Hugh's Space - Inner and Outer Space(s)

BY LAURA HANNAM

Ancient church bells that have been polished up to their former glory were welcomed home with a procession through Olney.
The eight bells were returned to the Church of St Peter and St Paul ten months after they were lowered from the tower to be restored.
Some were in use when anti-slavery campaigner and author of the hymn Amazing Grace John Newton was curate at the church in the late 1700s.
Two new treble bells (the smallest) will also be hung alongside them.
The old bells were restored by Whites of Appleton bell hangers, near Abingdon, before being transported to London to be retuned at a foundry.
Today (5/6) police escorted them through Olney as they were displayed on a low loader lorry and taken to Ousedale School, Olney Middle School and down the High Street before being delivered to the Grade One listed church.

Pupils from the schools had a break from lessons to get a close look and people stood along the High Street cheered and applauded to welcome the bells home.
The two new bells will now be blessed as part of the 10am service on Sunday (June 7) before they are all hung in the church tower using hoists next week.
The first session of full open ringing will be at the church's Cherry Fair on Saturday, June 27 and on Saturday, July 11 the bells will be rededicated by the Bishop of Buckingham.
The project was funded by the Olney Bells Appeal, launched in October 2007, which was awarded a grant of £35,500 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and £20,000 from Buckinghamshire Historic Churches Trust.
It also involved the replacement of a deteriorating wooden bell frame in the Grade One listed church.
There will be community activities to bring the history of the bells and the church to a wider audience and training opportunities aimed at providing a supply of bell ringers to continue the heritage of English-style bell ringing.
New historical information will be placed in the church and cameras will be installed in the tower linked to monitors in the church to enable visitors to see the bells while they are being rung.

This article was in the MK-NEWS published on Wednesday 10th June 2009.

Courtesy of MK-NEWS

BY JESSICA CUNNIFFE

TESNO protestors arrive at Civic offices for council meeting

Members of TESNO, the group opposing a store being built on the former Aston Martin site in Newport Pagnell, donned dinner jackets and black dresses for the full council meeting.
Some arrived in an Aston Martin DB7, in the style of the fictional secret agent whose cars were supplied by the Tickford Street-based firm.
TESNO chairman Tom Lonergan hoped his rousing speech would leave councillors not just stirred but shaken into opposing the planning application.
He presented them with 2,000 letters and 2,000 signatures of opposition.
TESNO argue that granting planning permission to a 15,000 sq ft shop would give the retail giant ‘licence to kill’ the high street.
They believe that, with one Tesco in Newport Pagnell already and 16 others across the city, another one is not needed.
“A Tesco in this residential area will severely damage the quality of life of residents, with traffic, noise and light pollution,” said Mr Lonergan.

“Approving this Tesco just a half a mile from our High Street will pull the centre of activity and the footfall away from the retail centre of town and the High Street business will be pulled away with it. That loss of vital business will be the nail in the coffin of our High Street.”
He told MK NEWS: “We have come to the council to enlighten them. This isn’t a new estate that needs a local centre, it’s a historic market town mentioned in the Domesday Book. We’ve got unique heritage in Newport that nowhere else in Milton Keynes has.”
Eoin Dardis, Tesco corporate affairs manager, said residents should be given the opportunity to shop locally.
“Everybody has the right to express their views on our proposals and, as we have promised, we are continuing to engage and have constructive meetings with local stakeholders, representatives and residents about how our plans for Newport Pagnell might evolve.”
Council leader Sam Crooks was ‘delighted’ to see the campaigners.
“This is a huge issue for Newport Pagnell and the council must be fully involved.”

This article was in the MK-NEWS published on Wednesday 10th June 2009.

Courtesy of MK-NEWS

BY JESSICA CUNNIFFE
jessica.cunniffe@mk-news.co.uk
Campaigners against a planned Tesco supermarket in Newport Pagnell made their feelings very clear in a unique parade.

On Saturday residents sought to show that building a Tesco supermarket on the Aston Martin Lagonda site in Tickford Street would herald the death of the town’s high street and heritage.

Just before midday they staged a funeral procession with a hearse carrying a coffin with ‘RIP High Street’ garlands followed by a cortege of classic cars and ghouls pushing trolleys filled with Tesco bags.

They passed temporarily boarded-up shops with ‘closed for business‘, ‘last days‘ and ‘everything must go’ signs, enacting the apocalyptic affect they argue the retail giant would have.

The high street’s requiem was the music of three marching bagpipers, its death rattle the sound of trolleys clattering over the Iron Bridge.

