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There was a lot of speculation earlier this year about KCS running some trains over the IC&E, but so far it's just been the occasional straying power that stays for a few days, as was the case last week when these two KCS motors made a few round trips with the 272 and 273. The 273 of 6-1-13 found them pulling into Davis Junction to make a setout.
Speculation on what the gearbox for Lego set 42070 could look like. Some parts omitted for sake of clarity.
www.gisreportsonline.com/r/russia-economy-war/
Appraising Russia’s wartime economy
While sanctions have hurt aspects of the Russian economy, high energy prices have helped the country mitigate the damage.
In a nutshell
🔸 The Russian economy may shrink only 6 percent in 2022
🔸 Revenue from energy exports is up, but other sectors suffer
🔸 It is too early to gauge the effectiveness of Western sanctions
It is becoming more and more difficult to assess the state of the Russian economy because there are fewer and fewer official figures. Since April 2022, Russian authorities have stopped providing trade statistics. Data on exports, imports, the structure of capital outflow and the balance of payments are no longer published by the customs service and the central bank. The foreign trade numbers of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) are no longer accessible.
The central bank has also stopped publishing the structure of Russia’s international reserves. Since the end of March, only their total values have been updated, without detailing assets.
The government has also allowed Russian companies to refrain from publishing data until the end of 2022. The central bank first permitted banks not to disclose their main financial reporting, and later allowed all financial organizations (including non-state pension funds and insurance companies) to keep management and audit data private. In March, the Russian aviation agency stopped publishing statistics on passenger traffic.
The official explanation for this is “to avoid incorrect estimates, speculation and discrepancies” and “to protect enterprises and specific individuals from sanctions.”
But, of course, the true purpose is to hide objective information about the deterioration of the economic situation in Russia.
What do publicly available numbers show?
The Russian Statistical Agency has published data for January-June 2022. Industrial production in June 2022 amounted to 98.2 percent compared to June last year, while transport turnover fell by 5.8 percent. The volume of retail trade fell by almost 10 percent. Inflation was 15.9 percent. Real incomes of the population decreased by 0.8 percent in the first half of 2022 compared to the first half of 2021.
Such figures are not a disaster, although the Russian economy has shrunk, or, as some Russian officials say, has entered a stage of “negative growth.” This had already happened by the end of April 2022, which can only be explained by the introduction of a whole package of Western economic sanctions in February and March. Prior to that, the Russian economy was growing steadily after the economic downturn of the Covid-19 pandemic.
It is therefore obvious that the sanctions imposed by the West have caused an economic crisis in Russia. However, the situation varies significantly, depending on the industry.
The main export sector – mining (oil, natural gas, coal, etc.) – after a slight decline in April, began to grow again in May-June. This is due to high oil and gas prices on world markets, as well as delayed sanctions in this sector. The EU oil embargo (with several exemptions) will come into effect only at the end of 2022. Meanwhile, sanctions on Russian gas are still being discussed, and Europe only stopped buying Russian coal on August 10.
For manufacturing industries that depend on imported components and equipment, official data show a serious drop.
Nevertheless, as of July 1, 2022, the Russian economy was not in a catastrophic state. This is also confirmed by the fact that there are very few large social protests in the country.
Why is the Russian economy so stable?
First, it should be noted that the main impact of sanctions is expected to hit only in the fall and winter of this year. This is the result of long negotiations over sanctions among Western countries and the subsequent preparatory periods before their imposition.
Second, Russia still receives very significant funds from oil and gas exports. This flow even increased in the first months of the war. Russia earned $47 billion from the sale of energy resources to Europe in March and April – the first two months after the start of the “special operation” in Ukraine. Because of higher fuel prices, exports have brought the country twice as much revenue as in the same period last year despite the decline in gas exports to Western countries by almost 28 percent since the beginning of 2022.
Some 68 percent of respondents were optimistic, according to surveys conducted by the independent sociological Levada Center in July 2022. President Vladimir Putin’s standing was even higher: 83 percent of respondents said they approved of his performance.
Mitigating factors
There are two factors that may mitigate the pace of economic decline this year and the next.
