Category: Uncategorized

Water Skiing and World Athletics

Brief mentions of the Hanseatic Water skiing and the World Athetics Championship, with pics and links.

INTRODUCTION

This is in the nature of a catch-up post about events from this weekend.

WATER SKIING AND WORLD ATHLETICS

The water skiing reference is to the Hanseatic Ski Racing which took place on the Great Ouse right here in King’s Lynn this weekend just gone. Although my involvement was very peripheral I have a few pictures…

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The World Athletics championship got under way this weekend. There have been many great moments already,none more so than Jessica Ennis-Hill regaining her world Heptahlon crown a mere 13 months after having her first child. The way she surged past Brianne Theisen-Eaton of Canada in the final stages of the 800m to win that event outright was reminiscent of London 2012. The other result that was greeted with near-universal approval was in the men’s 100m where Usain Bolt retained his title. People were rooting for him because of who his main rival was – if I was a betting person I would be pretty confident of putting my money on the proposition that no one not named Gatlin wanted Justin Gatlin to beat Usain Bolt – that is a penalty that one pays for being a twice-caught drugs cheat – even if bad rules which are badly applied allow you to return they do not make you popular.

A PHOTOGRAPHIC INTERLUDE

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LINKS

On Saturday I produced two of my most successful ever blog posts. My most successful ever, which I will be referring to more extensively in my next post, was this one about autism. The other was the latest in my “London Station by Station” which, carefully produced to coincide with day three of the Oval test match, was dedicated to Oval and Vauxhall. This latter post attracted the favourable attention of historylondon who included it in their “gobbets of the week” post. One of the other posts that made the cut for inclusion in that list was londonist’s offering “the walker’s tube map”.

As someone who writes frequently about London Underground I finish this fairly brief links section by pointing you to this splendid defence of tube workers.

The Ashes 2015: A Personal View

A last look at the 2015 Ashes.

INTRODUCTION

This is the first of a several posts I shall be producing today. I hope you will all enjoy it.

AUSTRALIA WIN THE BATTLE HAVING ALREADY LOST THE WAR

Australia won the Oval test match very comfortably to narrow the series score to 3-2 in England’s favour. Although it takes a little gloss of England’s overall victory this cannot really be considered significant – there have been many occasions when a side who have already won the series early have failed in the final match. Examples include England in 1928-9, 1986-7 and 2015, and Australia in 1902, 1924-25, 1968, 1993 and 1997. For the rest of this post I am going to look at England’s players through the series…

ENGLAND SUCCESSES AND FAILURES

So, who did what?

Alastair Cook: as captain he unequivocally did was required – his task was to win the Ashes and that objective was achieved with a match to spare. As a batsman he had an ordinary series, with no century and only two really significant scores, one of which was made with the match already lost (85 at the Oval).

Adam Lyth: he was an unequivocal failure at the top of the order. Nevertheless, while I would have no quarrel with him being dropped at this point, I maintain that the England selectors were right to give him the whole home season of tests in which to make his mark – and as a veteran of the second half of the 1980s and the whole of the 1990s, during which England were an international laughing stock I saw far too many occasions when selectors chopped and changed and changed and chopped so that no one ever knew whether they were coming or going I was delighted to see this example of consistency of approach.

Ian Bell: By his own standards a poor series – only three 50 plus scores and none of them a century.

Joe Root: Quite simply magnificent – his century at Trent Bridge on a pitch on which the Aussies had rolled over for 60 in 18.3 overs was a classic innings, made when runs had to be earned.

Gary Ballance: Only played the first couple of matches, but he will be back.

Jonny Bairstow: A fine innings at Trent Bridge, when he backed Joe Root splendidly, but not much else to show for his participation in the series.

Ben Stokes: Mr X Factor – runs, wickets and the moment of the series – that catch at Trent Bridge.

Jos Buttler: A shocking series with the bat, adequate behind the stumps.

