Podcasts about perspex

Amanda Cobbett is an award-winning textile artist with over 25 years' experience. Inspired by nature in all its forms, Amanda's 3-dimensional, papier-mâché and free machine-embroidered sculptures are created from her studio in the Surrey Hills. She scours the understorey of the forest floor seeking its hidden treasures. Over time, she has honed an inherent ability to locate intriguing flora in the most unexpected of places.Amanda's 3 Dimensional embroidered sculptures appear to float in their Perspex cases and have the feeling of just being collected from the forest for display, very much a modern version of a Victorian plant hunter's specimen case. ‘I like to think that my pieces could trick the eye into thinking that what you are seeing might be real. I am also passionate about highlighting and preserving specimens from the forest that could, without care, become red listed. If we are not aware that they exist, how will we know when they have disappeared? By recreating an embroidered sculpture of a natural object and displaying it in a case in a gallery, it brings our natural world into another dimension, we then might look for that specimen in nature, and care about its existence.Amanda grid references her original finds and offers that information with the embroidered artwork, further giving it an authenticity.School of Stitched Textiles https://www.sofst.org/Amanda Cobbett's website https://www.amandacobbett.com/

Magazzino exhibit shares 1960s work by talented, but troubled, artist One takeaway from the exhibit Germinal at Magazzino Italian Art in Philipstown is how often the artist, Mario Schifano, shifted visual and technical gears over just 10 years, from 1960 to 1970. In Italy, the groovy 1960s collided with lingering post-World War II malaise and radical politics. Schifano visited New York City three times during the period, hobnobbing with jazz masters and hanging out with Andy Warhol, Mark Rothko and Robert Rauschenberg. A cheeky account states that "the Rolling Stones stole his girlfriend," Anita Pallenberg (who dated Brian Jones and had three children with Keith Richards). Later in the decade, Marianne Faithfull left Mick Jagger for Schifano. One photo in the exhibit shows Jasper Johns preparing a libation as Schifano relaxes. The Italian's extensive photos and films of old New York are priceless, but he also picked up a heroin habit and did not return to the city after interest in his work waned. He continued to create, but ill-gotten fame grew with successive arrests. After spending time in a mental institution and with a band, he died in 1998 at age 63. He had exhibited all over Europe and around the world, from Tokyo to Los Angeles and South America. This show, curated by Filippo Fossati, reimagines and streamlines the museum's Schifano exhibition from last fall, focusing on the period when his dalliances in New York City and Italian politics informed his work. At first, the artist's textured monochrome paintings attracted the interest of Leo Castelli and Ileana Sonnabend, among the world's most renowned art dealers at the time. In his expansive studio at 791 Broadway, he created many large works, some of which conveyed motion as stencil-like people beat feet, hands extended as if marching down an urban street. One is clearly derivative of Da Vinci. "Elemento per grande paesaggio" (1962) "Compagni compagni" (1968) "La testa della madre 1913" (1965) "Futurismo rivisitato a colori" (1965) "Ultimo autunno" (1964) "Particolare di propaganda" (1962) The works on display at Magazzino are smaller, including an installment of his recurring series Propaganda, which incorporated interpretations of the Coca-Cola and Esso (precursor to Exxon) logos beginning in 1962 and earned inevitable comparisons to Warhol. His handlers wanted Schifano to keep knocking out single-color works, but he rebelled and they dropped him. The show features abstracts, what he called "anemic" landscapes, more realistic landscapes and two loud, strident images of workers holding hammers and sickles. There is also one painting from a series of collaborations with poet and neighbor Frank O'Hara, who wrote on the canvas: "There was a lot of static - Lately deciding to be relatively evil or not I bought a wrist radio." He added: "Images were shy and oblique and I love Federico Fellini more than grass." Schifano overlaid several works with plastic or plexiglass, including an untitled collage with yellow strips of jagged Perspex hanging from the top and "52 Delle Grotte Alley from the Inside in the Early Morning," which depicts a window with an interior perspective but is covered by what resembles the material used to cover fluorescent lights. Recurring motifs include words and slogans splashed across canvasses along with outlines of wood rulers and drafting tools, as if left on the table of a quasi-abstract artist. Many works are embellished with random, geometrically rigid shapes disconnected from the rest of the image, like the red strips punctuating "Anemic Landscape I" and a bright-green rectangle that clashes with the unfinished red, white and brown canvas in "Propaganda Detail." Schifano painted flourishes around a photo of his artistic heroes, the Futurists from the early 1900s, although their faces are blanked out. Pieces from another series were influenced by his infatuation with television. The exhibition's title is drawn from the artist, who claimed t...

Hucknall, Roy's new single, comics, celeb encounters, Perspex violence, the Hunter's Hat Trick, and the most sendings-off. (Rec: 15/6/23) Join the Iron Filings Society: https://www.patreon.com/topflighttimemachine Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Corry Will, Luke Cutforth and Jack Chesher face questions about Chinese curios, perilous Perspex and dynamic drinks. LATERAL is a comedy panel game podcast about weird questions with wonderful answers, hosted by Tom Scott. For business enquiries, contestant appearances or question submissions, visit https://www.lateralcast.com. HOST: Tom Scott. QUESTION PRODUCER: David Bodycombe. RECORDED AT: The Podcast Studios, Dublin. EDITED BY: Julie Hassett. MUSIC: Karl-Ola Kjellholm ('Private Detective'/'Agrumes', courtesy of epidemicsound.com). ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS: Tim, Steve Piers, Yifan, Noson Daitchman. FORMAT: Pad 26 Limited/Labyrinth Games Ltd. EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: David Bodycombe and Tom Scott. © Pad 26 Limited (https://www.pad26.com) / Labyrinth Games Ltd. 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Beatle visits Blue Peter, steel, Perspex, plastic, a little man with some radiators, and some breaking news. Join the Iron Filings Society: https://www.patreon.com/topflighttimemachine Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I have a tunnel house (for edibles) and Julie has a glasshouse (for her ornamentals) – she's a fancy one!  Despite these forms of “protection from frost” they can get to low temperatures on cold winters morning. We've seen 1.5 degrees a few times.  Is there a way to add some extra insulation to these buildings that would keep the temps a bit higher?  As per usual: my local Botanic Garden has delivered some answers (see pictures); the “Curators Garden”, an edible garden next to the Curators House restaurant, here in Christchurch, always investigates new ideas and technologies.  (No doubt your local Botanic Garden will have some great ideas as well!)  Wouldn't it be great to have a temporary layer of insulation for just the winter months – stuff you can remove when spring starts?  I love the idea of having old, recycled plastic drink bottles assembled vertically on a long bamboo pole. Each pole can be removed in its entirety and stored for re-use next winter.   Honey-comb plastic screwed between two pieces of wood to tighten them up. It's almost a double-glazing system made from plastic. It lets sun through and blocks the cold.  It, too, can be removed in its entirety for storage during spring and summer  Bottles stacked horizontally and filled with water are probably more efficient at insulating the air inside the glasshouse.  These is old Bubble-wrap that can be used on vertical walls and Perspex sheets that can be fixed to the ceiling on the inside of the glasshouse too.  By “retro-fitting” double glazing you don't lose any space inside, really, but keep the cold from coming in to slow all growth See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join the conversation over at the Bad Boy Running Podcast Facebook group, here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/badbo... Something on your mind? Leave us a message! https://bit.ly/BadBoyFeedback Buy stuff! Buy Bad Boy Running merch here: https://store.badboyrunning.com Get serious! Join the Bad Boy Running Club here: ...

Theft has become so bad in San Francisco that some stores are now padlocking shut their freezers and tying metal chains to ensure the doors remain closed overnight. Video shot by one potential shopper at a local Walgreens in the city sees aisle after aisle of products locked away behind Perspex and glass, out of the reach of thieves.Even lower value items such as toothpaste and tissues are kept under lock and key, such is the rampant theft that has been occurring in many of the city's pharmacies and supermarkets. At one particular location, on 16th Street and Geary Blvd, the freezer doors are entirely chained up, with staff concerned thieves will come into the store overnight to empty the contents.Support the show

Don`t Call It A Lockdown - From Chemical to Criminal CastrationWebsite: http://www.battle4freedom.comNetwork: https://www.mojo50.comStreaming: https://www.rumble.com/c/Battle4FreedomStreaming LIVE on RUMBLE @ https://rumble.com/v30pht0-dont-call-it-a-lockdown-from-chemical-to-criminal-castration.htmlhttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-12308531/FDA-approves-shot-cold-like-winter-virus-kills-hundreds-babies-year.htmlFDA approves shot for cold-like winter virus that kills hundreds of babies each year-The FDA has approved a new shot to treat RSV in children and toddlers-The medication is expected to be available by the upcoming fall RSV seasonhttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-12307257/Alzheimers-drug-Eli-Lilly-slows-early-Alzheimers-60-hailed-turning-point-fight-against-disease.html'Turning point' in fight against Alzheimer's: Scientists hail drug made by Eli Lilly that slows early stage of disease by up to 60% as 'defining moment' in dementia research-It is the second treatment after lecanemab to offer hope to patients with disease-Could be available to millions of Americans in just 18 months - in breakthroughhttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12309431/America-smoked-Biggest-smoke-plume-Canadian-wildfires-blanket-23-states-today-Code-Orange-warnings-issued-vulnerable-residents-stay-indoors.htmlAmerica is smoked out AGAIN: Biggest smoke plume yet from Canadian wildfires to blanket 23 states today as Code Orange warnings issued for vulnerable residents to stay indoors-Nearly half of US states are predicted to be impacted Tuesday by smoke moving down from Canada -It is the largest smoke plume recorded so far this year -The smoke is expected to disperse by Wednesday when it will be pushed off the East Coasthttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12309415/San-Francisco-Walgreens-resorts-CHAINING-refrigerator-section-overnight-stop-shoplifters-swiping-pizza-ice-cream-20-times-day.htmlSan Francisco Walgreens NOW resorts to CHAINING their freezers to stop shoplifters in crime-riddled city swiping pizza and ice cream 20 times a day - as another branch completely boards up its windows-A San Francisco pharmacy has taken extreme measures to protect their goods padlocking freezers shut, tying metal chains to ensure the doors remain closed -Video captured by a potential shopper at a local Walgreens shows aisle after aisle of products including lower-value items stuck behind Perspex and glass -Rampant theft is plaguing many of the city's pharmacies with shop workers reporting instances of thieves coming into the store as many as 20 times a dayhttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12308207/LAPD-union-boss-tells-cops-LEAVE-city-understands-worth-failed-salary-negotiations-1-000-officers-left-2019.htmlLAPD union boss tells cops to LEAVE the city and 'go somewhere that understands your worth' after failed salary negotiations: More than 1,000 officers have left since 2019-LAPPL boss Jerretta Sandoz told officers to leave the LAPD for other cities-Since 2019 the number of LAPD officers dropped by 10 percent to around 9,000https://youtu.be/lNSg5TlwB6kordan B Peterson interview: Speaking Softly and Carrying a Big Stick|Mike Pence|EP 368

