Seen in the News

[Stanley]

I heard that report Ken and had exactly the same thought. Originally it was said that Johnson would be paying but who foots the bill if it's a farewell party? Partygate all over again. He's laughing all the way to the exit isn't he.

[Stanley]

Not in the news yet but I have a feeling that we will soon be hearing warnings about fire risks on the moors and then reports of fires. It's a bit of a miracle we haven't seen them already......
Later.... Heard in the news actually. I am listening to some of R4 Today before going in the shed for a potter, no hard and fast tasks in there and as soon as I feel tired I am out of it!
The news is wall to wall warnings, it looks as though the highest temperatures will hit David in the Cambridge area tomorrow, 43C has been mentioned. The East Coast main line is going to be closed entirely because 'the network was never designed to cope with these temperatures. The main problem could be rails buckling as they expand.
Rural roads that are mainly capped by old fashioned tar and chippings could be melting today and need sand spreading on them. That used to be common twenty years ago....
My own personal warning is beware of moor fires and remember that this sort of weather can spawn extreme weather events when it starts to cool, ninety years ago floods were ripping through Barlick following a period of very warm weather.
So, don't panic but use your heads!

[Tizer]

This is good news but it made me smile because it would look so familiar to Cornish miners...
`Surging demand for cobalt spurs hunt for mineral in Australia’s mine waste: Geologists scour outback for commodity used in EV batteries as Canberra seeks to diversify from fossil fuels' FT
The mines there started out looking for tin; when that began to run out, they dug deeper and found copper. When that ran out and was cheaper from foreign mines there was a quiet interval, then they found the mine waste contained other metals such as titanium, tungsten etc and so they `mined' the waste from the old mines for these newly important metals. Now its lithium and rare earth metals. Twas ever thus...

[Stanley]

They did that about seventy years ago to the waste heaps at Cononley lead mine near us Peter.

[Tizer]

Yes, and we can trace some of the re-openings back to the Romans and beyond. The Forest of Dean is a good example too.

[Whyperion]

Downing Street confirmed Mr Johnson will not be attending this afternoon's emergency COBRA meeting on the response to the current heatwave, which has been declared a national emergency.

Today Johnson tells cabinet.

Boris Johnson has been holding his last Cabinet meeting as party leader, and has addressed the heatwave. Schools, transport, and the NHS should stay open "as far as possible", he said.


Well thats as clear as mud.

[Big Kev]

It's all on fire down here in Kent
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/dartford/n ... es-270530/

[Wendyf]

Time to head back north Kev!

[Big Kev]

Certainly is Wendy, packing now for a 9am start in the morning.

[Stanley]

But we appear to have avoided a thundery end to the heat wave.....

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report of the fires in the South.....
Take note and realise it could happen here. We need heavy rain!

[Cathy]

Lots of footage on our tv news about the UK’s weather, especially London and surrounds.
Feeling for you all. Take care.

[Tizer]

Thanks Cathy, we in Britain have it easy compared with many other countries including yours. It's ironic that Aussie governments have been so unwilling to address or even accept climate change until recently.

We had a very brief, light shower late yesterday and unfortunately it tricked young frogs into leaving their damp hideaways, venture out onto flagstones and then die when the rain quickly dried up.

[Stanley]

Cathy, it's not as bad as the news coverage suggests. The current wildfires have happened in the South, when we have moor fires in the north it never gets on to national news. Rather like flooding, always worse when it happens in London!
Later. That nice man Mr Eustise refused to accept that the fact that despite multiple promises there will be no debate on the trade deal with Australia. It is suspected that the reason for this is that the government is frightened that Parliamentary scrutiny would result in it being apparent that UK farming has been sold down the river by this deal. Once again, the needs of the voters have been betrayed by being completely ignored.

[Stanley]

See THIS report in the Guardian that a Mr Carlsen is not going to defend his World Chess Championship title in 2023 because 'I simply feel that I don’t have a lot to gain'.
I'm sure that David and Ken can explain this to us.....

[Tizer]

`UK studies reusable hypersonic military jet technology' LINK
`Aeroengineers are to investigate the potential of hypersonic technologies for use by British armed forces. Russia, China and the US are all developing missiles that can travel through the atmosphere at many times the speed of sound, making them very difficult to track and shoot down. The UK project, announced at the Farnborough Air Show, would look to develop a super-fast, uncrewed air vehicle that could deliver payloads at great distance and then return to be used again. The team behind the venture includes Rolls-Royce, the RAF, the defence research agency DSTL and the Oxfordshire company Reaction Engines. It's also got the backing of the UK's National Security Strategic Investment Fund.'...

[plaques]

See THIS report in the Guardian that a Mr Carlsen is not going to defend his World Chess Championship title in 2023 because 'I simply feel that I don’t have a lot to gain'.
I'm sure that David and Ken can explain this to us.....

Chess has moved on from the big international games where they have to remember all the past top games, gambits and new variations which to be honest is beyond the understanding of mortals like me. When they are thinking six or seven moves ahead you can never understand why the make a particular move. Taking the big games place are quick internet games sometimes against all comers which are interesting to watch and probably sum up financially more than a big game.

[Tripps]

Carlsen is not going to defend his World Chess Championship title in 2023 because 'I simply feel that I don’t have a lot to gain'.
I'm sure that David and Ken can explain this to us.....

Carlsen won fairly easily last time against Ian Nepomniachtchi. The same guy has qualified fairly easily to be the challenger next time, so you can see why he may not fancy it. If he withdraws then I think the match will be Nepo against Ding Liren who was second in the challengers' tournament.



I

[Stanley]

Only on OG....
Where else could you get such a succinct and authoritative explanation?

[Tizer]

`Eerie glow in sky confuses Australian town and outs cannabis farm' LINK

[Cathy]

[Stanley]

Well, at least it was legal!

[Tizer]

There's been a lot of excitement about Russia and Ukraine agreeing to allow grain shipments to leave via the Black Sea. Of course there are worries about the mines laid in the Sea and we are sending a couple of minesweepers to help. But there's one hazard I haven't heard mentioned yet - there will have to be a lot of safety testing done on the grain because of the effects of it being grown in a war zone and also near Chernobyl where the Russians have already disturbed much of the contaminated ground with their vehicles and missiles and sent clouds of radioactive dust into the air. Just harvesting the grain is a nightmare too. Not only do the farmers have jets and missiles screaming above them but Russian planes have been dropping cluster bombs on the crop fields. The Russian military couldn't care less about the people who need to do the farming and those who need grain for food.

And regardless of the landmark deal to allow the resumption of grain, Russian missiles have landed on Odessa today. Under the terms of Friday's deal, Russia agreed not to target ports while grain shipments were in transit.

[Stanley]

See THIS and weep. Time and time again successive governments have been warned about the failings in the NHS, they have fiddled about with management and imposed austerity and 'an internal market', everything but ask what is needed and supply it. Now it looks as though we are nearing the end of the line and once more, it has to wait until November before we have a government in power. Do we need any more proof of the need for radical change?
Problem is that looking at the situation we are in I get a definite feeling that it's too late, we have gone too far. Government has failed us and what we face is a terrible winter and a silent spring......

[Tripps]

See this and weep.

And this as well - Too awful and hard to read perhaps - but all true. I'd avoid it if I were you. . . .

Myanmar executes democrats


George Orwell's version

A hanging