We don’t know if overseas readers have noticed, but these islands have recently seen a resurgence in the question of a new Scottish Independence Referendum.[1] Scots First Minister, and avowed nationalist Nicola Sturgeon has determined to apply to the UK High Court to see if such a transcendental step is legally possible.

And transcendental it will be, at least for the people of the UK. Imagine if it is successful: borders will be set up. Armed forces, health services, broadcasters, entirely broken up and redistributed. Who gets to keep the Nuclear Deterrence force? The National Debt? All those funny little islands in far off places like the British Virgin Islands.?

Advocates of Independence say it’s all about national self determination, in this case for Scotland. But there is another nation that has a right to determine its future: the United Kingdom. Do the people of the United Kingdom want to see these profound changes? What do the people of Wales think, or care, about a hard border between England and Scotland? But surely they have a right to vote too. The principle of every nation voting on its future is an important one: if it is right for Scotland, then it is right for the UK too.

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jul/05/united-kingdom-british-federation-celtic

#scotland #england #northern ireland #wales #independence #referendum #nationalism #united kingdom

_{The second part of our series on this crucial issue}

The migration of peoples has become the dominant political and social issue of the early decades of our century, and is likely to remain so for decades. We ‘ll look later at how immigration has worked out (for example in nations such as the US and Australia) Today: why do they do it?

There’s a vast reading-base on the subject, and we’ve chosen this link [1] purely because of its brevity. People migrate to look for better conditions. There is movement and settlement among richer nations; but the overwhelming bulk of immigrants come from poorer countries, and it’s in search of work. Money, in fact. Just as loose capital is attracted to new ventures in search of higher returns, so this human capital invests itself, often at great personal risk. The rewards are often much lower too. The fact that transport and communications have become so much faster in the last hundred years has made the phenomenon more acute. But the fact remains: people move, like ions in an electric field from the negative (poverty, oppression) to the positive (freedom, prosperity). Capitalism in action in its rawest, most basic sense.

We will also look at attempts to control this movement. We think in the long run all will be futile, except one: level the field. Reduce poverty, improve education and services in poor countries, and the incentive to move will largely disappear. We will also be looking at how that can be done too. The results may surprise.

[1]https://www.lirs.org/causes-of-immigration/

#immigration #emigration #migration #capitalism #labour

Until about 1989 we always thought that sparkling wines were yellow and rose ones were still. Apart from Mateus Rose, of course, but that didn’t really count, did it? So we remember the sight of our first pink champagne style bubbly with something of the same emotion we had that night(it was in Stratford on Avon) “Wow! Do they really make that stuff?” Since when Sparkling Roses have gone from strength to strength in our cellar, and indeed the cellars of all the Board of Directors and Senior Managers here at LSS. Meanwhile, we ploughed on with the still ones too-from dry Provences to fruity Californians, all perfect for warm summer evenings.

But did you know that you can make cocktails from them too? To help you to an evening of creative joy, our researchers, bless ’em, have come up with this marvellous list of cocktails which you can make, ever so easily, using the sparkling pink stuff. Read it to find out about The French 75, Granita, St Germain and many more. Happy Drinking!

https://www.brit.co/rose-cocktail-recipes/

There were so many amazing ones came across this week, that it was hard to choose!

Was Darwin Wrong? Well not exactly; but every theory needs revision now and then. If the writer of this one is even half right, then something pretty big is going on in Biology. But read it just to learn about the Senegalese Birchir, which seems to pack 10 million years of evolution into ten weeks!

