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The Blood is The Life 27-04-2013
Saturday, April 27th, 2013 10:00 am- the daily mash on ukipper's brains
- Police probe English Democrats' Anna Cleves amid fake candidates claims ahead of Kent County Council elections
- Farage admits there are some UKIP candidates "we'd rather not have"
- Roman Catholic Church 'to take over secular schools' - Telegraph
Eurgh.
- Raped, beaten, and enslaved for years – and handed back to her tormentors when she went to beg police for help - Crime - UK - The Independent
The Blood is The Life 25-04-2013
Thursday, April 25th, 2013 10:00 am- Is Britain a nation of lazy scroungers? | Politics | guardian.co.uk
- Labour cancels coalition agreement with Liberal Democrats at Calderdale Council - Local - Halifax Courier
Oh joy.
- Labour List picks a fight with Ipsos MORI
Ipsos MORI ask them if they want to take it outside.
- Like it or not, Anna Soubry has a point on 'girly jobs' and women in power | Sarah Ditum | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk
- Lottery could increase election turnout, says Labour
Oh for fuck's sake. People don't vote because the choice son offer are so bloody dismal. It's a totally rational choice, and no amount of lotteries will change that. It's the fault of politicians, and probably the media, but you can't blame the public. Poor buggers.
- temporary withdrawal from the ECHR is a bad idea
I thoroughly agree with this post
The Blood is The Life 24-04-2013
Wednesday, April 24th, 2013 10:00 am- How the Ministry of Justice’s proposal for the tendering of criminal legal aid is misconceived and illiberal
- How the Snooping Bill could end up dead in the water - sooner or later » Spectator Blogs
We can but hope.
- BBC News - Comberton pupil Douglas Parr 'terrified' by Psycho scene
"He's sensitive to noises!" well why was he in a music class in the first bloody place? FFS.
- Talking with the taxman about poetry — and deductions | MinnPost
- If you've ever wondered why politicians are terrified of, yet fascinated by, mumsnet click here.
- One of the Herd | Epilogue
Great blog entry about how and why herd immunity is important.
- I live in a Rotten Borough
- The Truth About Immigration: Are Foreigners Jumping the Queue? | Scriptonite Daily
The Blood is The Life 23-04-2013
Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013 10:00 am- Leveson: Who’s in? Who’s out? | THE FREE SPEECH BLOG
If you’re exempt as a “micro-business”, aren’t you supposed to be protected from exemplary damages anyway?
- The Police State vs. The Internet: If You Aren’t Afraid of CISPA, You Aren’t Paying Attention | Scriptonite Daily
- BBC News - Review Show loses 80% of its audience on BBC Four
- Ban on political TV adverts survives in knife edge 9-8 court vote | Mark Pack
The Blood is The Life 21-04-2013
Sunday, April 21st, 2013 10:00 am- Should we (and everyone in Davos) worry about extreme wealth? New Oxfam briefing
- FAKE DWP ‘test’ reveals sinister govt ‘psy-war’ | The SKWAWKBOX Blog
- 'Why three in a bed isn't a crowd' - the polyamorous trio | Life and style | The Guardian
Lovely article about three of the loveliest people I know.
- The Problem When Sexism Just Sounds So Darn Friendly… | PsySociety, Scientific American Blog Network
"benevolent sexism was a significant predictor of nationwide gender inequality, independent of the effects of hostile sexism. In countries where the men were more likely to endorse benevolent sexism, even when controlling for hostile sexism, men also lived longer, were more educated, had higher literacy rates, made significantly more money, and actively participated in the political and economic spheres more than their female counterparts. The warm, fuzzy feelings surrounding benevolent sexism come at a cost, and that cost is often actual, objective gender equality."
- The "Sandwich Approach" Undermines Your Feedback - Roger Schwarz - Harvard Business Review
- A brief lesson in letter-writing
- Medicus Ex Machina: is the sonic screwdriver in Doctor Who a deus ex machina? | Delight Through Logical Misery
- Twitter announces TweetDeck will be removed on May 7 | The Drum
- Historical Inaccuracy: No Homosexuality in Medieval Europe | Ars Marginal
Ars Marginal punctures some historical myths for us.