The first is an increase in trade with countries that have not imposed sanctions on Russia, like Turkey. In June 2022, exports of goods from Turkey to Russia – $791.4 million – had increased by 46 percent year-on-year and by 52 percent compared to the previous month. The June volume is at its highest since the beginning of 2010.
Turkey and Russia have agreed to bring the trade turnover to $100 billion. Such an indicator appears in the road map for economic cooperation between the two countries, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said following a meeting with President Putin on August 5, 2022. According to him, the parties intend to develop cooperation in such areas as energy, trade, tourism and agriculture. Following the meeting, the two sides agreed to start partial payment for Russian gas in rubles.
Another example: from May 27 to June 15, 2022, the amount of coal India purchased from Russia increased nearly sixfold, and oil imports were 31 times what they were last year. Russia offers Indian importers discounts of up to 30 percent. In addition, Russian sellers accept payment in Indian rupees and United Arab Emirates dirhams.
The second means of mitigating the economic consequences of Western sanctions are so-called “parallel imports” – the import of goods into the country without the consent of the manufacturer or the copyright holder. This mechanism is dubbed “parallel” since the import is carried out simultaneously with deliveries from authorized dealers.
It is significant that such imports are officially recognized by the Russian government. A special federal law was even adopted for this phenomenon. Now the law protects Russian companies from importing goods without the permission of the copyright holder.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade has approved a list of goods that will be included in parallel imports. So far it contains about 100 categories and includes brands like BMW, Toyota, Audi, Renault, Nissan, Apple, Samsung, Sony, HP and Intel as well as equipment for different industries, clothes, shoes, and cosmetics.
On August 15, it was announced that the volume of parallel imports to Russia since the law was introduced in May had reached almost $6.5 billion. By the end of the year, this figure is expected to grow to $16 billion.
Scenarios
Russia’s Ministry of Economic Development expects that in 2022 and 2023 the country’s economy will shrink by 4.2 and 2.7 percent respectively, and only in 2024 will it resume growth (by 3.7 percent).
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) published a similar forecast in July, predicting a drop of 6 percent instead of 8.5 percent as was expected in April. At the same time, the forecast for 2023 worsened: if in April the IMF talked about a decrease of 2.3 percent, now it is 3.5 percent.
According to the results of the second quarter, the Russian economy shrank less than previously expected. Exports of oil and products from the non-energy sector performed better than forecasts predicted. The IMF notes that domestic demand has remained stable due to the localization of the effect of sanctions on the domestic financial sector and the better-than-expected state of the labor market.
There will likely be no economic catastrophe this year or the next. Instead, “negative growth” is expected to continue, which will probably affect almost all sectors of the economy, including the extraction of raw materials. The economy will likely become more dysfunctional due to the acute shortage of investment and lack of new technologies.
On this day in history in 1797 - the Bank of England became insolvent.
Speculation in the USA and elsewhere particularly speculation in land created a bubble, and financing wars at that time in Europe against the French, then striking terror into the British. This cost the UK the government hugely with paper money printed with wild abandon but no gold behind it. The government was over-spending, national debt was soaring, and there was financial impropriety and loss of control.
The crisis in the UK came to a head when fears of an imminent French invasion led to a demand for gold, redeeming paper money and loans for the gold supposedly behind them. There were even very strong rumours that the French had invaded Ireland. Many British and foreign holders of such paper notes became keen to exchange them for precious metal.
The reaction of the government, agreed by the Privy Council in an emergency meeting on this day, was to pass The Bank Restriction Act, which came into force on May 3rd that year. The act prevented paper money holders from demanding specie in exchange. The bank was effectively insolvent, and the urgent measure was designed to prevent that being tested. This was a temporary move, but it stayed until 1821.
This, and other measures, saved the country’s currency from ruin but it is estimated to have depreciated by 30 per cent while the Bank Restriction Act was in force, a factor in the post-Napoleonic Depression and social unrest in the country.
Santayana’s dictum that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it springs to mind. Whoever could imagine such a banking crisis being allowed to happen again?
I recently was doing some research and learned some interesting concepts I hadn't heard before. Many people don't know that the devil had been an angel before being thrown out of heaven forcibly, and sent to earth. There is speculation that he was actually a cherub, which isn't the cute, cuddly angelic child we picture, but rather a sort of guardian angel. The speculation was that his charge had actually been the earth and mankind! When pride entered his heart and he fell from grace, he still roamed the earth, banned from heaven, but instead of protecting us, his new mission was to destroy what God loved, mankind, in order to hurt God! What a twist of events!