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/jun/28/do-we-need-a-new-theory-of-evolution?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Why are Trump fans afraid? Fear of being found wrong seems to be the key. This piece in The Atlantic is a masterly insight into the human condition

https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2022/06/what-are-trump-supporters-so-afraid-of/661346/?utm_source=apple_news

^{we thank Mr Peter Seymour for this story}

CRISPR at Ten Whatever the petty political squabbles of today, future generations will look back to say “this was when they invented CRISPR- and it was going to be BIG!” New York Times via Nature Briefings cover this one

It’s been ten years since microbiologist Emmanuelle Charpentier and biochemist Jennifer Doudna published the research that paved the way for CRISPR–Cas9 gene editing. In 2020, they shared the chemistry Nobel for the work. An overview of the technique’s past, present and future looks at how it has transformed the life sciences.The New York Times | 10 min read
Reference: Science paper

Supreme Court shows its true colours And they are Republican Red, or at least that’s how it seems to us foreigners. This is the second one in a week. On a completely unrelated matter, here’s a word game: choose from these words; Vindictive, spiteful, ignorant, prejudiced, gloating, selfish, wilful, cruel, capricious, ancient, petty-minded, stupid, partisan, deceitful, complacent, and downright nasty. How many can you apply to a decision which has been in the news this week?

the US Supreme Court has prohibited the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from crafting broad regulations to drive the country’s power industry away from coal and towards cleaner energy sources such as wind and solar. The court’s ruling could make it much harder for the administration of President Joe Biden — and its successors — to curb greenhouse gases as promised under the 2015 Paris climate agreement. And that spells bad news for the planet, because the United States is both one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases in the world and a crucial player in the countries tackling global warming.Nature | 6 min read

Old Skool debate In England, Private schools (confusingly known as “Public Schools”) boast that their superiority is due to the fact that they run like businesses. But how many other businesses get charity status tax breaks? asks The Conversation:

https://theconversation.com/the-public-cost-of-private-schools-rising-fees-and-luxury-facilities-raise-questions-about-charitable-status-182060?utm_

More Unreason: Flat earthers Why do people believe palpable untruths? Flat earthers are now just one case among many. Here the Conversation tries to understand a little more odf the emotional roots of bizarre beliefs

https://theconversation.com/i-watched-hundreds-of-flat-earth-videos-to-learn-how-conspiracy-theories-spread-and-what-it-could-mean-for-fighting-disinformation-184589?utm_

That’s quite a reading list! We’ll close with this nice video of some Tiger cubs(hope it clicks OK) and wish you all a happy weekend

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=tiger+cubs+playing&view=detail&mid=85E496C734DA1B8CF87B85E496C734DA1B8CF87B&FORM=VIRE

#tiger #conspiracy theory #EPA #supreme court #CRISPR #evolution #donald trump

So, who is Nouriel Roubini?

Well for one thing, he’s Emeritus Professor of Economics at The Stern School of Business at New York University, so he knows a bit about things. But his real claim to fame is that he was one of the few people to see the crash of 2007 coming beforehand, as t’were.

I see. And should we be getting a little gloomy again?

No! If he’s right, this time we should be absolutely hand-wringing, tie-chewing, nail-biting, eye-rollingly terrified. He sees the current inflation producing the most enormous dinosaur-sized crash since that old asteroid struck back in 65million years BC, as he explains here in the Guardian [1]

I thought all this inflation whatsit was just a blip?

Opinion was divided. But now it’s hardening up to say it’s here to stay, especially due to supply factors like the Ukraine war, Covid recovery, climate change and so on.

But surely the big boys at the top have got it all under control?

Weelllll……..they have been putting up interest rates to cut off the supply of money, But that only leads to a shrinking economy. Already we are seeing bubbles popping just about all over the place, like cryptos and the property market. But if the equity markets crash this time, the Good Professor thinks it could be by 50%, which is kind of like, unprecedented.

Gosh! And what will Central Banks do then?

They will abandon their hawkish stance, loosen interest rates, and produce more inflation, leading in turn to………

Higher interest rates?

Exactly! And so we get utterly stuck in the dreaded cycle of stagflation, with no obvious way out, because the world is much more indebted than it was in the 1970s.

How so?

Ever since Thatcher-Reagan reforms of the 1980s, the world has been awash with cheap credit and borrowing, a problem which only got worse after 2008. Basically, there’s nothing left in the kitty.

So, like the dinosaurs, we’re doomed?

Well, some dinosaurs survived. Smaller ones. Like sparrows and seagulls for example .

