Ukip founder Alan Sked: 'The party has become a Frankenstein's monster' | Politics The founder of Ukip is trying to prove to me that, when he was in charge, the party wasn't racist. He's also trying to demonstrate that his Ukip wouldn't have had its snout in the European parliament's expenses trough, unlike its 2014 incarnation. "I had one here not so long ago," says Alan Sked, professor of international history at the London School of Economics, as he searches for a membership application form as evidence. It's a tough task: his office, the LSE's Room E503, is a stranger to the declutterer's art – it's not so much overwhelmed with books and papers as booby-trapped by them. Room E503 is historically significant for modern British politics. But, first, where is that piece of paper? He hands me the form. "They got rid of all that after I left," says Sked, who resigned the leadership shortly after the 1997 general election. But those changes alone don't make 2014 Ukip racist, do they? Farage has denied that he said these words and always insists that he is not racist.
How to read and understand a scientific paper: a guide for non-scientists « Violent metaphors Update (1/3/18) I’ve been overwhelmed with requests for the shorter guide, and the email address below no longer works. So I’ve uploaded a copy of the guide for anyone to download and share here: How to read and understand a scientific article. Please feel free to use it however you wish (although I’d appreciate being credited as the author). I apologize to everyone who emailed me and didn’t get a response! Update (8/30/14): I’ve written a shorter version of this guide for teachers to hand out to their classes. Last week’s post (The truth about vaccinations: Your physician knows more than the University of Google) sparked a very lively discussion, with comments from several people trying to persuade me (and the other readers) that their paper disproved everything that I’d been saying. It’s not just a fun academic problem. “Be skeptical. What constitutes enough proof? The type of scientific paper I’m discussing here is referred to as a primary research article. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
This Young Mother Is Giving Up On Her Kids And I Don't Blame Her. Meet Stephanie Metz, she is a mother of two young boys in western South Dakota. Why My Kids Are NOT the Center of My World Wait, what did she say? Yeah, you read that right. This blog post is a bit of a rant and it’s a bit all over the place. If you’re feeling adventurous today, feel free to read on. The emotions that sparked this blog post were given a little bit of a supercharge last evening. I often think about the world my boys will grow up in. In completely selfish terms, bringing my boys into this world was such a great decision – for me. How long will it be before their typical boy-ish behavior gets them suspended from school? The mentality of our society in 2013 is nauseating to me, friends. Many years ago, there was a time where young boys could run around with their toy guns, killing the bad guys. There was a time – not too long ago – when bullying was defined as slamming someone up against a locker and stealing their lunch money. Modern parenting and thinking makes me crazy.
The 46 Most Brilliant Life Hacks Every Human Being Needs To Make Life Easier | EpicDash I love finding clever solutions to the little snags I come across in cooking, building, cleaning, or just about anything. These are some that I find myself using all the time! Pour a half a cup of baking soda and a cup of vinegar into a clogged drain. Once it stops foaming rinse down the sink and your drains will be clear. A cheap and environmentally friendly way to unclog a sink! When camping or just in a pinch, a standard headlamp strapped to a 1 gallon jug of water can illuminate an entire room or tent. Placing a wooden spoon over the top of boiling water will stop it from boiling over by bursting the bubbles. Avoid getting a tongue lashing from your mom for putting your cold drink on her new coffee table. Many hotel TVs have handy USB slots in the back that will charge most smartphones. Use AAA batteries in gadgets that need AA batteries by filling the gaps with scrunched up tin foil. Putting your phone in airplane mode while gaming will stop those annoying ads from playing! Good luck!
