Goodreads Librarything number average number average Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas, John Scalzi 11000 3.82 729 3.85 Blackout, Mira Grant 4453 4.20 277 4.09 Captain Vorpatril's Alliance, Lois McMaster Bujold 2167 4.19 348 4.17 Throne of the Crescent Moon, Saladin Ahmed 1907 3.61 217 3.54 2312, Kim Stanley Robinson 1859 3.41 296 3.52 Well, there's a clear front-runner. Full nominations list is here.
Proposals to charge Blue Badge holders to park at St Albans City Hospital will be scrutinised by St Albans City and District Council's Local Services Scrutiny Committee. At a meeting on 4 April, the Committee will consider West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust's decision to introduce parking charges for Blue Badge holders at the hospital. The Blue Badge disabled parking scheme allows drivers or passengers with a permanent disability to park near to where they need to go. The Committee will also look at the Trust's decision to stop providing a free bus service that takes staff and patients between three ...
No spoilers, sweetie :-) This evening's Doctor Who - The Bells of St John - revolves around mysterious WiFi signals. Alien SSIDs which, if you connect to them.... well, watch the episode to find out! In the show, they look like these: [IMG: Doctor Who Wifi SSIDs] So, can we do the same thing for our home WiFi network? Yup! [IMG: Wifi Doctor Who Detail] There are some limitations though. SSIDs can only have a maximum length of 32 byte. Those are usually interpreted as 8-bit characters, so if you're using multibyte Unicode characters, you're reliant on the device doing ...
While I'm complaining about my church - see post below - I do take exception to the church behaving like the BBC or the Daily Telegraph when it comes to writing a story*. This headline Four out of five believe in the power of prayer has nothing to do with the story. The question that was asked, on which the responses were based, was "Irrespective of whether you currently pray or not, if you were to pray for something at the moment, what would it be for?" That little word "if" is a dead giveaway. The press release has been ...
In today's Daily Mail comment piece Lord Carey the former Archbishop of Cantebury talks about Christians who "feel they are part of a 'persecuted minority'". Before going on to say that he is "very suspicious that behind the plans to change the nature of marriage...there lurks an aggressive secularist and relativist approach towards [the] institution." Strange that, you may recall my post from last Easter when I felt like the persecuted minority in the very congregation that I grew up in. Later on that year when things were attempted to be resolved, I felt even more misunderstood, marginalised and a ...
In an interview for Spiked, Professor Frank Furedi talks about his new book Moral Crusades in an Age of Mistrust: The Jimmy Savile Scandal. Furedi argues that the Savile case has acquired totemic status in a moral crusade that promotes a victim culture rather than actually helping victims: It seems to me that victim culture has a tendency to ratify the victims' identity and to recast it as permanent, for life. Which I don't think is good for anyone, including those who have suffered from abuse. I've no interest in being complicit in this process of undermining the power and ...
Nick Clegg tells us he is busy hiding painted eggs in Switzerland. In reply, Caron's Musings lists just a fraction of the work Liberal Democrat candidates and activists are doing this weekend. I don't begrudge Nick having a break, but I would like to see him give a clearer sign that he recognises the efforts others make on behalf of the party. Nottingham Liberal Youth interviews Tony Sutton, the Lib Dem candidate in the city's Wollaton East and Lenton Abbey ward by-election next week. This enthusiasm when fundamental liberal principles are abandoned suggests that being in coalition has created something ...
George Carey, ex-archbishop for somewhere in outer space, has been at it again. He claims that Christians are being and feel persecuted. Speaking as an Anglican, I would like to reassure all of my friends, religious and non-religious, that I do not feel persecuted in any way. Occasionally, I have to mind my manners. Gosh, what a burden that is. Carey speaks from a position of enormous privilege. He is a member of the House of Lords, and speaks there on behalf of all those Christians who he says feel persecuted - no other religion has that privilege. If he ...
"Tell me more about what the Liberal Democrats believe". Whether it's a possible new member, a potential council candidate or a new office volunteer asking, I've always found over the years that one of the trickier questions to answer. Not because of the inherent question, but rather because of the paucity of materials available to conveniently answer it. There's always been a simple short 1 or 2 sentence answer to hand (such as the slogan of the day or an extract from the preamble to the party's constitution) or a really long answer available, such as Conrad Russell's superb An ...
I am led to understand that there currently isn't a vacancy for leader of our great Party. However, one should never presume that such a situation will continue forever, so I have been giving some thought as to who should replace Nick Clegg if he were to be pushed under a number 11 bus - unlikely in Creeting St Peter, I admit. And, after some consideration, I have concluded that, assuming that he is given an entirely appropriate peerage for services to his country, Monty Panesar is the man. Yes, it would require Party rules to be changed to allow ...
