According to Zygmunt Bauman: «Loneliness spawns insecurity, but relationship seems to do nothing else. In a relationship you may feel as insecure as without it, or worse. Only the names you give your anxiety change» [15]. The amorous relationship, within a climate of "systemic financialization" (Gallino), becomes a "future" on the stock market: «Love is a mortgage loan drawn on an uncertain, and inscrutable, future» [21]. Bauman's thought intersects with Ulrich Beck's Risikogesellschaft. Auf dem Weg in eine andere Moderne (Risk Society: Towards a New Modernity) and Individualisierung (Individualization): «The smaller your mortgage loan, the less insecure you'd feel when exposed to the fluctuations of the future housing market; the less you invest in the relationship, the less insecure you'd feel when exposed to the fluctuations of your future emotions» [21]. Beck and Beck-Gernsheim, in Das ganz normale Chaos der Liebe (The Normal Chaos of Love), write: «Die Freiheit, die die moderne Gesellschaft den Individuen gewährt, ist keine Garantie für das Gelingen von Beziehungen, sondern vielmehr eine Quelle von Unsicherheit und Risiko» [108] («The freedom that modern society grants to the individual is no guarantee for the success of relationships, but rather a source of uncertainty and risk»), where every form of connection becomes a risk, an insecurity, an uncertainty. Late-modern relations (λέγειν - legein), stripped of the λόγος (logos), fall into the sociological domain of "flexibility": «The flexibility demanded by modern capitalism encourages a corresponding fluidity in personal relationships: bonds are easier to make and easier to break», according to Richard Sennett in The Culture of the New Capitalism. This insecurity, the fundamental nucleus of romantic relationships, is not found solely in the "new sociology." Many Modernist philosophers and anthropologists anticipated Bauman. «Romantic love has been reshaped by cultural and economic forces, turning feelings into choices constantly renegotiated» [25] or «The commodification of love has transformed it into a product that can be consumed, marketed, and exchanged» [25], writes the anthropologist Eva Illouz in Consuming the Romantic Utopia (1997). Georges Bataille, from another era, asserts: «L'érotisme n'est pas un lien stable mais une transgression, un moment fugitif entre les individus» («Eroticism is not a stable bond but a transgression, a fleeting moment between individuals»), in L'Érotisme [1957]. Recent discussions all point back to Bauman, the "new Kant" of sociology: Sherry Turkle, in Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other [2011] («Today, insecure in our relationships and anxious about intimacy, we look to technology to find ways to connect and at the same time protect ourselves from it» [1]) and Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age [2015]; Alain Ehrenberg, in La fatigue d'être soi. Dépression et société [1998] («Dans une società qui valorise l'autosuffisance, les relations deviennent des choix individuels, dépourvus de liens durables» [78] — «In a society that values self-sufficiency, relationships become individual choices, devoid of lasting bonds»); Barbara Fredrickson, in Love 2.0 [2013] («Love is a micro-moment of shared positive resonance»); Laura Kipnis in Against Love: A Polemic [2003] («Love is also a way of forgetting what the question is. Using love to escape love… it's kind of like smoking and wearing a nicotine patch at the same time»). Further contributions following Bauman's wake derive from the analyses of Stephanie G. Wood, Helen Fisher, and Caroline Knowles. The characteristic flexibility and transience of romantic relations (linked to Eli Pariser's "narcissistic filter bubbles" theory) is strikingly evident in literary Late-Modernism. Love songs become interchangeable, no longer applicable to a singular woman. The late-modern suddenly transforms amour fou (mad love)—through the escalation of an obsessive delirium regarding the "diabolized" woman—into a transient sexual relationship, replete with comfort and seductivity. Literary Late-Modernism, rejecting the "T-shirt poetry" of Jacques Prévert (the indecent Les enfants qui s'aiment) or Pablo Neruda (No te amo como si fueras rosa de sal) and the "amorous nonsense" of Italian lyric/elegaic poetry (the Lamarque dimension), creates riots aligned with recent socio-anthropological discourse. In the absence of significant aesthetic contributions—except for the anachronistic analyses of Julia Kristeva, Byung-Chul Han, and Alain Badiou, it references neuroscience (Acevedo, Fisher, Brown) and the psychology of relationships (Tartakovsky, Fincham, Monk, Randall, Rhoades, Chen, Xia, Dunne, Lehmiller). Close to the modern analytical tradition, literary Late-Modernism rejects all forms of metaphysics: it diagnoses the non-existence of eternal love - following the ποίησις (poiesis) of Alfredo Rienzi, Giorgio Linguaglossa, Henrik Nordbrandt, and Raffaella Milandri- anchoring it firmly to the outcomes of the new sociology (πρᾶξις - praxis). Eternal love is a "lottery draw" (un terno al lotto) [just as the rebellious Lombards boycotted Austrian tobacco and lotteries]. Late-Modernism "does not care" and sings of the hic et nunc (the Lombard tradition) of the sexual relationship, in stark contrast to Modernist intimism.

Prefab Sprout

<

Brucie dreams life's a highway too many roads bypass my way
Or they never begin. Innocence coming to grief
At the hands of life - Stinkin' car thief, that's my concept of sin
Does heaven wait all heavenly over the next horizon?

