Rhondda Records is usually with you every day bringing the news ------- that gives a view of world events different to the mainstream media or social media!
Except Sundays - our day of rest.
Image: we're back!
Cuban teacher exhibits
digital skills in Bolivia
Cienfuegos, November 11th, 9:33am
(Prensa Latina)
Cuban researcher Jorge Luis Prieto Duarte, Master
of Sciences, participates today in the II Congress
of Training of Trainers in Digital Skills, in Santa
Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.
The meeting brings together specialists from 9 to 12
November at the Spanish Cooperation Training
Centre in that city.
The meeting is part of the collaboration between the
Spanish Agency for International Development
Cooperation (Aecid) & the National University
of Distance Education (UNED), as Prieto
Duarte told Prensa Latina via
the Internet.
On behalf of Cuba.... the professor of the University of
Cienfuegos "Carlos Rafael Rodríguez" (UCf) presents
experiences in the management of projects with
digital skills for food production. The project
applies nature-based solutions, agro-
ecological innovations & analyzes
their evolution.
Prieto Duarte belongs to the Centre for Studies for
Sustainable Agrarian Transformation, of the UCf.
Its exhibition seeks to share results of local
projects ........and open avenues of
academic cooperation.
This study centre seeks to contribute to the agrarian
transformation in the territory of the province of
Cienfuegos and to its economic and social
development, through research and
technological innovation projects,
university extension and
professional training
and improvement.
All aimed at strengthening the management of
agricultural development with sustainability
criteria and serving as a national reference
in these tasks.
The II Congress on the Training of Trainers in
Digital Skills responds to a growing demand
for digital skills in Latin America and
the Caribbean.
The Aecid and the UNED promote this space to
update teacher training ....and connect the
experiences of educational innovation,
with local production.
Image: People hold up a banner as they protest against Israel at the entrance of the International Criminal Court.
Iran warns US, 'Israel':
Past strikes were
just the start
November 11th, 9:25am
(Al Mayadeen English)
Iran’s armed forces chief Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi
warns the US and "Israel" that any new
miscalculation will be met with
deadlier strikes.
Iran’s armed forces --- have the military capability to target
sources of threat to the Islamic Republic, Major General
Ali Abdollahi, Chief of the General Staff & Commander
of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters -- has
affirmed in a note to Brigadier General Sayyed
Majid Mousavi, commander of the IRGC
Aerospace Force, marking the 15th
anniversary of the martyrdom
of Major General Hassan
Tehrani Moghaddam.
Abdollahi - warned the United States and
“Israel” against any new miscalculation.
“The previous strikes ......were nothing but a beginning ---and
any new miscalculation will be met with deadlier strikes,”
he added, stressing that: “this threat is serious and is
based on the actual capabilities and resources of
Iran’s armed forces.”
Elsewhere in his remarks, he asserted that every point
that poses a threat to the existence of the Islamic
Republic of Iran -- would become a direct target
of asymmetric operations by the armed forces.
Abdollahi also praised the IRGC's Aerospace Force
as a source of pride for Iranians ---- and for the
Axis of Resistance.
Unrestricted response awaits adversaries
amid any aggression: IRGC
Abdollahi’s remarks come amid a series of similar warnings
from senior Iranian military officials in recent weeks.
IRGC spokesperson Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi reiterated what he said earlier this month, that Iran's
missile capabilities --- would defend the country
without geographical restrictions, stressing
that the US' imitation of Iranian drones
constitutes conclusive evidence: of
the superiority of Iran's domestic
defense industry.
Mohebbi said Iranian missiles had demonstrated the
ineffectiveness of the US-made Patriot and THAAD
air defense systems, adding that the IRGC's Aero-
space Force had established an effective and
sustainable deterrence mechanism against
attacks targeting Iran's infrastructure.
The spokesperson stressed that Iran remains highly
prepared to confront any aggression, warning that
any perceived threat to the Iranian people would
prompt a forceful response.
"If we feel at any time that the enemies of the Iranian
people want to pose a threat, we will deal with it
forcefully through asymmetric operations,"
he said.
Mohebbi also highlighted the Islamic Republic's
technological and military capabilities ----
stating that further developments in
the aerospace sector could be
unveiled... if a third wave of war erupts.
"Stunning achievements in the field of aviation and space.. will be unveiled in the event of a
3rd wave of war," he said.
He warned Iran's adversaries -- against any miscalculation, saying, "If the enemy makes any mistake, our next blows will be stronger --- and will knock them down for years."
Source: Agencies
Image: Education Day in India
Today, November 11th, is
Education Day in India.