- One Night Stand in Wartime - Attacks on Boston - Esquire
This is hilarious.
The Blood is The Life 20-04-2013
Saturday, April 20th, 2013 10:00 am- The academic case for austerity crumbles… but it won’t change anything | Bright Green
"in the many factors which determine how the world is run, the facts play only a very small role."
- Extended school time | Toolkit | The Education Endowment Foundation
Actual evidence for those wanting to argue for/against Govey's latest scheme.
- Mark Ruffalo Just Learned About ‘Science Bros’ -- Vulture
"I endorse it 100 percent. You know what it is? It's open-source creativity." Mark Ruffalo: made of awesome.
- I dropped over 40 grand when I could have spent $100 – Tim Borden's blog
I'd happily submit my details for a perfect fit, but I'm not in the money demographic he was chasing...
- Nine Absurd Ideas for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (That Were Actually Considered) | Hobbit Movie News and Rumors | TheOneRing.net™
- Undeniable Proof That "The Walking Dead" And "Toy Story" Have The Exact Same Plot
This is actually quite plausible LOL
- What different breeds of dogs look like in their first 3 weeks of life [14 pics] - 22 Words
Emergency puppies!
- 45 years on, do ethnic minorities remember “rivers of blood”? - Lord Ashcroft Polls
There are some really useful nuggets of information in here, including that (apparently) George Galloway is the fifth most well-known BME MP...
- A Town Without Poverty?: Canada's only experiment in guaranteed income finally gets reckoning | The Dominion
I'd love to know what would happen if this was implemented across a country rather than a town - are the benefits contingent on there being contrasting areas around the area with minimum income?
- Lib Dem activists are prepared for war over the snoopers' charter
- The scattergun Snooping Bill won't help tackle crime, or protect people » Spectator Blogs
- It’s Not Just About Delaying Gratification | Geek Feminism Blog
Extremely interesting study to do with "willpower" and how much more of it you have if you come from socioeconomically privileged groups.
- Feeling horny? The Libido survey | The Ladygarden Project
Survey into female libido looking for participants.
The Blood is The Life 19-04-2013
Friday, April 19th, 2013 10:00 am- Doctor Who's 50th anniversary to be celebrated with BBC Prom - News - TV & Radio - The Independent
- Facebook's big misogyny problem | Soraya Chemaly | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk
Really, REALLY glad I deleted my facebook
- ‘Secret courts’ jeopardize justice -- New Internationalist
- BBC News - New Zealand legalises same-sex marriage
- Things that Americans find incomprehensible about the UK | The Reinvigorated Programmer
"On the other hand, apparently broadband for a month costs less than an order of fries at McDonalds."
- And Now, A Small Example of What a Generation Gap Looks Like – Whatever
- The Fascism of Knowing Stuff | Robinince's Blog
"I do not think it is fascism that heart surgeons seem to have the monopoly of placing hands in a chest cavity and fiddling with an aorta."
- Plea to May over 'whistleblowers' | UK | News | Daily Express
Holy crap. On the one hand this is in the Express, so pinch of salt. On the other hand... Holy abuse of power, batman!
- Fake Facebook girlfriends: what's not to like? | Technology | The Guardian
Hilarious that people actually do this.
- The lack of attention by the government to the overlapping effects of April’s welfare changes is indicative of a poorly thought-through process | British Politics and Policy at LSE
- From botox to vajacials, the evolution of ‘necessity’ in beauty - Comment - Voices - The Independent
Eurgh
- The Worst Restaurants in London
"And for this bitterly miserable experience, with absolutely nothing to recommend it whatsoever, you'll pay a small fortune. And you'll leave feeling broken and dejected, bankrupt in every sense of the word, and not a little queasy. I have never known anywhere to suck the joy out of eating to quite such a degree - it's like having dinner in a gulag; completely and utterly devoid of hospitality and warmth and everything a restaurant should be" - I LOLed. Even though I quite like Frankie and Benny's.
