Labour Conference

 Very pleasing, sensible things being said.
Starmer calling out Frage's racist policies.

Lammy good on Justice.  Coooper and Mahmud excellent.

Mackerel Sky, Yesterday Evening

 

RIP Tony Harrison

 Sad news of the death of Tony Harrison, much admired by us hear at the Trees.

Guardian Obituary

And A Kumquat for John Keats

S&D Railway 200

 So, the TV and newspapers are full of the celebrations, as are our social media feeds.  

Two hundred years ago today, Locomotion No.1 pulled the first (ish) train of paying passengers, on the new Stockton and Darlington Railway.  Along with several coal chaldrons.

It marked one of the real beginnings of the railways, and the immense social change they brought.

So this is our desk.  Just for today.

(For the record, Hornby Locomotion No.1., with two sets of Accurascale chaldrons).

Orange Gibbon Alerts #3

 

If you look into the matter, you realise:

In the last ten to fifteen years, the availability of halal meat in the UK has increased dramatically.

In the same time period, diagnoses of Asperger's syndrome in our land have dropped to zero.

We'd better tell the Orange Gibbon.

Orange Gibbon Alerts #2

 So the Orange Gibbon claims Climate Change is a scam on the very day the effects of it are being seen in Typhoon Ragasa.

Better show him the videos...

Orange Gibbon Alerts #1

 

Trump is sharing more rogue comments. Pretty much all of which are rubbish.

But, perhaps the most damaging one is that taking paracetamol during pregnancy causes Autism.  

Which is total rubbish...

Consider.  Autism was identified as a condition before the First World War.

Paracetamol was synthesized in the 1950s.

It is the safest painkiller we have, and not taking it - because of the reasons the Gibbon gives - when there is a real need to reduce pain or trauma, could cause harm to the mother and baby.

Ignore the Orange Gibbon speak!

See also this Guardian Opinion Piece.