Showing posts with label Breakfast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Breakfast. Show all posts

Sunday, May 17, 2020

Breakfast.



The photo above was taken by me on Friday evening; it shows the sun setting over Erith Pier. Recently there has been much wildlife activity in the river around the pier. There have been  several recent “false alarms” to the RNLI over the last few months. Regular readers will have seen the aerial drone footage of Grey Seals basking on the muddy river foreshore by the Slade Green Marshes that I have published in the past. The seals swim in the River Thames and often into the River Darent; they often float in  the water with their heads above the surface in and around Anchor Bay, and well-meaning passers by on the shore mistake the Seals for swimmers who appear to be in trouble in the water. Indeed, the average survival time for a person in the water is estimated to be eleven minutes, due to the extreme currents and undertow in the river in and around Erith Pier. Obviously the situation is somewhat different for Seals – the water is their natural habitat, to which they are perfectly evolved. 

A report published recently in the New York Times poses serious questions about the long held belief that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It turns out that the idea is the result of spin over the years by breakfast cereal companies and others. Skipping  breakfast can allegedly lead to weight gain, a sluggish metabolism, or stress. According to the piece in The New York Times however, our beliefs about breakfast are all based on "misinterpreted research and biased studies"– propaganda, basically. Author Aaron E. Carroll notes that almost all breakfast studies suffer from a "publication bias." There are flaws in reporting of studies that skew findings to link skipping breakfast with causing obesity. Carroll writes: "The reports improperly used causal language to describe their results. They misleadingly cited other's results. And they also improperly used causal language in citing others' results. People believe, and want you to believe, that skipping breakfast is bad. Additionally, there are usually conflicts of interest behind the studies, considering most of them are funded by the food industry. The Quaker Oats Centre of Excellence, for instance, paid for a trial that concluded eating oatmeal or frosted cornflakes reduces weight and cholesterol. People are conditioned from a young age to believe that breakfast is essential to performance. It turns out that's because most of the research geared toward kids is meant to evaluate the impact of school breakfast programmes. They don't take into consideration that 15 million children in the U.S. go hungry at home–of course they would do better in school if they eat. That isn't the same, though, as testing whether children who are already well nourished and don't want breakfast should be forced to eat it," Carroll writes. Overall, you should just go with your gut. If you're hungry in the morning, eat. If you're not, don't think you're sinning by skipping it. Finally, approach all studies sceptically – Carroll put it best: "Breakfast has no mystical powers."


On the first of June this year, the driving test will be 85 years old. Here is a little piece of driving test history. The driving test was introduced in 1935. Volunteers started to be tested on March 16 of that year in order to lessen the burden when it became compulsory, less than three months later, on June 1. Approximately 246,000 candidates applied — 63 percent of whom passed (against around 50 percent today) — with between nine and 16 half-hour tests being conducted each day by a total of 250 examiners. Examiners checked the applicant’s driving licence (which came in well before the test, in 1903, as a means of identifying drivers and their vehicles) and insurance documents before carrying out a basic eye sight test. Then drivers were tested on The Highway Code, with questions including the correct use of arm signals (this was before standardised light indicators, of course). Then came the practical test, with the examiner watching for correct signals and road courtesies, as well as checking manoeuvres such as stopping, starting, hill starts, making an emergency stop, reversing and carrying out a turn in the road. The first person to pass the test was Mr R Beere, at a cost of 7/ 6d (about 38p). The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency estimates that more than 46m tests have been taken since 1935. Below you will see a Pathe News feature on the then new - fangled driving test. It is certainly a period piece. Comments to hugh.neal@gmail.com.



