3/09/2011

Pancake Day.

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Yesterday's Pancake Day:
The British Parliamentary Pancake Race.
By Uncle Monty.
Pancake Day Photos
 By Alex Albion.
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Yesterday's British Parliamentary Pancake Race
between various honourable members of the House
of Commons and House of Lords vs. noted members
 of the Parliamentary Press Gallery took place in the
name of charitable fund raising on what is quintessent-
ially English Pancake Day that is more widely known
as Shrove Tuesday in the Christian Church calendar.
It was also Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday elsewhere
like at post-Katrina New Orleans.
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London's Shrove Tuesday.
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In the clear shadow of the British Parliament, the
 fun pancake race called on contestants to madly run with
their open frying pans as they precariously toss pancakes
up in the air from the start to the finish line with hypo-
onlookers egging them on all the way.
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This year's official starter of the Parliamentary Pancake
Race was lovely Julie Etchingham, co-newscaster for
 ITN-TV News at Ten. Julie's positive role added alot
of glamour and finesse to the serious business of raising
much needed funds for The Chaseley Trust's REHAB
that focusses on those with brain and spinal cord injuries.
The race raised over $25,000 within hours of the pan-
cake run. Not bad for a morning run with some
pancakes! The only pity was neither the competitors
nor the spectators got to actually eat any pancakes
at ther race. And, none was even offered on
our English Pancake Day ... Shame!!
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And, Off They Go ...
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Good Run & Tosses For Him. The Other
Guy Lost His Pancake In A Toss!
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Among the competitors they ranged from Stephen
Pound, the Labour MP, to Julian Huppert,
the Liberal Democrat MP, to Tracey Crouch,
the Conservative MP. From The House of Lords
came David Bertram Ogilvy Freeman-Mitford, 2nd
Lord Redesdale to Baroness Judith Anne Jolly.
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While the elite members of the Parliamentary Press
Gallery included Adam Boulton, Political Editor,
 Sky News, to Joanne Coburn, Political
Correspondent, BBC, to Patrick Wintour,
 Political Editor, The Guardian.
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However, during the frantic pancake race they
all looked and acted much the same no matter
their political and social persuasion and identity.
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Some Runners Gather Before The Pancake Race.
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After a rather frosty early morning, by 10 o'clock
 the sun was warm and bright for the pancake race
to begin that was heavily covered by national and
international media reporters and news photographers
 along with a goodly crowd of happy onlookers that
boosted the Parliamentary Pancake Race to even
 greater heights and thrills at London's Victoria
Tower Gardens at where most everybody had
gathered for the fun race on Shrove Tuesday or
what was otherwise the Eve of Ash Wednesday
that begins Holy Lent as noted in The Anglican
 Book of Common Prayer (BCP).
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Great Competitor British Member of
Parliament Stephen Pound of New Labour.
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Tom Bradby, ITN-TV's Political Editor & Martin
Horwood, Lib-Dem MP, in the background.
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Among the pancake race competitors not already
mentioned were MP's Cathy Jamieson, Toby
Perkins, Lisa Nandy, Ian Murray, and David
 Amess. From the Lords; Francis Hare, 6th
Earl of Listowel, Baroness Kate Parminter,
and Lord St. John of Bletso. From the British
Parliamentay Press Gallery came James Forsyth,
Political Editor, The Spectator; Andrew Porter,
 Political Editor, The Daily Telegraph; Brian
O'Connell, London Editor, Raidio Telilifis Eireann,
and Gary Gibbon, Political Editor, Channel 4.
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David Bertram Ogilvy Freeman-Mitford,
2nd Lord Redesdale.
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Toby Perkins, British Labour MP.
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And, The Winners Are ...
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The British Parliamentary Pancake Race also helps
bridge the gap between political rivals and distractors
in the name of helping good causes above all. Good
sportmanship and good manners was highlighted at
the fun race that saw a goodly crowd present among
the more than twenty official competitors that
freely participated on Shrove Tuesday or Pancake
Day to raise needed money for charity. BRAVO!
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Some of the Runners Basking in Media Attention.
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Super News Photographer Taking Creative Steps
 to get the kind of shot he wanted of ITN-TV's
Julie Etchingham and Rehab's Andrew Canlon
 Trant After The Pancake Race at London's
Victoria Tower Gardens on
 Shrove Tuesday, 2011.
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Happy Post-Mardi Gras, Too, Uncle Monty.
+Ash Wednesday, 2011.
Ash Wednesday as an act of worship.
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National & World  News Photographers
Covering British Parliamentary Pancake Race.

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The Shard - London's Latest Epic Edifice.
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