But look at us now, quit driving, some things hurt more much more than cars and girls.
Just look at us now, start counting, what adds up the way it did when we were young ?
Just look at us now, quit driving, some things hurt much more than cars and girls

/

14th July slow the ovens
bag the delivery bread

foliage enters in time 
with the drone 

shelter from the wave
see the week out 

Less than 80km separate
the wheat field & the mill

a few metres separate you
from the baker's baker

ripple of the sun 
blocking curtain

near field briefly visited 
& occupied by the flock 

from a fixed lens 
stray into the haze

dust lays waste
to the hedgerow

.

Andrew Taylor
Picture Rupert Loydell

.

what are you
when no light shines on you
soft symmetrical
the thing the simulacrum in your head
electrical
imitates           the thing
we fail to make sense of
(even though
your inner Frankenstein
thinks it's got it all stitched up)
that moves       in space
made out of meat
fragile              shaped
by lamp-light
in a mirror

.

Dominic Rivron
Picture Nick Victor

Dominic Rivron's recent novella, The Aviary, is now available for free as an ebook. You can download it here:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/2097844

It's also available as a pdf file:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1p4b-JBq1VoGTytRwc2s-lI37FvSPzwsH/view?usp=sharing

It's a surreal, dystopian story in which Dave, to his horror, discovers he has contracted a rare condition known as avianism: he has begun, every now and again, to break out uncontrollably into birdsong. In the society he lives in, avianism is considered taboo and sufferers quickly become victims of prejudice and even violence. He finds himself admitted to a specialist clinic run by the charismatic and mysterious Dr Trager…

.

With special guest, Jon Klein (guitar and beats) formerly with Siouxsie & the Banshees (1987-94)

Pics and a few words from Alan Dearling from the Todmorden Unitarian Church

Born John Joseph Wardle, Jah Wobble is a genuine, authentic bass legend. This is a re-purposing of the 1979 album, Public Image Limited - Metal Box album. It was a performance deeply redolent in rumbling bass and this five-piece band of musicians were tight and performed with purposeful musical precision. It was recognisably 'Metal Box', but darker, really rather weird, involving reinventing the album's songs suffused in layer upon layer of dub interpretations and production.

In 2021 Jon Klein co-produced 'Metal Box Rebuilt in Dub' with Jah Wobble.  They have been touring together since. A second album with Wobble, 'A Brief History Of Now', was released in August 2023. The overflowing 'merch' table was filled with vinyl, CDs, T-shirts and surrounded by examples of Jah Wobble's own original artworks. A one-person artistic industrial complex!

Jah Wobble is an amiable front man. A bit of a Cockney thespian. Perhaps modelled on a mad-mix and mash-up of Ian Dury and Old Man Albert Steptoe! And, of course, on stage Jah Wobble hams it up wonderfully with his virtuoso version of the famous Richard III speech. "Now is our winter of discontent…"  before launching into a lively rendition of 'Poptones'. Very apt and appropriate as the Autumnal leaves fall towards the end of 2026.

It was all very dubby, jazz-rock with some pop and punk-funk undertows. Nice geezers too…

'Public Image' Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0459GIuQnQ

In the dried wind walking in the trail
of my thoughts through the Sahara dust of
Sokoto plains, crossing the Niger River
whose water flow fluctuates as though
dispirited for the broken tongue
of my ancestors —
realizing things have changed;
if you see Edna tell her I'm blown away;
trying to find my way to the confessional
in the name of the Father,
the Son, the Holy spirit,
and list my deeds.

firewood splitting
a release of steam into the fire
absorbing its warmth
it's evening o'clock
a solitary silence

The night, an exterior beautifier
lets the light infuse Azonto to the
feet of the cast moonlight shadow
by my window while seated brooding
of what could incredibly save me.
A conflicted voyager. Sipped the waters
of another land, further north in our
tribalistic department, majoring in self.

.

"Write me something happy."

you say. Lately,

we have been measuring grief

in Richter scale.

I hold then pen. I still do.

Being an old-fashioned is in Vogue.

I see it turn into a feather first

and then into a twig lifted

in the air by a nesting bird.

I scriven, "Hope." It Sems

like a long sentence.

Turning to be Real

The leaves fall in the prohibited zone.

Wind loiters there. Yet to be

that season when the breaths turn

into smoke signals, but I feel it.

Light sets an abandoned syringe on fire.

I must turn here and now,

albeit it might be too late.

I never comprehend why people

love flowers, those functional

instruments supporting life.

I must turn here and now.

The other side of the ground looks bright.

The turf of life, I thought real;

turns out to be plastic.

"Turn now." I murmur. In the vortex of me

the message's simplicity drowns.

I stare at the hospital. Morning drips

into its sack. The spilled yellow light

sketches a window on the cold floor.

.

Kushal Poddar
Picture Nick Victor

• Find and follow me
• @amazon.com/author/kushalpoddar_thepoet
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.

The reasons offered
for relocating the statue of David

from outdoors into shelter
include weathering and pigeon shit.

His accessibility to vandals.

All anyone required
while he was stationed (for 350 years)
in the Piazza della Signoria

was a pair of folding stepladders, a hammer
and a chisel, and that would have been the last

we ever saw of his 16th century genitals.

