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A few suggestions - Any bits from magazines or newspapers that you think would be of interest to other Crabbes etc. etc.
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A man was arrested as he left for a party dressed as a gangster from the Quentin Tarantino film Pulp Fiction. Greg Crabb, 37, swept back his hair and dressed up as the character Vincent Vega, played by John Travolta. When he came out of Browns nightclub, Coventry, he had completed the look with an air pistol, magistrates were told yesterday. But he had been spotted on a surveillance camera showing the gun to friends. Crabb, of Coventry, told city magistrates that a friend, who had decided not to go on to the theme party, gave him the gun in the club. After he left the club, he told the court: "I noticed a multitude of police running towards to me."
WPc Julie Stage said she tackled him after she saw what she thought was a handgun in the inside pocket of his jacket. It had seemed to her that he was reaching for it. Emily Wallace, defending, said his client had no intention of using the gun to frighten or threaten. Crabb, a disc jockey, was found guilty of threatening behaviour and warned that he might be jailed. In 1994 he was fined for wielding a fake gun in a pub. After yesterday's hearing, Crabb said: "I feel like suing Quentin Tarantino."
BOYS' SINGLES - Quarter-finals: I Ljubicic (Croatia) bt M Lee (GB) 7-5, 6-4; P Wessels (Holland) bt P Srichaphan (Thailand) 6-4, 6-4; V Voltchkov (Belarus) bt N Massu (Chile) 7-5, 2-6, 8-6; J Crabb (Australia) bt J R Brandt (Germany) 7-6, 6-3.
BOYS' SINGLES - Semi-finals: I Ljubicic (Croatia) bt P Wessels (Holland) 7-5, 6-4; V Voltchkov bt J Crabb 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.
BOYS' DOUBLES - Quarter-finals: D Roberts & W Whitehouse (S Africa) bt J Crabb & S Gaoni (Australia) 6-4, 6-2.
TELEPHONE answering machines and automated cash dispensers are turning us into recluses, according to a psychologist.
Peter Crabb, assistant professor of social psychology at Pennsylvania State University, told delegates at the national conference of the American Psychological Society in San Francisco that modern technology was changing social norms. Thanks to services such as cash dispensing, once always performed by people but now frequently automated, we interact less and less with our fellow man, says Dr. Crabb. "In the case of answering machines, they have legitimised refusing to interact with others," he said.
As a comparison, Dr. Crabb cites recent history when most people would step dripping from the shower or run in from the garden when they heard their telephone ring. "The rule used to be that when a telephone rings, you answer it. But today we find ourselves regularly screening and then deciding not to answer calls from friends, family and others.
"Now, just not feeling like it qualifies as a legitimate reason not to answer the phone," he said. The impingement of technology on our social lives has become a concern for Far Eastern consumer electronics manufacturers who fear that home entertainment systems make us less sociable, and possibly less likely to buy their products.
East Dorset won the Denny Cup, the National inter-club championship, for the first time when they beat Cumbria, the 1996 champions, 76-65 in the final at Lawson Park, Kempton, yesterday. J Crabb was in the Moonfleet team, unfortunately beaten in the semi-finals.
Quarter-finals: Moonfleet bt Portsmouth Victory 77-70. Rink scores (Moonfleet skips first): B Patterson 22, A Ash 11; J Crabb 21, C Hayward 21; P Aplin 19, C Brewer 19; J Searle 15, I Foster 19.
Semi finals: Cumbria bt Moonfleet 94-58. Rink scores (Cumbria skips first): Baxter 19, Patterson 21; Graham 25, J Crabb 10; Taylor 32, Aplin 11; Airey 18, Searle 16.
Most mothers could happily live without the sound of a crying baby, but to Judy Henderson the noise represented the chance for her 18-month-old daughter Annie to live a normal life. Annie, who had severe breathing problems after she was born with a birthmark inside her throat, was unable to chatter and cry after having to have an emergency tracheotomy. Mrs Henderson, 37, of Pontefract, West Yorks, said: "She couldn't speak, she couldn't even cry when she was in pain."
