After Dark podcast: Dr Louise Brangan on the Magdalene laundriesThis edition of the After Dark podcast impressed me because it showed that what we English think we know about Ireland's Magdalene laundries is wrong. The guest expert Dr Louise Brangan of the London School of Economics emphasises that their inmates were not generally young women who'd had a baby outside marriage. Many had been admitted at a younger age than that for trivial reasons. It also bears out much of what James Hawes said in his The Shortest History of Ireland. As I wrote in my review of this book:Hawes shows that the Catholic dominance of Irish society was ... (more) |
Dunston fair videoBasil and Dandelion went down well with visitors to the Dunston fair yesterday. As you can see, they were the stars in the video I filmed on the day. (more) |
The Joy of Six 1569Matt Gallagher reports that "the UK quietly sent one of its most senior security officials to a Trump administration summit which proposed to turn global counter-terrorism infrastructure against the political left." "The values that translate to a modern Liberal success in terms of voting demographics are not simply responsible economics, but a commitment to individualism, social justice and equality; values that when communicated clearly can drive the support of those they affect most, alongside the conscientious urban populations, all of whom now flock to the Greens for these same reasons."Rose Runswick argues that the Liberal Democrats should stand for more ... (more) |
Marjory Allen encounters the ban on child actors in British filmsEmbed from Getty ImagesReturning to Marjory Allen's memoirs after my holiday, I've come across another passage that refers to it being illegal to employ actors under 13 in a British film until the early Sixties. One of Lady Allen's many wartime good works was chairing the Advisory Council on Children's Entertainment Films between 1944 and 1950. She writes that J. Arthur Rank had launched Saturday morning film shows "to help relieve war stress amongst school-age children". The problem was that no one was sure what sort of films children enjoyed, so Rank set up the advisory council that Lady Allen ... (more) |
Wyn Griffith and David Lloyd GeorgeWyn Griffith (born this day, 30th August 1890) is best remembered for Up to Mametz, his memoir of his time in the Royal Welch Fusiliers and the 38th (Welsh) Division's part in the capture of Mametz Wood. He wrote the book for his children, and it was only published after his friends Herbert Read and Storm Jameson learnt of it. There is an excellent article "Llewellyn Wyn Griffith and the London Welch" by Jonathon Riley on the website of The Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion. His 1935 childhood memoir Spring of Youth was described by reviewers as having "a sort of ... (more) |
Winning Britain's Cities: A Liberal Vision for Urban BritainThe Liberal Democrats have achieved something remarkable in recent years. The strategy that delivered 72 MPs in 2024 demonstrated once again the extraordinary power of community politics, strong local candidates, and disciplined targeting. The mood at the last two conferences have been of celebration, but there's a growing disquiet amongst many following the May local elections: what comes next? In Britain's cities, liberal values ought to have enormous resonance. These are places shaped by diversity, mobility, economic opportunity, civil liberties, and the daily negotiation of how people with very different lives live alongside one another. Yet despite pockets of success ... (more) |
Etran de L'Aïr: ImouhaGershom Shahid once explained The Review: Tishoumaren (known as Desert blues outside of Africa) is a genre that consists of traditional hymns from nomadic Berber tribes infused with Western blues and rock music. The genre's roots are primarily found in the Maghreb (North Africa) and Sub-Saharan regions of Africa, mainly in the countries of Mali, Niger, Libya, Western Sahara, Algeria and Burkina Faso. Although this genre has been around since the mid-20th century, it has recently garnered some international attention. The band Etran de L'Aïr ("stars of the Aïr") was formed in 1995 by brothers and cousins raised in Abalane ... (more) |
Tom Arms' World ReviewCIA Why did CIA Director John Ratcliffe fly to Moscow? It definitely was not the "semi-routine" visit that Donald Trump claims. The last time the head of the Central Intelligence Agency visited the Russian capital was in November 2021 – and that was hardly routine. A study of the available reporting and surrounding circumstances point to a similar reason—with a few additional twists. The first reason is that American and British intelligence are reported to have picked up indications that Putin is considering testing NATO's Article 5 commitment by taking some sort of action against a NATO country. The most ... (more) |
DNA Methylation Clocks - what utility do they have?I have written about DNA Methylation itself on my 2026 poster page here. In short it is an indication of what genes are being transcribed and links to histone acetylation, methylation and many other post translational modifications. It was found that there is a weak link between ageing and DNA methylation and also a weak link between DNA methylation and the pace of biological ageing. A lot of (more) |
Farage channelling Trump againIf there is any doubt that Reform UK are just a poor-man's Donald Trump fan club then their latest proposals to change the way we vote should confirm it. The party's plan to bring in draconian new laws which could exclude millions from voting and would make it hard for non-English speakers to take part in elections are not just racist but also reflect the voter suppression tactics adopted by the Republican party in the USA> The Independent reports that Nigel Farage's party has published its "Election Integrity Bill" and has demanded that the government take its proposals as amendments ... (more) |