Thank you to Wendy Hurrell BBC Online News for the Headline
Nice to know that Sir David Attenborough loves his home town , particularly the area he was brought up in London, which is Richmond, South-West London , on the door step of the borough’s Royal Park which Sir David has been enthralled with since a child.
He is nearing his hundredth birthday and still making wildlife films , but this one “Wild London” must be a labour of love. From the humble hedgehog to the introduction of Beavers by the Ealing Beaver Project.
There have been, over the years ,films made about wild animals in London, I remember seeing one about foxes after the scare stories of foxes entering peoples houses in London. I think some woman thought it was after her young baby. Truth is if people in Cities can learn to live with their wild animals everyone will be better off and if the Powerhouse of energy and knowledge that is Sir David Attenborough is behind it then all the other organisations’ promoting wildlife are being helped too.
Lovely to hear that Sir David is still as enthusiastic about the Wild as he was when he started out and that he got the chance to make a programme in his own home town.
Thanks to Aurelia Foster from BBC Online News for this Headline
There’s nothing better when ancient bastions of power and influence and secret societies start throwing their weight around.
In recent times the Freemasons have tried to improve their public profile from “weird handshakes and secret initiation ceremonies” by telling everyone their main role is in raising monies for their favourite charities.
However, the Met has proposed asking all their employees to declare that they are a member of the Organization. This is to ensure that it is crystal clear that the Freemasons are not able to influence any investigations, which is perfectly understandable. Do you really want a “Secret Society” involved in criminal investigations?
The Met’s decision seems perfectly reasonable to me and I am concerned that having tried informal methods the Freemasons have decided that they will go to court and sue for discrimination.
Not being a lawyer, I don’t know what there chances are. I suppose it depends how many judges are freemasons.
I had to check it was not April the first for this headline , but one look out the window at the drizzle and the fact that the heating is on made me realise that although the story may be a tongue in cheek it is actually a genuine warning issued by Food Standards Scotland (FSS).
Quote “Consumers are being urgently warned to not drink whisky or gin products from an Orkney distillery over fears they may pose a risk to health.”
The Kimbland Distillery has not been producing spirits for the last eighteen months due to building work , so it’s quite possible that all of their products that they have sold for the five years prior to the building work starting; through wholesalers and their own website; have been drunk. (If so then they must be good). If they haven’t then the recommendation from the FSS is that they should not be; due to safety concerns and the fact that Kimbland distillery cannot provide evidence that their spirits were distilled to the necessary safety requirements whatever they are. Alcohol after all is a poison. At least the distillery has decided to halt production during the building work, we should be grateful for small mercies. No dust in the whisky! It probably wouldn’t make much difference to the gin. I mean what are sieves for?
Whether they used peat and sheep poo in their processes we will never know, we just know that the likelihood is they didn’t fill in the right paperwork.
Thanks to BBC Online and Craig Duggan and Aled Scourfield BBC Wales for the Headline
The list of respectable people involved in illegal dog breeding in Wales during a period of eight years that the Trading Standards were able to investigate and bring charges for is appalling. One of them is a local Councillor who you would have hoped would know better. Although, perhaps that is a misguided hope.
Either way, it gives me the opportunity to give you some information that was shared to me and really impacted me about all animals and how we should care for them and not abuse them. It was shared by Peter Egan, a talented actor and a phenomenal advocate for all “animals”, though I like to think he has a particular fondness for dogs.
What is Kahu?
In Hawaiin culture , you do not call yourself your pet’s owner. You are referred to as their “Kahu”. The word Kahu has a deep meaning and is defined as the sacred role of a guardian, protector, steward or honoured attendant. Essentially, someone entrusted with the safe keeping of something precious- something cherished. What a Kahu protects is not their property. What they protect is a part of their soul. We become better when we truly love an animal. We embraced the connection of all life when we embody what it means to be a Kahu.
Thanks to Cash Murphy from South East BBC Online news for the Headline
The Boxing Day Dip , which until two years ago was a tradition at Deal Kent has been cancelled again in 2025.The Rotary Club who run it were given the all clear on the water quality in November by the Environment Agency but this was far too late for them to get the necessary organization in place for Safety and Sponsorship to run the event.
