Submitted by Captain Qahn on
"‘Informal discussions’ about the agency’s future took place last week but Welcome to Yorkshire has not confirmed any details of occurred beyond confirming a formal board meeting will take place on October 21 ahead of the AGM on November 1."
https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/politics/welcome-to-yorkshire-membe...
"I honestly don’t care where [Johnson] is. What I want is grip from the government. Whether he’s in Spain, whether he is in the UK, it seems just as chaotic when the prime minister is here. So, frankly, I’m not concerned whether he’s on holiday or not. What I want is grip from the government, and we haven’t got that at the moment."
"Why would anyone want secure guaranteed energy for the next 100 years, avoid the vagaries of world markets and enjoy low energy prices? Much better to look to a combination of wind power (when it works), nuclear power (worry about the fallout later), LPG shipping (float my boat) and imported gas (thank you, Mr Putin)."
"I’m not particularly interested in when and where the prime minister takes a holiday. The important thing is that action is taken here. I think, if necessarily it requires a prime ministerial intervention in any of this, I’m sure that can be done from Marbella or Westminster."
https://www.thisisthecoast.co.uk/news/local-news/revamp-planned-for-scar...
"The face of espionage, the face of spying, is very different from when you and I were growing up and we need to constantly upgrade our capability. These are very serious matters."
11 Comments
The Green Budget
Submitted by Captain Qahn on
"While the tax raid would help fund an expansion in the state to the highest level of government spending since 1985, the leading independent thinktank for the public finances said several Whitehall departments would still face budget cuts."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-58865883
"A spokesman for the Treasury said the government would continue to invest in the public’s key priorities."
'How to Do Nothing'
Submitted by Captain Qahn on
"After all, we cannot accrue time, or invest it and watch it grow. It runs away from us; we slip and slide in its wake. Perhaps time isn’t a bank account, but a field. We can grow productive crops, or things of beauty; roses for the pruning and topiary hedges to be trimmed. Or we can simply do nothing, and let the wildflowers grow. Everything is of beauty, everything is of equal value."
"I understand what a luxury it is to be able to take three-and-a-half hours out of my day to go for a walk.”
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/oct/12/time-millionaires-m...
"Some of them make a living from raising semi-domesticated reindeer for their meat and hides."
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/11/norway-court-rules-two-win...
"The scary thing is you know there's only one outcome, but you can't stop."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWiccrTB4LM
"Article 27 of the UN treaty states that minority ethnic people “shall not be denied the right, in community with the other members of their group, to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practise their own religion, or to use their own language”."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-58885555h
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhmp8CtROlE
Phew.
One day Rodders... ;-)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaEPCsQ4608
Keep Busy.
Tiberius & Theo
Submitted by Captain Qahn on
"Volunteers are being sought to search through thousands of satellite images to see how many of the tusked animals they can spot.
Scientists need improved population data as they try to asses how this polar keystone species will be affected by climate change."
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/oct/13/from-shakespeare-to-the-...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtH0bmPmtMA
"A second phase, once all "empty" pictures have been excluded, will then ask the volunteers to put a dot on every walrus they see."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-58901410
Fleeting ... ;-0
"Electoral officers have confirmed residents will go to the polls on Thursday, November 25, following last week’s resignation of Mr Allott just 134 days after he started in the £74,400-a-year job, if the election is contested."
"Senior Tory sources said its candidate to replace Mr Allott would be considered in the next few days. While some former candidates have ruled themselves out, the sources say, it remains unclear who will stand."
Product Placement.
https://www.scarborough.gov.uk/home/council/elections-and-voting/electio...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etviGf1uWlg
Do they do refunds?
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/apr/29/mysterious-roman-dodecah...
Yul Brynner.
Forever Autumn
Submitted by Captain Qalypso on
"“The board have in private reviewed both the organisation’s finances and its commercial plan,” he said. “The board are confident that the team are working hard to ensure the future of Welcome to Yorkshire. The board are unanimous in saying there is a need for a Yorkshire-wide DMO [Destination Marketing Organisation].”"
https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/politics/welcome-to-yorkshire-chair...