The history of art would
(of necessity) been abbreviated, obviously

but people would have managed.

Worse has happened. Trust me.
Both my grandfathers had cancer.

It's worth remembering, for the record
how the Bible David, the one who slew
Goliath, purchased his first wife

from her father, with a basket full
of foreskins. Ultimately, she despised him.

.

Steve Taylor

.

Steam Stock

Tracklist:
Ennio Morricone - The Strong
Elliott Smith - Let's Get Lost
Azymuth - Outubro (October)
Golden Gate Quartet - God Almighty's Gonna Cut You Down
Isaac Hayes - Runnin' Out of Fools
David McCallum - House of Mirrors
Thom Yorke - The Clock
Pink Floyd - Time
David Bowie - Time
Irma Thomas - Time Is On My Side
Queens of the Stone Age - The Vampyre of Time and Memory
Jim O'Rourke - Memory Lame
Brigid Dawson and the Mothers Network - When My Day Of The Crone Comes
The Charlatans - The Blonde Waltz
The Waterboys - Fisherman's Blues

.

The dappling flower of heaven
Mosaic prose of sad autumn
I cried on the river for thee
Kolkata burns with passion
Cupid's potion on my heart
Xenophobic distortion of my self
Flowers on my hands
Victory of counselling God
Labyrinth of autumnal silence
Till I read my silver fork novels.

.

Sayani Mukherjee
Picture Nick Victor

.

It is astonishing how far the issue of the EU has progressed since Keir Starmer had to leave in his socks and Andy Burnham stepped in. It is all the more laudable since, by merely floating the options, he has lit a fire under his party and an apparently willing media. There are many cautious voices about the dangers ahead, and those dangers certainly exist. But it merely takes the courage to thread together the auguries to reach a conclusion that what follows - whisper it soft - is merely a prolonged epilogue to what has been the most terrible defeat of reason.

But so much depends on Mr Burnham's vaunted 10-year plan, which if it is to be launched on schedule must be published next month. It will need to include an explanation of the Jackdaw and Rosebank decisions. Spelling out what is to be done with the water industry. An approach to electoral reform. And of course, that discussion on the EU.

Mr Burnham must realise that, facing the rest of a catastrophic decade for living standards, his best (and perhaps only) chance of pulling it off is to be bold and radical. There are riots across Europe, and sooner or later they will occur here too if we don't change.

Protestors Criticized For Looting Businesses Without Forming Private Equity Firm First https://theonion.com/protestors-criticized-for-looting-businesses-without-fo-1843735351/

— The Onion (@theonion.com) 2026-10-19T19:00:19.685074975Z

The PM knows he has to win the trust of the electorate first, but then he needs to use that political capital to give our economy and our culture the shake-up which is decades overdue.

Tony Blair had a 10-year plan, so did Ramsay Macdonald and Arthur Balfour, so there are precedents. But perhaps never before has so much rested on its success.

*

While Kemi Badenoch (NW Essex) and her sixth form chums snigger over their 'gotcha' response to the budget, they have other concerns to confront. It seems the Russian diplomat who set up the parliamentary Conservative Friends of Russia has been identified as a Russian intelligence officer involved in an attempted European disinformation campaign.

Sergey Nalobin was at the heart of Russian political interference operations in London when David Cameron was PM. He has recently featured in court proceedings in Estonia, and he has been identified as an intelligence officer by Ukrainian and Estonian sources. In fact, he was reported to MI5 in 2010, but they declared him a legitimate diplomat.

Bang to rights, then. Members of the Conservative Friends of Russia include our own John Whittingdale (Maldon) and Andrew Rosindell (Romford). Dupes, apparently, of a Russian intelligence operation. How humiliating. Last week we wrote of how the former head of MI6 revealed the Kremlin had been keen to encourage the Brexit campaign, to destabilise Europe. To borrow a phrase often attributed to Lenin, Russia's "useful idiots".

Now this. It is a humiliation for all those involved. The Conservative Party can no longer call themselves the party that defends our country against its foes, and still keep a straight face.

*

Meanwhile, behind the arras the plotting continues… ProsperUK is the Conservative Party ginger group which isn't quite part of the party, in spite of being led by a number of their alumni. Prosper is reluctant to define quite what they are, since it is clear their intention is to become the new - that is old - Conservative Party, the One Nation party, and it is unlikely the present incumbents of the shadow cabinet would willingly give up their seats to those they would have seen as traitors to their country.

(After the last entry, readers may feel entitled to a small snigger.)

Because look who we have here… David Gauke, Ruth Davidson, Andy Street, Ken Clarke, Amber Rudd, Malcolm Rifkind, Philip Hammond and the rest. Readers will note a common characteristic shared by this group: they are pro-Europeans. It is clear from their pronouncements on the prosperity of this country that a return to Europe is firmly in their sights, though for reasons of discretion of course they have yet to spell it out.

Following this week's budget, however, they returned to their theme: "Our next major piece of work will examine the UK's future relationship with Europe, and how removing barriers to trade and investment could help unlock economic growth, and what that relationship looks like in the future…"

How fanciful might it be to imagine how, by the next general election in 2029, Reform and Restore - with only one in five voters backing them - are the only pro-Brexit parties left standing?

