The School Bus

I was waiting for a bus home to Armley at a bus stop on the Headrow in Leeds. At about 2230 hhrs. And this School Bus stops at the next stop. It would appear to be a school bus, but I didn’t want to go to school….. Perhaps it is the night school bus…. Or maybe the big scholars who got out were in detention….





Delivering safe transport to schools….

The Wee Room

A friend (hello Chris 93) popped into the house for coffee. I gave him very good directions to the throne room but alas he nearly lost his way. So verily I put up a sign, future visitors will be in no doubt.





Here the sign in close up

Quaker Smarty-Pants

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Quaker Smarty-Pants You scored 97 in QuakerKnowledge!

You are either a Quaker, you know one personally, or you're just a good guesser. Either way, give yourself a pat on the back - you deserve it. I don't need to tell you that the answer to the "Who is not a Quaker" question was "John Lennon," since you probably already knew that. To learn even more about the Quakers, check 'em out on Wikipedia: Wikipedia's Quakerism Entry And, if you have any suggestions for more questions for this test, send them my way. Thanks for taking the Quaker Knowledge Test! Not that you need most of them, but here are the official answers (feel free to debate me on my scoring - I'm always hoping to improve the test): 1. Who is the founder of Quakerism? George Fox – there is little debate that George Fox (July 1624 – January 13, 1691) was the founder of Quakerism, or at least a major figure in the beginning. 2. Are quakers historically good at making oatmeal? It depends on the Quaker – this is a question that refers to similar questions that Quakers get asked all the time implying a link to the company Quaker Oats, which, rumor has it, took the image and name of Quakers because they were known to be fair and trustworthy business people. There is no association with real Quakers. The following is an excerpt from Wikipedia.org’s entry on Quaker Oats: “Quaker Oats has no connection to the Religious Society of Friends also known as the Quakers. The company chose its name because Quakers are reputed for honesty in their dealings. The antiquated image used by Quaker Oats looks nothing like a modern Quaker as that form of dress has been abandoned by the religious movement for quite some time. Many members of the Religious Society of Friends do not approve of the name usage by the company as the company was not founded by Quakers and does not follow the same codes of behavior Quakers follow. They believe the company's use of their name is dishonest behavior and, at best, causes public confusion, even to the point that many people assume they are similar to the Amish in their customs and beliefs.” 3. Quakers generally worship in... Meeting Houses – Quakerism was founded with the belief that god could communicate with people wherever they were, and people did not need a special place to hear god within themselves. Many “meetings for worship” were held in open fields or in nature. Quaker meeting houses bear little resemblance to churches – they are simple and without religious adornments. 4. You can tell if a person is a Quaker just by looking at them because... They cannot necessarily be identified from the outside because they dress just like anyone else – See above question about Quaker Oats for a possible reason why people still believe that Quakers dress like the Amish. In fact, Quakers became known for dressing in black and white and grey because they were protesting the vanity of fashion and were maintaining simplicity according to their interpretation of Jesus’ teachings in that regard. Most Quakers do not dress like this any more, but some Quakers make an effort to avoid clothes made in sweatshops. 5. Quakers believe in... God Jesus Christ The Inner Light Who knows? It could be all three – I gave this the top score of the four because there is significant diversity within Quakerism about what they believe, even some who identify as both Quaker and Atheist. 6. Quakers are allowed to use electricity... Any time they want – Again, this addresses a popular confusion relating to the Amish. 7. Did a Quaker start the company Quaker Oats? No – Not to put to fine a point on it, but most people who don’t know a Quaker personally think they are similar to the Amish because of this company, which, as stated above, was not started by anyone associated with the Religious Society of Friends. (Side note: Cadbury’s Chocolate Company was founded by Quakers). 8. The Quaker testimonies are... Ever evolving general statements of belief Peace, Equality, Honesty, Simplicity Both the previous two answers – I gave this answer top scoring. There are variations on the four mentioned, but they seem to be the main and mostly consistent Quaker testimonies. 9. Unprogrammed Quaker worship is... A group of Quakers sitting around in silence until they are moved to speak out from it – Ideally, Quakers are supposed to wait in silence, listening to “that of God” or the “Inner Light” within themselves, and only speak out of the silence if there is something the spirit wants them to say. In practice, Quakers are not always speaking from such a deep place within themselves, but the ideal is there. 10. Who from this list is not a Quaker? John Lennon – Musician – though Lennon’s ideas about and promotion of peace is consistent with Quaker testimonies and general consensus about peace, Lennon was never a Quaker. Richard Nixon, however was raised as an Evangelical Quaker, which is pretty far removed from the kind of Quaker I am talking about in this test (i.e. Unprogrammed Friends). 11. The official full name for Quakers is... The Religious Society of Friends – “Quaker” was a term that a judge used to mock George Fox and his followers before Fox was imprisoned for Blasphemy in 1650. Fox had said “tremble at the word of the Lord.” 12. According to Quaker beliefs... There is "that of god in everyone." – this is a pretty fundamental belief for most Quakers, and the root of their emphasis on fair treatment, honesty, non-violence and respect for all people. 13. A Quaker who commands a lot of respect among other Quakers is called... A Weighty Friend – I’m not sure of the origin of this, but it is still in use to this day. 14. Quaker decision-making process is... Inclusive Consensus – Quaker business meetings are essentially consensus based with the belief that all those who are to be affected by a decision should be allowed to be a part of making that decision. Business decisions are supposed to be “spirit-led”, and usually there is an attempt to have significant stretches of silence to help people in the meeting get in touch with the Inner Light to help guide them while making decisions. 15. Quakers have been controversial in the past because... Some of them have conducted same-sex marriages They were involved in the Underground Railroad to help free the slaves They did not follow the social rules of addressing people (Sir, Your Honor, etc) All of the above – this was given the top score out of the four, but these are only a sampling of some controversial Quaker events. Quakers tend to be very motivated by social conscience and thus have been involved in many struggles to end oppression or war. 16. Quakers have a tradition called... Ramspringa Ordnung Shunning None of the above – the above are all Amish-related. 17. Quakers are allowed to eat pork... If they feel like it – there is no inherent rule about what one can and cannot eat as a Quaker. 18. It has been said that Quakers were the inventors of... The penitentiary Price tags Both the first two answers – Price tags were supposedly invented by Quaker business owners. At the time the practice was to barter for what you wanted from the store, but Quakers believed in fair business practices, which meant having the same price no matter who you were. The Penitentiary was part of Quaker prison reform, and was actually a step up from the conditions of the prisons of the time, making an emphasis on rehabilitation instead of capital punishment. 19. A Quaker marriage ceremony involves... People speak out of a silence about the people who are getting married – They usually also include all the people present at the wedding ceremony signing a certificate. 20. Now a hard bonus question: Quakerism began in... The mid-1600s – the exact date isn’t really known, but it’s somewhere in there, and certainly not any of the other three choices.