'You've had more experience with the man. It doesn't always end like that, does it?' She realized that Benny was of a sudden looking slightly nervous. 'Does it?' 'Um,' said Benny. After some very downbeat New Adventures in my recent reading, it was good to read one that deliberately and successfully played up the comedy - this often misfires for me, but in this case I was able to roll with the very alien creatures and their sinister plans while also sympathising very much with the confused new companions Roz and Chris; like them, I was never completely convinced that ...
These are the ten winning entries of an international competition for graphic short stories set in Brussels, and specifically using the setting of the Oude Graanmarkt (aka the Vieux Marché aux Grains), a city centre square which I occasionally wander through on the rare occasions I am in that side of town. Inevitably, the mandate was interpreted in various ways, and in fact two of my favourite pieces (Tomáš Kučerovský's "Stereotypen" and William Goldsmith's "De Moderne Rondeau") both contrast the fading gentility of the central square with the European Parliament's modernist architecture, which of course I know much better. Kučerovský ...
[IMG: Pot Hole Picket Piece] HAMPSHIRE'S ruling Conservatives have been left red-faced after it emerged they've been forced to pay-out nearly £250,000 to motorists in the last twelve months because of damage and injuries caused by the poor state of the county's roads. Despite promising to improve the terrible condition of our roads after years of neglect, in the past three years the amount of compensation paid out by the county has actually increased by an astounding 400%. Meanwhile in Southampton, the council paid out no compensation. Local people are questioning how on earth HampshireCounty has reached this position. Many ...
Catalonia, our country, is a nation. A nation that, in order to maintain its identity and to move forward, needs tools of state. This nation has existed for many centuries. It has its own identity, culture, and language, and its own institutions. Catalonia wants to follow, and indeed must be allowed to follow, its own path. (Artur Mas i Gavarro, President of Catalonia, in the Prologue)This is a digestible book of 35 essays about Catalonia, all written at the end of last year, which is being widely distributed by sympathisers of the Catalan cause. The two key grievances which come ...
Dear Nick Thanks for your letter. You definitely deserve a lovely, peaceful, break with your family and I hope you all have a lovely time. It was good of you to mention the forthcoming Council elections and to recognise the huge amount of work that activists, candidates and councillors will be putting in over the next month. As you know, elections aren't won solely in the four weeks before polling day. It's the constant year-round working with and listening to the local community that gets Liberal Democrat councillors elected. We have some fantastic councillors around the country. They are the ...
Lord Carey has today written a piece for the Daily Mail which has been quite badly reported. Whilst some have reported on him suggesting Christians are "persecuted", he is pretty clear that he understand such suggestions are exaggerated (and that is putting it kindly). The real issue he seems to be getting upset about is that Christians are being marginalised in this country. But when you read his article it becomes obvious that what is really upsetting him is the erosion of Christian influence over our Government. He's upset that the Parliamentary chapel might be converted to an all-faiths prayer ...
Why Ukip, the Tea Party and Beppe Grillo pose a threat to the mainstream – Anthony Painter looks at the challenge populist movements make to the concepts of liberal democracy. The fuller Policy Network publication of his views is here. When did you get hooked? – John Lanchester reviews A Song Of Ice And Fire and Game Of Thrones for the London Review of Books. Jimmy Page, Aleister Crowley and the curse of Eddie and the Hot Rods – A forgotten moment from musical and magickal history. The 'Busy' Trap – Are we too busy keeping ourselves busy to actually ...
Sat 30th
15:04
When will Peterborough see its first disabled councillor elected?? @dis_politics @Gobi_r
[IMG: Cllr Fower para badminton star Gobi Ranganathan @ Town Hall meeting] Cllr Fower and para badminton star Gobi Ranganathan @ Town Hall meeting There are over 10 million disabled people in the UK. Yet there are only a handful of MPs with a disclosed disability. Commenting, local LIB DEM ward councillor, Darren Fower said: "When Tory mayors at full council meetings decide people MUST stand up to ask questions, or make points, and their Tory colleagues talk about it being disrespectful if you do not stand up – despite the fact that more evolved authorities like London, regularly have ...
Wow: [IMG: Oven removed from home. From
Whipped: From the desk of the Junior Whip "Look, it's quite clear," I said waving the party constitution. "Conference decides policy and then the MPs should vote for it. So on secret courts..." "Where does it say that?" said the Chief Whip, snatching the document from me. He read intently and then looked up with a puzzled expression I have not seen before: "How did this get through?" I was delighted some of our MPs voted against secret courts: the Chief Whip was not. Yet it gave him some grim satisfaction. He spent the next day planning the itineraries of ...
