coalition governing Britain is between the banks and the Tory Party. The Lib-Dems are Tories by another name.

Originally posted on Friday 4th November 2011

The Cost of Petrol in the UK

According to ITV News and Weather, based on petrol costing £1.33 per litre:

- 53p goes to the fuel company
- 22p is paid in VAT (value added tax) at twenty percent
- 58p  is paid in fuel duty

This equals 80p in tax, per litre

A UK gallon = 4.54609188 litres. This means we pay £6.05 per gallon, of which £3.64 is tax

The cost of petrol is actually £1.359. The Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron and his Chancellor George Osborne intend to increase the cost of petrol by 3p per litre in January 2012 and again in August.


Originally posted on Tuesday 15th November 2011

Possessive Apostrophes

A singular noun, including proper nouns that end in "s" are made possessive thus: Edmunds's

A plural noun, including proper nouns, that ends in "s" is written thus: Edmunds'

So, one student : the student's books
two students : the students' books
They are pronounced the same.

One child: the child's toys
two children: the children's toys
(because the plural noun does not end in "s")

Mrs Smith's car (one person)
The Smiths' car (many people)
Mr Jones's car (one person)
The Jones' car (many people)

In the last two examples, it is pronounced with an extra syllable at the end


Originally posted Remembrance Day, Friday, 11.11.11 

Why You Should Have a Flu Jab

F

or most people, flu is unpleasant. However, it can be much more serious for others who are more susceptible to the effects of seasonal flu. For them it can increase the risk of developing more serious illnesses such as bronchitis and pneumonia, or can make existing conditions worse. In the worst cases, seasonal flu can result in a stay in hospital, or even death. Flu symptoms hit you suddenly and can be severe. They can include fever, chills, headaches and aching muscles, usually with a cough and a sore throat.

·         The best way to avoid getting seasonal flu is to have the flu jab.

·         Last year 602 people in the UK died after contracting flu, including 34 people in Wales.

·         Seasonal flu is a highly infectious virus, often much worse than a cold.

·         Because seasonal flu is a virus it cannot be treated by antibiotics.

·         Seasonal Flu can leave a fit and healthy person feeling very poorly and may lead to more serious illnesses such as bronchitis and pneumonia, which may need hospital treatment. 

·         For people who have a serious illness, seasonal flu can be severe. It can make the existing illness worse, and can even result in a stay in hospital or death.

·         The vaccination is safe and effective and provides 70 – 80% protection against the flu strains in the vaccine.

·         The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has reported no serious new side effects despite more than 5 million doses of H1N1 flu vaccinations being given in the UK.

·         The World Health Organisation continuously monitors changes in flu viruses across the world. Last year H1N1 was the most prevalent virus and caused over 500 deaths in the UK. Each year they recommend the strains of flu to be included in the vaccine for the forthcoming winter. This year it is H1N1 and H3N2.

·         The seasonal flu jab does not usually cause side effects. Sometimes, it can cause mild fever and slight muscle aches for a day or so.

·         Allergic reactions to the vaccine are rare.

·         Immunisation cannot cause flu, as there is no active virus in a flu vaccine. However, people sometimes catch other flu-like viruses, or very occasionally catch flu before the vaccine takes effect. Other people get a slight temperature and aching muscles for a couple of days afterwards and their arm may feel a bit sore where they were injected;

·         About a week to 10 days after you have had the flu injection, your body starts making antibodies to the virus in the vaccine. Antibodies are proteins that recognise and fight off germs that have invaded your blood, such as viruses. They help protect you against any similar viruses you then come into contact with;

·         If you fall into one of the groups below it is very important you have your seasonal flu jab as soon as possible:  

·         The flu jab will protect you for about a year.

i)        65 years old or over;

ii)      under 65 and have a long-term medical problem such as:

(a)    stroke,

(b)   asthma,

(c)    emphysema,

(d)   diabetes,

(e)    heart disease,

(f)    kidney disease or liver disease;

iii)    pregnant; 

iv)    immunosuppressed or living with someone who is;

v)      in long-stay residential care;

vi)    carers.

