stevejp

'Right, you lot, come on. We'll sit here until we get the truth - and into your break and lunchtimes as well, if necessary. Which of you young edugeekers was it, eh? Come on, we haven't got all day. We know some of you younger ones are into these so-called drones, so which of you was it? Who's been out celebrating New Year a bit too early, eh? If I have to call your parents, you know I will. It would be a shame to have to punish everyone for one person's mistake. Remember, punishments are always more severe if you don't tell the truth straight away. It will be detention for all of you if the culprit doesn't own up immediately...'

Not often I see any value in the honours system, but on this occasion I'm happy to make an exception and stop being a grumpy old git for a few minutes!

Pale ales? One word, which those Black Country members will undoubtedly recognise.... Bathams! (and yes, I know there are Bathams pubs outside the Black Country, but it doesn't always travel well.) Whilst on the subject of beer, anyone who ever goes to Stourbridge (or comes across them at a beer festival) could do a lot worse than sampling a pint or three of Craddocks. River Steam is my current favourite, but there are lots to choose from.

Think you ran out of steam a bit towards the end there ... (although some of the points that you make are valid...)

Typical Bader quote, from all that I've heard and read about him. My favourite of his was the one about rules being for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men.

Ooh, yes - Carmina Biryani - that's one us percussionists look forward to! Or, to take another tack, how about the Derek Bourgouis Serenade? Imagine the fun watching the kids trying to march silently along the corridors in alternating 10/8 and 11/8 time? think I'd better stop now before I get turned into a frog...

Yes, I know - that was my inner-anarchist coming out to play!

Thanks, Andycat. I knew there was another brass bander on here from a previous post a few days ago,but didn't have time to search last night! I've been out of the loop for many years, now - Have the horribly chauvinistic attitudes largely disappeared, now?

Hmmm, let's see... classical music for lesson changes? I'll kick off shall I? Ride of the Valkyries? Dies Irae from Verdi Requiem? Flight of the bumblebee? Last movement of William Tell overture? Third movement (March) from Tchaic 6? Dambusters March? Walton spitfire prelude and fugue? Funeral march from Mahler 1? I can just imagine the fun I'd have if they let me loose on that PA system!

In answer to that point, may I respectfully direct anyone interested to good 'ole YouTube, and do a search for Alison Balsom. You may be pleasantly surprised...

To answer your point about the harp v double bass, actually the double bass is probably easier, in some ways. They are, despite their size, much lighter in weight than a full concert harp, and therefore easier to manoeuvre. I think that at least part of the answer lies in history. Instruments such as the tuba, trombone, timpani etc were definitely ('tho erroneously) seen as instruments more suited to boys than to girls, and that became a vicious circle, in educational terms. This, in turn, led to less girls/women coming through the system and becoming good enough to play in the top orchestras. Similarly, during the seventies and eighties and before, the brass band world was a horribly chauvinistic one. I remember going to the British Open Brass Band Contest at Belle Vue (and I have completely given my advanced age away to any one here who knows brass bands!) and cannot remember a single woman competitor in any of the bands. Not only that, women who were good enough were sometimes treated pretty badly, I think. Fortunately, things have changed, but I suppose it takes time (and I am not using that as an excuse!) for things to change at the very top of any field.

Happy to be corrected, but I believe that it was Leonard Bernstein who first tried this idea?

Very interesting - thanks, Dave. TBH, however, I am not convinced of its accuracy, particularly when deps are taken into account. This is, I will admit a completely unscientific response, but I am quite sure that over the summer, for example, I remember seeing more than one of the orchestras at the proms with a female trombonist. We have a female percussionist, and I have no hesitation in handing the timp sticks over to her whenever needed. I have played in many orchestras over the years, and have seen many fine female brass and percussion players. Please don't get me wrong - I am not for one minute arguing with the basic premise that a) there aren't enough women in these positions or b) that there shouldn't be more, but I am not sure of the validity of the actual information. It seems ridiculous that there used to be orchestras/brass bands (within my lifetime) who wouldn't admit women players - I believe that the Berlin Phil was one and Black Dyke Mills brass band was another (to say nothing of the international staff band of the Salvation Army...) - and those days are thankfully past, but even today I'm not convinced that the cult of the autocratic maestro who has the ultimate say in who plays in 'his' orchestra has completely died out. Hopefully people like Jane Glover and Marin Alsop and other female conductors coming through will break down these barriers even further.

Think they might still be in use -saw several cricket scoreboards with them over the course of the summer.

That what I'm currently having to do - but not an ideal long-term solution!

:D I can just imagine the comments from the team if I turn up in the scorebox with that set-up!

Hi, guys - wonder if someone can help me with a problem, please? I use a laptop for scoring at my local cricket club. My old Win 7 laptop was rubbish in most respects, but always picked up a strong signal from the club wi-fi, which is in a separate building about 30 metres away. My new (to me) Win 10 Lenovo laptop is far superior to the old one in most respects - but the Wi-fi signal is completely carp, and often drops completely. Doing anything with the router etc is a complete no-no, so can anyone suggest a solution based on the laptop? I've seen USB dongles with an aerial attached - do they work, or can anyone suggest a better solution? Just to make things more interesting, budget is very tight! Many thanks, in advance.

Just enough gaps in the rain at Lords for England to bowl India out for 107 - go Jimmy Anderson! 😄😄😄 (Although perhaps I should wait for England's almost inevitable batting collapse tomorrow before I get too optimistic...?)

Isn't it always the way? No rain to speak of for weeks, and then 10 minutes before cricket nets are supposed to start....

Running out of what? (OK, yeah, I know...) To get back on topic, we appear to have had some more sustained (and therefore hopefully useful) rainfall in the Midlands this afternoon. Many Birmingham League cricket matches seem to have been abandoned - and, for once, I don't think anyone minded too much!

'President required, to establish strong political systems on a new planet. Experience preferred, preferably currently in post in a major nation. One-way ticket provided. A supplementary allowance may be considered for a candidate who can show aptitude in setting up golf-courses for potential visitors. Experience in nepotism an advantage. Also, politicians with current/recent experience in (post 1) foreign affairs and (post 2) environmental affairs. Experience in high level male bovine poo needed. Finally, experienced hair-dresser needed to provide essential care to two front-running candidates for above posts. Excellent salary, plus ear plugs and hardship allowance.'

With you on most of these points. We have four Aldi stores within a few miles, and there is only one of them I can face going to. The staff in the other three are uniformly unhelpful and ill-mannered, the stores are never tidy and often don't 'feel' that clean - if you know what l mean? The car parks are small and cramped, so much so that it often takes longer to park than to shop. Withou wishing to be snobby, they're often frequented by people who won't control their kids, and don't really care what they are up to - disproportionately more so than Sainsburys/ Tesco etc - and even worse than our local Asda! Don't wish to denigrate, and completely get the points about cost and quality, but I really can't stand the place!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-44846945 Wow - just ... Wow! A guy puts his life on the line to rescue some kids, and gets called a paedophile for his pains - just because he relied on his own knowledge and expertise and didn't fall on his knees and worship the contribution (from a suitably safe distance, no doubt) of a self-serving, publicity hungry multi-millionaire. Trump should give Musk a job -they're obviously two of a kind!

... and bonus points for pointing the next generation towards proper pranking! (Should I really be saying that...? Oh, s*d it, it's Friday night!)

Or maybe just get inside and swear a lot?