Tag: Patheos

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

The Great Outdoors

An account of the Ordnance Survey’s Get Outside pledge, the associated hashtag and my own activities in relation to that pledge. Some important links and a platinum infographic as well.

INTRODUCTION

The title piece refers to a scheme being promoted by the Ordnance Survey, which I choose to endorse by way of this post. I also have lots of other links to share, and a very funny infographic about the right wing Republican approach to religious freedom to share.

THE GET OUTSIDE PLEDGE

I was already moving towards lengthening my walks to and from the bus station on work days before I came across this idea being promoted by Ordnance Survey. For twitterites like me there is a hashtag, #GetOutside that you can use to publicize this. I urge you all to check out this link, and if you can make a pledge of your own.

Yesterday morning I got underway a little later than planned, but still got in a bit of riverside and parkland walking, while yesterday evening, my first post-pledge journey, I got off the bus at Gaywood and took a long walk home. Here are some pictures from these walks…

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Enviro-serve, the company running at least some of the boats pictured above were set up to provide appropriate vessels for people developing renewable energy – check out their “about us” page.

Now, here are the evening pics…

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"Cormorant Platform" at high tide
“Cormorant Platform” at high tide

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LINKS

I have lots of links to share, and so have divided this into subsections, starting with:

PREVENTION OF TROPHY HUNTING

This section includes three links in total, two petitions and a blog:

.RELIGION

This subsection also includes the infographic. Lots of goodies here:

A COUPLE OF PIECES ON THE LABOUR PARTY

Two excellent pieces about the current state of the Labour party:

ANTI-DISCRIMINATION

I conclude this post with a number of links that relate to issues of discrimination. I make no apology, given the current standards of behaviour of the DWP for including a piece about the welfare state in this section.

Australia Fall to Brutal Broad-side

An account of the extraordinary first day of the 4th ashes test at Trent Bridge, some links and infographics.

INTRODUCTION

The 4th Ashes test at Trent Bridge got under way today. As well as a brief account of the day I have some links and other bits to share.

AUSTRALIA FALL TO BRUTAL BROAD-SIDE

England 274-4 approaching the close of Day 1 with Root still there on 124 sounds like a solid, no frills opening day but actually England won the toss, put Australia in and this happened…

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Stuart Broad’s (yes, Brisbane newspaper, the guy you call the tall English medium pacer) 8-15 beaten on wickets taken in an ashes innings by an English bowler only by Jim Laker’s Old Trafford double act of 1956 (9-37 1st inns, 10-53 2nd inns). In all test history only two cheaper eight wicket hauls have been taken, both in the 19th century for England against South Africa: 8-7 by George Lohmann and 8-11 by Johnny Briggs.

The irony behind this tale of woe (for them) is that Australia, acting very much in the style of 1990s England, had attempted to strengthen their batting by bringing specialist batsman Shaun Marsh in for his all-rounder brother Mitchell.

The nearest an opening day of an ashes match in my lifetime has come to being this one-sided was at Melbourne in 2010 (Aus 98 all out, Eng 157-0 in response).

Sometime between now and 6PM Monday, unless the weather puts up more of a fight than the Aussies have managed, the little urn will be returning to English possession.

For more check this word document: THE 4TH ASHES TEST MATCH

LINKS

In my last post but one I mentioned a story about an autistic child being refused access to a supervised play area in a branch of IKEA. Well I have now used change.org to create a petition around this issue. I urge you all to sign and share.

Some of my readers may also a recall a 38degrees petition regarding a museum whose creator gained planning permission by lying about his intentions. Well the story has moved a little further, with this effort to create a museum that really is dedicated to women’s history.

My penultimate general share comes courtesy of thepoorsideoflife and is a horrifying story about a full-time carer being scandalously treated.

Finally, courtesy of Patheos, comes this story of a small victory for secularism.

AUTISM

I am delighted to have several autism-related stories to share:

AAD

AFTERWORD

Two things:

  1. I hope that you have enjoyed this and that some of you will share.
  2. I would like to end by thanking Stephen Hurrell, author of the book I reviewed in my last post for acknowledging said post and following me on twitter.

Sunday, Monday, Today

An account of the last few days, with some excellent pictures, some important links and a great infographic courtesy of Dr Lisa Sulsenti.

