Seen in the News

[Stanley]

See THIS for very early reports of a plane carrying 60 passengers and 4 crew hitting a US Army Black Hawk helicopter and crashing in the Potomac River, Washington DC. Too early for any news of casualties.

[Stanley]

See THIS for the latest on the Washington crash.
The black boxes for a commercial flight that crashed into a military helicopter in Washington DC have been located as questions mount about staffing and other close calls at the airport where the plane was landing. Normally two people manage air traffic control for helicopters and airplanes flying in the area - one of the most controlled airspaces in the world - but only one person was on duty at the Regan Washington National Airport on Wednesday at the time of the crash, according to sources cited by the BBC's US partner CBS News. Officials said they are still investigating the cause of the incident that is suspected to have killed all 67 people aboard the two aircraft.

See THIS for news of a local death.
Police are trying to find out how a man died after he "had suffered a number of serious injuries during a recent assault". Stuart Burns was found unresponsive at a caravan at Oakfield Lodge, Birchenlee Lane, Colne, at about 19:20 GMT on Tuesday, and was pronounced dead at the scene, Lancashire Police said. The force said a post-mortem examination showed the 52-year-old had been recently assaulted, but the injuries did not cause his death. A 36-year-old man was arrested at the scene initially on suspicion of murder, but is now being held on suspicion of wounding and remains in custody.

[Big Kev]

See THIS report.....
The withdrawal of a hospital shuttle bus has been condemned by councillors of all parties as the authority's full meeting unanimously called for the decision to be reversed. The East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) axed the free service, introduced in 2007, with effect from 1 April saying it could no longer afford the £780,000 a year operating cost. The Burnley Council's full meeting passed a motion proposed by Burnley Independent Group's councillor Aurangzeb Ali and seconded by Labour's councillor Fiona Wild. It said the bus was "a vital lifeline for residents". The motion said: "This decision was made with minimal notice and without consultation. "The shuttle bus service was introduced as a critical commitment when Burnley General Hospital's emergency department was closed. "The service has since become a vital lifeline for residents, especially for those facing financial hardship, health challenges, or mobility issues."
We are watching the gradual winding down of essential services. I never thought I would see this happening on the scale we see today. How wrong I was!

The bus has been saved https://www.burnleyexpress.net/health/v ... xe-4969230

[Stanley]

That's good news Kev! Thanks for recording it.

[Stanley]

See THIS for more on the shuttle....
A shuttle bus service between hospitals which was set to be axed due to costs will now continue to run but will no longer be free.

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report on Trump's tarrif war and ask yourself how this is going to affect us?
5 hours ago
It was not a bluff, the tariffs are here - and this is just the opening salvo from the Oval Office. The world trading system has not been here before. A slide towards a wider trade conflict is very much on the cards, as President Trump prepares similar tariffs firstly against Europe, and then at a lower level universally. But what matters as much as the actions the US takes, is how the rest of the world responds.
Truly, we live in interesting times!

[Stanley]

Meanwhile, here at home..... See THIS report on the latest woes at Thames Water....
3 hours ago
Thames Water will seek approval for an emergency cash lifeline in court on Monday as it faces running out of money in four weeks' time. Lenders to the debt-saddled company are offering up to £3bn in additional short-term loans to buy time to complete a major restructuring of the UK's biggest water and waste company. Failure to secure approval will see Thames edge closer to a temporary nationalisation, which could cost the government some £2bn a year. The company is still considering whether to appeal a decision by the regulator Ofwat to increase bills by 35% above inflation over the next five years – short of the 53% increase it applied for.
I can't help remembering that some of us said it was a mistake when we sold the family jewels. But we were told that we didn't understand modern economics.... Once more, the 'experts' have cocked up!

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC article on AI
"It's easier to get forgiveness than permission," says John, a software engineer at a financial services technology company. "Just get on with it. And if you get in trouble later, then clear it up." He's one of the many people who are using their own AI tools at work, without the permission of their IT division (which is why we are not using John's full name). According to a survey, external by Software AG, half of all knowledge workers use personal AI tools.
The rest of the article is worth reading as it is a way that AI is invading our lives under the radar......