- High Schooler Protests 'Slut-Shaming' Abstinence Assembly
- The importance of new faces in Liberal Youth
- Factcheck: More unemployed, but fewer on the dole: what the politicians missed in the jobless figures | Full Fact
- Mulholland-Response to NHS England applying for leave to appeal High Court's decision on Leeds Children's Heart Unit (Greg Mulholland MP)
- The new MP for South Shields has been chosen « Strange Thoughts
- Everyone's postcodes to be privatised in Royal Mail flotation, despite objections from Sir Tim Berners-Lee - Telegraph
still privatisation is an unmitigated good, so that's all right.
The Blood is The Life 17-04-2013
Wednesday, April 17th, 2013 10:00 am- 17 Questions From Pop Songs, Answered Definitively
Sadly #17 is wrong, since Freddie passed away :(
- Diary of a Benefit Scrounger: Thatcher's Funeral - From the Most Vulnerable of All
Polemical, but heart-string-pulling, I agree with this post.
- Transgender: not a challenge to feminist politics–unpicking transphobic tropes | Another angry woman
Sterling article by Stavvers.
- In memory of Margaret Thatcher - Milena Popova
Donate to a charity she would have objected to? That sounds like a good memorial to me.
- Dan blames the spads for the continuing policy cock ups by the lib dem leadership
The Blood is The Life 16-04-2013
Tuesday, April 16th, 2013 10:00 am- A long blogpost about the Helen Lewis twitterstorm
- How to survive being wrong on the internet. | Chiller
- IDS cites "personal observations" to defend junk statistic
- Factcheck: Are more married men than women suffering from domestic abuse? | Full Fact
Yes, but in every category other than married, women victims outnumber men by a long way. I was struck by the sexual assault stat myself - I suspect that's a massive under-reporting by all genders.
- another stab in the back for actual liberals who have given their time effort and money to the lib dems
The Blood is The Life 15-04-2013
Monday, April 15th, 2013 10:00 am- Steer clear of Facebook’s Home for Android
this genuinely sounds like the stuff of nightmares to me
- Your Handy Doctor Who / Game of Thrones Actor Crossover Guide
- India's elites have a ferocious sense of entitlement -- New Internationalist
"what does this wealth do to their minds that they always want more, they don’t want anyone else to have anything? Indeed, why does wealth make them lose all sense of humanity and compassion?" - I wish I knew, but it's not just in India; although to be fair, it's not all rich people either.
- To ‘publish’ means giving up control | Robert Sharp
- It's time to admit that Goth culture has a race problem
Really great article, and good comments too.
- What became of the EHRC?
On how the EHRC has been systematically dismantled by this government
The Blood is The Life 14-04-2013
Sunday, April 14th, 2013 10:00 am- Dr Who Dalek found in pond - Telegraph
This old news story popped up on the Gallifrey Times reading list and now all I can think is a filked version of Sorted for Es and Wizz: "And this hollow feeling grows and grows and grows and grows And you want to phone your mother and say "Mother, I can never come home again 'cause I seem to have left an important part of my dalek somewhere Somewhere in a pond in Hampshire". "
- Why don't cell phones have a dialtone?
Interesting!
- Gender Bias Found in How Scholars Review Scientific Studies
- "Put down the crack pipes" doesn't go so well
On being damned if you do and damned if you don't.
- “Injustice” In So Many Ways: Lois Lane Fridged In DC Video Game
- Doctor Who: The Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) Limited Edition Costume Design Print at BBC Shop
wish I could afford this :(
- Report - BlobbyLand, Cricket St Thomas.
The slow decay of a nineties cultural icon, via Lord Bonkers
- Homeschooled Kids, Now Grown, Blog Against the Past - The Daily Beast
- Signal-boosting — Call For Female Writers From Obverse Books
It's Faction Paradox, if you're interested.