Last time we spoke about the situation in the north pacific and the grand conclusion of the Chindits Operation Longcloth. The battle of the Komandorski islands had basically put a nail in the coffin that was the Aleutian islands campaign for japan. They could not hope to resupply Attu and Kiska properly, therefore America had a free hand to build up to invade them. Also the crazed Onion man Wingate had taken his boys in the fray of Burma and they paid heavily for it. Yes despite all the glory and fame that the propaganda perpetuated the operation had done, in reality, Wingate had sacrifice many lives for little gain. His erratic behavior led to dangerous decision making which took a toll on the men. In the end what can be said of the operation was it atleast provided something positive to boost morale for the British in the far east. But today we are going to speak about the falling of a major giant of the pacific war. This episode is Operation Vengeance  Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945.  Now two weeks ago I covered Operation I-Go and you may have noticed I sprinkled a bit of foreshadowing information here and there. But to catch you back up to speed so to say let me just summarize those events and the dire circumstances what person would find himself in.  It can easily be deduced by early 1943, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto knew Japan was staggering towards a catastrophic defeat. Rather ironically, he was one of those figures in Japan that tossed as much as his political influence could against the decision to go to war with america. He warned his high ranking colleagues of the great industrial might America held and that it would inevitably overwhelm Japan. His obsession over a decisive naval victory was driven mostly because he knew the only possible way for Japan to come out of WW2 positively was to bring America to the negotiating table as early as possible. But how does one do that exactly? Well Japan held a significant advantage over America in 1941, their Pacific Fleet was by far larger, vastly better trained and held considerable technological advantages. Thus like a game of Axis & Allies, a game I have been playing since I was a teenager and hope to livestream now and then for audiences like yourself, well like a good old game of Axis & Allies if you are the Axis you typically toss the kitchen sink at the offset of the war hoping to break the allies before their productive advantage gradually wins them the board. Yamamoto engineered the raid on Pearl Harbor to smash the US Pacific fleet enough to thwart them of any offensives for 6 months at minimum, though he definitely hoped for a year. After that his plan had always been to force america into a naval surface battle in the hopes of taking out their fleet and forcing them to negotiate. If they did not negotiate after that, well he hoped to buy Japan enough time to build a complex defensive perimeter which perhaps could be used to bleed Americans dry and thus gradually get them to come to terms. Well his obsession for the grand naval battle led him into a trap. Yes, a critical thing the Japanese overlooked during most of the Pacific War was code breaking. The Cryptanalysts at Station Hypo did miracles breaking the JN-25 code, leading them to deduce Admiral Yamamoto's operation MI was directed at Midway atoll. They had knowledge of the locations, the units and the timetables and they used this intelligence to set up a major trap for the combined fleet. The June 1942 disaster at Midway had been a major gambit aimed at forcing the war to an early conclusion, a gambit which fell apart. The losses at Midway meant the war was not to be a prolonged one, though it might surprise many of you to know, the chance of another decisive naval battle was not all but lost, it would just be harder to configure. Regardless the overall viewpoint after the failure at Midway now meant Japan had to fight a war of attrition, something Japan could not hope to win.  Yamamoto had obsessed himself and countless other high ranking figures that Midway was to be the decisive battle, but in reality it fell upon Guadalcanal. Yes the battle for Guadalcanal emerged the decisive battle they had all sought, but the Japanese high command were late to this conclusion. The Americans basically snuck onto the island in an extremely bold manner, forcing what became a horrifying bloody war. In the end the Americans won the battle for Guadalcanal and because of Japan's lackluster planning, this simultaneously led to the major loss of the Buna-Gona-Sanananda front as well. New Guinea and the Solomons were intertwined and Japan kept fumbling back and forth between them which inevitably was leading to them losing both. After the loss at Guadalcanal, Japan had lost the initiative for the Pacific War, now America was in the drivers seat. The battle of the Bismarck Sea proved to the Japanese high command, their sealanes were no longer safe. America was dominating Japan's ability to move men and supplies across the ocean through a war of attrition using airpower and submarines. The Japanese planners understood the allies were going to advance in two prongs; one through New Guinea and the other up the central and northern solomons. For the allies to advance, they required the construction of airfields along the way to provide air superiority to cover their surface fleets and transports of men and supplies. Japan had been massively depleted of ships, aircraft, trained men, resources in general, but one thing they still had an advantage over the allies was their airfields scattered about the Pacific.  On March 15th Japanese high command in Tokyo demanded plans be made to build a new defensive strategy in the central Pacific. The main idea was to build a stronger defensive perimeter emanating from Rabaul. Thus on the morning of April 3rd of 1943, Admirals Yamamoto and Ugaki, accompanied by more than a dozen officers of the combined Fleet staff boarded two Kawanishi flying boats and headed for Rabaul. Yamamoto and the high ranking figures scoured their maps and came up with what was needed to be done to meet this new demand. They needed to hinder the American airpowers advance up the Solomons and New Guinea, this meant hitting allied forward airfields. Four locations were chosen: Guadalcanal, Oro Bay, Port Moresby and Milne Bay. It was to be called Operation I-GO Sakusen and would be the responsibility of the IJN. Admirals Yamamoto and Jinichi Kusaka established temporary headquarters on Rabaul and began planning. The planning led to an incredible concentration of Japanese airpower. The 11th airfleet and 4 aircraft carriers of the 3rd fleet: Zuikaku, Zuiho, Junyo and Hiyo would amass a force of 224 aircraft. The airpower was going to be used to smash the 4 targets and then they would be dispersed to several airfields to mount a new defensive perimeter. They would be sent to places like Buka and Kahili on Bougainville and Ballale in the Shortland Islands. Admiral Yamamoto would personally supervise Operation I-GO as he took up quarters on a cottage high on a hill behind the town of Rabaul. He spent weeks inspecting airfields and other military installations, meeting with local army and navy commanders at various headquarters scattered about New Britain. As was his typical behavior, he bid farewell to departing air squadrons waving his hat to them. For 10 consecutive days, Japanese bombers and fighters hit their designated targets. More than 200 aircraft attacked Guadalcanal on April 7th, a raid larger than any attempted during the 5 month battle over the island. The Japanese pilots came back with extremely exaggerated claims of success. They claimed to have destroyed dozens of ships and hundreds of aircraft. In reality operation I-Go amounted to the destruction of 25 aircraft, 1 destroyer, 1 corvette, 1 oil tanker and 2 transports. The Japanese had lost around 40 aircraft for this.  The Japanese high command including Yamamoto and even Emperor Hirohito bought the success stories. Hirohito send word stating “Please convey my satisfaction to the Commander in Chief, Combined Fleet, and tell him to enlarge the war result more than ever.” On the other side of the conflict, General Kenney had a more damning critique of the way Yamamoto used his air forces during Operation I-Go, “… the way he [Yamamoto] had failed to take advantage of his superiority in numbers and position since the first couple of months of the war was a disgrace to the airman's profession.” The reality was, the aircrews were not the same types that raided Pearl Harbor in 1941, no these men in 1943 were forgive me to say, kind of the bottom of the barrel types. Sure there remained some veterans and experiences men, but far and too few to trained what should have been a brand new generation of Japanese airpower. Japan had squandered their veterans and now she was paying a heavy price for it. On October 25th of 1942, Rear-Admiral Ugaki had written this in his diary “every time it rained heavily, about ten planes were damaged due to skidding.” The Japanese airfields were no match for the American Seabees who were performing miracles across the pacific building superior fields for their airpower. By contrast the Japanese could not hope to match this, they lacked resources and trained personnel. Operation I-GO in the end costed the allies advance 10 days. Yamamoto had his spirits lifted somewhat by Operation I-GO believing it to be a triumph. He announced he would conduct a one-day tour of forward bases at Buin, Ballale and Shortland Island set for April the 18th and this is where our story truly begins. Yamamoto's tour was sent over the radio waves using the JN-25D naval cypher to the 11th air flotilla and the 26th air flotilla. Admiral Yamamoto's operations officer Commander Yasuji Watanabe would go on the record complaining that the information about Yamamoto's visit to the Ballalae Airfield should had been done by courier and not by radio, but the communications officer replied “this code only went into effect on april 1st and cannot be broken”. The message was picked up by three stations of the “Magic” apparatus, the United States cryptanalysis project. One of the three stations ironically was the same team responsible for breaking the codes that led to Midway, station Hypo at Pearl Harbor. Major Alva B. Lasswell, a duty officer at Joseph Rochefort's Combat Intelligence Unit Station HYPO deciphered it and pronounced it to be a "jackpot". The message contained highly detailed information and it was easy to deduce the message was about Yamamoto. It contained his departure time: April 18, 06:00 Japanese Standard Time, 08:00 Guadalcanal Time set for Ballale, 08:00 Japanese Standard Time, 10:00 Guadalcanal Time.; his aircraft which was a G4M Betty and the number of his escorts, 6 Zeros; as well as the entire itinerary for his tour. Admiral Yamamoto's plane was going to be heading over the southern end of Bougainville on the morning of the 18th, a location that happened to be just within the fighter range of Henderson Field. Alva Bryan Lasswell and intelligence officer Jasper Holmes took the decrypted message to CINCPAC headquarters and handed it to the fleet intelligence officer Ed Layton who tossed it upon Admiral Nimitz desk a few minutes after 8 on April 14.  Nimitz scrutinized the chart on his wall and confirmed himself that Yamamoto's plane would enter airspace that could be reached by american fighters from Henderson. “He asked Layton “Do we try to get him?”. The question honestly was a tough one. Was it wrong to target the combined fleet chief based on some sort of convention upon military chivalry? Like most naval officers, Nimitz had interacted socially with Japanese officers during the interwar years. Nimitz was not a particularly vengeful nor bloody-minded man. In era's past, an American flag or general officer would certainly refuse to have his rival commander assassinated. For you American listeners, can you conceive George Washington ordering a hit on William Howe? How about Robert E Lee ordering a hit on Ulysses Grant? However war in the 20th century was not like the previous centuries. Hell even by the standards of the war in europe, the Pacific War was unbelievably more brutal. Honestly if you wanted a good book on the subject of how brutal the Pacific war was, try John D Dowers “War without Mercy: Race & Power in the Pacific War”.  Now during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, cough cough if you want to hear about that one check out my Youtube channel, the IJA and IJN had strictly adhered to the rules of war. Russian prisoners were housed well, fed well, provided good medical care, given cigarettes and alcohol, the 2nd one very important to russians as we know haha. Those who died within captivity were even buried with military honors. During WW1 the Japanese took German prisoners after the siege of Tsingtau and treated them extremely well in Japan, let them parade the country with a band and such. In fact the treatment of the German POW's had a small hand to play in how Japan got into bed with Germany later, and honestly to this very day Japan and Germany have this special relationship. However, Japan certainly did not bring this type of chivalrous etiquette into the Pacific War.  Nimitz may have hesitated to give the order, but he knew full well of the Japanese actions in China, the Philippines, Malaya, Hong Kong, the East Indies, the Solomons. I guess you can say barbarity dishes out barbarity. Yet aside from the morality question, was it wise to kill Yamamoto? This was after all the man who planned and executed the disastrous Midway offensive losing 4 aircraft carriers with nearly all their aircraft. Yamamoto had also mismanaged the guadalcanal campaign by deploying air and troop reinforcements in piecemeals. He arguably was doing a good job losing the war. Layton knew Yamamoto personally and argued that he was the best-respected military leader in Japan and that his death “He's unique among their people… Aside from the Emperor, probably no man in Japan is so important to civilian morale. [His absence] would demoralize the fighting navy. You know Japanese psychology; it would stun the nation.”. Layton said to Nimitz “You know, Admiral Nimitz, it would be just as if they shot you down. There isn't anybody to replace you”. To this Nimitz smiled amusingly and replied “it's down in Halsey's bailiwick, if there's a way, he'll find it. All right, we'll try it”. Thus sealed the fate of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. Thus Admiral Nimitz sent a “your eyes only” message to Admiral Halsey, alerting him to the situation and ordering a fighter interception with the concluding remarks “best of luck and good hunting”. Codenamed Operation Vengeance approved on the 14th, the assassination of Admiral Yamamoto was done under utmost secrecy to protect the cryptanalysis teams. It just so happened Halsey had already been informed of the operation in a chance encounter in Melbourne Australia. He was inspecting naval facilities in the city and dropped by the communications intelligence office where a yeoman named Kenneth Boulier was working on one of the draft decrypts. Halsey came to his desk and asked “what are you working on son?”. And when Boulier explained, Halsey raised his voice and addressed the entire unit “Goddamit, you people knock off this Yamamoto business! I'm going to get that sonofabitch myself!”. I guess one can say he was enthusiastic about the job. Halsey informed his subordinate air commanders, Admirals Aubrey Fitch and Marc Mitscher about the details of Operation vengeance. Southern Bougainville was roughly 400 miles away from Henderson field and the aircraft would need to take a roundabout route to evade detection. Thus the mission would require 1000 miles or so of flying, a range that would test the capabilities of even the longest legged American fighters. AirSols commander Mitscher called for a secret meeting of his staff on April 16th to figure out the logistics of the operation. It was determined that to intercept Yamamoto's flight, they should use Lockheed P-38 Lightnings which held a comparable range to that of the Zero fighter, though it would not alone be enough. They would need to use a lean fuel mixture and drop tanks to barely make the long flight. It was going to be quite tight, thus the timing had to be precise, or else the aircraft would burn their fuel while waiting for the enemy to make their appearance. Major John Mitchell of the 339th fighter squadron was assigned the commander of 18 P-38's piloted by handpicked airmen. 4 P-38's would be designated as “killers”, ie: the guys who would target Yamamoto's G4M Betty, while the other pilots would cover them against the Zero escorts. The killers were to be Captain Thomas Lanphier, Lieutenants Rex Barber, Joseph Moore and James McLanahan. They were going to intercept Yamamoto in the air just south of Empress August Bay.  Now the direct flight to Bougainville meant crossing over or very close to Japanese held islands which held observers. This meant they would need to veer far out to sea to avoid any visual contact made by Japanese coastwatchers. Likewise they would skim the ocean at wave-top height to avoid detection by Japanese radar. Mitchell plotted their missions course to remain at least 50 miles offshore. This also meant they would have no landmarks to use as checkpoints: it would have to be dead reckoning the entire way, flying by airspeed, clock and compass under strict radio silence for over 2 hours, until they saw the Bougainville coast. The strike force would depart guadalcanl at 7:20. Even after all the precision and planning, the lightning force would only have around 15 minutes to shoot down Yamamoto, this was a extremely tight one. Mitchell gave the odds of the operation succeeded about a thousand to one. Back over in Rabaul commanders like Admirals Ozawa and Jojima were trying to change Yamamotos mind about making the tour to the forward airbases thinking he was taking a large risk. Adamiral Ozawa argued with Captain Kameto Kuroshima, a senior member of Yamamoto's staff “If he insists on going, six fighters are nothing like enough. Tell the chief of staff that he can have as many of my planes as he likes.” Admiral Ugaki who was sick in the hospital with dengue ever tried to send a message to Yamamoto to not go on the tour. That message though it did not make it to Yamamoto directly was interceived by Admiral Jojima. Admiral Jojima argued “what a damn fool thing to do, to send such a long and detailed message about the activities of the Commander of the combined fleet so near the front. This kind of thing must stop” Jojima had actually flown over to Rabaul to stop Yamamoto, but Yamamoto did not back down. Yamamoto was a stickler for punctuality, he alongside his party arrived to Rabaul's Lakuni field a few minutes before 6am Japan time, thus around 8am rabaul time. The party wore their field green khai uniforms and airmens boots, aside from Yamamoto who wore his customary white dress uniform, with his usual white gloves carrying his ceremonial sword. Yamamoto climbed into one of the two G4M Betty medium bmbers and Ugaki climbed into the other. Yamamoto's Betty had the number 323 painted on its vertical stablizer. The planes roared down the runway and climbed. The weather was clear, with excellent visibility above and below the high ceiling. The aircraft leveled out at 6500 with the bombers holding a close formation, enough for Ugaki to clearly see Yamamoto through the windshield of the other plane. The fighters hung out at 8200 feet above them and around a mile around them. The formation headed southeast making its first landfall on the southern tip of new ireland, then south along the coast of Bougainville, past the Japanese bases at Buka and Kieta, then on to Ballale. Ugaki began to nod off as the group began its descent towards Ballale.    Major Mitchells strike group launched at 7:10 guadalcanal time, seeing 2 lightnings fail as a result of a blown tire for one and a fuel transfer problem for the other. Both aircraft were part of the killers team, thus Lieutenants Besby Holmes and Raymond Hine, were replaced with Joseph Moore and James McLanahan. Not a great way to start such a precise mission by any means. As they made the first leg of their route, the P-38's descended to 50 feet to avoid radar detection while the pilots had to endure extremely hot temperatures due to the sea level. The temperature was above 90 degrees as the sun blazed through their Perspex canopies causing the pilots to sweat like pigs. The P-38 was a high altitude fighter and its canopy could not open in flight to regulate the cockpit temperature. Thus instead it kind of acted like a convection oven, building up heat as the sun beat down on it. With nothing but hte sight of rolling waves for over 2 hours, the pilots could have very well dozed off. After 55 minutes of hte first leg, Mitchell turned right to 290 degrees then after another 27 minutes, 305 degrees. 38 minutes after this another 20 degree turn to make the 40 mile leg to the south edge of Empress Bay, all using clocks & compass.  As they crossed the bay they turned 90 degrees and were around 4 minutes from their calculated interception point. The lightnings began to close in and made sight of the southwest corner of Bougainville. In an act of extraordinary navigation they hit the precise location intended at 9:34am, a single minute ahead of schedule. Right on top of them, passing serenly overhead was the Yamamoto and unfortuntately for him, security was quite lax. You see the Japanese held air superiority at Buin, thus they did not anticipate any enemy action. Alongside this the escort zero's had their radiots stripped out to reduce their weight. This meant they would not be able to communicate with the Betty's. Ugaki's Betty was carrying its regular armament of 3 13mm guns and 1 20mm gun, but because of the weight of the munition boxes, only a single belt was filled up for each. As for Yamamoto's Betty, there does not seem to be evidence it was armed at all. Mitchell was shocked to see the two Betty bombers, the intelligence had told them one. This somewhat disrupted his plan not knowing where the escorts were hiding, futhermore 2 lightnings piloted by Lieutenants Besby Holmes and Raymond Hine had to pull out when their belly tanks were released and it caused a technical problem. Thus Mitchell had only half the fighters as planned and now faced double the Betty's. He did not know which Betty was Yamamoto's, but with icy resolve he did not improvise the plan and ordered Captain Lamphier to attack as planned stating “he's your meat, tom”. The rest of the lightnings climbed to perform CAP actions as Mitchell expected the Japanese air base at Kahili to toss some zeros over to greet Yamamoto. None would come, another toss of the dice of fate as it were. As Ugaki recounts the event, at 9:43 he was awoken when his plane suddenly began a steep diving turn. The pilot was unsure what was happening, but all of a sudden evasive maneuvers of the Zero escorts alerted him something was wrong. The dark green canopy of the jungle hills were closing in on them as the gunnery opened up the gun ports to prepare firing. Between the rushing wind from the openings and the guns things were incredibly noisy. Ugaki told the pilot to try and remain with Yamamoto's plane, but it was too late. As Ugaki's plane banked south he caught a glimpse of Yamamoto's plane “staggering southward, just brushing the jungle top with reduced speed, emitting black smoke and flames.” Ugaki lost visual contact for some time then only saw a column of smoke rising rom the jungle. Ugaki's pilot flew over Cape Moira and out to sea, descending steadily to gain speed. Two lightnings were on their ass and some .50 caliber rounds slammed into their wings and fuselage. The pilot frantically trid pulling up, but his propellers dug into the sea causing the Betty to roll hard to the left. Ugaki was tossed from his seat and slammed agianst an interior bulkhead. As water flooded the aircraft he thought “this is the end of Ugaki”. But luckily for him, and 3 other passengers they managed to get free and swim to the beach as they were helped ashore by Japanese soldiers and transported to Buin. Despite his miraculous survival, Ugaki's injuries were severe, including a severed radial artery and compound fracture of the right arm, which would leave him out of action until 1944 From the American point of few, they came upon the Japanese formation catching them by complete surprise. The escorting Zeros were flying above the bombers, scanning hte horizon ahead of them to the south and now suspected American fighters would be approaching them from behind at a lower altitude. There are quite a few accounts of how this went down, but by all of them Lamphier climbed to the left, going nose to nose with 3 escorting Zeros, while Lt Rex Barber banked to the right. In response all 6 of the Zeros made a straight dive from their higer altitude position to get between the bombers and the lightnings. Rather than firing directly at the American fighters, they kept their firing infront of the lightnings trying to prevent their line of sight meeting up with the bombers. With the eruption of the choas, both Betty's accelerated into their dives, distancing themselves. One plane banked right going southwest towards the shoreline while the other banked left going east. Now what follows next has actually been a fight going on for decades with all participants going to their grave swearing their perspective was the legitimate account of the event. Lamphier's story, which is by far the most well known, states he quickly engaged the 3 diving Zeros to the left, managing to shoot down one before twisting away to attack the Betty's. He found the lead Betty skimming the jungle, heading for Kahili and dived in pursuit of it. With the other 2 zeros chasing to cut him off, Lamphier held course and fired a long steady burst across the Betty's course of flight. He watched the Betty's right engine and right wing catch on fire and in his words “the bomber's wing tore off. The bomber plunged into the jungle. It exploded. That was the end of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto.” While racing out over the open sea towards Moila Point, Ugaki himself was horrified to see the funeral pyre of Yamamoto's crashed bomber. But at the same time, Rex Barber tells a different story.  Rex claims Lamphier's initial maneuver going to the left was smart, as it allowed Barber the opportunity to attack the bombers without the Zeroes being on his tail. Thus Rex banked sharply to the right to fall in behind one of the Betty's. At around 1000 feet above the jungle canopy, Rex opened fire, aiming over the fuselage at the right engine. Rex could see chunks of the Betty's engine and fires emerge as he continued to ranke the Bettey with his guns, until the Betty suddenly stopped in mid-air, nearly colliding with him before crashing into the jungle below. Rex also claimed the Betty did not fire back at all. The zero escorts however did catch up to him, but the sudden appearance of Lt's Besby Holmes and Raymond Hine saved him as they shot down the 3 zeros.  Heading to the coasts, Holmes and Hine pursued the remaining Betty and fired upon it scoring some hits. Rex also dropped in behind what is assumed to be Ugaki's Betty firing a burst over it before it hit the water. Holmes claimed to have shot down Ugaki's Betty by himself. Rex states that “Holmes rounds must have hit the tanks and filled the bomber swings with gas fumes, because the ship exploded in his face”. As Rex flew through the black smoke and debris a large chunk of the Betty hit his right wing cutting out his turbo supercharger intercooler. Meanwhile Holmes and Hine were dog fighting two more Zeros. Holmes would claim to have shot one of the zeros down, making his total around 3 Zeros and one betty; Hine's lightning was damaged in the fight forcing him to head east out to sea with smoke trailing his engine. Hine would be last seen around 9:40am, he was to be the only allied casualty of operation Vengeance. With both Betty's down, the mission was done and Mitchell ordered a withdrawal. The lightning's each headed home individually, operating at the limit of their range and suffering the hot weather. The controversy over who shot down Yamamoto's aircraft would begin the moment the pilots got back to base. In the words of Lt Julius Jacobson “there were 15 of us who survived, and as far as who did the effective shooting, who cares?” Yamamoto's plane had gone down about 4 miles inland, in a remote part of the jungle. Search parties took over a day to find the wreck. On April 20th they found the wrecked aircraft, there were no survivors. According to eyewitness testimony, Yamamoto was found sitting upright, still strapped to his seat, with one white gloved hand resting upon his katana. Yamamoto's watch had stopped at 0745hrs. A bullet had entered his lower jaw and went out from his temple; another pierced his shoulder blade. Yamamoto's body was wrapped in banyan leaves and carried down a trail to the mouth of the Wamai River, where it was taken to Buin by sea. His body would be cremated alongside the 11 other men aboard that Betty,  in a pit filled with brushwood and gasoline and his ashes were flown back to Truk and deposited on a Buddhist altar in the Musashi's war operations room.  New's of Yamamoto's death was at first restricted to a small circle of ranking officers, and passageways around the operations room and the commander in chiefs cabin were placed off limits. But the truth eventually leaked out to the crew of Musashi. Admiral Ugaki was seen in bandages holding a white box containing Yamamoto's ashes as he came aboard and the smell of incense wafted from his cabin. Admiral Mineichi Koga was named the new commander in chief. For over a month the news was kept under wraps. On May 22nd, Yamamoto's death was heard on the NHK news. The announcer broke into tears as he read the announcement. A special train carried the slain admiral's ashes from Yokosuka to Tokyo. An imperial party, including members of the royal household and family greeted its arrival at Ueno Station. As diarist Kiyoshi Kiyosawa noted “There is widespread sentiment of dark foreboding about the future course of the war”. Admiral Yamamoto was awarded posthumously the Grand Order of the Chrysanthemum, first class and the rank of Fleet admiral. His funeral was held on June 5th, the first anniversary of the battle of Midway, which also coincided with the funeral of the legendary Admiral Togo Heihachiro, 9 years previously. It was held in Hibiya park with hundreds of thousands coming to pay their respects. Pallbearers were selected from among the petty officers of the Musashi, carrying his casket draped in white cloth past the Diet and Imperial Palace. The Navy band played Chopin's funeral march as the casket was driven to Tama Cemetery where it was placed in a grave alongside that of Admiral Togo. Some sought to make a Yamamoto shrine, but his close friend Admiral Mitsumasa Yonai said “Yamamoto hated that kind of thing. If you deified him, he'd be more embarrassed than anybody else”.  The new commander in chief of the combined fleet, Admiral Koga Mineichi would later say “There was only one Yamamoto and no one is able to replace him. His loss is an unsupportable blow to us.”  I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. Operation Vengeance was a success, leading to the death of the legendary, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. Would his death help or worsen the allied war effort? For that question to be answered only time could tell.

Roy's been hard at work giving HIA's on mice. The results are varied. Meanwhile, dog collisions at the greyhounds are a BIG problem. On the first bend, the dish lickers come over the fence, mistakenly confusing the lurer for a punter's head. Roy remembers one time, eight dogs chewing on a person's head! Now they have a perspex safe fence which attracts smearage. 

Roy's been hard at work giving HIA's on mice. The results are varied. Meanwhile, dog collisions at the greyhounds are a BIG problem. On the first bend, the dish lickers come over the fence, mistakenly confusing the lurer for a punter's head. Roy remembers one time, eight dogs chewing on a person's head! Now they have a perspex safe fence which attracts smearage. 

Setting aside the demise of the blown fuse, and the kettle, before 6am. I've been to have my surgically induced fluid bubbles drained. I've been waiting for this moment since the last time I went out of the house in a state of heightened emotion and came home minus a vat of “lovely and clear” lymphatic fluid. This morning's trip out also served as yet another training opportunity for someone who needs to get their numbers up. I am happy to oblige. Today's student offered up an abundance of “bless you” and brief felicitations on the quality of my output. The electrician text me to say that he was an hour away. There was time enough for a trot to that well known emporium where end of lines can be precured at bargain prices. Kettles were not amongst them. This didn't stop me from joining the till queue with a small tin of Spanish sweet chili. When it was my turn, I put my cane down on the counter next to me and pushed the chili under the Perspex screen where it was carefully examined, it's contents read, it's barcode scanned, before being picked up for closer examination. Then something unexpected happened. Having located what remains of the curly label with it's barcode, that I never bothered to peel off and now looks like something I stepped in, the cashier tried scanning my cane. “It's a mobility aid” I said limply. “Yeah, I'm scanning it now,” she said. “It's mine.” “Yeah, I'm doing it now.” She persisted with small jabs at the cane. “It's my mobility aid. I'm not paying for it. It's already mine.” “But what is it?” she asked as she slid it back across the counter. “I can't see very much. I use it to help me get about.” As a leap of imagination goes, I don't think she found it easy to make the leap between my bundled-up cane and how this translated into anything practical. I would have to dig deep. I dug so deep I found myself in bargain basement beating a retreat. I headed to the hardware shop in the drive to boil water. Since the day I left a well-ordered stand of kitchen products on the floor, I have not returned. My reappearance went unnoticed and I settled on a blue kettle that was on clearance. At the till I slid the kettle over the counter and under the Perspex screen. I put my cane down on the counter in front of me and reached into my bag for my debit card. The cashier reached across for my cane and zapped it. “That's mine,” I said. “I'm not buying it.” “I'll clear it,” he said and carried on zapping. “No, it belongs to me. I already own it.” “Oh,” he said and looked as if he might be gearing up to ask what it was but thought better of it. “It's a cane,” I said. “I can't see. I use it to help get around. It's mine. It's my long white cane.” I know this doesn't really cover it but I wasn't in the mood for evangelism. All that zapping and cane action sparked something in my imagination. I can claim the changes that cancer keeps delivering, just like I've claimed visual impairment, as part of the patchwork that makes me, well me. In her misery at getting breast cancer, cookery writer Julia Childs offered her husband a divorce. “I didn't marry you for your breasts. I married you for your legs,” he reputedly said. Somehow, we all have to find ways to be the heroin of our lives. Not the victims. END Follow the Blind Truth Blog here: https://theblindtruth.co.uk/ Image is Siobhain Santry's sketch of Anna. 