Last week I wrote an article on Chemtrails, and the flat Earthers and other conspiracy theorists who believe such rubbish; after a series of Emails from a regular reader, this week I am going to put another strange and rather disturbing alleged phenomenon under the spotlight. Nontrivial numbers of otherwise apparently rational people believe in the paranormal. These beliefs have spawned thousands of groups dedicated to investigating paranormal phenomena and a proliferation of ghost-hunting entries in the reality television market. Anecdotal evidence even suggests that ghost-hunting reality shows have increased public openness to paranormal research, which usually entails a small group traipsing through reportedly haunted locales at night with various ghost-hunting technologies. Notably the producers of such shows are careful to start each episode with a disclaimer saying that the programme is for entertainment purposes only - which tells a great deal about the veracity of what is subsequently shown on screen. Audio recorders figure prominently in paranormal researchers’ toolkits. Microphones capture ambient sounds during the investigation. Later, the audio recordings are scoured in search of messages from spirits. The premise is that audio recording devices can register otherwise inaudible communications from discarnate entities. These purported communications have been dubbed electronic voice phenomena (EVP). The sounds are generally brief – most examples consist of single words or short phrases. Perceived contents of EVP range from threatening (“You’re going to hell”) to bizarre (“Egypt Air”). One definition of Electronic Voice Phenomenon reads thus:- "Electronic voice phenomena, more commonly known as EVP, is a mysterious event in which human-sounding voices from an unknown source can be heard on recorded data from audio tape, radio station noise, and other electronic media. EVPs have been captured on audiotape more than any other media but the mysterious voices aren't present at the time of recording. It's only when the tape is played back—sometimes with the application of amplification and noise filtering—that the voices can be heard. One fascinating aspect of EVP is that the voices sometimes respond directly to the people making the recording. For example, the researchers ask a question to which the voice will answer or comment. Again, this response is not heard until later when the tape is played back. EVP recordings vary by gender (men and women), age (adults and children), tone emotion, and even language. Some are more easily heard and understood than others. Most EVPs consist of single words, phrases, or short sentences, although sometimes, they are made up of grunts, groans, growling, or other vocal expressions. The quality of EVP also varies. Some are difficult to distinguish, with meanings that are open to interpretation. Some EVP, however, are quite clear and easy to understand. EVP often has an electronic or mechanical character to it, although sometimes, it can be very natural sounding". Part of the attraction of the audio recorder for paranormal researchers is its apparent objectivity. How could a skeptic refute the authenticity of a spirit captured by an unbiased technical instrument? To the believers, EVP seem like incontrovertible evidence of communications from beyond. But recent research suggests that people don’t agree much about what, if anything, they hear in the EVP sounds – a result readily explained by the fallibility of human perception. Despite the technological trappings, EVP research bears several characteristics of pseudoscience. The chain of evidence for most purported EVP makes hoaxes difficult to rule out, but let’s assume that many of these sounds are not deliberate fraud. In some instances, alleged EVP are the voices of the investigators or interference from radio transmissions – problems that indicate shoddy data collection practices. Other research, however, has suggested that EVP have been captured under acoustically controlled circumstances in recording studios. What are the possible explanations for these sounds? The critical leap in EVP research is the point at which odd sounds are interpreted as voices that communicate with intention. Paranormal investigators typically decode the content of EVP by arriving at consensus among themselves. EVP websites advise paranormal researchers to ask themselves, “Is it a voice…are you sure?” or to “Share results among fellow investigators and try to prevent investigator bias when reviewing data.” Therein lies a methodological difficulty. Research in mainstream psychology has shown that people will readily perceive words in strings of nonsensical speech sounds. People’s expectations about what they are supposed to hear can result in the illusory perception of tones, nature sounds, machine sounds, and even voices  when only acoustic white noise – like the hissing sound of a detuned FM radio – exists. Interpretations of speech in noise – a situation similar to EVP where the alleged voice is difficult to discern – can shift entirely based upon what the listener expects to hear. EVP are an auditory example of pareidolia – the tendency to perceive human characteristics in meaningless perceptual patterns. There are many visual examples of pareidolia – things like seeing human faces in everyday objects (such as Jesus in a piece of toast). Research from cognitive psychology has shown that paranormal believers may be especially prone to misperceiving chance events. A face-like configuration in a slice of toast seems meaningful. People ask, "What are the chances?“ But if you add up all of the slices of toast you see over the days and weeks and months of a lifetime, it becomes inevitable that you will encounter some of these human-like configurations in toast due to chance. Similarly, paranormal investigators record a practically limitless amount of audio and use all manner of sound-processing techniques including filtering the sounds to remove particular frequencies and boosting the volume. Inevitably they’re able to find samples of audio that sound somewhat like a voice. Assuming some of these voice-like sounds can’t be attributed to shoddy data collection practices, their actual sources likely run the spectrum from ambient environmental noises to electrical interference to audio processing artifacts. If the listener is intently expecting to hear a person, virtually any sound can meet that expectation. One writer aptly suggested that EVP are like an auditory inkblot test: a blank slate upon which the listener can project any interpretation. The tendency for EVP investigators to hear a voice – a meaningful sound with agency and intention – is likely amplified by the suggestion of a paranormal context. What do you think? Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