- Scientists Aim to Bring the Passenger Pigeon Back from Extinction - SPIEGEL ONLINE
The picture on this article... O_o ZOMBIE PIGEONS!
- List of British words not widely used in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Who knew that having two drinks on the table is Double Fisting in the US? LMAO
- Giving space to Andrew Wakefield on MMR isn't balance, it's lunacy
The Blood is The Life 13-04-2013
Saturday, April 13th, 2013 10:00 am- Mythbuster: "Strivers v Skivers" | the new economics foundation
Brilliant, clear, understandable post packed with facts.
- Street harassment: an faq for men
- BBC News - Samsung unveils 6.3in Galaxy Mega smartphone
"Look at the size of THAT thing Doctor!" "Yes, Jamie, it IS a big one!"
- BBC News - How environmentally friendly are electric cars?
- Mum did to Maggie what she’d done to Kermit – Telegraph Blogs
This is the only thing I'm going to link to about Thatcher, and that's because it's not really about Thatcher, it's about the relationship between a mother and son. The last paragraph made me go all weepy, soppy bugger that I am.
- Nice doors in King’s Meadows | David and Sue's campaign 2013
This is the most Lib Dem blog post I have ever seen. We're against enforced conformity, you see, aside from in one and only ONE vital area - Letterboxes! (and don't think I can't hear all you Lib Dems singing "Leterboxes, letterboxes, should be subject to regu-la-a-ations" as you read this ;))
- I want this book
- gender identity check sheet (non exhaustive)
I think I'm mostly the fifth one on the bottom row.
- Time travel is dangerous -take the doctor with you
print out safety sheet ftw
- Doctor Who public service announcements
- Awesome femme six
- Dogtor Who
- Mark Thompson has some awkward questions for the lib dems
The Blood is The Life 12-04-2013
Friday, April 12th, 2013 10:00 am- Sexist adverts go both ways!
aka the patriarchy hurts men too. And should be smashed!
- How to improve your story
a useful flowchart for writers of all forms of fiction
- Leaked: NUS internal report exposes undemocratic structures
- Andrew Hickey On Mental Health Wards
"When you underfund services, cut corners and demoralise people to the point that the most dedicated and conscientious of staff all wanted to get out because the conditions are too bad to do their jobs, this is the result. " - with very few alterations you could make this to be about the UKBA as well.
- 30 Indispensable Writing Tips From Famous Authors
Kurt Vonnegut and George Orwell are the most useful I think; 16 is typical Twain and the juxtaposition of 28 and 29 is fabulous. 30 was an expected ending.
- How do you respond when asked if bisexuality is a choice?
(bonus points for doing it without swearing)
- evidence that people will give opinions on stuff they know very little about
even if it doesn't exist
The Blood is The Life 11-04-2013
Thursday, April 11th, 2013 10:00 am- MP lives on £18 a week food bill, and we love her for it | The Daily Shame
- beccaelizabeth | Why so stupid, all three?
"Since benefits were calculated on the basis of need and are therefore meant to be precisely what you need to live on, it is crazy that you can have a job and still not have a living wage."
- new genus of bat discovered
and it's CUTE
- Why Monty Panesar should be the next leader of the Liberal Democrats
Forgot to link this when it originally came up on my reading list, but thankfully Andy Strange reminded me of it. I approve of this campaign!
- a great review of the Mind Robber
The Blood is The Life 10-04-2013
Wednesday, April 10th, 2013 10:00 am- 21 Tips to Keep Your Shit Together When You're Depressed.
If you have ever suffered from depression, or if you have ever dealt with someone who has, you NEED to read this. And then read it again.
- Budge: Facing up to Facebook scams
Another reason I'm glad I deleted my facebook account
- Magical Fruit Trees and the Sale of Digital Music
- Wearable Video Cameras, for Police Officers - NYTimes.com
88% reduction in complaints for police violence when the police wear cameras...
- Nevermind the £53 p/w. How would IDS cope with the system?
