Seen in the News

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report of the BA 747 that has broken the sub-sonic record for a West-East Atlantic crossing.

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC forecast that HS2 will be approved in its entirety but modified North of Crewe to 'control costs'.

[Tizer]

The Times journalist Anthony Loyd is reporting from Libya. Today he describes the wide use of drones in the war and his recent escape from them. He was leaving the front line at night and being driven back through streets when there was a loud explosion close behind them. The driver accelerated and weaved through the streets but the explosions followed them. After a hair-raising drive they escaped but the driver explained how drones costing a few thousand dollars are being used to relay data to foreign advisers - Turkish, Arab or Russian - operating laser-guided artillery than can pursue cars.

[plaques]

HS2, 1100 passengers. 18 trains per hour, 8 hours per day. would take just over 7 days to move the 1200000 population of Birmingham.
Question, what do we do with an empty Birmingham?

[Tripps]

I heard an 'expert' a few months ago, say that the finance calculations had been done on the basis of 18 trains per hour, whilst no high speed train anywhere, had more than 14 trains per hour. I don't know whether that's true or not. The truth does not seem to matter at all these days.

Is this relevant? I watched Michael Portillo visit Jakarta yesterday - for a 'third world' city it was impressively modern as was its transport system. It was said that the economy of Indonesia was on track to be 4th or 5th in the world.

That's interesting.

[Tizer]

HS2 was going to be 18 trains per hour. Then there was a suggestion it would be reduced if necessary to 14 but: CEO Mark Thurston was quoted as saying: "If at some point in the future, we are instructed to consider any of these options, then more detailed work on the effect of such changes would, of course, take place...". (Wikipedia) If it's 18/hour in one direction on one track that's about one every 3 minutes. If one of the trains had to stop unexpectedly then communication is going to have to be extremely good to stop the next train 3 minutes behind going at 250 mph. If the first train crashed (sudden stop) then there'll be even less time for the one behind. The line will be 140 miles long so there would be about 8 miles between the fronts of the trains, each of which is about 400 metres long. Calculating it that way there would be only about 2 minutes time to react. Correct me if I'm wrong!

[Stanley]

I think they gave the designers their head and didn't have the skills in the management team to inspect and discipline the results. Solution? Call in more highly paid consultants and a soaring budget. In other words lazy management not competent to assess the offer. There's a hint that they are going to hive off the Northern section under a different team but then comes the kicker, "Supervised by the government". Looking at the MOD that doesn't inspire much confidence....

[Tripps]

We are told today that Extinction Rebellion are going to close up Cambridge centre for days on 16th Feb, unless the Council yields to their demands, which include a Citizens Panel .

Extinction Rebellion

I saw yesterday two guys scrubbing the word 'extinction' which was painted on the wall of a newly built block of flats. I think the invoice for the cost should go to E.R. - or is it OK to do that when the planet is threatened?

[Stanley]

Or pay ER for services rendered....

[Tizer]

I'll bet a lot of apartment block cladding will end up this way...
`Fly-tipping: Organised crime behind large rise' LINK

[Tripps]

I saw yesterday two guys scrubbing the word 'extinction' which was painted on the wall of a newly built block of flats.

They failed to get it off - still clearly visible today.

[Stanley]

From my late friend Roger Perry's book 'Writing on the Wall'.

[Tripps]

This probably won't open fully, but the headline says most of it. They say that they can do it cheaper and in only five years. Makes more sense than a bridge from Scotland to Ireland.

China offers to build HS2

[Stanley]

Try THIS link.
I think Roger's graffiti applies, see above!

[Tizer]

`China offers to build HS2' - they're now treating us just like they do those African countries, putting in the infrastructure and gradually gaining control.

[Stanley]

Exactly! I saw the news and it reminded me of a conversation I had once with a man who was an executive on the high speed line to the channel tunnel and if you remember we got the French in to do a design and build because of their experience with TGV. He said that all along the policy was to play down the fact that we hadn't got the skills to do it......
Perhaps Johnson should ask them to quote for 40 hospitals......

[Big Kev]

Exactly! I saw the news and it reminded me of a conversation I had once with a man who was an executive on the high speed line to the channel tunnel and if you remember we got the French in to do a design and build because of their experience with TGV. He said that all along the policy was to play down the fact that we hadn't got the skills to do it......
Perhaps Johnson should ask them to quote for 40 hospitals......

I believe we had the same issue with North Sea oil.

[Whyperion]

I'll bet a lot of apartment block cladding will end up this way...
`Fly-tipping: Organised crime behind large rise' LINK

Whats odd on that is most of the materials tipped are recyclable. As is the plastic cladding when separated out, if not its good for the fire to engergy centres (though I dont know how the toxic gases given off are dealt with in such centres )

[Stanley]

See THIScollection of flood pics on the BBC site.

[Tizer]

Whippy, I think the foams such as polyisocyanurate are not recycled as such but may be ground down to granules and re-used as an insulation filler. One of the problems is that in cladding they are often bonded with other materials and this influences what you can do with the composites. Burning the stuff has the problem of producing toxins unless the temperature and other conditions are suitable for destroying them; but there's also the CO2 produced to take into account.

Talking about burning.. here's in today's news is an alternative to cremation of bodies:
`Human compost funerals 'better for environment' Recompose
I'm having trouble finding out what happens to the bones and teeth. I've looked at the FAQs on the recompose web site and found the question `What happens to the bones?' but the answer given doesn't help me: Everything - including bones and teeth – is transformed. That’s because our system creates the perfect environment for thermophilic (i.e. heat-loving) microbes and beneficial bacteria to break everything down quite quickly. By controlling the ratio of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and moisture, our system creates the perfect environment for these creatures to thrive. We also mix the material at several points during the process to ensure thorough decomposition. At the end of the 30 days, we screen for non-organics and make sure the resultant soil is finished. The material we give back to families is much like the topsoil you'd buy at your local nursery. At the end of our process, all that remains is soft, beautiful soil.

I see they claim that `soft tissue broke down safely and completely within 30 days'. But nothing about bone except the above `screening for non-organics'. In neutral to alkaline earth archaeologists find ancient bones intact. In acid soil the bones dissolve. But in 30 days? Maybe they add an acid with the wood chips etc.

[Cathy]

Some very sad images in those flood pics, always amazes me that there is always someone who walks along the beach or seafront in that sort of weather... ??

[Stanley]

I agree Cathy.
Cremation ashes are put through a ball mill to grind up calcified bone.....
I kept my father's ashes in an oak casket on the mantlepiece for years as I had promised him I would see they went into the Macquarie River. When the day came to fly out to Oz I opened the casket and was surprised to find him in a plastic bag with a laggy band round the neck.

[Tizer]

Did it have a label saying `Just add water for reconstitution'?

[Stanley]

It wouldn't have worked Tiz. When I poured them into the river the black oily constituent floated away on the surface, the white ash dissolved and the ground bone sank to the bottom. I remember thinking that Father had got it wrong! That made me laugh and the assembled media wanted to know what had amused me!

[Tizer]

This not only affects those who are in charge of the churches and those who attend them but also it means that people like us who donate money to churches for their upkeep as heritage buildings have our gifts wiped out by the thieves. We used to live in walking distance of one of the churches. They are very important in rural communities for both religious and non-religious folk.
`Thieves target Somerset churches 'under cover of storms'' LINK