JoNova
A science presenter, writer, speaker & former TV host; author of The Skeptic's Handbook (over 200,000 copies distributed & available in 15 languages).
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y35qz73n8o#comments
“UK to finish with coal power after 142 years”
A typical BBC story – tells almost half the story.
The comments section has been prolific – well over 2000 comments, not a few from folk who – incomprehensibly, if one ignores the brainwashing of the last 30 years or so – think this is good – for ‘An island of Coal, Surrounded by Fish’ as one [Labour?] Pollie put is seventy or eighty years ago.
Some comments have a more realistic view – the UK is now at the mercy of those – like France – who can choose to supply us with power. Historically, relying on France has a somewhat mixed record, of course.
Some of the commenters seem very sensible – that this is a big mistake – it won’t take much to cause blackout, nuclear should have been pushed, Miliband should be sacked, etc. etc.
I haven’t read, even skimmed, even 20% of the comment – so they may be some gems there.
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I listened to the 09:00 news on BBC Radio 4 and the irony made me laugh out loud. First item was closing the last coal fired power station. The second item was changing the Port Talbot steel works to ‘clean’ energy with the loss of 2000 jobs (and a 500 million bung from us taxpayers). The third item was UK growth was only 0.5% in the quarter.
So get rid of coal, which leads to 2000 job losses and a 500 million on-cost, followed by ‘growth only 0.5%’, possibly caused by humungous energy costs , who could have foreseen that?
If only the BBC could join the dots.
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PACE hearing on Julian Assange’s detention and conviction and their chilling effects on human rights
Live in 15 hours
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq85IZMeigc
https://pace.coe.int/en/news/9600/julian-assange-to-attend-a-pace-hearing-in-strasbourg-on-his-detention-and-conviction-and-their-chilling-effect-on-human-rights?__cf_chl_tk=4D5Iwjg5Na2pAC7gSs9xXA8AJ.fQ54G4334yhbQQqG0-1727709586-0.0.1.1-6057
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https://x.com/wikileaks/status/1838609231681065144
PRESS RELEASE:
Julian Assange to Address Council of Europe Following Confirmation of his Status as a Political Prisoner
On October 1, Julian Assange will arrive in Strasbourg to give evidence before the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) which is scheduled to meet from 8.30am to 10am at the Palace of Europe.
This comes following the release of the PACE inquiry report into the Assange case, authored by Rapporteur Thórhildur Sunna Ævarsdóttir. The report focuses on the implications of his detention and its broader effects on human rights, in particular freedom of journalism. The report confirms that Assange qualifies as a political prisoner and calls on the UK conduct an independent review into whether he was exposed to inhuman or degrading treatment.
Sunna Ævarsdóttir serves as the General Rapporteur for Political Prisoners and is the Chair of the Sub-Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights within PACE’s Legal Affairs Committee. She emphasises how Assange’s case is a high profile example of transnational repression. The report discusses how governments employ both legal and extralegal measures to suppress dissent across borders, which poses significant threats to press freedom and human rights.
Julian Assange is still in recovery following his release from prison in June 2024. He is attending this session in person due to the exceptional nature of the invitation and to embrace the support received from PACE and its delegates over the past years. PACE has a mandate to safeguard human rights and has repeatedly called for Julian Assange’s release when he was in prison.
He will give testimony before the committee, which will also hear the findings that his imprisonment was politically motivated.
The hearing marks Assange’s first official testimony on his case since before his imprisonment in 2019. His appearance before Europe’s foremost human rights and treaty-setting body emphasises the broader implications of his case.
https://pace.coe.int/en/news/9578/committee-expresses-deep-concern-at-harsh-treatment-of-julian-assange-warns-of-its-chilling-effect-for-the-press
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Although the Julian Assange case appears to map along freedom of speech lines, which tallies with the case against the proposed Misinformation Bill in Australia, I don’t agree with what Julian Assange did. The world is far from perfect, and governments do have information for which secrecy is a legitimate national requirement. Even in peacetime countries have enemies, and the western democracies have some particularly nasty active enemies. Release of covert government information of particular value to the enemies of democracy is not in the public’s interest. By not discriminating between public interest and government intelligence, and particularly by not recognising the value of some of the information to enemies of democracy, Julian Assange did his country and their allies a serious disservice.
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A very long 3 hr 16 min documentary about Neanderthals. Best to watch it in portions or if you can’t sleep.
Everything you need to know about this species or probably subspecies, not wanting to be speciest. Non-African humans did breed with them, after all.
https://youtu.be/NNVA6tl4Im4
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