12 Little Known Laws of Karma (That Will Change Your Life) What is Karma? Karma is the Sanskrit word for action. It is equivalent to Newton’s law of ‘every action must have a reaction’. When we think, speak or act we initiate a force that will react accordingly. This returning force maybe modified, changed or suspended, but most people will not be able eradicate it. To stop being afraid and to start being empowered in the worlds of karma and reincarnation, here is what you need to know about karmic laws. - “As you sow, so shall you reap”. - Whatever we put out in the Universe is what comes back to us. - If what we want is Happiness, Peace, Love, Friendship… Then we should BE Happy, Peaceful, Loving and a True Friend. - Life doesn’t just HAPPEN, it requires our participation. - We are one with the Universe, both inside and out. – Whatever surrounds us gives us clues to our inner state. - BE yourself, and surround yourself with what you want to have present in your Life. - What you refuse to accept, will continue for you. Source: social-consciousness
Kepler Team Announces Discovery of Earth-Sized Planet in Habitable Zone Since its launch in the spring of 2009, NASA's Kepler Space Telescope has been hunting exoplanets. The holy grail being a planet that is essentially like ours in terms of size, composition, and habitability: an Earth-twin. While we still haven't found a planet that exactly fits that bill, Kepler has now confirmed the discovery of an Earth-sized exoplanet in its star’s habitable zone. Kepler-186f is about 10% larger than Earth and orbits an M dwarf star around 500 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus. Life as we know it requires the presence of liquid water, so a planet with the potential for life would be not too close to the star (which would be too hot and the water would be vapor) yet not too far away (where it would be too cold and the water would be ice). "We know of just one planet where life exists -- Earth. Co-author Thomas Barclay added: "Being in the habitable zone does not mean we know this planet is habitable.
Jade Wright says think twice before sharing on facebook Facebook is usually a friendly place where people post funny pictures of cats and share their news. But increasingly I’m seeing my friends – who are mostly lovely tolerant people with no axes to grind – reposting photos from a facebook group called Britain First. They have no idea that Britain First is actually a political party which has been linked with the BNP. This is a group who describe themselves as: “A patriotic political party and street defence organisation. Here you can join forces with patriots like you!” Their website boasts: “Britain first has the biggest facebook page of any UK political party.” They were in trouble at the European elections after posting "Remember Lee Rigby" on voting slips. I’m pretty sure that my friends wouldn’t knowingly post links from a far right group’s site. It must have escaped Britain First that those brave D Day soldiers were putting their lives on the line fighting a war against fascism.
The 10 Most Important Work Skills in 2020 Share this infographic on your site! <a href=" src=" alt="Important Work Skills for 2020" width="500" border="0" /></a><br />Source: <a href=" The 10 Most Important Work Skills in 2020 Future Work Skills of 2020: Sources: Why Does Chilli Burn, And Why Does Milk Help Soothe The Pain? Whether it’s a few flakes on a pizza or the spiciest vindaloo known to humankind, most people can tolerate or even enjoy the tingling, burning sensation chilli can bring. So how does chilli deliver its sting? And why is it that milk can take the edge off a spicy meal, while water doesn’t work as well? Our senses of taste and smell are collectively known as the chemosenses; they detect certain chemicals in the environment. Smell (olfaction) refers to the detection of volatile chemicals in the nasal cavity, whether they enter via the nostrils or via the throat. Till Krech/Flickr, CC BY “Taste” refers to the five primary tastes: sweet sour salty bitter umami. But people often misuse the word “taste”. Actually, the only taste you’re getting from the wine is some sweetness (sugars) and some sourness (acids). Our nose and mouth also pick up other sensations, such as pain or irritation, through chemical reactions. Chilli, capsaicin and hallucinations It is also potentially lethal. Why milk helps
The Brains of Successful vs. Unsuccessful People Actually Look Very Different What's the best way to take control of your own life and push yourself against boundaries? According to Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, it's all about your mindset. Successful people tend to focus on growth, solving problems and self-improvement, while unsuccessful people think of their abilities as fixed assets and avoid challenges. Dweck says that there are two basic categories that peoples' behavioral traits tend to fall into: fixed and growth mindsets. This infographic by Nigel Holmes summarizes these differences. Image Credit: Brain Pickings A person with a "fixed" mindset tends to view themselves with static traits and a deterministic outlook. A person with a "growth" mindset, on the other hand, sees challenges as things to overcome and views failure as an opportunity for growth and personal development. In the end, Dweck says, how we approach life can determine our success and happiness. Image Credit: Shirley Clarke / Bullitt Schools The result? What's this mean for me?