Spot on about the demoralising grind of dealing with Job Centre bureaucracy
The Blood is The Life 09-04-2013
Tuesday, April 9th, 2013 10:00 am- Fetal exposure to excessive stress hormones in the womb linked to adult mood disorders
So if you know someone pregnant, PAMPER THEM.
- The richer you are, the more likely you are to think you can live on £53 a week | Mark Pack
We really need to define this question better. "Could you live on £53 a week indefinitely if that was your only income and you didn't have savings to rely on"
- Eastercon Panel Parity
More cons like this, please
- Tony Blair and Iraq: The damning evidence
- BBC News - Are Sharia councils failing vulnerable women?
- 13 episode Blake’s 7 “amazeballs” revival confirmed for Syfy | Sci-Fi Bulletin
Now comes the terror of "will it be awesome, or will it be bloody awful like the Syfy film of Holmes with Ianto from Torchwood in it?"
- How Politics works (or doesn’t) | Hopi Sen
- Emotional Mastery for Adults with Aspergers - Practical Techniques to work through anger, anxiety and depression eBook: Leslie Burby, Mark Blakey: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
Free ebook - also available outside the UK from what I'm told.
The Blood is The Life 07-04-2013
Sunday, April 7th, 2013 10:00 am- If you still need a reason to loathe the Daily Mail...
read this post. And then STOP LINKING TO THEM.
- Lads: Banter Rights
- Oops! Homebase let cat out of the bag about using workfare to reduce wage bills | Pride's Purge
- That obscure object of welfare reform | l'Art Social
Actual FACTS on welfare spending. Expect this sort of thing to be roundly ignored.
- Mrs Justice Thirlwall: The one woman Philpott couldn't defeat - Comment - Voices - The Independent
"The odds were against Philpott meeting a female judge this week – one woman he had no chance of controlling, striking, or impregnating – but I’m quietly joyous he did."
The Blood is The Life 06-04-2013
Saturday, April 6th, 2013 10:01 am- HBOS failure was an “accident waiting to happen” - Business - Halifax Courier
- Kind, smart, lovely people sometimes support bigoted public policy | Alas, a Blog
"I think that one thing we should admit to is that being a nice person, a non-hateful person, a loving person, a genuinely good person, does not make us immune from holding bigoted positions." - this is a point I should remind myself of more often.
- What type of scientist are you? Quiz | Dean Burnett | Science | guardian.co.uk
Woe! I'm a statistician!
- How to Spot Gastric Torsion in Dogs
Could save your pooch's life
- BBC News - Philpotts case a 'classic example of domestic violence'
Not just women who suffer from domestic violence. Other than that small point, though, great article.
- Doctor Who the animated series by *DanNortonArt on deviantART
- BBC News - Philpott fire deaths trial shines light on polyamory
Because abusive arseholes NEVER have "normal" relationships, so it must be polyamory that's at fault, not Mick Philpott being an abusive arsehole.
- UK: Judges accused of asking lesbian asylum seekers ‘inappropriate’ questions such as ‘Have you read Oscar Wilde?’ - PinkNews.co.uk
Hands up anyone who is surprised by this?
- Media, research and poly
Dissecting the above BBC article with style and panache.
- Student 'lad culture': the hidden victims of sexual abuse | Education | guardian.co.uk
- Invitation to participate in a short film about the Everyday Sexism project
It's going to be filmed in London so I haven't done it, but I know there's a bunch of you further down south...
- Bras we have known
you need to read this post if you have ever worn a bra or had a girlfriend who has worn a bra
The Blood is The Life 05-04-2013
Friday, April 5th, 2013 10:00 am- Grow-your-own scheme is ready to take root . . . - Local - Brighouse Echo
This seems like a really good, community-led idea to me :)
- Reasons Not to Stretch - NYTimes.com
Dynamic stretching before and static stretching after has always felt more natural to me. Now there is science! YAY!
