Inspired by the nationalist aspirations of Scotland and Catalonia, pro-independence campaigners will hold a mass rally in the heart of the lagoon city today (sat), calling for an urgent referendum to be held on the issue.

Indipendenza Veneta, a newly-founded pro-independence movement, says it expects several thousand people to turn up for the rally.

They will be ferried across the Grand Canal in gondolas to deliver a "declaration of independence" to the headquarters of the Veneto regional government.

It may sound fanciful, and it will be fiercely resisted by Rome, but activists want to carve out a new country in north-eastern Italy which would comprise Venice, the surrounding region of Veneto and parts of Lombardy, Trentino and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

The "Repubblica Veneta", as it would be known, would encompass about five million people.

It's always been grumpy since I broke it 20 years ago, but every now and again a couple of tendons will take it upon themselves to scream blue murder about some imagined insult. Normally I can walk it off if i need to, but this time it's not shifting.

It's a nuisance cos I'm unfit as it is and this is making me even less liable to move

keep to the Fen Causeway

A team of US and Guatemalan experts led by anthropologist David Freidel found a stone jar at a burial chamber in the royal Maya city of El Peru-Waka that led them to believe it is the burial site of Lady K'abel, considered to be the military governor of an ancient Maya city during the 7th century.

Hieroglyphs on the back of the alabaster jar denote the names Lady Snake Lord and Lady Water Lily.

As well as the jar, which was carved in the shape of a conch shell with the shape of an old woman protruding from the front, the team found other evidence, such as ceramic vessels, jade jewellery, thousands of obsidian blades and a large stone with carvings referring to Lady K'abel. The items were buried with the body - presumably as offerings.

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keep to the Fen Causeway

keep to the Fen Causeway

When the annual hop harvest comes, it brings with it a four week window of opportunity for brewers to make the ultimate seasonal beer.

As perennial plants, hops return every spring and are harvested at the end of summer in both hemispheres - they give beer the quenching bitterness and appealing aroma which makes us go back for another gulp. Freshly picked hops start to deteriorate in quality and flavour as soon as they are stripped from the bine, so they're usually taken directly from field to kiln to be dried and then packed. The drying process is essential to ensure the hops last a full year, but in the process volatile oils which otherwise contribute towards the beer's taste and aroma are lost. This is where there's a chance to make a unique seasonal drink: green-hopped beers, also known as wet- or fresh-hopped, take hops fresh from the bine and straight into the brewhouse, bypassing the kiln.

The flavours in freshly picked hops are very different from those in dried hops: the grassy, delicate citrus notes in fresh hops turn pungent and intense when they're dried. It's like the difference between a freshly-picked apple or tomato and one that's been roasted or dried. Speed is crucial when brewing a green-hopped beer and the hops need to get from field to brewery in the shortest time possible to capture all of those delicate volatile oils before they begin to oxidise. The joy of a green-hopped beer is in the aroma and flavour which captures an elemental essence of late summer, an evocative grassy kind of spiciness that hangs in the air.

Norway is to extend the amount of parental leave reserved for dads to 14 weeks, bringing the period that can be claimed by both parents on full pay to 49 weeks, a coalition member party said on Friday.

The Scandinavian country's system is already one of the world's most generous.

The move would come into effect on July 1, 2013 and is part of the Norwegian government's budget proposal that will be presented on Monday. It was revealed to tabloid Verdens Gang (VG) by Audun Lysbakken, head of the Socialist Left Party, which is a member of the country's ruling centre-left coalition.

The idea that government should be run like a business is a popular one with both Republicans and, albeit to a lesser extent, Democrats. But this betrays a basic misunderstanding of the roles of the private and public sector. We should no more want the government to be run like a business than a business to be run like the government.

...

But while we might all grant that there are exceptions, the general question still stands: does it make sense to run government like a business? The short answer is no. Bear in mind, first, that "efficiency" in the private sector means profit. Hence, to ask that the government be run like a business is tantamount to asking that the government turn a profit. The problem in a nutshell, is that not everything that is profitable is of social value and not everything of social value is profitable. Reality TV, pornography, fashion, sports, and gambling are all of questionable social value, but each is quite profitable and exists in the private sector. Meanwhile, few would argue that the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, police department, fire department, libraries, parks, and public schools are of no social value, and yet they could not exist if they were required to be profitable. Imagine maintaining a standing military by selling subscriptions door-to-door: "Hello, my name is Captain Johnson, and I represent the US Army. Are you afraid of foreigners? Would you like guaranteed protection against invasion, pillaging, enslavement, and more? Please see our brochure for our three levels of service." There would, of course, be a few subscribers, but nothing approaching the level necessary to truly protect the United States from attack.

To reiterate, the key issue is this: not everything that is profitable is of social value and not everything of social value is profitable. The proper role of government is the latter. Those arguing for a business model for government must necessarily be ready to shut down all government functions that do not earn a profit, regardless of their contribution to our well being. And, if the public sector is being run properly, that should mean every single one. If it's profitable, they shouldn't have been doing it in the first place. There is no need for the government to start a chain of hamburger stands, hardware stores, or coffee shops. Rather, they run child protective services, the National Park Service, and the Air Force. Profit is the realm of business, while unprofitable but socially useful tasks is the responsibility of government.

Having spent years working, literally, across the hall from the people who conducted the survey, I spent the day at some median between amused and annoyed.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.