The Mortal Wombat

• 'Extinct' woodpecker found alive
  The spectacular ivory-billed woodpecker, which was declared extinct in 1920, has been found alive in North America, Science magazine reports.
  (tags: cryptozoology animals birds woodpeckers)

High time I wrote an election blog entry. As you see from my Lib Dem gif (top right), my views haven't changed recently! I'm way too pissed off with Blair because of his arrogant and stupid approach to the Iraq issue to even consider voting Labour. If they kicked Blair out and replaced him with Brown, I'd be more inclined to vote for them, but still probably wouldn't.

For me the key issues are Foreign Policy (particularly our rôle in the EU), Education, and then probably Health.

I've written before on the European issue, and the Lib Dems are still pretty much the only party whose views coincide with mine on this.

I saw a programme last night (Classroom Chaos on Five) which really shocked me. I knew that the British educational system was in a parlous state, but I didn't realise just how bad the situation was. There are many causes for the terrible discipline of the pupils and the low morale of the teachers. Much of the blame can be placed on changing social attitudes and 'parenting', which aren't something that the State can (or should) influence directly, but low morale in the profession is in very large part the fault of successive governments' interference. By attempting to control how teachers teach, and what they teach, this government (building on the crumbly foundations laid by its predecessors) has virtually eliminated teachers' authority. Teachers should be allowed to teach as they see fit. This builds their confidence, which in turn builds the confidence and respect that their pupils feel for them. Sure there are some bad teachers, but it's ludicrous to create a system to hold the bad teachers' hands, when that means holding back the good teachers. I'd rather we had a system where a few pupils were failed in a few subjects through bad teaching, if that meant that overall standards were improved. Other symptoms of the government's unhealthy interference in the teaching process are Ofsted and the continual round of pointless exams that children now have to endure. Guess which of the parties is the only one promising to abolish all these unnecessary tests?: yup, the Liberal Democrats.

The BBC has a rather good policy checker, making it easier to compare the parties' policies on the major issues.

Having said all that, though, it's somewhat disheartening to realise that my vote in the General Election is unlikely to count for anything. Lib Dems are in second place in my constituency (South East Cambs.), but the Tory lead is a pretty hefty 17.3%. The best I can hope for is to see that reduced. If only we had proportional representation...

• Mozilla browsers grab 8.69 percent share
  Onestat reports that Mozilla browsers (Firefox, and its cousins) have increased their market share by 0.24 percent since February. Internet Explorer usage has dropped 0.65 percent in the same time.
  (tags: news browsers)
• Devon jawbone may be oldest human remains in Europe
  A piece of jawbone has been redated to 36 500 BC (±1 500). It still has to be determined whether it belonged to a modern human (making it the earliest such find in Europe) or to a Neanderthal (making it the first 'classic' Neanderthal from Britain)
  (tags: humans neanderthals)

• Mice put in 'suspended animation'
  Mice have been placed in a state of near suspended animation, raising the possibility that hibernation could one day be induced in humans. The technique involved inhalation of very low concentation Hydrogen Sulphide.
  (tags: medical suspended_animation)
• EU to launch its own web domain
  The European Commission has said that the new internet domain name '.eu' will be up and running by the end of 2005.
  (tags: internet domain_names europe)

• Playing more productive than lessons
  A study by the National Foundation for Educational Research has shown that nursery- and reception-age children can learn more if they are allowed to play in the sand at school, rather than sitting still in formal lessons.
  (tags: education schools)

• The ricin ring that never was
  How the authorities continued to lie about the supposed existence of an al-Qaeda poisons ring, even after the documents in the case were found to originate with US right-wing survivalists...
  (tags: errorism uk ricin)

• Contact lenses to prevent myopia
  That's right : 'prevent', not 'correct'! A team at APU are hoping that giving special contacts to young children at risk of myopia could prevent their condition from developing further.
  (tags: medical ophthalmology myopia)
• DNA project to trace human steps
  The Genographic Project will collect DNA samples from over 100 000 people worldwide to help piece together a picture of how the Earth was colonised. They have a range of very interesting questions to answer, & private individuals can participate too!
  (tags: genetics humans evolution genographic_project)
• The Genographic Project
  Details of the National Geographic's Genographic Project. $126.50 for a kit is pretty tempting, given the importance of the project and the fact that it allows you to see your own place in the human family tree!
  (tags: genetics human evolution genographic_project)

• China 'crushing' Muslim Uighurs
  China has been accused by US-based human rights groups of conducting a 'crushing campaign of religious repression' against its Uighur population. The Uighurs are a predominantly muslim, turkic people, who are the majority population in Xinjiang province.
  (tags: china uighurs)
• Lib Dem economic plans
  BBC News brief survey of Lib Dem economic plans. I like the way the Lib Dems say 'we will raise the top rate of income tax to 50%', and the Tories respond with 'these proposals will mean some people pay more tax'. Well, duh!
  (tags: news uk politics election taxation)
• Gamma ray burst is extinction suspect
  A huge cosmic explosion could have caused a mass extinction on Earth 450 million years ago, according to an analysis by scientists in the US.
  (tags: astronomy black_holes extinction)
• Foiling Spies at the Vatican
  The lengths that Vatican officials will have to go to to prevent spying on the papal-election conclave.
  (tags: vatican spying)

• Kennedy promises extra teachers
  Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy has launched his party's election campaign with a promise to provide 21 000 extra primary school teachers.
  (tags: news uk politics election education)

• Sheldon Brown's 'singlespeed' conversions
  Loads of info on converting a multispeed bike to a singlespeed, something I'm planning on doing with my bike (since the gears are knackered and I only ever use one sprocket–chainring combo anyway).
  (tags: bike)

• New evidence on galaxies' growth
  New evidence suggests that galaxies and their black holes grow simultaneously. So, am I right in thinking that every galaxy has a corresponding black hole? Wow!
  (tags: astronomy black_holes)
• Chad skull 'leans to human line'
  Fresh fossil finds from Chad in central Africa, as well as a new analysis, seem to confirm that an ancient skull nicknamed 'Toumaï' was closer to humans than chimpanzees.
  (tags: evolution primates humans chimpanzees)
• Early hominid cared for elderly
  Ancient hominids from the Caucasus may have fed and cared for their elderly, a new fossil find suggests. These hominids are also interesting for the controversy over their phylogenetic status.
  (tags: evolution humans social_behaviour)

• European influence seen as positive
  Europe—and France in particular—are seen as benevolent forces in a world largely scornful of US influence, a poll taken in 23 countries suggests.
  (tags: news polls europe france usa)