CaaC (John)

That's my tea on the go, give the wife a break as she made dinner for our son, daughter and wee grandson, making myself 2 roast chicken breast fillets with roast tatties and some garden peas.

On loan, I believe to Eintracht Frankfurt.

One-of-a-kind pink manta ray spotted swimming off Great Barrier Reef A photographer has captured remarkable images of what is believed to be the only pink manta ray on Earth. Photographer Kristian Laine took the pictures while diving off Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Nicknamed Inspector Clouseau after the inspector in "The Pink Panther" media franchise, the ray measures 11 feet and was first discovered in 2015. In an interview with ScienceAlert, Laine said he had "never even heard of a pink manta" and initially believed it was his camera malfunctioning. "Only later that night I saw a photo of a pink manta on the restaurant's notice board and thought it was a joke until I rushed to check the belly patterns in my camera," Laine told the news outlet. It's unclear at this point why the flattened fish has its pink hue, but experts have theorized it could be linked to its diet. "There has not been a thorough investigation into a diet or stable isotope analysis, but given the stability of the white 'birthmark' (clearly seen in the second image) and pink colour over time we think diet can be ruled out," Asia Armstrong of Project Manta said in a Facebook post. "The working theory is that it is just a different and very unique expression of the melanin, but that is still to be confirmed." National Geographic reported that the ray has only been seen 10 times since it was first spotted in 2015. Manta rays, which can weigh as much as 5,300 pounds, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), are found “worldwide in tropical, subtropical, and temperate bodies of water and is commonly found offshore, in oceanic waters, and near productive coastlines,” according to NOAA. They are also closely related to sharks and, like their relatives, are solitary animals and graceful swimmers. In June 2018, scientists discovered a site off the Texas coast that they believe is the world’s first known manta ray nursery. Two months later, a photographer in Maryland captured a remarkable image of a manta ray breaching the water. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/one-of-a-kind-pink-manta-ray-spotted-swimming-off-great-barrier-reef/ar-BB10a2yH

'Astonishing' blue whale numbers at South Georgia Scientists say they have seen a remarkable collection of blue whales in the coastal waters around the UK sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia. Their 23-day survey counted 55 animals - a total that is unprecedented in the decades since commercial whaling ended. South Georgia was the epicentre for hunting in the early 20th Century. The territory's boats with their steam-powered harpoons were pivotal in reducing Antarctic blues to just a few hundred individuals. To witness 55 of them now return to what was once a pre-eminent feeding ground for the population has been described as "truly, truly amazing" by cetacean specialist Dr Trevor Branch from the University of Washington, Seattle. "To think that in a period of 40 or 50 years, I only had records for two sightings of blue whales around South Georgia. Since 2007, there have been maybe a couple more isolated sightings. So to go from basically nothing to 55 in one year is astonishing," he told BBC News. "It's such good news to see that they might be further rebounding and coming back to places where they were formerly extremely abundant." Dr Branch was commenting on the survey which was led by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) with the support of the University of Auckland. FULL REPORT

R.I.P. Heather, you are amongst the stars at night now. Heather Couper: Broadcaster and astronomer dies at 70 Dr Couper appeared on the BBC's Blue Peter and The Sky At Night programmes, as well as presenting and producing acclaimed science documentaries. She also hosted radio series including the BBC World Service's long-running Seeing Stars and BBC Radio 4's Cosmic Quest and Starwatch. Her best friend and business partner, Nigel Henbest, said she had died on Wednesday after a short illness. She had been a "charismatic... and passionate communicator of science", he said. "She got people really excited about the Universe and about space - that was her love, her passion in life." https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-51562165

The wife makes a great shepherds pie, I just tend to get the ready mash and cook the mince and just put the mash on top and spread it over then cook it until it browns, but the wife will do her own tatties and mash them up then put carrots, peas etc in it and they come out better than mine, I normally leave all the big main meals to her as her gran taught her how to cook and she is a dab hand at it. Tonight we had, or she made Spaghetti Bolognaise, I am not keen on Spaghetti so she made mine with pasta tubes but she makes a beautiful Bolognaise and uses Dolomio Original Pasta Sauce then it's mushroom, herbs, seriously strong cheese grated on top, I picked the mince up at Tescos as she will always go for Scottish lean steak mince with less fat. But she will always fry the mince first and get all the fat out of it, drain the fat off then put in a pot with all the ingredients in it and let it simmer away for a good 30 minutes, it came out beautiful and after we had a dessert of ice-cream with fruit and whipped cream on top.

