As a #historyteacher I find this (re)animation of Gladstone hypnotic and creepy in equal measure! pic.twitter.com/VphRZRQbJM— Russel Tarr (@russeltarr) June 10, 2018
Tue 12th
23:17
My daughter has been asking me all day to help her make sense of Trump's Singapore meeting
[IMG: My daughter has been asking me all day to help her make sense of Trump's Singapore meeting] Maelo has been asking me all day to help her make sense of Trump's meeting with a dictator held on the tiny island of Singapore which, apparently, many people had never heard of before but... The post My daughter has been asking me all day to help her make sense of Trump's Singapore meeting appeared first on FeministMama @ambitiousmamas.
How, I hear you ask, have Freddie and Fiona been getting on? Lord Bonkers has the answer. Tuesday Wandering the well-kempt streets of one of London's more prosperous boroughs, I come upon a superior sort of street market. Among the stalls selling organic coffee and artisan gin, who should I find but my old friend Freddie? "We've started a new political party," he tells me enthusiastically. "We're going to unite the centre of British politics and win the next election." I ask who he expects will vote for them. "Oh, everybody. You know, sensible people. The sort of people who ...
Anyone feeling a bit jaded after today's events in Parliament? I mean, honestly, you have at the start of the day a very smug Arron Banks blithely telling anyone who would listen that Leave.EU "led people up the garden path" (that's lied to you and I). A few hours later, at the other side of the Parliamentary Estate, MPs fail to adequately hold the Government to account on their atrocious, democracy-undermining, devolution-busting disaster of an EU Withdrawal Bill. The day had started quite promisingly with the resignation of a Government Minister who then proceeded to buy the Govenrment's concession and ...
The waiting list for affordable housing in Shropshire stood at 5,370 households last year. The council says that the housing waiting list does not include all those that need housing. It acknowledges there are households that haven't identified their need because they are reluctant to give the information. To address this, the council has launched the Right Home, Right Place website - https://www.righthomerightplace.co.uk/. The aim is to make it easier for people to give the council information on what housing they need and where they need it. The survey covers all types of housing, social, market and private rental. I ...
Maybe by 2046, we won't care as a community. But one of the conditions for approval of the controversial solar farm near Henley Hall on Squirrel Lane was that it would be dismantled by 2046. The company running this scheme has now bid for this time restriction to be removed in its entirety. That means there can be solar panels on the site well beyond the middle of the century. Indefinitely. This is another instance where the planning system has given a few inches and the scheme promoters will take a few miles. It was ever thus. People will have ...
Lord Adonis is to take part in a debate on whether there should be a referendum on the final Brexit deal. The debate will take place at St Peter and St Paul Church in Market Place, Kettering, on Friday 22 June from 7.30 pm. His opponent will be Philip Hollobone, the town's Conservative MP. This is a free event, but if you want to attend you must book your place via Eventbrite.
Tue 12th
17:59
Beyond This Horizon; Second-Stage Lensmen; and the 1943 Retro Hugo finalists for Best Novel
Beyond This Horizon, by Robert A. Heinlein Second paragraph of third chapter:In the nucleus of every cell of every zygote, whether man or fruit fly, sweet pea or race horse, is a group of threadlike bodies—chromosomes. Along the threads are incredibly tiny somethings, on the order of ten times the size of the largest protein molecules. They are the genes, each one of which controls some aspect of the entire structure, man, animal, or plant, in which the cell is lodged. Every living cell contains within it the plan for the entire organism.This is early Heinlein, his second novel for ...
On returning to the Parish Council some two years ago, I was told that an application was in train to introduce a 20 mph speed limit in the village. And, subsequently, at every meeting, the apparent lack of progress was noted, despite the promises made by our County Councillor. Well, in fairness, I should report that, on Friday, the Order was published confirming that traffic through the village will need to be a bit more cautious in future. The new speed limit comes into effect tomorrow, and all credit is due to my fellow councillors and to Gary Green, the ...
Switzerland's system of direct democracy includes the right to submit a federal initiative and a referendum, both of which may overturn a parliamentary decision. Last year they held a referendum on a Universal basic income and last Sunday they had one on re-establishing sovereignty over money creation as per this economist article The proposal would have brought an end to the fractional reserve banking system in Switzerland. The central bank would have become the only provider of Swiss francs in a full reserve system. In other words, commercial banks would no longer be able to create cash; their ability ...