When economists discuss inequality, they often quote the Gini Coefficient, but who was the man behind the maths? In this episode, your friendly neighbourhood economists, Pete and Gav investigate the life and ideas of Corrado Gini. Was he on the side of good or evil? Along the way, you will find out about his often over-looked association with Mussolini and the discredited "science" of eugenics, Pete's love of Stanley Tucci, our catchy slogan to conserve energy within the home and why Gini would have made a great Bond villain given his somewhat sinister love of Perspex boxes. There is also a quiz and given Gini's Italian background, you'll be unsurprised to hear that it's based around pasta! Technical support as always comes from ‘Norovirus' Nic. Footnote: Gini died in 1965 and was 81 - we know at least one of our listeners is keen on these biographical facts and we forgot this detail...

I had a grand old chat with Dave, Daniel and Tony of SAS - Specialist Autism Services."Specialist Autism Services has worked exclusively for and with adults (18+) on the autism spectrum and their families since 1999. We are a non-profit organisation that works with the charity Sacar to provide autism specific services across the Yorkshire region.We provide a range of services including group social skills workshops (through an autism-specific learning programme), information and guidance, autism-specific counselling, employment support, autism awareness training and community outreach support. Under the name Autism First we also provide bespoke support for adults with autism and additional needs."Tel: 0113 2 775 656info.leeds@specialistautismservices.orgGreat Northern House, Junction 7 Business Park, Stourton, Leeds, LS10 3DQThe featured track is "Chainsaws" by brilliant Leeds band Perspex who describe themselves as "lurking somewhere between Nancy Sinatra & Dr Feelgood".  I love the song and can't stop playing it - enjoy!https://www.specialistautismservices.org/https://www.facebook.com/SASautism/https://twitter.com/SASautismhttps://perspex3000.bandcamp.com/track/chainsawshttps://www.instagram.com/perspex3000/

Clearly it's all about the music. How could it be anything other than all about the words, oh hang on it's also all about the words. Yes, that's right, it's all about the music and the words. Saying that though, it's often all about the pictures as well... So for 99 we are going to talk Artwork & Visuals. You won't be surprised to learn that there is a similar amount of beard-stroking in the process of agreeing on the look of Marillion as the sound, so who better to help us understand the process than Simon Ward of Identity Media. Simon has been pitching in for about a decade, so he knows what he is talking about, which puts TCD in uncharted territory. Sorry Vince, sorry Alison. h http://identity-media.co.uk (Identity Media) https://www.marillion.com/shop/corona/index.htm (TCD Merch Store) https://www.patreon.com/coronadiaries (Become Purple and support the show) http://marillion.com/shop/merch/hogarthbook01.htm (The Invisible Man Volume 1: 1991-1997) http://marillion.com/shop/merch/hogarthbook02.htm (The Invisible Man Volume2: 1998-2014) https://www.facebook.com/IceCreamGenius/ (Facebook) https://www.instagram.com/stevehogarthonline/ (Instagram) http://www.stevehogarth.com/ (Website)

Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is  Kelly Molson, MD of Rubber Cheese.Download our free ebook The Ultimate Guide to Doubling Your Visitor NumbersIf you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website rubbercheese.com/podcastIf you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned in this episode.Competition ends April 29th 2022. The winner will be contacted via Twitter. Show references: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-hingley-58471524/https://www.tate.org.uk/https://twitter.com/David_Hingley David Hingley has over 20 years experience leading large teams in delivering customer and visitor experience.A lifelong lover of history (honestly there used to be a badge for that in cubs and that's where it all started), David followed a history degree by joining the graduate trainee scheme at Sainsbury's before moving on to a number of roles in Marks and Spencer, ending up running a department store when they were still fashionable. Having been told during a career development conversation that a future desire to ‘run a castle' was a daydream not a career plan - David was able to combine his passion for history with transferrable retail skills in the role of Head of Operations at Hampton Court Palace for Historic Royal Palaces. During this time he worked on projects such as the 2012 Olympic cycling time trial, the 2014 Poppies installation at the Tower of London, and the Magic Garden. He is currently Head of Visitor Experience at Tate Modern and Tate Britain which, thanks to Covid, has involved a lot more discussion about one-way routes, Perspex screens and face-coverings than the initial application process suggested.As well as Tate, David's a Trustee at Painshill Park, an average runner and a keen reader and walker.He believes that ‘people make places' and it's the shared enjoyment of unique sites by the volunteers and staff who care for them, and the visitors that make their memories there, that ensure they continue to thrive. Transcription:Kelly Molson: Welcome to Skip The Queue, a podcast for people working in or working with visitor attractions. I'm your host, Kelly Molson. Each episode, I speak with industry experts from the attractions world. In today's episode, I speak with David Hingley, Head of Visitor Experience at Tate. We discuss the visitor experience restructure at Tate, why people make places and how visitor experience makes crazy ideas happen. If you like what you hear, subscribe on iTunes, Spotify and all the usual channels by searching Skip The Queue. Kelly Molson: David, thank you so much for coming on the podcast today. It's lovely to see you.David Hingley: Great to see you. Thanks for having me on.Kelly Molson: Well as ever, we are going straight to icebreaker questions. I would like to know if you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where would it be?David Hingley: At the moment, I think I would like to live... This will be popular with some people I know... in Iceland. It's because we went years ago on a whale watching trip to Iceland in the coast, and it was fantastic. Ever since, I've wanted to go back, it is just completely different to anywhere else I've been on, I think, on the planet. A week wasn't enough.Kelly Molson: Totally agree with you. We went... Oh, 2017, maybe around then. Absolutely spectacular. Like you say, so different to anywhere that we'd ever experienced before. Bonkers, bonkers snow and weather and just everything is icy, but magic. Absolutely magic.David Hingley: Yeah and the belief in that magic as well. It's the whole mythology and stuff that's going on there, but also I loved... At the end of it all, we were in the back of beyond for a lot of the trip, obviously, but we're in Reykjavík. I think it was 20 degrees, and everyone was complaining how hot it was. We went to this little coffee shop. It was all as if you were in the busiest part of London, but there were honestly maybe three, four people there. It was, "You're in the big city now. This is how we roll." I just love that.Kelly Molson: While we're on this subject, did you eat the fermented shark?David Hingley: Yes, not much. Not very much at all.Kelly Molson: So bad. Yeah, so bad.David Hingley: We had a tour guide who was very keen that we did, and we did the very British polite thing, but it was not good.Kelly Molson: Was not for me, David, either. Okay. Would you rather be a super hero, and what would be your superhero talent, or the world's best chef?David Hingley: I feel like my family would say that if I was the world's best chef, that would be a super talent, compared with where we are at the moment. I'm not really sure about being a superhero. I think I'd rather be a chef. There's a lot rests on you as a superhero. I'm not sure. Especially after the last few years, I'm not sure I could deal with it. I think to be a chef and have people come and enjoy the food, that'd be great. I'm not sure how my signature dish of Toad in the Hole followed by like a kind of version of school dinners, chocolate concrete and custard would go down, but I'm sure I could deconstruct it.Kelly Molson: The Toad in a Hole sounds okay. The rest that came afterwards, let's just park that, shall we? Okay. I don't ask enough people this, and I should, but often it's like asking what your favourite child is. But what is your favourite attraction?David Hingley: Oh, that is...Kelly Molson: It's a hard one, isn't it?David Hingley: I think a lot of it's down to what your mood is at the time. It's predictable. I would probably go for Hampton Court. I know I've worked there, but I do... The reason I say that is even though I kind of know how it's done, I still love going back and visiting it. I can properly enjoy it as a visitor now because I was a visitor before, then I worked there. Now, I'm a visitor again. It's still got something about it because there's so many different facets to it with the gardens or the kind of... It's family friendly. It's got all the history. So yeah, that would be my favourite attraction.Kelly Molson: That's good. That's good that you can step away from it, having worked there because I think sometimes that might ruin it a little bit for you. It's good that it still got the magic. Great answer. Thank you very much. All right. It's time for your unpopular opinion. What have you prepared for us?David Hingley: I feel quite strongly that Ant & Dec's early work was their superior period. As much as I know the nation loves Ant & Dec, I think you look back on Let's Get Ready To Rumble, I think... The fact that when they revisited that it went... Everyone was so pleased. For me, that shows the quality was there from the start. I think growing up Grange Hill might have done Just Say No To Drugs, which was very laudable, but Ant & Dec were in Biker Grove. We got that warning about the dangers of paintball. For anyone in my generation that had to go on a lot of management away days, where people thought it'd be fun if we did stuff like paintball, I think that kind of early warning was important. And, yeah, Wonky Donkey, I mean, you're never going to beat that.Kelly Molson: Oh my God. Wonky donkey is the best.David Hingley: Yeah.Kelly Molson: I mean, there's nothing like an aggressive Dec, is there? Nothing. It's glorious.David Hingley: Saturday morning with a bit of a hangover watching them basically losing it with kids, who are trying to answer a very simple question. I mean, I don't know why they don't bring that back on Saturday Takeaway or something like that. I just think it would... I do think it's a superior period. I mean, I like what they do now, but I think they've lost some of the edge. Got to be honest.Kelly Molson: I agree with you, David. I am completely on the same page with you. Ant & Dec were... They're like my little heroes that I grew up with. I actually saw them perform Let's Get Ready To Rumble live once at an under 18s gig in Romford.David Hingley: Wow.Kelly Molson: I don't know why that was important, but yeah, it was a great, great moment. Really great moment. Thank you. Let's see what our listeners feel. Please tweet me. Let me know how you feel about Ant & Dec's earlier work and whether they should bring back Wonky Donkey obviously. Right, David, let's get onto the serious stuff. I'd like to know a little bit about your background. You alluded to the fact that you've worked in other attractions as well. So tell us about your background and where you're at too now.David Hingley: My background's kind of fairly mixed and quite a lot of different things. Years ago... My daughter reminds me years ago. Years ago, I did a degree in history. Absolutely loved it. My parents always said, "You know what'll happen with that? You'll end up working in a shop," because nobody knows what to do with a degree in history. So I proved them right and went and worked in shops. I worked for Sainsbury's on the graduate training scheme. I thought I'd do it for 12 months, just get some great knowledge, and then I'll move on.David Hingley: I did that for seven years, did different jobs there, night shift managers, fruit and veg managers, that kind of stuff because I just like working with the people. Then I went work for M&S when running department stores was still a thing. God, I spent seven years with M&S. I was a food hall manager because that's what they do with anyone who's come from supermarkets. I worked in some really interesting shops. I worked in the Kings Road, which is quite a fancy place, obviously. Ken High Street, where we used to have flamingos on the roof because the roof gardens were above us, so that was quite cool. Then Marble Arch and Oxford Street.David Hingley: But all the time I was thinking I'd really like to do something that I felt more at home with. I was reading my history books on my breaks. Then Hampton Court advertised for a head of visitor services, I think it was. I thought, "I'll give that a go." I stuck my CV in and yeah, I was successful. I got the job, which feels like a real cheat, because I know how hard people work and. I feel like I had loads of transferable skills, and the organisation took a bit of a flyer on me.David Hingley: I know that's true because on the first morning when I started, I was having a coffee with the director, and he's very... You can imagine, all the rooms at Hampton Court are very grand. It was quite a grand room. He just said, "It's amazing who comes out top of these recruitment processes, isn't it?"Kelly Molson: "Oh, thanks."David Hingley: ... which I think was well meant. Then I got to work at Hampton Court. It was head of visitor services and it became head of operations. As those roles always change names. Then we had the Olympics, the Jubilee. We had the Magic Garden opened, which was massive for Hampton Court. The kids' garden opened. I was involved with the Tower of London when they did the poppies in the moat as well.Kelly Molson: Oh, amazing.David Hingley: Remember the delivery of every one of those because that was part of the team I was involved in, delivering them for like a year afterwards. Then I did a bit of time at Landmark Trust, where I was the Chief Operating Officer. They've got about 200 historic buildings all over the country, rescue them. If they're not big enough to be a tourist attraction, you can get the keys to a castle and stay there for a weekend, which is amazing, but they don't like you popping in to see how their holidays going, those visitors, so you miss all the... I missed all the kind of visitor interaction.David Hingley: Then the Tate role came up, which is Tate Britain and Tate Modern and working with the teams, looking after the day-to-day visitor experience. I've been doing that for a couple of years, although sometimes feels like it is longer given the last year and a bit.Kelly Molson: Imagine. Yeah, I could imagine.David Hingley: That's really potted history of how I ended up where I am.Kelly Molson: So it's Tate and Tate... Sorry, Tate Modern and Tate Britain.David Hingley: Yes.Kelly Molson: What does a typical day for you look like then? Are you rushing from one to the other and working out what the hell's going on?David Hingley: Not as much as it used to be, thanks to Zoom. Used to spend quite a bit of time on the boat going between the two sites. Anyone who works at Tate would tell you, it's quite nice if you've got to go from Tate Modern to Tate Britain from me. You can get the boat because you feel like a tourist for that 25 minutes. I know this sounds like every glossy catalog, but there isn't a typical day. Whilst my teams are making sure the doors are open, all the exhibitions are staffed and we're all looking ready to go and everything, my job is kind of 50% thinking about what's going on at the moment. I often say I have to think about the worst day out anyone can have and then stop that happening. In the last year with COVID, how do you open sites with COVID and make sure they're still fun?David Hingley: Then the other 50%'s kind of looking at what's coming next. Typical days can be in the mornings, I could be in meetings about exhibitions that are going to open up at Tate Britain or Tate Modern in next kind of two years, 12 months or just around the corner. Then there's all the stuff around looking after the team, one to ones with colleagues, look after the senior teams at each site, planning what we're going to do to kind of train everybody up on whatever's coming next, all of the business continuity planning stuff, making sure that we're operating safely, thinking about risk assessments, kind of all the-Kelly Molson: All the fun stuff.David Hingley: All the fun stuff, yeah. I say if it's kind of tricky, tedious or terrifying, it's probably going to fall into the operations teams part. Not in a bad way because we like doing all that stuff, but yeah, a mix of project planning, thinking about how we work with the programming teams and bring that to life and then looking after our own teams day to day and making sure they've got what they need to get through a day and operate smoothly.Kelly Molson: I can only imagine how reactive that has needed to be over the past 18 months and potentially the next few months to come.David Hingley: Yeah. Constantly. I think the trick is kind of finding the spot as well between being reactive and trying to be proactive, which has been even harder in the last year because many of us don't know what's going to happen until the evening before, do we?Kelly Molson: No. No. Then you found out from Bernard in his updates rather than the government.David Hingley: Yeah. Bernard and his flowers and his updates.Kelly Molson: Yeah, yeah. Famous flowers. We've been emailing backwards and forth and talking about different topics for the podcast. One of the things that you mentioned that I think is really interesting is about the visitor experience restructure that you were looking at at Tate. You said it actually accelerated a not-change program. Talk us through what you mean by that because I'd love to understand, one, how that came about and, two, what it kind of looks like.David Hingley: Yeah. Kind of fortunate, unfortunate, I took the job about two and a half years ago. So I didn't have that long really before COVID to get my head around the two sites, Tate, the way things worked, but when I started, the role was very much... It was a slight rejigging of roles as happens in organisations. Was talking to obviously the team that recruited me about what it was they wanted from the role. It was about moving from, if you like, a more traditional visitor service, visitor operations to engagement.David Hingley: Engagement was a big word that was used a lot. I don't think any of us were quite sure exactly what that meant. It was quite terrifying for some of the team not because they can't do it, but because the word was used a lot. The team were like, "Well, we do engage with people. We talk to people all the time," or, "We were taken on as gallery assistants back in the day when engagement would mean telling someone to back off if they got too close to a painting because it was our job to protect the stuff."David Hingley: It was always going to be about looking at how we could change the way that we worked as a team because Tate obviously used to millions of visitors, operated very smoothly. I mean, you go in and do your kind of casing the joint before you go for the interview. You can see there's kind of a well oiled machine, but one of the things is that it can be quite hot and cold as you go around the building. You can have brilliant individual interactions and then they've asked buildings... There's other areas where you don't meet anyone.Kelly Molson: Right.David Hingley: How can you help a thinly spread team to embody the place and have confidence and get it right for all kinds of visitors? From a visitor to Tate Modern's wandered in off the South Bank just to have a look around because they're curious, to someone who's come to Tate Britain on a mission to see a particular painting because that's what they want to see. That's their day out.David Hingley: I call it a bit of a not change program because it deliberately didn't do a change program. I think as soon as you start saying like, "I'm the new person. I'm here to do a change program," it terrifies people quite often. Everybody knows that if somebody new turns up when there's a new structure, that there is going to be change. So rather than labeling it in that way, what I did and what my team did and what we agreed to do was to work collectively on what that needed to look like because many of the visitor assistants, they knew what they wanted to do differently.David Hingley: It was a case of doing a lot of... I don't know. It sounds kind of slightly old hat, but focus groups, discussion groups with those teams to just tease out of them what great service looked like, what got in the way of delivering it, how they would like things to be different and then being able to almost play that back to the teams and use that to shape the changes that we were going to make. You can write a lot of that down in advance on the back of an envelope, if you like, because you genuinely know what people feel makes a good experience or you can generally guess what the barriers are going to be.David Hingley: But it's about making sure you've uncovered that all as a team. We really took... Tate, fortunately for me, had just had some new values that they've been working on, again, as an organisation around being kind, rigorous, open and bold. What we were able to do was we were able to say... Well, I was able to say, "I'm not sure how a painting or a piece of art is kind, but I know how a person can do that if I come in as a visitor and I'm looking a bit lost or my kids desperately need the toilet and I need to find it first.David Hingley: We took on thinking about how we, as people, embody Tate's values and really pulling it all back to that, which on the one hand, can sound a bit corporate, but actually I think it was really important that we... What we wanted to do was build a common language and a way of talking, so we could sort of hold ourselves to account and work out whether we'd had a good day or not.Kelly Molson: It's interesting because when you talk about it like that, from the aspect of our values, it feels very much that the visitor experience is... It's almost about giving... It's giving people the allowance to do what they need to do at that time. We had Liz Power on from Water And Steam a few weeks ago. That was one of the things that she spoke about in her team is that she empowers them to make the right decision about a circumstance. That might be somebody gets to give a free ticket away to somebody for them and their family. That, to me, sounds very similar to what you're talking about.David Hingley: Yeah. I think it is about that. It can be really hard, particularly in big institutions where you've got people, let's be honest, standing in certain spaces and galleries... I mean, that's part of the insurance and the fire evacuation, right? That's what's led to a person being stood there, first and foremost. You've got to do that and it's really important, but then how can you enable that person still to kind of bring themselves... A lot of my team, they're highly skilled. A lot of them are artists. This is another job that they do. It's how you can enable them to bring that to an institution and yet still kind of have a feel of like, "Okay, this is Tate. This is what Tate feels like."Kelly Molson: Yeah. How difficult was this to do because I guess, did this start just before the pandemic?David Hingley: We started just before the pandemic with all my kind of like... Having talked to everybody, we kind of set the direction. There was this brilliant five-year plan because we all [inaudible 00:17:39]. "And this is what we're going to do in year one."Kelly Molson: Then it got ripped into tiny little pieces.David Hingley: Absolutely. It was hard. Most of the core team were furloughed because we weren't open. So I think what we did, those of us who were still in, was we kind of already pitched where we were going to the team. Then we were able to... In one sense, alongside planning how to reopen, we were allowed to do a lot of work on what kind of material we needed, training materials, what kind of... Just going back on basic stuff like we have a handbook for people. Just getting that all tidied up. It kind of really captured the role.David Hingley: Then we were already thinking about what change to the job role we would want to make because the key change, I think, in terms of the restructures actually have been keen to make sure people understand the skills involved in being a gallery assistant, for example. We call it visitor engagement assistant now. We do laugh and say that all of our jobs have gained an extra letter. The visitor engagement managers are now visitor engagement and operations managers because that shows the breadth of their job. We have redone everybody's job descriptions based on the fact that as time's gone on, people have taken on a lot more of the kind of security aspects. The duty management aspects become bigger.David Hingley: People are more demanding. We deal with more incidents than we used to in the past. For the visitor assistants, there were seven things on their job description, which I think somebody thought was kind of, "Let's keep it nice and simple and have some basic stuff on there," but actually it meant a lot of the time, the team were... The team themselves said they felt they were defined by what they weren't. We were able to take some of those ideas and suggestions that they had and incorporate them into a job description and have that ready for when they returned. Then when we returned and we were back in the galleries, then we'd be in again, doing same process. We went through what the proposed changes were, what that would mean and getting people to buy into it and agree to it.Kelly Molson: Do you think that that was harder to do because of the pandemic, trying to get people motivated to make those changes?David Hingley: Physically harder to do? Everything's been hard, I think, from a mental health point of view for people in terms of the backwards and forward of the pandemic, but I think some of the changes that potentially people would've seen as major actually in the scheme of all our lives and what's happened in the last year and a bit, people were... They're almost like, "Oh gosh, is this all you want me to do?"Kelly Molson: "Phew."David Hingley: I also think one thing that's helped a lot is during the period when we've been in and out... At the moment, we've got people working from home, largely if they can office based. Most of my team, we're in most of the time... So my team have to be in all the time. You can only do your job face to face.Kelly Molson: Yeah.David Hingley: But it really showed how... It sounds daft because it's obvious, but it really showed how important those teams are and the weight that they take on. We found that because there's been a, "What's the latest legislation? How does it work... And you go to the operational teams because they're dealing with it all the time. The teams get much more listened to than we perhaps did in the past because it's been really necessary and really important. I think the organisation as a whole never intended not to listen to those teams, but I think it's just kind of fine tuned the need to hear what's said and what the experience is on the ground.Kelly Molson: Yeah. It's really interesting. How have you been able to test the impact of the program? You've been open for pockets of time, obviously clearly open at the moment. Let's hope that that continues. How have you been able to test it with the general public?David Hingley: Yeah. There's a few things that we've done. We've started doing a mystery visitor. I mean, that's not groundbreaking. Loads of people do it, but I think it's good to have kind of a snapshot. We started to do that before we ran some of our training. We worked with a company called the Whole Story on our customer engagement style, if you like. We ran sessions on that before we reopened last time from the last lockdown. We were able to benchmark where we were before and where we are now. We've seen positive movements. We're in a good place, we're in a better place.Kelly Molson: Great.David Hingley: Especially around consistency. The feedback we get from... Visitors because we've had booked tickets, which we haven't had before for the free collection. So there are issues with that, but one of the positives is we ask people for feedback afterwards and we get really good rates of response. Those responses have been... We saw them become more positive over time.David Hingley: I think part of that is because we've got better with our COVID measures and some of that, but also positive comments about staff and what they're doing. I think there's another element of reopening after the first lockdown, certainly, we did have visitors in tears because they were seeing staff again that they hadn't seen for ages. It just been spaces. I think that probably gave some of the team confidence to realise that they do play a significant part in people's lives, even if those people don't spend a lot of time interacting, don't know them by name. Some of them, they do, but that's kind of reaffirmed the importance. We've seen more positive comments definitely, and I think that is testament to how hard the team have all worked as well actually because it's been a tough time generally.Kelly Molson: Yeah. What an amazing reaction though. Isn't that just lovely? I mean, that really showcases how important people are.David Hingley: Yeah, yeah, absolutely.Kelly Molson: What tips would you give other organisations attractions that are thinking about going through this process?David Hingley: Again, it's tried and tested, but definitely over communicating all the time. I mean, I'm not going to say... Obviously there've been times when some of the stuff we've been doing has not been so popular with some of the team, and I kind of understand that. I think it was important to hear that and to be honest about what I could change and what I couldn't change. I do think there's a point around when it didn't go well. I could think of at least one occasion where I stuffed up when I just went out to everybody and went, "Do you know what? I stuffed up. There was an email you shouldn't have received... It wasn't a particularly batting, but... You shouldn't have received that email timing wise." I wanted to make sure that I communicated things differently, but I did the classic thing and sent it to the wrong people.David Hingley: I just went straight out and to everybody, "I stuffed up," and a lot of the team came back and said, "We really respect that." Then we just quickly arranged meetings afterwards. I think we did listen, and we made changes to the proposals in some areas. So if I take this idea of more engagement, I know some of the team have worked with us for over 20 years, and they're fantastic, and we don't want to lose them. But what we're asking them to do is very different from what they signed up for. I think we would... I used to joke.. I still do that... that some people were worried that engagement meant kind of almost juggling in front of their favourite painting.David Hingley: It doesn't. If you've been there for 20 years and you've seen Tate Britain evolve or Tate Modern from when it opened, those people have got great stories to tell. What we've got, for example, in one of the job descriptions is there's almost kind of three options where it's like if you want to be someone who knows the history of the building and shares it with people, build that up and do that. That's your interaction, but that'll be what you work on. If you want to give a talk in front of people, great, you can work on that. We need people like that. It's part of our recruitment process now. We'd recruit people who wanted to do that.David Hingley: But if you're someone who joined us before then, and that's not your thing, but you've got years and years of research, as some of my team do, then you can, by all means, provide that content for somebody else to deliver the talk for you. So trying to just, I suppose... Again, it's an element of being realistic and working with the team you've got because none of us are great at everything. So long as we've got all the bases covered and everybody's kind of pulling their weight, that's what we're trying to create.Kelly Molson: Yeah. It's playing to everybody's strengths using, everybody's talents in the best possible way and not by making anyone feel excluded because they're not comfortable standing up in front of an audience and delivering or that's just not their bag, but they have got the knowledge.David Hingley: Yeah.Kelly Molson: And someone else can do that for them as well. I really love that idea of being able to collaborate with people to share your experiences. Fantastic. Is this leading anywhere? I feel like this change program could be rolled out elsewhere, couldn't it?David Hingley: Yeah. Well, I really have been talking to colleagues. I really feel that we're in a tough time. We're all going to be struggling in different ways and in different contexts with things like budgets. It's always hard to get people off the floor to do training. It's something that we've struggled with for a long time. One of the things I'm keen to do is to work with other institutions and say this is the range of training programs we're running for front of house teams at Tate. What are you doing? Where's there some crossover. If we've got a room and we can get five people in it... And you've got a couple of people that want to come along and see what that's like, well, why don't we start to pair up? I don't think there's enough.David Hingley: I know different organisations have done it at different times, but I think if you want to change the way we look at front of house teams, it's quite hard. You can be starting your career. You might start as a visitor engagement assistant at Tate, and it might not be where you want to be long term, but often people can get stuck there and think, "Well, how do I get to the next place? It's hard when you're in that role as well to network, et cetera." If we can open up opportunities for someone to go and do a few shifts at a different site, for example, and I can kind of backfill and swap it around between us... Because we know our teams have got very similar skills, then I feel like that's something that we could really be doing more of. Organisations like Tate, we've got an opportunity to help to do that.Kelly Molson: Love that. It's building on what we've seen in the sector throughout the whole of the pandemic, isn't it? That kind of collaboration that's really come through and it's been there. It has been there to a certain extent, but it's been so much deeper whilst the pandemic has been going on, everybody helping each other. Something that you said about the networking thing when people are in those kind of entry-level roles, that's something that we spoke out with Rachel and Carlton quite a long time ago, actually right towards the beginning of the pandemic about the Visitor Experience Forum.Kelly Molson: That was the reason that that organisation was kind of set up to be able to give that platform to some of those audiences as well. I can definitely see the benefits of what you are suggesting. The organisations working together for the greater good. I think that's a fantastic idea. That comes back to something else that you talked about as well when we were emailing. I love that segue so well in there, but you said you'd like people to understand that visitor engagement is a career choice.David Hingley: Yeah.Kelly Molson: Your quote was "People make places, visitor engagement make crazy ideas happen."David Hingley: Yeah.Kelly Molson: I love this. I love this. Where's this come from?David Hingley: People make places, and my team now roll their eyes and repeat. Everybody repeats it, which is great actually because that's... But it comes from years ago when I worked at M&S actually. It's where it kind of triggered the idea. I don't think they used the phrase, but we went to... They used to do big conferences back in the day and get the store managers along. They showed this big black and white film. It was our latest store that was about to open. It was all black and white. It all looked beautiful, but it was all black and white.David Hingley: Then they put the people in, which was the staff and the customers, and they turned it all to colour. It was like a goosebump moment, which it's supposed to be, but it did stick with me. Then when I started working in the heritage sector... It's not a criticism, but I think it is genuinely surprising to me how many areas of the organisation just don't... Because they don't interact with people in the same way, they're not out there seeing what the visitors are doing. Sometimes I bet that's a blessing for them. Sometimes I think they're really missing out, but we've all got our jobs to do.David Hingley: I think there was a real... When I get emails... When we get emails in, and it's emails now rather than letters. It's never like, "I came... Well, very rarely is it, "I came to Tate and the art was amazing," because like that's a given. You come to Tate, you expect the... You might not like it, might not be to your taste, but you know it's a certain standard or the buildings were amazing. You expect the buildings to be amazing. Hampton Court, same thing. It's a palace. It's going to look good.David Hingley: But people write in and say, "I met Frank" or, "I met James, and he told me why he loved this painting," or a story about this room. Or he opened a hidden door and showed my child what was through there. That's what sticks with people. It's the thing that you don't immediately come up on your Google search or isn't in the guidebook, those are the kind of moments where memories get made. Bernard always says staff, not stuff. I think it's a version of that really. It's like the stuff's important, but the people make the interaction, and they're what you come back for.David Hingley: That's that element. It is definitely a career. I know lots of people join front of house teams, and they want to get on and work in other areas of heritage, culture attractions. That's absolutely fine, but I think we need to be quite honest about where we can get people. We managed to get to a point when I was at Hampton Court, where at the end of a summer season quite a lot of our staff would get stolen by interpretation or membership or other teams because they knew they were good with people. That's great, but there's only a limited number of opportunities.David Hingley: I used to say to people you can't hang around in the Great Hall at Hampton Court and hope that Lucy Worsley's going to pluck you for obscurity and make you curator because that isn't how it works. It's about people using their in to kind of look at where they want to go and to understand what they might need to do to get other roles rather than... It's just a bit disingenuous to lead people thinking if they work really hard front of house, that they're definitely going to get a different role.David Hingley: But then I would also encourage people to stay front of house, stay in the teams that I get to work in because I look at the meetings in other people's diaries. I say I don't have a typical day. I don't know many other people that get to go along and talk about future acquisitions for Tate in terms of paintings, go along to what's the next project that's coming up, hear about what a curator's working on next, then be in a meeting about membership. The variety, you get to stick your oar in everywhere when you work in visitor experience. That's cool.David Hingley: We used to have museum studies group come every year to Hampton Court. I always used to think if I can convert just one of those 35 people who are all hoping to become curators or similar to operations, then that's like a win. That's where the crazy ideas happen thing comes in. You can dispute whether the ideas are crazy, but I've been in meetings where somebody says, "We're going to plant 888,246 poppies in the Tower of London moat and then sell them around the world," and everyone's gone, "Really?" Or, "We're going to have a pie that opens up every day and the kids are going to jump out of it in front of Elizabeth the first. The kid that's going to go in the pie is going to be one of the visitor's kids."David Hingley: "Oh right, okay. That's safeguarding risk assessment." "We built a dragon that gave out steam in the kid's garden." There's all kinds of issues there you've got to think about. I think operations teams can be seen as people that say no quite a lot, and sometimes there's good reasons, but actually the job is more yes if or how do we do that? I think it's a really creative job and people don't see it like that.Kelly Molson: That needs to go on your job ads, doesn't it? "Come and work with the team that puts children into pies."David Hingley: Yeah.Kelly Molson: Maybe not. Maybe not so much like that, but that's part and parcel of it, isn't it? I spoke to Kate Nicholls from UK hospitality about the real challenge that we've got at the moment with recruitment in that sector. I think it's about making the best of it. It's about finding those hooks that make it an interesting place to be and to explain the career path. Actually a lot of front of house, they might only be thinking one way. They might be relatively narrow minded in the sense of that's the way that they see their career going, where it's about showcasing all of these brilliant things that they could go on and do, but making it fun and making it interesting. some of the things that you've just described, I wouldn't have even put in the operations hat?David Hingley: Yeah. I think this is it because operations are so different at different places as well. You kind of have operations experience, business services, engagement, and they're all so different. Some people doing my job are looking after all of the maintenance as well. I've done the job where I've looked after security. At the moment, I work with security. I don't have to look after them. So often it is configured around what it isn't. It's really clear what a curatorial job is, for example. I'm not picking on it. It just is really clear. If you ask most members of the public who works in a museum, the first thing they'll say is a curator understandably.Kelly Molson: Yeah.David Hingley: But they don't really appreciate all the different jobs that surround that. I think that's a problem because then people think it's not the place for them.Kelly Molson: Yeah.David Hingley: If you want a more diverse workforce, it's about saying, "Well, these are the opportunities we've got. This is the stuff we do."Kelly Molson: Yeah, absolutely. Brilliant. David, thank you. I've really enjoyed this talk. We always end the podcast with a book recommendation from our guests. Something that they love or something that's helped shape their career in some way. It can be anything. What have you got for us today?David Hingley: I had a real think about this. It's tricky. I always recommend any book by John Falk. Got one here at the moment. He's just got one out called the Value Of Museums. You've probably come across him. I'm sure quite a lot of people will have come across him. I think he writes brilliantly about not just museums, but about all the kind of baggage that we all bring on our visit. I think he really, in his writing, gets that when somebody rocks up, we do a lot of work on things like personas all of us, but you can be in a different persona depending on who you come with. My experience when I used to take my daughter when she was small round somewhere would be that I'd see the whole exhibition at a million miles an hour, maybe read one label because then we're off to get a brownie and a cup of tea.David Hingley: But if I went on my day off on my own, could be there for two hours. It could be a completely different visit. I think he really gets that in his writing. I think he really kind of sums up the operational side of it. Then I've got a slightly off the wall one, which is Dylan Thomas. The Dylan Thomas Omnibus has his broadcasting about... He just used to do weekly broadcasts. I pulled one out because he's got a bit about the Festival of Britain Exhibition in 1951.Kelly Molson: Right.David Hingley: He's just totally gets what visitors are like. I didn't know whether I could read you just a paragraph of it.Kelly Molson: Please do.David Hingley: Pitch people if you work in visitor attractions, look it up. He talks about visitor flow basically. This is the exhibition in 1951. It says, "Most people who wish, at the beginning anyway, to make sense of the exhibition follow the course indicated in the official guidebook, a series of conflicting arrows, which lead many visitors who cannot understand these things splash dash into the Thames. And work their way dutifully right through the land of Britain, the glaciers of 20,000 years ago, the inferno of blown desert sand, which is now Birmingham, out at last to the Pavilion of Health, where perhaps they stop for an envious moment at the sign that says euthanasia." It just goes on. It talks about levitating doors and basically how people prefer the cafe to the rest of the site. It's like four or five pages, but I would recommend looking it up. I can't find it anywhere else.Kelly Molson: Oh, that's brilliant. Yeah, he really did get it, didn't he?David Hingley: Wasted as a poet.Kelly Molson: David, thank you so much. Listen as ever, if you'd like to win a copy of David's books... Are there two books there? Two books?David Hingley: Yeah. I've got two books. Yeah.Kelly Molson: There's two. If you'd like to win a copy of David's books, as ever, go over to our Twitter account and retweet this episode announcement with the words "I want David's books", then you will be in for a chance of winning them. David, thank you for coming on. What's next? Is it all rolled out now, everything's working?David Hingley: Now is the fun bit I hope. We keep talking about 2022. Let's hope with where we are at the moment with the virus, but now is the bit where we can really concentrate on the team. We've got the team all in place. We've kind of got them the job roles that they kind of deserve and hopefully the recognition. Now should be the bit where we can really develop the people. Our aim is we know it's been a success, we've said if everybody wants to steal our staff, but nobody wants to leave. That's kind of the challenge. By the end of the year, the next year, that's where I want to be.Kelly Molson: All right. Well, come on at the end of next year and tell me how that worked out. I hope all your staff are still with you, but they're being poached like crazy.David Hingley: Yeah. Fingers crossed.Kelly Molson: Thanks ever so much, David.David Hingley: Thanks very much.Kelly Molson: Thanks for listening to Skip The Queue. If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five-star review. It really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned. Skip The Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. You can find show notes and transcriptions from the episode and more over on our website, rubbercheese.com/podcast.