Mrs Henderson had to listen round-the-clock to Annie's breathing because any irregularity could have proved fatal. Her anxiety ended when David Crabbe, a paediatric surgeon, performed a laser operation to remove the birthmark. Mrs Henderson said: "The treatment has given her the chance to live the life of a normal little girl." Mr Crabbe said: "The 15-minute operation has completely cured the problem. She can now speak. She is a cute little girl and I am delighted that I was able to give her voice back."
Visitors will see the hidden world of Witley Court when tours of the cellars are launched. The venture by English Heritage follows successful tours of the court's grounds.
Guides will complete upstairs and downstairs tours on Saturday June 19th, while detailing the court's history.
Ruth Butler, who takes some of the tours, said the emphasis was very much on children attending and to encourage learning. Mrs Butler dresses up as Mrs Crabbe, the court's housekeeper in 1914, and in her uniform reads letters written by Mrs Crabbe and talks about high society and the roles of a housekeeper of the day. Another attraction st the court is a new statue by Steve McCarren.
Information on tours can be obtained by calling 01299-896636.
At first glance, Bournemouth's newest statue seems typical of public monuments in Britain's towns.
Standing proudly in full military uniform, Capt. Lewis Tregonwell, the resort's founding father, is reading from a scroll bearing the names of the three Bournemouth citizens awarded the Victoria Cross.
Flanked by fountains, the 7ft 6in tall, three and a half ton carving from Purbeck stone dominates the entrance to the Bounremouth International Centre.
But the statue's reverse offers a less staid image, described by the sculptor as a slice of seaside humour.
Hiding behind Capt. Tregonwell is Christopher Crabbe Creeke, Bournemouth's first sanitary engineer, sitting on a lavatory stroking his beard, whilst Capt. Tregonwell holds a bucket and spade behind his back.
Several residents seemed less than pleased, but Mr. Rawlings, the outgoing mayor, said; "It is a very witty interpretation of my request for a statue which celebrates the life of two very important figures in the history of the town."
Jonathan Sells, the sculptor responsible, said; "I think it is avery fine piece with a real seaside joke tucked away in it..
WHEN Tony Blair arrives at this year's Labour Party conference, he will greeeted by a bearded figure seated on a lavatory. The fact that the squatting man is made of stone has done little to ease the humiliation felt by residents of Bournemouth at the parting gift from their mayor.
Keith Rawlings, 67, was determined that the south coast resort should have something to remember his year in office, which ends on Friday. So he saved £11,000 from his mayoral expenses and commissioned some sculpture.
Mr Rawlings, a retired teacher who officially unveils the work today, chose two figures to represent the history of the town. Standing proudly to the fore is Captain Lewis Tregonwell, who founded Bournemouth nearly 200 years ago. Sitting directly behind his left knee is Bournemouth's first sanitation inspector, Christopher Crabbe Creeke: appropriately perched, albeit with trousers on.
Ramesh flies in to join planters at their annual Aberdeen reunion
The granite city is famouns for it's links with oil, fish and paper, but Aberdeen also has roots firmly embedded in another industry. Scots played a leading role in the opening up of the forests in Assam and planting and manufacturing of tea.
And there are still retired tea planters in Aberdeen - many of whom will be brought together to reminisce times past at a reunion dinner being held at the Amatola Hotel on September 11.
Ramesh Jaitly, a retired Indian tea Planter who joined the Badlipar Tea Company in the 50's has travelled all the way from his home country to meet old friends at the reunion. He says the tombstones of cemeteries in Assam are full of Scottish surnames.
"In the early days of tea planting the average expectation of life was said to be six months. If malaria did not take you, a tiger or snake would. Here they were, the Scots, thousands of miles away from home in totally alien surroundings, in complete charge of tea estates." said Mr. Jaitly.
