Tom Arms' World ReviewTexas is a bright red, far-right Republican, conservative state. It has not elected a Democrat to the US Senate for 37 years. That may be about to change. And if it does the repercussions will rock the White House. Primary elections for one of the Lone Star state's two Senate seats were held by both the Democrat and Republican parties this week. One of the recognised barometers of political success is the size of the voter turnout. The turnout for the Democrat primary was highest in the state's history. The winner was Texas State Representative James Talerico. A middle-of-the-road Democrat ... (more) |
Major Cardiff tourist attraction to be dismantledSometimes television throws up the unexpected, such as when Ianto, a major character on the Dr Who spin-off Torchwood was killed off and the entire nation apparently went into mourning. Within days a makeshift shrine had appeared in Cardiff Bay, roughly near the fictional entrance to Torchwood's secret underground base. I first blogged on this phenomenon on 20 August 2009 just before I went on holiday. Over the next eight days my blog received 5,422 hits, most of them looking for that post. I revisited the issue a couple of times over the next two years and then moved on. ... (more) |
Observations of an ex pat: IranIran and the US have been on a collision course since 1979 when the radical Islamic state was founded and 44 US diplomats were taken hostage. But why now? But also, what are the who's, what's, how's, when's and where's of the current car crash and its regional, national and global repercussions. Who first—the US and Israel. America did not call on its traditional NATO allies. It did not go to the United Nations to seek legal sanctions. The United States did not even bother to inform the G7 countries. The United States acted unilaterally. In fact, Donald Trump acted ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1485"Yet again, we're all caught up with the fame-encrusted stories of rich, powerful men. The women and their reported life-scarring encounters with Epstein and his set are an afterthought. At best, they're treated as a salacious backdrop to the fortunes of men whom society has lionised and - with epic irony - thought better than the rest of us."Michelle Cook says the reaction to the Epstein files spotlights how badly we are still failing women and girls. "As DHS [the Department of Homeland Security] expands its footprint, it's making its cruelty manifest in suburban areas like Roxbury - towns that ... (more) |
A German bombing raid on Dublin in May 1941 killed 28 peopleEmbed from Getty ImagesHere's bit of history I didn't know. The caption for this photograph on Getty Images says: Emergency services at work in a bomb damaged street in Dublin, Ireland, the day after a German air raid, which killed 34 people, 1st June 1941. The cause of the raid on neutral Ireland remains unclear. Wikipedia- it's strange how the advent of AI has changed that site from a near embarrassment to the last online redoubt of human judgement - explains what happened: In the early morning hours of 31 May 1941, four German bombs fell on north Dublin. That ... (more) |
Latest voting intention and leadership ratings opinion pollsWelcome to my summary of the latest national voting intention polls for the next general election, along with the latest MRP projections and party leadership ratings. If you'd like to find out more about how polls work, how reliable they are and how to make sense of them, check out my book, Polling UnPacked: the History, Uses and Abuses of Political Opinion Polls, or sign up for my weekly email, The Week in Polls: General election voting intention polls PollsterConLabLDGrnRefLab leadFieldwork Opinium 16% (-2) 21% (+3) 10% (-2) 14% (+1) 29% (-1) -8% (vs Ref) 4-6/3 GB Find Out Now ... (more) |
Rock of the nightCraig-y-nos Castle (meaning:Rock of the Night), is a Scots baronial-style country house near Glyntawe in Powys, Wales. Built on parkland beside the River Tawe in the upper Swansea Valley, it is located on the southeastern edge of the Black Mountain. The castle was formerly owned by opera singer Adelina Patti, but is now a wedding venue. Its landscaped grounds are a country park, managed by the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority. According to wikipedia, the main building was built between 1841 and 1843 by Captain Rhys Davies Powell, to designs by Thomas Henry Wyatt. It was bought by Morgan Morgan ... (more) |