Moeen Ali: A fine cricketer, but not in the way England used him in this series – he is not a front-line spinner. In the UAE where pitches are likely to take spin he could be useful as an opening batsman (a role he plays for his county) and back up spinner to Adil Rashid and possibly another.

Mark Wood: A good prospect, and Cook’s decision to give him the opportunity (which he took) to wrap up the Trent Bridge match was an excellent piece of captaincy.

James Anderson: The only England bowler to date to have taken 400 test wickets – it is a tribute to messrs Broad, Finn and Wood that he was not missed at Trent Bridge. The UAE would be a good tour for him to miss – there will be no assistance for him there, and he will be needed in South Africa.

Stuart Broad: Can one be player of the series almost entirely on the strength of one spell of bowling? Yes, if that one spell is 8-15 off 9.3 overs and makes the outcome of the series effectively certain.

Stephen Finn: After a couple of years in the wilderness he is back to some thing like his best, he achieved one of a run of four straight six plus wicket hauls by four different England bowlers (the others were Anderson, Stokes and Broad).

Autism

This autistic person’s view of autism and autistic spectrum conditions, leavened with a few photos.

INTRODUCTION

This post is by way of a public response to two blog posts that I have recently encountered. I am writing this because in twitter speak I am #actuallyautistic.

TWO IMPORTANT BLOG POSTS

The post that first planted the germ of an idea for this piece in my mind was published by Autism Mom under the title “Sometimes I don’t know what to think”. In it she mentions being at an autism related event and hearing someone talk about “curing” their son’s autism.

The other post that helped to spark this was published this morning on parents.com under the title “15 things I tell my friends when they’re facing an autism diagnosis”. As a sample of what to expect I offer two paragraphs (they are not contiguous in the actual piece)…

Be wary of “cures” and “recovery.”
One of the first books I read about autism was a “recovery narrative.” It was well-wrttien, but what it told me was that if I just worked hard enough, poured enough money into chasing a cure, and found the right combo of supplements and therapies, my son would get over his autism. It’s a destructive mindset to have, and it caused me and my child heaps of stress. Autism is a neurology, it’s a different way the brain is wired. You can’t recover from neurology, and a more productive focus for everyone is helping your child become his or her best self.

and

Don’t get bogged down in the debates in the autism community.
There are a lot of camps in the autism community. Some people want cures, other blame vaccines, and others demonize autism. Autism self-advocates are changing perceptions of the disorder through their advocacy. People will tell you to cut gluten, try cod liver oil, and the fights can grow nasty. I align with certain views, and I try to live those. But I tell my friends to keep the focus on their child as they wade through all the extra noise in the autism community. I also always recommend that parents new to a diagnosis read what writers with autism are saying as a way to navigate some of this debate.

A BRIEF PICTORIAL INTERLUDE

Here are a few of my recent photographs from in and around King’s Lynn

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DISEASE OR DISORDER?: A FALSE DICHOTOMY

The common usage of the phrase Autistic Spectrum Disorder can lead to a suggestion that Autism can be treated like a disease and thence to talk of “cures”. Therefore save for the single sentence I have just written I used Autism or Autistic Spectrum Condition. In each case, although I have emphasised the words that I change in the phrase the key word of the whole phrase is “spectrum”, which implies, correctly, a broad range of attributes.

An Autistic Spectrum Condition is neither a disorder nor a disease – having one makes us different not lesser, or in some way incomplete. This is, if you like, my take home message to neurotypicals: learn to see beyond the condition we have and to appreciate the things we can do, rather than making the things the we cannot into impassable obstacles.

As I hope I have made crystal clear, I believe that any talk of a “cure” for autism is fundamentally misguided. I for one can say with no shadow of a doubt that even if some wonder drug was devised that had the power to make me neurotypical I WOULD REFUSE TO TAKE IT.

I end with a request to any and all of you who make it this far: please share this piece.

Images, Queries and Other Stuff

An account of my day at James and Sons, some important links and some splendid infographics.