Leading the dirge was the ‘grim retailer‘, Tom Lonergan, chairman of the TESNO campaign group.
Wielding a scythe emblazoned with the words ‘every little hurts’, he said: "We’re not against Tesco, we’re just pro our high street. We don’t want a ghost town.

Retailers are living off the crumbs at the moment. If those crumbs are taken away the high street will die a death. We have a community here. You can’t buy one of those, and you can’t get one free."

Cleverly scheduled on the day of Bonham’s Aston Martin car sale, it was aptly given a ‘007 licence to kill…the high street’ theme.

TESNO is exploring plans to preserve the world’s oldest standing coach-makers, on which Tesco has applied to build a 15,000 square foot store.

The drive to stop it setting up shop is a matter of life or death for Harry Dhotar‘s Tickford Superstore, which he has run for 23 years.

"I’m well known here," he said. "But if Tesco comes it will ruin the whole town, and me. I would have to shut down."

One man who came to pay his disrespects to Tesco said: "I think it would be the death of the town centre. It would suck life blood out of it. Shops will go, people will stop using the high street. It will become like Wolverton."

Linda and Alan Piggott even postponed their holiday to Northumberland to attend.
Mrs Piggott said: "We love this town. Before we moved to Newport Pagnell 32 years ago we used to come on holiday here. We just don’t want to see it destroyed."

Town planner Mervyn Dobbin, Newport Pagnell resident of 30 years, said: "This is just the first phase. It’s about preserving something important. We are fighting Tescoisation."

A Tesco spokesman said that they are maintaining all the buildings with a view to seeing how they might be incorporated into their plans.

She said: "We believe the majority of people who live in Newport Pagnell are already leaving the town to do their main food shopping.

"We want to provide them with the option to shop locally and as part of our ongoing discussions with the local community, we want to explore how this can have a positive impact on the high street for local people and local businesses alike."

To see a video of the procession log on to www.mk-news.co.uk and click on the story.

This article was in the MK-NEWS published on Wednesday 13th May 2009.

Courtesy of MK-NEWS

I came across this video and found it very interesting. The fact that our brains cannot be matched totally by computers yet, also that we take our brains for granted in many things.  

Please watch it, I think you will also find it interesting and let me know what you think of it. 

Friends - thank you for your photographs that you have left in the Guestbook. 

However they have started to disappear!!! Perhaps they have an expiration date? 

So I have decided to save them and have created an Album called "GUESTS PHOTOS" into which all that are still in the Guestbook have been added and all future photos will be added. 

Hugh

I am writing this BLOG illuminated by my PC's monitor as all the Lights are OFF and I haven't any candles. 

I hope you are all joining in and having fun.

Hugh

EARTH HOUR will soon be on us.

Basically all that has to be done is switch off all non-essential electrical items, e.g. Lights for 60 minutes. Horizon Radio on 103.30 FM

Horizon Radio will be counting down to Lights Out on air with live links-ups to cities across Britain and around the world - Copenhagen, Toronto, Chicago, Melbourne, Brisbane and Tel Aviv are already signed up - and the Horizon Thunders will be out and about covering the event.

• If you plan to join LIGHTS OUT MK in your home or you are a local business who would like to pledge your support call Chris Gregg at Horizon Radio on MK 591621 or alternatively you can email chris.gregg@gcapmedia.com

To get involved, go to the following web Site Horizonmk.co.uk then click the Go Green button and finally click on the article called Earth Hour. Now use the following link to Earth Hour to see who is involved around the world.

Go on get involved and support this by switching off your lights for 1 hour at 8pm on Saturday 29th March.

Hugh

Live your life and have fun. Enjoy everything both good and bad. I found this video on another space (Hack MSN Spaces) and after seeing it feel that it should be seen by everyone.

If that is interesting, here's a link to the original lecture.

Addendum: I thought that I had it bad with diabetes but after viewing the Original Lecture (duration 1 hour 44 minutes) I feel that I have a lot to look forward too. 

Who is "Improv Everywhere Global"?  Well the following is about them on the web site www.improveverywhere.com and this is what there About Us said:

Improv Everywhere causes scenes of chaos and joy in public places. Created in August of 2001 by Charlie Todd, Improv Everywhere has executed over 70 missions involving thousands of undercover agents. The group is based in New York City.

One of there missions was called Frozen Grand Central. The following video is of the The Great Trafalgar Square Freeze ??

My mate John brought this too my attention the other day. 

I think you will like it! 

Well what do you think?   Comments please!