“The North America editor role is currently being advertised internally and the role will go through the normal recruitment process; it’s a bit soon to start speculating about the outcome of this, let alone other jobs which aren’t actually vacant.”
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/oct/21/laura-kuenssberg-talks-ste...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDsCeC6f0zc
""It offers huge potential for The Royal Mint and the circular economy - helping to reuse our planet's precious resources and creating new skills in the UK.""
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/oct/22/christopher-walken-...
"For example, there was no public clamour for a local government review in North Yorkshire, and no need for it either, but Mr Jenrick went ahead anyway and the result will cost £18m or more of public money which could be best spent on other projects.."
https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opinion/columnists/why-north-yorksh...
"As there was more than one proposal, Mr Jenrick had to set out some criteria, particularly in regard to the optimum size of unitary councils. This was set at a population level of about 400,000.
The North Yorkshire districts foolishly took him at his word, and this is why, as I understand, they included York in the proposed East/West split.
However, when it came to making the decision, Mr Jenrick seems to have taken no notice of the criteria his department had set for judging competing bids against each other.
The paperwork submitted to him comprised long reports by consultants and officers. His decision letter is three pages long, is in general terms and there is no detailed examination or comparison of the respective cases offered by either county or districts.
His decision letter was an insult to everybody concerned, bearing in mind the money spent on experts, the potential cost of the reorganisation itself, and the ramifications and impact on residents. He clearly could not have cared less if he had got the decision right or wrong.
The decisions made by Mr Jenrick were not only inconsistent with his own criteria, but also inconsistent with each other."
"It is an outrage that residents of historic towns like Harrogate or Scarborough should not be allowed to elect councillors to run local services or to plan their future. How can a 10-person executive in Northallerton possibly know how to run a bath, for example?"
"Then there is the issue of assets. All the financial reserves and assets of the councils which are taken over will go to the new authority. These are assets which have been used for the local community which has paid for them in full.
All these will be transferred to the new authority, which may decide to sell them, and there is no guarantee that money received from any of the district councils will be spent where they were taken from or that the value of any assets sold will be spent in the district which built them.
Districts administered by spendthrift councils will benefit at the expense of districts whose councils have been careful with their money. Mr Gove should pause the proposed reorganisations and allow time to reflect."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCDIYvFmgW8
Hmmm ...
"Usually vast walls of rock or concrete would be used as a first line of defence - but these hard structures can change the coastal dynamics, and speed up erosion elsewhere."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-58919791
A 'Litmus Test'
Submitted by Captain Qalypso on
"I believe I'm the most northern Chancellor for our party since the Second World War. My constituency is 20 minutes down the road so I think I understand almost better than anyone in this leadership race about the importance in delivering for the North."
https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/council-calls-fresh-inv...
lol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LswKizinfJY
https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/tees-freeport-crab-lob...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qrriKcwvlY
"The tools of their trade?"
https://www.offshore-energy.biz/no-oil-for-shell-in-north-sea-well/
"Shell claims seismic surveys are a “low impact” method to gather information about the geology under the seabed, using an acoustic signal that is generated on the ship and picked up by sensors towed behind the vessel as the signal bounces back off the rocks."
https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/people/fishermen-lose-out-oil-giant...
'Thermals and Fleece'
Submitted by Captain Qalypso on
"In July the council’s Harbour Executive said the hoist had “broad support” and was an “essential requirement” to remain commercially competitive. West Pier is about to be redeveloped using £5m Town Deal funding and £6m from Scarborough Council. But the proposals – which include improved artists’ studios, new public toilets and an “improved food and drink offer” – have been criticised by some businesses.
MP Sir Robert Goodwill said around 25 car parking spaces would be lost but existing businesses had been accommodated. He said the deal had “passed the stage where new suggestions like this can be bought forward” as it might risk the Government funding package. “The money has been signed off. The ship has sailed,” he added."