INTRODUCTION

My last blog post was about my cousin Olivia’s wedding on Saturday. This post tells of Sunday, Monday and today, with plenty of pictures. Also, I have some links and infographics to share. Talking of sharing, I hope that some of you will choose to share this post as well.

KEGWORTH HOTEL AND CONFERENCE CENTRE

While possessed of precisely zero architectural appeal, the Kegworth Hotel and Conference Centre is clean and comfortable…

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I have plenty of good pictures from inside the hotel…

This is a 24 hour roman numeral clock - can you spot the deliberate mistake in the numbering?
This is a 24 hour roman numeral clock – can you spot the deliberate mistake in the numbering?

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Detail from the ornamental glasswork at the reception desk.
Detail from the ornamental glasswork at the reception desk.

My bedroom had some pictures as well…

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You will note a degree of duplication between the public pictures and those in the rooms!
You will note a degree of duplication between the public pictures and those in the rooms!

SUNDAY LUNCH

My cousin Richard and his fiancee Ida are off to her native Sweden soon, and he had the idea of a farewell pub lunch at the Plough in Normanton on Soar. Eventually after a few cancellations, 12 of us were there for this excellent meal, which we ate outside overlooking the river itself, much used by boats and birds…

Richard and Ida
Richard and Ida

I have lots of splendid pictures from this event, and both the food and drink were magnificent.

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Tables overlooking the Soar
Tables overlooking the Soar

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The local product - look up Leciester Rugby Club for more on the name.
The local product – look up Leciester Rugby Club for more on the name.

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As well as boats at surface level, a plane flew high over our heads.
As well as boats at surface level, a plane flew high over our heads.

HOMEWARD BOUND

I travelled back as a passenger in my aunt’s car, since we live very close together in King’s Lynn. Taking pictures while in transit is not easy, but this one worked…

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After helping my aunt to unload her car I walked back to my flat by way of another river on which boat travel is not unknown, the Great Ouse…

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DOWN TIME

Knowing the effect that such a busy weekend would have on me I had taken the precaution of booking this week as leave to enable myself to have some quiet time. Last night was a group meeting for KLASS (more on this in a future blog post), but apart from that it has been a very quiet couple of days.

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To give you an idea of how vast an eyesore this building is, this photo was taken from a point that is a 20-minute walk from the building itself!
To give you an idea of how vast an eyesore this building is, this photo was taken from a point that is a 20-minute walk from the building itself!

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LINKS

I have as usual plenty of links to share with you, starting with…

CONSERVATION

  1. From the Humane Society comes this on banning trophy hunting.
  2. From petitions.whitehouse.gov comes the call for the US Government to do the right thing and extradite Walter Palmer to Zimbabwe so that he can be charged for his crime.
  3. Huffington Post provide this story about a certain Sabrina Corgatelli posing alongside her kills.
  4. And this is thedodo.com’s take on the same story.
  5. From the same source as 4 comes this on Giraffes.
  6. From change.org comes this climate change petition.

OTHER LINKS

From 38Degrees by way of Green Party leader Natalie Bennett, comes a petition entitled “Celebrate suffragettes not serial killers”. I quote the opening paragraph of their explanation and urge you to sign and share:

“A new museum gained planning permission by promising ‘the only dedicated resource in the East End to women’s history’, but has now been unveiled as a venue dedicated to the violent crimes of Jack the Ripper”.

A shocking story of religious persecution from Patheos in which a seven year old was the victim, merely for telling a classmate that they did not attend church

My next story concerns a police officer who is already facing a lawsuit for handcuffing children in a very dangerous way, and should as the story makes clear be suffering more than that (defo a jail term measurable in years for this crime).

My next link is to a petition calling on Lego to produce toys that show disabled people in a positive light.

Now, a sad blast from the past. Unbelievably Kevin Healey is still suffering impersonation on twitter and still apparently receiving no protection – please either sign and share the petition if you have not already done so or keep on sharing it to apply pressure to twitter.

I found my last link by way of the aforementioned Natalie Bennett, and it is to a story in the Yorkshire Evening Post about a crackerjack plan for a disused railway viaduct in Leeds.

