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'You're taking us to see the Vikings?' asked Jo incredulously. 'I know! Wonderful, isn't it?' said the Doctor with a grin. For the first time this year, I am actually up to date with book-blogging. And you can't be much more up to date than this; The Spear of Destiny was only published today, so I could hardly have written it up any sooner. The Doctor and Jo, somewhere in Season 10, are asked to investigate mysterious happenings around a spear held in a private museum, and go back to Sweden in the year 141 to find out what's going ...
The American Civil War ended in 1865, but the US Department of Veteran Affairs is still paying a pension to the child of a soldier who fought in it, says the Daily Mail. She was born as late as 1930 and is living in a nursing home in North Carolina. It had been widely reported, not least by the Mail itself, that there were two children of Civil War veterans still alive, but the second, a 93-year-old man living in Tennessee, died last August. Even more remarkably, the last widow of a Civil War veteran died as recently as 2003. ...
Sat 23rd
19:30
Salmond promises childcare revolution after turning down Rennie's plans for nursery education
Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond gave his keynote speech to SNP Conference this afternoon. There were three things in it that struck me as a Liberal Democrat. A numbers game Apparently a "yes" vote for independence would be a vote for a "prosperous economy and a just society." Does this remind you of any phrase being used rather a lot at the moment by any Liberal Democrat who can be persuaded to do so? I wonder how prosperous an economy built on wildly optimistic estimates of oil revenues would be to start with. Many nationalists have been complaining about their ...
Sat 23rd
19:26
Salmond propmises post independence childcare revolution weeks after turning down Rennie's plans for...
Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond gave his keynote speech to SNP Conference this afternoon. There were three things in it that struck me as a Liberal Democrat.A numbers gameApparently a "yes" vote for independence would be a vote for a "prosperous economy and a just society." Does this remind you of any phrase being used rather a lot at the moment by any Liberal Democrat who can be persuaded to do so? I wonder how prosperous an economy built on wildly optimistic estimates of oil revenues would be to start with. Many nationalists have been complaining about their fixed budget ...
How gorgeous is my lovely younger nephew, born at 12:20 am today? Unlike the rest of his siblings, we knew his name and what he looked like before his arrival due to the wonders of technology. He may have been due last Sunday, but when he decided the time was right, he didn't hang about. I got a text from my sister saying she was off to hospital at 11:18 pm. Next thing I knew, his photo appeared on Facebook. He is the second of my parents' grandchildren to have been born on a Saturday. The others have all been ...
Not going to justify these in detail, but wanted to record my thoughts anyway. 6) "Limited Edition", by Tim Maughan 5) The Flight of the Ravens, by Chris Butler - some details rather threw me. 4) "Immersion", by Aliette de Bodard 3) "Three Moments of an Explosion", by China Miéville 2) Adrift on the Sea of Rains, by Ian Sales - excellent bleak alternate space race with Nazi occult McGuffin, and twist at the end. 1) "Song of the Body Cartographer", by Rochita Loenen-Ruiz - somehow grabbed me in a way the others didn't. Well done to the BSFA on ...
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the longest running science fiction show in the world I am taking a weekly look at some of my favourite Dr Who episodes focusing on one Doctor a month. This month it's the third Doctors turn. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the longest running science fiction show in the world I am taking a weekly look at some of my favourite Dr Who episodes focusing on one Doctor a month. This month it's the third Doctors turn. Sir Reginald Styles is a British diplomat trying to organise a peace conference to avert World ...
The new – and free – Ringmaster scheme to notify everyone of crime issues has sent out a couple of warnings this week. Remember that you can sign up to Ringmaster for free whenever you want to receive alerts by email, text message, or phone. When did it happen: 7pm 19th March 2013 Where: Cheadle General Information: Unknown males x 2 attend Ap's address, front door insecure, 1 offender enters lounge, tells AP he is from a fire & security company & needs to look at rear of house. Offender is challenged by the Ap, and he turns to leave ...
Following Vince Cable's gentle call for more capital spending – now reflected in the recent budget – Politics Home talks to the Business Secretary. In suitably glowing terms... In many ways, his allies think 2013 is The Year of Vince. His once lonely call (in the Coalition at least) for more capital spending and reliefs has been heeded. His 'responsible capitalism' agenda will bear fruit this year with boardroom and shareholder changes. He's outmanoeuvred the Treasury by getting a £1bn business bank - in return for a Tory policy on employee share rights that has been gutted by the Lords ...
