First Human In Littleton

Don't sneeze this Christmas

What ‘twas like before the 1940’s.

We were born before the age of Television, Penicillin, Plastics,

Polio Shots, Frozen Foods, Xerox, Contact lens, Videos, Camcorders,

 Frisbees and the Pill. We were born before Radar, Credit Cards, Split Atoms,

 Laser Beams and Electric Blankets,

Air Conditioners Drip Dry Clothes, and before Man Walked on The Moon.

We got married and then lived together, (how quaint can you be).

We thought Fast Food was that what you eat during lent, A Big Mac was an oversized raincoat,

 and “Crumpet” we had before our tea.

We existed before House Husbands, Computer Data, Dual Careers,

And where a Meaningful Relationship meant getting on with your cousins,

 and where Sheltered Accommodation was where you waited for a bus.

 We were born before Day Care Centers, Group Homes and Disposable Nappies

We had never heard of F.M Radio, Tape Decks, Electric Typewriters,

 Artificial Hearts, Word Processors, Yoghourt, and young men wearing earrings.

For us “Time Sharing” meant togetherness, a Chip was a piece of wood or a fried potato,

 Hardware meant nuts and bolts and Software wasn’t a word

Before 1940 “Made in Japan” meant Junk. We term “Making Out” referred to how you did in your exams,

A Stud was something that fastened a collar to a shirt,

 and “going all the way” meant staying on a bus until it got to the depot.

 Pizzas, McDonalds and instant coffee was unheard of.

In our day cigarette smoking was fashionable, Grass was mown, Coke was kept in the coalhouse,

 A Joint was a piece of meat that you had on Sundays and Pot was what you cooked in.

Rock music was Grandma’s Lullaby, Eldorado was an ice cream.

A Gay person was the life and soul of the party and nothing more.

Aids just meant beauty treatment or help for someone in trouble.

We who were born before 1940

 were a hardy bunch,

 when you think of the way

the world has changed

and the adjustments we have had to make.

 No wonder we are confused

and there is a generation gap.

But by the grace of God we have survived

1889 Bassett's Directory of Tipperary

100 things we didn't know last year - Part 1

The most interesting and unexpected facts can emerge from
the daily news stories and magazine documents.
To kick off 2008, here are some of the best of last year.

1. Coach travel is the safest form of road transport in the country.

2. Saddam Hussein's codename while in US custody in 2004/5 was "Victor".

3. Adding milk to tea negates the health-giving effects of a hot brew.

4. The word "jaywalking" came from the US slang "jay",
a term popular in the early 20th Century meaning a rustic newcomer unfamiliar with city ways.

5. Cloudy apple juice is healthier than clear,
containing almost double the antioxidants which protect against heart disease and cancer.

6. Dishcloths are purged of 99% of their bacteria during two minutes in a microwave.

7. A haddock's mating call starts as a slow knocking sound,
before turning into a quicker hum similar to a small motorcycle revving its engine.

8. Newcastle is the noisiest place in England.

9. The people who built Stonehenge lived at an ancient village in Durrington Walls.

10. Brazil nuts are seeds encased in an outer shell that weighs more than 1kg.

11. Astronauts wear nappies during launch and re-entry
because they can't stop what they're doing should they need to urinate.

12. Georgic is a punishment dished out to Eton pupils
which involves the copying out of hundreds of lines of Latin.

13. Tony Blair does not keep a personal diary.

14. Antony and Cleopatra were ugly.

15. 10% of university work from across the UK is plagiarised.

16. Chimpanzees make their own spears for hunting.

17. Two cups of spearmint tea a day is thought to control excessive hair growth for women.

18. Burglar alarms, traffic wardens and crowded buses
are good news for home owners, signalling an area is on the up.

19. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez hosts a daily radio phone-in show.

20. More than half (52%) of smokers haven't told their parents about their habit.

100 things we didn't know last year - Part 2

The most interesting and unexpected facts can emerge from
the daily news stories and magazine documents.
To kick off 2008, here are some of the best of last year.

21. Only about half of China's population can speak the national language, Mandarin.

22. The brief flowering of the cherry blossom tree is taken so seriously in Japan that forecasts are used to plan festivals, and travel agents use them to plan tours.

23. To be found attractive, women should sway their hips and men their shoulders (although researchers call this a "shoulder swagger").

24. There  are 30,000 wild parakeets in London.

25. Martina Navratilova has spent four years secretly working as an artist.

26. Harvesting rhubarb in candlelight helps preserve its flavour.

27. Drinking, drug-taking teenagers are in the decline, according to a survey by the Information Centre.

28. Designer discount retailer TK Maxx is called TJ Maxx in the US.

29. The average duvet is home to 20,000 live dust mites.

30. Serving anything more than tea and biscuits at a political meeting is an offence called "treating" and punishable by a year in prison or an unlimited fine, under the the Representation of the People Act 1893.

31. There is mobile phone reception from the summit of Mount Everest.

32. Anti-Americanism began in Paris in the 18th Century.

33. Female civil servants in India are questioned about their menstrual cycle as part of their appraisal.

34. Kryptonite exists.

35. Denmark is the happiest country in Europe; Italy the unhappiest. (The UK was 9th out of 15.)

36. A water-tight denial by a politician – as opposed to one that leaves room for later manoeuvre - is known as a Sherman pledge. The other sort is called a non-denial denial.

37. Spiralling obesity rates are forcing councils to upgrade their crematoria, to take wider coffins.

38. Gerry Adams doesn't own a credit card, so gets a friend to download songs from the internet.

39. The secret to happiness is accepting misery.

40. A new three-bedroom house must have at least 38 plug sockets.

100 things we didn't know last year - Part 3


41. There are 1,200 exhumations every year in the UK, but not all of those are part of criminal cases.

42. Nearly seven out of 10 (69%) of adults are still in touch with at least one childhood friend.

43. Bernard Manning worked as an armed guard watching over senior Nazis locked up in Berlin’s Spandau prison.

44. Europe has a vodka belt comprising Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Denmark and Sweden,
although the drink is also made in countries such as Britain, France, Italy and Spain.

45. Domestic cats can trace their descent to the Middle East.

46. Peanuts can be made into diamonds.

47. The prime ministerial Jaguar is called Pegasus.

48. You can be arrested for using someone's wi-fi network without permission.

49. CDs were nearly called mini-racks.

50. Left-handed people are called sinistral.

51. Nick Clegg, the Lib Dems' new leader, once took a road trip across the US with his friend Louis Theroux.

52. There are 17 surviving versions of the Magna Carta - or 17 Magnae Cartae.

53. Renowned atheist Professor Richard Dawkins likes singing Christmas carols.

54. The Australian town of Eucla has its own time zone.

55. Books used to be bound in human skin.

56. Eddie Irvine is Britain's wealthiest sports star – beating the Beckhams into second place by £30m.

57. Sleeping on the job is tolerated in Japanese work culture,
as long as you remain upright and obey certain other rules. It's called inemuri.

58. The Romans had roadmaps.

59. The word Blighty comes from "bilayti", the Urdu for homeland.

60. The Queen took her corgi on honeymoon.

In my Father's time

Dats all for now