Generatrix 2019

Captain Black's picture

Greetings :-

"The bizarre space object Oumuamua has scientists completely baffled. It’s possible we may have just missed first contact with aliens."

https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/space/oumuamua-mysterious-mes...

"It may be an asteroid. It could be a comet. Perhaps it is … something else. But ever since humanity spotted it last year, I/2017 U1 ‘Oumuamua — the elongated chunk of something shiny spinning through our Solar System — has managed to give us the slip.   'Oumuamua means “scout” or “messenger” from the past, in Hawaiian.  It may be a very appropriate name.  There’s reason to suspect it could have an alien origin.

It’s behaving weirdly: flying through our Solar System on an open-ended parabola, proving it must have come from deep interstellar space. Its eerie red hue is shinier than a typical comet.  It’s accelerating: admittedly by only a tiny amount, but something is giving 'Oumuamua a push. It could be comet-like ‘outgassing’. But at no point has the mysterious object been seen to have a comet’s tail.

It has a weird shape. Based on its erratic flashing, astronomers have inferred 'Oumuamua must be long and thin. Few known asteroids and comets are like that.  But … for it to be an alien artefact would be extraordinary. And to prove that would require some extraordinary evidence.  However, our chances of learning anything more from our first known interstellar visitor are very slim. It’s racing away — back into deep space — at some 95,000km/h. There are, however, other possible — and more probable — alternatives..."

"The Spitzer Space Telescope — despite not seeing 'Oumuamua — reveals it is small enough for such acceleration to take place. “That determination was dependent on 'Oumuamua being relatively smaller than typical solar system comets,”..

"After crunching the probabilities, the researchers found that there should be at least 66 other interstellar objects, ranging in diameter from roughly 100 meters to 10 kilometres in size, captured in the Sun’s gravitational well. “We find that there should be hundreds of 'Oumuamua-size interstellar objects identifiable by Centaur-like orbits,” the study reports. A Centaur a small body that orbits the Sun between Jupiter and Neptune, but cuts across the path of one or more of the giant planets.

"“A more exotic scenario is that 'Oumuamua may be a fully operational probe sent intentionally to Earth vicinity by an alien civilisation,”...  But this was pure speculation, based solely on the object’s surprising speed and course. That it was so reflective could, however, add fuel to the ‘alien space probe’ idea. Light sails work in a similar way wind sails do — harnessing the energy of solar winds by reflecting them in another direction to generate thrust.

"“No scientist has claimed 'Oumuamua is alien in this discussion — they have just raised questions and explored answers. There is no point in shying away from a proper discussion on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, or in being personally critical of colleagues … If aliens are claimed, direct and robust evidence is required — not a conclusion based on a few observations that are difficult to explain, plus a bunch of assumptions.”

What has been seen makes it most likely that 'Oumuamua is, in fact, a dirty interstellar comet, crusted by deposits and turned red by thousands of years of exposure to cosmic rays in interstellar space. Once close enough to the Sun to boil this away, the shiny inner core was exposed — changing its characteristics in such a way as to alter its orbit."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=rfi3w9Bzwik

 

Tags: 

39 Comments

Captain Black's picture

A Game Changer

https://www.teslarati.com/elon-musk-the-boring-company-10-million-dollar...

"New York may be an exception to the already high-cost of rail construction rule, but there’s the rub: It’s already incredibly expensive. As documented in numerous articles by Alon Levy, an independent journalist whose 2011 blog post on the topic inspired the research that eventually led to the Times piece, $100-$500 million dollars per mile is a typical cost for building railed transporation worldwide. “These are crazy numbers,” Musk exclaimed at the tunnel opening event after summarizing the multiple billions of dollars short tunneling projects cost to complete in L.A. and New York. If the building cost wasn’t enough sticker shock, it gets worse: The daily operating costs of rail systems in the U.S. exceed the amount earned.

Another metric that is used to estimate the true cost of rail construction is cost per rider. After the time and money is spent building a public rail system, it needs to be staffed and repaired, expenses which are difficult to match with revenue without a large number of riders. As cited by Alon Levy in an article Elon Musk tweeted recently, New York’s Second Avenue Subway will cost $25,000 per rider to complete 200,000 trips per day. In Los Angeles, the Purple Line will cost $45,000 per rider for 150,000 trips per day as will Boston’s Green Line Extension for 52,000 trips. Looking at rider fares, New York loses a bit less than $1 per ride taken and L.A. loses over $2 per ride.

So, how will The Boring Company “do” underground transportation system building better than the traditional, money-heavy methods? To put it simply: Be efficient..."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpK4u45ctjk

lol

"NHS chief executive Simon Stevens repeated his message that NHS "does not stand for National Hangover Service".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay8UPKP9r0Q

Oh..

"While it is nice getting in top 25, our company belief is that "If you ain't first you're last"

Spooky

X

One Eyed Friday

https://www.bartleby.com/198/1.html

Capt. 'Bob''s picture

Tickety Tock

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/dec/28/revealed-homeless-people...

"The tickets were bought through “reconnection policies” that aim to encourage rough sleepers to voluntarily return to areas where they have family and support networks. It has been described as “street cleansing” and an abdication of responsibility by some campaigners and MPs."

http://www.astronomy.com/observing/sky-this-week/2018/12/the-sky-this-we...

https://www.ssearenabelfast.com/professor-brian-cox-live-2019-sse-arena-...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=QFy87tFTZwY

One for the Odd Bods ;-)

https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/hms-belfast-and-the-battle-of-north-cape

Spooky.

tis like the three blind mice, innit...

Capt. 'Bob''s picture

Word of The Year

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/nomophobia-the-word-of-the-year...

"The earliest known use of nomophobia was in 2008, but not by psychologists. It emerged in a report prepared by researchers for the UK Post Office.

“It then began to appear in UK media and has since spread around the world. Having proved its staying power, it was added to the online Cambridge Dictionary earlier this year.”

While it didn’t start out as a scientific term, it has been used by psychologists and anthropologists in recent years.

And it could describe a syndrome much more complex than simply wanting to phone someone but not being able to..."

Bonds.

That bind, blind, bend & band ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV5JD490ZL4

Erm,

Bonds to be cleared prior to the bandstand.

Buccaneer.

Captain Qahn's picture

Awl Things Being Equal

"While Noah had to count his animals into the ark two by two, zookeepers at London Zoo will be counting a little higher in their annual stocktake.

ZSL London Zoo is home to about 19,000 animals and 600 different species and every year the keepers dust off their clipboards and make sure everyone is present and correct.

New animals at the zoo this year include Paco and Poco the tamanduas, born in the rainforest exhibit, 12 Humbolt penguin chicks which hatched at the zoo's penguin beach, and rescued leeches Buffy, Angel and Spike.

Some of the zoo's keepers will have an easy task, particularly if they only need to count a handful of animals, but others have to employ some creative tactics.

The team looking after the bees have to cheat a little and count each colony as one bee rather than the hundreds of individual bees.

ZSL's animal operations manager Angela Ryan said: "With more than 19,000 animals to count at ZSL London Zoo, our keepers all have their own ways of tallying up the animals in their care - from taking pictures of the tanks in the aquarium to avoid counting the same fish twice, to using training and rewards to count larger groups such as our squirrel monkeys and Humboldt penguins.

"It always makes for a busy start to the year."

The annual stocktake is part of the zoo's requirement to retain its license and takes about a week to complete.

