Hi there, its Peter here. I hope youre well. We had a great response yesterday on BBC Radio Lincolnshire about the story I mentioned in the Letter yesterday about the cows and deer herds that always point in the same direction. Scientists now believe its got nothing to do with the direction of the sun or wind and they dont think its just coincidence. Theyve been monitoring herds on Google Earth and theyve seen a pattern that suggests the Earths magnetic fields make them stand mainly facing either north or south. Well, its an unusual one that one!
Robo Suit Technology never seems to fail to amaze me. First we were astonished as we watched robots in motion, but I certainly never considered the same technology could be used for this. I read now though that a robotic suit is helping people paralysed from the waist down to stand, walk and even climb stairs. Its called ReWalk and users have to wear a backpack device and braces on their legs and they control the suit from a remote control on a wrist band. The device apparently mimics the exoskeleton of a crab and users have some control over the suit through changes in their centre of gravity and from their upper body movements. So there you go. Robotic technology is being used to help paralysed people walk again. Pen Pals I dont think pal goes far enough to describe how close these two mothers must now be. Such an amazing story, so I thought Id share it with you. The story starts with two mothers, one in the UK and one in the US, becoming friends over the Internet after their two children were born on the same day. They regularly exchanged emails, but to this day have never met, but theyve formed a very close bond! The US mother owes her toddlers life after her Manchester pen pal saw the early warning signs of cancer in the Florida toddler in a photograph emailed to her. Madeleine from Manchester received an update from her US pen pal with a photograph of her toddler. She spotted an unusual shadow behind the childs eyes on pictures of her first birthday. This prompted her to remember a news article about a very rare form of cancer called Retinblastoma where the eye reflects a light, but not just in one picture, but in all of them and in different angles. Unusually, this rare cancer often! only shows up in photographs in its early stages, so its very difficult to spot. She then emailed her US pen pal to warn her and to suggest that she get her child to the doctors. Megan in Florida did just that and on the same day, the toddler was diagnosed with an aggressive form of the cancer. Shes since underwent an operation and is having chemotherapy, but thanks to her UK pen pal, although she will lose her eye, the doctors say her chances of survival are much greater because of her early diagnosis. So there you go. Isnt that amazing? The mothers have never met, but Im sure theyll continue to send regular emails! Neighbours Have you heard? Neighbours longest-standing character, Harold Bishop, is finally leaving the Australian soap after sixteen years living on Ramsay Street. Bumbling old Harold arrived in 1987 when Kylie and Jason were on the go. But its not the first time hes left he left for five years in 1991 after Harold was swept away at sea, but he returned suffering from amnesia. Remember that? Hell be filming his last scenes in October where hell be seen overcoming prostate cancer before deciding to leave Erinsborough for good. So end of an era. Harold is leaving Ramsay Street for good and well get to see that in the UK in the Spring. Well, that's it from me for now. Just time to give a little plug to Beverley Male Voice Choir, who are presenting an Evening of Song in Toll Gavel church in Beverley on the 30th August. Theyre raising funds for the Beverley Christmas lights appeal. So good luck to them. Take care, Peter Your email address will be held by the BBC and kept confidential, and will only be used in relation to this newsletter. You will be given the option to unsubscribe from this newsletter each time you receive it. Please visit the BBC's Privacy & Cookies Policy (www.bbc.co.uk/privacy) for more information And for the latest news and more where you live, go to: http://bbc.co.uk/humber and http://bbc.co.uk/lincolnshire ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the BBC Look North newsletter, go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/england/looknorthhull/newsletter/newsletter_index.shtml, enter your email address in the unsubscribe box. 1.94.4
