Go Jessica Ennis !

[DaveH]

Fantastic civic reception for her in Barkers Pool today, looked like all of Sheffield had turned out to welcome her home.

Given the freedom of the City and her "star" from the walk of fame outside the town hall has been removed and painted gold.

Other things, like renaming sporting facilities in her honour are still being discussed by the council.

But what a sickener for "Look Leeds", - they had to do a half hour special on it live from Sheffield. Christa Ackroyd had to actually travel to come here and had to say nice things about Sheffield rather than Leeds or Bradford, Oh dear, that will have gone against the Yorkshire TV grain a bit!

They said that the Everley Pregnant Brothers were playing there as well but didn't show them, - probably too worried about Toby Foster swearing on prime time TV.

Having mentioned Leeds, - I hope their council will be doing something similar for their boxing gold medalist Nicola Adams, - she's a star as well.

[Bayleaf]

Fantastic civic reception for her in Barkers Pool today, looked like all of Sheffield had turned out to welcome her home.

Given the freedom of the City and her "star" from the walk of fame outside the town hall has been removed and painted gold.

Other things, like renaming sporting facilities in her honour are still being discussed by the council.

But what a sickener for "Look Leeds", - they had to do a half hour special on it live from Sheffield. Christa Ackroyd had to actually travel to come here and had to say nice things about Sheffield rather than Leeds or Bradford, Oh dear, that will have gone against the Yorkshire TV grain a bit!

They said that the Everley Pregnant Brothers were playing there as well but didn't show them, - probably too worried about Toby Foster swearing on prime time TV.

Having mentioned Leeds, - I hope their council will be doing something similar for their boxing gold medalist Nicola Adams, - she's a star as well.

Shame they couldn't let Sheffield get on with it. Fronting the 'show' on stage was Toby Foster, a local BBC employee, but we had to have Chrysta in the foreground telling us what we could see happening behind her, and a fellow numpty patronising the crowd. There had been an item on the 6pm national news about it, and they'd also got a reporter there. The BBC may well have accounted for a significant proportion of the crowd!

Leeds have already had a civic reception for the Brownlees, but no mention of Nicola Adams. Perhaps she'll have her own.

[DaveH]

Shame they couldn't let Sheffield get on with it. Fronting the 'show' on stage was Toby Foster, a local BBC employee, but we had to have Chrysta in the foreground telling us what we could see happening behind her, and a fellow numpty patronising the crowd. There had been an item on the 6pm national news about it, and they'd also got a reporter there. The BBC may well have accounted for a significant proportion of the crowd!

I couldn't agree more.

I hate programmes which have the same over rated, over paid but under skilled presenters doing all the talking, - this is a major fault of the BBC, both TV and radio, and a big waste of licence payers money. They could quite easily get someone more specific to each report (although that would involve someone having to get off their backside in their Leeds based office and actually do a bit of work to earn their high salary for a change) which would give us a fresh face and personality, more knowledgable and educated on what they are presenting and above all, a hell of a lot cheaper and better value for money.

I also hate condescending presenters, often just unseen narrators, who have to tell you the obvious that you can quite easily see or hear for yourself if they would shut up, and the narrators who constantly say "coming up next, this will happen that will happen sort of stuff", - if they are going to tell me what happens what is the point of me then bothering to watch it? Closely allied to this is the "In the last few minutes we have seen this and that happen", - a sort of repeat of the programme within the same programme, - now if I am watching something that interests me, - and if it didn't I would switch it off, - then a do have a concentration span and memory of more than just "the last few minutes". All this does is waste time, spin the show out without a lot of work or effort from the BBC and earn some overpaid smug pratt another few grand for talking a load of rubbish.

News broadcasts are the worst, because they give the facts (the actual news) in a few seconds, - and then spend the next hour talking to people in what is nothing more than opinions and speculation of the "what if, what next, what can we do?" nature.

Sports programmes come a close second. A football match last 90 minutes, but the good old BBC will schedule 3 or 4 hours to it so that before and after the match 3 or so has-been old footballers who can't string a sentence together in plain English can sit there talking about it, Why does it take longer to discuss it than to play the match? Who is actually interested in their self opinionated view of it anyway when they can see the game for themselves?

We are narrated to as though we are stupid. I am not an idiot and neither are the vast majority of the millions of viewers who have to suffer this treatment every time we watch the television.

[DaveH]

Leeds have already had a civic reception for the Brownlees, but no mention of Nicola Adams. Perhaps she'll have her own.

