Seen in the News

[Tripps]

Sounds ambitious to me. How does it work in practice?

Actually getting your kids to be more advanced than their peer group isn't always a good thing. My big lad was (is ) bright, and had to mark time at the big school to wait for the less able ones to catch up.
He was transferred to another school the next week, and never looked back.

Oswaldtwistle, Wonderful name.

I was there in the millenium year 2000 and saw the "World Chanpion" fiddle player Pierre Schryer" (French Canadian) do a gig.It was on a Sunday afternoon at the upper room of the Catholic Social Club, and followed a session on the Saturday afternoon, at Ossie Mills where there was a masterclass workshop in Appalachian clog dancing.

As Stanley often says - "we may be poor, but we see life".

Pierre Schreyer.jpg

He's a bit older now -but still fiddling. . .

[Stanley]

I have heard people who know about these things say that one of the factors that contributes to lower levels of reading skills is that mothers don't interact with their children as much as they used to, it's easier to park them in front of a TV while they get on with the housework. I am always suspicious of any defence which relies on blaming the parents but I do remember my mother teaching me how to read the advertisements on the buses and trams. When I started school at 4 years old I had some rudimentary counting and reading skills which were all down to my mother's efforts. I was not alone, other children were at the same level and I think it made Mrs Ackroyd's task much easier.
(Doe everyone remember the name of their first school teacher?)

[Tizer]

`Plan to double power of e-bikes sparks fire fears' LINK
A government plan to double the maximum legal power of e-bikes has drawn warnings that it could increase the risk of severe battery fires and other injuries. The Department for Transport is consulting on the proposals which would also allow e-bikes that don't require pedalling to travel much faster. The government said it wanted to make riding e-bikes more attractive. But critics said the plans posed safety risks. There were more fires caused by e-bikes and e-scooters in London in 2023 than in any previous year. London Fire Brigade said it supported green transport but described lithium battery fires as "London's fastest growing fire trend." "The risk of more severe battery fires - because of these more powerful models - which the consultation does highlight, is a significant concern", said Assistant Commissioner for Fire Safety, Charlie Pugsley. Campaign group Electrical Safety First said: "Substandard e-bike batteries are already causing devastating fires across the country." MPs should focus on making current batteries safe, it said.

[PanBiker]

When I started school at 4 years old I had some rudimentary counting and reading skills which were all down to my mother's efforts. I was not alone, other children were at the same level and I think it made Mrs Ackroyd's task much easier.
(Doe everyone remember the name of their first school teacher?)

My experience the same Stanley in the 50's. I remember my mum taking me to see Mrs Hindle, who was headmistress at Gisburn Road Infants for a chat. I was asked if I knew my address. To count up as high as I could, she stopped me at twenty and asked what came next, then showed me various pictures of animals and asked me to name them. I had sheep, pigs, cows an elephant and a lion. Asked me to write my name which I did. She judged that I could start the following week and my first class teacher was Miss Pomfret.

[Tripps]

The Prime Minister is to address the nation from outside No 10 Downing Street at 5.40 pm. That is in about twenty minutes time. That's unusual - short notice on a Friday evening - I'd say.
**********
Well he told us what he thinks is wrong but I didn't hear any meaningful solutions. This address must be triggered by Galloway and Williamson's success in Rochdale today, their pro Hamas and anti Israel rhetoric, and other subsequent comments. He is frightened, he's panicking, and George Galloway, who must be chuckling in Rochdale, hasn't even arrived in Westminster yet.

PS This is worth a look Galloway "I despise the Prime Minister".
Sam Coates may need counselling after that mauling. . . .