Note:

o       Pregnant women can and should have the flu vaccination at any stage of their pregnancy. Having the vaccine protects their baby from flu over the first few months of life.

o       People who are aged 65 or over, even if they are healthy, are more at risk from complications should they get seasonal flu

o       The seasonal flu vaccine is made with different types of flu virus, which are grown in hens' eggs. They are then inactivated (killed) and purified before being made into the vaccine.

o       The flu virus changes every year, so you need to have a flu jab annually to make sure that you are protected against the latest strain of the virus. The viruses that cause flu change every year, which means the flu (and the vaccine) this winter will be different from last winter's.

o       The best time to receive the flu jab is in the autumn, before the winter flu epidemic begins.

Cautions:

If you are ill with a fever, do not have your flu jab until you have recovered.

You should not have the flu vaccine if you have had a previous allergic reaction to a flu vaccine (rare).

You should not have the flu vaccine if you have a serious allergy to hens’ eggs (very rare), because the vaccine is prepared in hens’ eggs.

From: Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board

http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/863/news/20702

Originally posted on Wednesday 9^th November 2011-11-09

Charging Your Car Battery

Keeping your car battery healthy is one of those jobs that too many drivers ignore. Just a few moments spent regularly checking your battery can prevent you from being stranded.

Step 1 - Disconnect

If possible, remove the battery leads. If not, disconnect the negative (-) cable, first checking that you have your car stereo security codes plus those for any other in-car equipment affected by power loss.

Step 2 - Attach Charger

Consult the battery charger's instructions to ensure that it is suitable for your car's battery and is set correctly. Fit the battery charger's red clip to the battery's positive (+) terminal and the black clip to the negative (-) terminal.

Step 3 - Switch on Charger

Connect the battery charger to the mains and switch on. A green light or other tell-tale signal should show. If nothing happens, switch off the battery charger at the mains and check that the leads are correctly attached to the battery.

Step 4 - Disconnect

Once charging is complete, (depending on the model) a second light will show. Disconnect the battery charger from the mains and remove the cables, starting with the black lead. Reinstall and/or reconnect the battery.

Monday, 10th October 2011

From: 

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ACArticleDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&articleId=701002&categoryId=245348

Originally posted on Wednesday 9th November 2011

Disconnecting and Re-Connecting a Car Battery

Disconnecting a Car Battery

1. Disconnect the negative (-) first

2. Then disconnect the positive (+)

Connecting a Car Battery

1. Connect the positive (+) first

2. Then connect the negative (-)

Remember: negative off first, on last

Originally posted on Wednesday, 9th November 2011

Conservative Party Links to Fat Cat Bankers

A. The results of the Conservative Party's links to the banks

- Conservative Chancellor George Osborne imposed a levy of just £2.5 billion;

- The Tories introduced laws that give a full tax exemption for British companies’ tax haven branches and let them get away with an 8% tax rate for profits diverted to havens through internal financing;

- Mr Osborne has slashed corporation tax rates from 28% to 24% meaning the impact on the finance houses will be minimal;

- The Government has said the banks will not have to pay the tax on the first £20 billion of liabilities;

- Mr Osborne has failed to take forward the recommendation of Sir David Walker that banks should be forced to disclose all pay packages above £1 million;

-  There has been no action to curb the bonus culture which is expected to see £7 billion lavished on fat cats this year;

- The big four banks between them paid some 200 staff an average of £1million last year.

B. The reasons for the Conservative Party's links to the banks

- More than a quarter of all Conservative MPs and peers have held jobs in banking or the financial sector;

- Of the 498 Tory MPs and peers, 134 are or have been employed in the financial sector;

- 70 of the Conservative Party’s 305 MPs are or have ben employed in the financial sector.

