Opinion poll in Wales suggests 39% of people prepared to vote for the mindless nationalism of UKIP or Plaid for the Welsh Assembly - but not for where it would matters i.e, when electing MPs where their combined support falls to 17%.
July 2013 poll
Westminster: CON 23%, LAB 48%, LDEM 8%, PLAID 9%, UKIP 8%
Welsh Assembly (constituency): CON 19%, LAB 46%, LDEM 8%, PLAID 17%, UKIP 6%
Welsh Assembly (regional): CON 12%, LAB 25%, LDEM 9%, PLAID 23%, UKIP 16%
Just goes to show people vote for the oddest of reasons.
Thursday, 25 July 2013
Wednesday, 24 July 2013
Tuesday, 23 July 2013
Bonking Boris -
Not long ago Prime Minister David Cameron wrote:
" I also think we need to make Britain a genuinely hostile place for fathers who go AWOL. It’s high time runaway dads were stigmatised, and the full force of shame was heaped upon them. They should be looked at like drink drivers, people who are beyond the pale. They need the message rammed home to them, from every part of our culture, that what they’re doing is wrong – that leaving single mothers, who do a heroic job against all odds, to fend for themselves simply isn’t acceptable."
I assume he will be having a word with London Mayor Boris Johnston, who was revealed the other day to have fathered at least two children other than by his wife.
Oddly, Boris 's behaviour is widely treated as endearing rather than hypocritical - Boris himself treats it as a offensive if anyone asks about it, although he himself is not slow to moralise about the behaviour of others.
Trident - the part-time bomb
Old joke - what are you doing ? Sprinkling woofle dust. Why are you sprinkling woofle dust ? To keep the elephants away of course ! But there aren't any elephants in Clacton. Just goes to show it works.
Trident is much the same, it has deterred attacks on the UK in much the same way no one has nuked Peru, i.e. not at all.
The Government has published a review on possible options to replace the Trident Nuclear Missile System with a slightly less expensive alternative. The Conservatives have already denounced the option as a part-time deterrent.
Trident is inherently useless. Lets save the money and spend it on something else. My favourite is more overseas aid. Funny how people you are helpful too are less likely to go to war with you.
Trident is much the same, it has deterred attacks on the UK in much the same way no one has nuked Peru, i.e. not at all.
The Government has published a review on possible options to replace the Trident Nuclear Missile System with a slightly less expensive alternative. The Conservatives have already denounced the option as a part-time deterrent.
Trident is inherently useless. Lets save the money and spend it on something else. My favourite is more overseas aid. Funny how people you are helpful too are less likely to go to war with you.
Monday, 22 July 2013
The Legacy of Arabic Science
The Forgotten Legacy of Arabic Science
In the ninth century, the Abbasid caliph of Baghdad, al-Ma'mun, created one of the greatest centres of learning the world had ever seen, known as the House of Wisdom. Focussing on the story of how the scientists and philosophers he brought together sparked a period of extraordinary discovery, launching a golden age of Arabic science, this lecture will cover the next few hundred years which saw great advances in medicine, astronomy, philosophy, mathematics and many other disciplines, and highlight the birth of whole new fields, such as algebra and trigonometry.
This is the forgotten story of one of the most exciting periods in the history of science, full of wonderful characters and geniuses, such as al-Kindi, Ibn al-Haytham, Ibn Sina and al-Biruni – names that should be spoken alongside Newton, Galileo and Aristotle. Jim will argue in this talk that the world needs to look at the achievements of these scholars with fresh eyes, and the Arab and Islamic world needs to take greater pride in its rich scientific heritage, far removed from the dogmatic anti-scientific attitudes found so widely in the Islamic world today.
The Bristish Humanist Association are proud to announce that the 2013 Holyoake Lecture in Manchester will be presented by BHA President Jim Al-Khalili on 22 October. The topic will be the forgotten legacy of Arabic science.
In the ninth century, the Abbasid caliph of Baghdad, al-Ma'mun, created one of the greatest centres of learning the world had ever seen, known as the House of Wisdom. Focussing on the story of how the scientists and philosophers he brought together sparked a period of extraordinary discovery, launching a golden age of Arabic science, this lecture will cover the next few hundred years which saw great advances in medicine, astronomy, philosophy, mathematics and many other disciplines, and highlight the birth of whole new fields, such as algebra and trigonometry.
This is the forgotten story of one of the most exciting periods in the history of science, full of wonderful characters and geniuses, such as al-Kindi, Ibn al-Haytham, Ibn Sina and al-Biruni – names that should be spoken alongside Newton, Galileo and Aristotle. Jim will argue in this talk that the world needs to look at the achievements of these scholars with fresh eyes, and the Arab and Islamic world needs to take greater pride in its rich scientific heritage, far removed from the dogmatic anti-scientific attitudes found so widely in the Islamic world today.
Farewell Mel Smith
Comedian and actor Mel Smith - best known for his work with Griff Rhys Jones has died :-( Perhaps that ought to be comedic actor and director, as that was more what Mel Smith was.
One of my favourite no the nine o'clock news sketches involved Mel Smith going into a gift shop and buying the most tacky souvenir just for the pleasure of smashing it to pieces.
All deaths are sad, and it was strange to think that despite much wealth and huge talent, Mel Smith spent many years addicted to simple pain killer tablets and in pain from gout.
Despite a number of achievements - hit TV shows, successful film director, stage performances, even a hit charity single there was a slight feeling that Mel Smith perhaps could or should have achieved more. I am reminded though of the comments of someone about Peter Cook - he was known as the funniest man alive and created some of sketches and jokes that inspired a generation of more of comedians, isn't that enough ?
One of my favourite no the nine o'clock news sketches involved Mel Smith going into a gift shop and buying the most tacky souvenir just for the pleasure of smashing it to pieces.
All deaths are sad, and it was strange to think that despite much wealth and huge talent, Mel Smith spent many years addicted to simple pain killer tablets and in pain from gout.
Despite a number of achievements - hit TV shows, successful film director, stage performances, even a hit charity single there was a slight feeling that Mel Smith perhaps could or should have achieved more. I am reminded though of the comments of someone about Peter Cook - he was known as the funniest man alive and created some of sketches and jokes that inspired a generation of more of comedians, isn't that enough ?
50 Books that changed the world
Books that changed the world - the 50 most influential books in human history by Andrew Taylor ISBN 978-1-84724-602-8
This is an excellent book about books.
I suppose a list of the 50 most influential books is meant to provoke some debate, so perhaps my knowledge of books is lacking but it was hard to argue with the choice.
Some books, the Bible, the Qu'ran are obvious - most of the others have a very strong case. I won't spoil the fun by iving the full list now.
The writing is concise and informative giving reason for inclusion, context, influence and a flavour of the book.
As an overview of books and their inluence, it is probably hard to beat.
This is an excellent book about books.
I suppose a list of the 50 most influential books is meant to provoke some debate, so perhaps my knowledge of books is lacking but it was hard to argue with the choice.
Some books, the Bible, the Qu'ran are obvious - most of the others have a very strong case. I won't spoil the fun by iving the full list now.
The writing is concise and informative giving reason for inclusion, context, influence and a flavour of the book.
As an overview of books and their inluence, it is probably hard to beat.
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