Je suis venu vous dire que je m'en vais
 Et vos larmes n'y pourront rien changer
 Comme dit si bien Beaudelaire, au vent mauvais
 Je suis venu vous dire que je m'en vais...

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II}

Unfortunately, my bike is still in the repair shop. I put it in 5 months ago, before I broke my wrist (I was riding a loaner) and it's still not done. Yes, I know I'm not paying for it, but it's still annoying.

So tomorrow, I will be walking across wet and sodden fields and probably falling into a muddy puddle on the way back. The things I do for beer...{sigh}

keep to the Fen Causeway

There was a wonderful letter in yesterdays Independent in support of Rupert Murdoch. Amongst other things, it said
 

He feeds over 54,000 families every day worldwide.
 

I don't think the writer (someone who "had the pleasure to work with Rupert Murdoch during my career in Australia and London") means that Rupe's the Father Christmas of soup runs, zooming from one time zone to another to reach the needy.

Plainly he's referring to the News International workforce - and my first thought was that it would be more accurate to say that every day 54,000 families worldwide feed him. But it did strike me as giving an insight into a conservative problem that people are finding hard to explain.

The Heartland Institute, a far-right climate change denying "thinktank" has put up a series of billboards so disgusting, so vile, that I find it difficult to find words to tell you just how disgusting and vile they are.

So instead, I'll show you one:

One of the defining characteristics of digital media is interaction. It enables us to be active, make choices, build connections, express ourselves and exercise a new level of control over our media experiences.

But how active is the UK online population really? And how might this change in years to come?

With these questions in mind, my team and I conducted a large-scale, long-term investigation into how the UK online population participates using digital media today - from sharing links, to writing blogs and uploading photos. And it revealed a fascinating, and at times, surprising picture.

Like the population itself, the picture is nuanced but six striking themes emerged:

1. The model which has guided many people's thinking in this area, the 1/9/90 rule, is outmoded. The number of people participating online is significantly higher than 10%.
2. Participation is now the rule rather than the exception: 77% of the UK online population is now active in some way.

"Hammered by Labour - same as everyone. No surprise, no disgrace", tweeted BNP chairman Nick Griffin as the scale of his party's total obliteration in the local elections became clear. Griffin and the BNP went into these elections hoping to stem its electoral demise, which was triggered by a combination of infighting and the party's failure to break through at the 2010 general election. Today, the party leaves the contest facing the daunting realisation that it is no longer a significant player in British electoral politics. Put simply, the BNP's electoral challenge is over.

Here are some facts that will be facing Griffin this afternoon, as he sits down to consider how he might possibly sustain the morale of a dwindling and disgruntled base of foot soldiers. At the time of writing, the BNP has lost 10 of the 12 seats that it was defending.

Long gone are the days when the party could claim dozens of local councillors. Furthermore, gone are the days when the party could point to local bastions of support. Perhaps most significant of all, for the first time in 10 years there is not a single BNP councillor on Burnley borough council. The home of the party's initial breakthroughs over 2002-03 is now officially BNP free.

May the Fourth be with you

keep to the Fen Causeway

Ever since I learnt about confirmation bias I've started seeing it everywhere

There's a whole spit load of unknown thus unplayed South American Baroque music.  

Ever since I learnt about confirmation bias I've started seeing it everywhere

Re: (sigh) (none / 0) A little late to the party, but 'kiitos paljon' for posting all these lovely pieces, AT. This Nocturno was especially relaxing. The perfect prelude to sleepytime dreaming! by sgr2 on Mon May 7th, 2012 at 04:55:06 PM EST [ Parent ]