*

This week's budget featured a promotion for one of the region's MPs. Andrew Pakes (Peterborough) has been appointed the government's champion for co-operatives and mutuals. The role makes him the sector's main conduit into government, supporting its growth and policy development, and advances the government's ambition to double the size of the sector. For all that the title may sound pompous, the subject seems close to the PM's heart; so we can assume we shall hear more of Mr Pakes' endeavours.

He already chairs the all-party parliamentary group for mutuals, and we have an idea of one of his likely first steps. Last year he introduced a ten-minute rule bill (which rarely gets anywhere), seeking legal recognition of co-operative housing tenure to help co-op housing schemes access support from lenders, regulators, and advisers.

*

Any fears that the Greens would not be taking their present predicament seriously on the notorious 'Zionism is racism' vote might be assuaged by news that the party's Governance and Democratic Engagement Working Group is on the case, and is expected to report… oooh, by next spring.

But in the meantime, the party's membership has dropped by 18,000 since May, and since the 'Zionism is racism' vote the party has been deserted by 17 councillors. In this region, Daniel Potter (Babergh) went to the Tories, and Paul Thorogood (both Essex County Council and Braintree District Council) went independent.

Insiders claim the reluctance of those opposing the Greens4Palestine lobby to counter their influence arises from the fear that factionalism will create further division and put off voters. All the more reason, then, for having acted last February, when it was known the debate would come to a head, but could still be contained without the destruction which the party is suffering.

*

What to make of this week's imbroglio featuring Nigel Farage's absence from the budget debate and subsequent allegations of a former "physical altercation" with a Liberal Democrat MP?

Mr Farage was making an awful fuss over what at first seemed a small matter, sufficient to ring alarm bells for this diarist. First there was the question of a missing prayer ticket on his chosen seat, which he claimed meant he could not attend. Only of course, the chamber is packed and dozens of MPs had to make do with standing room only. Not however Mr Farage, who presumably felt having to stand would be an insult to his amour propre.

But then came his bizarre allegation of a physical altercation, which suggests gangs of burly LibDem MPs barging their way through the Commons corridors and looking for his blood. In the end, the LibDem explanation was that Mr Farage had "shoved a female MP out of the way, sending her flying so he could get to the front of the procession for the King's Speech". The MP in question was Caroline Voaden (me neither), and the Reform version, straight from the playground, was 'she started it'.

Anyway, the occasion was almost six months ago. Does this imply that Mr Farage has gone in fear of his life for the past six months? This could explain why he is almost never there, and also why he needs five million quid to provide security against any further attacks by 'Bruiser' Voaden. A surprise perhaps that he hasn't thought of this excuse before.

*

On the matter of Nigel Farage and his security, by the way, we learn this week that his minder on the campaign trail for the local elections was at the time facing rape charges, for which he has since been jailed.

*

So all in all it has been yet another hebdomadis horribilis for Nigel Farage. His budget presentation flopped horribly in front of the cameras. He invited business people, but nobody came. He blames this on "incompetent staff". (He will no doubt have them thrown out of their cottage.) But according to Mr Farage, it seems it is also the fault of Julius Caesar, for establishing a calendar which caused the event to be held on a Monday.

Meanwhile, the polls show his unpopularity plumbing depths only previously associated with the Mariana Trench, yet this is because they are biased. It is not, of course, because most voters watch his floundering discomfort and are reminded of a bloviating duckbilled platypus with haemorrhoids.

*

What can turn the corner for Reform, then? Well, this week the party published the full list of policies which will make up its manifesto. There are 56 of them. Number 50 is "Fully re-legalise Imperial measurements".

Britain began adopting the metric system in 1965, 61 years ago. So for all but the nation's great-grandparents, this is a completely foreign and extraordinarily complex system of which they know nothing. We know from polling analysis that Reform's appeal lies predominantly among the over 60s, but this offer looks like an attempt to win the votes of the over 80s.

It is possible that, if they actually want a majority, Reform's political strategists may need to rethink their plan.

*

A curious story in the Guardian this week reported on a parish meeting at Wethersfield. Mair Godley, 78, has been giving English language lessons to asylum seekers. The meeting was also attended by Reform councillor Carl Johnson, who for her act of charity likened Ms Godley to a Nazi collaborator, claiming he didn't want to bring his daughter up to be raped and murdered by asylum seekers.

Argument became heated, and Cllr Johnson was eventually requested to leave to "restore order".

*

Councillor Sam Journet was elected to Essex County Council to represent Reform, but he has left his cabinet position - the second Reform departure in six days. There have been allegations about his behaviour, including being arrested on suspicion of stalking, harassment and a public order offence, although police subsequently took no further action. He was accused of staff intimidation, disruption and barging into restricted parts of the council building. A Reform colleague accused him of bullying. He was accused of secretly filming council staff and residents. He faces questions over missing company accounts and declarations of interest.

So naturally, his party made him the Mayor of Basildon.

*

Bedford is in its greatest ferment since Mabel Barltrop established the Panacea Society here after the First World War, changed her name to Octavia and declared that Bedford was the site of the original Garden of Eden. (She later went on to give her name to a car.)

It is to your diarist's regret that we rarely feature Bedfordshire, though not for the want of trying. In despair, Pecksniff once appealed to one of the wise men who claimed to know somebody in Biggleswade, who must know something. Answer there came: it is feared the sprouts may be a little smaller this year.

Anyway, there is real news this time. The Speaker of Bedford Borough Council has denied making threats to kill and possessing an offensive weapon.

Tim Caswell was arrested by armed police in the street where he lives over what are described as "concerns for welfare". Cllr Caswell pleads not guilty to the charges.

*

It has been the onerous task of Pecksniff over several years to play Boswell to the rise and fall of one of the most remarkable political careers of recent times: that of Liz Truss. She has taken her fall from rather-less-than-grace hard, and what makes her ignominy so cringeworthy is her utter lack of self-awareness. Even in those hysterical official photographs she arranged when still Foreign Secretary, she stood about apprehensively like a postillion waiting to be struck by lightning. In some ways she must be a sad creature, but still, to quote Oscar Wilde, it would take a heart of stone not to laugh.

Relentlessly, every week she devises some new wheeze to reduce the British public to hysterics. Last week there was her new book, the most unfortunately named 'Bank Job'. (She can't help herself.) A few courageous commentators have tentatively scanned its pages since. From which we learn that, according to La Truss, if we had stuck with her the British would be on Mars by 2040. Though one imagines that might be in an attempt to escape her.

*

This week's Oleg Gordievskis, Mata Haris, Kim Philbys and Sir Francis Walinghams were Linda Buckmaster, Mary Marshall, Kate Viscardi, Helen Forte, Liz Crosbie, Malcolm Lynn, David Patey, and the man with the false moustache, James Porter.

<<< Previous Pecksniff's Diary

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The post Pecksniff: Is Burnham pushing at an open door? first appeared on East Anglia Bylines.

Foto: Bagus 

Alex Marquez claimed pole position during MotoGP qualifying Saturday at Petronas Sepang International Circuit, in Malaysia. Riding his BK8 Gresini Racing Ducati Desmosedici GP26 on the 3.44-mile (5.54 km) track, Marquez turned a 1:56.493 to top the 20-rider field.

Marc Marquez was the best of the rest with a 1:56.563 on his Ducati Lenovo Team Desmosedici GP26, and Pedro Acosta claimed the third and final spot on the front row with a 1:56.577 on his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing RC16.

Row-two qualifiers included SuperFile Trackhouse's Ai Ogura (1:56.617), Aprilia Racing's Marco Bezzecchi (1:56.668) and Pertamina Enduro VR46's Fabio Di Giannantonio (1:56.842).

More, from a press release issued by MotoGP:

Alex Marquez snatches Sepang pole from Marc Marquez by 0.070s. Acosta joins the Ducati duo on the front row in Malaysia as Bezzecchi gears up for a second-row start in the absence of teammate Martin.

Better late than never, hey Alex? It's the younger Marquez brother who will start from pole position at the PETRONAS Grand Prix of Malaysia after Alex Marquez (Bk8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) lands a glorious 1:56.493 to snatch Saturday morning P1 honours away from World Championship leader Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team). The gap between the top two in a blistering Q2 was a mere 0.070s, while only a further 0.014s in arrears is third-place Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).

It wasn't the morning Aprilia Racing were searching for in Malaysia, though. The headline news is that heroic Jorge Martin has withdrawn from the remainder of the weekend, with title-chasing Marco Bezzecchi fifth on the grid at the Sepang International Circuit. 

Results and summary of qualifying for the Moto3 class at Sepang:

• Read more about 2026 Sepang Moto3 Qualifying Result: All Hail The King
• Log in or register to post comments

Many thanks to my friend Barry Smiler for being October's sponsor. Do take a look at his climate site, which nicely complements mine. He recently added some nifty enhancements to his Research page. And for your climate listening pleasure, he suggests this little song.

"Scientists confirm global warming is accelerating faster than ever recorded.

"Earth is warming faster than ever recorded, with scientists detecting a major acceleration in global temperatures since around 2015. A new study reveals that the warming rate has surged to approximately 0.35°C per decade, nearly double the average pace observed from 1970 to 2015. After removing natural climate fluctuations, researchers confirmed the acceleration with more than 98% statistical confidence."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261027231200.htm

"Unprecedented Collapse! "Watch as The Stratospheric Polar Vortex splits in 2 pieces - an unprecedented early-season collapse. Its a full month ahead of any other known collapse!"

https://x.com/WeatherProf/status/2116167801329033508

"Fears for mature Scots Pines burned by huge Highland wildfire…

"Forestry and Land Scotland say the blaze around Glenmore in the Cairngorms may have led to the loss of many so-called "granny pines" which have matured over centuries."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqd09pv4l3k0o

'You can see the water going down': residents on edge as one of England's worst-hit reservoirs dries up.

"The Ardingly reservoir, managed by South East Water and serving about 95,000 properties in and around Haywards Heath and Uckfield in Sussex, is currently 19% full."

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/oct/30/haywards-heath-ardingly-reservoir-water-level-drought-england

"How Climate Change Is Raising Borrowing Costs in Europe.

