Image thanks to NBC For once I almost agreed with Johnson, well sort of. It would be too good to be true otherwise. So what is it that we are nearly in agreement over? He has announced that surplus stock of Britain's coronavirus vaccine will be shared with the developing world. Very big of him … Continue reading Vaccine nationalism
Keep Mars tidy
Image thanks to Bloomberg NASA’s Mars 2020 has successfully landed on the red planet, delivering its payload of the rover Perseverance and the small robotic helicopter Ingenuity. What a fantastic achievement. I can’t begin to think about the mathematics and physics involved in delivering such an inch perfect expedition. It is a testament to humanity’s … Continue reading Keep Mars tidy
Lovely postcards
Who doesn’t like to receive a postcard? I know I do. They remind me of places far away, with a hint of the exoitc and show that others are thinking about me. They are a topic that I have come back to time and time again throughout this blog running with several challenges and penning … Continue reading Lovely postcards
Get out and vote
It looks like the local elections are going ahead this May. The government believes that it has put enough steps in place to make them safe and secure. Some postponed mayoral elections, as well as the local Police and Crime Commissioner elections are going ahead. Good. We need democracy (even if what we have is … Continue reading Get out and vote
Ethical Business Toolkit
This week I’m cheating a bit, in that I am using the same, or at least very similar blogs in two places but last week’s launch of the North East Initiative on Business Ethics’ (NIBE) Ethical Business Toolkit was a momentous occasion and one in which I have played a significant role. The following blog … Continue reading Ethical Business Toolkit
Forgotten generation
Image thanks to UNICEF I read with interest and dismay in The Big Issue that just four in ten pupils received full-time schooling during the first COVID lockdown and a quarter received no teaching at all. Private school pupils were twice as likely to benefit from a full education than those in the state sector. … Continue reading Forgotten generation
Un-learning
Image thanks to litfl.com This time of year is a good point at which to reflect and the older I get the more I realize that I, along with everyone else, have been fed a narrative of misinformation, half-truths and downright lies. It certainly happened at school and it may have started with my parents … Continue reading Un-learning
Is this what we want?
I was on a very interesting Zoom call the other day, set up by Tech Nation. The North East Virtual Roundtable was set up to look at the tech skills situation across the country with this meeting obviously focussed on the region. It offered to give the audience some ‘Key findings on the UK tech … Continue reading Is this what we want?
Wot no aliens?
For millennia, mankind has stared to the heavens and wondered. It has thought about what it all means, how it works, what forces control it and our place within it. More recently we have asked the most profound question, are we alone? Is the Earth the only planet that sustains life or are we a … Continue reading Wot no aliens?
A criminal offence to mislead
Image thanks to NCAC.org You’re receiving this email because you signed this petition: “Make it a criminal offence for MPs to mislead the public”. I knew this one hadn’t a chance of passing into legislation yet I still feel it is important to continue with these petitions. Even if they don’t achieve anything immediately they … Continue reading A criminal offence to mislead