Nearly everything is fine in moderation. Plastics exploded as an industry in the post World War II boom of the 50s and on - but goes back far further. A plastic is a category of materials called a polymer. These are materials comprised of long chains of molecules that can be easily found in nature because cellulose, the cellular walls of plants, comes in many forms. But while the word plastics comes from easily pliable materials, we don't usually think of plant-based products as plastics. Instead, we think of the synthetic polymers. But documented uses go back thousands of years, especially with early uses of natural rubbers, milk proteins, gums, and shellacs. But as we rounded the corner into the mid-1800s with the rise of chemistry things picked up steam. That's when Charles Goodyear wanted to keep tires from popping and so discovered vulcanization as a means to treat rubber. Vulcanization is when rubber is heated and mixed with other chemicals like sulphur. Then in 1869 John Wesley Hyatt looked for an alternative to natural ivory for things like billiards. He found that cotton fibers could be treated with camphor, which came from the waxy wood of camphor laurels. The substance could be shaped, dried, and then come off as most anything nature produced. When Wesley innovated plastics most camphor was extracted from trees, but today most camphor is synthetically produced from petroleum-based products, further freeing humans from needing natural materials to produce goods. Not only could we skip killing elephants but we could avoid chopping down forests to meet our needs for goods. Leo Baekeland gave us Bakelite in 1907. By then we were using other materials and the hunt was on for all kinds of materials. Shellac had been used as a moisture sealant for centuries and came from the female lac bugs in trees around India but could also be used to insulate electrical components. Baekeland created a phenol and formaldehyde solution he called Novolak but as with the advent of steel realized that he could change the temperature and how much pressure was applied to the solution that he could make it harder and more moldable - thus Bakelite became the first fully synthetic polymer. Hermann Staudinger started doing more of the academic research to explain why these reactions were happening. In 1920, he wrote a paper that looked at rubber, starch, and other polymers, explaining how their long chains of molecular units were linked by covalent bonds. Thus their high molecular weights. He would go on to collaborate with his wife Magda Voita, who was a bonanist and his polymer theories proven. And so plastics went from experimentation to science.  Scientists and experimenters alike continued to investigate uses and by 1925 there was even a magazine called Plastics. They could add filler to Bakelite and create colored plastics for all kinds of uses and started molding jewelry, gears, and other trinkets. They could heat it to 300 degrees and then inject it into molds. And so plastic manufacturing was born. As with many of the things we interact with in our modern world, use grew through the decades and there were other industries that started to merge, evolve, and diverge.  Éleuthère Irénée du Pont had worked with gunpowder in France and his family immigrated to the United States after the French Revolution. He'd worked with chemist Antoine Lavoisier while a student and started producing gunpowder in the early 1800s. That company, which evolved into the modern DuPont, always excelled in various materials sciences and through the 1920s also focused on a number of polymers. One of their employees, Wallace Carothers, invented neoprene and so gave us our first super polymer in 1928. He would go on to invent nylon as a synthetic form of silk in 1935. DuPont also brought us Teflon and insecticides in 1935. Acrylic acid went back to the mid-1800s but as people were experimenting with combining chemicals around the same time we saw British chemists John Crawford and Rowland Hill and independently German Otto Röhm develop products based on polymathy methacrylate. Here, they were creating clear, hard plastic to be used like glass. The Brits called theirs Perspex and the Germans called theirs Plexiglas when they went to market, with our friends back at DuPont creating yet another called Lucite.  The period between World War I and World War II saw advancements in nearly every science - from mechanical computing to early electrical switching and of course, plastics. The Great Depression saw a slow-down in the advancements but World War II and some of the basic research happening around the world caused an explosion as governments dumped money into build-ups. That's when DuPont cranked out parachutes and tires and even got involved in building the Savannah Hanford plutonium plant as a part of the Manhattan Project. This took them away from things like nylon, which led to riots. We were clearly in the era of synthetics used in clothing.  Leading up to the war and beyond, every supply chain of natural goods got constrained. And so synthetic replacements for these were being heavily researched and new uses were being discovered all over the place. Add in assembly lines and we were pumping out things to bring joy or improve lives at a constant clip. BASF had been making dyes since the 1860s but chemicals are chemicals and had developed polystyrene in the 1930s and continued to grow and benefit from both licensing and developing other materials like Styropor insulating foam.    Dow Chemical had been founded in the 1800s by Herbert Henry Dow, but became an important part of the supply chain for the growing synthetics businesses, working with Corning to produce silicones and producing styrene and magnesium for light parts for aircraft. They too would help in nuclear developments, managing the Rocky Flats plutonium triggers plant and then napalm, Agent Orange, breast implants, plastic bottles, and anything else we could mix chemicals with. Expanded polystyrene led to plastics in cups, packaging, and anything else. By the 60s we were fully in a synthetic world. A great quote from 1967's “The Graduate” was “I want to say one word to you. Just one word. Are you listening? Plastics.” The future was here. And much of that future involved injection molding machines, now more and more common. Many a mainframe was encased in metal but with hard plastics we could build faceplates out of plastic. The IBM mainframes had lots of blinking lights recessed into holes in plastic with metal switches sticking out. Turns out people get shocked less when the whole thing isn't metal.  The minicomputers were smaller but by the time of the PDP-11 there were plastic toggles and a plastic front on the chassis. The Altair 8800 ended up looking a lot like that, but bringing that technology to the hobbyist. By the time the personal computer started to go mainstream, the full case was made of injection molding. The things that went inside computers were increasingly plastic as well. Going back to the early days of mechanical computing, gears were made out of metal. But tubes were often mounted on circuits screwed to wooden boards. Albert Hanson had worked on foil conductors that were laminated to insulating boards going back to 1903 but Charles Ducas patented electroplating circuit patterns in 1927 and Austrian Paul Eisler invented printed circuits for radio sets in the mid-1930s. John Sargrove then figured out he could spray metal onto plastic boards made of Bakelite in the late 1930s and uses expanded to proximity fuzes in World War II and then Motorola helped bring them into broader consumer electronics in the early 1950s. Printed circuit boards then moved to screen printing metallic paint onto various surfaces and Harry Rubinstein patented printing components, which helped pave the way for integrated circuits. Board lamination and etching was added to the process and conductive inks used in the creation might be etched copper, plated substrates or even silver inks as are used in RFID tags. We've learned over time to make things easier and with more precise machinery we were able to build smaller and smaller boards, chips, and eventually 3d printed electronics - even the Circuit Scribe to draw circuits. Doug Engelbart's first mouse was wood but by the time Steve Jobs insisted they be mass produceable they'd been plastic for Englebart and then the Alto. Computer keyboards had evolved out of the flexowriter and so become plastic as well. Even the springs that caused keys to bounce back up eventually replaced with plastic and rubberized materials in different configurations.  Plastic is great for insulating electronics, they are poor conductors of heat, they're light, they're easy to mold, they're hardy, synthetics require less than 5% of the oil we use, and they're recyclable. Silicone, another polymer, is a term coined by the English chemist F.S. Kipping in 1901. His academic work while at University College, Nottingham would kickstart the synthetic rubber and silicone lubricant industries. But that's not silicon. That's an element and a tetravalent metalloid at that. Silicon was discovered in 1787 by Antoine Lavoisier. Yup the same guy that taught Du Pont. While William Shockley started off with germanium and silicon when he was inventing the transistor, it was Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce who realized how well it acted as an insulator or a semiconductor it ended up used in what we now think of as the microchip. But again, that's not a plastic… Plastic of course has its drawbacks. Especially since we don't consume plastics in moderation. It takes 400 to a thousand years do decompose many plastics. The rampant use in every aspect of our lives has led to animals dying after eating plastic, or getting caught in islands of it as plastic is all over the oceans and other waterways around the world. That's 5 and a quarter trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean that weighs a combined 270,000 tons with another 8 million pieces flowing in there each and every day. In short, the overuse of plastics is hurting our environment. Or at least our inability to control our rampant consumerism is leading to their overuse. They do melt at low temperatures, which can work as a good or bad thing. When they do, they can release hazardous fumes like PCBs and dioxins. Due to many of the chemical compounds they often rely on fossil fuels and so are derived from non-renewable resources. But they're affordable and represent a trillion dollar industry. And we can all do better at recycling - which of course requires energy and those bonds break down over time so we can't recycle forever. Oh and the byproducts from the creation of products is downright toxic. We could argue that plastic is one of the most important discoveries in the history of humanity. That guy from The Graduate certainly would. We could argue it's one of the worst. But we also just have to realize that our modern lives, and especially all those devices we carry around, wouldn't be possible without plastics and other synthetic polymers. There's a future where instead of running out to the store for certain items, we just 3d print them. Maybe we even make filament from printed materials we no longer need. The move to recyclable materials for packaging helps reduce the negative impacts of plastics. But so does just consuming less. Except devices. We obviously need the latest and greatest of each of those all the time!  Here's the thing, half of plastics are single-purpose. Much of it is packaging like containers and wrappers. But can you imagine life without the 380 million tons of plastics the world produces a year? Just look around right now. Couldn't tell you how many parts of this microphone, computer, and all the cables and adapters are made of it. How many couldn't be made by anything else. There was a world without plastics for thousands of years of human civilization. We'll look at one of those single-purpose plastic-heavy industries called fast food in an episode soon. But it's not the plastics that are such a problem. It's the wasteful rampant consumerism. When I take out my recycling I can't help but think that what goes in the recycling versus compost versus garbage is as much a symbol of who I want to be as what I actually end up eating and relying on to live. And yet, I remain hopeful for the world in that these discoveries can actually end up bringing us back into harmony with the world around us without reverting to luddites and walking back all of these amazing developments like we see in the science fiction dystopian futures.

Dr Irfan Malik starts the show, speaking about the continued triage appointments at doctors surgeries. Simon Calder tells Mike about how the EU could force Portugal to turn away holidaying Britons. James Chiavarini and Mike discuss a phone call from the Council, asking James to remove all Perspex screens from the outdoor seating area in time for Monday. Professor David Livermore speaks about the Indian variant. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Robert Maudsley has been called “Hannibal the Cannibal” and “Britain’s most dangerous inmate”. But do his crimes match the monickers and indeed the punishment?

We explore the links between the subcultures of Yankii, Bosozoku and Sukeban before watching an elderly Australian man dance in his driveway.   For more content follow me on @hikikomoripodcast on Instagram where I'll be posting photos relevant to this episode!   You can also find me on Twitter @sequencepod, or you can listen to my other podcasts Final Fanservice and Not Another Film on any big podcast app. Sources: Delinquent Anime Girl Guide by Worst Waifu Sukeban Deka clip Dazed Digital  Perspex  Vice  Groovy History  Next Shark  Vintage News Daily  Japanese Schoolgirl Inferno  TV Tropes: Japanese Delinquents  Gyaru Wikia  Gaijin Rider 

Going on a blind date is terrifying at the best of time but imagine meeting at opposite ends of a large table, masked up and on camera. There's some very brave folk taking part in First Dates Ireland this year! But how do you make a dating show in the midst of a pandemic? Linda Cullen, producer of First Dates Ireland joined Dermot and Dave to explain the long process behind getting it to our screens. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2021/02/11130214/LindaCullen_FirstDates_1102.mp3"][/audio]

Witch Ward, Dog Breath, Yautja, Zulu, Muro, Bombardement, Couch Slut, Buggin, False Act , Divide  & Dissolve, Spy, Gel, Tørsö, Perspex, Cold Meat, Spine, Soul Glo

The Australian tail gunners who served in World War Two had a particularly dangerous job. They spent hours in cramped, freezing conditions, perched in Perspex turrets at the rear of bomber planes, vulnerable to enemy fire and often exposed to the elements. In Episode 25 of Collected, Louise Maher is shown a gun turret that survived the war and hears the stories of men who lived to tell the tale of bombing raids over Europe.

"Kissing Through Perspex."

What you’ll learn in this episode: Why Adi uses unusual materials and printing processes in her work. How jewelry, fashion and art intersect and inspire one another.  How Adi scored a partnership with El Al Airlines and what techniques she uses to promote her work. About Adi Raffeld Podhorzer: Adi is an Israeli fashion designer and owner of the boutique brand ADI RAFFELD PODHORZER, which operates in the Israeli and international designing field. The unique designs of ADI RAFFELD PODHORZER include fashion, jewelry and a large variety of spectacular ornaments. Adi creates one-of-a-kind clothing items and jewelry.  She uses unconventional materials such as Perspex, leather, aluminum, plastic and various materials. All items are hand crafted by Adi, from the designing stage to the final production.  Additional Resources:  Website Facebook Instagram Transcript

The new new season of First Dates Ireland is going to look very different. The makers of the TV show have announced a new set of strict rules that will need to be followed ahead of the filming of the new season of the RTÉ show. The rules states that contestants are now allowed to kiss eachother, no matter how well the dates does. Furthermore, they will not be allowed touch eachother and stay two meters apart. The rules are to prevent any outbreak of Covid-19 among cast members during the filming of the show. One of the producers involved told Today FM that the team are looking at how other countries are making the format work, and that they are evening looking at perspex screens for the "reveal" scene at the end of each date. Hillary O'Donovan from Coco Content, the makers of the TV show - joined Dermot & Dave this morning to chat about the new seaosn. Hit play on the podcast in full to hear just how it's all going to work. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/08/14125858/FirstDatesIreland_Aug14.mp3"][/audio]

THE 9-5 DAY IS ‘OUT OF THE QUESTION’: HERE’S WHAT GOING BACK TO WORK IN AN OFFICE WILL BE LIKE.Co-founder and the CEO of Hubstaff where he leads marketing and growth // founded several multi-million dollar businesses and writes about growing startups on the Hubstaff blog DAVE NEVOGTResearch from jobs website Totaljobs suggests that, in the U.K. at least, people are keen to get back to their workplaces, with 54% wanting to do so by the end of June. The survey of nearly 7,000 people was conducted online between May 12 to May 15. Masks have been mandated by some governments for people on public transport, but don’t expect to see people wearing them in the workplace long term, says Sean McEvoy, a director at interior fit-out contractor Portview. Businesses may run in shifts, or only have people come to their workplace three days a week. Perspex screens might divide desks and boardroom tables might make way for socially-distanced podiums, McEvoy suggested. The need for office space may reduce, but we’re not going to see flagship buildings turn residential any time soon, according to Patrick Plant, real estate partner at law firm Linklaters.

Paul and Andy talk all things drumming with Stuart Pearce, enjoy an afternoon drink with the 'wine tipster' Neil Phillips and round up the week's sport on TV with 'Squad Number 9' Martin Kelner! There's also part 61 in the serialisation of Steve Bruce's murder mystery novel 'Striker'... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hello and welcome to the latest episode of Cranleigh Community Radio, I'm Martin Bamford. If you're new here after listening to Lynda MacDermott talking about Cranleigh Community Radio on BBC Radio Surrey yesterday, then a very warm welcome to you too. I hope you enjoy what we've got lined up for you today. Coming up in today's episode, Lynda speaks to Michael Miller from Cranleigh History Society. Our resident poet, Trisha Broomfield, shares her work Bagpipes. There's a conversation about cricket and football with James Mitchell. Stephen Dennison introduces another piece of classical music, and we hear from the Cranleigh Arts team. This was the week when non-essential shops have reopened in England, and it's brilliant to see many of our much-loved shops in Cranleigh reopen. Shops that reopened must follow the government's Covid-19 secure guidelines. For example, using Perspex screens at tills, and adding floor markings to keep shoppers 2m apart. In Cranleigh High Street, Cranleigh Parish Council and Cranleigh Chamber of Commerce have introduced a voluntary pedestrian one-way system, as a way to keep everyone safe while queueing outside shops and moving along the High Street. Please head up one side and down the other, keeping the shops on your left. Early feedback for the scheme, gathered by our Street Champions, has been extremely positive. Also in the news this week, a £1bn fund designed to help England's children catch up on their education missed while schools have been closed. Announcing the funding, Prime Minister Boris Johnson thanked teachers, childcare workers and support staff for their efforts during the pandemic, and said he was "determined to do everything" he could to get all children back in school from September. We await a clear plan. On the subject of schools, earlier this week I caught up with Trevor Dale from the Cranleigh Society, to talk about progress with their campaign for Cranleigh Primary School, and a couple of other local issues currently on their radar.

Handelinge  2:38 Toe antwoord Petrus hulle: “Bekeer julle en laat elkeen van julle gedoop word in die Naam van Jesus Christus, en God sal julle sondes vergewe en julle sal die Heilige Gees as gawe ontvang. Kan ek jou ‘n vraag vra: Waaroor gaan hierdie hele Jesus-storie? Is dit waar, of is dit 'n illusie? Is diegene wat op Jesus vertrou, reg, of jaag hulle ‘n onwerklike droom na? Ek hou daarvan om na ‘n vertoning van ‘n kulkunstenaar te kyk. Mense noem hulle towenaars, maar dis nie toorkuns nie, al wat hulle doen, is om ons te kul met dit wat hulle ons toelaat om te sien, en dit wat hulle wegsteek.Jare gelede, terwyl ek nog in die rekenaar-besigheid was, het ek ‘n kliënt gehad, wat sulke toertjies gedoen het. Hy het 'n klein guillotine gehad en jy moes jou vinger deur 'n gat steek. Daar was twee klein gaatjies vir tandestokkies bo en onder. Die toestel was ‘n groot stuk hout met 'n metaal blad. En op die telling van drie sou hy die guillotine na onder afklap en die twee tandestokkies bo en onder jou vinger sou knak, maar jou vinger in die gat was nog in een stuk. Ek kon nooit agterkom hoe die ding werk nie. Dit het my mal gemaak!David Copperfield was vir baie jare een van die grootste kulkunstenaars. Ek was al by een van sy vertonings en het gesien hoe hy letterlik in 'n groot, verseëlde Perspex-boks vlieg. Hy is absoluut briljant. Maar hy het die volgende gesê: God se wonderwerke, wat in die Bybel opgeteken is, is ver groter as enigiets  wat 'n illusionis ooit sal kan doen. Maar, groter as enige fisiese wonderwerk, is die vermoë van hierdie man, Jesus, wat vir ontelbare miljoene mense deur die eeue heen betekenis aan hul lewens gegee het. Dit is geen illusie nie. Nee, my vriend, dis absoluut waar. Laat my dus toe, om jou met hierdie gedagte te laat:In Handelinge 2:38 lees ons: Toe antwoord Petrus hulle: “Bekeer julle en laat elkeen van julle gedoop word in die Naam van Jesus Christus, en God sal julle sondes vergewe en julle sal die Heilige Gees as gawe ontvang.”Dit is God se Woord. Vars ... vir jou ... vandag.Enjoying The Content?For the price of a cup of coffee each month, you can enable Christianityworks to reach 10,000+ people with a message about the love of Jesus!DONATE R50 MONTHLY

Laura, Bec and Tanya discuss intubation boxes and what to do with them after the COVID crisis

It seems counter-intuitive to be in the middle of a public health crisis and to hear that one of the first financial victims of the pandemic will be our doctors and their practices.Many GPs will be making the decision today and in the following days to close up shop because of a whirlwind of situations that has made them deeply unprofitable.In the days before the lockdown GPs were besieged by clients seeking medications and treatments before they were confined to barracks.  The doctors worked huge hours and in many cases took on new staff to cope.Meanwhile, they were busy investing in pandemic equipment. Perspex screens, portacabins outside their practice for Covid patients to keep them apart from others, and of course scrubs and masks and gloves.Then there was the decision to move to virtual consulting so doctors invested in phones and laptops and applications.And then the country shut down. And no-one went to the doctors.30 to 40 per cent of a practice's income comes from the co-payments from you and I. So the cashflow immediately plummeted. The extra staff still need pay and the porta cabin still needs its rent paid.So here we are five days in and doctors are falling. Financially.It doesn't seem right, does it? A pandemic has always been predicted. They come with regularity amongst human populations. Smallpox ravaged the Roman empire killing over five million. The flu after the First World War, the TB, the polio and SARS not so long ago. We should be ready but we're not.  Pandemic preparation seems to be a no brainer for any healthcare community and yet we fail to invest time and time again. This morning we heard the opinion of a French public health expert called Jean Dominique Michel. He talked about much we already know about. How no-one really tests enough, the stupidity of wet markets and the blame of modern lifestyle for creating under-lying symptoms.If you look at Italy half the people who died had three or more other diseases. Only 0.8% had just Covid. He lays the blame of these underlying symptoms squarely on four factors. Junk food, pollution, stress and physical activity.But he also lay much of the blame on the elephant in the economy room. Italy's shocking level of fatalities was partly due to an under-investment in healthcare facilities. There were just not enough hospital bedsHe points out that Germany has 6 ICU beds per 1000 people. Switzerland 3.5. France 3. Italy had just 2. But all those nations had seen the ratio falling over the past 20 years. It's been a modern structural disease. Population has swelled but the infrastructure to care for that population has been left to deteriorate.So to our New Zealand doctors going to the wall, I wonder why they were not prepared for a pandemic and why successive governments did not ensure an adequate pandemic plan including the provision of kit for the practices? They should not have had to pay for porta cabins and PPE.And I don't really want to tell you how many ICU beds we have. OK I will. We have just under 5 per 100,000. Australia has just under 9. The European average is just under 12 and Germany has 30. That's embarrassingA recent audit of our medical facilities found 11,000 to be poor or substandard. Palmerston North's operating theatres are 50 years old. That's bordering on criminal.You can't run the sort of immigration and birth rates that we have over the past 20 years and not spend proportionately on your health infrastructure. But we did. And now we have tents in hospital carparks and GPs going bust in five days. 

