The oldest trick in the political book is finding a common enemy or group to rally against. Ideally a soft target that can't rely on huge support. What's particularly disappointing about the anti-trans situation is that someone like J K Rowling, a celebrity with enormous popular influence, is onboard. Education is needed. Thank you for raising the topic.

It's very sad and largely, if not mostly, fuelled by ignorance. Similarly, the whole 'only two genders' debate ignores those who are born intersex [that is, they have to some degree biological traits of both male and female]. In the old days, doctors and surgeons would often just guess which gender the baby most closely fit. This sometimes led to horrendous scenarios when, at puberty, it became clear that the incorrect gender had been assigned. There's an old channel 4 documentary on YouTube about the plight of some of these people. Apparently, approx. 1.7% of the population are born to some degree intersex. I wonder how many 'anti-trans' people are aware of that, or understand the predicament at all. I'm guessing a lot less than 1.7% of them.

I've just seen this. I was a big of the original GoF. One of the very best live bands in their heyday. Dave was also a member of Shriekback, who did some innovative stuff. Big influence on me when I was learning bass as a youngster.

Finished 'My Family and Other Rock Stars' by Tiffany Murray. It's a childhood memoir about growing up in and around Rockfield Recording Studios. The author's mum was the chef there, and it details encounters with various rock and folk artists from early 70s on [e.g. Queen, Motorhead, Horslips, Ozzy Osbourne, Bowie etc]. Their quirks, and foibles. Bill / BBD get a passing mention, but only a name check. A good read, nonetheless.

Sounds like a good venue, and fun times!

It's incredibly unfashionable to admit this, but I really liked some of Adam & the Ant's videos. I was on the cusp of becoming a teenager, and I loved the Technicolor high camp insanity in the midst of so much po-faced gloom, or aspirational cod-chic, of the times. I loved the fact that no other artist would have had Diana Dors or Dandy Nichols or Benny Hill associated with their 'brand'. Mr Ant wasn't being ironic, of course, which is what made it. But aside from that, I like this video a lot. When it was made, back in the 80s, it apparently cost an absolute fortunate. It didn't have the desired commercial impact, but probably prompted some nightmares.

Really shocked about this. Much of the soundtrack of my life. RIP.

I've just finished Adventures in Modern Recording by Trevor Horn, which I thoroughly recommend to anyone interested in music production. It also has the required bunch of anecdotes, some of which are pretty entertaining, such as his work with Malcolm Maclaren and his unlikely stint as Yes's frontman. I was never particularly into Horn's 80s stuff, but it's a very good read. I'm now starting Barry Adamson's autobiography -- Up Above the City, Down Beneath the Stars. One observation that has nothing to do with the contents -- it's the best quality hardback I've bought for years -- it's heavy simply because the paper is thicker and far better quality than usual. I actually felt like I was holding something of quality for the price.

My concern regarding AI is not that it will become truly sentient and wipe us out. It's unlikely to happen in our lifetime for several reasons. No, my concern in the short to medium-term is corporations using ever more sophisticated AI to largely replace the human workforce. It's already underway. This means we're going to need a system very like Universal Basic Income, and higher corporation taxes to pay for it. Attitudes about 'working for a living' and defining our status and worth by our occupation will have to change. And that's going to be a massive social problem. Imagine it.

nice!

The King of Comedy with another corker. PM's coal mining 'joke' no laughing matter, say MPs - BBC News

I'm afraid quite a few people will completely agree with what Johnson is supposed to have said here. These are the anti-lockdown brigade, and those who have been caught filming empty hospital corridors to prove it's all a conspiracy / scam. They're fine with the collateral damage [i.e. deaths]. This could actually bolster Johnson's standing.

@Alec Although we've always had 'the Liberals', libertarianism is a relatively new concept for UK politics. In the [even recent] past, the Conservatives were socially illiberal to the max. They were popularly labelled 'the nasty party' for being utter judgemental bastards. Cameron and his media pals changed this image significantly when it became apparent that this position was no longer tenable in the 21st century. Much to the displeasure of many of his party, the Conservatives embraced gay rights and same-sex marriage, among other things. And it paid off for them at the polls. As at the time of writing, they have been in power for 1,138 years. But it's all veneer.

Johnson has his first true dilemma. Doing the sensible thing right now would put him at odds with the libertarian element of his fanbase. But if he doesn't do the right thing, the fallout could be horrendous.

Why this wasn't front page news after the first death I'll leave you to guess. And it doesn't have anything to do with saving a relatively piddling amount of money. It's all about politics.

The policy is do what will be most popular, or least unpopular. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who see deaths as better option than loss of business or curtailing their social lives.

The Book of Forgotten Authors by Christopher Fowler This is excellent, but it will leave you with a very long list of [forgotten] books you can't wait to read.

Jewish Space Laser sold out with that third album though.

Boris Johnson admits it's ludicrous he's PM, says Cummings - BBC News

Romney on UFOs: 'I guess all things are possible' - YouTube