Gaslighting in London
No, literally, gaslight, in the streets, still: Two centuries after the first gas lights appeared on the streets of London, casting a romantic glow through the gloom, a few hundred remain in some of the most historic areas of the capital. But not for much longer. Westminster city council is planning to convert 299 gas lights to electricity, saying LED lights are environmentally better and easier to maintain. The plan is opposed by a group of residents who claim the council’s reasons are “spurious”. Their campaign is supported by the architectural historian Dan Cruickshank who said the introduction of gas street lights in the early 19th century “transformed city life” and was “a significant moment in the history of London”.
I did wonder if there might be an environmental case for going back to sewer gas destructor lamps, of which one example still (to the best of my knowledge) remains just off the Strand. Though I suspect build-up of noxious sewage gases may have been obviated by changing technology?
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Another rare and threatened survival: New initiative aims to save curlew from extinction in Wales The curlew holds a cherished place in Welsh folklore and culture, its bubbling, haunting call traditionally regarded by many as a harbinger of spring. However, numbers of the wading bird have declined to such low levels that a major plan involving a string of conservation groups, the farming community and the Welsh government has been launched with the aim of saving the creature from extinction in what used to be a stronghold.
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Another survival: in what I think may be the fine old tradition of 'we are here to teach you to think, girls' (and with luck that will lead you to overthrow the patriarchy), as embodied in a splendid tradition of female educators: President of the Girls’ Schools Association will tell gathering of headteachers they ‘must keep up with times’: Older adults should not use terms like “woke” or “snowflakes” to mock the younger generation and their commitment to campaigning on issues like misogyny, Black Lives Matter, gender identity and climate action, a leading headteacher has said. Samantha Price, who is president of the Girls’ Schools Association (GSA), warned that using derogatory language to belittle young people’s demands for change risked undermining future progress on equality and sustainability.
Give her the Sara Burton Award!
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