Nearly 200 beacons have been lit across Kent as part of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
More than 4,000 beacons were lit across the Commonwealth and beacons around the UK were set off on landmarks and hills.
Kent saw more beacons lit than any other county, with 182 applications made to the event organisers.
The South Foreland Lighthouse on the Kent coast was lit for first time in over 20 years as part of the event.
'Community spirit'The National Trust, which owns the lighthouse, said it would be the largest and brightest of the beacons, with its beam able to reach almost 40 miles.
In Gravesend, members of the Windmill Hill Residents Association have prepared a beacon which overlooks the Thames Estuary.
Beacons have been lit on Windmill Hill throughout history when they were first used to warn of the approach of invading forces coming up the Thames.
The Jubilee beacon was originally erected in 1988 for celebrations to mark the 400th anniversary of the defeat of the Spanish Armada and is lit by residents every New Year's Eve.
David Draper, of Windmill Hill Residents Association said: "We've got a great community spirit on the hill.
"I have had loads of people phoning me up saying 'we want to give you a hand' even though it's raining."
See all the latest Diamond Jubilee news and features at bbc.co.uk/diamondjubilee
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Duke of Edinburgh taken to London hospital with a bladder infection - Stv.tv
A star-studded concert in tribute to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee has been overshadowed by news that the Duke of Edinburgh has been taken to hospital with a bladder infection.
Prince Philip, 90, was taken to the King Edward VII Hospital in London from Windsor Castle as a precautionary measure and will remain in hospital under observation for a few days, a palace spokeswoman said.
The news was released just hours before the Diamond Jubilee concert was due to begin in front of Buckingham palace.
The spokesman said the Queen would still attend the concert.
The statement on the Duke's health said: "HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was taken to King Edward VII Hospital in London this afternoon, from Windsor Castle, as a precautionary measure after developing a bladder infection, which is being assessed and treated.
"Prince Philip will remain in hospital under observation for a few days.
"He is, understandably, disappointed about missing this evening's Diamond Jubilee Concert and tomorrow's engagements."
Take That singer Robbie Williams opened the concert in front of Buckingham Palace by declaring to thousands of fans: "Let me entertain you."
Sir Paul McCartney, who closed the show with three songs, wished the Duke well, saying: "I think, you know, we all send our best wishes for a speedy recovery. I hear he's not too bad."
On Sunday, Prince Philip joined his family on the Royal Barge during the Diamond Jubilee pageant, standing for much of the day, and he did not look to be in discomfort.
The Queen was missing from the royal box at the beginning of the three-hour show but was expected to take her seat at around 9pm before lighting a ceremonial beacon at 10.30pm.
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Source: news.stv.tv
Kent racehorse Stone of Folca becomes world’s fastest - Kent News
Stone of Folca
Chris Murphy
Monday, June 4, 2012
1:17 PM
Horse trained by Maidstone’s John Best romps to victory at Epsom Derby Day
A Kent racehorse has become the world’s fastest over five furlongs - with the Queen looking on as she kicked off her Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
The incredible performance of Stone of Folca, from the original name of Folkestone, saw him take the world record over that distance in front of the Queen.
He is trained by John Best at Detling near Maidstone, who could not be happier, as the horse’s value has just soared.
Anyone with around £400,000 to spare and fancies owning an animal with more horse power than any other can get in touch.
Stone of Folca is owned by people holding 120 shares, which were originally bought for £555 each.
But then the horse won the Investec Specialist Bank Dash during the Epsom Derby Day meeting on Saturday in front of the monarch.
He was a 50-1 long shot, ridden by Luke Morris, but it left the rest of the 20-strong field in his wake win in a time of 53.69 seconds. That is 0.09 seconds faster than Indigenous did 52 years ago using a handheld stopwatch which was wildly inaccurate, especially when hundredths of seconds count.
The £46,000 prize money is now paid out to the shareholders at around £380 per share, almost paying the owners back in one race.
Mr Best said: “We do sell horses from here when they run well so we make a profit. I would say this horse is now worth something between £300,000 and £400,000. Many go to Hong Kong.”
The Epsom course is slightly downhill, so the record is unlikely to be broken at any other track, and Stone of Folca just happened to be on his best form that day.
Mr Best said: “He is four this year. He was a fine two-year-old, then had last year whichg wasn’t too great, and now this.