"Floods, droughts and heat waves are increasingly influencing how investors assess financial risk, potentially driving up borrowing costs for governments and businesses. The European Central Bank is strengthening its approach to climate and nature-related risks…"

https://www.tovima.com/climate/how-climate-change-is-raising-borrowing-costs-in-europe/

"Severe rainfall and flood warnings issued for central Greece and western Turkey.

"Heavy rain and strong winds will continue to affect parts of south-eastern Europe and Turkey over the next few days, as an area of low pressure in the region has allowed for the formation of powerful thunderstorms."

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/oct/30/severe-rainfall-flood-warnings-greece-turkey

"Massive sinkholes open up across Turkey as it struggles with drought and climate change.

"Turkey's central Anatolian plateau is one of the country's most important agricultural regions, producing wheat, maize, sugar beet and other crops. Yet beneath its cultivated fields, the ground is becoming increasingly unstable."

https://theconversation.com/massive-sinkholes-open-up-across-turkey-as-it-struggles-with-drought-and-climate-change-295123

"Syria flash floods kill at least 5, force hundreds of families from camps.

"Heavy rain and flash floods left five people dead, including four children, and forced some 375 families to flee displacement camps in Syria's Raqqa province."

https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/10/syria-flash-floods-kill-least-5-force-hundreds-families-camps

"Cyclone Arnab aftermath: Floods strand thousands in southern Odisha, disrupt rail services.

"More than 62,000 people affected in Ganjam and Gajapati districts as rivers overflow, villages remain submerged and authorities consider helicopter evacuations."

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/natural-disasters/cyclone-arnab-aftermath-floods-strand-thousands-in-southern-odisha-disrupt-rail-services

"Bhutan hot springs hit by flood from glacial lake burst…

"A flood caused by the Shintaphu glacial lake bursting its banks has washed away infrastructure at the Gasa Tshachu natural hot springs in the Himalayan ⁠kingdom of Bhutan."

https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2026/10/30/bhutan-hot-springs-hit-by-flood-from-glacial-lake-burst

"Smoke from wildfires killed 3,500 people in Indonesia in September: Report…

"Toxic fire smoke accounted for 94-99 percent of air pollution-related deaths in Kalimantan, on the island of Borneo, and more than 80 percent on Sumatra, the regions worst affected by the fires, the report notes."

https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2026/10/30/smoke-from-wildfires-killed-3500-people-in-indonesia-in-september-report

"El Niño-driven drought in Papua New Guinea a 'national crisis' as rivers dry up and local farms fail…

"Residents and community leaders have told the Guardian that rivers and creeks have dried up and family food gardens - a vital source of food and income for many - have shrivelled."

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/30/png-el-nino-drought-papua-new-guinea

"INSANE HEAT NEVER SEEN BEFORE - Mind blowing MINIMUM Temperature of 30.7C/87.2F at Bonaire Island

"HOTTEST NIGHT EVER RECORDED IN ALL AREA
CARIBBEAN AND CENTRAL AMERICA." [Extreme Temps]

https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2115881486771720334

"L.A.'s Westside once bragged about not needing air conditioning. This year's heat changed that.

"…the summer of 2026, with its endless heat waves and unprecedented humidity levels due to El Niño, may be a tipping point for those in Southern California who thought they could survive without air conditioning."

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-10-30/coastal-la-once-went-without-a-c-record-heat-changed-that

https://archive.vn/swgfT

"Lake Powell just added nearly 200 billion gallons of water in the last 8 days, the largest 8-day volume gain for the reservoir outside spring snowmelt on record.

"Amazing." [Colin McCarthy]

[that's supposedly 2.3% of total capacity]

https://x.com/US_Stormwatch/status/2115856522903429403

"Mexico's Escalating Drinking Water Crisis Is a Warning to the US

"A deepening drinking-water crisis in Mexico presents a question—could something comparable happen in an American city?"

https://www.newsweek.com/mexicos-escalating-drinking-water-crisis-is-a-warning-to-the-us-12624530

"Arizona's lifeline to the Colorado River is drying up. Its designers warned us decades ago

"The Colorado River is at a pivotal crossroads. People are taking more water out of the river than it can provide, and the policymakers that manage water use cannot agree on how to rein in demand."

https://www.npr.org/2026/10/29/nx-s1-6012724/arizonas-lifeline-to-the-colorado-river-is-drying-up-its-designers-warned-us-decades-ago

"This October is on track to be the hottest ever recorded.

"Global temperatures this month are set to be around 1.76 degrees Celsius (about 3.17 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels, surpassing the previous record set in 2023, researchers predict."

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/this-october-is-on-track-to-be-the-hottest-ever-recorded/

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You can read the previous "Climate" thread here. Pan will be back on Monday with an "Economic" thread.

The post 31st October 2026 Today's Round-Up of Climate News appeared first on Climate and Economy.

The Bottle Imps is the newest story by Rudy Rucker and Bruce Sterling. Read all eleven of their tales in the 2nd edition of their anthology, Transreal Cyberpunk.

• Amazon page for e-book and paperback.

— Read the rest

The post "The Bottle Imps" — new short fiction by Rudy Rucker and Bruce Sterling appeared first on Boing Boing.