Sat 30th
14:22
George Foulkes was wrong, but all political parties need to do more to tackle rape culture
Yesterday, George Foulkes caused a bit of a stooshie with this tweet: Horsemeat in school dinners,14 year old raped in City bus & Orkney firm in administration yet all we hear from SNP Govt. is more on Indyref! — George Foulkes (@GeorgeFoulkes) March 29, 2013 Of course, Nationalists on Twitter were not chuffed. Foulkes, of course, loves winding them up, much more than is helpful to the debate to be honest. They didn't help themselves when they started bandying around crime stats, though. I doubt the numbers game matter one tiny bit to that poor wee girl and her family. ...
Send to KindleHere's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... Tim Harford — Article — Budget 2013: Five ways to fix our national joke Final one from Tim Harford (for today) » Budget 2013: Five ways to fix our national joke http://bit.ly/YZwRRx Tim Harford — Article — Statistical tomfoolery spins in Treasury Brilliant from @TimHarford on the bully-boy spin & "statistical tomfoolery" of Osbrown-omics http://bit.ly/Ym9wxO Tim Harford — Article — What Oxbridge can learn from YouTube Tim Harford on disruptive transformation of Moocs » What Oxbridge can learn from YouTube http://bit.ly/174VsvR UK Polling Report I missed the post-budget polling that ...
George Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, is in the news today for his foolish attack on David Cameron in the Daily Mail. But how did a man of such limited abilities come to occupy the see of Canterbury in the first place? Bishop John Shelby Spong repeats a story that was widely circulated when Carey's appointment was announced in the summer of 1990: The Crown Appointments Committee, made up of a significant group of church dignitaries plus members of Parliament, traditionally puts forward two names from which the prime minister makes a choice. While the prime minister is free ...
Eric Idle and John Major were born on the same day - and both turned 70 yesterday. As they approached their 50th birthday, Idle wrote the following letter to Major h/t to @shaunusher
When I heard yesterday that the local MP had called for the NHS Medical Director to resign following his decision to suspend all paediatric heart surgery at Leeds General Infirmary I dismissed it as predictable populist rabble rousing in search of a good local headline. On realising it was our own Greg Mulholland I felt angry and ashamed. How could one of our MPs have got this so wrong? Or as Stephen Thornton, the Chief Executive of the Health Foundation put it last night, "How low will local MPs stoop? Why does 'local' always trump quality in their eyes". Quite. ...
I decided it was time to start a new mini feature where I could quickly write down all the things I don't get round to writing proper blog posts about. Where I've been: Nowhere very much, a change from most of the rest of March. A trip into Edinburgh for some Lib Demmery was just about it. However, that is all about to change as we head to a spectacular '80s party at Anne and Stevie's tonight. Complete with Bob's new fog machine..... Where I've almost been: I might have gone to see Rory Bremner recording his new show in ...
Sat 30th
11:20
The Rennard allegations: what Lib Dem members think about how the party and press handled them
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. 55% say: party handed it badly, now doing right thing Lord Rennard has been accused of sexual impropriety during his time as Chief Executive of the Liberal Democrats. He has denied all the allegations. From what you have seen or heard about the story, how well or badly do you think the Liberal Democrats handled the allegations against Lord Rennard ...
Dear The Right Revd and Right Honourable The Lord Carey of Clifton, FRSA FKC, I noticed that you have published your entry into the Oppression Olympics on the front page of today's Daily Mail. I've assessed your entry and unfortunately found it lacking. You will need to try much harder if you want to get on the medals table. Firstly, "persecuted" groups don't usually get their ex-leaders screeds published on the front pages, so that might have been a mistake. Also, the repeated references to "Lord" just highlight the automatic membership of parliament that you and your co-persecutees get, so ...
Take a wander down Prescot Street in the City of London and you find a fairly bland, unexceptional street. An interesting looking old church, a possibly promising pub and plenty of office architecture that could be from just about anywhere in the UK, as neat and tidy as it is without character. [IMG: Prescot Street, London] However, it is a street deserving a place in our history, for once you strip away some of the myths surrounding the origins of house numbering in Britain, Prescot Street looks to be the place where houses first started getting numbered. Houses along here ...
A few years ago, the Environment Agency asked me to write about the year 2020, which I did - and with my tongue slightly in my cheek. This is the future as I painted it, and the Daily Mail even drew a picture of it (but I can't find the link). I had been fascinated, and slightly horrified, by the development of Matsushita's digital toilet and could just imagine what it would mean in practice, so I began the article like this: It is 30 October 2020. The alarm clock bleeps at 7am in the Dumill household, as the light ...
There's an interesting piece from Dan Hodges yesterday in which he suggests that many Tories are so sick of having to govern in coalition with the Lib Dems that they may actually prefer to be in opposition. This is a phenomenon that I witnessed first hand in the run up to the 2010 general election. At the time I was doing a lot of media and in one of my radio studio appearances I was chatting to a right-wing commentator who I knew from previous conversations was considering a potential future career as a Tory MP. The subject of electoral ...