“And he did it from stall two. At Epsom no one wins from under stall nine out of the 20 or so. A high stall number is vital to win. So if Stone of Folca had one of the higher stalls, he would have shattered all the records.
“I’ve always known he was quick but sometimes he can be very hard to handle. This time though every thing went like a dream.
“I believe not only was it the first time the race has been won from a stall lower than nine, but also the fastest time recorded electronically for any five furlong race. We will almost certainly take our chances at Royal Ascot, in June although that will be a huge step up.”
Source: www.kentnews.co.uk
London 2012 Olympics: Britain's greatest badminton player Nathan Robertson retires after missing selection for the Games - Daily Telegraph
But he had no qualms in admitting that Adcock and Bankier had simply been the best mixed doubles pair over the last 12 months.
“For neutral fans, it has been entertaining to see how the rivalry played out,” he said. “We had expectations going into qualifying but we didn’t just miss out in the end, we missed out by a long way.
“They fully deserved their place and I have already offered my support to the players and coaches in the build-up to the Games.”
Adrian Christy, Badminton England’s chief executive, said: “It is a sad day for the sport as he is arguably our greatest ever player, a one-off, super-talented individual.
“He is an infectious character and a brilliant role model. Our pool of talented players now need to aspire to his heights.”
Keeping in line with Christy’s view that former players should be rewarded for their services, Robertson is now likely to take up an ambassadorial role within the sport.
Robertson competed at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 before winning silver with long-time partner Gail Emms at the Athens Games in 2004.
Two years later, the pair won Commonwealth gold in Melbourne and then the world title in Madrid. He forged a partnership with Wallwork following Emms’ retirement at the last Olympics in Beijing.
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Essex County Chronicles: Marblehead's 'Seed King' liked to spread his wealth around - Salem News
There was little in his early ré©sumé© to indicate that James J.H. Gregory would become known by the time of his death in 1910 as the "Seed King."
According to a profile found under Gregory's entry in the online "Seedsmen Hall of Fame," the Marblehead native was on his way to a successful career in education. He had taught school in his hometown from 1848 to 1850 and obtained a degree from Amherst College (Class of 1850) before being hired to head the prestigious Derby Academy in Hingham in 1851.
The educator had become interested in horticulture as a young man when a neighbor, Elizabeth Hubbard, gave his father a green, hard-shell squash normally found in warmer climates. The squash tickled his taste buds, and Gregory was pleased to discover that he could even grow it in New England. When his own version hit the commercial market many years later, he paid tribute to Hubbard by naming it after her.
After decades of evolution and experimentation, Gregory, now totally committed to horticultural pursuits, produced a new improved Hubbard in the 1860s that he named "Marblehead." Another Gregory variation of the original Hubbard squash was the Blue Hubbard, which was not only blue but could weigh as much as 50 pounds.
According to one source, it was the Marblehead that brought fame to Gregory. It was one of the largest varieties in the world, sometimes tipping the scales at a whopping 60 pounds. Despite its size, claimed one testimonial, the vegetable was unmatched "for reliability for heading, sweetness and tenderness."
By 1900, Gregory was one of the premier growers and sellers of seeds in America. On his more than 400 acres, spread out over Marblehead and neighboring communities, he grew many varieties of squash, as well as cherry tomatoes, "Danvers onions," Burbank white potatoes and other vegetables.
While his business was selling squash seeds, the squash itself did not go to waste. Locals lined up at the Squash House on Elm Street (moved there from Gerry Island) to procure the expendable cabbage. This policy of "recycling" made Gregory a popular man in his hometown.
Like Lynn entrepreneur Lydia Pinkham, who was the first to use her own image on every bottle of her company's famous potion, Gregory was also a marketing innovator. The Marblehead businessman is said to have introduced seed packages that featured a colorful picture of the vegetable in full bloom and instructions for the planting and care of the seeds within.
Gregory was as unlucky in love as he was blessed in his business. He was married three times, and two of those wives predeceased him. While he never fathered any children of his own, Gregory and his various spouses adopted eight orphans. He and his family lived comfortably in the Peach's Point area.
Giving away squash and giving orphaned children a home was just the tip of the Gregory legacy of service. The large painting that hangs in the selectmen's Room in Abbot Hall called "Crossing the Grand Banks" was a gift from the seedsman, as were many other paintings and prints now in the possession of the town.
