1 April 2011

Known as April Fools’ Day. The day on which traditionally pranks are played upon people.

Even the respected BBC in a programme called Panorama in 1957 played, what has become one of the most famous hoaxes of April Fools’ Day. It concerned, what they described as the spaghetti harvest. The programme announced that due to a very mild winter and the virtual elimination of the spaghetti weevil Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper crop. It was accompanied by pictures of Swiss peasants pulling strands of spaghetti from trees. As a result, a huge number of viewers contacted the BBC wanting to know how to grow these trees. To this the BBC diplomatically replied ‘place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best!

I heard on this morning’s news that a schoolboy had been accused of assault against another classmate with a marshmallow and the police had been called to his school to deal with the complaint. The newscaster went on to say what a dreadful waste of public money, the thingwhich made me believe that it might be true but perhaps, after all, this is yet another April Fools’ Day hoax. What isn’t a hoax is another announcement, I heard where British manufacturers were complaining that the young people. they employed, in effect, as apprentices, were incapable of doing anything with their hands. In my time there were such things as carpentry and metalwork classes for those interested in the subject, but today, apparently, schools are not allowed to teach such handicrafts in case a child gets injured and sues the school. What absolute nonsense.

Now for a bit more nonsense. My readers deserve something a little lighter than the heavy astronomical stuff. I got into yesterday. Here is a sketch, which has shades of the famous one between the two robbers Fork Handles (Four Candles).you can actually see this sketch alongside this, one on U Tube. This one, doctors however,is with Ronnie Corbett & (I believe) Harry Enfield skit.    over 13 million people, have already logged into this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAG39jKi0lI

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