Laing O'Rourke

It's funny though when he is playing snakes & ladders with the wife he won't cheat, he will tell the wife if she has 3 moves "It's ok, grannie, you can have 2 extra moves...I said so" and he will move her counter.

It's murder playing snakes & ladders with wee Kaiden, he uses the ladders AND the snake's TAILS to climb up and avoids the snake's mouth when throwing the dice and if he knows he is going to land on the snake's mouth he will add a number on to avoid it..."1,2,3...3, 4"

The 3 grandsons and son & daughter are dab hands at things like that nowadays, I was bought up in the snakes & ladders, ludo etc era, a game of chess or draughs would be my limit or a game of cards.

Bloody hell, I'de rather play snakes & ladders than try and play that.

Nice to have another Lady aboard @LorenaMileusnic, and a United one at that, keep posting, our lady Mod in @nudge (Inga) will look after you.

Ok, Captain, I will send one of my trusted bodyguards outside our spaceship and fight off any alien intruders.

But, but..... I found it in a Scifi site, better set the Security team on that site.

Did I post something wrong?

THE GREEN KNIGHT: TRAILER PUTS A NEW SPIN ON A LEGEND The teaser trailer for A24’s Arthurian fantasy The Green Knight has been released. By SciFiNow Team 14-02-20 A24 has released a teaser trailer for the movie, The Green Knight. If you haven’t seen it yet (or just want to re-watch it – we have… a lot…) here it is below: Here is a synopsis: An epic fantasy adventure based on the timeless Arthurian legend, The Green Knight tells the story of Sir Gawain (Dev Patel), King Arthur’s reckless and headstrong nephew, who embarks on a daring quest to confront the eponymous Green Knight, a gigantic emerald-skinned stranger and tester of men. Gawain contends with ghosts, giants, thieves, and schemers in what becomes a deeper journey to define his character and prove his worth in the eyes of his family and kingdom by facing the ultimate challenger. From visionary filmmaker David Lowery comes a fresh and bold spin on a classic tale from the knights of the round table. Written and directed by David Lowery The Green Knight stars Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Sarita Choudhury, Sean Harris, Kate Dickie, Barry Keoghan and Ralph Ineson. The Green Knight will be released on 29 May 2020. https://www.scifinow.co.uk/cinema/the-green-knight-trailer-puts-a-new-spin-on-a-legend/

A stunning 14th-century medieval chapel is uncovered in County Durham 370 years after it was destroyed in the wake of the English Civil War SLIDES - 1/17 Following this, the exact location of the chapel site had become a mystery. Part of Auckland Castle, the remains of the long lost place of worship — Bek's Chapel — were uncovered with the help of staff and students from Durham University, experts believe that the chapel would have been stunning to behold in its heyday — featuring a timber ceiling and huge pillars with decorated stonework. FULL REPORT

