Chance and Coincidence [and some random notes]

Minecraft is being bought by Microsoft?

Friday, September 19 is Huntrodds' Day - A beautiful explanation of chance and co-incidence.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04gyqtg 
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250 years of the Gothic ...most think the genre was started by Horace Walpole but in fact it was Ann Radcliffe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Radcliffe
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Syrian Kurdish refugees fleeing IS 'grateful' to US for air strikes by Paul Wood
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-29337266
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Michael Mosley - Should we eat meat? [Horizon BBC 2 - 18 August 2014]
Unfortunately no longer available on iPlayer. 

The Finance Minister of Italy,  Pier Carlo Padoan says that [7 years on] Italy is back in recession.  There is 40% youth unemployment.  They will pursue a policy of encouraging inflation?


Lord Rothschild says that there is a risk of assets being over valued.  Stating the bleedin' obvious?


Lambing live is on Ewe Tube!






Rip Off Grocers [ROGered again!]

The Moth - story telling collective.

Inside Science
http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/inscience 
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FEM

The Zone of Interest by Martin Amis sounds like a book I might not read.  Just too chilling! 

Badger Cull
Wales has increased testing and they have reduced TB by 50% in a short time.  Why do we continue to shoot badgers in England, it is a nonsense!  Policies MUST be evidence based and this one clearly isn't.

Where are all the wasps this year? [mentioned on BBC Radio 4 September 2014]

MPs' Pay
Wages have declined since the Crash by a tenth except MPs' wages.  Thieves!

The Post Office's Horizon computer system made mistakes.  No really? A result around 150 sub-postmasters were wrongly convicted and some ended up in prison.  This was without doubt "callous and inhumane".  Computer systems are NOT infallible, as they are designed by people.  Duh!  I found this story deeply saddening as my Dad used to work behind the counter.

House prices still rising stupidly.  Look, Osborne, if it looks like a housing bubble, it's a housing bubble, idiot!  This will mean more debt and so we'll all be poorer in future.

Ball's Austerity

There was a piece on Radio 4 reporting on the Labour Party Conference this year.  Apparently Ball's Austerity is "different" from Osborne's Austerity.  Osborne said under Ball's plan the National Debt would rise and rise.  I'm sorry but isn't that exactly what it has been doing under Osborne?  Why isn't the BBC and the media challenging these barefaced lies?  In case you wanted to know the broad figures for the Gross National Debt, here they are:

FY 2015*	£1.36 trillion
FY 2014	£1.26 trillion
FY 2013	£1.19 trillion
FY 2012	£1.10 trillion
FY 2011	£0.91 trillion
FY 2010	£0.76 trillion
FY 2009	£0.62 trillion
FY 2008	£0.53 trillion

 *The forecast is estimated by The Treasury

So under Osborne the Gross National Debt has pretty well DOUBLED!