Is H&M using Billie Eilish to greenwash? 01:19 - H&M Now Sells Billie Eilish Merch — & It's Sustainable - Refinery29 03:05 - Sustainable Fashion on Wikipedia 04:29 - A copy H&M's press release 05:15 - Greenwashing on Wikipedia 05:49 - H&M's Billie Eilish collection 05:53 - H&M's Conscious Collection 06:20 - Here are some of the publications that called this line sustainable: Teen Vogue, MTV.com, Mic, WWD, NME 10:56 - "Is Billie Eilish's line at H&M sustainable?" - Google 12:56 - Greenwashing Alert: H&M and Billie Eilish Collaboration - Eco-Stylist 13:47 - Eco-Stylist's criteria for brands they work with and their transparency report outlining their ethics and business model 15:38 - H&M called out on "illegal" sustainability marketing - Ecotextile 24:40 - H&M: fair living wages were promised, poverty wages are the reality - International Labor Rights Forum 25:31 - Perspex's sustainability information page 26:24 - H&M Menlo Park 27:40 - H&M Woodbridge 31:00 - Sunrise Movement on Wikipedia 31:30 - Alex O'Keefe 36:53 - Sunrise Movement is asking people to hold 2020 launch parties on January 29. You only need gather a few friends, and it's a great way to get started in collective action.

At this station you can see two separate displays, one in the internal corner, and another on the external corner. The display in the internal corner demonstrates the use of external insulation behind a rainscreen cladding. Note that in this display, the rainscreen cladding has been demonstrated in clear Perspex so you can see connections and bracketry behind. In order of installation, this display demonstrates: fire protection, vapour permeable membrane, an intumescent cavity barrier, external insulation batts, an efficient rain screen façade bracketry system, the ventilated cavity, and finally the rain screen itself. Each of these items, and the system itself will now be discussed. This display spans across two different types of timber structure, and as such features slight differences in fire protection requirements. While the staggered stud wall to the left requires two layers of 13mm fire rated plasterboard to achieve an FRL of 90/90/90, the CLT element to the right only requires one layer of 16mm fire rated plasterboard to reach the same level. This difference in fire protection is made possible by the “massive” nature of the CLT element. While high temperatures and fire may be able to impact a stud from three sides, massive timber elements are by definition, much larger and as such are able to withstand fire loads on their own for a longer period. While the vapour permeable membrane utilised in this display is a different product to the silver TBA Firefly product shown on the left, it ultimately performs the same function. This product – Wraptite Self Adhesive distributed by Proctor Group Australia – features a self-adhesive on one side, making an air tight envelope more easily achievable. You may notice that there is another red element installed above the insulation batt on the left-hand side of the display. This product is an intumescent cavity barrier. Backed with a densely packed block of non-combustible insulation, this intumescent strip is designed to expand in the event of a fire, filling any cavity between the insulation and cladding, and effectively preventing any fire spread under the cladding. Note that cavity barriers may or may not be required depending on your design and have been shown in this structure purely for display purposes. Next, you may notice the use of insulation within the façade system. In compliance with the requirement for a fire-safe façade, the insulation used in this display is non-combustible. While external insulation may or may not be required depending on your design (and the climactic conditions of the area in which your project is situated), it is important to understand it's use and ensure it is specified where needed. External insulation is used in heating climates, where it is best practice to keep the structure warmer than external conditions, artificially elevating the dew point. This artificial elevation means that water vapour will not condense in within the structural element, instead permeating through it, and the vapour permeable membrane before cooling and forming liquid water. The insulation on display here also features a waterproof membrane to further limit the ingress of water and can be sourced from Proctor Group Australia. The rain screen façade can be supported by a range of different brackets and frames. Here we have elected to utilise the NVelope rain screen support system, as this allows for external insulation batts to butt up to each other with minimal loss of insulated area. While an alternative system utilising top hats may achieve the same function in supporting the façade, this would leave large gaps between the insulation batts where the top hats sit resulting in an imperfect system for thermal insulation. Note that this bracket system also provides a slight gap between external insulation and cladding, allowing for a ventilated system. Finally, the rain screen. While this display utilises Perspex, there are a wide variety of different non-combustible rain screen products available on the market today. This demonstration model shows several different rainscreen systems, although this is just a small sample of what is available on the market today. The external corner demonstrates a vertical connection between two CLT panels. CLT panels can be produced in lengths of up to 16 metres, making it very easy to produce core panels that are two, three, or even four storeys high if you can transport them. In this structure we have utilised double height CLT panels to support installation efficiency. With tall panels come long joints, and in this structure all joints have been taped with a high-adherence non-permeable tape. This tape limits air leakage into and out of the structure, and is instrumental in delivering an air tight structure where this is sought. Note that this external corner also shows a typical angle connection between a massive timber panel and concrete slab. While the specific connector used in this location may vary depending on the design of the building, we have shown a titan angle bracket produced by Rothoblaas.    

Craig, Geoff & Mareko answer listener questions, and chat about the strangest things they have eaten. All of this as well as highlighting some members of the community in the community showcase.