[Stanley]

Thanks for the reinforcement Ian! Worth recording that on the whole we went to school younger in those days so as to free the mothers up for war work.
"he told us what he thinks is wrong but I didn't hear any meaningful solutions."
Quite David, he evidently sees any criticism or opposition as extremism and an attempt at mob rule. I suppose he sees the vote itself as mob rule. The Far Right is so predictable!
See THIS BBC report into a very disturbing matter and well done them for investigating this and bringing it into the light.
A Ukrainian man who sells poison to people who want to take their own lives has been named by the BBC. This is the story of how - after a two-year investigation - we tracked the seller down and finally confronted him outside a post office in war-torn Kyiv. On a website where people openly discuss suicide, "the Ukraine supplier" was a name frequently discussed by members. The mysterious trader was shipping a chemical commonly used for suicide around the world from Ukraine's capital. He has been linked to at least 130 UK deaths. We traced his online store, as well as his email address and PayPal account, and managed to identify the man as Leonid Zakutenko. In January 2022, we decided to make direct contact with Zakutenko, posing as an interested buyer on the pro-suicide forum.
He quickly messaged back and said he could supply the chemical. The forum advises users to take anti-vomiting drugs along with the chemical. We asked if he could also supply these and he confirmed that he could.
The BBC is not naming either the pro-suicide website or the chemical being sold.
This is completely outside my experience and I knew nothing about it. I must have led a very sheltered life! Either that or I was not exposed to the sort of disturbing material that youngsters can access freely on social media.
I can understand why many parents are campaigning to bar access to content like this by their children. If I had been in this position with mine I would have been with them. I just can't get my head round the fact that it seems this man has no qualms about making profit out of selling death to children......

[Tizer]

The BBC is not naming either the pro-suicide website or the chemical being sold.

It's sensible of the BBC to do that but the fact is it's easy to find out on google what the chemical is, lots of it is sold on Amazon for other common uses and it's cheap and ideal for a painless death. (My search was scientific and I'm not intending to head for the exit!)

[Stanley]

I was tempted on to Google but not for the chemical but the teenage suicide rate. Here's what I found:-
According to data by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), analysed by Young Minds, suicide rates among young people aged 15-19 in England rose by 35 per cent from 2020 to 2021. In 2020, 147 young people aged 15-19 in England took their own lives. This rose to 198 in 2021.
I find that sad and very shocking. Do we know what caused the rise? Is it all due to the influence of social media?

[Tripps]

Someone should send the ingredient to Dame Esther Rantzen - but then it would be quickly and quietly over, and she would be off the front page. Though I suspect that is not "what she would have wanted". . . .

[Stanley]

See THIS update on the condition of the ex pit villages.
Former coal-mining areas are falling further behind the rest of Britain decades on from pit closures, a charity has warned. Forty years after the 1984 miners' strike, the Coalfields Regeneration Trust (CRT) said communities had been "let down" by a lack of investment since the loss of an industry which employed more than 220,000 people. It comes as a survey commissioned by the BBC suggested 73% of people living in former mining towns and villages felt they had seen little or no progress on levelling up - the Conservatives' flagship policy aimed at reducing regional inequalities. The government said it had committed £15bn to improve the lives of "everyone, everywhere in the UK" through levelling-up projects. The BBC's poll of 2,426 people in former coalfield communities in England, Wales and Scotland found 57% felt there was a lack of suitable jobs in their area.
I've been aware of the way these villages were abandoned and the effects it has had on them for a long time and I am glad to see that the CRT is still active.
One correction, I would say that 'let down' is too mild, in my book they were abandoned.

[Tizer]

Years ago I was predicting that manufacturers of equipment such as domestic appliances and cars were shifting us slowly towards a world were we no longer had complete control over what we had bought and instead the manufacturers would make changes whenever they wanted to do so. Also we would end up renting rather than owning...
`Nissan accused of dumping its electric car pioneers' LINK
Note this bit: Dr Benjamin Gorman, a senior lecturer at Bournemouth University, said Nissan "really should have built in some kind of backward compatibility" so that the car could still connect by plugging in a phone or through Bluetooth, adding that "it is bad design." But he said, in the future, other electric vehicle owners could also see their software eventually lose functionality as technology moved on, and companies stopped issuing updates. He also pointed to broader trends within the industry, such as some car manufacturers starting to charge a monthly subscription fee for access to extra features such as apps. "I think it's going to be a much wider issue, because essentially, manufacturers are increasingly moving to selling hardware as a service," said Dr Gorman.

[Stanley]

I can believe that Peter. We already have the problem in the shape of unavoidable service charges on leases of dwellings. They can be grossly expensive but carry the full weight of the law to enforce them.
We live in a strange world, we recognise that problem but at the same see in the news that in some parts of the country no burglaries at all have been prosecuted and it is being seen as a 'safe' offence to commit. I wonder if that applies to shop-lifting as well?