Recently I've also experienced a weird twisting that is going on in some churches, as well. I guess it should be expected, since the bible talks about it, and says there will be a great falling away before the end, and that if the days weren't shortened, even the very elect would fall! Pretty grim comment, I must say! What does that say about our culture, and how it has permeated even the church, breaking down society's moral structure, and fulfilling the prophecy that said in the last days people would call good evil and evil good? In 40 years time, I've watched it happen. Something as innocuous as saying, "That's really BAD, man!" when you meant something was really, really good, may not seem like much, but from the 60's on, this was how things went; a subtle twisting at first, until society, and even the church, was ready to accept things that were rarely accepted as being the status quo.
In my own family, I watched as a marriage of nearly 17 years fell apart, and the deception, which started within the church we were going to, took apart my brother's family! It was a call to arms for me. That "cherub" in the garden of Eden has been quite active lately, wreaking havoc wherever he can, knowing that the days are short, and much devastation must occur before he runs out of time.
We have a great hope, though. The Lord said, "Greater is He who is in you, than he who is in the world." He spoke of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, who lives in all who accept Jesus as Lord of their lives. He will guide us through the difficult times ahead, which no doubt will be worse than in the beginning of Christianity. As much as God loves, Satan hates. We need not fear, though, because our God is an awesome God, and He is well acquainted with Lucifer and his ways, even if we aren't. That's no cherub in the garden. It's still a snake!
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There are a lot of discussions and speculations about this plane on the internet. It seems this plane is a very mysterious one.
Some information from the internet:
Along the lines of secret bases, there are organizations of a somewhat spooky nature based at rather ordinary facilities. [AKA, hiding in plain site.]
FEST is the Foreign Emergency Support Team.
Now delving into grayer areas, it seems that there are some civilian 757's that might also be associated with FEST. Investigations into "extraordinary rendition" revealed a number of civilian aircraft used by the CIA. But it isn't clear that all the aircraft in the investigation were used for snatching suspected terrorists. Probably only the business jets were used for that function. Two civilian 757s turned up, namely N610G and N226G.
Of course there is no proof these planes are part of FEST. They might have other spooky functions.
But the internet rumors don't stop here. Some people believe that these civilian 757s are really the USAF C-32Bs with quick paint jobs. It isn't exactly likely to find all these planes parked together somewhere and prove that rumor invalid, but here again, nobody is provided proof positive N610G or N226G are really Earl Shibe conversions of the USAF jets.
Now to top it off, and I can't reveal my source, but N610G was recently at the Tonopah Test Range.
There is much speculation over the fate of this pub in Bovey Tracey. The worrying aspect is the boarding up of windows and doors in recent days.
Unknown aircraft. My speculation that this is ex-Sriwijaya Air PK-CJO, however, it doesn't look like a Boeing 737-200.
Diduga eks PK-CJO milik Sriwijaya Air, tetapi ciri-cirinya kurang mencerminkan Boeing 737-200.
Another speculation on heritage...Erie Lackawanna (EL) C365 Conrail (CR) 21164 class N7E, which sat in DuBois and was covered by a mural. I located a good photo of it and was able to match 5 points between the two for a positive ID.
Stripped and repainted for B&B service
Dr Doolittle's Roadside Café & Creamery
GPS coordinates... 41.135693, -78.778693
2420. A photograph open to speculation as to dating. Without much to go on - other than the unidentified River Class frigate opposite and some similar photos earlier, we would guess that this is HMAS CULGOA at Williamstown soon after her commissioning on April 1, 1947, and that the ship under construction in the far background is the Battle Class destroyer HMAS ANZAC [II], laid down at Williamstown on September 22, 1946, and launched on August 20, 1948.
If correct, that would put this photograph at the opposite end of CULGOA's service career to that shown several back at pic NO. 2416, in December 1953, where she is paid off at Williamstown and berthed opposite HMAS VENDETTA [II] under construction. That's here:
www.flickr.com/photos/41311545@N05/4756805980/
This photo: HMAS CERBERUS Museum Archives, kind courtesy of the Curator, Warrant Officer Martin Grogan RANR.