Hello Listener! Thank you for listening.  If you would like to support the podcast, and keep the lights on, you can support us whenever you use Amazon through the link below: It will not cost you anything extra, and I can not see who purchased what. Or you can become a Fluffle Supporter by donating through Patreon.com at the link below: Patreon/Hare of the Rabbit What's this Patreon? Patreon is an established online platform that allows fans to provide regular financial support to creators. Patreon was created by a musician who needed a easy way for fans to support his band. What do you need? Please support Hare of the Rabbit Podcast financially by becoming a Patron. Patrons agree to a regular contribution, starting at $1 per episode. Patreon.com takes a token amount as a small processing fee, but most of your money will go directly towards supporting the Hare of the Rabbit Podcast. You can change or stop your payments at any time. You can also support by donating through PayPal.com at the link below: Hare of the Rabbit PayPal Thank you for your support, Jeff Hittinger.     Last weekend we went to see the Charlottesville Symphony perform Tchaikovsky's 5th, and it was a wonderful performance. I also spent the weekend winterizing my Chickens, Ducks, and Rabbits which is this weeks topic. I know this topic is late for many in the United States, but here in Virginia, we are just getting down to freezing temperatures at night. I hope that you all that celebrate Thanksgiving had a great Thanksgiving. On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving we planned to traveled to North Carolina, but we had two flat tires on the way. One in Lynchburgh, and a second flat about 50 miles later in Danville Virginia. Both were broken tire valve stems. We had the car towed to a Walmart, and luckily the tire center was open on Thanksgiving for a few hours, and they could make the tire repairs so that we could continue on our way. We stayed in North Carolina at a wonderful bed and breakfast called the Dailey Retreat. I highly recommend if you are looking for a bed and breakfast in Greensboro that you check out the Dailey retreat. Our host Jean was very friendly and helpful, especially with accommodating us with a challenging check in. https://www.daileyrenewalretreat.net/ The bed and breakfast was very clean, and the organic breakfasts were delicious! This is the first year that we had a Thanksgiving meal in a restaurant on Thanksgiving. I think I prefer a home cooked meal. We traveled to Greensboro, North Carolina to see a Canadian band "The Dead South" perform on Black Friday, and there performance was outstanding! And now enough about the past week or so, and on with the topic this week. Preparing rabbits for winter - Caring for your rabbits in cold weather The days are getting shorter and shorter…winter is coming! Now is the time to make your winter preparations so your rabbits can stay cozy & dry all winter long. If you own a rabbit hutch and keep your furry friends outdoors year round, when the cold temperatures and biting winds of winter come, you will have to do something to protect them. Winter time when it’s cold can be very hard on rabbits. By cold, we mean if the temperature falls below zero. Keeping your rabbits warm is important. A hutch is a fine outdoor environment for rabbits, and with a few seasonal modifications, your rabbits will not only survive but will thrive during the cold winter months. Remember, wild rabbits survive over the winter all the time, so there's no reason that your domesticated ones shouldn't as well. In the wild they would live in underground burrows where the temperature changes slightly between the summer and winter months. Raising them above ground means they are subjected to extreme temperature changes. For this reason, we need to help them stay warm and dry. Rabbits are one of the more cold resistant backyard animals, but they still need a little extra care when it dips below freezing. Although I live in Central Virginia, we usually get a few storms of icy and snowy weather in the winter. If you live in a colder area, rabbits could be a very good livestock choice for you, as bunnies are pretty easy to take care of in the cold. The one caveat is if it gets super cold, (as in ten degrees below) their ears can get frostbite. If your area gets that cold, you will need a more robust shelter or a rabbit barn for your rabbits in winter more than a basic outdoor hutch or colony. It is also absolutely essential that the rabbits have already spent the entire fall outdoors before attempting to leave them outside in the winter. The reason for this is the winter fur. Without the exposure to the changes of the seasons, rabbits will not have enough winter fur to make it through the colder season outside. In general, rabbits are better equipped to deal with the cold than the extreme summer heat. Rabbits are most comfortable with temperatures in the low- to mid-60’s. But they will usually be just fine with very little interaction from us in temperatures as low as 20°F. Rabbits, like many other animals, put on thick winter coats as cooler temperatures approach and may need extra brushing during the winter due to their thicker coats. Rabbits that are pregnant, old, and/or sick should ideally not be left outside over the winter months. Also, not every rabbit breed grows a sufficient amount of winter fur. Lionheads and other dwarf rabbits, for example, need to come indoors when the temperatures get below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or live in a very well insulated and possibly heated large house. Sadly, some people won’t go out in the bad weather to care for their rabbits so they get neglected. Regardless of the weather, your rabbits should be cared for. Every rabbit set up is different, but we have some suggestions to get ready for winter! Here are some important things to think about before those cold and brutal days: Take Precautions Before the Onset of Winter 1. Shelter and Protection Housing can be evaluated with a few factors: ventilation, size, material, temperature, and protection. Ventilation is the process of moving air above and below the cage to decrease temperature and ammonia odor, which can be damaging to a rabbit’s respiratory system. This can be accomplished naturally or mechanically, but you must ensure that direct drafts are not imposed on the rabbits. The ideal temperature for an adult rabbit’s environment is 45–70 degrees Fahrenheit. Housing for rabbits can be maintained either inside or outside a physical structure. Outside facilities require that the rabbits be protected from the weather and predators. There are numerous materials that can be utilized to build rabbit cages; however, remember that rabbits are gnawers, meaning they will eat building materials. The material used will depend on whether you have an inside wire cage or an outside cage. The outside cage typically includes (three) plywood or pressed board (sidewalls) and roof to provide necessary protection for the rabbits. Or you may have a hanging cage rack system that is covered. Inside cages will usually be constructed from galvanized welded wire. Outside housing The list is endless to what people are doing this day and age to provide their bunnies with the most luxurious suitable accommodation. ⦁ Outhouses converted to bunny homes with outside run attached. ⦁ Hutches placed within an aviary ⦁ Dog kennels with the runs attached (these come in all shapes and sizes). ⦁ Sheds (wooden ones only) Plastic or metal ones can get too hot. ⦁ If you are using a hutch only, then make sure it is a decent size for the breed, and they will need an additional area for their exercise time. Building your own enclosure Remember the bigger the better for your bunny and for you to as it will be easier to clean out and also you will get so much more entertainment watching your rabbits skip and run at great speeds. Plywood and pine are safe woods. Most hutch roofs are made from marine plywood covered in roofing felt. Roofs with a slight slope, to prevent sitting water, will have a longer lifespan than flat roofs. Galvanized wire no bigger than 1 inch by half inch should be size of squares. Never use wiring with large squares as rats and weasels could get in or cats/foxes could injure your bunny through these gaps. Prime welded wire mesh is best. Predator proofing It is extremely important that all enclosures are made predator proof. ⦁ You need to place your rabbits accommodation on cement slabs to avoid a fox digging in or a rabbit digging out. ⦁ Make sure doors are secure with bolts at the top and bottom for extra security. ⦁ Always provide hideouts – safe places to hide when they get spooked or feel threatened ⦁ Tunnels are good for hide outs. ⦁ Place boards at the front of your enclosure to add extra privacy & to help stop your rabbit getting easily spooked. Weather proofing It is essential especially with certain types of enclosures. You need to protect them from the wind, rain and strong sunlight. Covers can be bought for standard size hutches but can be costly. Corrugated plastic sheeting is a good way to protect from rain and is excellent for roofing. Just watch the clear plastic in the summer as this could heat your enclosure up like a green house very quickly. Place sun reflectors underneath to help stop this. Use bubble wrap or plastic sheeting like builders sheets or plastic dust sheets or tarpaulin for protection from wind and rain. Attach to a piece of wood at the top and hook this to the cage to create your own little roller blind. Or by adding some wooden panels to each side of your enclosure and making them an inch wider than the enclosure allows you to have something to attach the bubble wrap or plastic sheeting to. Metal clips keep it in place very securely when it is very windy. Always leave gaps for air flow. Cover a sheet of wood, wider than the accommodation itself, with felt roofing and place on top of enclosures for added protection. Keep weighted down with bricks or slabs. Large beach mats or windbreakers are ideal for protection Venetian blinds or cane/bamboo blinds are another option. Attach bubble wrap to the inside of them in the winter for added protection Do not use fabric that can get damp as this will draw the heat out of the hutch. If large enclosures like sheds/playhouses have gaps around the top area you can stuff them with bubble wrap to stop drafts. Just make sure its out of reach of your rabbits. Location of the hutch Move your rabbit hutch to a place that is protected from the prevailing winter winds. Cold wind will freeze a rabbit far faster than the ambient temperature alone. The cage should be located in a sheltered area that affords protection from the wind, especially north winds. It should have a roof of some kind (many rabbit owners prefer roofing tin since it cannot be chewed) and, depending on the kind of shelter, will likely need protection on the sides. Wooden hutches with wire bottoms and wire fronts are great for cold weather because they offer protection on the top and three sides, though these also run the risk of being chewed by a bored rabbit. For maximum protection, a heavy canvas cover can be made for the front of the cage that will be rolled up during nice weather, but that can be put into place during wind, storms, and at night. Foremost of all considerations during cold weather is to keep your pet rabbit dry. Most breeds of rabbits have thick coats which are exceptional insulators against the weather, but if water reaches their skin they will be unable to stay warm. Keeping the animal safe from precipitation will remove the largest of these risks, but there are still others. Water dishes should be securely attached to the side of the cage so that the rabbit can not accidentally knock it over. Ideally, this dish will also be up off of the cage floor so that the rabbit does not run the risk of stepping in it. Wire-bottomed cages that will not allow waste or spilled food and water to sit within reach of the rabbit are ideal for staying clean and dry. This allows all waste to fall straight through the bars and get completely out of the cage. You may already keep your rabbits' hutch in a shed, garage or outbuilding year round, but if you do not, it is worth considering if you can do this over the winter months in order to make caring for them in the cold a little easier. Remember if you are planning to keep the hutch in a garage, that you should not use the same one that you park your car in as rabbits are extremely sensitive to the carbon monoxide and other toxins present in exhaust smoke. These hints and tips on winterizing the hutch are especially important if your rabbits will remain outside and exposed to the elements during the winter, but are also relevant when the hutch is kept inside as well. 2. Winterizing the Hutch Hutches need to be clean and dry. Rabbits can cope with the cold fairly well, but not dampness. Make sure you cover up your rabbit’s hutch at night to prevent any drafts. ⦁ A hutch can only provide protection if it's in good repair, so, if you haven't already, now is the time to make any repairs to your rabbit's home and make sure it's water tight. Start by checking the inside of your hutch for signs of water stains or damp that may indicate water is getting in. Signs of damp near the top of the hutch may indicate a problem with the roof or walls where as damp near the bottom may be an indication of water rising through the base of the hutch. ⦁ Look for gaps in the hutch walls - Check there are no gaps through which rain and wind can get in. Make sure the wood isn't damp or rotting, and reapply a rabbit-safe wood protecting coating every few years. You can also line the inside walls with newspaper. ⦁ Renew Preservative - The side walls of rabbit hutches also need to be weather proofed. The protective coating will wear and needs to be reapplied every few years - more if necessary. This will stop the damp entering the hutch and also protect the wood from rotting. To renew the stain/paint/varnish, give it a good brush with a stiff brush to remove and dirt and lose paint, sand it lightly, re-brush to remove any dust and then repaint. If you are painting over the same color you won't generally need as many coats as starting from scratch. Most water-based wood preservatives are pet safe. ⦁ Check the roofing felt of the hutch to make sure that it is watertight and in a good state of repair. Any wooden joints and planking should be dry, and show no sign of water marks of staining which might indicate that rain is seeping in from under the roof. ⦁ Make sure that all of the walls of the hutch are also in good condition, and suitably painted or varnished against the elements, as the roof is not the only area which can allow moisture and rain to penetrate your rabbits' home. Check inside and outside of the hutch carefully for any signs of water ingress, such as damp patches or tidemarks. ⦁ Damp and moisture can also enter the hutch from below, so make sure that the hutch is always raised from ground level or a sturdy base such as bricks or a table frame, in order to allow free circulation of air and avoid rising damp. ⦁ Move your rabbit hutch to a place that is protected from the prevailing winter winds. ⦁ Raise the hutch off the floor - Raise your hutch by placing bricks underneath, or by attaching long legs. This will help to prevent damp from the ground affecting the bottom of the hutch, and also stop ground frost freezing the base. It will also protect a hutch in an area that is likely to flood a little (obviously won't protect from severe flooding). Ideally rabbit hutches should be on long legs all the time to make it hard for predators to get near. ⦁ If the hutch is attached to a run, buy a waterproof cover to keep the run area dry. Use a tarp with eyelets so it can be secured in place over the hutch and run. If you don’t want to buy one, make your own by using something like plastic sheeting, tar paper or Plexiglas. ⦁ Put wind breaks up around the hutch and run. ⦁ If you have a Rabbit barn - Line your shed/barn to create a double wall and an extra layer of insulation. If your rabbits live in a shed or playhouse all the time, rather than a hutch, you can add insulation to the walls to help keeping it warm. ⦁ If your rabbits live in a shed then you can use a greenhouse heater to help keep the temperature above freezing. ⦁ Large mesh doors can be partially covered with clear Perspex or plastic, allowing your rabbit to see out and the sun to come in but preventing wind and rain from enter. Look for panels designed for greenhouses. Ventilation is still important though, so leave a gap of several inches for this. You will need to design the cover in order to provide protection from the cold and harsh winds while still ensuring that your rabbits are getting enough air. ⦁ Buy a ‘Snugglesafe Heatpad’. You warm it up in the microwave and it releases heat for a few hours, so you’ll need to reheat it a couple of times a day. ⦁ Add a low wattage heater to your shed, but make sure the rabbits can not get to the electrical cord. ⦁ Entrances should face south, away from the wind. If this is not possible, turn it around and put something in front to block the direct wind and rain Insulation ⦁ Cover the hutch on three sides with a down filled blanket. Make sure the side that is not covered has the most protection from the wind. Cover the down blanket with a waterproof tarp. Water is the next greatest threat to a rabbit in the winter. Wet fur does not insulate the rabbit and allows body heat to escape rapidly. ⦁ Put old blankets or carpets over the hutch and run, but under the tarpaulin for extra insulation. Make sure the rabbits cannot chew on these as this could result in an intestinal blockage. ⦁ Wrap the Hutches in Clear Plastic - I suggest clear plastic so that there is more sunlight coming into the hutches. Rabbits needs vitamin D just as much as we do. And they definitely will not mate without a good source of it. This can prove a challenge in early spring months. With that said, I did use tarps over many of our hutches. Just about anything can go around the hutches as long as it breaks the winter winds from coming in. Everyday lift the tarps and plastic up during the day, on one side, so that they rabbits can get extra sunlight. If your rabbits do not get enough sunlight, it can make them easily sick as well. ⦁ Stack With Straw - Your other option can be stacking straw around your hutches, but this can get pricey. Straw insulates as well as breaks the wind. Many people prefer this as it is the warmest option. In order for it to work properly, the straw needs to go on the outside of the hutch, otherwise the rabbits will burrow into it and rearrange it for you. ⦁ Use some cheap carpet samples for the rabbits to lay or sit on (make sure the edges aren’t fraying). Keep an eye on the samples to make sure the rabbits are not chewing on them. Nesting ⦁ Add extra straw to the hutch, especially in the area where the rabbits bed. Extra straw is another added layer of insulation for your pets. Straw is only $6 or so per bale. It's not that expensive to add extra if necessary. Because straw is an insulator, your rabbits can arrange it in their hutches the way they wish, and they will burrow into it to keep warm. Change this straw every other day to prevent moisture from building up in the sleeping area. Bedding needs to be warm and dry. Change it as frequently as you can. Cedar and pine shavings are not safe to use for bedding. The aromatic oils can be toxic to rabbits, raising their liver enzymes, and can cause death. Although the studies on this used un-kilned chips, so use caution and your discretion. Straw is safe and warmer than hay but will mold quickly so it must be changed often as moldy bedding can make your rabbit sick. Aspen bedding is a very good choice. Always use extra bedding in the the winter so your rabbit can have a place to burrow in and keep warm. ⦁ If the rabbits don't already have a nesting box, this is a perfect time to add one. Make sure that the rabbit has a nesting box available that is not much larger than the rabbit’s body size. This could be as simple as a shoe box with and entry cut into one side. The box can be lined with straw to provide greater warmth. If the box is too large, it will allow too much room for cold air to get in around the rabbit, especially to its less-protected feet. The box should allow for comfortable entrance and exit, with just enough space for the rabbit to turn around inside it. The rabbit’s body should fit snugly within the nesting materials when it curls up to sleep. This will allow the rabbit a warmer refuge during cold nights or windy days when bitter winds can easily come up through a wire bottom and freeze its feet. If your rabbit urinates in the sleeping area, get a litter tray which fits inside the cardboard box, this will help by making it easier for you to clean out and it’ll make the box last longer. Warning ⦁ Word of caution regarding cardboard box for rabbit to sleep in. I have seen rabbits nibble at the box and tear it apart so that the bedding was too thin to keep them warm. So if it is colder, it is possible for the rabbit to freeze to death during the night. Cold weather can be deadly for any animal, but with just a few precautions and a rabbit’s naturally well-insulated body, the animal can live warm and comfortable in even the coldest climates. We have never once lost a rabbit to the cold or winter months, and I feel like that's something to take pride in. However, it happens. Even to the best rabbit breeders and keepers. Sometimes, winter is just incredibly mean, and there could be other health issues that you were not aware of with your rabbit. Don't beat yourself up too much—just continue to strive for better! Rabbits survive in the wild further north than most other animals, but your pet rabbit relies on you to give it the advantages that allow their wild cousins to live throughout the year. 3. Water Supply RABBITS DRINK MORE WATER IN COLD WEATHER THAN IN HOT. BURNING CALORIES TO KEEP WARM CAUSES THEM TO DEHYDRATE. So be sure to check the water supply frequently. The rabbit's body is made up of 50 to 75 percent water. Water forms the basis of blood and digestive fluids, and is contained in tissue, fat and bones. The rabbit's body can’t store extra water, and needs a fresh supply every day to make up for losses from the lungs, skin, urine and feces. Water is vital for most bodily functions, including: ⦁ Maintaining the health and integrity of every cell in the body. ⦁ Helping eliminate the byproducts of the body’s metabolism, such as electrolytes and urea. ⦁ Moistening mucous membranes, such as those of the lungs and mouth. ⦁ Lubricating and cushioning joints. ⦁ Aiding in digestion and preventing fecal impaction. ⦁ Carrying nutrients and oxygen to cells. ⦁ Keeping the bloodstream fluid enough to flow through blood vessels. ⦁ Serving as a shock absorber inside the eyes, spinal cord and in the amniotic sac surrounding the fetus in pregnancy. Rabbits cannot endure water deprivation for more then 24 hours (even less during hot weather) without serious health consequences. Simply put, rabbits must have access to fresh, clean water at all times in order to thrive. Rabbits should be given pure water to drink, from the same source as you'd use for drinking water. Water in Winter The biggest concern for rabbits in cold weather is keeping their water liquid. It can be difficult to keep your rabbit supplied with water in freezing temperatures. Especially in the cold, it does not take rabbits long to suffer severe dehydration and they must have access to water at all times. While most rabbit owners prefer water bottles with a ball-activated tube so that rabbits always have clean water to drink, these can be hazardous during the winter. The thin metal tube freezes much faster than the water in the bottle, so caretakers may believe that their rabbit still has drinkable water when the tube is frozen solid. Most people choose to carry out warm water twice a day to their rabbits. ⦁ A plain dish, or a dish that uses a 20-ounce or 1-liter plastic bottle for its supply, is preferable. The wider mouth of these bottles does not freeze as easily. If heated dishes that the rabbit can not chew are available, the water can be kept from freezing altogether. ⦁ Place a water dish in a sheltered area inside the cage, enough above the floor to keep it from being stepped in or spilled. Fill the water every day and check it several times during the day, especially in very cold weather. The heat from the rabbit’s body inside a well-sheltered cage can often be sufficient to keep the water from freezing, or will slow the rate of freezing. ⦁ Putting your water supply near a light bulb is sometimes a sufficient low cost solution ⦁ I have an automatic watering system made of PVC pipe which we wrap with insulating foam. The problem is that the brass fittings in the waterer itself freezes. There is nothing worse than broken pipes. After a few years of mistakes, I have found that it was safer to turn the water supply off all together when temps are expected in the 20's and below. In the evening, I go out with several gallons of warm water and fill the reservoir and turn the water back on during warm winter day. One easy way of keeping water lines in an automatic watering system is by using a heating coil which one would usually use to keep pipes thawed. If you are running your water from a main water tank, you might also be able to use a bubbler for an aquarium or a small aquarium or pond heater. This year I plan to run a pump through the water lines back to the reservoir with a heater in the reservoir. ⦁ Invest in a thermal water bottle cover. This will keep the water in the bottle warm longer, so the rabbits will have more time to drink it. Check the water at least twice a day and fill it with room temp water. DIY by wrapping the bottle up with bubble wrap and an old sock or using insulators designed for wine bottles. ⦁ I am not fancy enough to have heated water bottles, so when we shut down the auto water system, or it froze, we must check on our rabbits twice a day to switch out water. Before the auto system, we used water bottles, but the metal spout on water bottles freezes too quickly, so in the winter months we exchange our bottles for crocks. In the event that they freeze, the rabbits can still lick the ice. I would change the water in the morning and evening — they must be changed twice a day in order for your rabbits to remain healthy. ⦁ I have found it easier to fill a bucket up with all the frozen crocks, swap them with fresh unfrozen crocks, and put the bucket with frozen crocks inside to let the crocks thaw. I highly suggest using plastic or metal crocks. Ceramic ones can crack and break easily. ⦁ Crocks stay unfrozen longer than water bottles because the spout on the water bottle freezes quickly. Also, the rabbits can lick the ice in the crock if they really need to. ⦁ If you use bottles then it's helpful to have a spare bottle(s) so you can leave one inside whilst the ice defrosts and use the spare, it's much easier that trying to chop the ice out. The plastic bottles tend to become brittle in the cold and are more likely to crack or shatter, so it's handy to have a back up too. ⦁ If you get caught unprepared, large tuna cans will work. Just make sure to crimp or smooth down any rough edges. ⦁ Heated Pet Bowl - This bowl is heated to prevent water freezing, but will require an electricity connection and you'll need to hide the wire in trunking to prevent chewing. Do NOT underestimate how important it is to water your rabbits twice a day when it is icy. Dehydration can kill your rabbits extremely quickly. 4. Feed in Winter Keep in mind that outdoor rabbits may need more food during the winter months; they use more energy heating themselves so need to take in more energy through their food. Rabbits need more calories to keep up their weight in the winter. You may also want to keep an eye on their body condition to make sure they don’t gain weight. Rabbits in winter can get fat and then have trouble getting pregnant come springtime! The best way to manage this is to monitor your rabbits weight, to see if they are maintaining a healthy body weight. Any changes in diet need to happen slowly. As always, be careful with the treats because sudden changes in diet can kill your rabbit. Offer one new item at a time and slowly increase the amount. It’s a good idea to start around early fall to be ready for winter. ⦁ Feed needs to available at all times. Hay and feed should be slightly increased as they will need the extra calories in the winter to maintain their body weight. Black Oil Sunflower Seeds Black Oil Sunflower Seeds are a treat for rabbits. Black oil sunflower seeds are high energy foods. You can sprinkle them on top of their regular food, or increase their ratio if you mix your own feed. We want it to be a "treat", rather than a "meal", because if they were to feed on too much every day, they would be extremely over-weight. Black oil sunflower seeds causes your rabbit to gain fat in their body. While this is bad for mating, this is wonderful insulation for their body in the winter months. Consider giving them a few extra handfuls of Black oil sunflower seeds each month to help them gain a little weight to keep warm. Rolled Oats Rolled oats are a high energy food. You can sprinkle them on top of their regular food, or increase their ratio if you mix your own feed. Add ACV to their Water Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) will help keep their bodies alkaline and healthy in the cold months. Make sure you use organic ACV with the Mother. In fact, it's a great way to keep them healthy all of the time. I find that we tend to give it to them more in the winter, however. The measurement should be 1 tbs. to a gallon of water. Or you can just top off each crock or bottle with a few drops. This doesn't need to be an everyday ritual, but can be done several times a week. 5. If you find that you have a litter in the winter months... Many good rabbit mamas will tend very well to her babies, as long as she has the proper tools. Make sure you are feeding her plenty of food, because not only is she trying to keep her body warm, she is also going to eat more while pregnant and nursing. Given a good amount of straw, she will do just fine. But make sure you are giving her straw every few days as necessary, as she will build and re-build her nest as her babies grow. If you have good mothers they should pull plenty of fur to keep the babies warm even if it’s below freezing. The greatest danger is to newborn kits. Keep a close eye on any does who are due and make sure she pulls plenty of fur and gets all the babies into the nest box. If you find cold ones you may be able to resuscitate them if you start soon enough. 6. Exercise Rabbits still need exercise in winter so allow them to have a run around, or let them have a short time in the garden but make sure they don't get wet. Your rabbits will still need to stretch their legs and run about during the colder months, so try to allow for this during the warmer times of the day rather than early mornings and evenings. If your rabbits get very wet, dry them with a towel and let them warm up naturally indoors (do not put them by a heater which they can't move away from). Do as much insulating of their run as possible so they can still go in it, and try and move it somewhere where it will get some winter sunshine. Avoid trips into the house in the winter. Bunnies can handle the cold, but they can’t handle extreme and sudden changes in temperature. A cold basement might be the exception to that. 7. Hibernation Rabbits don't hibernate, If you rabbits become lethargic and limp, they are too cold. Get them inside a warmer space immediately and get their body temperature back up, and take it to the vet. If a rabbit is inactive and doesn’t eat, you know it’s an emergency! Closing Do a health check up on your rabbits at least daily over the winter. Be sure to check them for any signs of coughing, obstructed breathing or mucus discharge around the eyes or nose. Rabbits can get colds and will need to be treated. It doesn’t take long to give your rabbits a quick health check. Obviously, don’t let your rabbit get wet, that’s a great way to end up with a sick or dead rabbit. Outdoor bunnies rely on their owners to keep them safe in all kinds of weather. They are silent creatures and can't bark or ask you for help so please keep a close eye on your rabbits. Any changes or anything you may be worried about, phone your vet. With just a little extra care you should be able to keep your rabbits comfy all winter. I can’t say the same for your hands when breaking the ice out of their crocks though! This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. It is not meant to substitute for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, prescription, or formal and individualized advice from a veterinary medical professional. Animals exhibiting signs and symptoms of distress should be seen by a veterinarian immediately. https://www.saveafluff.co.uk/rabbit-info/winter-care-for-rabbits http://www.therabbithouse.com/outdoor/rabbitwinter.asp https://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/preparing-rabbits-for-winter-zbcz1601 https://farmingmybackyard.com/winter-rabbit-care/ http://www.crossroadsrabbitry.com/winter-care-tips-for-your-rabbit/ https://bunnyapproved.com/winter-bunnies-how-to-protect-rabbits-from-the-cold/ http://blog.rabbitholehay.com/winterizing-your-rabbit-hutch-for-winter https://www.thecapecoop.com/getting-rabbits-ready-for-winter/ https://www.cuteness.com/article/keep-rabbits-warm-winter-rabbit-hutch https://pethelpful.com/rabbits/Tips-for-Keeping-Pet-Rabbits-Outdoors-in-Cold-Weather https://www.pets4homes.co.uk/pet-advice/caring-for-your-rabbits-during-the-winter.html https://barbibrownsbunnies.com/winter/ https://www.raisingrabbitsformeat.com/preparing-rabbits-for-winter/ Word of the Week - Receipt Brer Fox Catches Old Man Tarrypin A Georgia Folktale retold by S. E. Schlosser Well now, Brer Rabbit had made friends with Old Man Tarrypin, a big turtle that lived in the pond near his house. Brer Rabbit and Old Man Tarrypin liked to pull tricks on Brer Fox, and that rascally fellow got pretty mad about it. Since he couldn't catch Brer Rabbit nohow, Brer Fox decided that he'd get even with Old Man Tarrypin instead. He started walking beside the pond every day, hoping to find the turtle out of the water. One morning, as he was taking his daily stroll, Brer Fox saw Old Man Tarrypin sitting right in the center of the road. The old turtle looked hot and bothered about something. He kept shaking his head back and forth and he was panting like he was out of breath. "Howdy, Brer Tarrypin," said Brer Fox, stopping beside the old turtle. "What's the matter wid you?" "I was a-strolling in the field beside my pond when the farmer came along and set it on fire," Old Man Tarrypin gasped. "I had to run and run, but that ol' fire was faster than me, so I curled up in my shell while it passed right over me! My shell is hotter than the noon-day sun, and I think I done singed my tail!" "Let me have a look," said Brer Fox. So Old Man Tarrypin uncurled his tail and poked it out of his shell. Immediately, Brer Fox grabbed him by the tail and swung him right off the ground. "I gotcha now, Brer Tarrypin," cried Brer Fox. "You ain't gonna bother me no more!" Well, Old Man Tarrypin begged and begged Brer Fox not to drown him. He'd rather go back into the fire in the field on account of he'd kind of gotten used to being burned. Brer Fox swung the poor old turtle back and forth by his tail, trying to decide what to do. Putting Old Man Tarrypin into the fire was a tempting idea, but then he remembered how the old turtle had curled up into his shell so the fire couldn't touch him. Brer Fox frowned. Fire was no good, then. Brer Fox decided to drown Old Man Tarrypin instead. He tucked the turtle under his arm and carried him down to the springhouse by the pond. "Please, oh please don't drown me," Old Man Tarrypin begged. "I ain't making no promises," Brer Fox retorted. "You've played too many tricks on me, Brer Tarrypin." Brer Fox thrust him into the water and began bouncing him up and down. "Oh, I is drowning," shouted Old Man Tarrypin when his head bounced out of the water. "Don't let go of my tail, Brer Fox or I'll be drowned for sure!" "That's the idea, Brer Tarrypin," Brer Fox yelled back and let go of his tail. Immediately Old Man Tarrypin splashed down and down into the water and thumped onto the mud on the bottom, kerplicky-splat. That's when Brer Fox remembered that Old Man Tarrypin lived in the pond, and there was never any fear of him drowning, nohow! He could hear him laughing from the bottom of the pond: "I-dare-ya-ta- come-down-'ere". Brer Fox jumped up and down in fury. Old Man Tarrypin had escaped him! From the other side of the pond, Brer Bull Frog called out: "Knee-deep! Knee-deep!" Brer Fox glared at the pond, and then looked back at Brer Bull Frog. "It's only knee-deep?" he asked suspiciously. "Knee-deep, knee-deep!" Brer Bull Frog said again. All the little frogs joined in the chorus then. "Better-believe-it! Better-believe-it!" Well, thought Brer Fox, if it was only knee deep, then he'd have no trouble catching Old Man Tarrypin. "Wade-in, wade-in!" croaked Brer Bull Frog. "Knee-deep, knee-deep!" agreed all the little frogs. Brer Fox didn't much like water, but he really wanted to catch Old Man Tarrypin. He approached the edge of the pond cautiously. From underneath the water, Old Man Tarrypin laughed at him, and his words bubbled up to Brer Fox: "I-dare-ya-ta- come-down-'ere! I-dare-ya-ta- come-down-'ere." Well. That did it. Brer Fox ran right up to the edge of the pond. Leaning over, he looked into the water and saw another fox staring at him. "Dat's-your-brother! Dat's-your-brother," Brer Bull Frog told Brer Fox. Brer Fox was thrilled. He didn't know he had a brother. Now that there were two foxes, catching Old Man Tarrypin would be a cinch! Brer Fox leaned down to shake hands with his new-found brother, and toppled right down into the deep water of the pond. All of the frogs laughed and laughed at the trick they had played on Brer Fox, and Old Man Tarrypin started swimming up from the bottom of the pond, his red eyes fixed on Brer Fox's tail. Brer Fox knew that the old turtle wanted to pull him down under that water and drown him, so he learned to swim mighty quick! With much splashing and squirming and kicking, Brer Fox made it to the edge of the pond, where he jumped out and ran away as fast as he could, while Brer Bull Frog laughed and the little frogs shouted with glee. The last thing he heard as he rounded the corner was the voice of Old Man Tarrypin calling: "I-dare-ya-ta- come-down-'ere". Brer Fox never messed with Old Man Tarrypin again. http://americanfolklore.net/folklore/2010/07/brer_fox_catches_old_man_tarry.html BOSS - Black Oil Sunflower Seeds Sunflower, Helianthus, is only one of many plants that rabbits find attractive. The rabbits will eat every part of sunflowers, including the seeds and flowers. https://www.hunker.com/13406359/natural-remedy-to-keep-rabbits-from-eating-sunflowers Helianthus or sunflower (/ˌhiːliˈænθəs/)[2] is a genus of plants comprising about 70 species.[3][4] Except for three species in South America, all Helianthus species are native to North America. The common name, "sunflower", typically refers to the popular annual species Helianthus annuus, or the common sunflower, whose round flower heads in combination with the ligules look like the sun.[5] This and other species, notably Jerusalem artichoke (H. tuberosus), are cultivated in temperate regions and some tropical regions as food crops for humans, cattle, and poultry, and as ornamental plants.[6] Perennial sunflower species are not as popular for gardens due to their tendency to spread rapidly and become invasive. The whorled sunflower, H. verticillatus, was listed as an endangered species in 2014 when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a final rule protecting it under the Endangered Species Act. The primary threats are industrial forestry and pine plantations in Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. They grow to 1.8 m (6 ft) and are primarily found in woodlands, adjacent to creeks and moist, prairie-like areas.[7] Contents 1 Description 2 Production 3 Diversity 4 Gallery 5 References 6 External links 7 See also Description Close-up of a sunflower Close-up of a sunflower The disk of a sunflower is made up of many little flowers. The ray flowers here are dried up. A field of sunflowers in North Carolina Sunflowers are usually tall annual or perennial plants that in some species can grow to a height of 300 cm (120 in) or more. They bear one or more wide, terminal capitula (flower heads), with bright yellow ray florets at the outside and yellow or maroon (also known as a brown/red) disc florets inside. Several ornamental cultivars of H. annuus have red-colored ray florets; all of them stem from a single original mutant.[8] During growth, sunflowers tilt during the day to face the sun, but stop once they begin blooming. This tracking of the sun in young sunflower heads is called heliotropism. By the time they are mature, sunflowers generally face east.[9] The rough and hairy stem is branched in the upper part in wild plants, but is usually unbranched in domesticated cultivars. The petiolate leaves are dentate and often sticky. The lower leaves are opposite, ovate, or often heart-shaped. They are distinguished technically by the fact that the ray florets (when present) are sterile, and by the presence on the disk flowers of a pappus that is of two awn-like scales that are caducous (that is, easily detached and falling at maturity). Some species also have additional shorter scales in the pappus, and one species lacks a pappus entirely. Another technical feature that distinguishes the genus more reliably, but requires a microscope to see, is the presence of a prominent, multicellular appendage at the apex of the style. Sunflowers are especially well known for their symmetry based on Fibonacci numbers and the golden angle.[citation needed] Quite a bit of variability is seen among the perennial species that make up the bulk of those in the genus. Some have most or all of the large leaves in a rosette at the base of the plant and produce a flowering stem that has leaves that are reduced in size. Most of the perennials have disk flowers that are entirely yellow, but a few have disk flowers with reddish lobes. One species, H. radula, lacks ray flowers altogether. Helianthus species are used as food plants by the larvae of many lepidopterans. The seeds of H. annuus are used as human food. Production Ukraine and Russia were top sunflower producers of the world in 2017. They contributed half of the sunflower seed production globally, which is approximately 23 MMT altogether.[10] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helianthus Rabbits love black oil sunflower seeds (BOSS). They are a great winter tonic! I only feed BOSS to my rabbits in the cooler months, as it is a high calorie, high fat, “hot” feed. So it keeps them warm and shiny, great for a dry winter coat. This helps by putting the oil back into their coats. I am talking about the black oil sunflower seeds, not the striped seeds. The striped seeds have thicker, tougher hulls. Black oil seeds have thinner shells and are more nutritious. Black oil sunflower seeds contain high levels of protein are rich in vitamin E, linoleic acid and provide a good source of fiber. Rabbits benefit from this snack seed as a high source of energy during cold temperatures. I do not recommend using BOSS during the heat of the summer (June, July, and August here in Maine, it may be longer in your area). I feel that if fed during hot weather it will make them shed more and could cause gut troubles by hair blockage. But if you have a rabbit that is stuck in a molt, then this is a great additive to add to your rabbits diet. By adding the extra calories and protein this will get them to blow their coat and get in new growth. If rabbits are overfed BOSS or fed to often this can also trigger a molt so feed in moderation. This is used as a tonic not a feed! Her are the general nutritional components of black oil sunflower seeds, I also listed some of the benefits of each next to the item 28 percent fat – Fat in a rabbits diet functions as an energy source, aids in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K). It also adds luster and gloss to the fur and helps slow shedding. 25 percent fiber – This helps provide the bulk and forage requirements for a rabbit and also promoting a healthy gut. 15 percent protein – Protein is need for the growth, disease resistance, milk production, general health and reproduction. Calcium – Calcium plays a key role in bodily processes, such as heart function, muscle contraction, coagulation, and electrolyte levels in the blood. But you do not want excess calcium in a rabbits diet as this can cause urinary tract problems. B vitamins- A rabbit produces its own b vitamin by bacteria in the hind-gut of the rabbit, their requirements are fulfilled through caecotrophy. So B is not very important to a domestic rabbit. Iron- Vitamin E – helps to remove toxins out of your rabbit’s body this helps to maintain the immune system. Potassium- Rabbit need this when they’re sick as they lose potassium through watery feces. Feeding rabbits BOSS- Rabbits should only be fed BOSS as condition mix or tonic treat, 6 seeds per a rabbit top dressed in the feed hopper or crock is enough! DO NOT OVERFEED! You do not want fat lazy rabbits. Feed with the hulls on this is a good added fiber for the rabbits digestive track. Some show breeders feed BOSS as a daily conditioner one week before a show. I do not think you should add them to a bulk bag of feed because you will not be able to control the amount of BOSS each of your rabbits consumes. Black oil sunflower seeds are not a complete source of nutrition for your rabbit, offering only a few necessary nutrients your rabbit needs. These should only be offered as part of a rabbit’s diet, not the sole source of nutrition. Vitamins A and E are vulnerable to poor or prolonged storage in feeds. Both of these vitamins are needed for the willingness and ability of rabbits to breed. Instead of increasing the pellets, I suggest feeding about a tablespoon of black oil sunflower seeds for Vitamin E and a good handful of dark leafy greens (dandelions, plantain, raspberry,and Kale are fine) for Vitamin A. If the rabbits have never had greens, start with just a couple of leaves and work up to more to help with those unwilling does. One of the things I like about the BOSS is that even rabbits who are “off their feed” will nibble at them. When I got my first Angoras many years ago I tried adding BOSS to their diet and the results could be noticed by coat growth and quality, I can only assume it is from more protein-rich foods. Coat growth in Angoras or any wool breed uses a lot of protein to keep the fiber growing having a little extra to burn is making their fiber thick, dense, and soft. PROS- They are packed with nutrition, amino acids, and calories, so they are a great supplement for almost any rabbit to one degree or another. They do help with shiny coats also. The side benefit is the volunteer sunflowers that sprout. I grew some out this summer (Will be growing a plot of the in 2013) and saved the seed heads, then pulled the plant and gave it to the rabbits as a green treat in the cages. They would not only eat the leaves, but they would gnaw the stems until it was all gone! CONS- Not to many, but possibly too high in protein and calories, which could cause heat issues during summer months. If fed too much too often maybe some weight gain, and molting problems. I believe the positives of BOSS out weight the negatives. Definitely feed with shells as they add necessary fiber and are easy to chew through for rabbits. Black oil sunflower seeds often stimulate your rabbit to gain weight due to their high fat content. This extra body weight helps rabbits maintain their body temperature in the winter, fall, and spring months. Your rabbit may not need to maintain as much body heat in the summer months, so consider cutting back the amount of black oil sunflower seeds your rabbit consumes during those months. https://riseandshinerabbitry.com/2012/11/25/feeding-rabbits-black-oil-sunflower-seeds/   Arthritis due to Bacterial Infection in Rabbits Septic Arthritis in Rabbits Arthritis is the general medical term for inflamed joints. Septic arthritis, on the other hand, is a condition that occurs when bacteria infects one or more of the rabbit’s joints. There is no age, breed, or gender predisposition for septic arthritis in rabbits. Symptoms and Types Sluggish behavior Lameness Anorexia Joint pain and swelling Warmth emanating from the joints Decreased range of motion Signs of infection (e.g., urinary tract infection or dental disease) Causes Pyogenic bacteria causes septic arthritis. There are many types of pyogenic bacteria, including staphylococci, pasteurella, and anaerobic bacteria (which can survive without oxygen). These bacteria may lead to an infection in the body and can also migrate to the joints, where they cause septic arthritis. There are some characteristics that may put an animal at higher risk for developing septic arthritis. These include long-term (chronic) cases of bacterial infection, traumatic injuries to the joints, and immunosuppressive disorders (immune system does not function properly). Some other sources of infection may include dental disease, an infection of the upper respiratory tract, or a wound. Diagnosis A rabbit with a history of upper respiratory tract infection, dental disease, or previous traumatic wound – such as bite wound – may suggest septic arthritis. If septic arthritis is suspected, a number of tests can be done by the veterinarian. An analysis of fluid taken from around the joints (synovial fluid analysis) may reveal characteristics of septic arthritis, such as an increased volume of fluid or the presence of bacteria. These fluid samples are submitted for testing so the type of bacterium may be pinpointed and treated accordingly. Alternate tests include X-rays and a urine analysis. Treatment When treating the rabbits, it is essential to treat the primary cause in order to cure septic arthritis. In most cases, antibiotics are prescribed to fight the infectious agent, although sometimes surgery is required. Living and Management There are a few things you can do to make your rabbit more comfortable and improve its condition. Soft bedding, for instance, can help increase the time of recovery from surgery. And activity should be restricted until the pet's symptoms have resolved. It is also essential to ensure that the rabbit is eating throughout recovery; offer fresh foods such as moist greens and good-quality grass hay. If the veterinarian prescribes medication, follow the instructions carefully. In particular, antibiotics are generally administered long-term. There is also a danger of residual degenerative joint disease -- a chronic condition that causes the cartilage surrounding the joints to deteriorate – as a result of septic arthritis. Prevention Because of the many causes which lead to septic arthritis in rabbits, listing all the preventative measures would be impossible. However, it would be wise to keep the rabbit safe and away from potentially dangerous situations to avoid wounds; also, clean its cage regularly. https://www.petmd.com/rabbit/conditions/musculoskeletal/c_rb_arthritis_septic   © Copyrighted

