Raithe

Yes, if they hadn't just started restoring the tower we'd have actually had the tour up there to see the bell. They literally use the old school pennies to help balance the pendulum - "it's going a little fast, add a penny" "it's going a little slow, take a penny off" its a fairly robust mechanism. My dad's a horologist and has done the visit to Big Ben before, he says you time it so you climb up the tower to get to the bell just before midday. Otherwise it's a waste of effort. Still, three and a half years and it'll be open and running again.

Ah, not so much. Consider it this way, Viserion was named after Danny's brother who was a little ****. Rhegal is named after her older brother who died..and who just happens to be Jon Snow's father.

I actually got a guided tour around the Houses of Parliament yesterday by my local MP's staff. Really didn't realise how easy it is to get in and go around, and because we'd done it via the MP we skipped the paying tours and got personally handled by one of his assistants. Said assistant was sincerely enthusiastic about the history of the building, how it was used, and encouraging us on the whole "people should know how easy it is to contact their MP's, visit Parliament and see the transparency of our democracy." Winchester Hall having been built in 1099, and various sections of it going up in the centuries since. Lots of fun quirky facts and trivia, areas of grand importance and minor note explained. You have things like the table in the House of Commons that has a mark left in it by WInston Churchill rapping with a heavy object as part of a speech during WW2 that they refuse to refurbish. Along with the wood ground away on one of the doors when the Black Rod summons the Commons to meet with the Monarch. The corridor filled with books that record everything said and voted on for the past two centuries. So any member of the public can walk in, and find out what was being said and voted on by both Commons and House of Lords on the day they were born... We even got to visit the Chapel under Parliament (again, that's been there since 1099) and is amazingly impressive for the decorations and carvings. Then spent some time ambling around on the South Bank of London and seeing the sights. Of course, that's been balanced out that the toe I thought was bruised before traipsing around London yesterday has turned bright red, swollen and won't flex at all today. So, hm, it seems I might have a broken digit.

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Found on research related to "signs of a cult leader"...

To be fair, we're really only aware of her commiting one act of mass murder - the male Frey's, with a couple of lone killings in the form of the house patriarch and two other Frey's. All of whom had commited a revenge-worthy atrocity. It's not like she's running around randomly killing off people. She has a list. And she's checking it twice.

And the Guiness Book of Records is now replaced by a smartphone, google, wiki, and IMDB as the means of settling most pub arguments.

Trump-shaped ecstasy pills found by police in Germany

Heh, Baen have put out a flow chart to help people get into the Honor Harrington series.

The Sansa / Arya thing is a bit annoying but it's also understandable to a point. Think about it, last time they were together.. Sansa was 14/15 and the "perfect" girl of the family. Disliked the big boring uncivilised Winterfell keep and always dreaming of the fancy dresses, "civilised" life down south and marrying a shiny King. Arya was the 12 year old tomboy who loved the North and was always struggling to not be the princess and just play with the boys. Neither sister really got on well with each other. They go south, Sansa lies in questioning which forces Arya to chase away her dire wolf to prevent it being killed. The next thing, Arya gets to watch (sort of) her father get beheaded whilst Sansa is stood next to the people who ordered it.. in one of the pretty dresses she always wanted. Now they've met up once more after several years apart, but neither knows the true story of what each other suffered. You have the initial happy-joy of family together after so many have been thought dead. Then you start to get the normal sister relationship they had kick back in, just combined with Sansa thinking Arya basically ran around happy as a scamp and picking up sword tricks, and Arya thinking Sansa had the court life and dresses she used to wish for. There's going to be friction. You'd expect both of them by now to have picked up enough awareness to pick out some of the manipulation going on, but eh, the nature of their relationship isn't too glaringly out of context.

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Bitcoin Coinbase Hack

Trying to decide if I really should fortify myself to watch the last 3 episodes of Iron Fist before watching The Defenders....

For the very British headline...

And a Zombie Polar Bear they've been trying to put in for 4 seasons. You can never forget the Zombie Polar Bear....

Obituaries - **** Gregory passes

For the random interest (also,remember for those who haven't seen the latest episodel; spoilers) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx9dRL1BCCQ

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