Category: Geography

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UNBELEIVABLE

Some people are complaining about the severe warning put out by the Government. I am not sure why? Apart from an attempt to make a political point. With fires breaking out and destroying houses in this country, there is obviously a need – 99% of fires are caused by humans, mostly, and I am being generous here, accidentally through stupidity or ignorance. We discussed this at the shop this morning. It was pointed out that many people now have no access to the news, they do not watch news programmes, or listen to radio stations with news. So ignorance is an explanation, not an excuse. Some have said that the warning was over the top, but with the Army enrolled to help fight the fires because the fire service is being overwhelmed by the number of outbreaks. the government would be negligent to do nothing. One old lady even said it was inappropriate whilst we had small boat crossings , a crisis in the NHS (both Tory legacies). I am only aware of the government using the system once before regarding severe weather again, but wind/rain? One guy even said it was wrong because it frightened his child – presumably he has banned all fairy tales, and mention of Farage or Thatcher?

OK the brittle diva himself. Having claimed to have put two fingers up to the establishment (personified by himself) and forgeting the 10000 votes cast for anti-esstablishment figures like a guy wearing a trash can on his head. One can almost hear him sobbing in the corner, complaining that ‘it’ is not fair and ‘don’t they know who I am”. – I guess 22000 people in Clacton do not!

But Burnham is not innocent himself, he has watered down EV requirements and been positive to the development of Rosebank and Jackdaw fields. Is there any touch of irony?

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SPORTS ADMINISTRATORS

Just have not got a clue. The European Athletic Championships is a perfect example – over priced tickets and food at extortionate prices. junior members of athletic clubs should have been admitted free, senior members at half price, food trucks should have prices capped. A half empty stadium for the womens 100m was a disgrace. We surely want to encourage children to take up and enjoy sports, swimming pools are closing,nmunicipal tennis courts have disappeared completely. Other sports are also guilty of moneytising youth before encouraging participation. A season ticket for a premier football club is very pricey and the average age of seson ticket holders is around about the £550+ mark. The Infantino affair reflects the distance between participants and administrators. Bezos investing £1.35billion in Liverpool FC has nothing to do with a love of the game. Cricket is a long game but no county games over a bank holiday weekend is madness. I am sure there are other examples (such as basketball getting no funding).

Planning ahead – I wonder how many councils have looked at the weather and decided to plan for potential floods later this year – they will happen. Planning applications for new housing should be adapted to allow infiltration and reducing runoff. So yes we need to instal aircon in schools, hospitals and care homes, but also in new new housing, planners should take geography lessons and environmental sustainability lessons. Farmers should be offered tax breaks to adapt to climate change by building storage pools, but also reducing livestock density (which reduces infiltration and increases runoff – even on hill sheep farms). It is time to stop moaning and get wise, ‘a stitch in time saves nine’!

Meanwhile at home, greenhouse and bedroom plants watered, tomatoes marinating, washing out, Maz asked for some thyme so I have sent her 7 different varieties. And I have more arriving! I think I will bring most plants into the house this winter or/and the greenhouse. Enjoy the eclipse, and be safe.

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THIS AND THAT – MAINLY THAT!

Driest July on record for England and the 3rd warmest for the UK , wildfires across Europe and a leading Spanish politician states that climate change is an agenda pushed by ‘lobbiests’ and ‘communists”. How. to these people cope with life in the real world. Our own looneys were hard at work with Farage claiming that the storming of Ceuta was …. actually who cares what he thinks or says anymore??? Reform came 2nd in the Manchester mayoral election with less than half Labour,47% versus 22% and on a 25% turnout – I would assume racists were more likely to vote (as shown by the turnout for Restore) than solid British folk! Apparently their highest vote was in areas of poverty (financial and seemingly educational too!), after all why would anyone on benefits vote for a priveleged creep facing claims of sleaze and dishonesty? Or are they just voting to fuck the system that they perceive has let them down. The Green Party was on 12.2% which is solid and were ahead of Conservative and LibDem, whilst the racist beyond racist Party Restore got 8.7% So the Burnham bubble has not burst yet (at least on home territory!).

Infantino has had to backdown completely, this will not please the Trump family, whether he will get re-elected is now in a modicum of doubt (he still has many federations in Africa in his pocket due to the bribery conducted by FIFA. I even had someone complain that Burnham had got in on the story – peoples double standards/stupidity are amazing!

