Not done one of these for a while. Proper post again tomorrow... I made the pizza cinnamon rolls from Mario Batali's sexual misconduct apology letter Genetic study supports the carbohydrate/insulin model of obesity The discovery that lemons cured scurvy probably ... Continue reading →
This afternoon, Ros contributed to a debate initiated by crossbench Peer, Beeban Kidron, on social media and the news, perhaps of particular interest given the Government defeat yesterday relating to the Leveson recommendations... Baroness Scott of Needham Market (LD) Until the last decade, media platforms were pretty much locked into a one-size-fits-all broadcast model. Success with advertisers depended on producing content that would appeal to the widest possible audience. The recent development of tablet and smartphone technology has been the game-changer, creating a delivery system available pretty much everywhere, 24 hours a day, along with highly personalised and segmented channels. ...
It is a strange thing, vouchsafed to few of us, to find ourselves vindicated by the National Audit Office of all people. Yet I have been. I have explained here and elsewhere that the reason why the Govia Thameslink and Southern rail franchise had been such a disaster was that they did not, and still do not, employ enough drivers. It is true that industrial action has hardly been irrelevant, but the Secretary of State's (Chris Grayling) claim on the radio yesterday that it was all the fault of the unions has no foundation. It is based on a report ...
Today's video is about why standing in as many elections as possible - even those apparently unwinnable council by-elections - makes sense for the Liberal Democrats, for the voters and even for democracy.
One of the leading arguments the pro-Brexit, anti-Equal marriage unionist DUP have used to say that the marriage laws in the rest of the United Kingdom do not apply here is that the EU don't define marriage that way. Until now. Today the Advocate General of the European Court has said the "definition of marriage has now evolved to include same-sex couples". He also calls on all member states to recognise same-sex marriages that have taken place in other member states. The word spouse most now not only apply to opposite sex couples. This may course interesting IF the Northern ...
I disagreed with my boyfriend the other night. It wasn't significant, but it was important. It will likely turn into something more serious when we reach the actual moment of decision. We were at a party on New Year's Eve, and he commented (I forget the context) on our future children being baptised. I was obviously raised Catholic, and his family is lapse Anglicans. My immediate reaction was to say that my children were never being baptised. He looked at me incredulously and said they were. I shot back that they weren't and this went back and forth for a ...
Thu 11th
17:16
Black pudding saved my life, says butcher who used it to free himself from locked freezer
The Daily Telegraph contributes our Headline of the Day.
Second snippet from third chapter: A clear sightline could not be obtained for the crush; one moved dazed through a veritable bazaar of scents, colognes, perfumes, fans, hairpieces, hats, grimacing faces, mouths held open in sudden shrieks, whether joyful or terrified it was difficult to say. In "All This Did I See: Memories of a Terrible Time," by Mrs. Margaret Garrett. This has already won the 2017 Man Booker Prize, and ought to make a few of this year's sf lists as well. It's set in 1862, in the immediate aftermath of the death of President Lincoln's 11-year-old son, with ...
We want to help each other. We want - indeed, we need - to belong to a community that is bigger than ourselves. And we are at our very best when we are working together towards a common goal. Continue reading →
Fancy working as a Political Assistant? Haringey Lib Dem council group are keen to find an assistant on a fixed-term basis until the end of the May, with the possibility the role could be renewed for a further 4 years pending election results, performance etc. The post is an official council role and is politically restricted. Obviously Haringey Council is an interesting place to work! Applications close on the 18th January. Further details here. * News Meerkat - keeping a look-out for Liberal Democrat news. Meerkat photo by Adair Broughton
Thu 11th
13:52
Are we at the bottom yet? Further falls in Open University enrolments recorded during 2016/17
Today's first release of HESA's official student enrolment data for 2016/17 shows a further decline in part-timers. This is against a background of slightly rising numbers in higher education overall. As I've tracked the Open University figures since the publication of the 2008/09 data set, I've updated my graph. It excludes the (currently 225) students who live outside of the ... The post Are we at the bottom yet? Further falls in Open University enrolments recorded during 2016/17 appeared first on ten pence piece.
The still, dark days of January are often associated with heightened levels of depression. Actually, depression is omnipresent. The charity Mind details depression as ranging from mild to moderate to severe. They list some types of depression: Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)- depression that usually (but not always) occurs in the winter. Dysthymia- continuous mild depression that lasts for two years or more. Prenatal depression- it occurs during pregnancy. Postnatal depression (PND)- occurs in the weeks and months after becoming a parent. Postnatal depression is usually diagnosed in women but it can affect men, too. Depression can have many causes, but ...
Out next month is Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Jo Swinson's book Equal Power. Look what just arrived!!! Beyond excited to hold an actual copy of Equal Power. Out on 1 Feb, available to preorder now: https://t.co/Bx6vP7dzCk pic.twitter.com/zx3a92KiB4 — Jo Swinson (@joswinson) January 10, 2018 Its blurb says: Why is gender inequality so stubbornly persistent? Power. Even today, power remains concentrated in the hands of men right across the worlds of business, politics and culture. Decisions taken by those with power tend to perpetuate gender inequality rather than accelerate solutions. And those who see the problem often feel powerless: ingrained sexism ...
