The Masticating Reporter

When I was growing up in the 1960's the chewing of gum was very definitely a no no. Those who indulged in this imported American habit were viewed with some disdain, perhaps even disgust. They were most definitely personae non gratae. I suspect however that the general view on the habit has become less damnatory over the years. Maybe this is due to the sale of nicorette gum to those trying to give up smoking. There has certainly been a reversal in the social acceptability of the two habits and it is tempting to suggest that chewing gum is now almost lauded by certain people because of its connotations with the giving up of the pernicious weed.

 

I have to say however that my views on the chewing of gum have not altered much from those that were inculcated into me during my formative years. I do not like the habit and I find it very off putting to have some individual talk to me whilst exercising his molars on a ball of saliva covered gum. If I have the misfortune to catch sight of some gum addict's mandibular delight stuck between his dentition I begin to feel nauseous.

 

Imagine then my feelings of revulsion when I recently viewed a video clip on the website of a small NI newspaper. One of the paper's reporters was requesting information on a photograph which had been supplied by a reader. He was chewing gum throughout the clip. I accept that this was not national television, nor the website of a national newspaper, but was this behaviour acceptable? I cannot be persuaded that it was. I emailed the editor of the relevant publication and asked him if the reporter was being admonished for his conduct. He did not respond.

 

Major-General Sir Robert Porter K.C.B., C.M.G.

Born in Co. Donegal in 1858 the young Robert Porter received his initial education at Foyle College before taking up his medical studies at Glasgow University. He entered the RAMC in 1881. This saw him serving in the Ashanti Wars of 1895/96 and he was present at the capture of Coonmassie which event is related in Henty's novel, "By Sheer Pluck." He was awarded the Ashanti Star (1896) and as a veteran of the South African War he received the Queen's South African Medal and the King's South African Medal.

 

Subsequent appointments saw him as Administrative Medical Officer in the Irish Command (1908-10), Principal Medical Officer Western Command (1910) and Deputy Director of Medical Services Malta (1910-14). During the Great War he was appointed Director of Medical Services 2 Army and was mentioned in dispatches no fewer than six times. He was awarded with the honour of Commander of the Order of the Crown and the Croix de Guerre by Belgium. His medals also included a 1914 Star Trio with August- November clasp. He retired from service in 1918. At the time of his death on 27th February 1928 Major-General Sir Robert Porter was resident at Beckenham, Kent.

 

In 2011 Sir Robert's medal group was being advertised for sale at a militaria auction being held by Lochdales of Ipswich. The estimate was £5,500. A sad footnote on a distinguished military career.

 

Sources: The Magazine of Foyle College; Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives.

 

City of Culture Packing Up

Now that Londonderry's year as the UK's City of Culture is fizzling to a conclusion it seems to be getting more attention in the media. The BBC reports that, "The Venue," the name given to the temporary structure which was erected to host the eminently forgettable, "headlining," events is to be dismantled in January 2014. There was no appetite from the private sector to take over the running of this structure. Four million pounds was spend on the erection of this glorified tent and apparently £500,000 will now be spent on its removal from the landscape. It really does seem that the legacy of the City of Culture will be forgettable.

 

No doubt a few hostelries and coffee shops have seen an increase in takings, but has the dear old rate payer been a winner? Derry City Council is expecting a deficit of £1.5 million pounds. Within the last month three directors of the '"Culture Company," have elected fior resignation. Not a happy ship, not a cultural success, not a lasting legacy.

 

Stormy Run

 

An immature herring gull stood ignoring its adult companion and attempting to ignore the winds which blew in from the churning sea. The steel coloured waves crashed into the rocks and turned into a series of noisy, churning malestroms. Not a day for bird flight and not an appealing day for a coastal run.

Despite the discouraging weather I decided to proceed with my run around the area of Portrush, slightly cheered by the rainbow that appeared on the horizon far out to sea. Maybe I wouldn't get too wet!

 

Initially I ran around Ramore Head. There was no shelter here. The wind buffeted me. It tasted salty. Every few seconds it would ease slightly, causing me to stagger into the momentary vacuum. To my right, next the sea, two posies had been thrust into a crevice in the rocks, a sad reminder of a fisherman torn away by the greedy sea.