In a loose connection to the previous EVP story - one that has far more basis in scientific and engineering reality. Commercially viable (rather than just experimental) magnetic tape recording had its seventty fourth birthday last week - an event which has not been covered in the press.  Thanks to the good fortune of suffering from insomnia, a curious observation by John T. "Jack" Mullin led to the introduction of tape recording and, by extension, the entire home media business. Mullin, a slight and surprisingly humble man, considering his future status in the recording business, graduated from the University of Santa Clara with a B.S. in electrical engineering in 1937, then worked for Pacific Telephone and Telegraph in San Francisco until the war started. By 1944, he had attained the rank of major in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, and was attached to the RAF's radar research labs in Farnborough, England. While working late that spring night, Mullin was happy to find something pleasing playing on the radio — the Berlin Philharmonic playing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony on Radio Berlin. But Mullin was mystified: The performance's fidelity was far too fine to be a 16-inch wax disc recording, the prevailing radio recording technology at the time. And since there were no breaks every 15 minutes to change discs, Mullin figured it had to be a live broadcast. But it couldn't be — if it was 2 am in London, it was 3 am in Berlin. Mullin was right — the orchestra wasn’t up late, and it was a recording. Just not the usual kind, which is why Mullin was confused. After the war, Mullin was assigned to the Technical Liaison Division of the Signal Corp in Paris. "Our task, amongst other things, was to discover what the Germans had been working on in communications stuff — radio, radar, wireless, telegraph, teletype," explained Mullin. Mullin ended up in Frankfurt on one such expedition. There he encountered a British officer, who told him a rumour about a new type of recorder at a Radio Frankfurt station in Bad Nauheim. Mullin didn't exactly believe the report — he had encountered dozens of low-fi magnetic recorders all over Germany. He pondered his decision of pursuing the rumour, literally, at a fork in the road. To his right lay Paris, to the left, Radio Frankfurt. Fortuitously for the future of the home media business, Mullin turned left. He found four hi-fi Magnetophons and some 50 reels of red oxide BASF tape. He tinkered with them a bit back in Paris and made a report to the Army. "We now had a number of these lying around. I packed up two of them and sent them home (to San Francisco). Souvenirs of war. (You could take) almost anything you could find that was not of great value. (And) anything Germany had done was public domain — it was not patentable." He also sent himself the 50 reels of the red-oxide coated tape. When Mullin returned home, he started tinkering to improve the Magnetophons. On May 16, 1946, exactly 74 years ago last week, Mullin stunned attendees at the annual Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) conference in San Francisco by switching between a live jazz combo and a recording, literally asking the question "Is it live or...?" None of the golden ears in the audience could tell. It was the world's first public demonstration of audio tape recording. Bing Crosby hated doing live radio. And he hated recording his shows on wax records because the fidelity sounded terrible to the noted aural perfectionist performer. When Crosby's engineers heard about Mullin and his Magnetophons, they quickly hired him and his machine. In August 1947, Crosby became the first performer to record a radio programme on tape; the show was broadcast on October 1st. Bing Crosby wasn't the only one interested in Mullin's Magnetophons. Up in Redwood City, California, a small company called Ampex was looking for something to replace the radar gear they'd been producing for the government. Ampex hooked up with Mullin and, in April 1948, perfected and started selling the first commercially available audio tape recorder, the Ampex Model 200. Crosby, Mullin, Ampex and American electronics giant RCA all sort of formulated the same follow-up thought at around the same time: If you could record audio on tape, why not video? Crosby and Mullin teamed up. Ampex formed a team that included a high school student named Ray Dolby. And David Sarnoff gave his engineers their marching orders. A highly-public race began to see who could invent the video tape recorder. Ampex had a leg up on its more well-heeled competition. It had a deal with a Chicago research consortium called Armour Research Institute, now the Illinois Institute of Technology. Working for Armour was none other than wire recording maven Marvin Camras, who solved the most vexing problem facing all the video tape inventor wannabees: Tape speed. Audio recording is accomplished by pulling tape past a stationary recording head. Video, however, is a far fatter signal, which meant tape had to be pulled past the recording heads at ridiculous speeds. A two-foot wide reel of tape could hold, tops, 15 minutes of video — not exactly practical. So instead of spinning the tape, Camras, who got the idea from watching vacuum cleaner brushes, he calculated that he would spin the recording heads instead. Once Ampex got ahold of this key, its engineers shot past Crosby/Mullin and RCA. Even with the spinning head secret, it took five years for Ampex's sometimes part-time six-member team to get things right. On April 14, 1956 — 64 years ago last month — Ampex introduced the desk-sized Mark IV, the first commercial video tape recorder, to a stunned group of TV execs and engineers at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) conference in Chicago. To say that this machine changed the world is an obvious understatement. It would take almost another 10 years before Philips reduced audio tape to a cassette and ignited the home audio recording craze, and another nearly 10 years before Sony introduced the Betamax and won a U.S Supreme Court case to allow users to legally record TV shows at home and create the home video business. The U.K had few such concerns - one of the reasons why Britain had the largest number of video recorders per head of population back in the 80's / 90's. Ultimately it was the introduction of Jack Mullin's rebuilt Magnetophons that were the first shots fired in the home media revolution, 74 years ago last week - and nothing got mentioned in the popular press, more is the pity.


The above logo was sent to me by Ian, the webmaster of The Belvedere Splash as a sort of 80's retro look banner for the Maggot Sandwich. What do you think?