- Among the 193 Conservative peers, more than a third work or have worked in finance or banking;

- Altogether there are more Tory MPs who have been on the banks’ payroll than the total number of Lib Dem politicians;

- Among the Cabinet members with links to the City are:

(i)   Pay-master General Francis Maude, who has worked for Solomon Bros and Morgan Stanley;

(ii)  Leader of the House of Lords, Lord Strathclyde who was chair of Trafalgar Capital Management from 2001-10;

(iii) Cabinet Office minister Oliver Letwin, who worked for NM Rothschild & Son from 1986-2009;

(iv) International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell, who worked for Lazard Bros from 1979-2009;
(iv) and Commons Leader Sir George Young, who worked for the Samuel Hill merchant bank.

- Eleven Tory MPs and peers have worked for Barclays including:

(i)   Richard Bacon MP,

(ii)  Jesse Norman MP,

(iii)  former Chancellor Lord Lawson,

(iv)  Earl Howe

(v)  and Andrea Leadsom MP.

- A further eight Conservatives have been at Rothschild, including:

(i)   John Redwood MP,

(ii)  Mark Garnier MP,

(iii) former Chancellor Lord Lamont

(iv) and Jacob Rees-Mogg MP.

           

- Four Conservatives worked for Lehman Bros, the company whose collapse sparked the financial crisis. They include:

(i)  Steve Baker MP, Chief Architect, Global Financing and Asset Servicing Platforms at the company from 2006-2008,

(ii) Brooks Newmark MP

(iii) and Lord Freeman.

           

- Others with links to the financial sector include:

(i)   Billionaire Lord Ashcroft,

(ii)  Welfare minister Lord Freud,

(iii) Harriet Baldwin MP

(iv) and Kwasi Kwarteng MP.

- The real coalition governing Britain is between the banks and the Tory Party. 
  The Lib-Dems are Tories by another name.

Originally posted on Friday 4th November 2011

Wing Nuts

Famous people with big or sticky-out ears:


Zoe Ball – British TV presenter

Martin Clunes – British comedy actor

Daniel Craig – British actor, star of Layer Cake and James Bond
Bing Crosby - Crooner responsible for White Christmas

Penelope Cruz - Spanish actress

Kara Dioguardi – American singer-songwriter

Hilary Duff – American actress

Dumbo – Disney’s cartoon elephant

Christopher Ecclestone – British actor, star of Dr Who, Shallow Grave and Existenz

Eminem – American rapper

Lee Evans – British stand up comedian and actor

Calista Flockhart – American actress who playd the lead in Ally McBeal

Mahatma Gandhi – Indian leader
Jennifer Garner  - American actress and wife of Ben Affleck
Katie Holmes - Tom Cruise's wife

Kate Hudson – Goldie Hawn’s actress daughter
John Kraskinski – American
S.M Krishna – Pakistan Minister of External Affairs
Abraham Lincoln – American president

Gary Linekar – Former England footballer and TV presenter
Andrew Marr – TV presenter

Mickey Mouse – Disney mouse

Barack Obama – US president

Amisha Patel – Bollywood actress

Micheal Phelps - Olympic swimmer

Dr. Rajendra Prasad – The first Indian president
Prince Charles – Prince of Wales
Will Smith – American rapper and actor

Channing Tatum – American actor
Uma Thurman – American actress and star of Kill Bill

Ramaswamy Venkataraman – Eighth president of India
Terry Wogan – Irish radio and TV presenter

