Russell and Carol - hayle and hearty

Was caught by a paragraph in a New Scientist article on 'Fuel of the Future?' Methane hydrates [ Fuel of the future: How fiery ice could power Asia - environment - 07 March 2013 - New Scientist ]

Ancient history offers evidence to support this, says Euan Nisbet of Royal Holloway, University of London. A landslide off Norway 8000 years ago triggered a 4-metre-high tsunami that swamped Scotland. Geological data suggests it was accompanied by a massive methane release, possibly because warmer temperatures melted sea-floor hydrates (Nature, doi.org/ccf5rs).

I had thought Blair's Iraq posturings were the worst affront to democracy but the current Coalition is beating him hands down.

Both parties commissioned and agreed to the Coalition document to bind this parliament.

One of the things it says is 'No Top Down reorganisations of the NHS'

From Sir David Nicholson's testimony to the Health and Social Care Committee today -

Just heard the best political interview in years - James O'Brien knew his facts, refused to be browbeaten and kept politely and firmly insisting the Iain Duncan-Smith learns to listen to inconvenient facts... he wasn't successful of course but it was massively illuminating. 

Listen to the amazing exchange in full below

It's abundantly clar that Iain Duncan-Smith has no idea of what the Court of Appeal actually ruled nor about the fact that Caitlin Reilly was required to give up a more relevant piece of work experience (she did not 'volunteer' to for work experience entirely unsuited to getting her paid work).

Interesting pieces in the Guardian today about some interesting people

Ecuador's Lenín Moreno gives revolutionary turn by quitting while on top

guardian.co.uk, 19 Feb 2013

Jonathan Watts in Quito

World's only paraplegic head of state eschews high office to focus on link between quantum physics and human values

Russell gave me some lovely old books about Cornwall for my birthday, and I was struck by a reference in The Story of Cornwall by A.K. Hamilton Jenkin (March 1938) to Sycamore being part of the May traditions...

From Wikipedia

In 2011 UNESCO awarded Battir a $15,000 prize for "Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes" due to its care for its ancient terraces and irrigation system.^[8]

What a season! What an ending... just three points!

So near and yet so far

Income Related Benefits: Estimates of Take-Up from DWP

Key points from latest release are:

Income Support and Employment and Support Allowance (Income Related) (IS/ESA (IR)) - Take-up in 2009-10 was in the range 77 per cent to 89 per cent by caseload and 82 per cent to 92 per cent by expenditure. There was no evidence of a change in overall caseload take-up between 2008-09 and 2009-10.

In 2009-10 there were 2.09 million recipients claiming £9.08 billion of IS/ESA (IR). The number of people that were entitled to but not claiming IS/ESA (IR) was between 260 thousand and 620 thousand. The total amount of IS/ESA (IR) unclaimed was between £0.75 billion and £2.04 billion.

Interesting article by David Mitchell

Which brings me to George Osborne. "Just as we should never balance the budget on the backs of the poor, so it is an economic delusion to think you can balance it only on the wallets of the rich," he said in his speech to the Conservative party conference last week. I think he's misunderstood the whole balancing metaphor. The challenge for a chancellor isn't to balance the budget on something but just to balance it – to make it balance.

...

I was struck today on seeing the seascape picture in the walk on the National Trust website - it's our painting ;)