INTRODUCTION

My title piece, complete with images, is about today at James and Sons, but I also have some important links and some quality inforgaphics to share…

IMAGES AND QUERIES

I started today by imaging the last handful of lots that were not already done for the August auction, one of which was needed to resolve a query. I also made a start on the imaging for the September auction (30th, Fakenham Racecourse) and did a lot of work on the database.

AUGUST IMAGES

There were as mentioned a very few of these, but they were items of interest…

28 29 200a 253 294 294a 294b 360 360a

This was the item that had a query on it - resolved to the customer's satisfaction.
This was the item that had a query on it – resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

SEPTEMBER IMAGES

The September lots that were ready for imaging included some very fine items…

Lot 1 was a challenge to image, but between all the shots I took I think I have done it justice.
Lot 1 was a challenge to image, but between all the shots I took I think I have done it justice.

1a 1b

A close up of the support ring for the inkwell.
A close up of the support ring for the inkwell.

1d

This will undoubtedly go for far more than I could afford - unfortunately.
This will undoubtedly go for far more than I could afford – unfortunately.

2a 2b 6

A hallmark shot just to confirm, that these are the real deal.
A hallmark shot just to confirm, that these are the real deal.

LINKS

I have a cluster of important links to share starting with…

ROOSH V

The Mirror, who are on good form at the moment, have given some excellent coverage to the petition to stop Amazon from selling his books. The petition itself can be seen here.

DRACONIAN DRESS CODE DEVELOPMENTS

Another petition, which is just starting to gather serious momentum – almost 6,000 signatures at the time of writing. I covered this in detail in my last post, so I settle for this gentle reminder.

IDIOTIC DELUSIONAL SOCIOPATH

Two links in this little section aimed at the current boss of the DWP. This arises from the DWPs sanction success stories, of which there were two, and it has now been revealed that neither client (and the stories are told as if they were about real people) existed. The two pieces are:

SCIENCE AND NATURE

Again two links for you, one about each half of the section title…

AUTISM

Two links and a segue in this section:

JUSTICE FOR KAYLEB

Confirmation this morning that the petition at the heart of this campaign will be delivered in all its 152,000+ signature glory. Here is a link to this important petition.

THE LAST LINKS

This piece on theatlantic is of great importance – it reveals how some vital autism related reserach was suppressed for a long period of time.

Finally, my segue – the URL for Dr Lisa Sulsenti’s platinum quality infographic that starts the next and final section of the post.

INFOGRAPHICS

Living With Autism

Galaxies

This enclousre would OK (although oddly shaped) for a municipal swimming pool but... ORCAS NEED OCEANS!!
This enclousre would OK (although oddly shaped) for a municipal swimming pool but… ORCAS NEED OCEANS!!
This is a fabulous detailed accounting of all that is wrong with TTIP.
This is a fabulous detailed accounting of all that is wrong with TTIP.

Birds, Butterflies and Bonkers Trade Deals

An announcement of some Anti TTIP action, some important links and some good pictures from in and around King’s Lynn.

INTRODUCTION

I have many things to cover in this post, including a number of very important links.

THE BONKERS TRADE DEAL

The bonkers trade deal is officially known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP for short), and I am mentioning it in this post for two reasons:

  1. This Saturday at 11AM there is action taking place against it, starting outside Top Shop on King’s Lynn High Street.
  2. And linked to the above, I got my action pack from 38 Degrees through the post today.

DSCN4589 DSCN4590 Say No To TTIP!

LINKS

To begin today’s links section, a nod to youth…

THE CASE OF THE DRACONIAN DRESS CODE: AN UPDATE

This refers to an American school whose dress code is both draconian and being applied in a very sexist way. This has given rise to a change.org petition, and today there has been coverage on yahoo:

  1. The Petition
  2. The Yahoo piece
  3. To conclude this subsection a photo showing the “revealing clothes” for which a girl was called, which ignited the controversy:
    When this falls foul of a
    When wearing this falls foul of a “dress code” I think the problem is fairly obvious.