If you go through all of the bloviations from RFK Jr. when it comes to his stance on vaccines, one of his chief refrains is that vaccines that have been in wide use for many years haven't been tested properly for safety, or that data about their safety has been hidden or ignored. He's generally wrong about all of that, of course, but it doesn't stop him from saying it over and over again. The end result, if you didn't bother looking any further into what Kennedy has said and written on the topic, is that you might believe that what Kennedy really cares about is a cautious approach with stringent testing before allowing something to be put into American bodies.

But that isn't what Kennedy believes. It's not what he demonstrates through actions, either. And if you want proof of that, you need only read about how Kennedy has unilaterally adjusted rules at HHS to allow pharmacies to sell you peptides over the objections of the FDA.

Anti-vaccine Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy has unilaterally passed a rule that will allow specialty pharmacies to sell six specific peptide drugs, overruling scientists at the Food and Drug Administration.

Kennedy's new rule sidesteps the need to formally undo that FDA action. The rule is titled "Enforcement Discretion Policy Regarding 503A Compounding Using Certain Peptide Bulk Drug Substances" and was made available Wednesday on the Federal Register, with the final publication date set for October 30. The rule does not change the regulatory status of the peptide; instead, it states the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will no longer take enforcement action against compounding pharmacies for making the peptides, essentially giving them a green light to freely produce and sell them.

So what qualifications does Kennedy possess that is informing his decision to overrule actual FDA scientists on the topic of peptides? None, of course. Kennedy is not a scientist. He's not a healthcare professional. What he is, instead, is both a user of peptides personally and someone who has many friends in the peptide business. It's just another grift, though it is being wrapped in pretend backing from the panels that Kennedy personally stocked with sycophants.

One reason cited for all the peptides was that an FDA advisory panel voted in July to add these six peptides back to the list of drugs compound pharmacies can make. However, prior to the vote, Kennedy stacked that 12-member committee with eight new members. At least six of Kennedy's additions have ties to peptide-related businesses and clinics, raising serious conflict-of-interest concerns.

Another explanation for allowing the peptides is that the safety concerns are mainly hypothetical or "inferential" and not based on observed harm in humans. But this is mainly because there are few to no studies involving humans that show either benefits or harms from the peptides.

And here we put the lie to Kennedy's concerns about vaccines. If he wants to claim that vaccines haven't been tested enough to be in wide public use, he cannot create a non-enforcement policy over peptides that have had far less, if any, such testing. We are living under health policies that are purely Kennedy's personal whims. That's nothing like the gold standard science that he has been promising to follow throughout his tenure at HHS.

The peptide pushers are celebrating and it's not hard to understand why. Many Kennedy allies are among them. He gave them a gift, almost perfectly circumventing his previous fears about testing to do so.

Results and summary of qualifying for the MotoGP class at Sepang:

• Read more about 2026 Sepang MotoGP Qualifying Result: Another Little Flashback
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Davey Barker's TitleArt recreates the classic style and feature-set of WordArt ("Make text like it's 1997"), the surprisingly fun and unusually well-crafted type design tools built-in to Microsoft Word and PowerPoint back in the day.

I wanted to make a faithful recreation of the original WordArt so I went through the various screenshots I could find and tweaked the built-in styles by eye.

— Read the rest

The post Remember WordArt? This website brings it back appeared first on Boing Boing.

Personal computers have become unaffordable for many as datacenter construction gobbles up all the components. If the joke was that the AI guys don't want you to have your own machine, it turns out not to be a joke at all! — Read the rest

The post Keeping RAM in personal computers "quite terrible," says OpenAI's Sam Altman appeared first on Boing Boing.

It was a heroic attempt, but the Aprilia Racing rider won't be able to race at Sepang.

He made a superhuman effort, but it's official: Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) will not be able to race in the Malaysian GP. Just six days after breaking his wrist in Australia, the 2024 Champion and 2026 title contender returned to the track on Friday at Sepang, doing 12 laps in the morning session and then a few more in the afternoon before ending his day early, intending to recharge for more on Saturday.

Unfortunately, after more time on track in FP2 ahead of qualifying, it was confirmed: Martin has withdrawn from the event. The #89 will remain on the sidelines, targeting next time out for another shot at his return.

The title fight, however, remains open. Currently at 10 points off the lead held by Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team), Martin's worst case scenario if he misses this race weekend would be a 47-point deficit should Marc Marquez do the double at Sepang - and 111 will still be on the table.

The post MotoGP: Martin Withdraws From Malaysian Grand Prix appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

Enea Bastianini led MotoGP World Championship Free Practice Two (FP2) Saturday morning at Petronas Sepang International Circuit, in Malaysia. Riding his Red Bull KTM Tech3 RC16 on spec Michelin tires, the Italian rider turned a lap time of 1:58.516 to lead the 21-rider field.

Alex Marquez was the best of the rest with a 1:58.804 on his BK8 Gresini Racing Ducati Desmosedici GP26.

Marco Bezzecchi was third at 1:58.929 on his Aprilia Racing RS-GP26.

Ai Ogura finished the session fourth with a 1:58.973 on his SuperFile Trackhouse Aprilia RS-GP26 and Pedro Acosta got fifth on his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing RC16 with a lap time of 1:59.009.

Marc Marquez was 8th on his Ducati Lenovo Team Desmosedici GP26 with a time of 1:59.097.