Iran continues to defy US bombing and attacks to restrict movement of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, will Saudi attacks on Houthis rebel positions be any more successful – their war has been going on, under the radar of international press for a few years, so I doubt they will be able to claim an outright win anytime soon. 5 months now and counting, Trump has blown it again and needs something desperate if he is to salvage the mid-term elections (that he has been trying to rig in his favour). He may be desperate, a Democratic biased Congress would possibly pursue allegations of paedophilia, sex trafficking, corruption and many other aspects of his hegemony with greater vigour? Cost of living has gone up in the US so expect something drastic!

EU new regulations stupefy that AI content must be clearly shown with a possible fine of unto 3% of global turnover. AI giants have seen their shares fall in recents days – it appears that it may not be the panacea for humanities woes after all.

New housing apparently continues to ignore geographical knowledge. New housing will need a water supply, and sewage infrastructure, concrete does not allow infiltration and increases runoff, concrete increases the albedo of most areas, wildlife cannot go on being repeled from suitable habitats. So, and I know this is a bit right wing, we need to limit the spread of urban areas into the countryside, not to protect farmland (that is a separate issue) but to maintain public services, including electricity. That means a movement to a different style of living based around flats and terraces, rather than the 3bed detatched lauded by various Conservative Housing Ministers.

Almost finished now – sharks are being sighted further north in our hemisphere – but only 65 unprovoked shark attacks were recorded worldwide last year, but humans killed 100M of them.

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NHS

Our personal records have been acquired by a US private equity firm. Motivated by profit not patients, and from a country with an unstable leader I guess we should be concerned. There are all sorts of ways that the company, TPG, could monetise our data and sell it on to insurance companies and employers? At the same time a deal Starmer made with Trump is estimated could cost over 200000 lexcess deaths in the UK and cost the NHS $billions. There has to be a line between totally free foreign investment and what is best for Britain. The water companies are an excellent example – A large amount of Thames Water debt was created by an Australian company whilst at the same time failing to make investments to stop pollution. Incidentally with low flow in rivers it is highly likely that water firms will be discharging dangerous amounts of sewage (especially if we have storms before the river flows recover.

Evacuations across Europe due to devastating wild fires that continue to rage near Madrid and Bordeaux, are being matched by similar evauations across Asia due to devastating typhoons and flooding.; and we have not seen the worst of El Niño until next year. Incidentally – why can we still buy disposable bbqs in the UK – for as little as £2! At the very least they should come with a fire extinguisher. And lets see some punishment fitting the crime measures here – fines and prison are inappropriate when confiscation of vehicles or as an alternative 100’s of hours of cleaning up the mess they caused. Cigarette companies should be forced to provide free butt boxes to shops to give away 9free advertising?

My front drive has chicory and evening primrose and a couple of other plants growing in it – it would not be rocket science to stipulate that all driveways and paving over of lawns should involve a lattice that allows infiltration of rain, and can be a haven for wildlife (it needs all the help it can get!). It could still be mown, it would cut flooding risk in cities where of street parking ahs become endemic with former gardens concreted.

So the prediction is, and I hope I am so wrong, A wet autumn, followed in the New Year by a very cold spell, then a summer of heat waves – hopefully as we are an island the temperatures will be moderated. Britains housing also needs massive refurbishment – even houses built this year! Insulation, windows with shutters, that open inwards? Oh _ I am sure others have better ideas!

Meanwhile – Trump is playing Hokey Cokey with the world again on a destructive level – bombing Iran/being friends; tariffs on/off. I think it goes beyond business, we all like an element of stability – he is single handily destroying the worlds economy. And many Amricans still support the pervert!

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BASIC MISTAKE

I put the washing on and then looked at the weather forecast! I am a dumbass at times.

On an optimistic note Andy Burnham has published ideas for his future government – and there was not anything to dislike apart from those who hate paying tax and think the world is orientated around them! It was vague in parts but at least built up the hope that things will get better. He did it in Manchester – can he take on the vast vested interests of Westminster, Whitehall and the City of London.

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GAIA IS NOT AMUSED

The Greek goddess who personifies Mother Earth is pouring scorn on Trump; firstly the pond in Washington which he blamed on saboteurs (if the Crown Jewels were nicked I guess he would blame the school parties!) and now the awful earthquake in Venezuela.

