Biker, Happy Joan of Arc Day!
- Thread starter Goatboy
- Start date
Sunday name as good as anyYou want I should start on Robert or Scott now?
notworthyBob
Sunday name as good as any
Bob
Belzeebob
Derivative of Beelzebub or Beel-Zebub (/bː'ɛlzɨbʌb/ bee-EL-zə-bub or /ˈbːlzɨbʌb/ BEEL-zə-bub; (Hebrew: בַּעַל זְבוּב‎, Baʿal Zəvûv; Arabic: بعل الذباب‎, Baal adh-Dhubāb; literally "Lord of the Flies"; Greek: Βεελζεβούλ, Velzevoúl; Latin: Beelzebūb), with numerous archaic variants, is a Semitic deity that was worshiped in the Philistine city of Ekron.
In later Christian and Biblical sources, he is referred to as another name for Devil, and in Catholic demonology, is one of the seven princes of Hell according to Catholic views on Hell.
Bond, James Bond we all know that character but who was the first person to play him on screen? Sean Connery?, George Robert Lazenby ? David Niven?
No! It was Barry Nelson (April 16, 1917 April 7, 2007) was an American actor, noted as the first actor to portray Ian Fleming's secret agent James Bond.
He was the first actor (and the first non European before George Lazenby, who was the second) to play James Bond on screen, in a 1954 adaptation of Ian Fleming's novel Casino Royale on the television anthology series Climax! (preceding Sean Connery's interpretation in Dr. No by eight years). Reportedly this was considered a pilot for a possible James Bond television series, though it's not known if Nelson intended to continue playing the character. Nelson played James Bond as an American named "Jimmy Bond".
The program also featured Peter Lorre as the primary villain, Le Chiffre; Nelson later noted Lorre was the reason he took the role. Originally broadcast live, the production was believed lost until a kinescope emerged in the 1980s. It was subsequently released to home video, and is currently available on DVD as a bonus feature with the 1967 film adaptation of the novel.
No! It was Barry Nelson (April 16, 1917 April 7, 2007) was an American actor, noted as the first actor to portray Ian Fleming's secret agent James Bond.
He was the first actor (and the first non European before George Lazenby, who was the second) to play James Bond on screen, in a 1954 adaptation of Ian Fleming's novel Casino Royale on the television anthology series Climax! (preceding Sean Connery's interpretation in Dr. No by eight years). Reportedly this was considered a pilot for a possible James Bond television series, though it's not known if Nelson intended to continue playing the character. Nelson played James Bond as an American named "Jimmy Bond".
| | At that time, no one had ever heard of James Bond ... I was scratching my head wondering how to play it. I hadn't read the book or anything like that because it wasn't well known. | |
Nelson in a 2004 interview with Cinema Retro. |
And available to view on Youtube
[video=youtube;ztsXWp0nj2c]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztsXWp0nj2c[/video]
Biker
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
I'd downloaded that Airlords of Airia some time ago, just never got around to watching it until now. That was purty good. I just wish Hollywood would stop trying to do remakes and make something along those lines Reminded me very much of those old 1930's Flash Gordon series featuring Buster Crabbe. Thanks for that CLK
Playing catch up again and read with interest the Al Capone and William Tell days. I also failed the Lone Ranger test.
I haven't read the Anne Rice Vampire books. I have them for my Kindle but never really got around to putting them on there, so many other books are demanding attention. Same with Anne McCaffrey's Dragon books. I'm working my way through the Lost Fleet by John Campbell. I'm on book three at the moment, it's not too bad but it's becoming a bit like soap opera much like Babylon 5, but it's enjoyable enough.
Wishing you kids a happy William Tell day then.
All the best from the "mountain of strength" (I can leap small buildings (lego) in a single bound too)
Playing catch up again and read with interest the Al Capone and William Tell days. I also failed the Lone Ranger test.
I haven't read the Anne Rice Vampire books. I have them for my Kindle but never really got around to putting them on there, so many other books are demanding attention. Same with Anne McCaffrey's Dragon books. I'm working my way through the Lost Fleet by John Campbell. I'm on book three at the moment, it's not too bad but it's becoming a bit like soap opera much like Babylon 5, but it's enjoyable enough.