The post MotoGP: Bastianini Is Best In Saturday Practice In Malaysia appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

Izan Guevara was quickest during Moto2 World Championship Free Practice Two (FP2) Saturday morning at Petronas Sepang International Circuit, in Malaysia. Riding his Pirelli-shod BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Boscoscuro on the 3.44-mile (5.54 km) track, the Spaniard recorded a 2:03.567 to lead the field of 28 riders.

Barry Baltus was the best of the rest with a 2:04.120 on his REDS Fantic Racing Kalex.

David Alonso was third-fastest with a 2:04.181 on his CFMOTO RCB Aspar Team Kalex.

Filip Salac got fourth on his OnlyFans American Racing Team Kalex with a lap time of 2:04.218 and Alonso's teammate, Daniel Holgado finished the session fourth with a time of 2:04.337.

American Joe Roberts finished Saturday morning's practice session 22nd with a best time of 2:05.056 on his OnlyFans American Racing Team Kalex.

The post Moto2: Guevara Tops Final Practice At Sepang appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

David Almansa led Moto3 World Championship Free Practice Two (FP2) Saturday morning, at Petronas Sepang International Circuit, in Malaysia. Almansa used his Pirelli-shod Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP KTM to lap the 3.44-mile (5.54 km) track in 2:10.985 to lead the field of 25 riders.

Maximo Quiles was second-best with a time of 2:11.126 on his CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team KTM.

Almansa's teammate, David Muñoz claimed the third and final spot on the front with a lap time of 2:11.176.

Red Bull KTM Ajo's Alvaro Carpe finished the FP2 fourth with a time of 2:11.322 and Adrian Fernandez, piloting his Leopard Racing Honda, got fifth at 2:11.398. 

The post Moto3: Almansa Heads Saturday Practice In Malaysia appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

IONIQ 3 has been selected as one of seven finalists for the prestigious European automotive award Designed and developed in Europe and produced in Türkiye, IONIQ 3 has been developed around the needs of European customers Successful market launch marks an encouraging start for Hyundai Motor's latest addition to its ... [continued]

The post Hyundai IONIQ 3 Named European Car of the Year 2027 Finalist appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Saturday at Sepang started with a bit of a novelty at the top of the timing screens, Enea Bastianini taking over the session with three minutes left of it. The Italian looked solid on Friday and stepped up to grab the headline in FP2 - a third of a second quicker than Alex Marquez. Although demoted from top spot in the closing stages, the Gresini rider continues to thrive on one of his favourite tracks, while the factory Aprilia team bookended the timesheets for the first half of the session.

• Read more about 2026 Sepang MotoGP Free Practice 2 Result: Bastianini Shows Up Alex Marquez
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The police chief of Westborough, Massachussets, is on administrative leave after he was reportedly found asleep in a police SUV outside a liquor store. His colleagues were summoned "around noon" Friday by a caller at Star Liquors on Route 9 in Shrewsbury, and one of the responsing officers told a lieutenant that "it's the Chief of Police for Westborough and he's hammered drunk. — Read the rest

The post "Hammered drunk" police chief slept outside liquor store appeared first on Boing Boing.

Toyota Motor Corporation ("Toyota") and Waymo today announced the next phase of their autonomous driving collaboration, in pursuit of a world with safer streets and freedom of movement for all. Building on the preliminary agreement announced in April 2025, Toyota and Waymo will begin initial operations to test and validate ... [continued]

The post Toyota & Waymo Advance Autonomous Driving Collaboration for Safer Streets and Freedom of Movement for All appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Utility-scale solar developers are increasingly co-locating battery storage with new solar photovoltaic capacity. As of September 2026, over 16% of new utility-scale solar capacity added this year is co-located with operable battery storage, compared with 2% in 2017, according to data reported to EIA by operators. Reported plans for solar ... [continued]

The post The Share of Solar Generation with Co-located Battery Storage Is Increasing appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Saturday morning at Sepang was as hot and humid as expected, and with Izan Guevara at the top of the timesheets, also as expected. The FP1 leader returned to prime position with one minute left of FP2 and left the competition half a second behind. Barry Baltus had led the way for most of the session, after a slower start on Friday, before getting demoted to second in the closing stages of FP2. 

• Read more about 2026 Sepang Moto2 Free Practice 2 Result: Guevara's Turn To Lead
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The Dune: Part 3 popcorn bucket sports a 2-sandworm design to "make it easier to share," reports Variety. No less suggestive than the the Dune: Part Two container, the double Shai-Hulud promises an eternity of snacks, which you'll certainly want for the sequel's extended running time. — Read the rest

The post 2 sandworms, 1 bucket, Dune 3 appeared first on Boing Boing.

Day 2 in Malaysia started in familiar fashion, with practice leader David Almansa back in the limelight, although the Spaniard did take until the final handful of minutes of FP2 to resume control of proceedings. Up until that point, Maximo Quiles had held top spot - the world champion taking the lead halfway through the session, after a slightly sluggish start to his day. David Muñoz made a late jump into the top three, a couple of tenths off the lead, while early FP2 leader Alvaro Carpe and compatriot Adrian Fernandez completed an all-Spanish top five.

• Read more about 2026 Sepang Moto3 Free Practice 2 Result: Almansa Vs Quiles Again
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