Some good news. As regular readers may well recall, I have in the past mentioned the excellent Romford based radio station Time 107.5FM. The station is very popular outside of its target area, with many listeners in Thamesmead, Belvedere, Erith and Dartford, amongst other locations. The station has just received its latest listener statistics from the official monitoring agency, RAJAR. Here is the press release detailing the results of the survey:- "Time 107.5 is proud to have achieved the highest average listening hours of any radio station in the UK, according to the latest RAJAR figures, which have been released today. The data, which covers the three-month period up to March 2020, reveals we have 30,000 unique listeners each week – up by 3,000 on the previous quarter. Our average listening hours have also risen to 14.1 hours per week – up two hours on the last set of figures and higher than any other radio station in the country. The average person in the UK listens to 17.9 hours of radio per week, which suggests many of our listeners tune in almost exclusively to us. Time 107.5 Station Manager, Lorna Waters, said: “We have a strong record of high average hours figures and it is clear to see that our consistent approach to programming is retaining our loyal listenership. All of our staff have a real passion for what they do and that’s led to a special bond with our audience. Many listeners consider us to be their close friends and, while this can sometimes feel a bit strange, we really appreciate the affection our listeners show. We also have a reputation as a trustworthy source of information, and some see us as the font of all knowledge, which does sometimes mean we get strange requests. But we’re always happy to help, whether that’s by responding to a question about whether or not the local tip is open, or helping people find information about local events. Time 107.5 plays such an active role in our local community. We provide the music for many of the local Christmas light switch-ons each year, we hosted the main stage at the 2019 Havering Show and had a big presence at the Havering half-marathon, and we also support underprivileged children through our annual Christmas and Easter gift appeals. Lorna added: “We are grateful to be part of such a wonderful local community across Havering, Barking and Dagenham, and the surrounding areas. There is such great spirit around here and we share that love for where we live.  Now more than ever, we all need the support of those around us. Times are tough but we are doing all we can to help out in our community. Whether that’s by supporting businesses spread the word that they are still open, or by helping a charity publicise that they need volunteers, we are here to help.”Time 107.5’s Programme Controller, Mark Dover, said: “The figures released today are fantastic news for Time 107.5. Our mixture of All Time Favourites, new music, and some of those classic songs you don’t hear very often, is engaging lots of listeners.“Our truly local content is shining through. We do our best to promote local events, support charities, and shout about all that is good in Havering, Barking and Dagenham, and the surrounding areas. A big thing recently has been the way we hold local politicians to account, and it is clear that all this has contributed to these improved listening figures. These excellent figures would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of our staff. The team of charismatic presenters and our diligent journalists, as well as those who work hard behind the scenes, are the key to our growth and I want to say thank you to all of them. And all of this wouldn’t be possible without the support of our wonderful listeners. Thank you all so much.”