I hope they do.

Like Jess, she comes across as a very pleasant young lady and is a good role model for her sport.

Further, Nicola's gold medal is unique, she is the first woman ever to win a gold in olympic boxing.

[DaveH]

Like Jess, she comes across as a very pleasant young lady and is a good role model for her sport.

As a teacher what has impressed me most about our athletes is what good, positive role models they all are for our young people.

Sportsmen, particularly footballers and boxers, have frequently come across in a poor light once they achieve fame and ludicrously high incomes. They come across as arrogant big heads who consider themselves above the law, they have poor levels of education and cannot interview without endless randomly inserted "yer know" and "know what I mean" phrases in every sentence or resorting to swearing and bad language. Their private lives also hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons, - drunkenness, drug abuse, affairs, wife beating, assaults on members of the public, driving offences often in flash sports cars etc.

However, our current athletes seem to be excellent role models, they are well educated and speak well on interview (Jessica Ennis went to King Ecgberts school and got 3 A levels and then did a degree in psychology at Sheffield University. Tom Daley took his A levels just before the Olympics and got his results just after and has done well in them). They all have the ethic of constant hard work and training, taking up time and effort if they are to do well and achieve their Olympic and other goals, - something many young people lack these days. All of them have only appeared in the media in a positive light and in connection mainly with their sporting achievements themselves. Even when they don't win, - and we have had a few Olympic disapointments, they still come across well because we know they have done their best and they take the defeat gracefully.

Many of these athletes, including Jessica and Nicola, have also spoken of "giving something back" and "encouraging other young people to be inspired by their performance and follow their lead into sports"

What more can we ask of them, - they are very positive role models, - something which seems to be lacking these days.

[Bayleaf]

There was someone from the football world on the radio after people had been comparing these athletes with the image of professional footballers, particularly the Premiership ones.

He pointed out that several of them had said immediately after winning that they were going to party, or do some serious drinking, and Bradley Wiggins had tweeted that he was getting very drunk, and said this made them no better than the football lot as role models.

But the athletes were taking a very brief and earned break from their training, letting off a lot of pent-up steam, not out on the town as a regular thing, and getting in the headlines for their behaviour.

Despite their celebrating, I don't recall any of the athletes appearing in the media having disgraced themselves by over-celebrating, and I'm sure the media would have been only too happy to tell us if they had.

[DaveH]

There was someone from the football world on the radio after people had been comparing these athletes with the image of professional footballers, particularly the Premiership ones.

He pointed out that several of them had said immediately after winning that they were going to party, or do some serious drinking, and Bradley Wiggins had tweeted that he was getting very drunk, and said this made them no better than the football lot as role models.

But the athletes were taking a very brief and earned break from their training, letting off a lot of pent-up steam, not out on the town as a regular thing, and getting in the headlines for their behaviour.

Despite their celebrating, I don't recall any of the athletes appearing in the media having disgraced themselves by over-celebrating, and I'm sure the media would have been only too happy to tell us if they had.

Professional footballers have not always been bad role models, it seems to have started with paying them silly amounts of money. I wouldn't like to generalise too much either as David Beckham, who also played a big part in organising the current Olympics is a roll model to many young men and is pretty good at keeping clear of trouble and setting a good example.

To my generation the 1966 World Cup team were roll model footballers and most of them behaved well and set a good example to younger people.

As it remember it only Jimmy Greaves disgraced himself by drinking too much.

In a later interview having become a recovering alcoholic Greaves admitted that drinking cost him a place in the team, being relegated to one of the substitutes.

His words were something like "...so Matt Busby replaced me in the team with Geoff Hurst, and looking back at what happened, - I'm glad he did!"

[DaveH]

Jessica Ennis is appearing, in characature cartoon form, in this weeks BEANO comic as "ENNIS THE MENACE" (a play on their well known Beano character Dennis)

What an accolade, - our number 1 athlete appearing in our number 1 comic.

I have a copy of the cartoon and it looks very like Jess.

I would post it, copyright permitting from D.C. Thomson Ltd. who publish the Beano

I may just post it anyway because I'm a menace as well, - and in any case in another week or two I will have to be teaching the Bash Street Kids again!

[Bayleaf]

Jessica Ennis is appearing, in characature cartoon form, in this weeks BEANO comic as "ENNIS THE MENACE" (a play on their well known Beano character Dennis)

What an accolade, - our number 1 athlete appearing in our number 1 comic.