Gregory was a member of the Abbot Hall building committee, and also forked over the funds for the bell and clock in the building's iconic tower. He was not responsible, however, a local wag once noted, for the dead pigeons that are often found in the tower.
Gregory also gave what is now called Fountain Park to the people of Marblehead for future generations to enjoy.
The "Seed King" never forgot his academic roots. In the 1880s, the former teacher made a sizable contribution to a school for black children that had been started by the American Missionary Association in Wilmington, N.C. The school was then renamed the Gregory Normal Institute in his honor. The institution operated until 1921, and, upon its closing, a nearby public school was named for the Marblehead philanthropist.
Beginning in 1906, Gregory donated more than 30,000 books to schools for African-Americans and poor rural whites, as well as to some prisons and missions in the American South. All the titles were personally chosen by Gregory and stamped "Marblehead Libraries."
Amazingly, the source of these books was kept secret until the 1960s when a dogged researcher tracked the information down, says Pam Matthias Peterson in her "Marblehead, Myths, Legends and Lore."
An unusual Gregory bequest established a fund used to buy carriages for any twins who might be lucky enough to be born in Marblehead.
Other Gregory contributions were of a service or literary nature. He wrote poems and an article on Indian relics for the Essex Antiquarian, the latter based on his personal collection of more than 2,000 items found in Marblehead. He also wrote for horticultural magazines, and served at various times as Marblehead selectman, state senator and vice president of the Essex County Agricultural Society.
• • •
Jim McAllister of Salem writes a biweekly column on the history of the North Shore. Contact him at culturecorner@gmail.com
Source: www.salemnews.com
London Symphony to pretend to play for Olympics ceremony - Los Angeles Times
Reports from Britain state that the orchestra will mimic playing to prerecorded music due to concerns about the weather and the shape of the performing venue -- a large, oval-shaped arena whose scale would apparently make a live-music performance tricky.
The ceremony, which is set to take place at the new Olympic Stadium, is being overseen by Oscar-winner Danny Boyle, who serves as artistic director for the massive event.
The London Symphony has reportedly recorded the music that is scheduled to be played during the July 27 ceremony. The Daily Mail reports that Boyle wanted the orchestra to perform live, but that he was overruled by the organizing committee for the Games.
When viewers around the world tune in for the ceremony, they can expect to see the conductor and musicians from the renowned orchestra going through the motions while a soundtrack plays.
This wouldn't be the first time that the mimicking of live music was used at an Olympics ceremony. In 2008, a mini-controversy developed during the Beijing Games when it was revealed that a 9-year-old singer lip-synced to the voice of another young girl whom officials had deemed less telegenic.
Similarly, at President Obama's inauguration, the musical performance by cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Itzhak Perlman, pianist Gabriella Montero and clarinetist Anthony McGill played, unamplified, to a recording. The decision to use a recording was made over fears that the cold weather that day could damage the instruments.
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Source: www.latimes.com
London loses in sale of app firm - lfpress.com
Toronto will reap the rewards of a promising hi-tech business developed in London.
And the sale of the company called Carbyn is a warning that the city needs to build a stronger tech community or it will lose more companies, a startup expert says.
Carbyn is working on cloud-based software for apps carried on mobile devices.
Owner Jaafer Haidar sold Carbyn to Synacor of Buffalo for $1.1 million. Synacor is shifting the core function of the business to a Carbyn office in Toronto. Carbyn’s London office that employs eight people will remain open.
Carbyn has had difficulty finding employees in London.
“We have not seen a lot of quality resumes here in London,” Haidar said. “It pains me to say it, but we may not be able to do it here.”
But Haidar said he plans to stay in London and invest the proceeds from the sale in new software he’s developing.
For technology observers, the loss of Carbyn is a blow, but the most important thing is that Haidar, forging a reputation as one of London’s most innovative software executives, is staying.
“It’s a concern, but with Jaafer the thrill is in the chase and in building. The most important thing is we still have a person like Jaafer here,” said John Pollock, director of BizInc, the technology incubator at Western University.
Jaafer also sold digital scrapbooking software to the craft company Michael’s for $1.5 million in 2010.
norman.debono@sunmedia.ca
Source: www.lfpress.com
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