The photo above was taken last week; it shows a large number of illegally dumped empty metal Nitrous Oxide mini canisters on the road and pavement outside of the Premier convenience store on the corner of Manor Road and Appold Street in Erith. The store owners were most displeased with the situation. The Police were informed accordingly. Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly the report from Barnehurst ward:- "Good news again, Barnehurst Ward have had no reports of burglaries over the past week. There have also been no reports of vehicle crime. We did receive a report of criminal damage in Erith Road where plant pots were thrown over a balcony. Other than this it's been business as usual with foot and mobile patrols being carried out around the ward". Belvedere ward:- "The team have been continuing to patrol open spaces throughout the ward - Franks Park, Lesness Abbey and the somewhat smaller Albert Road recreation ground. There have been minimal instances where we have advise people to refrain from using gym equipment or apparatus in children play areas. We will be continuing these patrols for the foreseeable future even in light of the updated government advice. Over recent days the team has been made aware of several youths gathering at Streamway, some of whom have been acting in an anti-social manner. We have also been focusing our attention on this area where possible. This area shares a boundary with the Northumberland Heath SNT so we will be working with them in this area of the ward". Bexleyheath ward:- "Dear residents we have had no crimes this week to report which is wonderful news. One to be aware of is a ball bearing was fired into a garden in Mayplace Road West on Monday 11/05/2020, please be vigilant and if you see anything like this occurring please do let police know. Our Anti-Social Behaviour patrols continue and again if you are aware of groups congregating, smoking cannabis or anything illegal then please do let us know". Erith ward:-"Along with Belvedere SNT we have patrolling Northumberland Heaths ward focusing on the high street and open spaces. We have also posted letter and contact details to all residents in Streamways regarding the slight ASB in the area. As well as posted letters to all local businesses In Erith we have been patrolling the open spaces, every open shops in Town Centre and around Erith Pier. Crimes of note Theft from Motor Vehicle Monday 11/05/2020 Mildred Road; Theft from Motor Vehicle Monday 11/05/2020 Chandlers Drive; Theft from Motor Vehicle Friday 8/05/2020 Upper Holly Hill Road; Theft from Motor Vehicle Saturday 2/05/2020 Galleon Close. No burglaries this week in Erith. There is a rise with theft from vehicles again in Erith. Secure your number plates with tamper-resistant screws – If you want a set of these please email us". Northumberland Heath ward:-"Another good week. Crime levels are very low; unfortunately there have been several reports from local residents from Streamway this week regarding local youths causing anti-social behaviour and intimating residents. Officers have been able to gather brilliant CCTV evidence and have been able to identify a male involved. Police will now be able to complete further investigation . A CCTV camera has also been placed on Streamway to enable the police and Council to take appropriate action on the males involved . Please see our twitter page for any advice regarding reporting COVID related offences". Slade Green and Northend ward:- "No burglaries to report in the last week or any other significant crime on the ward. PC James searched a male in Dale View on Saturday afternoon and he was found in possession of drugs and will be returning for an interview this week. Patrols of our open spaces are ongoing as and when possible. Please be mindful of the new Government guidelines around Covid 19 as we now enter a period of regular updates and changes to our day to day lives". Thamesmead East ward:- "Thursday 07/05/20 building materials were stolen from a demolition site in Coralline Walk. Motor Vehicle Crimes Between 2:30pm on Monday 08/05/20 and 6:00am on Monday 11/05/20 company van parked near Harlequin House St. John Fisher Road had a hydraulic pump stolen. A vehicle parked in Rushdene had money and white cables stolen, no signs of forced entry. This incident occurred between 11:00am on Sunday 10/05/20 and 5:00pm on Monday 11/05/20. At 2:45pm on Tuesday 12/05/20 a Toyota Corolla was stolen from Maran Way. An attempted theft of a motorcycle by two males occurred in Wolvercote Road on Monday 11/05/20 at 3:20pm. Pedal Cycle Crimes - Sunday afternoon between the hours of 3:00pm and 3:15 pm on 10/05/20 on FAIRWAY DRIVE an attempted theft of 2 rider's pedal cycles by youths on mopeds who being unsuccessful made off towards the Thames path. Between midnight and 4:00pm on Tuesday 12/05/20 Fairway Drive 2 pedal cycles kept in a bin cupboard which is locked with only residents in the flats have access were stolen .One of the pedal cycles was locked with a 'D' lock was found on the floor cut in half. Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention. STOP - Check your car security Have your locked your doors and windows? Did you know your vehicle is like a shop window? If you can see, items left on view then so can a thief. Take it with you or put it out of sight". West Heath ward:- "No burglaries have been reported over the last week. One theft from a motor vehicle in Clovelly Road on Saturday Saturday 2/05/20 between Midday and 11pm. Entry was gained via drilling in to the van and a power tool was stolen from within it.Theft of a black Range Rover from Denton Road on Saturday 9/05/2020 18.00 – Sunday 10/05/2020 at 09.37 when the owner discovered it missing. Theft of two Topiary trees on Saturday 9/05/2020 from Ashbourne Avenue. A male was captured on CCTV stealing the trees from the front of the victim's front garden. One arrest of a male for immigration offences on Tuesday 5/05/2020".

The end video this week was recorded in Avenue Road, Erith. Four youths in a speeding car crashed into a tree - hard to determine why, when Avenue Road is one of the straightest roads in the area. As you will see in the video below, there was a huge turn out by the emergency services to deal with the incident. If you witnessed the crash and subsequent rescue of the trapped car occupants, please drop me a line to hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

Sunday, May 29, 2016

Nonexistent Nuxley Village.


Erith has certainly had its share of press attention this week, not least on Monday, when a suspect package was discovered in Pembroke Road, adjacent to the railway line. Train services were stopped, and the Police and emergency services summoned. Eventually the package was found to not be a bomb, and the line re – opened; train disruption continued for several hours, as services were misplaced. Obviously the authorities had to err on the side of caution when dealing with the suspect package, but a few questions still need to be asked. Who found the package, and why was a bomb suspected? I lack the detailed background knowledge to fully understand the circumstances, but it does seem rather unlikely that ISIS or Al Qaeda would target Erith over a more high profile target in central London. Still it is reassuring to know that the authorities are on their toes when it comes to potential local threats.