The Northern Ireland Liberal Democrats have received expressions of concern from a number of stakeholder parties at uncertainties over the future of Causeway Hospital in Coleraine, currently under review by the Department of Health at Stormont as an aspect of ... Continue reading →
Well done David Boyle, who wins by revealing that he is the great great grandson of Sir John Lubbock. Sir John Lubbock? Yes, Sir John Lubbock. Do try to keep up.
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... Not the Treasury view...: Nick Clegg's immigration speech .@jdportes's 'Not the Treasury view' on Nick Clegg's immigration speech http://bit.ly/Y4JtLt Don't Judge My Family | the campaign against the marriage tax allowance (Belatedly) One good thing abt the 2013 Budget – still no space the Tories' unfair marriage tax allowance http://bit.ly/ZhH8s2 Liberal Youth Reaction to Clegg's Immigration Speech | The Libertine Props to @liberalyouth for their Libertine post > Reaction to Clegg's Immigration Speech http://bit.ly/ZhAguM Clegg's immigration speech was an opportunity missed for the supposedly liberal Lib Dems – Comment – Voices – ...
Following Nick Clegg's speech on immigration, many Lib Dems have reacted strongly and mostly negatively, accusing Nick of bypassing the party's democratic institutions or making policy on the hoof. Yesterday I had the fortune to bump into Nick in a Sheffield pub and I asked him about the proposals. Nick has commissioned a review, a Liberal Democrat review chaired by Andrew Stunnell, which will propose a new policy on immigration, most likely involving scrapping our commitment to amnesty for illegal immigrants, at party Conference where it will be debated and voted upon in the normal way. Nick has not done ...
There's no prize at stake - just the opportunity to prove you're wittier than any other LDV reader... [IMG: teamcleggsnow] (Photo by Ian Turgoose) An action day this morning in Sheffield Hallam became an impromptu canvassing and snow clearing session. We know what Nick was saying while this photo was being taken, but what do you think could have been said that would have been even wittier? And the winner of our last caption comp is... Some fantastic entries for our most recent caption competition, "Knowing Me" Nick Clegg, "Knowing You" Steve Coogan Edition. The winner, according to The Voice's ...
If there is one economic/industrial policy that defines our party surely it is employee ownership. From JS Mill to the Yellow Book, Ownership for All, Jo Grimond and on to Paddy Ashdown the central belief that those who work in an enterprise should share in its ownership and control is a constant. Nothing undermines that idea more that the barking idea promoted by Osborne that employees should swap their rights for shares and thus introduce Beecroft style management via the backdoor. It tarnishes the image of employee ownership. The good news the daft idea was defeated in the Lords last ...
Nick Thornsby, of this parish, adds his voice to the criticism of Nick Clegg's speech on immigration, over at the Indepedendent. Immigration is another area where the party has not just the opportunity but also a duty to shift the balance away from the negative rhetoric of the other parties and much of the media. Liberal immigration policies might not be politically popular, but it is the fate of liberals to be frequent holders of minority opinions, and we should do so proudly. In a globalised world economy, where prosperity depends on succeeding in a global competition for innovation, resources ...
Launceston is set to become a local centre for disabled powerlifting after a town gym became the first in Cornwall to house a specially adapted bench. It's all thanks to the generosity of Gold medal winning Paralympian Anthony Peddle who donated his disabled bench to town resident Jade Farrington after he retired from powerlifting. And to Crunch Gym on the Scarne Industrial Estate offered to host the facility to give as many people as possible the opportunity to try the sport. Jade, who holds six able-bodied powerlifting records, had her left femur replaced with a metal prosthesis aged 9 following ...
[IMG: bucket-list] We all write down lists of the goals we want to achieve in our lives. Bucket lists on scraps of paper to be ticked off. Detailed spreadsheets with timelines and plans to be completed. But what happens when we run out of goals? When I was fourteen years old I wrote down my list of goals. They included having a house in Italy, owning a media company, playing drums on hit albums, traveling in Asia, getting an MBA, living in California, finding a loving partner, going on a buddhist retreat and too many others to mention. As I ...
He's been called evil, been referred to as Satan and been called every name from idiot to scum. Someone even 'hates' Michael Gove because he "looks like a girl" and if you want to punch his face to a bloody pulp try this website here? Now lets face facts, no one goes into politics to receive unbridled love and affection and a standard level of public abuse is to be expected but the vitriol aimed at Gove goes way beyond the normal rough and tumble of politics - just watch Twitter explode when he is on Question Time. But why ...