Wishing you kids a happy William Tell day then.
All the best from the "mountain of strength" (I can leap small buildings (lego) in a single bound too)
Well they were going to remake Buck Rogers with Gil Gerard and Erin Gray from the 1979 series as Flash's mum and dad LINK (Wee video)' Looks like it's been shelved due to money problems.
Everyone fails the test pay, well of a certain generation anyhow. Hey moving on to Lego buildings now? Sylvanian family caravan not good enough eh!
Jack Campbell is one of Belzeebobs faves, both in book and audio, I'm slowly working through the audio ones.
John Campbell was almost a god in our house. Dad had all the astounding/analog Science Fiction magazines going back to the early thirties. A real privilege - I got to read Dune in its original serialised form.
They are mine now but I'd rather have the original owner back to share them with
John Campbell was almost a god in our house. Dad had all the astounding/analog Science Fiction magazines going back to the early thirties. A real privilege - I got to read Dune in its original serialised form.
They are mine now but I'd rather have the original owner back to share them with
I miss mine too, it's the traditional wish I'd asked more questions, his knowledge of certain things was almost eidetic. Lovely to share his passion and have the very things he cherished though.
Very true. Despite the fact that I made my living in IT for 30 years dad was my goto for anything technical. I still find myself starting to call him whenever I stumble across some piece of astonishing technology or science.
I can still remember a chin-wagging phone call to NZ one time when I was sitting out alone in the night during a camping trip in the New Forest. As I talked I saw 1, 2, 3..... lots of shooting stars. I mentioned to dad what I was seeing and without hesitation he told me that it was probably the Perseids. Not bad for a Southern Hemisphere lad.
The benefit of a proper education and an enquiring mind. Find very much these days that kids don't have the fact retention that we do due to instantly being able to look it up online, but also the breadth of knowledge which allows the piecing together of disparate facts from seemingly unconnected fields to find a solution.
Biker! Happy Lewis & Clark Day!
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
Well there's been Laurel & Hardy, Abbot & Costello, Mears & Hiddins but today in 1805 Lewis & Clark reach Pacific Ocean, 1st European Americans to cross continent.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the first American expedition to cross what is now the western portion of the United States, departing in May, 1804 from St. Louis on the Mississippi River, making their way westward through the continental divide to the Pacific coast.
The expedition was commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson shortly after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, consisting of a select group of U.S. Army volunteers under the command of Captain Meriwether Lewis and his close friend Second Lieutenant William Clark. Their perilous journey lasted from May 1804 to September 1806. The primary objective was to explore and map the newly acquired territory, find a practical route across the Western half of the continent, and establish an American presence in this territory before Britain and other European powers tried to claim it.
The campaign's secondary objectives were scientific and economic: to study the area's plants, animal life, and geography, and establish trade with local Indian tribes. With maps, sketches and journals in hand, the expedition returned to St. Louis to report their findings to Jefferson.
According to Jefferson himself, one goal was to find "the most direct & practicable water communication across this continent, for the purposes of commerce." Jefferson also placed special importance on declaring U.S. sovereignty over the land occupied by the many different tribes of Native Americans along the Missouri River, and getting an accurate sense of the resources in the recently completed Louisiana Purchase.
Although the expedition did make notable contributions to science, scientific research itself was not the main goal of the mission.
References to Lewis and Clark "scarcely appeared" in history books even during the United States Centennial in 1876 and the expedition was largely forgotten. Lewis and Clark began to gain new attention around the start of the 20th century. Both the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition, in St. Louis, and the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, in Portland, Oregon, showcased Lewis and Clark as American pioneers. However, the story remained relatively shallowa celebration of US conquest and personal adventuresuntil the mid-century, since which time it has been more thoroughly researched and retold in many forms to a growing audience.
A complete and reliable set of the expedition's journals was finally compiled by Gary E. Moulton in 2004. In the 2000s the bicentennial of the expedition further elevated popular interest in Lewis and Clark. Today, no U.S. exploration party is more famous, and no American expedition leaders are more instantly recognizable by name.[SUP][/SUP]
The Lewis and Clark Expedition gained an understanding of the geography of the Northwest and produced the first accurate maps of the area. During the journey, Lewis and Clark drew about 140 maps. Stephen Ambrose says the expedition "filled in the main outlines" of the area.