He remembers many idiosyncrasies of the Scots planters, but one from Stonehaven, Henry Crabb, holds a very special place in his heart. "Crabbie, as he was popularly known, was not only a knowledgeable and competent planter, but extremely perceptive with an immense understanding of not only his management team but also tribal labour and their ways" explained Mr. Jaitly. He ahad a phenomenal capacity to remember the names of most of the two thousand plus workers on the two Tea Estates of which he was Superintendent. The wrokers also understood and respected him." he added. Mr. Jaitly says he remember meeting Crabb one afternoon at his bungalow office.
"His bearer had just brought in some tea, when a worker rushed in breathless and agitated: 'Come quickly Sahib, the Kamjari babu (field clerk) is going to hang himself'. I shot up from my chair expecting Crbb to do the same, 'Sit down and finish your tea,' he told me." Mr. Jaitly says he was confused by Crabb's action and thought what kind of man could he be to ignore this sort of emergency.
"Crabb calmy continued the discussion, finished his cup of tea, picked up his cane, and we walked to the hospital where the suicide was allegedly taking place," he said. The pair found the Kamjari Babu perched on a tree with a rope rund his neck, and a crowd of 400 onlookers pleading with him not to hang himself.
"But Crabb appeared to be totally unmoved by the whole proceedings," said Mr. Jaitly. "He just stood ther looking at the Babu, with an occasional glance at his own watch. After a few minutes he called out to the Babu 'Hurry up and finish what you are doing, I have to get back to my tea'. The crowd was aghast at these heartless words. The Babu, however, climbed down from his perch, came up to Crabb and shouted 'I WILL DIE' . And die he did, many years later, of cancer."
Mr. Jaitly explained: "Crabb later told me that if the Babu had wanted to commit suicide he would have done so even before the messenger had reached us, and if he hadn't by then, he wouldn't at all."
During his visit to Aberdeen Mr. Jaitly plans to visit the grave of Henry Crabb and drink a toast with old friends to memories of times past.
Not quite a press cutting, but gleaned from a website, so I suppose it could be the electronic equivalent - I have often seen queries regarding the use (and abuse) of "coats of arms" and I thought that the following summed it up quite well :-
Rules differ by countries, but some are uniform. Usually only first sons of first sons of the ORIGINAL bearer are permitted. Younger sons MAY bear their fathers Arms, but they must be "differenced" (changed slightly--usually adding some small thing like a little crescent moon). So what happens if the Armiger (a person who legal bears a Coat of Arms) dies? Well, if he dies WITH male heirs, they get his Arms. If he dies WITHOUT male heirs, then his daughter may combine HER arms with her HUSBAND'S Arms. Complicated? Yes, and it can get worse. Again, a full study of Heraldry is needed to get into ALL the little nuances.
Probably not. There are over a million surnames in the world today, yet less than 65,000 can be associated with a Coat of Arms. It is possible that a ancestor with your surname may have borne Arms. It is also possible that a blood ancestor of his REGISTERED, or claimed, those Arms. In that case, they could make a LEGAL claim against you. (don't laugh, it has been done!). To be quite truthful, the chances that you may have a claim to a Coat of Arms associated with YOUR surname is very, very slim. Even IF you had a claim on the Arms, the process of actually claiming them is very, very complicated and can be quite costly. It would involve writing to whatever herald is doing the register in the country the Arms came from, having them do a search to see if anyone else has laid claim to them, sending in VERIFIED genealogical trees and paper to prove you actually did descend from the Armiger, then having the herald verify the information, etc. etc. etc. etc. See where I am going with this? The question to you is: Is it worth it? If so, go for it.
Those are quite frankly a rip off. Most of the time, those people have bought some armorial, scanned the picture in, then got someone to cut some plaques, and either had the Arms painted or made some plastic Arms and glued them to the plaque. The "Family histories" that accompany them are generic---questionable at best, outright wrong at worst. Legally (at least heraldically legally) you really have NO CLAIM to any Arms if you do not formally register for them.
This page last updated on 21st June 2004
This website © John Crabbe, 2004