[IMG: Life Leisure photo of children for Easter events] Life Leisure football, swimming and multi-sports courses Life Leisure are running a whole series of Easter holiday sports courses at centres across Stockport – all the information is here. Learn and improve basketball For basketball beginners and players of all levels of experience, from 7 to 16, the opportunity to be trained by professional players from Manchester Giants. Venue: Sport for All Centre by Reddish Vale, Reddish. Date & time: 9.30am to 3.30pm 2nd-5th April. Cost: £40 or £12.50 a day. More information and application form here. Easter egg hunt Come ...
"It is surely unreasonable to suppose that a process that has been going on for so many thousand years should have now suddenly ceased... The future happiness of our race, which poets hardly ventured to hope for, science boldly predicts. Utopia, which we have long looked upon as synonymous with an evidence impossibility, which we have ungratefully regarded as 'too good to be true', turns out on the contrary to be the necessary consequence of natural laws, and once more we find that the simple truth exceeds the most brilliant flights of the imagination." The 'process' means evolution. 'Our race' ...
[IMG: ARGUS/STEVE PHILLIPS 10.07.02GENERIC PIC OF A BURGLAR OR BURGLARY] Local Lib Dem ward councillor Darren Fower says he has been told that the police northern sector is "......seeing an increase in dwelling burglary in the rural area to the north of Peterborough..." - The target is generally affluent houses where antiques and jewellery are being stolen. Mainly daytime offences. Commenting, Cllr Fower said, "It's important that people keep an eye out for things, and if they spot anyone acting suspiciously then report it. Whilst this latest warning does relate to our area, the police are also very clear to ...
More comedy genius from Australia's Clarke and Dawe, riffing off the failed attempted coup against the Australian Prime Minister: Also on YouTube.
Sat 23rd
09:47
Leo Sayer explains why this blog is not impacted by the Royal Charter and related shenanighans
'Cos I'm a one man band Nobody knows nor understands Is there anybody out there wanna lend me a hand To my one man band There's a really good bit at 2:10. [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
[IMG: Some rights reserved by Ben Sutherland] I've been doing a little bit of Googling to find a few informed articles on the Royal Charter and bloggers. The passage of time and a bit of reading does the world of good. Only last Monday there was panic in the blogosphere, exemplified by Iain Dale, for whom I have the greatest of respect as a blogger and a broadcaster, saying he'd have to shut his blog down because he'll be covered by the Royal Charter. I hope and trust that, by now, Iain and other bloggers have realised that the Royal ...
Lib Dem Voice polled our members-only forum recently to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Some 650 party members have responded, and we're publishing the full results. Big majorities say immigration has had positive effect on UK On balance, do you think immigration into the UK from the following areas has had a positive or negative effect on the UK? From Western European countries, such as France and Germany 85% – On balance, has had a positive effect on Britain 1% – On balance, has had a ...
[IMG: 20mphSign] 16 Liberal Democrat County Councillors have all signed a petition to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee requesting a review of Twenty mph Speed Limits policy to be carried out. The Committee has agreed this should be done as part of a wider review of Speed Policy generally and the county's Highways and Transport Panel will be looking at the wider issues first. The Committee will then consider if the policies and procedures for implementing 20mph speed limits in Hertfordshire need simplifying or modifying. It is existing Liberal Democrat policy to implement 20mph limits in areas where the local ...
"It had been almost a century since the French emperor Napoleon had obliged the Dutch to take surnames, against their own custom" - this is protagonist Elizabeth's inward response to learning that her acquaintance Doctor Huginn Raaf wishes to be known only as Huginn. The scene is set in 1899; Napoleon's edict on surnames was in 1811. However it's entirely wrong to suggest that the Dutch were mononymous before 1811; generally patronymics were used. And the reference to a legal reform of 90 years before spoils the tone. I can't imagine anyone writing "Helena went to cast her vote, as ...
Local councils in London are running a scheme – The Big London Energy Switch – to help you make a quick and hassle-free switch to a cheaper energy provider. The more people that register for The Big London Energy Switch, the greater the buying power will be, and the lower the price that may be offered. A number of similar collective switch programmes have been set up by organisations such as the consumer group Which? and by local authorities including Cornwall Council and South Lakeland District Council. How to register? You can register your interest in taking part by going ...
