Monthly Archives: October 2016

Theresa May lied and lied again to become PM Both barrels from the Guardian.(tags: ukpolitics ) This is what it’s really like inside a Donald Trump election rally @b_judah reports.(tags: ukpolitics )

Current Kings of the North, by Cecelia Holland AfroSF: Science Fiction by African Writers, ed. Nnedi Okorafor Tolstoy, by Henri Troyat Next books Angels & Visitations: A Miscellany, by Neil Gaiman Alexander the Great: The Hunt for a New Past, … Continue reading →

Google’s former happiness guru developed a three-second brain exercise for finding joy Savour the moment!(tags: Lifehacking psychology ) Inside the Trump Bunker, With 12 Days to Go Looking especially at the future of its direct marketing database…(tags: Uspolitics ) Cognitive … Continue reading →

Nate Silver is my secret boyfriend. (Did I say that out loud?) Every Friday, Nate Silver's brilliant FiveThirtyEight site, which mainly deals with electoral and sports statistics and probabilities, poses a mathematical puzzle for readers. Usually I must admit they … Continue reading →

Brexit could ruin Ireland’s food industry, Bruton and Ahern tell Lords Not that Brexiteers care.(tags: brexit ukpolitics eu Northernireland ireland ) Why the Press Want to Stop Celebrities Like Me Talking About the Migrant Crisis Precisely.(tags: migration ukpolitics ) Sperm … Continue reading →

Are Progressives Being Played By WikiLeaks And Julian Assange? Yes, and have been for years.(tags: wikileaks ) A Brexit reality check in Stockholm What Sweden really thinks.(tags: brexit eu ukpolitics sweden ) Let’s Move the Oireachtas from Kildare Street Very … Continue reading →

What is Phishing? Take the OpenDNS Phishing Quiz I got 14 out of 14 right.(tags: Internet ) French toast: Socialists are already looking beyond François Hollande *gulp*(tags: france ) Wallonia’s weak spot as an ethical trade champion: guns The counterattack.(tags: … Continue reading →

Second paragraph of third chapter: "The Mizar Quartet are Sol-type hydrogen-fusing dwarf stars-" I didn't know Colin Harvey well, but I met him and enjoyed his company at P-Con in 2007. I know that he was a good friend of … Continue reading →

Inside The Strange, Paranoid World Of Julian Assange Fascinating and horrible.(tags: wikileaks ) Christopher Marlowe credited as one of Shakespeare’s co-writers on all three parts of Henry VI. Makes sense to me.(tags: shakespeare ) How Not to Do It: Liquid … Continue reading →

Second paragraph of third story ("Earth", by Jim Mortimore) It hunched on a plain of black glass beneath a dully shining, blotched red globe which covered three quarters of the sky. A human being from the twentieth century might have … Continue reading →

What Happened to Eastern Airlines Flight 980? Brilliant account of a quest for the truth.(tags: travel history death ) Unapproved Routes: The Irish Border, 1922-1972 – Dancing at the crossroads of history Sounds interesting!(tags: northernireland ireland ) Hamilton’s America: Full … Continue reading →

This is my initial submission to the Boundary Commission of Northern Ireland's 2018 review. It is very long, but has lots of maps. I had a (fairly accurate) guess at what the Commission might come up with in February, and … Continue reading →

Brexit: leading banks set to pull out of UK early next year Taking back control. #fb(tags: eu brexit ukpolitics )

Current Kings of the North, by Cecelia Holland Last books finished Songs of the Dying Earth: Stories in honour of Jack Vance, eds. George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois SPQR, by Mary Beard Valley of the Dolls, by Jacqueline … Continue reading →

You will not have my hate Brilliant by Natalie Ceeney @ceeneynatalie.(tags: work politics psychology ) Aberfan – 50 years on Never to be forgotten.(tags: wales ) Does Wallonia’s veto of CETA spell the beginning of the end of EU trade … Continue reading →

Why we lost the Brexit vote Long, bitter but well-founded analysis by Cameron aide @DanielKorski. I think he is right about the Spitzenkandidaten.(tags: ) London Is Still Paying Rent to the Queen on a Property Leased in 1211 …and you … Continue reading →

How so much of the world occupies so little of its land Population concentration!(tags: maps ) Azerbaijan: Relentless Crackdown on Critics And #IlgarMammadov still in jail.(tags: azerbaijan )

Lin-Manuel Miranda Monologue – SNL Glorious.(tags: uspolitics television ) Up Down @Belgianwaffle reports on visiting my ancestral homeland.(tags: Northernireland )

Yesterday I became a godfather for the second time. My cousin L had a baby boy, E, in June. He was christened in the same robe worn by Sean Murray, grandfather to both me and L, when he was baptised … Continue reading →

Three Brexiteer wheeze unravels. Is May up to it? Good question.(tags: brexit ukpolitics ) What would a Trump presidency mean for the rest of the world? Brendan Simms forecasts “unmitigated catastrophe”.(tags: Uspolitics ) From the publisher: A response to threats … Continue reading →

Late due to crappy wifi in hotel. Current Songs of the Dying Earth: Stories in honour of Jack Vance, eds. George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois SPQR, by Mary Beard Valley of the Dolls, by Jacqueline Susann Last books … Continue reading →

The Fury and Failure of Donald Trump Matt Tabibi, glorious as usual.(tags: uspolitics ) Spin To Survive: How ‘Saturn On Steroids’ Keeps From Self-Destructing Wow.(tags: astronomy )

‘I Think He’s a Very Dangerous Man for the Next Three or Four Weeks’ Long but fascinating analysis of Trump.(tags: uspolitics ) Gibraltar wants special arrangement in Brexit treaty But will they get it?(tags: ukpolitics eu northernireland brexit gibraltar ) … Continue reading →

Is There Any Precedent For A Trump Comeback? Er, not really.(tags: ) How brothers became buddies and bros Changing words.(tags: linguistics english ) English man spends 11 hours trying to make cup of tea with Wi-Fi kettle The future is … Continue reading →

Second paragraph of third chapter: Thus a shrill voice, to his ears hideously different from that other, interrupted and dispersed his visions. Little Jane, his ten-year-old sister, stood upon the front porch, the door open behind her, and in her … Continue reading →

Britain’s Brexit delusions The other Paul Taylor writes.(tags: brexit ukpolitics eu )

Second line of third episode: The Fifth Doctor: "Cathy? From Hurley Hall…?" A straight historical story from the pen of Paul Magrs, dealing with the infamous attack on protesters in Manchester on 16 August 1819 by what we would now … Continue reading →

Theresa May’s plan to get firms to list foreign workers goes too far, Ukip MEP says Yep.(tags: migration brexit ukpolitics eu ) Lessons from Georgia’s Parliamentary Elections A good summary by @LincolnMitchell.(tags: georgia ) What did the FCO say to … Continue reading →

Second paragraph of third chapter: I was standing in the doorway to his room. He wasn’t there. But let’s not beat around the bush: I knew he wasn’t there. He was in the garden, fixing the back tire of his … Continue reading →

I was pleasantly surprised a few weeks ago to get a letter from our local university, informing me that I am one of 3,000 randomly selected residents of Belgium who is invited to participate in the European Social Survey, a … Continue reading →