And Europe ignore the warning signs of Gaia at your/our peril. The present heat wave is waning in the UK, but it will not be the last this year. Britain’s and indeed Europes infrastructure was built for a different climate. So the first act of Andy Burnham as PM should be to create a Department of climate emergency and borrow the billions to fund the necessary improvements to infrastructure and buildings, including private ones. Bonds could be issued to pay for it – we always find money for weapons, why not to fund public safety and resilience? Strict rules will need to be in place to prevent the cronyism of the covid debacle. He could even do something about that by at least banning certain individuals from Parliament. “A stitch in time saves nine” is a maxim that the public will understand. Newly nationalised water companies could be given leading roles. Whilst on the issue – all council nd government contracts need to be verified to prevent over-charging – I know of people wanting to invest in care homes due to the massive profit margins, and perhaps a cap on government council salaries; the same gos for education – how can a headteacher justify a salary in excess of £150000 – sma hours, same responsibilities as others earning half that. And I am not against capitalism per se, just the jungle that has been created. I have not ranted against Farage & Co yet – I wish they would just fuck off some tropical island and then Gaia could create a tsunami!

World Cup is troubling – the nights are sweaty enough, and sleep disturbed, without having to wake up and work out who played in the hours of European darkness. Hydration breaks in an air conditioned stadium for the benefit of advertisers and TV channels – it disrupts the flow of games and is not necessary if the games are played at sensible times – America – keep your hands off our football (ours forever! the publics game).

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JUST SHUT UP

I am tired of stupid old people – and in particular hearing that in the summer 1976 everybody just got on with life and ignored the heat. An estimated 150 people died per day due to the heat. Swimming pools had not been closed due to Tory austerity, and the plethora of shiny glass covered schools and other buildings built to resemble greenhouses had yet to spread like a fungus across the country.. Toilets could not be flushed due to a water shortage, unless one took a bucket to the standpipe at the street corner and carry the ever increasing weight! back home and up the stairs to the bathroom. Yes you old fogey’s – you were 50 years younger, less stupid? fitter? less dogmatic? Presumably you did not have selective vision and view everything via those tinted glasses. Presumably you also forget the cholera scares and seeing people suffering from the impact of other diseases. Racism, homophobia and misogyny were the norm. Oh what a jolly time we had! Just see me coming and STFU! And yes the trains did stop running. At least cities like London with ULEZ are more bearable despite the heat (a recent study showed air pollution deaths down 40% since its introduction- yet another way Reform want to kill us by abandoning these schemes. In the 50 years temperatures across the south of England have risen 3C – for the dumbass 35C is 95F, body temp is 37C, so a little hotter and we cook- it is well known that white anglo-saxons love to cook on beaches – they even baste themselves in oil – makes a nice crusty skin! and enhances the chance of skin cancer. But never fear folks – you will no longer need to pay £1000’s for the pleasure of going to the Mediterranean – the heat will come to you!

If Labour could stop their internal squabbling for a moment and actually make some plans for for next years weather – possibly very cold in Jan/Feb and then a scorching summer. I realise it takes time to build a reservoir – but all buildings with x roof space should be compelled to have water storage tanks – at the very least they could spray car parks in drought conditions.

And of course we all get introverted in a crisis – me me me! But I llike to think my front lawn (and back – I am not doing it for show!) may provide a haven for wildlife in times of drought and heat; it also absorbs rainfall and replenishes the water table beneath, rather than cause run off to overwhelm seawge works which then pollute our water supply. It is not brain science, I am not that clever – just ordinary fucking common sense. TWO WILDFIRES hit GREENLAND in a week – Greenland is supposed to be covered with ice which in places is over 1km thick. Is America and Trump behind the fires? Nothing would surprise me less!

So most people in Iran beleive they have won the war with USA/Israel despite cost of living horrors, how many Americans think Trump won? Oh well they are more concerned about a pond in Washington! Israel found guilty of murdering Palestinian children – we know what Starmer thinks – will Burnham be different.

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FIFA WORLD CUP- PROBLEMS

I guess we will forget the problems once the games begin. But problems so far include:

Ticket pricing is a mess with probably at least 75000 tickets unsold, true fans are being priced out; transport costs are ridiculously high (most teams have to travel hundreds of km.- free in Qatar), as is accomodation and stadium refreshments – no cheap pie and a cup of tea here!

