It’s been A-Level results day this week. Almost, but not quite, twenty years ago I would have been busily helping my students negotiate the clearing system to get themselves into the university of their choice. This year, apparently, a record number of students have been accepted by their first choice university. A record number have achieved A and A* grades. Quite how that can be I am not at all sure. It used to be that the grade boundaries shifted slightly each year so that the same percentage of students each year received / achieved the various grades. So it goes.
The news programmes over the last couple of days have featured interviews with excited students. That didn’t used to happen back when we did A-Levels. We didn’t even go into school to collect our results: they were posted to us. All I got was a congratulations card from my French teacher for achieving the top grade in her subject. Mind you, back then fewer of us sat A-Level exams and fewer of us went to university. Things have changed.
As we go on our various walks out and about around here we keep our eyes open for interesting wildlife. For most of the year we just see squirrels and very occasionally deer - few and far between. We also look out at the moment for interesting butterflies - mostly cabbage whites or similar but from time to time a red admiral or even a peacock makes an appearance. Phil commented yesterday that there seems to be a dearth of caterpillars. He remembers seeing them ‘everywhere’ in his childhood. A shortage of caterpillars would explain the reported decline in butterfly numbers. Meanwhile, someone in Suffolk has been spotting wallabies! It is expected that they are the results of escapees from zoos, which have then bred in the wild. How weird to have one of those jump into your path!
I was reading about Notting Hill Carnival, coming up next weekend I think. Apparently there has been discussion about the use of facial recognition cameras on the streets of Notting Hill during the carnival. Facial recognition cameras are institutionally biased and are more likely to falsely identify black people as possible criminals. You would have thought that the technology would have improved to counter that but seemingly it hasn’t. Some politicians have even suggested that the carnival should be moved to somewhere like Hyde Park and become a ticketed event. If it moved to Hyde Park would it be possible to continue calling it Notting Hill Carnival? i wonder!
Wildfires still cause problems in the Iberian Peninsula. One thing I read suggested that in Portugal, for example, the decision years and years ago to plant eucalyptus trees has contributed largely to the problem. Eucalyptus trees produce eucalyptus oil and can spontaneously combust when the temperature is hight enough. When the decision was taken for economic reasons to plant lots of eucalyptus the temperature rarely got high enough for that to happen. Now it’s a regular thing for temperatures to soar to 40°.
In neighbouring Spain, decades of rural depopulation has also contributed to the problem. As small inland towns and villages have been abandoned inn favour of big cities, nobody has been controlling the growth of stuff which can then catch fire. This year they’ve had heavy rain in Spring, promoting growth, followed by successive heatwaves which have dried the vegetation out and, bingo! it’s a recipe for wildfires!
A solution, or partial solution has been suggested by shepherds in Catalonia. They have offered to graze their flocks of sheep and goats in certain areas to keep the vegetation down and to provide the fire department with easy access if fires occur. The flocks are know as “Ramats de Foc”, fire flock. Brilliant!
Here’s a link to an article about the Woodcraft Folk, a socialist alternative to Brownies, Guides, Cubs and Scouts. It’s 100 years old this year. Still going strong judging by this photo.
The likes of Jeremy Corbyn and Michael Rosen grew up with the Woodcraft Folk. Clearly a good influence!
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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