As befits a new season of One Life Left, we missed recording an episode last week. This was due to the combination of Simon being in Portugal and Ann getting ill through bad videogame news. There was the potential 'third way' of podcasting by having a 'One Ste Left' episode but luckily the OLL National Executive Committee overruled him. However, this meant that the full team was in the studio this week to talk to our Super-Special Guest: George Perkins from Super Rare Games (Super-Special Rare Games is still available at Companies House). They make games that are usually only available on the Nintendo eShop as actual physical games. Not only that, but you get EXCLUSIVE extras like crosswords, signed trading cards, and pebbles instead of cartridges (the pebble thing might only be a monetisation idea that Ste has had). We also did some live unboxing, live tasting, updated the OLL style guide, and found out that Ann is going to Comicon. But mostly, we were worried about Simon. Him liking a chiptune is fairly unusual, but not buying a Nintendo product as soon as it's available? Something must have happened in Portugal. Cheerio! Team OLL x Links: https://twitter.com/superraregeorge https://twitter.com/superraregames Tracklist: 1. Gavin Graham - The Eve of the War 2. Feryl - Self Esteem (II)

In a Perspex box, in Wakefield maximum security prison sits alleged cannibal, confirmed killer and rumoured inspiration behind "Hannibal" - Robert Maudsely. Named the most dangerous prisoner in Britain, after 39 years in solitary, Maudsely now also holds the record for the longest time served in soltiary confinement in the world. Join the girls this week as they get knee-deep in prison politics and the reality of managing a man like Robert Maudsley. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

THIS WEEK’S HOSTS: NEIL BROWN AND GEORGE HENDRICKS OF THE MOGWAI MINUTE Marco is shooting randomly through the table, and taunting McClane. “Ha!” says Marco, “You are dog! No more table! Where are you going, ‘pal?’ Next time you have a chance to kill someone, don’t hesitate!” Marco reloads his gun. At that moment, McClane […]

The AITPM newsletter recently covered a story about how much more attention is being given to landscaping and noise reduction on major road projects. An Australian association of acoustical consultants, recently expanded their territory by including New Zealand. We spoke to two consultants Alex Campbell – Infrastructure sector leader technical director SLR Consulting, and Mark Russel – Lead engineering on the West Connex project and also from SLR Consulting Mark notes there are differences in state requirements for sound barriers. There are some significant differences in criteria. For example in NSW criteria used as a different descriptor to what's Victoria and some parts of Queensland users. They also have different methods of optimizing barriers and optimizing heights of barriers. New South Wales has a very robust and technical approach to the assessment of road noise. Is a little bit simpler in other states. [30.4] Transparent barriers have been suggested in some locations The downside with transparent barriers they that are generally are a Perspex material, is the graffiti and actual maintenance of the barrier. So they tend to get scratched or the transparency reduces over time and that doesn't appear as nice as other barriers do. So sometimes in some projects they use in combination with a solid barrier below and the Perspex on top to allow the over shut it shadow or was to reduce any overshadowing issues.

Foundations of Amateur Radio The way we connect our antenna to our radio depends on a number of different factors. If you've come through the ranks recently, like I have, it's probable that you've only ever considered using COAXIAL cable. It's a single conductor, surrounded by some type of insulator, which in turn is surrounded by a conductive shield, which is protected by another layer. There are variations where the shield has multiple layers, including layers of foil and braid, so-called quad-shield COAX, and there are variants that have several cores, sometimes two sets of COAX connected side-by-side and so on. In many ways, COAX is an invention of convenience, which has several compromises as a result, loss over distance, termination issues, twisting and deformation and others. It's compact, less susceptible to external interference, it's relatively easy to route to its destination and if you treat it well, it's easy to carry around, but it's not the only way you can feed an antenna. You may have come across the term Ladder Line or Twin-lead, or Twin-feed line. You may also have heard horror stories associated with this "ancient" - well at least in Amateur Radio Terms - technology. Essentially, Ladder Line is two conductors, side-by-side, evenly separated by spacers. It's in use all over the place. If you look up at your power-lines in the street, or the high-voltage lines on top of towers, you'll notice that those are essentially Ladder Line. You've no doubt been told that you need to keep Ladder Line away from everything, in order for it to work, but that's not actually what's needed. What's required is that both conductors are exposed to the same fields. This means that if you're running the Ladder Line through a metal window, you need to ensure that both lines get the same amount of exposure to any nearby metal, you might put a slight twist in the Ladder Line, or you might put it in the middle between two bits of conductor, like a metal window frame. You might also have been told that Ladder Line radiates. It does, but only if the antenna you're feeding isn't balanced, because what actually happens is that the two sides of the antenna don't cancel each other out and the difference is radiated by the Ladder Line. It's worse if the Ladder Line is some resonant length on the frequencies on which you're using the antenna, because it will receive the signal from your antenna and re-radiate that too. It really means that you need to pay attention, but the cost of that attention pales into insignificance, if you think of the benefits. You might recall that your radio is most happy when it's transmitting into a 50 Ohm load. One of the measurements associated with that is an SWR reading of 1:1. This has come to be interpreted as: "You need a 50 Ohm antenna in order for it to radiate." and that's not actually true. All antennas will radiate, and as long as they are at least half a wave length long, their efficiency will be about 90%. The problem isn't the antenna, it's how you feed the antenna. As I said earlier, if you're a relatively new amateur like me, you might have put one and one together and decided that you need to feed it with 50 Ohm COAX and that your antenna needs to be 50 Ohm. If you do that, it will work, but it's not the only way. The reason you need to have a 50 Ohm feed-point to plug your COAX into, is because the COAX has a lot of loss if there is a feed-point mis-match. The higher the mis-match, the higher the loss. For example, using an 80m Dipole on 40m might mean an SWR of 65:1. This has about 80% loss on 100 feet of RG-8 COAX at 7 MHz. All you're doing is heating up COAX. However, if you were to feed it with 600 Ohm Ladder Line, the loss might only be around 3%. Before you start getting out the calculator to prove my maths wrong, this isn't about maths, it's about the difference between Ladder Line and COAX. COAX is wonderful as a tool, but Ladder Line should not be consigned to the annals of history, because in many, many situations it out-shines COAX. The combination of the thickness of the conductor and the separation width, determines its native impedance. There is lots of documentation online, including calculators on spacing and thickness, so you can build your own. I've seen lots of different types of spacers, from watering tubes cut to length holding the wire with cable-ties, to bits of Perspex, to cutting board plastic and others. The simplest and cheapest one I've seen to date was last weekend, made from two earth wires separated by strips of garden edging that comes in rolls. You cut off little strips, drill two holes, feed the wire through and if you're feeling that it needs permanency, glue them in place. Of course you can buy the stuff, but it's getting harder and harder to find at reasonable cost, so experiment a little. Ladder Line, it's not evil, it might surprise you and you will have another feather in your cap when you go out portable to set-up a field station. I'm Onno VK6FLAB

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the fashion designer, Professor Wendy Dagworthy. During her time as Head of Fashion at both Central St Martins and The Royal College of Art she has taught students who've gone on to great success - Stella McCartney, Erdem and Antonio Berardi among them. Her skill lies partly in understanding the significance of a well cut pattern or a nicely turned seam, but also the warp and weft of a notoriously fickle industry. At just 23, she was the toast of the catwalks with her own label selling round the world and worn by the likes of Bryan Ferry, Boy George and Mick Jagger. Dubbed 'the high priestess of fashion', her creative talent, however, wasn't recession-proof and her business went under in the late 80's. Given that reinvention is the lifeblood of fashion it seems she was tailor made for a new direction; collecting her O.B.E. in 2011 for services to the fashion industry, she wore a Perspex hat designed by a former pupil. She says, "we want students to take risks - like we did when we were younger. There were no set rules, there was no one to follow - you just did it yourself." Producer: Cathy Drysdale.

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the fashion designer, Professor Wendy Dagworthy. During her time as Head of Fashion at both Central St Martins and The Royal College of Art she has taught students who've gone on to great success - Stella McCartney, Erdem and Antonio Berardi among them. Her skill lies partly in understanding the significance of a well cut pattern or a nicely turned seam, but also the warp and weft of a notoriously fickle industry. At just 23, she was the toast of the catwalks with her own label selling round the world and worn by the likes of Bryan Ferry, Boy George and Mick Jagger. Dubbed 'the high priestess of fashion', her creative talent, however, wasn't recession-proof and her business went under in the late 80's. Given that reinvention is the lifeblood of fashion it seems she was tailor made for a new direction; collecting her O.B.E. in 2011 for services to the fashion industry, she wore a Perspex hat designed by a former pupil. She says, "we want students to take risks - like we did when we were younger. There were no set rules, there was no one to follow - you just did it yourself." Producer: Cathy Drysdale.

Who has time to read the Bhagavad Gita these days, am I right? Nobody! So after you towel off and flip the DairyFairy on, snuggle into your Perspex easy chair and listen to this excellent episode with party-animal/visual artist, Will Storie. Will is a great guest, so never mind the detractor plaque and oh no, here comes the ratcloud.

Nike 6.0 boardshort bar is backing a Cornish fundraising appeal which was set up in memory of 4 year old Joe Way from Newquay. The boardshort bar is open for the next couple of months in the centre of Newquay and has been designed and fitted out by a local company. You can go in and see the latest Nike 6.0 surf tour information, have a free photo both experience which can be downloaded to your facebook page and design your own boardshorts on one of the apple Macs in the store. You’re shorts will ready for you to walk out with while you wait and it’s a great concept, rather than looking through racks of shorts you simple design what you want and away you go. Another great concept is the surf wax game which is a great fun. Its been designed for the store and you pay £2 to pull the leaver watch the wax drop through the 6ft Perspex enclosure hitting pins as it drops down. On the back of each bar of wax are the words “try again” or what prize you have won. For every purchase the full £2 will go to local Newquay based charity “The Joe Way paddle for life” which has raised over £92,000.00 in three years since the Newquay toddler passed away. Joes Dad Matt Way said “This is a great concept and we are really excited about being involved. At the opening party people where getting addicted to it, we are sure its going to be a great hit for adults and kids whilst raising money that will go back into the local community”. If you’re in Newquay and you want to have some fun or need to buy some wax then check out the Nike 6.0 store in Bank Street. Link to Nike 6.0 FB group http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/Nike6SurfUK