Commodities speculation has a very human cost.
This video was produced for the documentary series HungryBeast on Australia's ABC1.
Directed and Designed by: Patrick Clair
Written by: Scott Mitchell
Production Company: Zapruder's Other Films
Watch this video on Vimeo. Video created by Patrick Clair.
On the day of a key European parliamentary vote on food speculation, campaigners from Campact, Friends of the Earth Europe, SOS-Faim and the World Development Movement lay out 925 pots and pans outside the European parliament. 925 represents the number of people hungry in the world today. Campaigners also present a petition with 100k signatories to key Euro MPs.
"The sun does not move." Author: Shuichi Yoshida
Shooting death that occurred in the midst of a new oil field development rights struggle. AN of communication "Takano Kazuhiko". Of men with a "Taoka", I was exploring the relationship behind. Business competitor of the "David Kim", beautiful woman of mystery "AYAKO" is behind the scenes. Amid rumors of a blasting plan by anti-government organization of Uighur, Taoka was abducted by someone. Is going on what exactly? . The identity of the mastermind pulling the thread in the shade? Speculation of each intertwined behind the scenes, battle that is not visible to the eye. Conspiracy. Temptation. Doubt. Ambition. Betrayal. The time limit on the heels.
Merry-go-Browns II
August 03rd, 2007 | Category: Uncategorized
A chain around the front door, no return calls from the managing partner, months of speculation about unpaid bills - indeed, it does seem that Browns has closed shop.
The questions is: what’s next?
If that space is available, I don’t see it lasting long. Even with monthly rent reportedly at 20,000 - that would be USD not RMB - the place has plenty of potential.
The Rickshaw around the corner is a good example of how to draw crowds: anyone can pour draft, but a high-quality draw (the food), character-driven staff and responsive management keep the patrons coming. (Q Bar is another example, with a good mix of quality drinks and well-known bartenders.)
Why not transfer that philosophy to Browns?
Oh, wait. In its early days, Browns did have good grub (many people went to Browns for dinner and drinks) and character-driven staff (Glenn, Jackie, et al).
So, what happened?
Well, there were neverending attempts to reach new niches and grab a few kuai, from 10-kuai shots (in response to Shooters, the net effect being to undermine Browns higher-priced drinks) to the Sunday night “pet races” (they literally raced mice and turtles in the bar). This short-sighted focus extended to a penny pinching attitude with the staff and drinks, and steadily drove away the early clientele that made Browns a success.
In any case, someone else will give it a go. And why not? Browns did so many things wrong in terms of HR, food and, especially, marketing, but still lasted 18 months. No doubt others out there will think they can get it right, and right in time for that huge Olympics payoff (hmm, I wonder if two-kuai wings would be a nice draw?)…
Beijing Boyce www.beijingboyce.com/
Just Why Is Xavier Chungu Back In Town
By Comrade Derrick Sinjela
BETTER late than never is a British parlance of old that to greater extents explains the return of Zambia's much revered and feared past immediate Director General of the Zambia Intelligence Security Services (ZISS).
While one independent media columnist, hits the nail on the head that the Almighty Great Shu Shu Shu (James Bond 007), is back on account of preparedness, speculations are mounting that perhaps the compromised stance taken by Rupiah Bwezani Banda and his henchmen, could have prompted the Zambian Spy Wiz kid to return home.
Another political school of thought attributes the development to the uncontested fact that since the demise of the anti-corruption stalwart, Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, to date it is difficult to find a determined anti-graft personality in the Zambian Government of Bwezani Banda.
Our court and prosecution system seems to be very much political as more often than not only those that are targeted by the state face the wrath of the law as evident by the manner characterising the run-up to the controversially held Presidential Bye-Elections on October 30, 2008.
Thus with little explanations bearing fruit on the timing of Xavier's return, many fear that the political grape vine will have a field day speculating.
Just as in politics itself, it seems in matters of graft they are neither permanent friends nor enemies given the realignments that were characteristic of the re-alignments that held sway in Zambia recently.