    JUSTICE FOR KAYLEB

    Just a single link, but I make no apology for giving it a whole subsection to itself. This is a truly shocking case involving a 6th grader (English equivalent of this would be a year 7 student) facing the possibility of spending his life with a felony conviction on his record. Please sign and share this petition.

AUTISM AND CREATIVITY

Another single piece, this time courtesy of Huffington Post, about a study into autism and creativity. I start with a quote from the piece:

“Wong and Doherty said we should think of autism in terms of differences rather than deficits. And these differences, as the study suggests, can give rise to important and unique creative insights.” NB The italicisation is theirs not mine.

The full article deserves to be read and shared. Naturally as both an autistic person and the creator of this blog I wholeheartedly concur with the notion that autistic people can be especially creative!

SCIENCE AND NATURE

My final two links, the second being in the nature of a segue:

BIRDS AND BUTTERFLIES

I bring this post to a conclusion with some pictures taken in and around King’s Lynn yesterday morning and today…

Rain brought this beauty out yesterday morning.
Rain brought this beauty out yesterday morning.
Also from yesterday morning.
Also from yesterday morning.

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Thomas’s Composite Ashes XI

My composite Ashes XI, with a controversial choice at no 5.

INTRODUCTION

This post, which is purely and simply what the title says will be followed by one of more my more usual posts.

AN END OF SERIES TRADITION

One of the things that people do as an Ashes series approaches its conclusion is pick a composite team. A team is not simply the 11 players who have had the best series – to be properly selected it has to be capable of functioning as a team, so it needs sufficient batting and bowling resources and a genuine wicket-keeper. Having set out my criteria I will now begin selecting:

THE OPENERS

None of the openers in this series will remember it with especial fondness, but with Warner now established as the Caddick of batsmen (much better in the second innings than in the first), and Lyth having not had a big score at all, the selection is quite straightforward: Chris Rogers and Alastair Cook (Captain).

THE MIDDLE ORDER

Number 3 is clear cut – Stephen Smith is a flat track bully, not to be trusted if the ball is doing anything, whereas Ian Bell produced two fifties in the third match to help restore England’s lead in the series. Verdict: Bell by the proverbial country mile.

Number 4 is even more of a no-contest – Michael Clarke has barely scored a run in the series while Joe Root has been superb. Verdict: Root on a walkover.

Number 5 is a difficult one. There have been no convincing performances from anyone at number 5. I am going to resolve it by thinking outside the box, to someone who regularly bats no 5 and has been in superb form recently. It will come as no surprise to readers of this blog that my choice for no 5 goes to … Ellyse Perry.

Thinking outside the box: Ellyse Perry's excellence cuts the gordian knot of who to select at no 5 in the composite ashes XI!
Thinking outside the box: Ellyse Perry’s excellence cuts the gordian knot of who to select at no 5 in the composite ashes XI! (acknowledgements to cricinfo for the picture)

Number 6 takes us back to no-contest territory – it is Mr X Factor himself a.k.a Ben Stokes who stands out like the proverbial sore thumb for this position.

Number 7, and wicketkeeper is a bit tough – I have no doubts that Jos Buttler is the superior cricketer of the two keepers, but Peter Nevill has had a fine series whereas Buttler has not. Final verdict: Nevill, on ground of faring better in this particular series.

Number 8 and we are in the territory occupied by folk who are in the side for their bowling, and England’s domination in this area over the series is indisputable. Hence, this position and nos 9 and 10 are all occupied by England players. In the position of No 8 itself is Stuart Broad.

At Number 9 I have given James Anderson a promotion on his regular position in order to fit in my remaining two bowlers.

Number 10, back to his best after a couple of years in the wilderness is Steven Finn, probably third seamer behind Broad and Anderson but possibly sharing the new ball with Anderson.

We are at Number 11 and there is no recognized spinner in the side. In this area, and this is why the tail of my composite side is so long, there is no proper contest since England’s designated “spin option”, Moeen Ali, is in my humble opinion nothing of the kind (though a fine cricketer), so this slot goes to Nathan Lyon.