How to turn small talk into smart conversation Imagine almost any situation where two or more people are gathered—a wedding reception, a job interview, two off-duty cops hanging out in a Jacuzzi. What do these situations have in common? Almost all of them involve people trying to talk with each other. Or worse, we do a passable job at talking. We stagger through our romantic, professional and social worlds with the goal merely of not crashing, never considering that we might soar. We at What to Talk About headquarters set out to change this. Ask for stories, not answers One way to get beyond small talk is to ask open-ended questions. Instead of . . . Try . . . Break the mirror When small talk stalls out, it’s often due to a phenomenon we call “mirroring.” Mirrored example: James: It’s a beautiful day! See? Non-mirrored example: James: It’s a beautiful day! See? Leapfrog over the expected response An even better way to break the boring-conversation mirror is to skip over the expected response, and go somewhere next-level: Riz: What’s up?
21 GIFs That Explain Mathematical Concepts “Let's face it; by and large math is not easy, but that's what makes it so rewarding when you conquer a problem, and reach new heights of understanding.” Danica McKellar As we usher in the start of a new school year, it’s time to hit the ground running in your classes! Math can be pretty tough, but since it is the language in which scientists interpret the Universe, there’s really no getting around learning it. Ellipse: Via: giphy Solving Pascal triangles: Via: Hersfold via Wikimedia Commons Use FOIL to easily multiply binomials: Via: mathcaptain Here’s how you solve logarithms: Via: imgur Use this trick so you don’t get mixed up when doing matrix transpositions: Via: Wikimedia Commons What the Pythagorean Theorem is really trying to show you: Via: giphy Exterior angles of polygons will ALWAYS add up to 360 degrees: Via: math.stackexchange If you’re studying trig, you better get pretty comfortable with circles. Via: imgur Via: Wikimedia Commons This shows the same thing, but a bit more simply: Via: imgur
Did Hyman Minsky find the secret behind financial crashes? 23 March 2014Last updated at 21:14 ET American economist Hyman Minsky, who died in 1996, grew up during the Great Depression, an event which shaped his views and set him on a crusade to explain how it happened and how a repeat could be prevented, writes Duncan Weldon. Minsky spent his life on the margins of economics but his ideas suddenly gained currency with the 2007-08 financial crisis. To many, it seemed to offer one of the most plausible accounts of why it had happened. His long out-of-print books were suddenly in high demand with copies changing hands for hundreds of dollars - not bad for densely written tomes with titles like Stabilizing an Unstable Economy. Senior central bankers including current US Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen and the Bank of England's Mervyn King began quoting his insights. Here are five of his ideas. Stability is destabilising Minsky's main idea is so simple that it could fit on a T-shirt, with just three words: "Stability is destabilising." Ponzi schemes
Romantic Brighton | Romantic Weekend Brighton Are you looking for the perfect romantic day for two or even the perfect place for a first date? Then look no further than our countdown of the best romantic things to do in Brighton. With everything from picnics to boat trips and private flights to dance lessons we’re sure there’s something to suit everyone whether it’s for a proposal, for Valentine’s Day or just a day to show them you care. Picnic for two Enjoy a tasty Italian feast from Carluccios Brighton by ordering a special picnic hamper. Hampers can be ordered up to 24 hours in advance with a Classic and Vegetarian option available. Carluccios Brighton – Jubilee St, BN1 1GE £45 Private Wine Tasting Learn the in and outs of wine in an intimate wine tasting for two at Ten Green Bottles Brighton. Ten Green Bottles – 9 Jubilee Street, Brighton BN1 1GE £25 p/head Learn to Salsa and Lindy Hop Get hot and steamy in a salsa session with Salsa Revolution led by Dani J. Lindy Hop Classes – Mon-Weds from 7.30pm – See website for venues – £6 – £8