For the uninitiated, we saw, the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) patching up differences with Second Republican President, Dr Frederick Chiluba, and ironically witnessed First Republican President, Dr Kenneth David Kaunda, sharing the platform in support of Rupiah Banda. Perhaps with Rupiah in the saddle at State House, the United National Independence Party (UNIP) is equally comfortable eating on the same table with the MMD and of course sharing a bed.
The realignments are not limited to UNIP and Dr Chiluba, as Sakwiba Sikota, leader of the Liberal Party, yet another die-hard critic of the MMD Government, wholeheartedly supported Rupiah and the ruling party.
CSO Roundtable Post Election Update 2009
By McDonald Chipenzi
THE three (3) Election Monitoring Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) namely Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP), Anti-Voter Apathy Project (AVAP) and Zambia National Women's Lobby (ZNWL) organized a round
table discussion to review the 2008 presidential election.
The objective of the discussion was to allow participants to take stock, reflect and share experiences on the election and devise common strategies on the way forward. Among the participants present were from the Zambia Police Service, UPND, MMD, PF and Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).
Others were from the United Church of Zambia (UCZ), Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ), AVAP, FODEP, NGOCC, TIZ, MISA-Zambia, MECOZ and ZNWL. It was observed during the discussion that overall, the 2008 election results showed the ruling MMD was no longer enjoying its usual share of
nationwide support. On the ECZ results map, the discussants noted that the map to some extent misrepresented the actual status quo because the MMD support base in the last election reduced, in some cases with a big margin.
Nationally, the MMD's support base had dropped by three (3)
percent i.e. from 43% in 2006 to 40% in 2008. The discussants also noted that PF and UPND commanded significant support in the country which the map could not capture.
The low voter turnout in the 2008 presidential election reduced Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata's chances of winning the election and that had the voter turnout been high, Mr. Sata would perhaps have carried the day.
However, comparatively, from 2001 to 2008, PF is the only party that has been gaining in its vote share across the country. In the 2008 Presidential Election, PF was the only party that gained support in almost the nine (9) provinces. The UPND gained more support in Northwestern, Western and Southern provinces while the MMD gained more in Eastern Province, Lusaka and Southern provinces.
Media Ethics Council of Zambia (MECOZ) noted that specially on the complaint lodging structure and editorial comments. MECOZ attributed these weaknesses in the Code together with the
weaknesses in MECOZ's constitution to its failure to enforce the Code on media bodies to adhere to the acceptable ethics in their coverage of elections. The Council also noted that the lack of a media body to monitor media coverage during elections complicated the situation.
Ribfest was amazing, despite the meat sweats. Nine competitors, a lot of silent speculation, an Excel spreadsheet for vote tallying, and the whole game came down to tenderness.
Jason's stellar ribs, which were fall-off-the bone tender, took the win! (Mine came in second, above.) We did add a "fan favorite" to see if it differed from the "scientific" votes, and it did--Tania's husband pulled 3 votes to garner that prize (where he was strong in the flavor and looks category, he faltered on tenderness).
Oh, and if you want the recipe, it's the same one I made for my aunt and uncle's highly unscientific Ribfest last summer, using leftover rub from then and the extra rack of ribs I'd had in the freezer since then. (Um, let's say I let the meat age just that little bit longer.)
En la calle Domingo Malagón, en el mismo centro de Parla, se pueden ver un par de esqueletos de edificios que fueron abandonados durante su construcción. Son el ejemplo de la desaforada avaricia constructora sin fundamento que reinó en Parla hasta hace poco tiempo y que amenaza con volver en forma de PGOU. Son mudos testigos de la vil y ruin especulación y de un urbanismo salvaje y depredador promovido por muchos Ayuntamientos de España, el de Parla a la cabeza, que no pretende mejorar al calidad de vida, ni el desarrollo económico ni la ordenación del territorio, sólo el pelotazo, dinero fácil, comisiones, el saqueo y la corrupción a cargo de empresarios y políticos. LADRILLAZO MADE IN PARLA
Real Madrid News : Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti played down speculation linking Cristiano Ronaldo with a move back to the Bernabeu - and was then ruthlessly mocked by the Portuguese star's girlfriend. Ronaldo has been heavily linked with a move away from Juventus this summer, with Paris Saint-Germain among his potential suitors. Speculation had also been growing that the 36-year-old could be primed for a shock return to the Spanish capital, following reports that Ancelotti was eyeing a move. The Real Madrid boss isn't one to mince his words and dismissed the rumour out of hand, tweeting: "Cristiano is a Real Madrid legend, and he has all my love and respect.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been linked with a return to Real Madrid and a move to Juventus
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" I have never considered signing him. We look forward." Ancelotti's words were picked up by infamous Real Madrid TV channel El Chiringuito, who posted a screenshot of his statement onto their Instagram account. The post has received over 100,000 likes and countless comments - including one from Ronaldo's model girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez. Do you think Cristiano Ronaldo will leave Juventus this summer? Let us know in the comments section.