The expedition documented natural resources and plants that had been previously unknown to Euro-Americans, though not to the indigenous peoples. Lewis and Clark were the first Americans to cross the continental divide, and the first Americans to see Yellowstone, enter into Montana and produce an official description of these different regions. Their visit to the Pacific Northwest, maps, and proclamations of sovereignty with medals and flags were legal steps needed to claim title to each indigenous nation's lands under the Doctrine of Discovery.
Lewis and Clark's expedition had no greater advocate and no greater beneficiary than the American Philosophical Society (APS). Their duties, as assigned by Jefferson, were pre-eminently scientific. Specifically, they were instructed in geography, astronomy, ethnology, climatology, mineralogy, meteorology, botany, ornithology, and zoology.
The expedition recorded more than 200 plants and animals that were new to science and noted at least 72 native tribes.
Jefferson had the expedition declare "sovereignty" and demonstrate their military strength to ensure native tribes would be subordinate to the U.S., as European colonizers did elsewhere. After the expedition, the maps that were produced allowed the further discovery and settlement of this vast territory in the years that followed.
In 1807 Patrick Gass, a private in the US Army, published an account of the journey. He was promoted to Sergeant during the course of the expedition. Paul Allen edited a two-volume history of the Lewis and Clark expedition that was published in 1814, in Philadelphia, but without mention of the actual author, banker Nicholas Biddle.[SUP] [/SUP]Even then, the complete report was not made public until more recently. The earliest authorized edition of the Lewis and Clark journals resides in the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library at the University of Montana.
Also today in 1965 - Kellogg's Pop Tarts pastries created so burning mouths of dumb-bottom everywhere ever since.
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
Well there's been Laurel & Hardy, Abbot & Costello, Mears & Hiddins but today in 1805 Lewis & Clark reach Pacific Ocean, 1st European Americans to cross continent.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the first American expedition to cross what is now the western portion of the United States, departing in May, 1804 from St. Louis on the Mississippi River, making their way westward through the continental divide to the Pacific coast.
The expedition was commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson shortly after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, consisting of a select group of U.S. Army volunteers under the command of Captain Meriwether Lewis and his close friend Second Lieutenant William Clark. Their perilous journey lasted from May 1804 to September 1806. The primary objective was to explore and map the newly acquired territory, find a practical route across the Western half of the continent, and establish an American presence in this territory before Britain and other European powers tried to claim it.
The campaign's secondary objectives were scientific and economic: to study the area's plants, animal life, and geography, and establish trade with local Indian tribes. With maps, sketches and journals in hand, the expedition returned to St. Louis to report their findings to Jefferson.
According to Jefferson himself, one goal was to find "the most direct & practicable water communication across this continent, for the purposes of commerce." Jefferson also placed special importance on declaring U.S. sovereignty over the land occupied by the many different tribes of Native Americans along the Missouri River, and getting an accurate sense of the resources in the recently completed Louisiana Purchase.
Although the expedition did make notable contributions to science, scientific research itself was not the main goal of the mission.
References to Lewis and Clark "scarcely appeared" in history books even during the United States Centennial in 1876 and the expedition was largely forgotten. Lewis and Clark began to gain new attention around the start of the 20th century. Both the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition, in St. Louis, and the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, in Portland, Oregon, showcased Lewis and Clark as American pioneers. However, the story remained relatively shallowa celebration of US conquest and personal adventuresuntil the mid-century, since which time it has been more thoroughly researched and retold in many forms to a growing audience.
A complete and reliable set of the expedition's journals was finally compiled by Gary E. Moulton in 2004. In the 2000s the bicentennial of the expedition further elevated popular interest in Lewis and Clark. Today, no U.S. exploration party is more famous, and no American expedition leaders are more instantly recognizable by name.[SUP][/SUP]
The Lewis and Clark Expedition gained an understanding of the geography of the Northwest and produced the first accurate maps of the area. During the journey, Lewis and Clark drew about 140 maps. Stephen Ambrose says the expedition "filled in the main outlines" of the area.