At a meeting on Tuesday 5 June, Members of the County Council's Education, Libraries and Localism panel were faced with stark facts. Following years of neglect, the Council has apparently realised that it has two valuable art collections worth over £25M which nobody was looking after! Their solution: dispose of over 90% of the works, and [...]
Tue 12th
12:58
Why Corbyn is now and has always been a Brexiteer - and why that means pro-Europeans on the Left now...
One question that will almost certainly be asked by political historians when they reflect back on the current age is why passionately pro-European leftists fell in behind a socialist Brexiteer like Jeremy Corbyn. For a few years now, being anti-Brexit has been one of the signature beliefs of the Left in Britain - all while the "absolute boy" of the movement has been vocally and demonstrably pro-Brexit most of the time. Corbyn's Euroscepticism comes from a long line of such a feeling within the socialist Left. Tony Benn campaigning to leave the EEC in the 1975 referendum is a prominent ...
Justice Minister, Dr Phillip Lee resigned this morning over the manner in which the government is pursuing Brexit. In a statement on his website he says The main reason for my taking this decision now is the Brexit process and the Government's wish to limit Parliament's role in contributing to the final outcome in a vote that takes place today. Lee rejects the idea of referendum on the final deal, but does suggest another way forward If Brexit is worth doing, then it is certainly worth doing well; regardless of how long that takes. It is, however, irresponsible to proceed ...
Tue 12th
12:39
Liverpool – Austrian students attacked – The shameful march towards racism of Brexit Bri...
The Liverpool Echo has the appalling story on its web site – see link above It's as though the day after the EU referendum the forces of racism felt that they had been given the green light to treat anyone who is not British and white as undesirables. I've read numerous pieces since then where increased racism has been linked to the Brexit vote and I fear that there really is a link. What on earth was going on here? The attack was allegedly by 15 year old girls! It's utterly appalling and brings shame on Merseyside which has ...
My Chapter in "Trans Britain" | Sarah Brown's Blog A fascinating look at the last 15 years or so of trans activism in the UK I did a twitter poll about lactation. The results so far are genuinely amazing. Copyright law could put end to net memes Say no to Article 13's censorship machine | Open Rights Group If you want to do something about the article linked above, click here The story of the marvel movie you've probably never seen (twitter thread) I'm a big fan of Roger Corman, and have heard of this but not seen it. The ...
Mon, 12:04: Are you 18, or do you know an 18-year-old, in the EU? (UK still counts!) The EU is offering *free passes* this sum... https://t.co/vY8rMXXATd Mon, 12:56: What Happens When a Bad-Tempered, Distractible Doofus Runs an Empire? https://t.co/4E3iV4n8bT The German precedent is not very encouraging. Mon, 16:05: Ministry Of Defence Insiders Have Serious Doubts About Gavin Williamson https://t.co/jRIJoNJVfc It's getting nasty in Whitehall Mon, 18:30: Monday reading https://t.co/hjt5iVUva5 Mon, 18:59: The 2018 Hugo finalists for Best Related Work https://t.co/EvPr9g0AbQ Mon, 19:43: RT @BradStaples: A couple of years ago, APCO helped #Ukraine's Ministry of Finance in achieving an historic #debtrestructuring. ...
[IMG: Roadworks sign] Kent Highways report that it will be necessary to close Sandgate Road, Folkestone from 14 June 2018 for up to 2 Days. The road will be closed between the junctions of Shakespeare Terrace and West Terrace. The alternative route is via Shakespeare Terrace, The Leas and West Terrace. This is to enable carriageway maintenance to be carried out by Kent County Council. Published and promoted by Tim Prater, 98a Sandgate High Street, Folkestone, CT20 3BYPrinted (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
With the Lewisham East Parliamentary by-election polling this week, now is an appropriate time to feature this leaflet from the constituency in 1931.
Nearly two years ago, my stepson and his lovely fiancée got married. This meant that I would have to wear a suit and, having concluded that having a similar build to that of a walrus would make that less than enjoyable, I concluded that shedding some weight was necessary. The target I set myself was to lose twenty-eight pounds, or thirteen kilograms, and by dint of walking ten thousand steps a day (and often more) and cutting my calorie intake, I made it with a bit to spare. And yes, I was still carrying a lot more weight than might ...