Originally posted on Friday, Friday, 04 November 2011

List of World Snooker Champions

The Joe Davis Era

1927 Joe Davis bt Tom Dennis 20–11 at Camkins Hall, Birmingham

1928 Joe Davis bt Fred Lawrence 16–13 at Camkins Hall, Birmingham

1929 Joe Davis bt Tom Dennis 19–14 at Camkins Hall, Nottingham

1930 Joe Davis bt Tom Dennis 25–12 at Thurston’s Hall, London

1931 Joe Davis bt Tom Dennis 25–21 at Lounge Billiard Hall, Nottingham

1932 Joe Davis bt Clark McConachy Aus 30–19 at Thurston’s Hall, London

1933 Joe Davis bt Willie Smith 25–18 at Billiards Centre, Chesterfield

1934 Joe Davis bt Tom Newman 25–23 at Lounge Billiard Hall, Nottingham

1935 Joe Davis bt Willie Smith 25–20 at Thurston’s Hall, London

1936 Joe Davis bt Horace Lindrum Aus 34–27 at Thurston’s Hall, London

1937 Joe Davis Horace Lindrum Aus 32–29 at Thurston’s Hall, London

1938 Joe Davis Sidney Smith 37–24 at Thurston’s Hall, London

1939 Joe Davis bt Sidney Smith 43–30 at Thurston’s Hall, London

1940 Joe Davis bt Fred Davis 37–36 at Thurston’s Hall, London

1941 – 1945 Not held due to World War II

1946 Joe Davis bt Horace Lindrum Aus 78–67 at Horticultural Hall, London

1947 Walter Donaldson Sco bt Fred Davis 82–63 at Leicester Square Hall, London

The Fred Davis Era

1948 Fred Davis bt Walter Donaldson Sco 84–61 at Leicester Square Hall, London

1949 Fred Davis bt Walter Donaldson Sco 80–65 at   Leicester Square Hall, London

1950 Walter Donaldson Sco bt Fred Davis 51–46 at Tower Circus, Blackpool

1951 Fred Davis bt Walter Donaldson Sco 58–39 at Tower Circus, Blackpool

1952 Horace Lindrum Aus bt Clark McConachy Aus 94–49    at Houldsworth Hall, Manchester

1952 Fred Davis bt Walter Donaldson Sco 38–35 at Tower Circus, Blackpool

1953 Fred Davis bt Walter Donaldson Sco 37–34 at   Leicester Square Hall, London

1954 Fred Davis bt Walter Donaldson Sco 39–21 at   Houldsworth Hall, Manchester

1955 Fred Davis bt John Pulman 37–34 at Tower Circus, Blackpool

1956 Fred Davis bt John Pulman 38–35 at Tower Circus, Blackpool

The John Pulman Era

1957 John Pulman bt Jackie Rea 39–34 in Jersey

1958 – 1963 Not held due to declining interest

1964 John Pulman bt Fred Davis 19–16 at Burroughes Hall, London

1964 John Pulman bt Rex Williams 40–33 at Burroughes Hall, London

1965 John Pulman bt Fred Davis 37–36 at Burroughes Hall, London

1965 John Pulman bt Rex Williams 25–22 in South Africa

1965 John Pulman bt Fred Van Rensburg SA 39–12 in South Africa

1966 John Pulman bt Fred Davis 5–2 at St George's Hall, Liverpool

1968 John Pulman bt Eddie Charlton Aus 39–34 at Co-operative Hall, Bolton

1969 John Spencer bt Gary Owen Wal 37–24 at Victoria Hall, London

The Ray Reardon Era

1970 Ray Reardon Wal bt John Pulman 37–33 at Victoria Hall, London

1971 John Spencer bt Warren Simpson Aus 37–29 in Sydney, Australia

1972 Alex Higgins bt John Spencer 37–32 at Selly Park British Legion, Birmingham

1973 Ray Reardon Wal bt Eddie Charlton Aus 38–32 at City Exhibition Hall, Manchester

1974 Ray Reardon Wal bt Graham Miles 22–12 at Belle Vue, Manchester

1975 Ray Reardon Wal bt Eddie Charlton Aus 31–30 in Melbourne, Australia

1976 Ray Reardon Wal bt Alex Higgins 27–16 at Wythenshawe Forum, Manchester

1977 John Spencer bt Cliff Thorburn Can 25–21 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1978 Ray Reardon Wal bt Perrie Mans SA 25–18 at  Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1979 Terry Griffiths Wal bt Dennis Taylor 24–16 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