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 94% on QuakerKnowledge

Link: The Quaker Knowledge Test written by MovieBuffJesse on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Llamas and Textual Harrasment

Good to see the lovely Gael blogging again. The Llama Song got me giggling (cheers Pixie!) so I did text a few friends with the first 160 characters. Perhaps though half the humour is in the speed of the Llama Song. Anyway perhaps this did result in some confusion so here is the Llama Song.

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/llama.php

Hello Barbara and Rachel if you are reading this.

PEACE MAN!

Porn Brokers Through The Ages

Cash Converters of Armley was mentioned in the Doomsday Book but it was to be another 900 years before a peasant underclass would emerge to provide a market for their services. Still plan ahead.





it certainly seems to tower above the high street from every direction… Wish they had the 3 hanging balls.

Say it with Johnnies!

Saw this poster in window of co-op pharmacy on high street in Armley



gotta love family planning!

Essential Academic Research

I have always believed that the Union Bar is the soul of the University or indeed any college. Here I am with an old friend doing some essential academic research.

Ethical Slag YAY!

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The Ethical Slut You just scored 89 % on being open to having an open relationship!

(Title taken by the book by the same name, that I highly recommend you read if you're in this category!) Thanks for taking this test and for being so openminded. It seems you are a pretty confident individual, who knows what they want out of relationships, or is at least open to the discussion. If you're considering opening up an existing relationship, make sure you have a strong relationship to start with, and be prepared to learn some amazing things about yourself and your partner, and yourselves as a couple. Also, be prepared to deal with jealousy, but don't let that stop you on your discovery. It's a part of every relationship, and learning to recognize it and deal with it only makes us stronger. If you are single / dating and thinking that monogamy may not be right for you, you're not crazy. Just make sure to be honest with any potential partners you have. You don't want to get trapped into a relationship and then feel the urge to cheat because you weren't honest about your feelings from the get-go.

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 83% on openness

Link: The Open Relationship Test written by westend_girl on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Sans Hair?

here i am looking blonde again




On the left you will notice the lovely Pumpkin Ted a very generous gift of Becky a London Paramour (hi Becky if you are reading this Love you!). Alas lost the label in transit when hitch hiking to Bristol for Young Friends National Gathering. It said "Born in Hell! Made of Fluff.." just like Bluebell really.....

January 2007 Self Portrait

Herewith my latest self portrait

As you can see I am naturally blonde. So s p e a k s l o w l y



A naturally amerikan friend (hi Janet! LovE YOU!) thought I was going bald….

World Class Phallic Architecture!

Today took a picture of Parkinson's Tinkerbell. Thanks to Frank Parkinson the University of Leeds not only boasts world class phallic architecture, but Parkinson's wanger is the greatest and most recognisable landmark on the Leeds skyline.

Vegan Police

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Easygoing Herbivore 75% vegan jerk

You're a vegan or vegetarian (or at least you're close, in your diet or ideals), and you stick with your beliefs, but you aren't a pain in the ass about them. You probably avoid getting into arguments with the people who got the "Militant Meatface" result on this test, but you also get annoyed with the hardcore vegans who make you look bad. Your friends are on both sides of the fence, and that's okay. Good job.