INFOGRAPHIC

Dr Lisa Sulsenti has produced this infographic providing guidelines on fireworks…

Fireworks

England Take The Lead In 2015 Ashes

A bit about England’s magnificent win at Edgbaston, an infographic about an event being staged by Surrey, some quality links and infographics.

INTRODUCTION

I have some links and infographics as well as my main piece. I hope that you will enjoy this post and be encouraged to share it.

A THUMPING VICTORY

England responded to the battering they took at Lord’s in the best possible way, by storming to a three-day victory at Edgbaston to restore their lead in the series. Australia won by 405 runs at Lords, England by eight wickets here. I reckon this constitutes the most spectacular about turn in fortunes in successive ashes matches since 1965-66 when the teams traded innings victories in the second and third matches of the series.

Particularly welcome was the return to top form of Steven Finn who followed James Anderson’s first innings six-for with six wickets of his own the second. Among the scraps left by these two were enough wickets for Stuart Broad to reach 300 in tests. Ian Bell whose poor form had him in the last chance saloon with the last orders bell being sounded came up with two fifties in the match in front of his home crowd – and given the low scoring nature of the game these were easily worth centuries on a flat one.

An unfortunate injury means that for the fourth match at Trent Bridge England have the unenviable task of attempting to fill an Anderson shaped hole in their squad.

To finish this cricket related section, Surrey are putting on an event to celebrate women’s and girls cricket featuring current England captain Charlotte Edwards, head of ECB women’s cricket Clare Connor and being hosted by Surrey”s Director of women’s cricket Ebony Rainford-Brent…

Women's cricket

LINKS

My first set of links follow on from my last blog post and feature more on…

CECIL THE LION

First up an event that will probably remain unique in the history of aspiblog – a link to an article in the Daily Mail

Next, courtesy of Huffington Post, this piece by wildlife expert and occasional ballroom dancer Steve Backshall

Finally on this particular topic, this from The Age.

Lion

SCIENCE

Tonight is the second full moon in July – a rare event called a Blue Moon and best know for the cliche “once in a blue moon”. For a detailed account of the phenomenon check out this piece from discovery.com.

Next, courtesy of livescience come two dinosaur related links:

1)A new discovery of a dinosaur with an exceptional sense of smell

2)Photographs of remains of one of the largest animals ever to walk the earth.

Dinosaur bone

Ending this subsection on science, courtesy of bbc.co.uk, this piece about the Earth’s magnetic shield being older than previously thought.

ATHEISM

Just two connected pieces here:

1)A post on Patheos about an atheist suffering persecution…

2)The original blog post that triggered the Patheos piece.

DISABILITY

Again, just two connected pieces:

1)An update on a change.org petition calling on Lego to positively represent disabled people…

2)And a piece courtesy of themighty that connects to the above petition.

INFOGRAPHICS

I finish this post with two infographics, one from the Corbyn campaign and one on the subject of NHS pay…

Corbyn NHS

On Appreciating Nature

This post may be considered my personal response to the death of Cecil the lion.

INTRODUCTION

This post can be considered as my response to the tragedy involving Cecil the lion. Before getting into the main body of it I am once again going to share details (as I did in my previous post) of The Art of Autism’s calendar for 2016, currently being sold for $12. Full details can be seen on their own post on the subject, but I offer you this picture as extra inducement…

A picture to show you why as well as wishing to support the activity I am genuinely enthused by this calendar.
A picture to show you why as well as wishing to support the activity I am genuinely enthused by this calendar.

ON APPRECIATING NATURE

We are now in the main part of the post, which as well as what I am writing on my account will feature some photographic highlights relating to nature from the last few months, a variety of important links, and leading from here into the rest of the post my first essay in the craft of infographic creation…

Swan infographic

CECIL THE LION

Cecil, a 13 year-old lion who jointly controlled his pride with another lion called Jericho, was shot by a wealthy American who had paid $50,000 to have him lured out of the reserve in which he lived. Walter Palmer, the shooter, has a long and bloody history of such activities, including at least one felony conviction involving poaching. Cecil was a huge tourist attraction, and even from the purely monetary angle (not a viewpoint with which I identify) his death has cost far than the $50,000 that was paid to bring it about. Before moving on from this introduction I have a bunch of Cecil related links to share with you:

There seems little doubt that Mr Palmer’s activities, and those activities that were paid for with his blood money were in breach of Zimbabwean law, and as a staunch internationalist I would say that the American government has a duty to ensure that Mr Palmer gets appropriately punished, either by putting him on the next plane to Zimbabwe to be punished in the country where he committed the crime or by arranging for him to be tried, convicted and punished in America.