The Steve Davis Era

1980 Cliff Thorburn Can bt Alex Higgins 18–16 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1981 Steve Davis bt Doug Mountjoy Wal 18–12 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1982 Alex Higgins bt Ray Reardon Wal 18–15 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1983 Steve Davis bt Cliff Thorburn 18–6 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1984 Steve Davis bt Jimmy White 18–16 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1985 Dennis Taylor bt Steve Davis 18–17 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1986 Joe Johnson bt Steve Davis 18–12 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1987 Steve Davis bt Joe Johnson 18–14 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1988 Steve Davis bt Terry Griffiths 18–11 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1989 Steve Davis bt John Parrott 18–3 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

The Steven Hendry Era

1990 Stephen Hendry Sco bt Jimmy White 18–12 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1991 John Parrott bt Jimmy White 18–11 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1992 Stephen Hendry Sco bt Jimmy White 18–14 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1993 Stephen Hendry Sco bt Jimmy White 18–5 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1994 Stephen Hendry Sco bt Jimmy White 18–17 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1995 Stephen Hendry Sco bt Nigel Bond 18–9 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1996 Stephen Hendry Sco bt Peter Ebdon 18–12 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1997 Ken Doherty Ire bt Stephen Hendry Sco 18–12 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1998 John Higgins Sco bt Ken Doherty Ire 18–12 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1999 Stephen Hendry Sco bt Mark Williams Wal 18–11 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

2000 Mark Williams Wal bt Matthew Stevens Wal 18–16 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

2001 Ronnie O'Sullivan bt John Higgins Sco 18–14 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

2002 Peter Ebdon bt Stephen Hendry Sco 18–17 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

2003 Mark Williams Wal bt Ken Doherty Ire 18–16 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

2004 Ronnie O'Sullivan bt Graeme Dott Sco 18–8 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

2005 Shaun Murphy bt Matthew Stevens Wal 18–16 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

2006 Graeme Dott Sco bt Peter Ebdon 18–14 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

2007 John Higgins Sco bt Mark Selby 18–13 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

2008 Ronnie O'Sullivan bt Ali Carter 18–8 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

2009 John Higgins Sco bt Shaun Murphy 18–9 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

2010 Neil Robertson Aus bt Graeme Dott Sco 18–13 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

2011 John Higgins Sco bt Judd Trump 18-15 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

FACTS

·         Joe Davis was the first World Champion and holds the record for most world titles with 15 consecutively.

·         Stephen Hendry won 7 world titles in the 1990s and holds the record for the most titles won at the Crucible Theatre.

·         Steve Davis dominated the 1980s and won the world title six times.

·         Ronnie O’Sullivan is the only multiple time World Champion in the modern era who has never lost a World Championship final.

·         Alex Higgins won the World Championship in 1972 and 1982.

·         Dennis Taylor won the world title in 1985 on the last black of the deciding frame.

·         In 1989, John Parrott lost 18-3 to Steve Davis, the heaviest final defeat in modern times. Parrott returned to the final two years later and won against Jimmy White.

·         Stephen Hendry became the youngest World Champion at the final on 29^th April 1990, aged 21 years, 106 days.

·         In 1992, Jimmy White became the first left-handed player, and second overall, to record a maximum break at the World Championship.

·         Mark Williams is the first left-handed player to win the World Championship (2000).

·         Shaun Murphy is the lowest ranked World Champion ever (2005).

·         Joe Johnston (1986/1987) and Ken Doherty (1997/1998) are the only first time world champions to reach the final the following year.