So the best thing to do is?

Get ready for a diet of crusts of bread

[1]https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/jun/30/stagflationary-debt-crisis-us-recession

#economics #nouriel roubini #inflation #interest rates

Unless you live entirely in the world of politics and economics, in which case you’re a little boring, you can’t fail to have noticed that last week’s entertainment news was dominated by some very familiar acts indeed. Paul McCartney (b1942) headlined Glastonbury. The equally venerable Diana Ross was there too. While the surviving Rolling Stones were selling out in London, albeit with a line up much changed from their early years. Even we can remember these performers topping the popular musical hit parade charts in 1964. We’ll leave you to add your own memories in the space below, but we calculate that as being 58 years.

Fifty eight years! The same distance going backwards from 1964 takes you to 1906. How many megastars from 1906 would be selling out tours in 1964? How many were even remembered. And how many today? Our researchers came up with a rather short list of names from 1906, including Dan Leno, Little Tich and Vesta Tilley. The brevity alone suggests that Edwardian artistes had little staying power or much to say to future generations. Or is that patronising-is there a different reason?

McCartney and his peers were children of the first true global markets. When musicians, using new recording and distribution technologies like film and vinyl could build huge global followings across many countries. Such technologies were in their infancies in the Edwardian period. so American or Chinese fans were unlikely to be exposed to Little Tich in any great numbers. Some performers like Stan Laurel and Charlie Chaplin did indeed make it on both sides of the Atlantic, but this was largely due to the maturing film technologies of the decades after Edward VII. They paved the way for the first true international stars like Laurence Olivier and Humphrey Bogart.

It’s not McCartney and co aren’t talented-they are. But it’s also likely that they were born at the right time, and knew how to use their opportunities. A fortunate combination indeed.

#globalisation #technology #entertainment #paul mccartney #rolling stones #diana ross #glastonbury

Italy has given the world many great things. The Roman Empire. Virgil. The Renaissance. Petrarch. Pasta. Primitivo. Inspector Montalbano. But up there with the best is Limoncello, the delicious drink that is the basis for so many great cocktails.

And what a site our researchers have found for you to explore it! It’s called The Bespoke Unit, describing itself as ” A guide to the dapper life” How about that as a summary of the philosophy of LSS and its myriad readership!

https://bespokeunit.com/spirits/limoncello/

On Limoncello alone they wax as lyrical as any Dante or Camilleri. Apparently, Limoncello is

“…… is essentially a liqueur that is made by macerating lemon peels in neutral grain spirit alcohol for several weeks. The peels are removed and the alcohol is diluted with water and sugar.”

That said, they go on to range of delicious ideas, including aperitifs, substitutes and variations based on other fruits grown in the warm groves of sunny Italy. But time is limited, so we will pick their list of ten cocktails, which includes the Limoncello Gin Cocktail, the Amalfi Mule, the Limoncello Sorbet and the Good Luck Charm. Happy Mixing

https://bespokeunit.com/spirits/limoncello/cocktails/#1

#limoncello #cocktails

interesting ones from this week

Ad Feminem attack A sure sign that someone is losing an argument is when they resort to aggressive abuse and name calling. An example is the woman Marjorie Taylor Greene who came up against the far more intelligent and better informed Siobhan Kennedy of Channel 4 news. Daily Mail:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10946189/British-journalist-told-country-Republican-politician-Siobhan-Kennedy.html

Mangroves against global warming * Sometimes a simple and cheap use of Nature can be the most effective way to combat global warming as this pioneering project from Karachi shows. Time

https://time.com/6189898/mangrove-trees-pakistan-climate/

A Japanese Warning to Vladimir Putin* The intro to this piece from the Atlantic says it all, Be careful what you wish for, Vlad baby!

“The Russo-Japanese War led not just to an immediate revolution, but to deeper and longer-lasting change years later.”

