With an increasing amount of fake news being produced, how do we tell what is fake and alert others?
Fake news example. 1ndependent Newspaper (www.1independent.co.uk) is trying to fool people into believing this is the Independent newspaper by replacing the letter 'I' with the figure '1'. The site itself is not very convincing - but Phil Bradley got the link via Facebook.
Google has just started adding a link to its news service called 'Fact Check'. But there are other ways to check information.
Verification Junkie (http://verificationjunkie.com/) has an excellent collection of tools for you to use, plus a free download 'Verification Handbook'.
First Draft News (https://firstdraftnews.com) provides information, news quizzes, an excellent selection of resources and some fun and enjoyable training tools.
Full Fact (https://fullfact.org) for UK based news.
Poynter website (www.poynter.org/category/fact-checking/)
Hoax Slayer (www.hoax-slayer.com/)
If any doubt, use your favourite search engine and put in some basic details on the story you are concerned about and add 'hoax' or 'spoof' as additional search terms. You'll probably end up at the Snopes website (www.snopes.com) which has a huge collection of stories with detailed information on the truth or otherwise of the story.
Just for fun - there is a site Factitious at http://factitiousgame.com that displays news stories, and you have to guess if the news is real or fake by swiping to the right or left. if you are uncertain, you can click to see the source of the story before deciding. Fun and informative.
Source: Phil Bradley in CILIP Update, November 2016, March 2017 and September 2017
Friday, 31 March 2017
Wednesday, 29 March 2017
Farmers, EU and Brexit
Brexit will impact heavily on farming.
For most farm subsidies, land must be kept bare, effectively clearing wildlife habitats. Sheep grazing on infertile land strip away most edible plants and much of the soil from the land. In the UK, while at a rough estimate sheep occupy roughly the same amount of land as used to grow all the cereals, oilseeds, potatoes, fruit, vegetables and other crops, lamb and mutton provide just 1.2% of our diet, while imports and exports of sheep meat are almost exactly the same.
Once this spending appears in our national accounts, it will become politically unsustainable. However we should not follow New Zealand's example: in 1984, subsidies were suddenly stopped, small and medium-sized farms went under, and the government protected the remaining producers by scrapping environmental laws. Instead we should continue to provide public money for public benefit – restoring ecosystems, preventing flooding downstream, and bringing children and adults back into contact with the living world. Rules should be strong enough to ensure that farmers can no longer pollute rivers, strip soil from the land, wipe out pollinators and other wildlife, and destroy the features of the countryside with impunity.
In return, if farmers have to meet market forces, the market should be fair. We need to limit the power of chain stores (even, when needed, breaking them up): currently farmers get only 9% of the value of their produce sold in supermarkets.
Read in full: Of course farmers fear Brexit, but it could save the British countryside by George Monbiot in The Guardian, 11 January 2016
- Changes to the amount of goods allowed to enter this country with low trade taxes (tariff rate quotas) could adversely affect many farmers. The 86 agricultural product quotas might have to be renegotiated individually.
- Fruit and vegetable growers rely on EU labour. After the referendum, migrant farm labour fell by 30%. Without free movement, many producers will go under.
- Farmers depend on European subsidies, which over all provide over half of farming income. The government is very unlikely to continue subsidies in their current form.
For most farm subsidies, land must be kept bare, effectively clearing wildlife habitats. Sheep grazing on infertile land strip away most edible plants and much of the soil from the land. In the UK, while at a rough estimate sheep occupy roughly the same amount of land as used to grow all the cereals, oilseeds, potatoes, fruit, vegetables and other crops, lamb and mutton provide just 1.2% of our diet, while imports and exports of sheep meat are almost exactly the same.
Once this spending appears in our national accounts, it will become politically unsustainable. However we should not follow New Zealand's example: in 1984, subsidies were suddenly stopped, small and medium-sized farms went under, and the government protected the remaining producers by scrapping environmental laws. Instead we should continue to provide public money for public benefit – restoring ecosystems, preventing flooding downstream, and bringing children and adults back into contact with the living world. Rules should be strong enough to ensure that farmers can no longer pollute rivers, strip soil from the land, wipe out pollinators and other wildlife, and destroy the features of the countryside with impunity.
In return, if farmers have to meet market forces, the market should be fair. We need to limit the power of chain stores (even, when needed, breaking them up): currently farmers get only 9% of the value of their produce sold in supermarkets.
Read in full: Of course farmers fear Brexit, but it could save the British countryside by George Monbiot in The Guardian, 11 January 2016
Monday, 27 March 2017
UK in 2030
In December 2016, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), a centre-left think tank, published a report giving its predictions on how the UK would change in the coming years. The analysis draws on data from the OECD, the ONS and numerous
economists and researchers. IPPR took a neutral position during the run-up to the EU
referendum; this highlights how Brexit would
exacerbate challenges around inequality and low productivity that the UK is already facing.
## Two-thirds of current jobs - 15 million - were at risk from new technologies such as artificial intelligence systems. This would make jobs less secure and more freelance.
## Income inequality will become more entrenched, as will the wealth gap between London and the rest of the country. By 2030 households will on average be £1,700 worse off per year than they would have been if Britain had stayed in the EU, with a persistently falling currency driving up prices and hitting the living standards of poorer people the hardest.
## There will be a population boom, with a 30% increase in the number of over-65s in the population by 2030, and a doubling of the number of over-85s. This would cause the state funding gap for adult social care to hit £13bn by 2030-31. The non-white proportion of the population is predicted to climb to more than one in five within 12 years.