Originally posted on Monday, 02 May 2011

Left-handed Snooker Players

Left-handed Snooker Players

Who Have Played in the World Championships at the Crucible

• Barry Hawkins (b. 1979)
• Andy Hicks (b. 1973)
• Mark King (b. 1974)
• Perrie Mans (b. 1940 in SA)
• Ian McCulloch (b. 1971)
• Tony Meo (b. 1959)
• Darren Morgan (b. 1966 in Wales)
• Terry Murphy (b. 1972 in NI)
• Dean Reynolds (b. 1963)
• Neil Robertson  (b. 1982 in Australia) Winner 2010
• Lee Walker (b. 1976 in Wales)
• Jimmy White (b. 1962) In 1992, became the first left-handed player, and second overall, to record a maximum break at the World Championship.
• Mark J Williams (b. 1975 in Wales) The first left-handed player to win the World Championship in 2000 and 2003
• Jim Wych (b. 1954 in Canada)

Originally posted on Monday, 02 May 2011

Order You Pot Coloured Balls in Snooker

To remember which order you pot the coloured balls in snooker, just recite this little phrase to yourself:

YOU GO BROWN BEFORE POTTING BLACK

This will give you the order of:

Yellow, Green, Brown, Blue, Pink, Black

Source: How to Develop a Perfect Memory by Dominic O'Brien

From: http://www.happychild.org.uk/acc/tpr/mne/0002snoo.htm

Originally posted on Monday, 02 May 2011

Symbolism in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Symbolism in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum

Illustrated by W.W. Denslow

1.      Broomstick          

- Energy

2.      Bucket of Water 

- A lifesaver during a drought

- The Wicked Witch's life, representing natural disaster, is ended with a bucket of lifesaving water

- A simple hoped-for remedy

3.       Colour          

- The colours of money. The Emerald City is green (or is made to appear green), the yellow brick road is gold and Dorothy's shoes are silver

4.       Cowardly Lion                          

- Politician William Jennings Bryan mocked by Republicans as indecisive or a coward

- Politicians in general

- Courage

- Populist Party

5.       Cyclone                                        

- A political revolution that would transform the drab country into a land of colour and unlimited prosperity

- Political upheaval

- Uncomfortable or unpleasant events that propel us to higher places

- We must tear down before we can rebuild

- Winds of change

6.       Dainty China Company

- Baum sold crockery when living in Chicago

7.       Dorothy Gale                             

- Naïve, young and simple - represents the American people of the 1890s

- The workers of the union

- Everyman, led astray and seeking the way back home

- Tough, brave and independent like a pioneer woman

- Frank L. Baum’s mother and wife who were both feminists

- Frank L. Baum’s determination

- Anti-colonial in rescuing the underdog with her friends

- Is imaginative and Baum used imagination after the World Fair

- Not traditional because she does not improve, she is good from the start

- The American people at their best

- Determined, resourceful, loyal

- America—honest, kindhearted and plucky

- Embodies how Americans want to see themselves

- All-American girl from the heartland, with a big heart, independence and daring

- Average rural American citizen

- Populist orator Leslie Kelsey, nicknamed 'the Kansas Tornado’

- Gale means strong wind, suggesting that Dorothy is the storm that blows over the Great Plains

- Seeker of enlightenment or redemption

- The soul and the spirit

- Dorothy's name is short for Dorothea, which means "Divine Gift" in Greek

- Theodore Roosevelt

8.       Emerald City                             

- The fraudulent world of greenback paper money that only pretends to have value

- The greenback value that is placed on gold (and for silver, possibly)

- World’s Fair in Chicago, 1893 with electricity, Ferris wheel and motion picture camera

- Washington DC

9.       Emerald Coloured Glasses

- Baum’s editorial of 1890 in which he suggested that farmers feed sawdust to their livestock after fitting the animals with green glasses to make them think that they were eating feed

10.    Emerald Palace         

- The White House

11.    (Glinda and) The Magic Book

- Baum’s interest in science

Predicts the computer

12.    Good Witch Glinda

- Exercise in treachery

- Machiavellian genius

13.    Good Witch of the South and North

- The Good Witch of the North represents northern workers and the Good Witch of the South represents southern farmers. This provides a contrast to the wicked industrialists in the east and railroad moguls in the west.