[Stanley]

See THIS report on the US 'Super Tuesday' for the latest bad news on the seemingly inexorable progress of the Donald to yet another term as US President.
As I have been heard to say before, the world has gone mad. (Official!)

[Stanley]

It would seem that all our problems are over....

[Tizer]

I saw a headline today saying `Zelensky escapes Russian missile strike'. What they should have written was `Zelensky and Greek Prime Minister escape Russian missile strike'. They were standing together at the time in Odessa. The Greek PM could have been killed. Greece has been a Nato member since the 1950s. I wonder how Nato would have reacted if he had been killed. That Russian missile came close to being the trigger for a much bigger war.

[Stanley]

I missed that post of yours Peter! Sorry. Yes if the Greek PM had been killed that would have been a bit of a problem but I doubt if it would have led to any retaliation from NATO. The bottom line is that nobody wants to fight Putin's Russia. They are all hoping against hope that something internal in Russia will change the course of history.
See THIS disturbing report in this morning's news.
A number of bodies have been removed from a Hull funeral directors as part of a police inquiry. An investigation was launched into Legacy Independent Funeral Directors after a report of concern for "care of the deceased", Humberside Police said. Cordons are in place at the firm's three branches in Hessle Road and Anlaby Road in Hull, and in Beverley. Assistant Chief Constable Thom McLoughlin said officers were working with local councils and the coroner. "Together we have been conducting extensive enquiries to fully understand the circumstances and concerns expressed in the report made to us," he said. "As part of this, we are now in the process of moving a number of deceased from the premises on Hessle Road in Hull to the local authority mortuary in Hull." Mr McLoughlin said the investigation related to "concern about the storage and management processes relating to care of the deceased in these locations".

[Tripps]

Not long ago it was said that The Princess of Wales would appear at Trooping the Colour (that's in June). That was withdrawn after a few days. Then there was another photo of her in a vehicle, and the web said it was her sister not her. Now the official Mothers Day photo which has been the subject of much speculation during the day (she had no rings on) and Sky News are reporting that it has been officially withdrawn by the press agencies, They say it has been "manipulated". Once is happenstance etc etc. I wonder what the story for that will be. Something major is afoot - I think we should be told, but doubt we will be.

Princess of Wales photo recalled by picture agencies over editing fears
Image that had been hoped would quell conspiracy theories about Princess’s health is instead ‘killed’ as concern raised over manipulation
Hannah Furness, Royal Editor

A photograph released by Kensington Palace, showing the Princess of Wales with her children, was recalled on Sunday night by four of the world’s biggest picture agencies over fears it had been “manipulated...

[Stanley]

You got there before the BBC did David. See THIS report they posted an hour ago.
Four photo agencies have retracted a picture of the Princess of Wales over concerns it has been "manipulated". The image, taken by Prince William and issued by Kensington Palace for Mother's Day, showed Catherine with their three children. But Associated Press was the first to pull the image as it "did not meet" the agency's photo standards. The agency noted an "inconsistency in alignment of Princess Charlotte's left hand". Kensington Palace declined to comment.
I wouldn't be surprised now to hear you are right but am forced to wonder if it really matters.
I thought THIS qualified as important. Why was the Home Office insisting on fingerprints when they knew that in the circumstances prevailing in Gaza this was impossible. Thank God the court reversed this example of the Home Office's 'hostile environment'.

[Big Kev]

It's on the radio too, this has got to be the biggest 'non-story' for a long time. Have they looked at pictures on social media recently? I don't even recognise my own granddaughters in the pictures they post.
What a load of nonsense about nothing.

[Tizer]

`Lee Anderson: Ex-Tory MP defects to Reform UK' LINK
...He becomes Reform UK's first ever MP, representing a party polling around 10% of national voting intention....
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`Trump will not give a penny to Ukraine - Hungary PM Orban' LINK
Donald Trump will not fund Ukraine's fight against Russia's invasion if he is elected US president again, Hungarian PM Viktor Orban has said.
"He will not give a penny in the Ukraine-Russia war. That is why the war will end," the conservative premier said after meeting Mr Trump in Florida.

