My peony bloomed late this year, not until 11th May. April was unusually cold. Previously: 2015, 2014
Nature & Gardens
Humour
Oddities
Politics
The elder statesman has been wheeled out: The Former Prime Minister John Major is set to issue a thinly veiled attack on Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, warning that Tories leading the campaign to leave the EU risk “morphing into Ukip”. In a speech on Friday Sir John will say that as the economic arguments in favour […]
Health
Fascinating long read in the BI: Why do 40% of Caucasians have type A blood, while only 27% of Asians do? Where do different blood types come from, and what do they do?To get some answers, I went to the experts – to haematologists, geneticists, evolutionary biologists, virologists and nutrition scientists.In 1900 the Austrian physician Karl Landsteiner […]
Environment
Feels like we’re participating in a slow-motion disaster. More scary news: Latest monthly figures add to string of recent temperature records and all but assure 2016 will be hottest year on record Source: April breaks global temperature record, marking seven months of new highs
Arts
Sounds
Some indie lo-fi pop-rock from Honeyblood, the Master of Rock that is Iggy Pop, who’s new (and possibly final) album is excellent, and some classic grunge (if that was ever a thing, like Britpop, it’s a bit of a label put on some things in retrospect, but hey) from Soundgarden and Pearl Jam.
Do Not Adjust Your Set
I’ve still not started watching GoT, but I admit I’m running out of reasons not to, and Laurie Penny has added a few more in the Statesman: What sets it apart is not the monsters, the nudity or the festering gallons of gratuitous gore, but the overwhelming sense that the plot got run off […]
Life
Ironically enough, the work of many recently deceased celebrities tells us what we ought already to know: we are all going to die eventually – the trappings of fame provide no armour against this. We are all just human in the end. Via Why are so many celebrities dying in 2016?
Cities for People
Cycling
Transport
In the 14 years following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, there were eight crashes on American soil of passenger planes operated by regional, national, or international carriers. The death toll in those crashes totaled 442. That averages out to fewer than three fatalities a month. The death toll on America’s streets and highways during that […]
Big Business
Economy
Financialisation, as Andrew Sayer notes in Why We Can’t Afford the Rich, has had a similar impact. “Like rent,” he argues, “interest is … unearned income that accrues without any effort”. As the poor become poorer and the rich become richer, the rich acquire increasing control over another crucial asset: money. Interest payments, overwhelmingly, are […]