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 91% on vegginess

Link: The Vegan Jerk Test written by batbucket on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Playing With My Toys (part one of an occasional series

Been playing with my new toy. Have a new digital camera bought in the Currys’ sale (well i did ask for a mild vegan vindalooo and a couple of popadoms but they only had electronic equipment). Well worth it as it is 6 megs and I have had some success in taking photographs in poor light conditions, the older model is very poor at that. So this evening been running tests, below, spotted in the old bar, is a half dunk glass of vodka and yes I did drink the rest LMAO!

Amerikan Inteligence…..

According to Dick Strawbridge the CIA once had the radge idea of spying on the Soviets (must have been during the cold war) by placing a listening device on a domestic moggie and training him or her to wander in to the Soviet Embassy without a pass. Presumably they gave up when they realised that you can’t train a cat to do anything but not before they had spent 10 million dollars…. Meow!

A Happy Firm!

Oblong is an open access community arts resource centre based somewhere in Burley/Woodhouse/Hyde Park, a splendid firm. Likesay it is moving house again so at the office party all was packed, and the chains used to secure the computers had been fashioned into a swing. Well I am sure a swinging party makes for a happy firm. It was certainly fun.

Alone in a godless universe… and out of shake ‘n’ vac

an amerikan friend (hi Janet if you are reading this Love you!) tells me that they have Shake ‘n’ Vac over in amerika though it is called something else.

bloody quizzes!

Bluebell -- [adjective]: Insatiable to the point of crazy 'How will you be defined in the sexual dictionary?' at QuizUniverse.com

Everyone's a Fruit and Nutcase....

Eccentric You scored 85% Eccentricity!

You are a true eccentric in all aspects of your life. You are known to all as a most singular character and your reputation preceeds you. You are oblivious to any adverse reactions you may get as a result. A small village in Shropshire has recently lost its resident eccentric to a ballooning accident and they want YOU to fill the role!

This test tracked 1 variable. How the score compared to the other people's:

Higher than 90% on Eccentricity

Link: The British Eccentric Test written by Originaluddite on Ok Cupid

wasted talent......

You scored 90 Fuck Buddy!

See, this is easy. If you scored high, it means you would like to be the man in my fantasies, my own fuck buddy. Now, would you like to share your wet dreams with me? If you scored low, well, you probably didn't want to fuck me anyway ^_^ We can be just buddies.

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 20% on Fuck Buddy

Link: The Fuck Buddy Test written by Writer83 on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Music To Wash Up To! (part one of an occasional series)

What music do Pagans listen to when washing up? Hymn to Pan of course! IO Pan! IO Pan IO Pan! PAN!!!! PAN!!!! PAN!!!!

Not Quite Brideshead Revisited

Ah Leeds! Not quite the Brideshead Revisited but nice to see some bicycle fetishism. A cycle park on the University of Leeds Campus.

I only used Urban75 for the silly games....

You scored 19 Politics, 27 Fluffiness, 37 real life, and 46 hardcore!

Well done! You endured the test. A high score in Politics suggests that you are one of the old school, who remembers when all the boards were red and kittens were but a distant memory. A high fluffiness rating suggests that you love Urban for knitting, kittens and talking to people without punching the keyboard in anger. A real-life score suggests you haven't quite grasped just what a strange creature U75 is, and a high hardcore rating is quite obvious. Now, get thee hence to U75!

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 0% on Politics You scored higher than 30% on Fluffiness You scored higher than 70% on un-urban You scored higher than 60% on hardcore

Link: The Urban75 Test written by rozi83 on OkCupid, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Philosophy Sucks! Don't do it Kidz!

Ludwig Wittgenstein You scored 55 realism, 61 rationalism, 61 materialism, and 38 atomism!

Your philosopher is Ludwig Wittgenstein (April 26, 1889 – April 29, 1951), an Austrian philosopher who contributed several groundbreaking works to modern philosophy, primarily on the foundations of logic and the philosophy of language. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century. When faced with a problem, your first reaction is to analyze it, to work through the details and try to find the underlying cause. You are not one to be influenced by dogma or theology, yet you know that the world is more complex than most people think - the world is, indeed, more than the sum of its parts. Even logic and reason themselves come under your steely gaze, and you are likely to think that all knowledge is contingent - we believe what we believe because it allows us to get along with others, but there's usually a different reality lurking just beneath the surface (one that you understand and others merely guess about).

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 65% on realism You scored higher than 72% on rationalism You scored higher than 96% on materialism You scored higher than 30% on atomism

Link: The Philosophy Test written by Datamouse on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

HAPPINESS IS HAND PULLED

I popped into the White Horse on Town Street in Armley for a bit of research (no really there is an interesting old map of Leeds) and noted that the old sign saying “HAPPINESS IS HAND PULLED” was gone. Evidently it was not dead but resting a bit. I was alowed to take a picture which is below.



No doubt Harold is spinning in his grave….

Hyde Park Moonshine (part two a very very occasional series)

Hyde Park Moonshine! Wikid!!!