[Stanley]

I agree with you Kev..... I'll bet she doesn't try to 'improve' her snaps again when they are going to be published.
Peter, I am getting very pessimistic about Ukraine's future. In case nobody has noticed, the US has already given up on funding them despite Biden's fine words.
Meanwhile, in the Red Sea the Houthis still have a stranglehold on shipping which is damaging the whole of the West economically and we can't stop them.
The latest 'hot' news is that bananas are going up in price due to climate change...... Perhaps that might take the pressure off the Princess of Wales.....
See THIS for the return of an old favourite when it comes to worry.
The UK risks blackouts unless it builds new, gas-fired power stations, Energy Security Secretary Claire Coutinho will warn today. The new stations will replace existing plants, many of which are ageing and will soon be retired. But the government says the CO2 produced will not be captured - a measure which limits climate change. That could threaten a legally binding commitment to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, critics say. The government said new gas power stations were needed to have a safe and reliable back up for days when renewables like wind and solar didn't deliver. PM Rishi Sunak said he would not "gamble with our energy security". The decision is part of a wide-reaching review of how the UK's energy market works.
Mind you the 'net zero' target is a fiction as long as the government subsidises Drax because they are making more and more CO2 out of burning old forests and not short term biomass.

[Big Kev]

I agree with you Kev..... I'll bet she doesn't try to 'improve' her snaps again when they are going to be published.

FB_IMG_1710235349297.jpg

[Tizer]

Peter, I am getting very pessimistic about Ukraine's future. In case nobody has noticed, the US has already given up on funding them despite Biden's fine words.

It's our future too and we're going to have to look after ourselves in Europe. We're carrying on as usual while the Europeans to the East are preparing themselves Sweden & Finland The Ukrainians are already aware that warfare has changed and they're keeping Russian warships stuck in port for fear of being attacked by Ukraine's sea drones Sea drones Meanwhile we build massive aircraft carriers - I wonder how many sea drones could be bought for the price of one carrier?

[Tripps]

That would involve a strategic decision with consequences beyond the next election, and their pension and peerage. . Rather flippant, but I would create the mother of all 'iron domes ' over UK and forget about the aircraft carriers. One of them caught fire a few days ago whilst parked up awaiting repair.

Fortunately Sunak has just taken one such decision and said 'sod net zero - we need the lights on - 'build me some gas fired power stations'. Very brave - but quite correct. The next logical step is to use our own gas and not buy it from the USA and the Gulf.

Get fracking says I . . . .

[Stanley]

Or David, as I read yesterday in Private Eye, buy it from Russia like the refined Russian products we are already buying via India. They reckon London is insuring about 30% of Russia's illegal oil exports as well.
Kev, be careful! You may get dragged into the argument.
I'd have been more impressed by Sunak's venture into energy futures if he had scrapped subsidies to Drax and stopped financing the French firm EDF. Hinkley is so far behind schedule and over budget and no guarantee it can even work! Yet we are planning another one. Where's the sense in that?
See THIS Report that signals a reverse ferret from Number Ten.
Comments allegedly made about Diane Abbott by a Conservative donor were "racist and wrong", Rishi Sunak's spokesperson has said. Frank Hester, who has donated £10m to the Tories, reportedly said the MP made him want to "hate all black women". Mr Hester apologised for making "rude" comments but said his words "had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin". Downing Street initially declined to describe his comments as racist. But later Mr Sunak's spokesperson said: "The comments allegedly made by Frank Hester were racist and wrong. "He has now rightly apologised for the offence caused and where remorse is shown it should be accepted. "The prime minister is clear there is no place for racism in public life, and as the first British-Asian prime minister leading one of the most ethnically diverse Cabinets in our history, the UK is living proof of that fact."
I listened to the denials yesterday with growing disbelief. These people were defending the totally indefensible. I see they have now resiled from that position but will still keep the money he donated. I thought the Liberals were quite smart when they demanded assurances that Hester would not get a peerage.
They say he has apologised but I don't see how that can change the fact that he is a racist who wants to shoot women.
If that apology works, Diane Abbott's should work as well and she should be readmitted to the Labour Party.