fistade.com/rmd-news-cristiano-ronaldos-girlfriend-mocks-...
This project is part of the Ars Electronica Garden Hongkong,
Exploring the distance that separates Data and Matter, Sublimation and Reification, Values and Actions, Art and Facts, Finance and Ethics, Thought and Objects, the ND Lab investigates the possible convergence of apparently antagonist fields. The Brain Factory project aims to give shape to human abstractions through BCI (Brain Computer Interaction) leading to the reification of thoughts by 3D Printing. Value of Values connects the shapes of Human Values to the Blockchain, ready for transactions and collection. They become poetry and ethical statements. DïaloG, urban installation will allow two digital entities to understand each other and the world surrounding them.
For more informations please visit:
ars.electronica.art/keplersgardens/city-in-fusion/
Credit: Maurice Benayoun
It is official now. After several speculations about Mani Ratnam’s
next film after Kaatru Veliyidai, the team has formally announced the
details of the yet untitled project.
According to the statement, the film will be produced by Madras
Talkies, Sreekar Prasad will take care of the...
Endless food for speculation here. The first thing one notices about this house on the Norfolk coast is that it is joined to a conventional dwelling next door. This would suggest that it is a remodelling and enlargement of a semi-detached Victorian house. I wonder how it went down with the neighbours. It is only in the elevation facing the road, which looks to me of the 50s or 60s, that we get any clue as to date. I should say it was one man's project, realised with the co-operation of a sympathetic builder, rather than an architect-designed job. The vision is extended to include the garden, where upraised lengths of weathered driftwood and columns of beach pebbles direct one's eyes and thoughts heavenwards.
Barclays, nominated by the World Development Movement, won the 2012 Public Eye 'shame' award for its role in food speculation. Here WDM campaigner Amy Horton picks up the price from Greenpeace International director Kumi Naidoo.
Photo: Heike Grasser © Heike Grasser Fotografie / Greenpeace
Photography: Craige Barker
A speculation on the real life disappearance of the enigmatic Connie Converse - Why did the aspiring singer-songwriter who vanish into thin air?
Witness the gripping the haunting true(-ish!) story that remains a mystery to this day.
Diving deep into the sensitive themes of mental health and queerness in mid-century America, be transported into Connie's world and see how these struggles might have affected her life and ultimately led to her vanishing without a trace.
manchester.ssboxoffice.com/events/what-happened-to-connie...
Artistic speculation of a relative elevation model for Sikun Labyrinthus, Titan.
This graphic attempts to use channel and valley relationships in different terrain units to infer relative elevation in the region around Sikun Labyrinthus on Titan.
Low order --> high order = upstream --> downstream = higher elevation --> lower elevation.
While many of the terrain units could be placed on a relative scale, others are speculative. So this is partly artistic speculation rather than hard science. Still, most of the observed relationships seem to fit the model.
Pixel values are relative, not absolute. Blue indicates lower relative elevations, while yellows and orange indictes higher relative elevations. North is at top in the image.
Image and model credit: Mike Malaska
On the day of a key European parliamentary vote on food speculation, campaigners from Campact, Friends of the Earth Europe, SOS-Faim and the World Development Movement lay out 925 pots and pans outside the European parliament. 925 represents the number of people hungry in the world today. Campaigners also present a petition with 100k signatories to key Euro MPs.
Rail Garden
View of the River Nith. I especially like the colours of the bridge against the fields to the left and right with the blues of water and sky.
How do we develop and express such explanations of natural phenomena?
• Speculation: simply opinion or guess.