The expedition documented natural resources and plants that had been previously unknown to Euro-Americans, though not to the indigenous peoples. Lewis and Clark were the first Americans to cross the continental divide, and the first Americans to see Yellowstone, enter into Montana and produce an official description of these different regions. Their visit to the Pacific Northwest, maps, and proclamations of sovereignty with medals and flags were legal steps needed to claim title to each indigenous nation's lands under the Doctrine of Discovery.
Lewis and Clark's expedition had no greater advocate and no greater beneficiary than the American Philosophical Society (APS). Their duties, as assigned by Jefferson, were pre-eminently scientific. Specifically, they were instructed in geography, astronomy, ethnology, climatology, mineralogy, meteorology, botany, ornithology, and zoology.
The expedition recorded more than 200 plants and animals that were new to science and noted at least 72 native tribes.
Jefferson had the expedition declare "sovereignty" and demonstrate their military strength to ensure native tribes would be subordinate to the U.S., as European colonizers did elsewhere. After the expedition, the maps that were produced allowed the further discovery and settlement of this vast territory in the years that followed.
In 1807 Patrick Gass, a private in the US Army, published an account of the journey. He was promoted to Sergeant during the course of the expedition. Paul Allen edited a two-volume history of the Lewis and Clark expedition that was published in 1814, in Philadelphia, but without mention of the actual author, banker Nicholas Biddle.[SUP] [/SUP]Even then, the complete report was not made public until more recently. The earliest authorized edition of the Lewis and Clark journals resides in the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library at the University of Montana.
Also today in 1965 - Kellogg's Pop Tarts pastries created so burning mouths of dumb-bottom everywhere ever since.
Biker
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
We're on the same page about missing our Dads. scary thing is I'm now 6 years older than he was when he died back in 1984 but I still miss just having him to talk to.
Lewis and Clark day eh? Spooky. On my kindle last night I put aside the Lost Fleet book and tried something different to go to sleep to. Lewis and Clark's journels was opened and browsed. I gave up very quickly because they look too good to skim over but deserve some time and concentration on. I got reacquainted with Modesty Blaise and Night of Morningstar instead. Just love those books, better than James Bond ANY day.
Lewis and Clark day eh? Spooky. On my kindle last night I put aside the Lost Fleet book and tried something different to go to sleep to. Lewis and Clark's journels was opened and browsed. I gave up very quickly because they look too good to skim over but deserve some time and concentration on. I got reacquainted with Modesty Blaise and Night of Morningstar instead. Just love those books, better than James Bond ANY day.
Biker! Happy Snowdonia National Park Day!
Biker! Get yer boots out and fill yer old school tartan thermos as today in 1951 - Snowdonia becomes a National Park!
Snowdonia (Welsh: Eryri) is a region in north Wales and a national park of 823 square miles (2,130 km[SUP]2[/SUP]) in area. It was the first to be designated of the three National Parks in Wales, in 1951.
The English name for the area derives from Snowdon, which is the highest mountain in Wales at 3,560 ft. (1,085 m). In Welsh, the area is named Eryri. One assumption is that the name is derived from eryr ("eagle"), but others state that it means quite simply Highlands, as leading Welsh scholar Sir Ifor Williams proved. In the Middle Ages the title Prince of Wales and Lord of Snowdonia (Tywysog Cymru ac Arglwydd Eryri) was used by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd; his grandfather Llywelyn Fawr used the title Prince of north Wales and Lord of Snowdonia.
Prior to the designation of the boundaries of the National Park, the term "Snowdonia" was generally used to refer to a much smaller area, namely the upland area of northern Gwynedd centred on the Snowdon massif, whereas the national park covers an area more than twice that size extending far to the south into Meirionnydd. This is apparent in books published prior to 1951 such as the classic travelogue Wild Wales by George Borrow (1862) and The Mountains of Snowdonia by H. Carr & G. Lister (1925). F. J. North, as editor of the book Snowdonia (1949), states "When the Committee delineated provisional boundaries, they included areas some distance beyond Snowdonia proper." The traditional Snowdonia thus includes the ranges of Snowdon and its satellites, the Glyderau, the Carneddau and the Moel Siabod group. It does not include the hills to the south of Maentwrog. As Eryri (see above), this area has a unique place in Welsh history, tradition and culture.