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/06/russia-war-ukraine-japan/661312/?utm_source=apple_news

At this point we are going to interrupt the Blog and shout “BUY THE ATLANTIC!” It is beyond all possible praise

Elephant’s Memory It’s always fascinating when a fossil seems to realise the actual life and death of a particular animal at a particular time. From Nature

Chemical signatures inscribed in an ancient tusk tell a mastodon’s life story — from his adolescent years to his premature death around 13,200 years ago. Researchers matched the chemical signatures in the tusks of an American mastodon (Mammut americanum) with those from his home range in what is now Indiana. They found that, as an adult, he travelled to mastodon mating grounds every year in the spring and summer. It was there, at 34 years of age, that he met his end, probably from a skull puncture during a battle with another bull.The New York Times | 4 min read & Nature Research Highlight | 1 min read (Nature paywall)
Reference: PNAS paper

DNA code re writes One thing all other scientists learn-when the DNA boys ride into town, they are going to shake things up. Here they are in the field of Evolutionary biology The Conversation

https://theconversation.com/evolutionary-tree-of-life-modern-science-is-showing-how-we-got-so-much-wrong-185077?utm_medium=email&utm_camp

* we thank Mr Peter Seymour for these stories

#marjorie taylor greene #siobhan kennedy #dna #evolution #mastodon #global warming ‘#climate change

Immigration is now the most important political and cultural issue of the 21st Century. It shouldn’t be; there are far more important problems and opportunities. But for most people the arrival of large groups of perceived outsiders and how to respond to them is their dominant concern, the primal drives for food and sex excepted of course. In the next few weeks we will be running a series of posts on the matter: for it must finally be understood and resolved.

Has human migration always occurred ,or is it new? Whom does it benefit, and why? Does it always occur in the same ways? Can it, or should it, be controlled? Above all, what causes it?

We will argue that humans migrate from a poor life to a better one. Like ions in an electric field migrating from negative conditions (usually economic and political) to positive ones. That attempts to control this using things like walls and resettlement schemes can only have a marginal effect. And that the solution is to massively improve the economic conditions of people in poorer countries, thereby vitiating the motive to migrate. And that a sustained effort to do this would result in an infinitely more prosperous and settled world, able at last to confront real threats like climate change and antibiotic resistance, and to take advantage of the new opportunities offered in disciplines such as biology and space exploration.

We hope you will join us with open minds, and contribute with your own thoughts and opinions. For too long rationalists and centrists have left this issue to charlatans of the far left and far right. It won’t go away, and most people aren’t going to be nice and reasonable about it. Time for a solution.

#migration #immigration #emigration #identity politics #culture wars #globalisation

Ask any educated person to name the most iconic laboratories in the world, and they will reel of a list which might include Los Alamos, CERN, the Broad Institute, the Max Planck……we could go on. But how many would name the Comparative Cognition Laboratory[2] at Madingley in Cambridge, and its handful of little offices and aviaries? Yet the work done there is just as surprising, and as prestigious as any done at those somewhat larger and much better-heeled institutes.

For the work of Professor Nicola Clayton and her team has shown that the Corvid family of birds-whose members include crows, jays, rooks and ravens are intelligent. Maybe very intelligent, right up there with chimpanzees and the other bright stars of the animal kingdom. People have suspected this since the time of Aesop, but the Professor and her team have shown, unequivocally, that these clever birds can use tools, plan ahead and second guess the actions of those around them. That’s a pretty good definition of intelligence in anyone, certainly anyone in the present Government.

And now this fascinating, value-for money little outfit is to close. You can read the hows and whys in Will Coldwell‘s coverage for The Guardian.[1] What we want to point out, rather sourly, is how a genuine cultural treasure, a source of new learning, is being thoughtlessly vandalised. Yes, we in Britain are very keen to save bits ancient culture, like big country houses and old steam trains. But, given the chance to preserve something new, and potentially game changing, it’s spurned. That seems to us at LSS to be the very opposite of taking back control.

[1]https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jun/19/queen-of-corvids-the-scientist-fighting-to-save-the-worlds-brainiest-birds

[2] https://www.psychol.cam.ac.uk/ccl

#psychology #intelligence #research #crow family #aesop