## The UK is likely to remain trapped in a low growth, low interest rate decade driven by demographic shifts, productivity trends, weak investment, weak labour power, high levels of debt, and a slowing global economy. "Without reform, our political and social system will struggle to build a more democratic, healthy society in the decades ahead, even as Brexit accelerates us towards a radically different institutional landscape."
Read the IPPR report: http://www.ippr.org/publications/future-proof-britain-in-the-2020s
BBC News website 29 dec. 2016: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38459135
The Guardian 29 Dec. 2016: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/dec/29/uk-in-2030-older-more-unequal-and-blighted-by-brexit-report-predicts
## Two-thirds of current jobs - 15 million - were at risk from new technologies such as artificial intelligence systems. This would make jobs less secure and more freelance.
## Income inequality will become more entrenched, as will the wealth gap between London and the rest of the country. By 2030 households will on average be £1,700 worse off per year than they would have been if Britain had stayed in the EU, with a persistently falling currency driving up prices and hitting the living standards of poorer people the hardest.
## There will be a population boom, with a 30% increase in the number of over-65s in the population by 2030, and a doubling of the number of over-85s. This would cause the state funding gap for adult social care to hit £13bn by 2030-31. The non-white proportion of the population is predicted to climb to more than one in five within 12 years.
## The UK is likely to remain trapped in a low growth, low interest rate decade driven by demographic shifts, productivity trends, weak investment, weak labour power, high levels of debt, and a slowing global economy. "Without reform, our political and social system will struggle to build a more democratic, healthy society in the decades ahead, even as Brexit accelerates us towards a radically different institutional landscape."
Read the IPPR report: http://www.ippr.org/publications/future-proof-britain-in-the-2020s
BBC News website 29 dec. 2016: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38459135
The Guardian 29 Dec. 2016: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/dec/29/uk-in-2030-older-more-unequal-and-blighted-by-brexit-report-predicts
Friday, 24 March 2017
Storing Out of Season Clothes
Wardrobe space can be limited, so you may wish to store out of season clothing elsewhere. Here's how to do it.
- Always store clothes in plastic boxes - wood, cardboard and paper can damage fabrics. However, do remember that natural fibres (such as silk) need to be able to breathe.
- Always wash and dry clothes thoroughly before storing. Place cedar balls, moth-repellent crystals or lavender sachets in between the layers.
- Never iron or starch anything you are storing for longer than a few weeks. Both can weaken the fibres and make them prone to tearing along the creases.
Wednesday, 22 March 2017
Protect Yourself Against Cold Calling Fraud
The government has announced it will ban cold calls selling investments or pensions (but not personal injury claims?) as many of these are from criminals, but the change won't happen immediately, and it will still be impossible to stop calls from abroad or determined fraudsters. Here's how to protect yourself.
# If someone you don't know phones, texts or emails offering any sort of financial deal: put down the phone, forward the text to your network operator (see below) then delete it, or delete the email.
# Report cold calls or spam texts to the Information Commissioner's Office https://ico.org.uk/concerns/marketing/spam-texts-and-nuisance-calls - they will not investigate every case but reporting helps build up evidence for future use.
# Forward spam texts to your network operator on 7726: you may need to put 8 (for Vodafone) or 3 (Three) before the number.
# If you suspect an attempted fraud, tell actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040; they may or may not take action.
# Registering your landline and mobile with the Telephone Preference Service tpsonline.org.uk will stop legitimate cold calls. It is free and easy to do but you will need an email address. No email address? Call 0345 070 0707 (standard call rates). Firms calling once you are on the register are breaking the law, so if cold calls continue, always report them.
# A call or text may ask you to call back on a number that will cost you a lot. Do not respond. Report it to the Phone-paid Services Authority http://psauthority.org.uk - which also has a useful number checker for unidentified numbers on your phone bill.
# Unexpected call from a firm (e.g. insurer, bank) you have dealt with in the past? Hang up, wait for a few minutes, then call on a number on your own paperwork from that company. Alternatively, ask the caller to write to you but don't give your address!
Paul Lewis, in Radio Times 10-16 Dec. 2016.
# If someone you don't know phones, texts or emails offering any sort of financial deal: put down the phone, forward the text to your network operator (see below) then delete it, or delete the email.
# Report cold calls or spam texts to the Information Commissioner's Office https://ico.org.uk/concerns/marketing/spam-texts-and-nuisance-calls - they will not investigate every case but reporting helps build up evidence for future use.
# Forward spam texts to your network operator on 7726: you may need to put 8 (for Vodafone) or 3 (Three) before the number.
# If you suspect an attempted fraud, tell actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040; they may or may not take action.
# Registering your landline and mobile with the Telephone Preference Service tpsonline.org.uk will stop legitimate cold calls. It is free and easy to do but you will need an email address. No email address? Call 0345 070 0707 (standard call rates). Firms calling once you are on the register are breaking the law, so if cold calls continue, always report them.
# A call or text may ask you to call back on a number that will cost you a lot. Do not respond. Report it to the Phone-paid Services Authority http://psauthority.org.uk - which also has a useful number checker for unidentified numbers on your phone bill.
# Unexpected call from a firm (e.g. insurer, bank) you have dealt with in the past? Hang up, wait for a few minutes, then call on a number on your own paperwork from that company. Alternatively, ask the caller to write to you but don't give your address!
Paul Lewis, in Radio Times 10-16 Dec. 2016.
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