Today is February 29th, a leap year day. Those that were born on this day in a previous leapyear can finally celebrate their birthday again on the proper day.
Here in Stornoway, we're at the fag end of winter, with some wintry showers and a cold wind. Another winterstorm is due in England, which will bring more flooding misery to thousands. We had snow this week, and earlier this month, had some minor flooding due to a springtide, a storm surge and high winds. Nothing to worry about. Most people will be only too pleased to see the back of winter 2019/2020.
Saturday 29 February 2020
Monday 17 February 2020
Celebrity Culture
I don't have that much time for celebrities. However, they have a role to play - to set an example or to highlight an issue in society.
I had never heard of Caroline Flack, until her suicide was reported in the media. Cue a lot of postings on social media to raise suicide awareness. Yes, you do detect an undertone of sarcasm there. Why? Well, before I expand on that, I just want to place a large caveat here. Nothing wrong with prompting people to look out for each other.
I dislike celebrity culture, full stop. Quite a few of the people who are now tearing their hair out over Ms Flack's suicide were, until she took her life, shredding the lady on Twitter, Facebook and whichever other forum, over what appears to have been a domestic incident. And now they are shedding crocodile tears over her untimely demise. My mind goes back to the death of Princess Diana, 22½ years ago. Although she reveled in the limelight, she also reviled being in the limelight. Celebrity culture is a two-edged sword. Yes, it can be beneficial to have press attention, to bring issues to the fore. But it inherently brings in press intrusion. Nowadays, it is also social media intrusion, which comes much closer to home. I remember Madeleine McCann, the little girl aged 3, who disappeared in Portugal in 2007. Kate and Gerry McCann engaged the services of the press to gain publicity for their case - to no avail. But it makes me ill to see repeated announcements in the gutter press that little Madeleine (who would now be 15) has been sighted or found, and the media intrusion into the parents' lives continues. They asked for it. Did they bargain on it?
Caroline Flack was a high-profile media figure. Perhaps celebrities should think twice about putting themselves open to interaction with Johnny Public on social media. Is it worth it?
I had never heard of Caroline Flack, until her suicide was reported in the media. Cue a lot of postings on social media to raise suicide awareness. Yes, you do detect an undertone of sarcasm there. Why? Well, before I expand on that, I just want to place a large caveat here. Nothing wrong with prompting people to look out for each other.
I dislike celebrity culture, full stop. Quite a few of the people who are now tearing their hair out over Ms Flack's suicide were, until she took her life, shredding the lady on Twitter, Facebook and whichever other forum, over what appears to have been a domestic incident. And now they are shedding crocodile tears over her untimely demise. My mind goes back to the death of Princess Diana, 22½ years ago. Although she reveled in the limelight, she also reviled being in the limelight. Celebrity culture is a two-edged sword. Yes, it can be beneficial to have press attention, to bring issues to the fore. But it inherently brings in press intrusion. Nowadays, it is also social media intrusion, which comes much closer to home. I remember Madeleine McCann, the little girl aged 3, who disappeared in Portugal in 2007. Kate and Gerry McCann engaged the services of the press to gain publicity for their case - to no avail. But it makes me ill to see repeated announcements in the gutter press that little Madeleine (who would now be 15) has been sighted or found, and the media intrusion into the parents' lives continues. They asked for it. Did they bargain on it?
Caroline Flack was a high-profile media figure. Perhaps celebrities should think twice about putting themselves open to interaction with Johnny Public on social media. Is it worth it?
Friday 14 February 2020
Storms
February is turning into a stormy month. Last weekend, we were hammered by the fore-runner to Storm Ciara, which left a trail of destruction across much of the United Kingdom. This weekend, it will be Storm Dennis. Last Saturday (8th), winds gusted at 80 mph. Ciara blew at 95 mph in Wales on Sunday. It was followed by snow and floods. Dennis is winding itself up in mid-Atlantic, and will bring hurricane force winds to Iceland. Its lowest central pressure will be around the 920 mbar point, which is close to the all-time low of 916 mbar, observed in 1993. On Sunday morning, the barometer in Stornoway dropped to 948 mbar. The barometer pictured below is showing 0.1 inch too low; it should be showing 28 inches.
This week also saw springtides, exacerbated by low barometric pressure (which causes storm surge) and the very windy weather. The high tide on Tuesday morning rose to 5.3 metres in Stornoway, which prompted some overtopping of quays and river flooding between Bayhead and the Porter's Lodge. It was sandbags at dawn, but they were not required to prevent damage to property.
This week also saw springtides, exacerbated by low barometric pressure (which causes storm surge) and the very windy weather. The high tide on Tuesday morning rose to 5.3 metres in Stornoway, which prompted some overtopping of quays and river flooding between Bayhead and the Porter's Lodge. It was sandbags at dawn, but they were not required to prevent damage to property.
Wednesday 5 February 2020
Mobile post
So I downloaded the Blogger app onto the phone and started blogging. Aye. Couple of things went wrong. First of all, when you blog through a web browser, your output gets saved at regular intervals. That did not happen in the mobile version. I am prone to hitting the wrong part of the screen, even managing to inadvertently close the Blogging app. Could I get my post back? Nope. Not a promising start.
Anyway, I went for a stroll along the harbour, using the phone for GPS and taking pics. It was one of the best days in recent times, and I covered the 1½ miles in half an hour - including photostops. I log my walks through Strava since last weekend, which is a nifty tool. Pics below.
After sunset, I discovered that the lights have been switched on at the Newton marina development for the first time. It certainly lights up the street at night. I think the project is about to enter a new stage, with the primary contractor ready to hand over quite soon. Pontoons, auxiliary buildings and boat houses due for erection in the next 12 months.
Anyway, I went for a stroll along the harbour, using the phone for GPS and taking pics. It was one of the best days in recent times, and I covered the 1½ miles in half an hour - including photostops. I log my walks through Strava since last weekend, which is a nifty tool. Pics below.
After sunset, I discovered that the lights have been switched on at the Newton marina development for the first time. It certainly lights up the street at night. I think the project is about to enter a new stage, with the primary contractor ready to hand over quite soon. Pontoons, auxiliary buildings and boat houses due for erection in the next 12 months.
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