Here then in batting order is Thomas’s Composite Ashes XI 2015: (nb an asterisk next to a player designates captaincy, a plus sign having the wicketkeeping gloves)

C ROGERS
A COOK*
I BELL
J ROOT
E PERRY
B STOKES
P NEVILL+
S BROAD
J ANDERSON
S FINN
N LYON

Emails, Images and Sorts

An account of today at James and Sons, with images and links, plus a couple of bonus links at the end.

INTRODUCTION

This is a post about today at work. I also have some links to share later on.

AUCTION READY

James and Sons’ August Auction will take place at Fakenham Racecourse on the 26th (a week tomorrow). Today therefore was spent imaging lots that had not yet been done, creating and despatching a bulk email and various other bits and bobs.

IMAGING HIGHLIGHTS

There were a few interesting items in today’s imaging…

Some interesting memorabilia from the 1956 ashes (offspinner Laker 46 wickets at less than 10 each just 18 months after the pace of Tyson and Statham had done for Aus on their own pitches)
Some interesting memorabilia from the 1956 ashes (offspinner Laker 46 wickets at less than 10 each just 18 months after the pace of Tyson and Statham had done for Aus on their own pitches)

31 32 33 41 42 100 331 331a 331b 331c 331d 508 509

EMAILING

The process of creating a bulk email involves identifying recipients, selecting/ creating an image, working out a headline and body text, assembling, and once a higher authority has deemed everything acceptable sending it out. I used the cover of the catalogue as an image. There were several variations before I was done…

This was a first attempt using the scanner.
This was a first attempt using the scanner.
Subsequently I used screen dumps from the PDF document to create two possible images.
Subsequently I used screen dumps from the PDF document to create two possible images.
This one, with the front cover in the centre.
This one, with the front cover in the centre.

CPDF3

And the one I eventually used, featuring just front and back cover.
And the one I eventually used, featuring just front and back cover.

The complete document can be viewed below:

Auction Alert

View a complete catalogue

LINKS

Just a couple of links:

A Music Workshop for Autistic People

An account of attending a music workshop organised by NAS West Norfolk, with plenty of photos, also some important links.

INTRODUCTION

This afternoon I attended a music workshop organised by NAS West Norfolk. The title of piece of this post, acompanied by many photographs, is about this workshop.

OUTWARD BOUND

Having established to my own satisfaction the location of Scout Hut 12, Beulah Street I walked out of town along Bawsey Drain as far as Lynn Sport before heading across the open grassland to the scout hut (my direction finding was up to its usual standard, so no hiccups). Although I was under some time constraint I got a few photos on the way…

St Nicholas Chapel looking splendid.
St Nicholas Chapel looking splendid.

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AT THE SCOUT HUT

First up, “hut” is something of a misnomer – it is quite a substantial building. There were many things worthy of photographing there…

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After a brief meet and greet upstairs it was downstairs again to the room where the action was taking place. Fortunately, the music making was being done largely by computer – I would not have inflicted myself playing an actual instrument on anyone (there were some real instruments there but I was careful not to be assigned any of them). In the first session which was group playing I had first stringed instruments and then a couple of keyboard instruments (in computer program form)…

The computer I used to make music.
The computer I used to make music.

The second session involved recording ourselves making percussion type sounds from non-instruments – the results were not nearly as appalling as you might expect.

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These were the twelve things I used to extract percussion type sounds.

I have a few more pics from the building to display…

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HOMEWARD BOUND

For the walk home I headed down to King Edward the Seventh Academy, along to Tennyson Road and through to Seven Sisters, finishing up by heading along the riverbank. Here are the pics from that section of the day…

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LINKS

Not so many links as as I sometimes have, but still enough to split into sections.