National Education Day.... is an annual observance in India, and commemorates the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first education minister of independent India, who served his people from 15 August 1947 to 2 February 1958.
The Ministry of Human Resource Development, announced
on September 11th, in 2008, "The Ministry has decided to
commemorate the birthday of this great son of India by
recalling his contribution to the cause of education in
India. November 11 every year, from 2008 onwards,
will be celebrated as the National Education Day,
with declaring it as a holiday."
All educational institutions in the country mark the day, with
workshops and rallies, with banner cards and slogans, on
the importance of literacy and the nation's commitment
to all aspects of education.
The day is also seen as an occasion to remember Azad's
contribution in laying the foundations of the education
system in an independent India, and evaluating and
improving the country's current performance.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad:
"Education - imparted by heart -
can bring revolution in society."
"Be more dedicated --- to making solid
achievements than in running after
swift but synthetic happiness."
"Do we not realize that
self respect... comes
with self reliance?"
Sanctions fears divide Israelis
over illegal settlements: Poll
November 2nd 10:40am
Al Mayadeen English
Half of Israelis surveyed favour changing settlement policy in
the occupied West Bank - to avoid escalating sanctions and
international isolation, a poll reported by The Guardian on
Monday has revealed.
The findings highlight the potential impact of external
pressure on "Israel's" settlement enterprise,
particularly when respondents anticipate
consequences for their own finances.
Conducted in October by Israeli social research group aChord,
the survey followed Britain's September decision to ban trade
in goods from illegal settlements .....and to introduce wider
sanctions targeting them.
Financial risks and political divisions
Only 36% of respondents supported continuing settlement
policy if sanctions against banks financing settlement
construction would bring higher interest rates or
difficulties transferring money and using
credit cards abroad.
The result indicates limited willingness to maintain the
policy under those financial conditions. It does not,
however, establish support for dismantling the
settlements or ending the occupation.
Attitudes differed sharply across political camps. Among
supporters of the opposition Change bloc led by Gadi
Eisenkot, 71% backed adjusting settlement policy
to prevent further sanctions. Just 14% of
Netanyahu-bloc voters agreed, with
most supporting its continuation
"whatever the price."
Support for changing the policy was
strongest among voters backing
Arab parties.
Sanctions on violent settlers draw greater support
The survey also found that concern over sanctions
did not translate into widespread approval of
Britain's restrictions on settlement goods.
Overall, 63% opposed the trade ban. Another 26%
either supported it outright or would support it if
assurances were provided that the restrictions
would not extend to goods originating outside
the illegal settlements.
Measures targeting individual violent settlers
attracted greater backing. Fifty-two percent
supported such sanctions, provided that
they applied only to those responsible
for violence.
Among Netanyahu-bloc supporters, however, 70%
rejected foreign sanctions - in all circumstances.
No detectable electoral boost for Netanyahu
The findings ...also challenge arguments that British
measures would strengthen Netanyahu electorally
by driving voters toward his bloc.
Three-quarters of his bloc's supporters said the UK's
sanctions & trade policies have not affected their
vote. Among the respondents who reported an
influence, shifts occurred in both directions,
leaving no detectable net electoral effect.
Awareness of the UK announcement, was relatively high:
76% had heard of it, although some knew only the broad
headline. Four-fifths of those aware understood that the
measures applied...... to the West Bank ------- rather than
occupied Palestine as a whole.
Hannah Weisfeld, director of the British-Jewish organisation
Yachad, said the findings supported international action
targeting the occupation.
The research "illustrates that the Israeli public, certainly
recognises that if there is not a policy shift in relation to
the settlement enterprise, the international community
is likely to try to create an incentive to shift things
from the outside. If anything, that highlights the
importance of the UK and other allies taking
action that targets the occupation."
Source: The Gruniard
Image: No thanks to Israeli goods App
The world and her daughter are calling for a boycott of the genocidal colonial apartheid state of Israel.
Place yourself on the right side of joy and sorrow by joining the world's boycott - say ''no'' to evil!
ROGER WATERS TO MUSICIANS:- "BOYCOTT ISRAEL"
Roger Waters formerly of Pink Floyd, in an open letter, calls on his fellow musicians --- to boycott the Zionist Israeli regime and follow the example of the cultural boycott against the ex S. African Apartheid regime.
“Given the inability or unwillingness of our governments [to act] …. I write to you now, my brothers and sisters … to ask you to join with me, & thousands of other artists around the world, to declare a cultural boycott on Israel,” Roger Waters says in his letter.
Waters says the Zionist regime has been found guilty of major breaches of human rights and international law by international organizations, UN officials and the International Court of Justice.