'Ice volcanoes' erupt on Michigan beach during Arctic blast © Provided by FOX News 'Ice volcanoes' are common on Michigan beaches during the winter. Find out what this cool phenomenon is. A bitter blast of Arctic air that brought dangerous wind chills across the Midwest last weekend created erupting "ice volcanoes" on a Lake Michigan beachfront. The National Weather Service in Grand Rapids said the sight was captured Sunday at Oval Beach in Saugatuck, Mich. "You never know what you'll find at the lake until you go out there," the NWS tweeted. "Today it was volcanoes." According to Michigan Tech, ice volcanoes are a common feature in the winter months along the northern shore of Lake Superior -- north of the volcanoes. Ice volcanoes are cone-shaped mounds of ice formed as part of the leading edge of an ice shelf as they build out into a lake. Despite having "volcano" as part of the name, they do not erupt hot, molten magma. Researchers at Michigan Tech noted, "after the ice shelf has built out, waves continue to travel underneath the ice and are forced up through cracks and previously formed cones." Cort Spholten, a meteorologist with the NWS Grand Rapids, told the Detroit Free Press that ice volcanoes tend to form on shorelines where waves strike "with some force." "The waves...were strong enough so the water channels through, it squeezes water upwards and tosses the floating ice up," Spholten told the Free Press. "As it happens, over the course of hours or days, it forms a cone, and it resembles a volcano." Researchers at Michigan Tech said that ice volcanic cones can range in size from less than 1 meter to greater than 8 meters high, with the largest cones typically near offshore sand bars and rock reefs. Tom Niziol, the former chief meteorologist for the NWS in Buffalo and winter weather expert for the Weather Channel, commented on Twitter that the images from Michigan on Sunday were "some of the best ice volcano photos I have seen" and that ice volcanoes also have been previously seen on the east end of Lake Erie. "They can be very dangerous to climb on however because they are hollow and built over that hole in the ice," he shared on Facebook. "Don't ever go venturing out onto them!!" The ice volcanoes were not the only strange sight on the shores of Lake Michigan this weekend. A rare phenomenon known as "ice balls" was spotted Friday washing up at Holland State Park, about 30 miles west of Grand Rapids. According to the Weather Service, ice balls form when temperatures are just below freezing along shallow beaches. A layer of floating slush is sculpted by waves into spheres. "These balls of ice then wash up on the beach by the thousands and freeze solid," the Weather Service said. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/ice-volcanoes-erupt-on-michigan-beach-during-arctic-blast/ar-BB107IBB

Don't worry about it, it might just be my laptop but the above looked like you had typed it in a smaller size (looks like 12?) as my one comes out in size 14, carry on as you have me interested in this thread now, have you found a Chinese board game yet you like, I keep sniffing around and having a look on google.

I think you have your Font size on 12, not that it matters but I polished my glasses for a minute and rubbed my eyes.

Neanderthal 'skeleton' is first found in a decade Researchers have described the first "articulated" remains of a Neanderthal to be discovered in a decade. An articulated skeleton is one where the bones are still arranged in their original positions. The new specimen was uncovered at Shanidar Cave in Iraq and consists of the upper torso and crushed skull of a middle-aged to an older adult. Excavations at Shanidar in the 1950s and 60s unearthed partial remains of 10 Neanderthal men, women and children. During these earlier excavations, archaeologists found that some of the burials were clustered together, with clumps of pollen surrounding one of the skeletons. The researcher who led those original investigations, Ralph Solecki from Columbia University in New York, claimed it was evidence that Neanderthals had buried their dead with flowers. This "flower burial" captured the imagination of the public and kicked off a decades-long controversy. The floral interpretation suggested our evolutionary relatives were capable of cultural sophistication, challenging the view - prevalent at the time - that Neanderthals were unintelligent and animalistic. FULL REPORT

Nasa's 2020 rover: Can we finally answer the big question about Mars? Exactly a year from now, a capsule will come hurtling through the atmosphere of Mars with the Americans' next big rover. If it survives the "seven minutes of terror" that describe its descent to the surface, the new robot promises a very different mission to all those that have gone before it. Because although Mars 2020 (a new name is coming) looks like a simple copy of the Curiosity vehicle of 2012, its goals take a decisive turn towards answering the most fundamental of questions: is there - or has there ever been - life on the Red Planet? Recent investigations have concentrated on characterising the "habitability" of Mars. That's to say, these prior missions asked only if past conditions were conducive to biology. A less direct approach. Mars 2020, on the other hand, will be engaged in an explicit hunt for life's traces. FULL REPORT

Welcome too TF365 but as a Man United supporter myself who the hell are you talking about? you posted under the post about Harry Gregg who passed away

Don't be surprised if he goes too Stamford Bridge and he pulls off a win, he loves situations like this.

@Storts, it never ends for you Spuds, especially with Chelsea coming up next. Son Heung-min: Tottenham forward out for 'number of weeks' with a fractured arm. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/51547261