THE LABOUR LEADERSHIP ELECTION

Two links in this section:

  1. Mark Steel has produced a typically amusing ironic piece in the Independent by way of responding to the decision to refuse his application to register as a supporter.
  2. Vox Political on another Blairite grandee who has proven unable to resist sticking his oar in, on this occasion the ignoble Lord Mandelson

MAINLY AUTISM

I am including in this section a petition calling on the government for a full assessment of the impact of welfare cuts on disabled people. My other two links are to an online publication called The ASD Times. They have been kind enough to include some of my stuff, so here a couple of links the other way:

CONSERVATION

Two links in this section…

  1. A call to keep the pressure on South African Airlines to do the right thing and refuse to carry hunting “trophies”.
  2. Mark Avery tackles a by-product of driven grouse shooting – traps.

ATHEISM

Two links and an infographic here…

Sunday Snippets

An account of yesterday, with some good pictures. Also some high quality links and infographics.

INTRODUCTION

Although some of the links I have were located this morning, this blog post is really, as the title suggests, about yesterday.

A MORNING WALK

My walk started with the parkland. There is always plenty to see there, and although it was to elusive to capture on camera, I even got a glimpse of a water vole before it darted under cover. Still I did get some good photos…

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I left the parkland via the Seven Sisters gate and headed past the South Gate and thence to the river via Hardings Pits, which at this time of year means one thing to a photographer…

BUTTERFLIES

There were many  of these creatures in evidence, and I was able to get several good photos…

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The river although not at particularly high tide was looking splendid…

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Of course no walk along the Great Ouse would be complete without…

CORMORANT PLATFORM

This structure, which I have named for the birds that are its most distinctive users was once again proving popular…

DSCN4418 DSCN4419 DSCN4423 DSCN4424 DSCN4426 Back in the heart of the town, there were many boats in evidence. One was a small family owned boat using the jetty, and there were various research vessels, at least one of which was owned by company called Gardline…

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EAST RUDHAM

A Sunday lunch in East Rudham and afternoon spent sat out in the sun were both very enjoyable, and the latter yielded some good pictures…

I had noted a while previously that this £2 coin had a special picture on its reverse (the obverse was the usual prrofile of a ludicrously over privileged woman) and so I picked a suitable moment at which to photograph it.
I had noted a while previously that this £2 coin had a special picture on its reverse (the obverse was the usual prrofile of a ludicrously over privileged woman) and so I picked a suitable moment at which to photograph it.
Wild marjoram, freshly harvested for use in cooking.
Wild marjoram, freshly harvested for use in cooking.
Wild marjoram serving its principle function as a bee magnet.
Wild marjoram serving its principle function as a bee magnet.

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BACK TO KING’S LYNN

Arriviing back in King’s Lynn I bagged a few photos on the way home. A quick check on the computer revealed the Australia had emerged from their tour match at Northampton with a draw – cause for celebration on their part given recent events!

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LINKS

I have a variety of links to share with you, starting with several about…

AUTISM

This section opens with a link to today’s issue of The Sparks of Autism. From that splendid online compilation I have singled out one piece for special mention, which started life as a blog post by gymbunnymummy entitled “20 things not to say to a parent of a child with autism“. My next autism related piece is a story about a Russian supermodel standing up for her autistic sister after the latter was refused service at a cafe. I end this little section with a link to a campaign on change.org to get “Avonte’s Law” passed.

COUNTERING SEXISM

I take the opportunity of having this section to once again remind people of the project to create a museum that really is about the women of East London. My next two links belong together:

My final link in this section is to a petition calling on Amazon to stop selling books by Roosh V

SCIENCE

My science related links are four in total:

POLITICS

My final three links are all political in nature. Firstly, from disclaimermag comes this piece entitled “The Loathsome Linguistic Wriggles of Officer Involved Shootings”. My next link comes courtesy of Vox Political and is entitled “Browns Speech Unintentionally in Support of Corbyn”. Finally, courtesy of primepolitics comes this piece entitled “time to bring politics into the 21st century” which also serves as a useful to segue to my final section containing…

INFOGRAPHICS

MSMV NHS Cuts UAF Triumph

A Heretical Idea to Help Aussie Mens Team

A heretical suggestion for the Australian Mens team selection for the fifth ashes test, some photographs, a section on the Labour Party leadership contest and a section on Carl Sagan.