The information is shared around the world with other zoos, and helps to manage the worldwide conservation breeding programme for endangered animals."

I don't know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJXZ9Dok7u8&index=36&list=RDRTrOxynM2-c

Thankfully.

"That would be rather ambitious of me" ;-))

Patience.

“To be fair, that is a wide field.”

Capt. 'Bob''s picture

The TAP

“The Trans Adriatic Pipeline will set the foundation for an integrated gas market across south-eastern Europe and enhance the region’s strategic status as an energy hub. We believe that gas remains an important transition fuel in this region that can help displace coal and facilitate penetration of renewables.”

https://www.worldpipelines.com/project-news/11012019/tap-completes-succe...

https://www.tap-ag.com/the-pipeline

Hmmm ...

"In June 1956, the Soviets offered Nasser $1.12 billion at 2% interest for the construction of the dam."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFr4bTfm40c

Imagine...  a World without Walls

Captain Qahn's picture

Consider Phlebas

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-46860409

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvi4PBdd74Y

"The feast took place during the longest ever US government shutdown, and was described as 'all American' by the president."

"The war raged across the galaxy. Billions had died, billions more were doomed. Moons, planets, the very stars themselves, faced destruction, cold-blooded, brutal, and worse, random. The Idirans fought for their Faith; the Culture for its moral right to exist. Principles were at stake. There could be no surrender.

Within the cosmic conflict, an individual crusade. Deep within a fabled labyrinth on a barren world, a Planet of the Dead proscribed to mortals, lay a fugitive Mind. Both the Culture and the Idirans sought it. It was the fate of Horza, the Changer, and his motley crew of unpredictable mercenaries, human and machine, to actually find it - and with it their own destruction...

"Consider Phlebas is a space opera of stunning power and awesome imagination, from a modern master of science fiction."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXfKpp10Y6E

https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/your-simple-guide-to-the-second-refe...

"The question remains on how that would work in practice but it would be churlish not to welcome this sensible approach to unlocking the full potential of Yorkshire and the North."

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/hs2-newcastle-east-...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlqoLi_3_Fk

New Horizons, Huh?

Oh OK ... tis Brexit Day  ;-))

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKiSX8qYL3M

The Fifth Amendment.

About that Rose Garden ...

Captain Qahn's picture

The Not Written Off

Chang'e 5 will be digging on the moon ....

Soon

Ti02

"ilmenite is the most important ore of titanium"

One In One Out.

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3661/1

https://www.open.edu/openlearn/ocw/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=69110&secti...

Thorium an anomoly on the nearside in the SPA area ie radioactive - produces heat 

Moon Samples six US + 382kg, three Luna 0.3kg

The Moon was a third closer to the Earth 400mil years ago

The Earth's mantel ranges 20km ie Everest to the Trench

The visible dark spots of the moon are caused by lava flow

The Far Side of the moon has a lower mantel ie the thick mantel has been removed leaving a GRAIL of olivine rich exposures

Water on the moon was discovered in 2009  Yutu 2

A paradim shift to the Global Exploration Roadmap.

Musk, Branson & Bezos engaged in a Lunar Platform Gateway

Living on the Moon Jul 1 - 7 London

Apollo 8 was the first time humans saw the far side of the moon.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-19/tonight-theres-a-super-snow-moon-...

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-17/space-harpoon-fires-target-cleani...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHSFTrcJYmM

Killing Time.

Oddly enuff they were going to pull the 'plugs' last night  and whilst the outlaws are planning the 'caskets' today he was watching 'come dine with me'

And you think I am crazy ..

 

 

Captain Black's picture

Middle Earth

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-47414390"

Not since the retirement of the shuttles in 2011 has America been able to put humans in orbit. It's had to pay to use Russian Soyuz vehicles instead.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon crew capsule are scheduled to lift off from Florida's Kennedy Space Center at 02:49 EST Saturday (07:49 GMT).

The launch will occur from the historic Pad 39A where Apollo left for the Moon and Atlantis began the very last shuttle ascent...

Because this is just a demonstration, there are no astronauts aboard - but there will be a space-suited mannequin.

This test dummy, nicknamed Ripley after the Sigourney Weaver character in the Alien movies, will be covered in sensors.

These will record the forces and the environment experienced inside the capsule..."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-47238701

http://planning.northyorkmoors.org.uk/northgate/documentexplorer/applica...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWyOICsqyjU

"Lunch is much like any other SpaceX mission. The rocket lifts off and after a couple of minutes, it performs a stage separation.

The lower Falcon segment comes back to Earth to land on a drone ship, and the upper-stage pushes on to orbit.

Eleven minutes into the flight, the Dragon is let go and must make its own way to the station.

One of the big differences between this mission and standard cargo flights is the mode of approach and attachment to the ISS. Freighters come up under the orbiting lab and are grappled by a robotic arm and pulled into a berthing position.

On this occasion, we will see the crew version of Dragon approach the station at the bow and dock automatically, using a new design of connection ring. Arrival is set for 11:00 GMT on Sunday.

ISS astronauts will be watching closely to see that the capsule behaves as it should.

The Dragon is expected to stay at the station until Friday. The current plan has it undocking, firing its thrusters to come out of orbit, and splashing down at roughly 13:45 GMT.

Kirk Shireman, the manager of Nasa's International Space Station programme, said: "You'll hear us talk about this being a flight test; it absolutely is. Although, we view it also as a real mission, a very critical mission.

"The ISS still has three people onboard so this mission coming up to the ISS for the first time has to work; it has to work."

Nasa is also working with Boeing on crew transport. The company has developed a capsule of its own called the Starliner. This will have its equivalent demo flight in the next couple of months."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yegEAWOmHuk

"I guarantee that not everything will work exactly right. That's cool. That's exactly what we want to do.

"We want to maximise our learning so we can get this stuff ready so that when we put crew on, we're ready to go do a real crew mission, and it'll be the right safety for our crews."

https://www.spacex.com/webcast

"An astronaut capsule successfully launched by SpaceX yesterday will today attempt to dock at the International Space Station.

The tricky step for the capsule will take place around 11am Irish time..."

https://www.spacex.com/

"Less men have portrayed Batman on screen than have walked on the moon.

It’s a sobering thought considering one of those is Val Kilmer, but it could have been very a different case had the cancelled 1983 ‘The Batman’ film gone ahead with its original choice for Bruce Wayne – Bill Murray."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-mbJhVl2Xc

 

Captain Black's picture

Bargain Basement

"NORTH Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan has won her bid to receive Home Office funding for some of the costs incurred for policing fracking protests in Kirby Misperton.

Ms Mulligan's office said that a "detailed analysis" of North Yorkshire Police’s approach during the 2017 protests has been taking place.

The analysis, led by the Home Office and including Her Majesty’s Inspectorate, has assessed the operation and its value for money.

It concluded the policing was "efficient and effective" and Ministers have agreed to cover 85 per cent of the ‘additional costs’ of the operation – amounting to £614,000, the maximum amount possible under the scheme.

Commenting on the decision, Julia Mulligan said: "It is right that the Government has agreed to pay these costs.

"The police operation had a significant and visible impact on the local community, but it has also had an impact more widely across North Yorkshire given the number of officers involved."

https://www.gazetteherald.co.uk/news/17479941.government-to-contribute-t...

"Binary star systems could be prime candidates for alien life, according to a new study from the University of Sheffield.