[Stanley]

THIS caught my attention....
Southport child murderer Axel Rudakubana has refused to leave his prison cell for a court hearing called to resolve a legal issue. The 18-year-old, who was last month jailed for a minimum of 52 years for the knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on 29 July 2024, had been due to appear via video link at Liverpool Crown Court. The court heard he both refused to participate in the hearing from HMP Belmarsh in south-east London or to speak with his legal team. Because Rudakubana was under 18 when he killed Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice da Silva Aguiar and Bebe King, the judge amended his sentence to "detained at His Majesty's pleasure" rather than being kept in custody for life.
At the risk of being branded an old reactionary might I suggest that the system should stop being dictated to by this convicted murderer. Shave his head for a start off, that hair is a statement of defiance. (The army had a cure for that.) Then put him in an orange jump suit and when he was ordered to do anything by the court simply make him do it.
Before anyone starts to whinge about his human rights. He hasn't got any. What about the human rights of those he attacked?
Later at 04:30.
I have just heard about THIS and all I have to say at the moment is that Trump is either a genius or a fantasist. At the moment I favour the latter!
Later. 05:30. First reactions in the region are of ridicule and statements that this is a prescription for ethnic cleansing.

[PanBiker]

Forced resettlement is a crime under International Law. It is clearly defined as Ethnic Cleansing.

I wont comment about the POTUS apart from asking if anyone knows if there is anything in their constitution that protects the nation from clearly mentally deranged individuals being in charge? Where are the men like FDR or JFK when you need them?

[Stanley]

Is there anything in ours Ian? I am thinking about Boris Johnson..... He was a liar and a fantasist and look where he and his ilk got us!

[Tizer]

I wont comment about the POTUS apart from asking if anyone knows if there is anything in their constitution that protects the nation from clearly mentally deranged individuals being in charge?

Theoretically there is the possibility of invoking the 25th Amendment so that the vice-president can take over. In practice, not so easy. If you claimed that Trump is mentally deranged he would simply get his friendly psychiatrists (well paid with backhanders etc) to shout you down.

[PanBiker]

Aye , I think the rules, whoever makes them up are solely designed to keep broadly the same pigs snouts in the troughs.

There could be another way...

No Weal Save Common Weal

Bradford Independent Labour Party (ILP) 1893

[Stanley]

I agree Ian but the problem seems to be that snouts in troughs is more popular than common weal.



1909 poster.

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report .....
Two subsidised travel schemes have been scrapped by Lancashire County Council. A discretionary £1 fare before 09:30 GMT for those with the disabled persons NoWcard will end in April. From July, free bus travel for young people who are not in education, employment or training will also end. The cabinet member for highways and transport, Rupert Swarbrick, said: "The withdrawal is regrettable but it does allow us to contribute to the overall balancing of the corporate budget."
Another example of how austerity hits those least able to afford it.

[Tizer]

I have to admit I didn't know that the Baltic states relied on Russia for their electricity...
`Baltic states begin historic switch away from Russian power grid' BBC
More than three decades after leaving the Soviet Union, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have begun to unplug from Russia's electricity grid and join the EU's network.

[Big Kev]

I'm surprised Russia hasn't disrupted the supply to those Baltic states. Reading the article they haven't actually bought energy from Russia since 2022 even though still connected to the Russian grid. The company I work for dropped Gazprom back in 2022 when Ukraine was invaded. Hopefully these type of actions, that further isolate Russia, will make Putin think more about the future of his country and, more importantly, the people. Probably not though...

[Tripps]

Boxing match

I watched this fight live last Saturday night, and thought at the time it should have been stoppped sooner. However when the aim of the contest is to render your opponent unconscious by beating him ( or her - god help us. . ) about the head - who can be surprised at this occasional outcome?

I'm aware - but still watched the whole thing. That's the problem. Nothing will change.