Trans woman commits suicide after being bullied by the Daily Mail » Zinnia Jones (tags: ) UK Supreme Court holds first secret hearing that didn't take long, did it? (tags: ) The world should welcome electronic cigarettes. (tags: ) Jim hines on when it's appropriate to teach your children about rape (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Two weeks ago I wrote a self-explanatorily-titled post: The EU budget vote should be open, not secret (it's a bit worrying this even needs saying). Time to complete (ish) the story... I wrote via the Unlock Democracy website to the 10 MEPs for my South-East constituency. Two replied: Catherine Bearder (Lib Dem) and Keith Taylor (Green). None of the 5 Tory, 5 Labour or 1 Ukip MEPs responded. Catherine's reply directed me to this LibDemVoice post by her colleague George Lyon, Lib Dem MEPs will resist secret EU vote. Keith's reply stated simply but clearly: "I am pleased to inform ...
We live in interesting times. North East Wales is under several inches of snow and there is a Chilean Rose Tarantula spider allegedly loose in Cardiff. Only the discarded skin of the spider has been found so far but that has not prevented it acquiring a life of its own. It even has its own Twitter account. I once had friends who kept pet Tarantula spiders, snakes and lizards. They misplaced one of the spiders, which are harmless by the way, and had forgotten all about it months later until they were packing up to move house and discovered the ...
Syria and the United States: Intervention options on the two-year anniversary of the conflict Non-violent options to help. (tags: carneross syria ) Azerbaijan and the Council of Europe The Economist reports this sordid story. (tags: azerbaijan ) Common / People - a William Shatner, Kirk & Spock slashup Glorious (includes suggestive footage from the animated series). (tags: videos sf ) JN-T: The Life and Scandalous Times of John Nathan-Turner by Richard Marson Matthew Sweet's review in the Guardian (tags: books doctor who ) Peter Robinson meets the Game of Thrones team My two worlds collide. (tags: northernireland sf )
Wikipedia edit wars are usually not pleasant. However most Wikipedia editors are willing to at least engage in discussion as to the rights and wrongs of their edits. Unfortunately someone is editing Tory MP's Caroline Dinenage's Wikipedia page without discussion and using a Westminster IP address. Last month a note was added to her page about how she voted on the Government's same-sex marriage bill. "On 5th February 2013 MP Caroline Dinenage voted against in the House of Commons Second Reading vote on marriage equality in Britain." It was an uncontroversial statement making no inference or comment. It is simply ...
Today I received the following.Can I urge everyone to read it and sign the petition. The government are considering scrapping climate change teaching in schools. As a Geography teacher, I know full well how important it is that we teach children about climate change. I never thought I'd see the day our government would consider allowing three quarters of children to leave school with no proper education about climate change. But that's what they're proposing now. It's not too late to persuade the government to change their minds on this. These plans aren't set in stone yet – they're still ...
[IMG: Screen Shot 2013-03-22 at 07.30.45] Forthcoming music event at the Longfield Centre. The Longfield Suite Tel: 0161 253 7227 Find us on Facebook www.facebook.com/longfieldlive Follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/longfieldsuite Find The Longfield Suite www.bury.gov.uk/Longfieldsuite
You can download a high quality PDF version of our poster here.
In response to the Mid-Staffordshire scandal and the subsequent critical Francis Report, we asked all the Local Health Boards across Wales to publish their mortality data so that we could be assured that similar issues weren't occurring in our NHS. While I understand that the risk adjusted mortality index shouldn't be used in isolation to compare hospitals, it is a key comparable indicator of what is happening in a hospital or a local health board. By some of the LHBs' own admission, there is cause for concern based on the high mortality index in our Welsh hospitals. The figures provided ...
Saturday: There's a week to go until the new series of Doctor Who is on the tellybox, and you're THRILLED with anticipation. Will it be another "Rose"? Or another "Time and the Rani"? Well, to spare you the agonies... we're reviewing "Time and the Rani". I just don't get why this story is so reviled. Yes, sure, at times it's almost literally batshit crazy; it's by Pip'n'Jane Baker so the dialogue's practically unsayable; the Rani's plot is off-the-scale berserk; there's another tedious collection of (all human) geniuses; and it's set in a quarry. But it is quite a nice quarry. ...