I would also like to see a blanket ban on “trophy hunting”, enforced with stringent penalties for those who breach it. Also, I have concentrated on the American, rather than the two Zimbabweans involved in the atrocity because it is the American who bears full responsibility – without his money the two Zimbabweans would have had no motive for their nefarious contact – Mr Palmer is guilty on his own account and has made criminals of the other two involved.

SOME PICTORIAL HIGHLIGHTS

This subsection is devoted the only kind of shooting I am interested in performing – that done with my trusty Nikon Coolpix P530. Yes I have recently acquired a set of five obsidian arrowheads – but that was purchased as on object of interest, not with any intention of using them as weapons!

The first two pictures are of an insect that was crawling on the window of an X8 bus in which I happened to be a passenger.
The first two pictures are of an insect that was crawling on the window of an X8 bus in which I happened to be a passenger.

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These two robins, enjoying the local park, formed the basis of my second ever pictorial thank you message.
These two robins, enjoying the local park, formed the basis of my second ever pictorial thank you message.
This lone robin was by the bandstand in the local park.
This lone robin was by the bandstand in the local park.

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A squirrel preparing for the main ascent!
A squirrel preparing for the main ascent!

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A Moorhen
A Moorhen

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A swimming gull, reflected back by the smooth water.
A swimming gull, reflected back by the smooth water.

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A moorhen showing a turn of speed
A moorhen showing a turn of speed
This one was standing on a submerged log
This one was standing on a submerged log
A cormorant - the first of many.
A cormorant – the first of many.

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Cormornant showing off its wingspan
Cormornant showing off its wingspan
Fully extended.
Fully extended.

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A cormorant on the structure that I named Cormorant Platform because they make so much use of it.
A cormorant on the structure that I named Cormorant Platform because they make so much use of it.
Swans in the parkland off Littleport Street
Swans in the parkland off Littleport Street

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Bunny enjoying the thick grass.
Bunny enjoying the thick grass.

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One of my ornithological alter egos - a magpie.
One of my ornithological alter egos – a magpie.
The only time I have ever got a really got shot of one of these white butterflies - they move seriously fast
The only time I have ever got a really got shot of one of these white butterflies – they move seriously fast

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A cormorant and black backed gull together.
A cormorant and black backed gull together.

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A cormorant in swimming mode.
A cormorant in swimming mode.
These were the first ducklings I saw in 2015.
These were the first ducklings I saw in 2015.
This crafty duckling had realised that it could use the lily pad as a kind of boat.
This crafty duckling had realised that it could use the lily pad as a kind of boat.

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These three shots were gold from my point of view - usually if a cormorant is swimming it is looking for food and therefore dives regularly, making it tough to capture on camera.
These three shots were gold from my point of view – usually if a cormorant is swimming it is looking for food and therefore dives regularly, making it tough to capture on camera.

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Gulls in full flight
Gulls in full flight

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Mallard drake and moorhen being companionable on the edge of the upper Millfleet.
Mallard drake and moorhen being companionable on the edge of the upper Millfleet.
I had seen swans on various rivers, but until July 2015 never on the Great Ouse which is tidal and flows seriously fast.
I had seen swans on various rivers, but until July 2015 never on the Great Ouse which is tidal and flows seriously fast.

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These birds like marshy land best, but mud flats when the Great Ouse is at low tide are clearly also acceptable to them.
These birds like marshy land best, but mud flats when the Great Ouse is at low tide are clearly also acceptable to them.
The base of my current pictorial thank you message.
The base of my current pictorial thank you message.

Every single photo in this subsection was bagged within walking distance of my “compact” town centre flat – if you truly appreciate nature you do not have go very far to find glorious sights, and nothing need be harmed.