Researchers have developed a model which predicts the range of the so-called habitable zone, the distance a planet can be from a star and still retain the liquid water which is essential for life.

Everywhere humanity has found liquid water, it has also found life - although that is solely in regards to our own planet, which occupies the sun's habitable zone.

Planets which are too close to the sun, if they held water, saw it boiled away into the atmosphere and off into outer space by the heat. On those which are too distant from the sun, the water has frozen into ice.

Undergraduate student Bethany Wootton and Dr Richard Parker of the University of Sheffield examined what the habitable zone would be like in binary systems.

Roughly a third of all stellar systems in our galaxy are thought to be composed of two or more stars, and binaries - a system of two stars orbiting a common centre of mass - are especially common among young stars too.

When these stars are quite far apart then they won't impact each other's habitable zones. But if they are closer, their zones could benefit from heat from both of the stars, and would thus be more likely to retain liquid water.

Researchers developed computer simulations to model how young stars interact with each other, and found that it was relatively common for a binary system to be composed of two stars quite close together.

According to the researchers, in some situations the stars may be so close that their habitable zones even overlap - creating a giant zone around two tightly orbiting stars.

Ms Wootton said: "The search for life elsewhere in the universe is one of the most fundamental questions in modern science, and we need every bit of evidence we can find to help answer it.

"Our model suggests that there are more binary systems where planets sit in Goldilocks zones than we thought, increasing the prospects for life.

"So those worlds beloved of science fiction writers - where two suns shine in their skies above alien life - look a lot more likely now."

https://news.sky.com/story/binary-stars-prime-candidates-for-alien-life-...

“They’ve got long skinny legs, in winter they have these beautiful fluffy coats. And they howl...”

https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/17464355.major-solar-farm-near-york-to-...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDD_Pv8Adqg

Dome Sweet Dome

https://www.yorkshirecoastradio.com/news/local-news/2822807/yorkshire-co...

Doh I so wanted to do my slasher impression...

Oh Go on then ;-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIBTN3qSB44

Mind, this could be the most annoying movie ever made.

Must learn to read...

Aha! Oho! 

Captain Black's picture

Magnet O Sphere

"While we have long known the protective magnetic bubble we live in resonates in a similar way to string and wood instruments, proving it also oscillates like a drum has been much harder.

"The first paper that really discusses the idea was 45 years ago … but we didn't have the observational evidence to prove that was going on," Dr Archer said.

The idea is that as a jet of plasma hits the boundary of the magnetosphere (called the magnetopause), waves ripple across the surface towards the magnetic poles, where they bounce back to the centre.

When the original and reflected waves crash into each other they create a pattern that makes the magnetopause vibrate, just like a ripple from a drumbeat..."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-02-13/earth-magnetic-field-boom...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIxWDHr1ddc

https://lflank.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/the-kola-borehole-the-deepest-sp...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c18441Eh_WE&feature=youtu.be

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-02-27/dark-matter-particle-dete...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjETibEMbJY

"Aside from trying to figure out what dark matter is made of, tracking its interactions in old rocks could also paint a picture of dark matter within our galaxy, the Milky Way.

It takes around 230 million years for our solar system to circle the galaxy once.

"One of the really cool things with this, that no other technique can do, is that you can use rocks of different ages to probe the history of the Earth's exposure to dark matter," Dr Bignell said.

"Then we could retrace where dark matter has been on our journey around the Milky Way."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63vqob-MljQ

http://www.isas.jaxa.jp/en/topics/001746.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=8&v=kTml3Rso8S4

Trains in the Sky ?

Another day ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HfvS68aMIc

https://gravity.co/

Thats not how ducks fly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf421JsG004

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4h8bYQCZYtWNFY3Cs1T9tfg/chilli...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqNDkSqL4TA

Little Bears ask daft questions ...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/science-environment-47708374/longleat-koal...

A Badge of Honour.

Focus.

Captain Black's picture

Darcy's Law

"THE energy firm Third Energy Holdings Limited has sold its Knapton-based onshore company, it has revealed.

In a statement, Third Energy said it has signed a sale and purchase agreement with York Energy (UK) Holdings Ltd to "divest the entire share capital of Third Energy Onshore Limited".

This sale includes the onshore gas exploration, appraisal and production company Third Energy UK Gas Limited, and Third Energy Trading Limited, which owns the power generating station at East Knapton.

Tom Reed, CEO of a firm called Alpha Energy, said: “We are pleased to be working with the Third Energy team to develop the group’s energy and generation business, and look forward to constructive engagement with all stakeholders in Third Energy’s next stage of development.”

York Energy (UK) Holdings Ltd is an affiliated company of Alpha Energy, a US-based energy company focused on acquiring and operating oil and gas assets.

Closing of the sale is subject to satisfaction of agreed conditions precedent, including regulatory review.

A Third Energy spokesperson confirmed that the sale wouldn't affect jobs at Knapton; as a company and not an asset sale, the people, contracts and responsibilities associated with the business are an integral part of the transaction, they said.

Third Energy is the company that grew close to fracking a site at Kirby Misperton in 2017 but, following large protests and calls for a financial resilience review by the Government, eventually withdrew the bulk of its fracking equipment."

https://www.gazetteherald.co.uk/news/17597329.fracking-gas-firm-third-en...

http://www.alpha.energy/

"Darcy's law is the equation that defines the ability of a fluid to flow through a porous media such as rock. ... Put another way, Darcy's law is a simple proportional relationship between the instantaneous discharge rate through a porous medium and the pressure drop over a given distance."

"Eoin, 54, said: “The object appeared on the surface before submerging. It was gone for five seconds – then up again going in another direction, turning about and leaving a wake and splashes.

“It then then submerged and disappeared. To see Nessie once is unbelievable but twice in a month is fantastic.

“It’s the luck of the Irish, I suppose. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It had some power underneath it.”"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQERcRpUKN0

"“It’s clear that community pressure and the record-setting number of objections are having an effect on Flamingo Land and Scottish Enterprise.

“You can’t expect to hand public land at Loch Lomond over to a private company to profit from without intense public scrutiny.

“The frustration many residents feel and which I share is that the exclusivity agreement can be used to prevent any discussion of a community buyout, an idea which has been gaining momentum as opposition to Flamingo Land grows.

“We need a proper public consideration of how Loch Lomond should be showcased in a way that puts the local environment and community first, not constrained by backroom deals and exclusivity agreements.”"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJ4Ngqj5wO0

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/in-your-area/scottish-enterprise-extend-ag...

Oh Dear ...

https://www.thescarboroughnews.co.uk/news/opinion/scarborough-south-side...

lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4tbmASLsSA

Captain Black's picture

Fracking in Parliament?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-48081314

"In her resignation letter to Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Greg Clark, Ms Engel said government was "pandering to what we know to be myths and scare stories" about shale gas extraction.

A spokesman for the department said the government supported the development of the shale industry in the UK "because we believe it could have the potential to be a new domestic energy source, and create thousands of well paid, quality jobs".

"Ms Engel said the result of the over-strict regulations would be difficulty in making those CO2 reductions, lower economic growth, and less energy security - as the UK would need to import gas rather than produce its own.

She continued: "These points have been made repeatedly but ministers ignore them and instead allow campaign groups to drive policy.

"So many local businesses face collapse. They have invested vast amounts to 'get ready for shale' as the government had told them to. There is, therefore, no purpose in this role."

She pointed out that 49 geoscientists had recently called on the government to relax what they called the over-zealous regulations."

"More fundamentally, they said it was madness for the UK to be seeking more gas when firms have already discovered far more fossil fuel than scientists say can be burned without wrecking the climate."

"Also this week, the Teeside MP Simon Clark said the time for fracking in Parliament had come and gone."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4v5TpT0rfFHMjb4rlP13hJt/dont-w...

Baldrick !!!

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/ancient-egypt-shipping-mining-far...

Captain Black's picture

Turning Corners

"Ineos will pull its backing if its new cycling team are caught cheating or doping, says owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Team Sky formally became Team Ineos on Wednesday, having enjoyed unrivalled success with Sky's decade-long backing - winning eight Grand Tours.

But they have also faced several controversies and allegations of cheating.

"We did our due diligence. I have absolutely no interest in cheating or drugs," Ratcliffe told BBC Sport.

"The day that any of that enters our world we'll be exiting that world."...

"What's the point of winning a race if you cheat? There's no point in that really," Ratcliffe told BBC sports editor Dan Roan at the team's launch in Yorkshire.

"Also, I believe that if you have the best athletes in the world and the best training regimes, there's no need for any of those enhancements."

"Ineos owns licenses to conduct fracking at several locations across Yorkshire.

Ratcliffe said he would be disappointed but "wouldn't be totally surprised" if there are protests against the team during the Tour de Yorkshire, which runs from Thursday until Sunday.

He also defended his company's operations, saying Ineos has pioneered new methods of recycling plastic, adding that the majority of environmental groups he has met with are "ignorant" on the facts on fracking.

Environmental group Friends of the Earth said in a statement it was "concerned" over the new sponsorship and cited previous comments by Brailsford which stated the sport has "a special responsibility to the environment"."

"Brailsford said he is "very comfortable" with the ownership of his cycling team and that it did not contradict their previous commitment to Sky's pledge to remove all single-use plastic by 2020.

"Ineos are not dumping the plastic in the ocean, what they are doing is they can change the process of manufacturing to try and make everything more recyclable," he told BBC Sport.

"There is an opportunity with Jim to be part of the solution.

"Is it inappropriate? I don't think it is. We haven't reneged in anyway shape or form on our single-use plastic goals."

He added: "I'm not an expert in chemicals; I'm an expert in trying to make Chris ride his bike faster. But when I did come to educate myself, I realised there's a very simplistic view and when you dive down into it and take the effort you can find out there's a very different view."

Petrochemical companies Total and Gazprom both sponsor professional cycling teams."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/48121132

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8R-Mdnls-4

Northern Rock ...

https://www.voanews.com/a/may-1-2019-day-in-photos/4899518.html

lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw-tQTS3-Iw

Hairy Bobs ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fzwza-QnPA

"Sock face"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iF2yaA9wdN8

Lime Aid.

https://www.yorkshirecoastradio.com/news/local-news/2863172/sirius-miner...

tis a bit wild out there :

https://www.yorkshirecoastradio.com/news/local-news/2858671/guide-to-the...

Cote de Rudimental.

Captain Black's picture

Spectrometers

Captain Qahn's picture

Free Melania?

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/jun/05/national-trust-adds-lake...

https://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2019-06-06/pregnancy-tour-de-france-h...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkTT6fUcgu4

Focus:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/05/ireland-visit-donald-tru...

“It’s not about diversity or inclusion. If you’ve never been in a world of work before, or your family haven’t, you may not know what etiquette is. It doesn’t mean you’re not a talented person who can’t do a wonderful job at that company.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyYnnUcgeMc

It is wot it is ..

https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/style/1136310/melania-trump-news-do...

""I need to emphasise in the strongest possible terms that neither the Government nor any minister has directed the actions of these investigations,""

 

Captain Black's picture

The Costa Del Sol

".. Bempton Cliffs, near Bridlington, is among seven RSPB-run nature reserves that have had or will have solar panels fitted after the charity secured a £710,000 loan from Triodos Bank for new renewable energy projects.

In excess of 700 solar panels will be installed at the seven sites.

It is expected that these will provide up to 80 per cent of the sites’ annual energy requirements, saving the RSPB a significant sum on its energy bill, as well as providing income from selling energy back to the grid. Any additional electricity is purchased on a green tariff..."

https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/17685339.solar-panels-installed-at-bemp...

https://www.yorkshirecoastradio.com/news/local-news/2887432/celebration-...

Oh.

http://www.flamboroughheadsac.org.uk/

Crayons !!!

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/150m-invested-in-new-plant-in-hull-...

About that cheese grater ;-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd9FIjR8Zzc

https://www.ineos.com/inch-magazine/articles/issue-15/hull-chosen-for-15...

Meanwhile:

https://www.yorkshirecoastradio.com/news/local-news/2887389/scarborough-...

The Ministry of Disinformation.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jun/05/ancient-siberia-was-home...

Ah, So ...

https://www.thescarboroughnews.co.uk/news/the-history-man-1-1412880

"HISTORIAN Dr Jack Binns has published the first definitive history of Scarborough for 70 years.

It took Mr Binns three years to write The History of Scarborough and involved research overmore than 40 years.

Mr Binns, 67, of Chatsworth Gardens, is a local historian and his publishers, Blackthorn Press, say that his book will be the standard work on the town s history for years to come and is the first definitive history since 1931.

The book outlines Scarborough s prominence as Britain s first holiday resort.

Mr Binns says there was a great contrast between the wealthy holidaymakers and the retired South Cliffers in Scarborough compared with the workers who lived in poverty and extremely unhygienic conditions in the Old Town.

These people lived diseased lives, suffering from malnutrition with rat-infested houses side by side with luxury, he said.

Each chapter is followed by a full bibliography. This gives readers scope for further research. The book also explains what was happening in the rest of the country at the same time."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlEH5LK1OYA

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jun/08/john-browne-engineer...

Captain Qahn's picture

Bold & UJO

"Reabold Resources, which holds a 35 per cent interest in Rathlin, saw shares surge after announcing that "WestNewton is potentially the largest UK onshore gas field and potentially the largest hydrocarbon discovery onshore UK since 1973, subject to further testing."

"Protestors say they are going to ramp up the pressure on Rathlin and will be demonstrating ahead of a full council meeting in Beverley on Wednesday, when Coun Andy Walker of the Yorkshire Party, will be calling for fellow councillors to declare a climate emergency."

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/biggest-gas-and-oil-discovery-i...

https://reabold.com/

"The discovery is located onshore UK in East Yorkshire, within the western part of the Southern Zechstein Basin, and contains an estimated contingent resource of 189bn cubic feet of gas equivalent or 31.5mln barrels of oil equivalent.

Through the farm-out, UJO is committed to cover 25% of the cost of the appraisal well.

The transaction does not include any upfront fees, though UJO said it expects its share of the appraisal well will cost around £4.6mln.

It is a conventional operation, and the company highlighted that it will not involve fracking either now or in the future.

Union Jack Oil's key assets

• PEDL 183 West Newton 16.67% ( Operator Raithlin ) 

• PEDL180 Development Wressle: 27.5% Awaiting development approval (operator Egdon)

• PEDL005(R) Production Keddington: 20.0% Existing production (Egdon)

• PEDL182 Exploration Broughton North: 27.5% Wressle (Egdon)

• PEDL253 Exploration Biscathorpe: 22% (Egdon)

“In addition, Union Jack's 20% working interests in the producing Keddington and Fiskerton Airfield oil fields provide us with oil revenues and exposure to additional workover and drill targets in our focused areas.”

Sniffy...

""It may well be that shareholders in the oil exploration company are promoting their own interests."

Rathlin said they had reached a depth of just over 2,000 metres at the West Newton A-2 well.

A statement said initital results were "encouraging" with core samples being taken from the Kirkham Abbey reservoir formation, as well as wireline logs, lowered into the borehole.""

http://rotundageologygroup.org/2013_04_04/gas-fields-of-the-cleveland-basin

"The Lockton (now Ebberston Moor) and Wyekham gas fields are part of the SNS petroleum system, with Carboniferous source rocks and reservoirs in the Carboniferous, Zechstein and Triassic Sherwood sandstone (Bunter). The seals are shales or halite.

The main Zechstein reservoir is the Kirkham Abbey Formation (KAF - Magnesian Limestone), usually With poor primary porosity from 4-8% but enhanced by fracturing. Only one of the four units within the KAF is a fair reservoir. The younger Brotherton carbonate is usually not a producing reservoir."

Into Darkness...

"Hydrocarbon exploration in North Yorkshire began in 1937, targeting Triassic and Permian reservoirs below the surface expression of the Cleveland Anticline. D’Arcy drilled the successful well Eskdale-2, marking the first gas discovery in the Zechstein carbonates in the UK. Since then approximately 100 wells have been drilled in the basin with exploration success relatively high. Out of the 25 pure exploration wells in the region, 13 have found hydrocarbon accumulations (flowed gas) and eight of the discoveries have been developed to date. The primary reservoir is the Permian-aged Zechstein carbonate sequence and, more specifically, the Z2, Kirkham Abbey Formation (KAF), which is a tight carbonate reservoir overprinted by a high permeability fracture system. Despite considerable investment and effort over the years, the historical development story of these fields has been very much one of repeated technical and investment failure, with approximately 39 Bcf (billion cubic feet) of the mapped gas initial in-place (GIIP) of c. 326 Bcf produced to date, an estimated recovery factor of 12%.

Historical production data show that all the Zechstein reservoirs have experienced early water breakthrough, leading to impaired gas rates and low recoveries. The water influx is due to a highly mobile, but finite aquifer, which under field production conditions preferentially flows through the high permeability fracture system, bypassing the gas stored in the tighter matrix."

"No, fracking in the UK doesn’t make much sense. I think it was a test to see if it worked. We probably don’t need to do it."

The Deciduous are at large...

https://www.yorkshirecoastradio.com/news/local-news/2895492/environmenta...

"The selfie sticks are not there to record the translation of Egyptian hieroglyphics to Greek. Rather, they’re re-enacting the scene in Don DeLillo’s prescient novel White Noise, where the protagonist visits “the most photographed barn in America” and is told the tourists who snap cameras “can’t even see the barn ... we see only what the others see ... a collective perception”.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jun/19/after-everest-we-h...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYISdbUGTio&list=PL5uZvTdZBlWw_biJBItBa8...

“Your ideas are really shit,” said one.

“No they’re not,” said another.

“It’s your ideas that are shit.”

“It’s my turn to be on lead vocals.”

“Well stop singing out of tune.”

“You’re back on the coke.”

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/commentisfree/2019/jun/18/ageing-bo...

Captain Black's picture

Anticlockwise

"... the sun always rises in the east & sets in the west, no matter what planet you are on. Naturally, it has nothing to do with any magnetic field. Direction of rotation is viewer-dependent; a flat spinning disk rotates clockwise or anticlockwise according to which side one is observing."

"The Sun, planets, moons, asteroids, and everything else then all formed from this disk, where everything was rotating with the same sense. As a result, most objects in the Solar System move in a plane, in the same direction. Furthermore, their spins are aligned the same way.

There are exceptions to this rule, but they are not common. They are interesting because they show the object in question does not have quite the same history as typical objects in the Solar System."

https://www.asteroidmission.org/

Awesome ;-)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-48688194

Static.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-europe-48668417/french-storm-hail-ba...

About that Orangery...

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/latest-news/tories-on-yorkshire-cou...

lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=38&v=2X9R81hymrI

Ooh  :-)

https://www.astroshop.eu/instruments/scopedome-v3-3m-diameter-observator...

Hmmmm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkD7T2c7edc

Nom Nom.

https://store.pacificdomes.com/

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/jun/21/sunrise-stonehenge-visib...

"By 2025, the National Grid's interconnectors will provide enough energy to power eight million homes via zero-carbon sources. This network of European sub-sea, clean energy super-highways will help to reduce Britain's carbon emissions from the power sector by approximately 17% (six million tonnes) by 2030.

The world's longest interconnector at 720km is being painstakingly laid between Blyth in Northumberland and the Blasjo reservoir in Kvilldal, where the biggest hydro power plant in northern Europe sits amongst Norway's fjords."

"... a reversal of direction."

If you gonna gatecrash a party you gotta expect some grief, no?

All things being equal.

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/jun/20/ten-cities-ask-eu-for-hel...

Blossoms.

 

Captain Black's picture

'Centreville' & 'Civil Disobedience'

"This week, the purchase of the onshore elements of Third Energy to a new company called York Energy (UK) Holdings Ltd which is a subsidiary of US investment firm Alpha Energy was completed - leading to concerns that fracking plans may be revived.

"A spokeswoman for Third Energy Onshore said the company “will be providing an update on its plans in the near future” when asked by The Yorkshire Post what it intended to do in relation to fracking in Kirby Misperton.

Anti-fracking campaigner Eddie Thornton said: “I don’t know why this American firm would have bought Third Energy if they didn’t want to frack.”

Before the “financial resilience” review was ordered, Third Energy had met 13 technical requirements that are required before final consent for fracking can be given, covering issues such as environmental protections and planning conditions..."

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/latest-news/fracking-fears-reignite...

"Six other companies also hold Government licences to start exploring for shale gas across Yorkshire.

The Kirby Misperton site, where the well was drilled but the exploratory work has yet to take place, had been due to be the first involved in test fracking since an investigation in 2011 found that it was “highly probable” shale gas test drilling by firm Cuadrilla had triggered earth tremors in Lancashire."

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jul/11/cuadrilla-restart-fr...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs5ZOcU6Bnw

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/crime/emergency-warning-issu...

"An Extinction Rebellion spokesperson said the group is targeting Leeds because it is the fastest growing financial district outside London..."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqhcRsKcaSA

"The Government said in February it had no plans to review the existing rules."

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jul/13/extinction-rebellion...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw3MESQXZvw

Captain Qahn's picture

'Tea n Times'

https://news.sky.com/story/half-a-million-sign-up-to-raid-area-51-and-se...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-48920515

https://yorkshirecnd.org.uk/campaigns/menwith-hi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX3B953Rc0I

https://www.dennis.co.uk/brands/lifestyle/fortean-times/

Stranger Things...

"People in Hell’s Kitchen began directing traffic themselves as stoplights and walk signs went dark."

Oh Dear ..

"“We were sitting outside and our chairs were rocking,” she said. “The trees stopped moving and the breeze stopped blowing.

“We were thinking, ‘Is this real or not real?’ We’ve never had an earthquake up here, or a tremor.”"

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/14/earthquake-of-65-magnitude...

"...the quake was the talk of the neighbourhood and it was reported that stock had been shaken off the shelves at the local Woolworths."

Never, Mind ;-)

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-07-14/asteroids-and-apocalypse-...

Resilience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfkxLRuSteI

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-07-15/partial-lunar-eclipse-to-...

Anyhoos..

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/people/tributes-paid-to-long-servin...

Awwe.

https://drillordrop.com/2016/05/23/the-fight-goes-on-says-fracking-oppon...

“I expected greater scrutiny and challenge from this planning authority. We have been too easily satisfied and we haven’t gone the extra mile to ensure that this stacks up. I don’t think it does.”

Bless.

Meanwhile:

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opinion/letters/kevin-hollinrake-s-...

"THE recently-published Manifesto of the Conservative Environment Network (CEN) pledges that a “ban on fracking is overwhelmingly sensible”...

"However, on his constituency website, he says “there is one policy in the manifesto upon which I disagree. I should make clear that I am not in favour of a ban on fracking, which is one of the suggestions in the manifesto”."

To Ponder..

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-48989949

OOps ;-)

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sites-affected-by-socap

"Each one of the sites listed above is protected by armed security forces against terrorist threat. Each of the sites has seen persistent activity by protestors who by trespassing place themselves at risk of being mistaken as terrorists. It is difficult for security forces protecting MOD sites to make the difference between trespasser and potential terrorist. This requires a split second judgement call, perhaps at times of limited visibility, and puts both the trespasser and member of the security force at risk..."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q07RanslaGM&list=RDZX3B953Rc0I&index=12

According to 'Damit' I have accused her of 'drug dealing'

Mebbe he is hearing 'voices' ;-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ro2x8gd2v-M

Afterall, tis the age of 'transparency'.

Big Ears.

Captain Qahn's picture

A Boat Race

"“Storm Area 51” is all a joke. And through engaging with that joke, most people are simply trying to take it to further extremes of silliness, such as by posting goofy blitzkrieg suggestions based on astrological signs..."

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jul/16/storm-area-51-internet-m...

"I actually slept inside the boat! There is a little room in there with three cabin spaces."It was mainly for security, if we were inside the boat then nobody could take it."

"I'm expecting it to be a bit cold overnight and I might need a cup of tea! But I think it will be positive."

"I've seen green spaces in the north being taken over for developments."It made me realise that the threat to the environment isn't something that is just happening in Brazil and the rainforest, it's happening right here to our communities."

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/traffic-and-travel/i-slept-i...

Hmmm ...

"We unleashed an American energy revolution.  And it is indeed a revolution.  Nobody thought it would be possible.  We’re now the number-one producer of oil and natural gas on the planet Earth.  Not even close.  (Applause.)

And I just had ANWR approved — one of the largest sites anywhere in the world.  They couldn’t do it with Ronald Reagan.  They couldn’t get it done.  They’ve been trying to get it done for many, many years.  Many, many decades they couldn’t get it approved.  I got it approved.  That’s in Alaska.  One of the biggest — maybe the biggest — the biggest site in the world for oil and natural gas."

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-...

Oh well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95JRk1q8msA

"Music that makes you use your small greys (not aliens) rarely get radio play"

To be continued...

Captain Qahn's picture

Farrell & The Quakers

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/66227e29-405e-44c1-bd6c-5ac33308c...

"The plan is so detailed it even suggests activists can paint their aircraft “pink, give names and personalise” them."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/66227e29-405e-44c1-bd6c-5ac33308c...

Poor old poppet  ... how many LP members are XR?

I'll be back.

https://www.spiked-online.com/2019/07/15/extinction-rebellion-enemies-of...

According to Clare Farrell on BBC5 they are middleclass, white & 'fluffy' ...

"Make no bones about it, the environmentalist movement wants to make people poorer. It wants us to give up our cars. It wants us to give up flying. It wants to intervene in every aspect of our personal behaviour, including what we eat. It is willing to frighten and exploit children in organised climate strikes. XR wants to set up climate courts outside of democratic control, while warning of the growth of fascism if it does not. And yet in over 30 years almost none of the predictions of environmentalists have come to pass. Environmentalism is posed as a radical movement, but is completely mainstream with the support of all major parties. It is the 24/7 output of the BBC, the royals and most celebrities.

Anyone who is unconcerned by the unopposed growth of environmentalist movements ought to be. I hope that workers’ organisations will wake up to the misanthropic agenda of such groups, and that the Extinction Rebellion movement will not find a welcome home at the Gala in future years."

Those darned Perseids ..

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-wiltshire-49116196/giant-crop-c...

Captain Qahn's picture

Voyage of the Dawn

"If you’re reading these words on Friday, 6 September, you should know — maybe you do already—that Vikram is about to land on the Moon. Just as Neil and Buzz and several others did, over three magical years half-a-century ago.

https://www.livemint.com/science/news/slow-and-steady-vikram-all-set-to-...

"Rolling along at a crisp 1 cm/second, it will roam the surrounds of the landing site for a full lunar day (about 14 days on Earth) and send data back to Isro. Eager scientists there are hoping that, among other things, it will detect water under the surface of the Moon. If it does, what a find that will be."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfM1plFu6eQ&list=PLdqN9XaUfrKzLvQDbIcV3P...

“I don’t think I could live without a deck of cards in my hands.”

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-09-02/indias-chandrayaan-2-miss...

"The project will be delivered by March 2021 and will be overseen by the Cinder Track Steering Group"

"That's why it's such a big thing that they're doing this controlled descent, picking a landing site, and edging their way in rather than just going gung-ho and barrelling in."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvdLfGUhn00

"Earlier, there was an afternoon screening of the first two episodes and there will be an evening red carpet event later."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bNAp7PAx8Q&list=PLdqN9XaUfrKzLvQDbIcV3P...

https://egyptindependent.com/rami-malek-and-omar-sharif/

Captain Black's picture

Revoking Article 50

"But the most important word in the last sentence is "if".

If they don't find themselves in government they will, we can assume, revert to campaigning for a further referendum as the best way to reverse the result of the last one.

So, this policy allows the party to send a message to voters that they are as opposed to Brexit as it's possible to be.

But it's not without risk for a party with the word "democrat" in its name to promise to overturn the result of a referendum without putting that question to the electorate again.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-49706643

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO6D_BAuYCI

Captain Black's picture

A Stickler for Protocol

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-10-08/milky-way-explosion-3-mil...

"As well as firing off these gigantic jets and bubbles of energy, this same accretion disc also generates beams of ionising radiation, which look like a lighthouse beacon coming out of the north and south galactic poles."

"We live in the galactic equivalent of the suburbs, but that doesn't mean our home galaxy is boring."

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20383336

"silence was a big part of traditional music, in the past."

Boredom is No Excuse.

Captain Qahn's picture

A Call for Calm

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/13/dont-frack-with-us-t...

"Two weeks ago, just a couple of days before the Nanas celebrated 1,000 days of activism at Preston New Road, Cuadrilla announced that it would engage in no further fracking activity on the site before its licence expires at the end of November..."

"We’ve been here for more than 960 days now, and everything we’ve done has included humour, but there’s a ball of rage inside me. Every Wednesday, when we do the call for calm, I generally put down the anger and think of it as a fresh start. We started Nana Samba as a kind of anger management for the Nanas. I took a drum and two sticks and I beat the hell out of it and I thought, “I like this!” Then I realised that when I’m drumming I’m harder to arrest. If I’m walking in front of a truck with a drum, you can’t really get a grip on me. I’m getting quite good with the rhythms, too."