An anaerobic digester is proposed near the Leadgate bypass, on land to the East of Thomas Swan. [IMG: ANAEROBIC DIGESTER] The proposal, which is actually in the Consett South and Delves Lane ward rather than this ward, may affect people here, especially those living on the western edge on the new estates at Villa real, Sherburn Terrace and Villa Real Bungalows, though that depends on whether fears that have been expressed to me about odours are justified. Since the land is to the East of Thomas Swan that is not yet clear to me. You can view the whole application ...
Nirgends noch hatte K. Amt und Leben so verflochten gesehen wie hier, so verflochten, daß es manchmal scheinen konnte, Amt und Leben hätten ihre Plätze gewechselt. Nowhere else had K. ever seen one's official position and one's life so intertwined as they were here, so intertwined that it sometimes seemed as though office and life had switched places. Kafka's unfinished novel, published in contravention of his dying wishes, is generally known as The Castle in English, and indeed that is the sense in which the word Schloß is generally used in the text. But Schloß also means "lock", and it ...
The annual conference of the Political Studies Association (PSA) offers the discipline a chance to get together, share ideas and support the publicans of a particular city for a few days. This year, it was hosted by the city of Cardiff, the last of a four-year tour of the capitals of the UK. As a young PhD student, these conferences offer me a chance to not only meet and get merry with more senior academics; they also let you see how the discipline is evolving through panels and papers, as well as more informal sessions. What is always disappointing about ...
The President of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, former poet laureate Sir Andrew Motion, has laid into second homes saying that "townies in the countryside" were "gutting" rural communities. In an interview in the Times, Sir Andrew says: "I think there's a question about whether second homes mean you have inert dormitory communities in the countryside through most of the week, very often lived in by people who scoot down in their cars, see their smart friends, don't join in the life of the community and don't feed into it. They're townies in the countryside, they make sure they're ...
I have read Lord Carey's article in the Mail, so you don't have to. The headline is: "The PM's done more than any leader to make Christians feel they're persecuted". The basis of his thesis is: -A ComRes poll that I can't find on the web yet -Crucifixes at work -Changes to a parliamentary chapel -Equal marriage, including ramifications for employees such as teachers I think we Christians can sleep safely at night. By introducing the word "persecuted" in connection with British Christians, Lord Carey is doing a grave disservice to those Christians throughout the world who actually are persecuted ...
The May 1968 protests in Paris were noted, amongst other things, for the graffiti. One read: "The church complains of persecution when it is not allowed to persecute." I was reminded of this by former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey's extraordinary article in today's Daily Mail. One can think of many reasons for criticising David Cameron, but "aggressive secularism"? Carey wrote: ...it was a bit rich to hear that the Prime Minister has told religious leaders that they should 'stand up and oppose aggressive secularisation' when it seems that his government is aiding and abetting this aggression every step of ...
John Hamm is sick of being treated like a girl (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Agreeing the Budget is a long and painstaking process. It started at the beginning of the year, with a presentation by the Chancellor to the Quad (that's me, him, the PM and Danny Alexander). The information is confidential enough that everyone in the room - even the PM - has to give back the print outs at the end of the meeting for them to be locked away in the Treasury again. And the discussions on the fine details of our policy plans went right up to the last minute with a succession of emails and phone calls between our ...
The striking and unique mural on the side of the most northerly tenement in St Peter Street (pictured right) has been in place since 1982. Residents have said to me that it might be needing a repaint as it has begun to fade over the years. The City Council's planning officer who deals with public art has advised me: "The mural is now over 30 years old which is very unusual for a mural of this type. The mural was carried by a group called Artists Collective in 1982. The artists worked with the children of Blackness Primary School who ...
At the most recent Harris Academy Parent Council meeting, Mr Thewliss, Head Teacher advised us all that the new school website would soon launch. This is now live and can be accssed at http://harrisacademy.ea.dundeecity.sch.uk. It already has lots of useful information about the school that will be build upon in the coming months.
The next Bar Hill Community Market takes place one week today (6th April) from 10:30am to 2pm in the Octagon next to the Church (a map, courtesy of OpenStreetView.org, is below). Stalls include Fruit and vegetables, Homemade cakes, Jewellery, Cards, Confectionery, Jams, Knitted items, Patchwork, Bags, Wooden crafts, Beauty products as well as stalls raising funds for local projects. There will also be refreshments and, weather permitting, a BBQ. If you wish to be part of this, or future, markets please contact us. Karen Austen 01954 781085 or Sue Gadsby 01954 200875 Please come and support your local community! Bar ...