- Easter Is Not Named After Ishtar, And Other Truths I Have To Tell You | The Belle Jar
File under "being Dogmatic is bad, whether you're religious or Dawkinsist"
- LEGO Minifigures Series Ten Has a Very Familiar Warrior Princess
Xena, Geekgirl and Medusa! I want them all!
- Spineless Classics - awesome, if expensive, full books on a poster.
When I win the lottery I shall wallpaper my library with these.
- Don’t pay for free voter registration, warns elections watchdog - Electoral Commission
- You Cannot Run a Public Service like a Business, and Here’s Why | Scriptonite Daily
I agree with a lot of this but some of it makes me very uncomfortable. I'll have to think about why though - which is why I like reading Scriptonite, she makes me think.
- Ministers want low-paid workers to put in more hours | Politics | The Guardian
Oh joy.
- The sentencing of Mick Philpott | Jack of Kent
- BBC News - Lake District name claim by South Norwood tourist group
LMAO
- jimhines | Bigots, Bullies, and Enablers
Jim Hines continues being awesome.
- Freedom Is Not The Problem: So I've Renewed My Lib Dem Membership
This is why I am still in the party: remaining a Lib Dem is still the lesser of a whole bunch of evils.
- Curiosity Rover Dresses and DNA Leggings by Shenova
I love the circuit board dress!
- Sarah Teather responds to George Osborne's comments on the welfare system and Mick Philpott (Sarah Teather and Brent Liberal Democrats)
"On Tuesday, when answering a question about living on £53 a week, Osborne said that it's not sensible to reduce the debate to an argument about one individual's set of circumstances. It makes you wonder what has changed in 48 hours." I don't always agree with La Pleather but she's nailed this one.
- How does the Work Programme actually work ….? – Andy Winter's BHT Blog
The Blood is The Life 04-04-2013
Thursday, April 4th, 2013 10:00 am- If Richard Littlejohn didn’t exist, you’d have to make him up
"As a focal point for public anger, he is little more than a convenient avatar; a man who embodies the essence of the right-wing tabloids we hate. If Richard Littlejohn didn’t exist, you’d have to make him up. "
- Head Nurse: Let's talk about how not to be an asshole to your patients.
- Reno calls a domestic violence hotline: The MRA Reality Distortion Field in action | man boobz
- Remember this page when Left accused of playing politics with murder | Liberal Conspiracy
Jesus Christ I hadn't seen the front page of the Fail before this...
- Lots of lazy bastards have jobs
When satire is this close to the truth...
- Legal aid cuts force closure of almost a third of Shelter offices | Law | guardian.co.uk
"fat cat lawyers" my arse.
The Blood is The Life 03-04-2013
Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013 10:00 am- BBC News - April Fools Day: 10 stories that look like pranks but aren't
- BBC - Blogs - College of Journalism - Searching social media? Don’t miss what’s hiding in plain sight
Useful google-fu for everyone here. I knew most of this (especially that doing a site search via google is often vastly more useful than searching a site directly) but I don't think everybody does.
- Islington councillor resigns from Lib Dems over ‘secret court’ legislation - News - Islington Gazette
- 'Doctor Who' 50th special to feature classic monsters the Zygons - Doctor Who News - Cult - Digital Spy
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY ZYGONS!!!!
- BBC - Blogs - Doctor Who - The Zygons Return for the 50th Anniversary Special
And I say again: YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY ZYGONS!!!
- "People like you" worse off under welfare reform | Citizens Advice blog
- Fully clothed female superheros finally look like they can fight crime in the winter
- The Strange Death of Liberal England | The Libertine
- Sarah McIntyre - 3 questions for doctor who's newest writer!
Sarah suggests cousin Di for the twelfth doctor!
- Ricky Tomlinson in the graun
whether you agree with him or not this is a punchy effective article and I've seen nothing from the government side even close to as well calculated.
The Blood is The Life 01-04-2013
Monday, April 1st, 2013 10:00 am- Sofabeds, Snuggling, and the Blinovitch Limitation Effect — Doctor Who — Medium
One man tells of how much Doctor Who means to him. This made me cry.