[Stanley]

Peter..... " have to admit I didn't know that the Baltic states relied on Russia for their electricity."
Neither did I and so I was as surprised as you were when I heard the news report.
David. I hadn't heard about the boxer dying but as you say, the object of the exercise is to render your opponent insensible by beating him round the head so I am not surprised. I was never a fan of boxing, it didn't appeal tp me even in the days of Bruce Woodcock and Frank Bell who was born in Barnoldswick. (LINK)
Later....
You've triggered a memory David. This bloke was as famous as the boxers! Can anyone else remember him? (LINK)

[Stanley]

THIS caught my attention and horrified me....
8 February 2025
Warning: Contains offensive language and descriptions of sexual violence.
It was a warm February night when an ominous message popped into Hannah Grundy's inbox in Sydney. "I will just keep emailing because I think this is worthy of your attention," the anonymous sender wrote. Inside was a link, and a warning in bold: "[This] contains disturbing material." She hesitated for a moment, fearing it was a scam. The reality was so much worse. The link contained pages and pages of fake pornography featuring Hannah, alongside detailed rape fantasies and violent threats. "You're tied up in them," she recalls. "You look afraid. You've got tears in your eyes. You're in a cage." Written in kitschy word art on some images was Hannah's full name. Her Instagram handle was posted, as was the suburb she lived in. She would later learn her phone number had also been given out. That email kicked off a saga Hannah likens to a movie. She was left to become her own detective, uncovering a sickening betrayal by someone close to her, and building a case which changed her life - and Australian legal standards.
There is much more and it is worth reading. The perpetrator was a close male friend and he had used AI to produce the deep fakes. There is also the matter of how she was treated by the police and other authorities. We need to be aware of this, it could happen to anyone....
Just as I was posting I saw this as well.... (LINK)

[Stanley]

I'm not sure if anyone will be concerned about THIS BBC report on the CofE Synod debate.....
1 hour ago
The Church of England risks further crisis if it fails to adopt a sweeping new independent system to keep people safe, the former head of a national inquiry into child sexual abuse has said. On Tuesday, after numerous abuse scandals, the Church's national assembly votes on options to radically change its safeguarding processes. One of the systems being considered is based on a model proposed by Professor Alexis Jay who was asked by the Church for her input. But some members of the Church have cast doubts about the system that comprehensively hands the process for dealing with abuse allegations to an outside organisation. The resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury over his handling of a prolific abuser and questions about the Archbishop of York's handling of another case have added a sense of urgency to make changes.
It looks as though the Established Church is in deep trouble and doesn't seem to be able to find a way out.
Question is, does anyone really care?

[Tizer]

The Times on the weekend had an article about insurance companies having concerns that EVs have more accidents than ICE cars but fewer drivers are injured in EVs than ICE cars. Some of this is claimed to be due to better safety features in EVs but another reason is sure to be the greater power of even `small' EVs. The Times quoted some EV 0-60mph acceleration in basic cars of 5 or 6 seconds. All I could find on the web was this page liked below.

Scroll down the web page and read the text beginning under the photo showing 3 cars.
`Questions over safety as ICE drivers swap into "brutally" fast EVs' Autocar

[Whyperion]

The Times on the weekend had an article about insurance companies having concerns that EVs have more accidents than ICE cars but fewer drivers are injured in EVs than ICE cars. Some of this is claimed to be due to better safety features in EVs but another reason is sure to be the greater power of even `small' EVs. The Times quoted some EV 0-60mph acceleration in basic cars of 5 or 6 seconds. All I could find on the web was this page liked below.

Scroll down the web page and read the text beginning under the photo showing 3 cars.
`Questions over safety as ICE drivers swap into "brutally" fast EVs' Autocar

Electric Buses also have frightenning acceleration ( diesel are bad enough) . Not a pleasant passenger experience at times.
the EV accidents report - what about injuries and deaths to pedestrians and similar

[Whyperion]

See THIS for more on the shuttle....
A shuttle bus service between hospitals which was set to be axed due to costs will now continue to run but will no longer be free.

I see local Burnley MP sort of took credit for getting the commerical service in place. Moving People have been running mainly schools contracts for some years including into Burnley. The replacement wont be going to Pendle Community Hospital Though, and there are now few, if any, cross Burnley bus services to the Blackburn direction. If I was transdev I would have re-worked the 9 service up to Burnley.Pendle hospitals and on into Blackburn, though that service would not be a particulary fast journey.

[Stanley]

I knew they accelerated better Peter but had never heard about any comparisons between diesel and electric drivers.