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/aug/28/widespread-child-hunger...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOILZ_D3aRg
‘Look up at the stars, and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious’
Passing Yachts...
A Whirl Win Wednesday
Submitted by Captain Qahn on
"“We have long been a fan of scavenger hunts and this takes our forest adventures to a new exciting level."
https://www.thisisthecoast.co.uk/news/local-news/more-community-groups-b...
lol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfgqBezkHlI
"According to Alien Metals, choosing Regroup significantly derisks the project, and removes inherent interface and delay risk across the mine construction and operational activities."
Fixtures & Fittings... ;-0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXu3ic_91jQ
"Drawing inspiration from Dalby’s rich heritage of lumberjills, this captivating trail embarks on a quest to uncover the whereabouts of the lumberjills’ elusive golden axe."
""Our friendly team promises you Satisfaction. When you say Gimme Shelter we'll fix your Shattered windows," says the advert, which featured in the newspaper's 17 August edition."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKuiWUpogRU
""Welcome to Hackney Diamonds, specialists in glass repair," is the greeting from a male voice with a Cockney accent. "Don't get angry, get it fixed.""
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-asia-india-66576580
Huzzaah!!
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/aug/31/fish-doorbells-histor...
""We are working to assess the damage and we advise anyone planning to travel to or from Paddington tonight or tomorrow morning to check National Rail Enquiries for the latest on the disruption," they said."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MutBpV48YUE
'A Lot of Folklore'
Submitted by Captain Qahn on
"“Biodiversity as a whole, having a flourishing biodiverse environment, is key in terms of protecting those who are going to be most vulnerable from extreme weather events,” she said.
“Having a green shield which reduces reflective heat and causes urban cooling and improves air quality is vital for all of us.”"
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/14/ufo-nasa-research-chief-an...
"“Most events are explainable as planes, balloons, drones, weather phenomenon and instrument features. In any search for interesting anomalies the first step is to eliminate the chaff of conventional events before moving on to identify novel phenomena. In this, the public’s role cannot be overstated.”"
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/09/14/nasa-ufo-boss-secret-00116075
"“That’s in part why we are not splashing the name of our new director out there, because science needs to be free.”"
'Winter Walks'
Submitted by Captain Qalypso on
"A new economic strategy built not on nostalgia or wishful thinking, but on our actual strengths. Britain has some great manufacturing industries, from aerospace to booze, but there is no plausible route ... far from Civilisation.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001772c
"Good work is the bedrock of a fair economy. "It's not rocket science, it just needs effort" he added."
'Changing Europe'
Submitted by Captain Qalypso on
"There is a global taste of anxiety and bewilderment that supporters of Britain’s EU membership have known since 2016 and recognise overseas. There is a solidarity in defence of the rule of law, human rights and political pluralism. But there is also dread that the campaign to protect these principles struggles to break out of nostalgia for the time when the case didn’t even have to be made."
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/dec/06/the-moonwalkers-a-journey-w...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKB4cioGs98
"And if only to silence the conspiracy weirdos, creeps and bores, it would have been good to hear exactly how and where the video camera was fixed outside the lander to get the footage of Neil Armstrong emerging for the first time."
Keep Busy.
"... this Fagin looks to have been on a safeguarding course for those keeping a house of young male pickpockets."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-67658650
'They, Did It'
Submitted by Captain Qalypso on
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001461
"Their latest test aircraft is known as the “flying piano” because of its poor gliding characteristics. Its twin engines idle for electrical power while it glides along with propellers turning for purely aerodynamic purposes."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o68TAQ88mc0
Hmmm....
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001544
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enokdbwvf1Q
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/05/earthquake-gene...
Ohhh...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/ckdgxdwlql0t
"And, if the flying piano can surf, then who knows what's possible?"
lol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBYuDdfEnnc