Wednesday 12th August 2020
Posted: Wed 12 Aug, 2020 6:39 am
Morning all.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... -companies" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;"" The Wye itself is dying at astonishing, heartbreaking speed. When I canoed it 10 years ago, the stones were clean. Now they are so slimy that you can scarcely stand up. In hot weather, the entire river stinks of chicken shit, from the 10 million birds being reared in the catchment. We made the mistake of swimming in it: I almost gagged when I smelled the water. The free-range farms are the worst: the birds carpet the fields with their highly reactive dung, which is then washed into the catchment by rain. Several times a year, algal blooms now turn the clear river cloudy. The fish gasp for breath. Aquatic insects suffocate.
Similar disasters are happening across Britain. In the east of the country, the main issues are human sewage and water extraction. The privatised water companies, granted local monopolies on supply, extract vast dividends and salaries while not investing enough in pipes, sewage systems, reservoirs and pollution control. Instead of stopping leaks or discouraging overconsumption, they draw down the groundwater that feeds our rivers. Many now run dry for part of the year. There are only 225 chalk streams in the world, and 85% are in England. Yet several of these rare and precious ecosystems could disappear altogether. ""
Can't remember if you saw this lovely Monbiot from last night, but recced for everyone who missed it !!!GetYou wrote:That is very distressing, I also canoed it about 10 years ago and it was one the most beautiful rivers I've had the pleasure of travelling along.
Something else it would be nice to hear about from Labour.frog222 wrote:£ and human costs of Faragist immigration policy ---
https://bylinetimes.com/2020/08/11/the- ... animosity/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
counterproductive Labour sounding off right nowgilsey wrote:Something else it would be nice to hear about from Labour.frog222 wrote:£ and human costs of Faragist immigration policy ---
https://bylinetimes.com/2020/08/11/the- ... animosity/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Instead it's Ben & Jerry's providing the opposition.
Priti, you're arguing with ice-cream.
Agreed CJA. It's magic thinking to rely on the LP saying stuff , ALONE, to suddenly change the climate of opinion, in a country with a very large Thatcherised and Murdochised reactionary minority.citizenJA wrote:counterproductive Labour sounding off right nowgilsey wrote:Something else it would be nice to hear about from Labour.frog222 wrote:£ and human costs of Faragist immigration policy ---
https://bylinetimes.com/2020/08/11/the- ... animosity/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Instead it's Ben & Jerry's providing the opposition.
Priti, you're arguing with ice-cream.
fundamental irrational reaction is exploited through psychological manipulation
Director Konrad Steffen tragically died in an accident
Saturday, August 8, 2020, our director Konrad Steffen was tragically killed in an accident during field work in Greenland.
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research
https://www.wsl.ch/en/2020/08/director- ... ident.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I seem disproportionately upset about this event. He startlingly resembles my brother and father. It made me gasp.Konrad Steffen Swiss researcher on climate change, has died in an accident in Greenland.
The 68-year-old was killed in an accident at a weather station, known as Swiss camp, at the weekend, officials said on Monday. He fell into a crevasse full of water when the snow gave way beneath him, some 100 metres from the camp.
Steffen, a dual Swiss/American who headed the Federal Office for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research since 2012, has conducted research into climate change in the Arctic and Antarctic for more than 40 years.
https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/leading-sw ... t/45959190" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
didn't use sunscreen or wear a hatcitizenJA wrote:slipped his fetters
coot awa’
James O'Brien
@mrjamesob
·
3h
The largest recession in the G7, the highest excess death rate in Europe, A-Levels in meltdown, unemployment rocketing, catastrophic Brexit imminent and *government ministers* are shouting at ice cream on Twitter.
Principles and 'sounding off' don't need to come into it, I just think it's odd that the PM can say something incorrect in law and the Leader of the Opposition, former Human Rights lawyer and DPP, doesn't point it out.frog222 wrote:Agreed CJA. It's magic thinking to rely on the LP saying stuff , ALONE, to suddenly change the climate of opinion, in a country with a very large Thatcherised and Murdochised reactionary minority.citizenJA wrote:counterproductive Labour sounding off right now
fundamental irrational reaction is exploited through psychological manipulation
Is this forgotten?Sienna Rodgers
@siennamarla
Asked for comment on migrant boat crossings, Labour’s shadow immigration minister Holly Lynch said: “The Immigration Minister's emergency visit today to France today shows the lack of grip and competence shown by the government on this issue...
It's about cheering up his own troops, not single-handedly trying to change the climate of opinion.6. Defend migrants’ rights
Full voting rights for EU nationals. Defend free movement as we leave the EU. An immigration system based on compassion and dignity. End indefinite detention and call for the closure of centres such as Yarl’s Wood.
James Felton
@JimMFelton
3h
If I'd spent £16 million on coronavirus tests that didn’t work and £12m on a failed app and £150 million buying 50 million unusable masks from an offshore banker with no history of supplying medical equipment I'd probably keep my trap shut about some ice-cream being overpriced
We had letters from school months ago explaining in detail exactly what was happening with predicted grades, appeals and retakes. It's been a strange experience for all involved but at least there was clarity about how GCSEs and A levels would be handled. Then, with just a couple of days to go, Gavin Williamson lobs a hand grenade into that certainty and plunges the whole system into chaos. And definitely not in student's favour as far as I can see. Mocks are not standardised, not taken by everyone and occur several months before the actual exams, so are likely to be lower grades than a student's real potential, if completed at all (most schools only do partial or old papers & don't always "grade" them just give marks out of 100). They are not going to be a fair and consistent alternative for a teacher's considered prediction, which the Scottish government has come to accept. This smacks of a figleaf to me for some very harsh and disappointing moderated grades which, unlike Scotland, the English government looks set to insist will stand. I really hope I'm wrong but I'm now extremely nervous about the pending results. Though mostly I'm just furious that the government thinks it's ok to dick vulnerable 16 and 18 year olds around at the 11th hour over something so pivotal to their entire futures. Why wasn't this sorted weeks/months ago?Keir Starmer condemns last-minute A-level changes in England
Labour leader says late concession to allow appeals based on results in mock exams is ‘fiasco’
I'm keeping a close eye on our elderly guinea pig. They don't tolerate temperatures over 28°C very well. Usually it's just a case of keeping him inside away from direct sun but today it's 33°C out and 30°C in. so roll on the thunderstorms. We haven't had any yet but are supposedly finally due some today.citizenJA wrote:We're in danger, everyone
COVID-19
the heatwave
hopefully, people at risk of heatstroke are already staying in or otherwise prevented from inevitable death caused by this extreme weather event
regardless, I'm sure healthcare professionals have calculated when and how much damage is done
drink plenty of water, stay in
I was unable to persuade Mr citizen from going into work for a couple hours today