14.    Grey                                             

- Grass, sky, old age, paint

15.    Hammerheads           

- The hard-headed men who perpetuated the regional differences in the United States and kept the people of the South and the people of the North at odds with one another

16.    Journey       

- Our own spiritual quest

- Job's quest in the Old Testament

17.    Kansas         

- A Populist stronghold in the late-19th century

- There’s no place like home

- The kingdom of heaven is not a place, but a condition

- Truth is found in your own backyard

18.    Man Behind the Curtain

- Automated department store window displays

19.    Monkeys                                      

- Native Americans as a western danger

20.    Munchkins  

- The little people (enslaved by the Wicked Witch of the East)

21.    Oz                                                  

- O – Z on a filing cabinet which Baum noticed when he was a child being educated at home

- Uz was where Job lived

- Abbreviation of ounce, which is the standard unit of measure of silver and gold

- A variation of "Boz", the nickname of Charles Dickens, who was one of Baum's favourite authors

22.    Scarecrow   

- Fear from Baum’s fear of scarecrows

- Intelligence

- Midwestern farmers

- Refutation of the notion that farmers didn't have the brains to see their own best interests

- Tension between knowledge and wisdom

23.    Silver Slippers (ruby in the 1939 film version)

- The Silverite sixteen to one silver ratio (dancing down the road)

- An unrecognised viable currency of the people

- Defend our grounding ability and our feet

- Freedom and mobility

24.    Three Companions

- Job was accompanied by three companions

25.    Tin Woodman                            

- From Baum’s shop window display             

- Compassion      

- Industrial workers

- Dehumanization of industrial labour

- His rust is the depression of the 1890s that had closed many factories and left large numbers of - workers unemployed

- A hardened worker

26.    Tornado lifting and moving a house

- A story from Baum’s own newspaper, the Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer (South Dakota)

- Physical manifestation of Dorothy Gale's inner struggle for self-awareness, the result of the 'gale' winds storming through her psyche

27.    Toto              

- The physical body

- Dorothy (the spirit) and Toto (the body) together represent the whole of humanity

- Small and unnoticed but the reveals fraud

28.    Uncle Henry               

- Henry Cantwell Wallace, known as Uncle Henry, was a well known farmer and editor for a leading farm magazine in the late 1800s

29.    Wicked Witch of the East

- Industrial and banking interests, which were concentrated in the urban centres ‘back east’

30.    Wicked Witch of the West

- A figure for the actual American West

- Humorous

- Cruel natural forces that plagued farmers with cyclones, droughts and other environmental disasters

31.    Winged monkeys in the West 

- Sympathy for Native Americans of the plains

- Politicians in cartoons

32.    Winkies        

- Beyond the city, the Wicked Witch of the West had enslaved the yellow Winkies, a reference to the imperialist aims of the Republican administration, which had captured the Philippines from Spain and refused to grant them independence

33.    Wizard         

- Frank L. Baum himself, just a (good) man

- Bankers who support the gold standard and oppose adding silver

- President of the United States from 1896, Grover Cleveland, who was known as the ‘Great Obstructionist’

- Cynicism about politicians

- A different appearance for each interest and all things to all people

- Marcus Hanna, the power behind the Republican Party and the McKinley administration

34.    Wolves, Crows & Bees

- A menace to farmers in the west

35.    Yellow

Brick Road

- The gold standard

- A Populist march on Washington, DC, led by Jacob Coxey in 1893-1894, to promote his plan to put people back to work through a public works program

- The path to self-actualization

- A pilgrimage

               

From:

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – The True Story (2010) Documentary exploring the career of L. Frank Baum shown on BBC4 Thursday 28^th April 2011 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_interpretations_of_The_Wonderful_Wizard_of_Oz

http://www.turnmeondeadman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=51&Itemid=63

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Explain_the_symbols_in_The_Wizard_of_Oz_and_why_each_symbol_was_chosen

http://www.wizardofozmysteries.com/page1/symbolism.html

Originally posted on Friday, 29^th April 2011