 

The West Strand was empty, although there were a few walkers striding along the promenade above the beach. They were all encased in waterproof clothing. Usually when I run past someone a few words of greeting pass between us, but not today. People walked with their heads down, intent on completing their perambulation as soon as possible. These walkers were out to complete a task, not for idle enjoyment.

 

Like the walkers I was anxious to complete my exertions as soon as possible. It was not a day to savour the weather. Reaching the end of the promenade I headed inland, passing under the railway line and made for the East Strand. It also was empty of people. A small flock of sandpipers chased the waves in and out. I turned just before the White Rocks and retraced my strides. I had checked the distance on my Garmin. I now took the most direct route back to my car. It was good to get out of the wind. Lunch beckoned. Eight miles completed.

 

 

 

 

 

Sir Andrew Searle Hart.

Born on the 14th March 1811 Andrew Searle Hart was the youngest son of Rev. George Vaughan Hart of Glenalla, Co Donegal and his wife Maria. His initial education was received at Foyle College and from thence he went to Trinity College Dublin in 1828. At Trinity he was a classmate of Isaac Butt, the son of another Donegal Rector.

 

Hart graduated in 1833 and obtained the Science Gold Medal. He was a elected a Fellow in 1835, became Master of Arts in 1839, LLD in 1840 and was co-opted as Senior Fellow in 1854. The apogee of his collegiate career came in 1876 when he became the forty second Vice-Provost of Trinity. As was then the custom he retained this position until his death on 13th April 1890. He was the author of an Elementary Treatise on Mechanics (Dublin 1844) and an Elementary Treatise on Hydrostatics and Optics (Dublin 1846). He was a member of the Royal Dublin Society and the Royal Irish Academy.

 

On Monday, 25th January 1886, prior to the levee, The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, His Excellency the Earl of Carnarvon, conferred a knighthood upon this Old Boy of Foyle College. Writing to the then Headmaster of Foyle, Dr Maurice Hine, shortly afterwards Sir Andrew said as follows, - " Many thanks for your congratulations on a honour which is liable to be misunderstood. It was intended by His Excellency as a parting compliment to Trinity College, and my claim to a share in the honour rests solely on the fact that no other living man has been so long connected with the College as I. This is a claim which I can safely undertake to maintain against all the world, which gives me an advantage over many men who have been similarly honoured."

 

Sources: Our School Times March 1886.

 

Last Legumes of the Year

 

When I harvested the garlic I sowed a row of a dwarf growing garden pea. This was done more in the hope than the expectation that I would have any pods to pull before the descent of autumn frosts. Against the odds the pea vines have grown to maturity within the timeframe allotted to them by the vagaries of our climate and I was able to pull some fifty pods this pm. Hopefully the remaining pods will swell out during the course of the next week and I will have a few pounds of peas for freezing.

 

Dental Flossy? Methinks Not.

 

I have been attending my present dental practice for about seven years. However my first experience of the practice dates back to the 1960's when for whatever reason I was taken there by my parents when I broke a crown. (I think that our usual dental surgeon must have been on holiday.)

 

Returning to the practice more than forty years later it was still very recognisable. True there were a few computers in evidence and there had probably been one or two partial refits over the years and of course the staff and dentists had changed, but it was still very much the same practice and I have to concede a trifle old fashioned. Not that there is anything wrong with a touch of yesteryear. It can be very reassuring and the treatment I received, dental and social was always first rate, although I was always wary of the deplaquing exercise. It was my practice to take two or three painkillers in advance of my six monthly checkups.

 

About a year ago the principal elected to retire and his successor, a dentist of the female variety has embarked on an extensive modernisation scheme. The premises definitely needed this revamp. Work is still very much ongoing, but the surgery into which I was ushered last week had been completed. The old linoleum and strip lighting had disappeared to be replaced by dazzling white walls and bright inset ceiling lights. A brand spanking new treatment chair and dental equipment sat amidst the room.

 

Methinks that my now dentist will prove to be a very astute business woman as well as a being a proficient dental surgeon. She is definitely not a dental flossy!

I forgot to take any painkillers in anticipation of my checkup; deplaque and clean. It wasn't necessary. The female dental touch may be gentler than that of the male!