Wed, 12:56: RT @ChukaUmunna: Big promise by @LiamFox just now in the HoC in answer to my questions: the UK will reach new trade agreements with all 65... Wed, 14:27: RT @Mina_Andreeva: .@JunckerEU @dw_bulgarian @EU2018BG: "I believe in #Bulgaria. // Вярвам в #България." https://t.co/IJPaYMuzRk https://t.... Wed, 16:05: RT @jrivanob: Hemingway ain't got shit on this https://t.co/CulksodpJD Wed, 18:51: Three Fifth Doctor audios: Moonflesh, Tomb Ship and Masquerade https://t.co/LbpALu6kiL Wed, 20:38: RT @AlbertoNardelli: Curious that Hammond/Davis pitch to Germany for a deal on services is to reference cooperation during global financial... Wed, 20:42: RT @JenniferMerode: Hard to be enthusiastic about making ...
I blogged about the Farron thing yesterday Post now updated to reflect developments since. weekly_food_challenge | Challenge #28: Cake Please tell me the cake is not a lie. Andrew's post about The Farron Thing is better than mine ... possibly because it was more considered and less written-in-immediate-anguish. If you like what you see here (or even if you don't) please consider dropping me a tip: [IMG: Paypal Donate Button] [IMG: Buy Me an uncaffeinated beverage (because I'm allergic to coffee) at ko-fi.com] [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
It was only as I went out of the door of a local building society that I began to realise that I might have been given at least one powerful message through changes that had been made there! The changes? Now there was a permanent mini-food bank, a collection bucket for the local food bank and a prominent collecting box for the "Samaritans." Previously, every banking place I had ever used only ever had items and notices, etc., to do with direct economics. For the first time, items to do with other aspects of life were there too. No longer ...
Michael Gove was on Radio 4 this morning, talking about the environment but of course, was asked about Brexit and many other things affecting the Tories at present. Whatever you think of his politics, it is amazing how much better at this sort of thing Gove is than most of the rest of the cabinet. Whenever he's in the media, Michael always reminds me just how shriek-inducing, terrifyingly awful the Prime Minister is at this sort of thing. Anyhow, the reason I bring the interview up is that having someone as competent as Gove talk about the state of things ...
I admit to a level of scepticism earlier this week when I stumbled across a plaque fixed to the fence at the side of Swansea's Uplands Tavern, which boasted that Dylan Thomas and Kingsley Amis drank together in that pub. My first reaction was to ask whether the two had even been in Swansea at the same time, however a bit of googling soon verified the claim, though any suggestion that the drinking session was repeated is soon disabused by Amis himself. The story is set out in the Shiraz Socialist blog from Kingsley Amis' own account, which was first ...
Thu 11th
08:43
Town Green – Taking advantage of the 'Engineer's Possession' of the line north of Maghull
The Merseyrail Northern Line from Liverpool to Ormskirk was closed north of Maghull Station over the Christmas period (and it will be again on various dates in the coming weeks) to facilitate the building of the second railway station for the Town – unimaginatively to be called Maghull North! But it seems that Network Rail have been taking advantage of the closure (engineer's possession) to do other works on the line north of Maghull, which of course makes sense. The following photos were taken at Town Green Station on 5th January as Network Rail engineers were working on the line. ...
It is a strange thing, vouchsafed to few of us, to find ourselves vindicated by the National Audit Office of all people. Yet I have been. I have explained here and elsewhere that the reason why the Govia Thameslink and Southern rail franchise had been such a disaster was that they did not, and still do not, [...] The post How Grayling blunders on towards re-nationalisation appeared first on Radix.
Logie Street :
2018 is the year we need to #stopbrexit. Opposition to Brexit throughout 2017 was remarkably constant and evenly split. Private polling however suggests some 'Releavers' (effectively the softer remain half) have rejoined hard Remainers, and there is now a small percentage of 'Bregretters'. Some leading pollsters argue 60% plus opposition to Brexit is needed for six consecutive months for enough Parliamentarians to start speaking out. So the current direction of travel is towards Brexit even though some leading groups, notably half of EU27 ambassadors and High Commissioners in London, reportedly believe Brexit won't happen. The May minority government has been ...
International students bring a net benefit of £20.3 billion to the UK economy, a joint study by the Higher Education Policy Institute and Kaplan International Pathways has found. Liberal Democrat Leader Vince Cable commented: "I welcome this timely report from the Higher Education Policy Institute. "This is a battle I fought for five years in government with Theresa May. "All her cabinet colleagues seem now to realise there is a need to remove students from the immigration figures, but still nothing changes. "The Conservatives are pursuing economic self-harm through harsh visa restrictions. "International students enrich our economy and society and ...