Snowdonia National Park (Welsh: Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri) was established in 1951 as the third National Park in Britain, following the Peak District and the Lake District. It covers 827 square miles (2,140 km[SUP]2[/SUP]), and has 37 miles (60 km) of coastline.
The Park is governed by the Snowdonia National Park Authority, which is made up of local government and Welsh representatives, and its main offices are at Penrhyndeudraeth. Unlike national parks in other countries, Snowdonia (and other such parks in Britain) are made up of both public and private lands under central planning authority.
More than 26,000 people live within the Park, of whom about 62% can speak at least some Welsh. The Park attracts over 6 million visitors annually, split almost equally between day and staying visitors, making it the third most visited National Park in England and Wales.
Whilst most of the land is either open or mountainous land, there is a significant amount of agricultural activity within the Park.
Since the local government re-organisation of 1998, the Park lies partly in the county of Gwynedd, and partly in the county borough of Conwy. It is governed by the 18-member Snowdonia National Park Authority; 9 members are appointed by Gwynedd, 3 by Conwy, and the remaining 6 by the National Assembly for Wales to represent the national interest.
Unusually, Snowdonia National Park has a hole in the middle, around the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, a slate quarrying centre. This was deliberately excluded from the Park when it was set up to allow the development of new light industry to replace the decimated slate industry. (There is a similar situation in the Peak District National Park where the boundaries were drawn to exclude large built-up areas and industrial sites from the park with the town of Buxton and the adjacent quarries outside but surrounded on three sides by the Park.)
The Snowdonia Society is a registered charity formed in 1967. It is a voluntary group of people with an interest in the area and its protection.
Snowdonia's importance in the conservation of habitat and wildlife in the region reflects in the fact that nearly 20% of its total area is protected by UK and European law. Half of that area was set aside by the government under the European Habitats Directive as a Special Area of Conservation. Rare mammals in the park include otters, polecats, and the feral goat, although the pine marten has not been seen for many years. Rare birds include raven, peregrine, osprey, merlin and the red kite. Another of Snowdonia's famous inhabitants is the Snowdon or Rainbow Beetle. The park has three RAMSAR Sites: the Dyfi Estuary Biosphere Reserve, Cwm Idwal and Llyn Tegid
Snowdonia is one of the wettest parts of the British Isles; Crib Goch in Snowdonia is the wettest spot in the United Kingdom, with an average rainfall of 4,473 millimetres (176.1 in) a year over the past 30 years.
So you may want to pack a waterproof too!
Disused quarry near Llanberis in the foothills of the Glyderau.
Biker! Get yer boots out and fill yer old school tartan thermos as today in 1951 - Snowdonia becomes a National Park!
Snowdonia (Welsh: Eryri) is a region in north Wales and a national park of 823 square miles (2,130 km[SUP]2[/SUP]) in area. It was the first to be designated of the three National Parks in Wales, in 1951.
The English name for the area derives from Snowdon, which is the highest mountain in Wales at 3,560 ft. (1,085 m). In Welsh, the area is named Eryri. One assumption is that the name is derived from eryr ("eagle"), but others state that it means quite simply Highlands, as leading Welsh scholar Sir Ifor Williams proved. In the Middle Ages the title Prince of Wales and Lord of Snowdonia (Tywysog Cymru ac Arglwydd Eryri) was used by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd; his grandfather Llywelyn Fawr used the title Prince of north Wales and Lord of Snowdonia.
Prior to the designation of the boundaries of the National Park, the term "Snowdonia" was generally used to refer to a much smaller area, namely the upland area of northern Gwynedd centred on the Snowdon massif, whereas the national park covers an area more than twice that size extending far to the south into Meirionnydd. This is apparent in books published prior to 1951 such as the classic travelogue Wild Wales by George Borrow (1862) and The Mountains of Snowdonia by H. Carr & G. Lister (1925). F. J. North, as editor of the book Snowdonia (1949), states "When the Committee delineated provisional boundaries, they included areas some distance beyond Snowdonia proper." The traditional Snowdonia thus includes the ranges of Snowdon and its satellites, the Glyderau, the Carneddau and the Moel Siabod group. It does not include the hills to the south of Maentwrog. As Eryri (see above), this area has a unique place in Welsh history, tradition and culture.