According to the online resource the Rightmove Rental Tracker, Erith and Belvedere are the cheapest places to rent property in Greater London. Average prices for two-bedroom flats are £1,013 and £1,064 a month respectively, almost half the London average, yet direct train services reach London Bridge station within 40 minutes. Belvedere sits one stop further up the line, which also stops at Abbey Wood, Plumstead and Woolwich, an area set to gain high-speed Crossrail links from 2018. With rents rising by up to 21 per cent in some parts of the capital in the past year alone, it is no surprise that the most affordable areas also are becoming the most in-demand among renters. The Rightmove report refers to Erith as “little known”, and “North East of Bexleyheath and North West of Dartford”. It makes Erith sound like it is halfway up the Zambezi – the survey is obviously conducted by estate agents unfamiliar with the area. This is not unusual, as I have previously covered; A lot of people, some long – time local residents included, who call Nuxley Road in Upper Belvedere “Nuxley Village” – even though no such place has ever existed since the beginning of recorded time. The origin of the names of the  places in the local area, and some of the surrounding landmarks dates back to the early fifteenth century, and the name Belvedere even earlier. The area of Bedonwell gets its name from the Bedon stream, which runs through what is now known as Streamway; the Bedon is a minor tributary of the River Thames, which is now run through an underground drain for much of its length. A fifteenth century form of the name was Beton Well, meaning “praying well”. The exact origin is lost in the mists of time, though the old English word “bydan” meaning a shallow valley may have something to do with it. On the South side of the stream was a further area of open heath land, called Nuxley or Little Heath, which occupied an area around what was later Bedonwell Primary School (and is now a Doctor’s surgery and private flats). The name Nuxley was sometimes spelled Naxley, which in turn is a corruption of Knocksley, meaning a small hill. Nuxley Road was originally named Bexley Road, until March 1939 when it was renamed as Nuxley Road, which it remains to date. There is no record of Upper Belvedere ever having been named Nuxley Village, and parish records for the area date back to 1235 AD, and survived the reformation, when ownership of the parish was transferred from Lesnes Abbey to the owners of Parsonage Farm (on what is now Parsonage Manor Way). During the late 19th century, Parsonage Farm was owned by the Vinson family, who were at the time rich and powerful enough to issue their own trade tokens (a kind of informal local currency). There are records that beer houses such as the Fox, and full pubs such as the Eardley Arms took trade tokens for payment for food and drink until sometime around 1900. The farm buildings, which were  constructed in the Middle Ages (principally to provide food and drink for Abbot and Monks at Lesnes Abbey) lasted until the end of WWII, when it was used to house an auxiliary fire station. After the war the building was so derelict it was demolished. Thus, the name “Nuxley Village” is a construct – a fictional creation of local estate agents who have no knowledge of the history of the area. Upper Belvedere has been so called for at least the last 781 years, and the thoughtless action of a handful of ignorant house peddlers is not going to change facts any time soon.

A report last week in the New York Times poses serious questions about the long held belief that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It turns out that the idea is the result of spin over the years by breakfast cereal companies and others. skipping  breakfast can allegedly lead to weight gain, a sluggish metabolism, or stress. According to a new piece in The New York Times however, our beliefs about breakfast are all based on "misinterpreted research and biased studies"–propaganda, basically. Author Aaron E. Carroll notes that almost all breakfast studies suffer from a "publication bias." There are flaws in reporting of studies that skew findings to link skipping breakfast with causing obesity. Carroll writes: "The reports improperly used causal language to describe their results. They misleadingly cited other's results. And they also improperly used causal language in citing others' results. People believe, and want you to believe, that skipping breakfast is bad. Additionally, there are usually conflicts of interest behind the studies, considering most of them are funded by the food industry. The Quaker Oats Centre of Excellence, for instance, paid for a trial that concluded eating oatmeal or frosted cornflakes reduces weight and cholesterol. People are conditioned from a young age to believe that breakfast is essential to performance. It turns out that's because most of the research geared toward kids is meant to evaluate the impact of school breakfast programmes. They don't take into consideration that 15 million children in the U.S. go hungry at home–of course they would do better in school if they eat". That isn't the same, though, as testing whether children who are already well nourished and don't want breakfast should be forced to eat it," Carroll writes. Overall, you should just go with your gut. If you're hungry in the morning, eat. If you're not, don't think you're sinning by skipping it. Finally, approach all studies skeptically – Carroll put it best: "Breakfast has no mystical powers."