A FEW NATURE RELATED LINKS

These two links are both to petitions that anyone who takes an interest i nature should sign and share:

1)This from 38Degrees is an emergeny petition about bees

2)Take Part are running this petition against unsafe drilling in the Arctic Ocean.

A FINAL REMINDER

To finish the main section of this blog I have another infographic, which gives the same message as the one I opened the section with – the fundamental message of this post…

Nature infographic

GENERAL LINKS

Just a handful of links today:

A Dull Grey Saturday

INTRODUCTION

As well as my title piece and accompanying photographs I have some cracking links to share with you.

A DULL GREY SATURDAY

In a classic application of Murphy’s Law today is dull and grey, immediately following several bright sunny work days. Not that unappealing weather meant that there was nothing to photograph – after being dry for some time the fountain in The Walks had water in it and was functioning as it should…

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Just beyond that was a “Trivial Pursuit” type arrangement of flower beds, one half of which I captured for posterity…

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The squirrels were not in the least deterred by filthy grey skies either…

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The ducks and moorhens were enjoying the waters of the upper Millfleet as it flows through the parkland…

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The younger generation were also in evidence out on the water…

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Arriving at the river bank by way of Hardings Pits I took a shot looking towards the town…

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Walking past the anti-flood wall near old Boal Quay I was gratified to spot this blackbird at quite close quarters…

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My last shot was taken at the jetty now in its second summer of service, and hosting a single boat today…

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LINKS

TWO AUTISM RELATED LINKS

I found this shocking story of institutionalized abuse (I can call it nothing else), by way of twitter and I have already made contact with the author and subject of the story, Jennifer Msumba who posted it on her blog Here is an infographic for you…

JRC

My second autism related link concerns Kevin Healey of the National Autistic Society and his continuing effort to get twitter to protect him properly. That perennial source of fine material Huffington Post is running an article by him about cyber-bullying. For some time, Kevin has been running a petition via change,org to put pressure on twitter to do the right thing.

A GOOD NEWS STORY COMBINED WITH A CALL TO ACTION

The petition calling on Playmobil to produce toys that show disabled people in a positive light has succeeded in persuading them, after gaining more than 50,000 signatures. As well as celebrating, the organisers are using this as a springboard for tackling their next target, Lego. To view, sign and share this new petition please follow this link.

SATIRE-DAY

A couple of crackers in this mini-section:

1)Dan Keeling on how the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor.

2)This gem from kittysjones.

OTHER LINKS

The dailyinspirationblog have come up trumps with this piece about Aristotle.

Patheos, who feature regularly in the links section of this blog, are here again, this time with a report on a particularly egregious piece of legislation which will cause the adoption rate in the state of Michigan to plummet.

My next link to share comes courtesy of thepoorsideoflife and concerns new targets for DWP compliance interviews.

My next and penultimate link is to a piece from handandmouse which combines slamming George Osborne with arguing cogently for Jeremy Corbyn to be on the ballot paper for the Labour leadership election.

To end this section here is a link to a piece in the Lynn News about how the town will be celebrating the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta.

PHOTOS AND AN AFTERWORD

AFTERWORD

I hope you have enjoyed this blog post and will be inspired to share it.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Here are a few random pics that I choose to share…

Window display at the Salvation Army shop in Fakenham.
Window display at the Salvation Army shop in Fakenham.
A close up of one the pieces featured in the first picture.
A close up of one the pieces featured in the first picture.

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More from the Salvation Army shop.
More from the Salvation Army shop.

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Detail from the Majestic Cinema, King's Lynn
Detail from the Majestic Cinema, King’s Lynn

A Hard Day’s Imaging

INTRODUCTION

I have a few links to share with you, but most of the post will be taken up with the title piece.

CATALOGUE FOR GREAT CENTENARY CHARITY AUCTION IN PRINT

The catalogue for the Great Centenary Charity Auction is now available in printed form. For more detail please consult the official post on www.greatcharity.org, which can be viewed here. Just to whet the appetiite further here is a glimps of the cover…

GCCA Catalogue

A HARD DAY’S IMAGING

Having knocked the Great Charity Centenary Auction on the head, today was almost entirely devoted to imaging for James and Sons own June auction. I imaged a wide variety of lots today, and reckoning that pictures speak louder than words, the rest of this section will be images of some the better lots…

This is lot 1 - starting as we would like to continue!
This is lot 1 – starting as we would like to continue!