He touches on two such cases, saying the regime has been identified as perpetrating the “crime of Apartheid”, including in a statement on March 9th, 2012 by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and the “crime of ethnic cleansing” including in East Jerusalem (al-Quds).
Waters adds that he has been a member of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against the Israeli regime’s occupation of the Palestinian lands and Tel Aviv’s violations of Palestinian human rights for 7 years, and now wants other musicians to also join the anti-Israeli front.
“Please join me and all our brothers and sisters in global civil society in proclaiming our rejection of Apartheid in Israel & occupied Palestine, by pledging not to perform or exhibit in Israel or accept any award or funding from any institution linked to the government of Israel, until such time as Israel complies with international law and universal principles of human rights.”
The former Pink Floyd Musician also says he has recently faced a boycott by the US media after his November 29th, 2012 address at the UN on behalf of the Russell Tribunal.
In the address, he sought accountability for the Zionist regime’s violations of the international law and the lack of United Nations resolve that prevents the Palestinian people from achieving their inalienable rights, especially the right of self-determination.
____________________
AT THE FACTORY
Tickets from
www.wegottickets.com/thefactory
www.ticketweb.co.uk
browse venues in Wales
www.ticketlineuk.com
02920 230130
Cash tickets from:
The Factory, Porth Instrumental Music, Penygraig Spillers Records, Cardiff
Indulge in a delicious cake and a cup of tea while enjoying music and sing-along songs from fantastic Welsh musicians.
Ticket information:
The Cultural Services Booking & Information Line:
08000 147 111 or book online at
www.rct-arts.co.ukÂÂ
*************************************************
Mid Rhondda Modelling Club...
7pm - 9pm
Tonyrefail Comprehensive School Mid Rhondda Modelling Club
has been running for over 30 years.
We meet on a regular basis
& enjoy making models for display.
We encourage both Gentlemen
and Ladies to attend, and also young people aged 12+.
However, Young people under 16, must be accompanied by an adult.
Ticket information
£1 contribution every week. Under 16's free
Telephone Mr. Davies on 01443 686658
************************************************
Comedy In The Laughter Lounge
The Park & Dare Theatre, Treorchy.
COMEDY IN THE LAUGHTER LOUNGE
Join us once a month in the intimate setting of the Laughter Lounge for some top notch comedy with some of the biggest and brightest rising comedians on the circuit.
Laugh? You'll snort like a pig!
Hilarious - TimeOut.
www.rct-arts.co.uk
Rhondda Records exists to express the Rhondda's vision --- when it was confident, powerful, caring, and socialist.
A Rhondda very aware of the media's poisonous tricks -- how they con working class people into attacking each other, or racial groups, or often even their best allies and friends.... instead of seeing their real enemies:- an elite who hate the very idea that working people can think or create, or achieve ------- a fairer society.
Thatcher said her proudest achievement was Blair and New Labour - who parachuted in careerists and expenses fiddlers - to stop local Labour members having a say, and who made genuine socialist MPs leave the Labour party in disgust and many members and voters to despair... and the young to stop voting.
Jeremy Corbyn was always attacked because he was trying to reverse all that New Labour corruption --- that's why membership was flooding in all over the UK.
______________________________________
Get Involved!
– If you feel you’ve been ‘purged’, take this online survey:
– Request all your own data that the Labour Party holds on you:
http://www.labour.org.uk/pages/privacy
_______________________________________
IF - YOU THINK you HAVE BEEN UNFAIRLY BARRED:
“Any member who is suspended & intends to appeal the decision should throw in a ‘Subject Access Request in accordance with the Data Protection Act’ --- for ALL data that the Labour Party hold on them.
The Labour Party are Data Controllers and therefore have to, by law, provide you with all material/information they hold on you.”
If anyone is in contact with anyone who was barred from voting --- please can you pass this info on:
The Labour leadership election was under the jurisdiction of the electoral reform services.
If you were unfairly deprived of your vote you can call them on 0208 365 8909 and lodge your complaint, and inform them of your Data Protection request.
https://www.electoralreform.co.uk
The notification letters barring new members, did not give a clear reason, or information on how to appeal, so Vox Political suggests that anyone in this situation... could also contact Liz Davies at: http://www.whycantivote.com
She is a barrister -------- who can advise members on what to do.
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PONCY LABOUR MPS PROBLEM?
A huge drop in working-class Labour MPs, caused a massive drop in support among voters with similar backgrounds, reveals research seeking to explain why support has dwindled in the party’s heartlands.
The study says past leaders - like Kinnock and Blair made a concerted effort to pick “more and more middle-class candidates to run for office, during the 80s and 90s, as part of an effort to rebrand” -- which had initial successes at the ballot box.