Snowdonia National Park (Welsh: Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri) was established in 1951 as the third National Park in Britain, following the Peak District and the Lake District. It covers 827 square miles (2,140 km[SUP]2[/SUP]), and has 37 miles (60 km) of coastline.
The Park is governed by the Snowdonia National Park Authority, which is made up of local government and Welsh representatives, and its main offices are at Penrhyndeudraeth. Unlike national parks in other countries, Snowdonia (and other such parks in Britain) are made up of both public and private lands under central planning authority.
More than 26,000 people live within the Park, of whom about 62% can speak at least some Welsh. The Park attracts over 6 million visitors annually, split almost equally between day and staying visitors, making it the third most visited National Park in England and Wales.
Whilst most of the land is either open or mountainous land, there is a significant amount of agricultural activity within the Park.
Since the local government re-organisation of 1998, the Park lies partly in the county of Gwynedd, and partly in the county borough of Conwy. It is governed by the 18-member Snowdonia National Park Authority; 9 members are appointed by Gwynedd, 3 by Conwy, and the remaining 6 by the National Assembly for Wales to represent the national interest.
Unusually, Snowdonia National Park has a hole in the middle, around the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, a slate quarrying centre. This was deliberately excluded from the Park when it was set up to allow the development of new light industry to replace the decimated slate industry. (There is a similar situation in the Peak District National Park where the boundaries were drawn to exclude large built-up areas and industrial sites from the park with the town of Buxton and the adjacent quarries outside but surrounded on three sides by the Park.)
The Snowdonia Society is a registered charity formed in 1967. It is a voluntary group of people with an interest in the area and its protection.
Snowdonia's importance in the conservation of habitat and wildlife in the region reflects in the fact that nearly 20% of its total area is protected by UK and European law. Half of that area was set aside by the government under the European Habitats Directive as a Special Area of Conservation. Rare mammals in the park include otters, polecats, and the feral goat, although the pine marten has not been seen for many years. Rare birds include raven, peregrine, osprey, merlin and the red kite. Another of Snowdonia's famous inhabitants is the Snowdon or Rainbow Beetle. The park has three RAMSAR Sites: the Dyfi Estuary Biosphere Reserve, Cwm Idwal and Llyn Tegid
Snowdonia is one of the wettest parts of the British Isles; Crib Goch in Snowdonia is the wettest spot in the United Kingdom, with an average rainfall of 4,473 millimetres (176.1 in) a year over the past 30 years.
So you may want to pack a waterproof too!
Disused quarry near Llanberis in the foothills of the Glyderau.
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OK, maybe not the cheeriest of subjects for a Wednesday morning; but it caught my eye while reading through TED and there were some interesting points being put across. LINK - IMORTALITY.
I usually just watch the lectures/talks, but keep forgetting they have discussion threads too.
I usually just watch the lectures/talks, but keep forgetting they have discussion threads too.
Biker
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Hmmmm, I see what you mean, but in my case there was no doubt abut how I felt about my Dad and he died knowing it. We were never a family that held back on telling each other how much we loved each other. The thing I missed in my 20's being able to call upon him for advice about something, like changing the clutch on a MK1 Escort and such or just having that extra pair of hands to call upon to help. I had to learn the hard way and coped. Anyway, GB's right, it is sort of depressing to begin a Wednesday morning with.
Snowdonia. Now that brings back memories and not all of them good! Went touring there in 1985 with my brother on our motorbikes, thoroughly rude people and intolerant police. They seemed to have a major chip on their shoulders about the Brits coming in and spending our money there. I swear it rained the entire time we were in North Wales, yet the sun shone as soon as Wrexham was in my rear view mirrors and we headed East for Nottingham. Spent a couple of days around the midlands before heading back to Kent. Haven't been back since. This was one of the hesitations I had for going to the Moot for the first time in 2012, whether South Wales would be as "friendly" as the north. Happy to report I had a whole different experience