Yet another serious incident on Erith Pier has caused the Gravesend Lifeboat to be called out. Even at maximum speed, the lifeboat takes quite some time to travel Westwards from Gravesend; several times when it was been called to Erith, it has been in relatively close proximity whilst on patrol. The most recent incident happened at around 4am on Sunday morning, where a man was reported to be hanging off a ladder on the far end of Erith Pier. The RNLI and Police were called, and the man was rescued. To my mind, this once again shows that we need a fully staffed lifeboat sub – station in Erith. As I have written before, Erith is approximately equidistant between Gravesend and London Bridge – the two locations of the nearest lifeboat stations, which means potentially it is the point furthest from a rescue service in the event of a river emergency. The RNLI are getting call – outs to Erith every other week at present. Thus far the recent emergencies have all reached positive conclusions, but it is only a matter of time before we have a fatality. Erith Pier already has a plaque fixed to the wall of the building at the far end. This commemorates the young man who ended his life by throwing himself into the river back in 2011. I am writing to the RNLI to see if any consideration has been given to a substation at Erith. As I have previously mentioned, the old Port of London Authority office adjacent to the wooden jetty on the river front would make an ideal substation – it has power and water, and enough space for four people to stay whilst on call. The lifeboat could be moored at the end of the jetty. What do you think? Does the level of river – related emergencies justify the expense of an RNLI substation? Another emergency happened in the outskirts of the town on Sunday. A number of ambulances and other emergency vehicles raced along Manor Road, heading in the direction of Erith Yacht Club at around half past three in the afternoon. A biker had crashed, and in the process had suffered head injuries. It turned out that he had been illegally riding on the marshes. For some unknown reason a lot of local bikers have the erroneous idea that off – road biking is permitted on Slade Green Marshes, when in fact it is specifically forbidden, and the Police have successfully prosecuted individuals for doing this in the past. Slade Green Marshes are an area of outstanding scientific interest, being the home to a number of rare and protected plants and small animals. Biking on the marshes, as well as being noisy, inconsiderate and polluting, causes erosion to the footpaths and damage to the flora adjacent to the pathways. I don’t know the specifics of the biker involved in the accident last Sunday, so I will not comment further. Slade Green Marshes were the location of a large explosion back in 1924 – here is a contemporary press account of the disaster:- February 19th: "The Slade Green Filling Factory, situated midway between Erith and Dartford on Crayford Marshes, was the scene of a terrible disaster yesterday in which eleven girls and a foreman lost their lives. Between 8.45 and 9 o'clock the girls were at their work breaking open Verey light cartridges and extracting powder. Suddenly there was a flash and in a moment that building ? of brick and corrugated iron ? was an inferno of smoke and fire. As the fire reached the cartridges they exploded, appearing like stars among the smoke. Eleven of the eighteen girls were trapped by the fire. Miss Charlotte Coshall, the forewoman and seven of the remaining girls managed to get out of the building, some with their clothes alight. The awful suddenness of the catastrophe and the smoke and fumes prevented any possible chance of rescue. The Slade Green Filling Factory was originally munition works under Government control but more recently has been used by Messrs WB. Gilbert Ltd for the breaking down of munitions. The factory consists of a number of buildings, all separate from each other and reached from Slade Green by a narrow winding road over the marshes. Close to it on the Erith side are the Thames Ammunition works. Some of those who escaped turned back at once but, finding it impossible to reach the unfortunate girls inside, rushed towards the gates of the works screaming for help. One eye witness said the foreman who died had tried to lift a girl through the window but the heat and smoke were too great and he fell back. When help eventually arrived only one girl was alive, Miss Edna Allen, and she was terribly burned. She was taken to Erith Cottage Hospital but died during the night. The inquest will be opened at Crayford tomorrow (Wednesday) and a memorial service will be planned later".


The photo above was sent to me earlier this week by Maggot Sandwich reader, and occasional contributor Alan Magin. He was responding to the request I published last week for any information regarding the very early years of Thamesmead. Alan has exceeded my expectations. Alan describes the photo thusly:- "Photo shows me sitting astride a pre-stressed beam, with another about to be sited. It was a Saturday morning, l couldn't turn down a few hours overtime! It took me 10 months of travelling into London, from June 1968, with people fainting on the train in the heat of that hot summer, to make me realise I wanted out of the Rat-Race! I applied for a job with the construction company Holland Hannen and Cubitts Ltd. I was duly employed as a Junior Engineer/Chainman on the Civil Engineering side of things, (roads, sewers & bridges). Oh, by the way this is East Bridge on Yarnton Way in the summer of 1969. The site agents name Denis Counden, he is standing next to me wearing the trilby hat. The guy on the ground is the site manager Bill Monday, he is not saluting Mr. Hitler, but guiding the crane driver. The guy half-way up the ladder is Alan Rush a Civil Engineer, he designed and built the culvert (getting a BSc in the process) that runs under Alsike Rd, taking water away from the Sedgemere, Sydney Rd Estate that so often flooded back then! I was in construction until joining The London Fire Brigade in February 1974". Fascinating stuff - thanks very much for allowing me to publish it! The lack of any form of safety equipment such as hard hats, steel toe capped work boots, safety glasses and high visibility jackets really shows that things have changed since the photograph was taken. 

A real turnaround for catering in the local area - after woeful results only a couple of years ago, the following press release was published earlier this week:- "Bexley is now of one of the highest rated places to eat in London according to the latest national figures. Over 95% of food businesses in Bexley have food hygiene ratings of 3,4 and 5, which puts Bexley as the best in London, alongside Kensington and Chelsea. Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Environment and Leisure, Cllr Peter Craske said; “The variety of restaurants and places to eat is one of the reasons Bexley is a great place to live. Unseen by residents, our food safety team do a great job, inspecting premises and ensuring people can eat out in confidence. Our figures have improved massively over recent months thanks to changes in practice, a tougher stance on non-compliant businesses and an improved visit regime. I hope this will encourage everyone to continue to support our great restaurants, pubs and cafes.” Premises are encouraged to inform customers of their food safety hygiene rating. Look for the green sticker in the window of restaurants or takeaways or ask the proprietor what rating they have. Or use the Food Safety Hygiene app before you leave home". This is a real piece of positive progress. Only two years ago Bexley was at the very bottom of the pile as far as food hygiene was concerned - this reversal is extremely welcome news indeed. 