Fascinating.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-49879291

"In a statement, Cuadrilla's chief executive Francis Egan said that, "in the next few weeks", his company would start testing the flow of gas at a second well that had been partially fractured in August."

Hmmm ...

https://cuadrillaresources.com/our-sites/yorkshire/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3ltZmI5LQw

Captain Black's picture

The Great Escape

"EU and UK officials will resume Brexit talks this morning in the hopes of reaching a deal that can be agreed by leaders at a key summit on Thursday.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to update the cabinet on the progress of the negotiations, which continued through the night..."

"As the Channel Tunnel celebrates its 25th anniversary, the BBC was given unprecedented access to life behind the scenes and beneath the sea bed..."

Rattle Snakes "Wednesday 9 October at 19:30 on BBC Two"

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-kent-50017289/channel-tunnel-fi...

Toot Hoot

"the Slovak Wildlife Society, is coming to the Whitby Goth Weekend - which runs from October 25 to 27 - with the Carpathian Wolf Watch team to present the work they are doing on wolves in the spectacular Carpathian Mountains."

https://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/whats-on/things-to-do/wolves-follow-drac...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rD-0tlGGPo

Ah, So ..

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-50064893

"Mount Paektu, an active volcano, is said to be the birthplace of Dangun, the founder of the first Korean kingdom more than 4,000 years ago.

The mountain is hundreds of kilometres from the capital Pyongyang, and sits right on the border between North Korea and China."

Spose they do Glamping?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up4WjdabA2c

https://newsthump.com/2019/10/15/voter-id-scheme-part-of-a-tory-portfoli...

"Holidays correspondent, Simon Williams, said, “Obviously, Mr Fankhauser is a very wealthy man, but even he can’t afford a simple week away during the school holidays as travel operators ramp up prices to cover the rest of the year when you can get all-inclusive at that 7-star place in Dubai for a fiver.

“He wouldn’t have been able to go, of course, if he didn’t get his staff discount, which took it down to a very reasonable £499,999.99.

“Obviously, that didn’t include any excursions or Cocktails of the Day."

“It is well known that Mr Fankhauser also received £250,000 worth of shares in his bonus, that are now worthless. Unless, of course, he cashed them in during the 6-week holidays, in which case they would have made him close to £100bn.”"

Never Mind.

https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/legendary-founder-...

https://www.gov.uk/identitycards

“As such, Prince Charles announces that, when the moment comes, he will step aside and let someone else read idiotic promises to expel all foreigners.

“He feels he will be more useful to the country making posh jams and biscuits to flog to Chinese tourists as that looks like the only economic sector that has any sort of future.”

https://newsthump.com/2019/10/15/prince-charles-declares-he-doesnt-want-...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHnI4Mbv2sU

lol

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/oct/16/nasa-unveils-spacesuits-...

About that Dog ...

Capt. 'Bob''s picture

Desk Top Studies

“Communities in Lancashire, Yorkshire and across the UK fought back hard against the efforts of the Conservatives to turn their backyards into gas fields – and they may have won a major victory in forcing the government to climb down."

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/31/boris-johnson-poised...

".. the west Cumbria Mine is not going to burn coal for energy – it is a mine that will produce coking coal that must be used for steel production.

“We need steel to produce the infrastructure for the green energy revolution that we must pursue if we are to combat the climate change crisis.

“Modern windmills cannot be made of wood, solar panels must have steel frames and tidal and hydro power require a range of materials to be viable.

“Further, it is better to mine coking coal here locally than import it from Australia, Canada or Russia with an attendant huge increase in the carbon footprint.”"

https://www.timesandstar.co.uk/news/17946734.mp-called-back-coal-mine/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGU_4-5RaxU

Capt. 'Bob''s picture

Boy with Apple

""After reviewing the OGA's report into recent seismic activity at Preston New Road, it is clear that we cannot rule out future unacceptable impacts on the local community.

For this reason, she said, she had concluded the government should put a moratorium on fracking "with immediate effect"..."

"Ken Cronin, chief executive of UK Onshore Oil and Gas, which represents fracking companies, said: "Going forward, we are fully committed to working closely with the Oil and Gas Authority and other relevant regulators to demonstrate that we can operate safely and environmentally responsibly."

"This lesson now needs to be applied to unlock onshore wind and solar, and significantly ramp up offshore fracking."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-50267454

"Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, involves injecting water and chemicals at high pressure to break up rock and extract gas.

There are currently three companies with fracking licences in the UK, all based in the north of England...

The government lifted a previous, year-long moratorium on fracking in 2011...

Fracking supporters say the government's new moratorium is an over-reaction.

James Woudhuysen, visiting professor of innovation at London South Bank University, told Sky News: "It has increased the sense in the population that we're under siege from dangerous innovations.

"And that's not the case at all."

The August tremors measured between 2.0 and 2.9 magnitude, with an average ground motion of 5mm per second, about a third of the level of motion that is permitted for construction projects...

"This industry is poisonous, it's toxic, it contributes significantly to climate change it has no place in our communities, " Eddie Thornton, who lives near a proposed fracking site in North Yorkshire, told Sky News.

He added: "The moratorium represents a significant victory for communities like mine up and down the country that have been fighting fracking for so long.

"But the timing of this announcement will now be lost on anyone. It's a cynical attempt to grease the wheels of Boris Johnson's election bus."

https://www.yorkshirecoastradio.com/news/national/2982656/fracking-banne...

lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-kL8A4RNQ8

Hmmm ....

"the T-1000 crashes his 18-wheeler into the Bull Creek spillway in pursuit of John Connor. The flood control channel's extensive use in the breakneck sequence makes it arguably the most famous culvert in Los Angeles County."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_TNfLpc91M

Never Mind.

https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes//map/

https://www.laweekly.com/could-fracking-in-los-angeles-cause-an-earthquake/

A Pecan Pie ... tis the Season for Pie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH2a30LTeWw

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/02/fracking-banned-in-u...

Meanwhile:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-50264797

"The invitees to Climate Assembly UK have been selected at random from across the UK. From those who respond, 110 people will be chosen as a representative sample of the population."

Where the heck is Random?

Captain Black's picture

A Cheeky Little Number

"Just because a very intense anti-fracking campaign has won a moratorium does not mean their claims or means of promoting their views has been right, honest or ethical. One of the consequences has been that opposition has risen in polls.Of course it has, they have won hands down on the propaganda front whilst the government and industry have failed miserably to conduct any kind of campaign to refute their claims.

The Climate Change Committee states that we will be using 70 per cent of the amount of gas in 2050 as we do at present. The choice is simple, do we use UK fracked gas or imported fracked gas?

"Environmentalists demand that we convert to using electricity and remove our gas boilers and cookers to heat and cook. How many people can afford the estimated £20,000 for the conversion and for their energy bills to at least quadruple overnight? Electricity is already four times more expensive than gas. The majority will claim they want to be Green but are they willing to pay?..."

Finally, please can all the Frack Free signs be removed, not forgetting the ones plastered in windows of 4x4s ruining our environment."

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/health/yorkshire-mum-s-warning-over-coll...

Ah, So...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-49733291

lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qZfUSa63-Q

Hmmm ...