I have a copy of the cartoon and it looks very like Jess.

I would post it, copyright permitting from D.C. Thomson Ltd. who publish the Beano

I may just post it anyway because I'm a menace as well, - and in any case in another week or two I will have to be teaching the Bash Street Kids again!

Can't find an actual copy online, but you can get a flavour here! (Click on the front page to get a larger image)

[DaveH]

Ennis the Menace!!!

[DaveH]

Ennis the Menace!!!

OK, the image seems to be freely available on the net already from a variety of sources including this newspaper article

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/9490131/Jessica-Ennis-to-appear-in-The-Beano-comic-as-Ennis-the-Menace.html

So there shouldn't be a problem with the posting of this publicity image

[Bayleaf]

According to today's Grauniad She's only the third living person to appear in the Beano, her, David Beckham and the Rev Barrington Bennetts who ran the Seven Stars pub in Falmouth. (The last named dies last December, but appeared in his lifetime.)

[DaveH]

According to today's Grauniad She's only the third living person to appear in the Beano, her, David Beckham and the Rev Barrington Bennetts who ran the Seven Stars pub in Falmouth. (The last named dies last December, but appeared in his lifetime.)

Television characters, particularly larger than life ones, often appear or at least get mentioned in the Dandy, but not so much in the Beano

A few years ago Fred Elliott, I say Fred Elliott the butcher out of Cornation Street (played by John Savident) was frequently parodied in the Dandy, and after recent changes to The Dandy in an attempt to revive falling sales living characters were used quite a lot, so much so that their Harry Hill character spent some time as the front page strip (They should never have got rid of Korky the Cat! ).

Unfortunately sales have continued to fall and the latest is that The Dandy, after celebrating its 75th anniversary with a special edition this December will then resort to being an Internet comic without a printed paper version at all. That will leave The Beano as Britains oldest, longest running comic.

[Bayleaf]

And now, the ultimate accolade, a special gold label commemorative edition of Hendo's! lol

[DaveH]

And now, the ultimate accolade, a special gold label commemorative edition of Hendo's!

Jess Ennis Hendersons relish!

Are they going to bring out a Sheffield made Jess Ennis commemorative penknike as well?

[Stuart0742]

Jess Ennis Hendersons relish!

Are they going to bring out a Sheffield made Jess Ennis commemorative penknike as well?

Can you still buy a Sheffield made penknife

Are you allowed to carry a penknife nowadays

[Bayleaf]

Can you still buy a Sheffield made penknife

Are you allowed to carry a penknife nowadays

One of the engineers at the Shepherd Wheel is a penknife maker, and to commemorate the re-opening, he has made a penknife, from ironstone from the Porter Valley, to present to the Friends who raised the wherewithall for the renovation, so the skills are still there.

[DaveH]

Can you still buy a Sheffield made penknife

Are you allowed to carry a penknife nowadays

First question, - I don't know, - perhaps they are still made locally in small numbers but no one seems to own one these days do they?

The reason for that could be, -

Second question, - It is an offence to carry an offensive weapon on open view in a public place, to carry it, even hidden (in your pocket) if it is to be used with intent to cause injury or threat.

Now a gun or a sword or certain types of knife (bayonets for example) are tools for the sole purpose of killing something and I can see the Law would make no exceptions if you were caught carrying one.

However many other tools, such as penknives, kitchen knives, scredrivers, hammers, saws, chisels etc, etc, were made for a more practical and peaceful purpose. Just because a criminal minority have used these everyday tools with intent to cause injury (which they are perfectly capable of doing in the wrong hands) they can be described as "offensive weapons" if you are stopped by the Police and in possession of one, - even though the reason for carrying it could, and most probably would, be quite innocent.

I hope it isn't an offence to carry a penknife because my wife bought me a top of the range Victrinox Swiss Army Knife with all the gadgets, - including the one to remove stones from horses hooves. I'm not daft enough to try and go through Manchester Airport security with it in my pocket or hand luggage and I have no intention of threatening or injuring someone with it (even if I don't like them or have been arguing with them) but to be safe I don't carry it at all unless I know I am going to be using it to do something with.

[DaveH]

One of the engineers at the Shepherd Wheel is a penknife maker, and to commemorate the re-opening, he has made a penknife, from ironstone from the Porter Valley, to present to the Friends who raised the wherewithall for the renovation, so the skills are still there.

Don't some of the "little mesters" who work in the shops in Kelham Island museum make penknives?