[IMG: Bicycle brake (CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2070914)] A new "Pay As You Go" or monthly subscription cycling service click2cycle serving Folkestone, Sandgate and Hythe launches on 16th June. To rent a bike, you need to download an app to your smartphone. You then set up an account, sign in, and find your nearest bike using the app. You then use the app to unlock your bike from the collection point at pick up, and again when you drop it back off. Pay As You Go rental cost £6 for the first hour, but a variety of price options are available. ...
Please find below information on a Seminar which has been organised by St Michael's Church Whitefield is in association with Manchester Metropolitan University and 42nd Street, who over the past 18 months have been working and researching Loneliness with young people (14 – 25) in Greater Manchester. This will take place on Saturday 23rd June at St Michaels Church Hall, Albert Road, Whitefield, M45 8NN. A poster is below with more information with details in how to book onto this seminar – places are limited. The organisers say: "Loneliness can affects us all, not only the old but the young ...
Carers Week (11-17 June) is an annual awareness campaign to bring caring right out into the open ñ recognising and celebrating the contribution carers make to families and communities throughout the UK. This Carers Week we want to draw attention to the brilliant local carers in our area who work tirelessley, often without recognition or support. Across the UK right now are around 6.5 million carers, looking after elderly, disabled or unwell, family and friends. As our population ages and people live longer, more and more of us will find ourselves becoming carers for those close to us. Many people ...
This weekend (23-24 June 2018) is Prestwich Carnival. There are some activities in St Mary's Park on Saturday, but the main parade and carnival takes place on Sunday 24 June. The great team of volunteers that put on the Carnival say: "For the people of Prestwich and surrounding areas, Prestwich Carnival has been a key celebration in the summer calendar for many years. In fact, in its present format the Carnival parade spans back over 90 Years. Once a year St Marys Park plays host to a great family day out including a fun fair, stalls village, music and much ...
Last weekend was the Parklife Weekend in Heaton Park. We're keen to hear from residents on any issues or comments, good or bad, that can help shape the event in the future. As your councillors we will be involved in the event debrief and this is a good time get any changes made for next year. We've done a short online survey for resident feedback here.
Following the election of the current Italian government, European commissioner Gunther Oettinger blurted that the financial markets will soon teach Italians to vote the right way. While much has been made of the new 'illiberal democracies' rearing their ugly head in places like Hungary and Poland, less has been talked about the new political form [...] The post The resistable rise of undemocratic liberalism appeared first on Radix.
If Corbyn has a problem with anti-Semitism then it seems that the Tories also have a problem, with Islamophobia. At least that is the view of their former party chair, Baroness Warsi. According to the Independent she says that the "poison" of Islamophobia is "very widespread" in the Conservative Party but is being "ignored" by Tory leaders. Warsi believes that the problem is present at all levels of her party and claims some of the Tories' own campaigns have included anti-Muslim messages: She told Business Insider: "It's very widespread. It exists right from the grassroots, all the way up to ...
I blogged about the controversial planning application for a permanent travellers site off Melling's Spurriers Lane recently. Here's a link to that posting:- I have subsequently been asked by a Melling resident for my advice and opinion on the development. These are the points I made in response:- ***** * I oppose farmland being used for other purposes and I fought against the Sefton Local Plan because it allows this very thing to happen (on the sites taken out of the Green Belt). * I'm guessing that you will have got the 3 Molyneux ward Sefton Councillors on board ...
I have today launched my June 2018 Update to West End Community Council. Subjects covered include: • Blackness Post Office - electronic door entry • Bus stop east of Harris Academy moved - trial basis The Community Council meets this evening at Logie St John's (Cross) Church Hall at 7pm - all residents welcome. You can download my Update here. The agenda for tonight's meeting is as follows : WEST END COMMUNITY COUNCIL MEETINGTUESDAY 12th JUNE 2018 AT 7.00PMLOGIE AND ST JOHN`S (CROSS) PARISH CHURCH HALL(ENTER FROM SHAFTESBURY TERRACE - OFF BLACKNESS AVENUE) 1. WELCOME, INTRODUCTIONS AND APOLOGIES2. MINUTE OF ...
Tracking all the relevant publications on climate change has become impossible. Climate science and policy need a new approach for an age of big literature When the lines between scientific facts, legitimate disagreements and uncertainties about climate change are being deliberately blurred - not least by world leaders like Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan - the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has never been more important. It is the IPCC's task to make sense of the landscape of scientific findings, where they agree, and why they may differ. The authors of the IPCC's sixth assessment ...
