Interesting Links for 28-10-2014

[andrewducker]

• #NotAllSeagulls
  (tags: abuse internet )
• Meanwhile, in a parallell universe
  (tags: funny video scifi )
• Why is David Cameron afraid to call himself a feminist?
  (tags: feminism equality rights politics UK davidcameron )
• How to Make Moss Graffiti
  (tags: fungus graffiti art )
• Apparently you can now get flights cancelled by creating a WiFi network

Comments

[bart_calendar]

Why won't david cameron call himself a feminist? For the same reason that Marine Le Pen won't call herself a socialist.

You can't self identify as a term hated by a huge blog of your constituency and expect to remain in politics long.

In fact, I'd be sort of pissed if he did put on that shirt. Presumably the people who elected him wanted an old fashioned right wing mum at home in the garden and roasties on sunday government/society and if he failed to live up the expectations of the people who put him in power I'd find that much worse than bending to popular opinion even if it's against the person and values people thought they were voting for.

It would be no different then him wearing a "Independence For Scotland!" T-shirt on his next trip to Glasgow.

[andrewducker]

Except...that he claims to believe in equality for women and to want women to have equal opportunities.

Which is a great example of wanting to both have his cake and eat it.

[bart_calendar]

Given the myriad definitions of feminism out there (even within the feminist community) I don't find it a contradiction at all to claim to want equal rights for women but also being uncomfortable with the specific term feminism.

Possibly the most inappropriate tag. Evah.

[rhythmaning]

"Fungus".

Should be: "Bryophyte".

Re: Possibly the most inappropriate tag. Evah.

[alitheapipkin]

+1 says the Ecologist-by-training :)

[alitheapipkin]

This stuff with the A9 annoys me no end, AFAIK average speed cameras are going to make no difference to the amount of dangerous overtaking that goes on. Raising the speed limit for HGVs will probably make far more difference but by introducing both together, the campaign to cut speed limits in general on national routes is going to have more 'evidence' to draw on :( I realise that driving at 50-60 on motorways is more efficient and environmentally friendly but until we have a better public transport system which includes long distance trains you can put your car on and a return to haulage by train, reducing motorway speed limits is just a way of making us up north even more isolated in terms of transport links.

Sorry, not entirely relevant pet rant over ;)

[andrewducker]

AFAIK average speed cameras are going to make no difference to the amount of dangerous overtaking that goes on

Seems reasonable.

Presumably they'll stop speeding though?

[alitheapipkin]

My understanding is that most accidents on that road are caused by unsafe overtaking, not speeding per se though. I don't know if there are some publicly available stats but it always seems to be head-on collisions reported on the news, and that is my personal experience of travelling on that road, and that of friends who use it regularly.

Don't get me wrong, I have no sympathy with drivers who complain about speed cameras - you don't get fined if you aren't breaking the rules - BUT they are using the appalling safety record on that road as a justification for this expense and if it was really cutting accidents they wanted to achieve, I don't think this is the way to do it.

[vanessagalore]

Moss: I'm in an epic battle with moss on my roof. I suppose I could make designs in my roof moss to piss off my neighbors (and to make my Google Earth pics NSFW). Moss is basically invasive in my area, and it's quite destructive, so that art is really WTF for me.

[brixtonbrood]

Four years ago Cameron might have worn that Tshirt., because he was fighting on the middle ground for "progressive" votes, and the other end of the spectrum were locked in to the Tories, because where else would they go? that vote traditionally doesn't even abstain. But now he's fighting for the "conservative" vote with UKIP who are presented as a credible alternative opposition, so anything that will piss off potential UKIP voters is a very risky act for him