I think that pretty much everyone has heard of smart televisions, but did you know that smart radios also exist? Indeed, I recently bought a smart radio that you can see above. The Roberts 93i smart radio is a very good piece of kit; it receives analogue FM stereo broadcasts, DAB and DAB+ broadcasts, and also wirelessly connects to your broadband / fibre optic router to bring you thousands of Internet radio stations. It can also connect to Spotify and play audio files in multiple formats from a connected memory stick, or from a local music server. The sound quality is excellent (with my usual caveats about "old style" original DAB, as used by stations such as Planet Rock, which are only available in relatively low bitrate mono). Internet, DAB+ and FM sound quality is outstanding. You can read the What Hifi? Review of the Roberts 93i here. I highly recommend this radio.


Another radio - related discovery is the web based shortwave receiver - screen capture above. You can access this software defined interactive radio by clicking on the link here. The radio is simultaneously usable by several hundred people at a time - all listening to different frequencies. Give it a try - instructions are on the website. If you have never seen a waterfall display before, drag the on screen pointer to the areas with the white lines - that is where the strongest signals are. The online radio picks up all sorts of H.F signals - amateur radio operators, ships at sea, airliners on long distance journeys, military and clandestine numbers stations, and international shortwave broadcast stations - not to mention quite a few pirate broadcasters. Give the site a try and see what you think. Feel free to leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

I discovered an interesting historical fact this week. The huge, 219 metre (719 feet) tall antenna tower at Crystal Palace, that supplies TV and radio signals for a large part of London and the South East was designed and built by Erith based company British Insulated Callender's Construction Co Ltd (later known as BICC) with steelwork fabrication by Painter Brothers Ltd, Hereford, back in 1955. Much of the tower’s construction was prefabricated and test erected in sections in the Callender’s Erith works before it was pulled apart and transported to site for final erection. When completed in 1956, the tower was the tallest structure in Greater London, a title it held until the completion of the One Canada Square Tower in Canary Wharf back in 1991. The first transmission from Crystal Palace took place on 28 March 1956, when it succeeded the transmitter at Alexandra Palace where the BBC had started the world's first scheduled television service in November 1936. In November 1956 the first colour test transmissions began from Crystal Palace relaying live pictures from the studios at Alexandra Palace after BBC TV had closed down for the night. In May 1958 the first experimental Band V 625-line transmissions started from Crystal Palace. The transmitter tower holds another record, one that cannot be beaten. On 18 July 1986, with the First Night of the Proms on BBC2, the transmitter became the first in the world to transmit stereophonic sound using the NICAM digital sound system. On 2 December 2009, the site entered service as one of the first DVB-T2 transmitters in the world, carrying a variant of the BBC's Multiplex B broadcasting high-definition TV services. All of the analogue television services transmitted from the Crystal Palace tower were discontinued back in 2012; all TV signals are now from a digital multiplex. The only analogue output of the tower is now FM radio (BBC radios 1,2,3,and 4) a couple of independent local stations, along with some legacy services on Medium Wave. The historical connection that Callender’s had with the BBC back in the day was wider than merely being the constructor of the Crystal Palace transmitter tower. Callender’s had This was an amateur band, called The Callender’s Cableworks Band, which was active between 1898 and 1961, of which all members were employees of Callender's at Erith. They rehearsed and performed in their leisure time, while the company in its role of patron lent its name and supplied uniforms and instruments. The band broadcast prolifically on BBC Radio in the 1920s and 1930s. The Band was started in the 1890s as a Salvation Army brass band, but because they felt limited as to the types of music which they were permitted to play, they formed their own temperance band. However this caused difficulties in purchasing their own uniforms and instruments, so their employer, Callender's, stepped in as patron. From then on they were Callender's Cableworks Band under various forms of that name. They were always an amateur band, rehearsing and performing in their leisure time. The Senior Band had a high reputation, and in 1932 were described as the finest in the south of England. In 1929 Jim Thompson joined the band; later in 1939 he was to found the Belvedere Male Voice Choir. In 1932 the band consisted of all brass instruments, plus four saxophones. At the time they were the only brass band with saxophones. In competitions over the years they had 25 wins, 11 second places and 3 third places. By the end of 1932 the band had performed on radio a total of eighty times – something unprecedented at the time. The band finally disbanded in 1961 as members retired and few young volunteers could be found.

The end video this week was created by Maggot Sandwich reader and local Councillor Abena Oppong - Asare. It is a compilation of images from the "Our Erith" art exhibition that was held at Christ Church Erith on the weekend of the 13th - 15th May. See what you think, and either leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.