INTRODUCTION

My title piece is about the current woes of the Australian Mens side, and I also have links (though not on this occasion a dedicated links section), infographics and photographs to share.

DESPERATE TIMES CALL FOR DESPERATE MEASURES

With the destiny of 2015 Mens Ashes safely settled I am going venture a very radical selection suggestion for them. At the Oval, on what is usually a flat pitch both sides would be well advised to ensure that they have five genuine bowling options available. Australia’s batting having failed in four straight innings they also need some depth there. Watson (although he is playing in a tour match at Northampton today) is out of favour, neither Marsh brother has been convincing and that is all Australia have in terms of batting variation available to them in their official squad. However, there is an Australian all-rounder in England at the moment who is in the form of their life: Ellyse Perry, fresh from playing a starring role in the Aussie Womens team victory in the test match.

I admit that this is a stretch, especially given that Perry’s stock in trade as a bowler is pace, and in the men’s game she would not be especially quick, but in the state that Aussie men are in at the moment the move could hardly make things worse – and maybe even if she proves unable to do much herself against the men the presence of someone with current winning experience will be a boost in and of itself.

Do I really believe that a woman could mix it with the men? Yes – there are plenty of aspects of cricket that are not all about brute strength and although, in spite of the premise of this piece, I would not particularly expect a female to be able to bowl at 150KPH I could see a specialist batter, a spinner or a wicketkeeper being able to mix it with the men.

A PHOTOGRAPHIC INTERLUDE

A few photos from in and around King’s Lynn…

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Earnest cleric to JBS Haldane "what have your studies told you about the creator?" Haldane's response "That he is inordinately fond of beetles."
Earnest cleric to JBS Haldane “what have your studies told you about the creator?”
Haldane’s response “That he is inordinately fond of beetles.”

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Butterfly with closed wings.
Butterfly with closed wings.

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The first of two ponds separated by the width of a Road.
The first of two ponds separated by the width of a Road.
The other pond, with a particularly luxurious carpeting of lilies.
The other pond, with a particularly luxurious carpeting of lilies.

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BEES

A very important and well presented infographic from 38Degrees that I picked up by way of Mike Coulson on twitter:

38D

THE LABOUR PARTY LEADERSHIP CONTEST

I have a purely watching brief on this, since I am principled enough not to have taken advantage of the “register as a supprter for £3” trick. This infographic is revealing about the voting patterns of the three long serving MPs in the contest (Kendall has only been around long enough to have voted on two of the issues covered, and utterly unsurprisingly to anyone who knows anything about she is 0 for 2):

Lab Leadership

My second offering in this section is a headline about an open declaration of intent to sabotage. If this is telling the truth those two MPs (no surprise that they are Blue Labourites Umunna and Hunt – and I’ll bet that the dishonourable Danczuk is in cahoots with them) should be expelled from the party – this is TREACHERY:

Sabotage Plans

I end this section with link to a piece by Molly Scott Cato MEP (as an aside born in the same town – Stroud, Gloucestershire – as me although a little earlier) which talks about one potential consequence of a Corbyn victory – a red/green coalition.

CARL SAGAN

The late legendary Carl Sagan was a superb writer and populariser of science. I was motivated to produce this section when I stumbled on a thread on twitter that had developed from a Turin Shroud picture overlaid with a great summing up of the religious approach, and then a Sagan quote – which led to me to extract some Sagan books from my shelves and photograph them…

The infographic that started it all.
The infographic that started it all.
The Sagan quote
The Sagan quote
A montage of my Sagan books - I have given Pale Blue Dot extra prominence because although any book by Sagan is guaranteed to be an excellent read this one is particularly special.
A montage of my Sagan books – I have given Pale Blue Dot extra prominence because although any book by Sagan is guaranteed to be an excellent read this one is particularly special.