“People talk too often abut older being just an economic challenge. Clearly they do bring costs of pensions and social care, but for many people it’s a great phase of their lives, and for some places it also brings economic opportunities.

“If you can attract better-off pensioners who spend their money locally, it can help support your working-age population."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ0Bey4YUGI

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/bt-shares-fall-after-labour-ann...

Skilled People.

Captain Black's picture

The Grey Cells

Captain Qahn's picture

Branching Out

"If proposals for buildings to be called such things as Ebenezer and Bog House – which have been described by art experts as “genius” – are granted it would see the Yorkshire-raised artist spend five years building stone properties on ruins of historic buildings in Rosedale to house artworks..."

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/politics/government-fails-to-produc...

"Replacing fossil fuels with entirely renewable energy sources on the timescale that is needed is a monumental challenge, and not one that doesn’t come with setbacks – notably, the issue of intermittency. Nuclear power generation produces no carbon emissions, and unlike renewables, it isn’t plagued with the problem of intermittent power generation."

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/aug/03/from-stone-flows-to...

“I wonder if Michaelangelo or the Egyptian pyramids had gone to planning what we would have lost.”

https://www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/about-us/meetings-and-agendas/planning...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAykOz1gWi4

Intermittent...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50564713

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pguMUFyJ3_U&list=RDpguMUFyJ3_U&start_rad...

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opinion/columnists/nuclear-power-is...

No sign of the Boulby application...

"A planning officers’ report to the committee next week states despite an acceptable visitor management plan having been developed and it becoming clear ecological concerns could be addressed by conditions, officers would still recommend refusal for all five applications."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aNhlDekJW4

“The repair of a building is for me an act of renewal and not of ‘developer’, and this notion of renewal is an important dimension of my earning or having the right to remake the building as a work of art.”

 

Captain Qahn's picture

Sub Zero

"Gas infrastructure company SGN said about 8,000 properties in the Falkirk area had been left without supplies,

SGN engineers were working to fix equipment that regulates gas pressure but warned each property would have to be visited."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-50613678

Naval Gazing ...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-50507539

lol

https://www.thescarboroughnews.co.uk/news/crime/woman-who-threatened-blo...

Oh.

https://www.theguardian.com/news/shortcuts/2019/dec/02/jeremy-corbyn-sui...

Ah, So ..

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-02/russia-to-china-first-road-bridge...

https://www.climateassembly.uk/

Captain Qahn's picture

Hocus Focus

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/dec/02/black-wall-as-govern...

“Looking at this black wall of redacted pages, people will be wondering why there’s so little the government is willing to reveal about fracking and so much it wants to hide."

https://www.energy.gov/fe/science-innovation/oil-gas-research/shale-gas-rd

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/dec/03/indias-crashed-vikram-mo...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2oa5smqWHE

Captain Qahn's picture

Financial Plumbing

"Confirming large financial transactions is hard. It is even harder across national or international borders. Since the development of the telegraph in the first half of the 19th Century, sending instructions has been quick enough."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-50069985

"The once separate domains marked “politics” and “media” have collapsed into each other. It is not incidental that the politicians leading the charge against fair reporting – Johnson and Gove – are both former journalists...

"One of the cornerstones of liberal politics, dating back to the Enlightenment, is the idea of a “separation of powers”. This typically refers to the tripartite system of government, separating executive, legislature and judiciary, on which the US constitution was built...

"Without some distinction between rival centres of power, public decision-making cannot possibly be described as “fair” or “independent”.."

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/dec/04/boris-johnson-brex...

Meanwhile.  Back on planet Earth :

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/dec/04/swansea-tidal-power-pro...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofA3URC1wyk

A luxury resort in Watford ...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-50653597

As If !!??   Erm...

The giant sealed off solidarity.

Best not mention Flamingoland... football... and Welcome to Yorkshire all in one sentence.

Grrr... why would anyone build a luxury resort in Watford?  

I have a bench to paint...

The Age of Reason ;-0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OJIjwY4yfI

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-50643323

Thou must not scratch...

Captain Qahn's picture

A Direction of Travel

"I looked up and I've never seen stars in a straight line before," one listener said."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50575058

"Our approach is that we have a single, directly elected Yorkshire assembly," says its leader Chris Whitwood. "Because Yorkshire has got a population of 5.5 million, larger than Scotland. The economy is twice that of Wales and yet we have no unifying voice."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-06/lights-in-the-sky-were-spacex-sat...

"I thought 'what the heck's that?' and I suddenly realised they were moving."

"If you have a ring of satellites — or a train or a convoy — you don't have that gap."

Mind the gaps...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nyr-iJqr1mU

"Presenter of BBC’s Stargazing Live, Mark Thompson, has identified 12 new constellations that also include the Manchester Bee, a symbol Mancunians hold close to their heart, the Cutty Sark, a nod to Glasgow’s famous ship building history and Edinburgh Castle."

lololol

The new constellation visible from Scarborough has been named 'Scarborough Castle'.

Captain Qahn's picture

'Nothing More Important'

""... the work on the first five Hanging Stones buildings had less of an impact on the landscape as they had been significantly less ruined.

He said setting out to recreate the historic buildings – which the meeting heard may include a 16th century farmstead and a meeting house – could also be damaging as there was uncertainty over their cultural significance.

The meeting heard Mr Goldsworthy had pledged an archaeologist would be on site to advise whenever digging would take place and insist that his project would conserve heritage and the landscape’s character.

Mr France added the project was “a fantastic idea for re-using a traditional building which is absolutely inspirational”, plans to restrict visitor numbers by a booking system would limit the environmental damage and the artwork would be on public rights of way, so any number of people could view it.

Withstanding the environmental impact and concerns that farmers could argue they should be allowed to rebuild properties elsewhere if Mr Goldsworthy was permitted to, members said the potential economic and cultural benefits of the scheme were plentiful."
 
 
"And while, regrettably, each piece will inevitably attract venom and vitriol from anonymous so-called keyboard warriors on social media – many sadly intent on undermining the quality of debate – the fact of the matter is that each registered voter is an equal; everyone has one vote on Thursday, and it is their democratic responsibility to assess the merits of every party, and candidate, from trusted sources, before they decide where to place their X on the ballot paper."
 
Oh.
 
"... a single dot chiseled into a reddish stone, a humble mark of incredible importance, a symbol that would become the very foundation of our number system—our first zero...
 
"The simple sign “3” represents all trios in the universe; it is the quality of “being three”—distinct from “being five” or “being seven.” Numerals allow us to keep track of belongings, record dates, trade goods, calculate so precisely that we are able to fly to the moon and operate on the phone."
 
"Of all the numerals, “0”—alone in green on the roulette wheel—is most significant. Unique in representing absolute nothingness, its role as a placeholder gives our number system its power. It enables the numerals to cycle, acquiring different meanings in different locations (compare 3,000,000 and 30). With the exception of the Mayan system, whose zero glyph never left the Americas, ours is the only one known to have a numeral for zero. Babylonians had a mark for nothingness, say some accounts, but treated it primarily as punctuation. Romans and Egyptians had no such numeral either."
 
 
Stranger things ...
 
 
"“Cornish lads are fishermen
And Cornish lads are miners too
But when the fish and tin are gone
What are the Cornish boys to do?”"
 
Anyhoos somin exciting has happened:
 
 
 
Geology for Dummies...