• Hypothesis: a logically derived explanation that is based on a body of knowledge that is made up of “facts”; everything known about what is being explained.
It remains tentative (possibly wrong) until further evidence and rigorous testing proves it better than other hypotheses (are new “facts” that become known consistent with the explanation?)
Speculation is perfectly all right, but if you stay there you've only founded a superstition. If you test it, you've started a science.
- Hal Clement, science fiction author (30 May 1922-2003)
DHAKA : Amid various speculations and row over the Supreme Court’s 16th amendment verdict, Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, now abroad, has finally stepped down, reports UNB.
President Abdul Hamid received his resignation letter, said his press secretary Joynal Abedin on...
thebangladeshtoday.com/2017/11/chief-justice-sinha-finall...
Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based street artist, political activist, and film director whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation. Active since the 1990s, his satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti executed in a distinctive stenciling technique. His works of political and social commentary have appeared on streets, walls, and bridges throughout the world. His work grew out of the Bristol underground scene, which involved collaborations between artists and musicians. Banksy says that he was inspired by 3D, a graffiti artist and founding member of the musical group Massive Attack.
Banksy displays his art on publicly visible surfaces such as walls and self-built physical prop pieces. He no longer sells photographs or reproductions of his street graffiti, but his public "installations" are regularly resold, often even by removing the wall on which they were painted. Much of his work can be classified as temporary art. A small number of his works are officially, non-publicly, sold through an agency he created called Pest Control. Banksy's documentary film Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010) made its debut at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. In January 2011, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for the film. In 2014, he was awarded Person of the Year at the 2014 Webby Awards.
Banksy's name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation. In a 2003 interview with Simon Hattenstone of The Guardian, Banksy is described as "white, 28, scruffy casual—jeans, T-shirt, a silver tooth, silver chain and silver earring. He looks like a cross between Jimmy Nail and Mike Skinner of The Streets." An ITV News segment of 2003 featured a short interview with someone identified in the reporting as Banksy. Banksy began as an artist at the age of 14, was expelled from school, and served time in prison for petty crime. According to Hattenstone, "anonymity is vital to him because graffiti is illegal". Banksy reportedly lived in Easton, Bristol, during the late 1990s, before moving to London around 2000.
In an interview with the BBC in 2003, which was rediscovered in November 2023, reporter Nigel Wrench asked if Banksy is called Robert Banks; Banksy responded that his forename is Robbie. The Mail on Sunday claimed in 2008 that Banksy is Robin Gunningham, born on 28 July 1974 in Yate, 12 miles (19 km) from Bristol. Several of Gunningham's associates and former schoolmates at Bristol Cathedral School have corroborated this, and, in 2016, a study by researchers at the Queen Mary University of London using geographic profiling found that the incidence of Banksy's works correlated with the known movements of Gunningham. According to The Sunday Times, Gunningham began employing the name Robin Banks, which eventually became Banksy. Two cassette sleeves featuring his art work from 1993, for the Bristol band Mother Samosa, exist with his signature. In June 2017, DJ Goldie referred to Banksy as "Rob" in an interview for a podcast.
Other speculations on Banksy's identity include the following:
Robert Del Naja (also known as 3D), a member of the trip hop band Massive Attack, had been a graffiti artist during the 1980s prior to forming the band, and was previously identified as a personal friend of Banksy.
In 2020, users on Twitter began to speculate that former Art Attack presenter Neil Buchanan was Banksy. This was denied by Buchanan's publicist.
In 2022, Billy Gannon, a local councillor in Pembroke Dock was rumoured to be Banksy. He subsequently resigned because the speculation was affecting his ability to carry out the duties of a councillor. "I'm being asked to prove who I am not, and the person that I am not may not exist," he said. "I mean, how am I supposed to prove that I'm not somebody who doesn't exist? Just how do you do that?"
In October 2014, an internet hoax circulated that Banksy had been arrested and his identity revealed.
On the day of a key European parliamentary vote on food speculation, campaigners from Campact, Friends of the Earth Europe, SOS-Faim and the World Development Movement lay out 925 pots and pans outside the European parliament. 925 represents the number of people hungry in the world today. Campaigners also present a petition with 100k signatories to key Euro MPs.