Another miss from the Environment Agency and not wishing to look at the dark side but what guarantee is there that the water quality is not going to deteriorate and the poor swimmers will be back to square one next year.
Thanks to Aljazeera news online and Al Jazeera Staff for the headline
#Being homeless eats away at your self-worth says care leaver.
Thanks to BBC News Online and Annika Grosser at the BBC England Data Unit for this headline
I decided to do two headlines today as much as the fact that the American’s are playing at Pirates amuses me, on the other hand the debacle that is the Social Service System in the UK is accurately described and the vast amounts of money that are wasted on it while not achieving results or support needs to be highlighted too.
You might not see the connection , but I do. Yes , we can worry about the Americans who according to the Chinese in Bejing ” opposes unilateral illicit sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction that have no basis in International Law or authorization of the UN Security Council, and the abuse of sanctions” Guo Jiakun , the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
In truth, I think the Americans are on a sticky wicket with their interceptions of tankers and container ships in order to impose their will on Countries who the American Government feel are not playing ball.
However, the rest of the World is left with the prospect that safe maritime traffic is being put under threat and goods that quite reasonably should be reaching a destination are not and in the case of the Chinese vessel going to Iran , this could mean that they Iranian Public are subjected to further shortages.
At the time of the seizure of the Chinese Tanker, Bejing chose to keep quiet, perhaps to allow the investigation of what the ship contained to be completed. The cargo was released as there was no evidence that goods which were part of the Worldwide Sanctions on Iran were on board. End of story, until the Americans seized a Venezuelan Oil Tanker the following month and this very much upset the Chinese.
You might ask why I see the sad situation of a young lady who was as a 16 year old in the care system in the UK, reduced to seeing her Social Worker every now and then and only when she was to be given £50 in cash from her Universal Credit allowance. Most of the time the Social Worker was on “leave” as connected to the above story. The young lady was inspired to become a Social Worker herself , and got the necessary qualifications in order to “improve” the system”, which I’m sure with her actions she already has and in whatever role she has in the future will continue to do so.
I was surprised how defensive the Council that looked after her were, saying that “they had made improvements and that “cover arrangements ” were always in place. This struck me as denying what was really going on.
Also another quote is from the Charity Become is
” Part of the problem is that young people aren’t reaching out for support.”
Their concern being that some children are overlooked and are not in the statistical data analysis. My concern is how do you expect a young person , who already feels neglected and whose belonging are handed to them in a black plastic bag(like a prisoner leaving prison) to feel like reaching out to anyone.
The common factor between these two stories, is the conviction that everything is being done right by the Powers that Be ,whether it being the American Government or a Local British Council. The self righteousness and arrogance is obvious and the talk or money and big budgets being used for the good of all is bandied about. Meanwhile on the ground there is a lack of achievement or any ability to do what’s right because those right at the top have decided what they want to do and the money is being spent the way they want it to be spent. Whether it’s sending soldiers on to ships or not helping vulnerable young people who are looking to leave care and build a life for themselves.
Thanks to Anbarasan Ethirajan Global News Reporter for BBC Newsfor the Headline
Good News for Tigers in India!
A woman who has been arrested thanks to a coordinated operation between the Madhya Pradesh State Tiger Strike Force and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau in what must have been a very difficult arrest, given that the woman had skipped bail many years ago and remained at large until she was finally caught this week. Thankfully on her arrest and plead for bail she has now been refused bail, so won’t be able to fade into obscurity again.
The net included tracing transactions in Nepal,Tibet and Bhutan as well as some Indian cities including Dehli.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare who monitors the situation has said that Tiger poaching still continues and that the numbers of tigers killed may be higher than we think. Still it’s good to know that there are organisations who are attempting to stop this evil trade and that they are having some success. Long may it continue.
Thanks to David Maddox Political Editor for the Independent Online
Well my immediate reaction to the above Headline was , the one person in this World who knows that is not how the World works is Nigel Farage. Mr Farage has been foisted on us as a Political Representative by forces unknown. Is he a clown? Is he a political monster that amplifies all that is rotten in the misguided beliefs of a loud minority within any Country , not just ours. Farage’s media profile is huge and as he first came to prominence being an MEP who hated the European Union, along it seems with 49% of the UK population, he is gone from strength to strength, despite murmurs and scandals of a history of racism at school and his potentially incriminating property deals involving his wife and probably him and most likely half of parliament.