Visa restrictions are preventing many fans from travelling at all. This is also affecting teams which are restricted about the numbers of team members approved, a team doctor was detained for several hours; Teams like Iran who have all their games in the USA are not allowed to stay in the country – they have to travel from Mexico for each game! Likelyhood of inclement weather – not just heat but thunderstorms may have an impact on several matches:

All this before we have teams outside the top 50 playing, Haiti, Curacao, South Africa, Qatar, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Uzbekistan and Ghana. It is not the fucking FA Cup with its traditions and upsets – it should be for the best teams in the world (nations that is, countries will never meet the excellence of club sides like Barcelona, Real Madrid, PSV, Bayern Munich and the variable teams that represent Italy and England. Mexico and Canada must be regretting being persuaded that a joint World Cup would be a good thing!

The I.O.C. must be getting worried about the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. What stunt will Trump pull after the ridiculous D-Day post? He is insane and still we have 2 1/2 years to endure, without god forbid, Vance taking over when Trump finally loses the plot and is medically certified!

Back home – chilly at 6am, and then wet but rain has stopped and sun will be out soon! Long’ish term weather forecast is basically a dull cloudy June with little rain. Maybe July will see a summer? I am not bothered, my tomato plants are now a meter high and have flowers.

Oh and world news – Israel continues to kill people, the papers find old right wing military persona to condemn the government for not shutting down benefits and spending on weapons – when basically the latest situation is a war between drones and anti-drone systems.

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ANGRY

I am still angry at the violence directed towards police officers at a rent-a-riot perpetrated by Farage and Robinson. Only 2 arrests – the video footage I have seen identifies many people and police cams must show more. Why have Farage and Robinson not been arrested for inciting violence? The court had sentenced the perpetrator to life imprisonment, so it was purely violence against the police with racial overtones.

My rant continues with one against South West Water who have been fined £1.85million over a parasite outbreak in Devon. What is the point of fining them when the fine will be passed onto customers. Apologies are worthless when they continue to disregard public safety – water companies should be nationalised now.

El Niño is expected to return by September with 80% likelihood and a 90% by November. I have yet to hear of any government reacting to UN General Secretary Antonio Guterres warning that “the world must treat it like the urgent climate warning it is”. Politicians across the world have been warned – “unprecedented” and “unique” will not suffice as excuses for inaction. In fact in the UK local councillors who ignore the warnings should be dismissed and possibly prosecuted where their actions are deemed to be negligent (I am thinking of Lincolnshire CC where the flood committee has been disbanded in a false money saving measure).

Israel continues with its ethnic cleansing ing in Lebanon, and the slaughter of children and innocents. It will not end well for Israel, or unfortunately for pro-Palestian jews worldwide – the ignorant do not discriminate!

But a positive to end with – Google have applied to release 32million sterilised mosquitos in the USA. Less pesticides and chemicals would obviously be brilliant, but these things have been going on for years – I used to teach about them! and whilst 32m seems large I would guess it is a tiny proportion of the mosquitos in any region?

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EL NINO

Scientists are forecasting a ‘very strong’ El Niño in 2027 based on measurements so far in the Central Pacific Ocean. So far away and whilst it may not have a major impact on the UK it seems likely that it will influene our weather. The Committee for Climate Change has advised the government to prepare for 3 eventualities; heat, flood and water shortages. We have already had water outages in the south east this year and it is not really hot yet and the “heat wave” was just a few days! Hospitals and care homes may find that air conditioning is not an option, but essential. Schools could conduct lessons outside, but with little shade they may need to invest heavily in sun block. How about funding schools to cover playgrounds at a height with a solar panel roof that would provide shade, heat in winter and air con in summer? Tax deductable for local businesses if they also provide work experience. Flooding is likely, and whilst some extreme storm events are inevitable and unavoidable, people in at risk areas, probably at least 5 million homes! should be advised on how to protect their properties and mitigate the damage. Weather forecasting is excellent on a regional basis but small differences occur between juxtapositioned villages! So crying wolf is to be avoided. Storm damage in coastal areas is also likely – warmer temperatures will cause sea level to rise. So the three P’s possible options are Prevention (not generally possible within the present time frame; Protection (possible individually but not possible if widespread) and Prepare?Mitigation (always the last option).

And meanwhile a report suggests that net zero is worth £100bn a year and employs over 300.000 people whose earnings are 11% higher on average than the countrywide average. So fuck of Farage and doomsayers! Reports also suggest that youth unemployment will hit high levels next year – why not offer firms a tax break to employ youngsters to instal solar panels, heat pumps and insulation – the maths is beyond me, but taking the young off benefits, and training them at the same time would seem to be a no brainer?