1a 517 589 626 626a 630 630a 647 647a 647b 777 777a 786 786a 791

LINKS

Just three links with this post, these two related stories from Patheos:

1) Yet another creationist (Ken Ham in this case) makes a fool of himself.

2) Miley Cyrus shows herself to be capable of being sensible.

Our final link is to a piece in The Mirror about the DWP’s continuing effort to avoid revealing just how many people have died as a result of welfare cuts.

I hope you have enjoyed this post and will be inspired to share it.

A Hectic Period

INTRODUCTION

This is going be to what I think of as a ‘standard issue’ blog post – my title piece, a couple of infographics that have caught my eye, some interesting links and a few of my own photographs.

IMAGING, IMAGING AND MORE IMAGING

With James and Sons’ own June auction and the Great Centenary Charity Auction which is being conducted by James and Sons happening within four days of one another I have a heavy load of imaging to get through. The last of the GCCA stuff was done yesterday, and I then got back to imaging for the regular June auction, on which I had made a start before I was commandeered to image the stuff for the GCCA.

At least today, with the GCCA stuff out of the way, I will be working at my usual location the whole day, and should get a lot done.

Towards the end of yesterday I got a few bits of June imaging done, some of which I shall share now…

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LINKS

I am grouping these links by subject matter, because although there are only a few of them, they cover a wide range of topics…

RELIGION

I have two pieces in this section, both courtesy of Patheos:

1)A piece on the Caitlyn Jenner story

2)Much more important than one, a piece introducing my readers to the Freethought Rescue project

SCIENCE

Just the one science link today, to a piece my Marcus Chown about the Cosmic Microwave Background.

LOW PAID JOBS

Two pieces in this section, one from Tax Research UK about social security payments and, following the brook back to the parent lake, the inspiration for the Tax Research UK piece on flipchartfartfairytales.

AUTISM

Just the one piece, but it is an excellent one, and it is feel-good story to end my links section on an upbeat note, courtesy of ramblingsofaspecialmom –  a story about finding the right kind of support.

INFOGRAPHICS AND A CLOSING NOTE

ATomlinson End Austerity Now Tax Dodging

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Important Items to Share

INTRODUCTION

This post is going to be made up entirely of Links and Infographics (I have a lot of important and interesting stuff to share).

LINKS

TAX RESEARCH UK

Tax Research UK in spite of the uninspiring sounding name is often a source of good stuff, and today I provide links to two of their recent stories:

1)The need to eliminate competition from the NHS.

2)A piece about electoral reform, which connects to…

2a)This blog post from the Electoral Reform Society.

SCIENCY PIECES

My first piece in this section comes courtesy of Patheos, and just before highlighting the link I wish (as someone who is a very strong supporter of theirs) to criticise them for publishing under their banner a piece by Russell Shaw in which he has the nerve to claim the American Christians are being persecuted. The piece to which I include a link concerns the use in science classrooms in Louisiana of a book that has no place there.

My next three pieces are linked, both being concerned with countering environmental damage:

1) Faraday’s Candle on bees.

2) Oxfam on dumping coal into the dustbin of history.

3) An Avaaz petition about climate change.

SOME INFOGRAPHICS

A devastating comparison of the difference between actual inflation and rail fare inflation since 1994.
A devastating comparison of the difference between actual inflation and rail fare inflation since 1994.
This is our feature image.
This is our feature image.

DISABILITY, MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES AND AUTISM

This is my final set of links, starting with this piece from Jayne Linney. Huffington Post, a regular source of good stuff, provide this piece from Laura Roche. Although I am not an ebay user, and therefore not able to take direct action, I was of course thoroughly disgusted to come across this from Vox Political about disability hate products being sold via that site, and I urge those of you who do use ebay to complain loud and clear as VP suggest. This blogpost from Natalie Leal provides some shocking detail about deaths related to DWP sanctions. Finally, to end this section, a post from Autism Mom, which features Alan Turing.

CLOSING STATEMENT

I hope that you have all enjoyed this post, and that you have followed up some or all of the links I have shared. I encourage people to share any or all of this post.