So Nigel is a wheeler and dealer, believer of the benefits of Crypto Currency and certainly no altruist. This Headline caught my eye and made me think about who this Christopher Harborne is and why he feels the need to donate to a party like Reform; and if as is the case; our Christopher lives in Thailand why does he choose to want to promote and ( presumably influence) British Political life and thus determine how I live, who am not a millionaire , but who does live on a low income in the UK and has watched as our real economy of jobs, shops , infrastructure has been decimated.
Ah , perhaps someone will one day say ,” let them eat Crypto Currency”. I assure you having checked Wikipedia, I can honestly say that dear ol’ Chris comes from a privileged background, his money seems to have been made from the sale of aviation fuel, and he is an ex Westminster School boy and has a degree from Cambridge and is an ex McKinsey management consultant.
None of this explains why he wants to take an interest in UK Politics, why he; having lived abroad for the last twenty years ;felt that the UK should not be in the EC ( he donated millions to the Campaign to exit it ) worked with Boris Johnson and for reasons best known to Boris Johnson did a joint visit to the Ukraine with him while Boris was in British Politics.
Christopher Harborne knows as much about real life in the UK as I know about real life in Thailand. I suppose the cost of living is cheaper, but it is a Country that perhaps has it’s attractions for tourists with climate and beaches and probably the local people appreciate having a multi-millionaire Crypto entrepreneur on their side, but it’s very different from the mature economy the UK is( or perhaps was). The success or otherwise of an economy in chaos lead by politicians in a panic. Prime pickings for outside interests.
One thing I’d like to know is where does Ol’ Chris buy his aviation fuel, from Russia? We must follow the money.
As for “tethering” us to Crypto Currency and causing our financial markets to collapse, perhaps that is the next step to acquiring the resource which is the “British Economy”. Perhaps that is why Nigel Farage and Christopher Harborne speak on the phone once a month to each other.
Suppose Ol’ Chris had put £9m into a business in the UK that provided jobs and a future for young people in the UK, or even invested in Social Housing, or put his money into something that had a future, not a Political Party which with it’s scandal ridden members and it’s unseemly ability to pick on those who cannot help themselves seems at odds with an altruistic no strings donation.
My suspicion is there are bigger fish to fry and maybe Crypto is more exciting than boring old Aviation fuel and the whole thing makes life more interesting when you’re sitting on a beach in Thailand with nothing else to do than sign cheques.
In 2003 the Belgium Parliament voted to phase-out all of Belgian seven nuclear power reactors.
The process has meant that five reactors are in the process of being de-commissioned , however, due to the start of the conflict in the Ukraine in 2025 the Belgium Government and Electrabel (a subsidiary of the French multinational electric utility Comany ENGIE) have agreed an extension of the life of two reactors Doel 4 and Tihange 3 who will now operate for a further ten years to 2035.
In May this year the Belgian federal parliament voted to repeal the 2003 law, so that the prospect of a new nuclear plant being built was back on the agenda and also whether the life of Doel 4 and Tihange 3 could be further extended. The Belgian Federal Agency for Nuclear Control want clarity on the situation from the Government to allow them to ensure the safety of the proposals.
Interestingly the Headline could have read , Belgium is keeping two Nuclear Power Stations because they might need them.
Thanks to Isabel Keane and the Independent Online for the Headline
It must have been quite a panic for the ship to have lost one of it’s passengers. How strange though not to return to the ship and not tell anyone. Apparently the missing lady booked into a hotel on the French side of the Caribbean Island and decided to stay there. She was found by looking at the Passport Records of the Hotel.
Actually I can quite understand the adventure of this , perhaps she just wanted to disappear for a while, or maybe she didn’t like the idea of a return to the ocean. The French side of the Island sounds rather nice.
Glad it was all resolved, and I suppose she will plead temporary insanity.
thenotsomightyom 