But this “conscious electoral strategy” stored up problems, as working-class voters who initially, just didn’t vote in response, now seek an alternative.
The solution?Trust each constituency to put forward its own candidates, and don't impose ‘party-approved’ choices who can't do the job.
Now, unfortunately, there are "entryist" MPs who, for decades, have been groomed by CIA cold war relic organisations -- like the Atlantic Council -- and are now trying to misdirect the Labour Party towards cuts, a militarised police, and a US war agenda... - their anti-Corbyn slant is still hobbling Labour.
‘How Can I Deselect My Labour MP?’ A Short Guide to Reselection and Democratic Accountability by Eric Sim, excellent free advice here:
http://novaramedia.com/2016/07/13/how-can-i- deselect-my-labour-mp-a-short-guide-to- reselection-and-democratic-accountability/ CHRIS BRYANT - SUPPORT THE MEMBERS' LEADERSHIP CHOICE & POLICIES - OR GO!
Chris Bryant, the Rhondda's dodgy MP, was on TV -- as soon as the PLP coup started: telling us that Jeremy MUST go because it was the ONLY way to act in the Labour Party's interest...
Chris Bryant's voting record: from TheyWorkForYou.com
On Tuition Fees:
On 27 Jan 2004: Chris Bryant voted in favour of university tuition fees increasing from £1,125 per year, to up to £3,000 per year.
On 31 Mar 2004: Chris Bryant voted to allow university tuition fees to increase from £1,125 per year, to up to £3,000 per year.
On 31 Mar 2004: Chris Bryant voted for the introduction of variable university tuition fees (top-up fees) of up to £3,000 per year in place of the previous fixed fee of £1,250 per year.
On 31 Mar 2004: Chris Bryant voted to allow university tuition fees to increase from £1,125 per year to up to £3,000 per year - and to make other changes to higher education funding & regulation arrangements.
On 14 Sep 2004: Chris Bryant voted against: the immediate abolition of all tuition fees, the re-introduction of maintenance grants of up to £2,000 for students from low-income homes, and changes to the country's higher education system.
On 14 Sep 2004: Chris Bryant voted to reject the Liberal Democrat policy of abolition of tuition fees.
On 25 May 2016: Chris Bryant was absent for a vote on the Queen's Speech - Forcing Schools to Become Academies - and Further Rises in University Tuition Fees.
On Human Rights:
Consistently voted for introducing ID cards
Almost always ------ voted for requiring the mass retention of information about communications
Generally voted for mass surveillance of people’s communications and activities
On the Environment:
Generally voted against greater regulation of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to extract shale gas
On Special Interests:
Almost always voted against limits on success fees paid to lawyers in no-win no fee cases.
Generally ------- voted against a statutory register of lobbyists
On War or Peace:
Generally - voted for use of UK military forces in combat operations overseas.
Consistently voted for the Iraq war.
Consistently voted against - an investigation into the Iraq war.
Generally - voted for replacing Trident with a new nuclear weapons system.
On 2 Dec 2015: Voted to support UK airstrikes in Syria [without UN authorisation]
On 2 Dec 2015: Voted to support UK airstrikes in Syria [without UN authorisation]
On Independence:
Generally voted for more EU integration
____________________________
Chris Bryant Labour MP From Wikipedia
(aka 1962-1986: Mr Christopher John Bryant 1986-1991: The Reverend Christopher John Bryant, 1991-2001: Mr Christopher John Bryant, 2001-: Mr Christopher John Bryant MP.)
Born in Cardiff, to a Scottish mother & a Welsh father, Bryant grew up in Cardiff, Wales (where his father worked for 5 years), & Cheltenham.
He was educated at Cheltenham College, an independent school for boys in the spa town of Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, where he was captain of the school swimming team, and Mansfield College at the University of Oxford, where he graduated in 1983, with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in English. This was later ''promoted'' to a Master of Arts degree (MA (Oxon)), as per tradition.
After completing his first degree -- Bryant began training to be a priest in the Church of England at Ripon College, Cuddesdon, in Oxfordshire. There, he obtained a degree in theology.
Although a member of the Conservative Party, and an elected office-holder in the Oxford University Conservative Association.... he joined the Labour Party in 1986, after leaving Oxford.
He was ordained deacon in 1986 and priest in 1987. He served as a Curate at the Church of All Saints High Wycombe,from 1986 to 1989; then as a Youth Chaplain in Peterborough, as well as travelling in Latin America.
In 1991 Bryant left the ordained ministry, after deciding that being gay and being a priest, were incompatible. Statements made by Richard Harries, then Bishop of Oxford, also influenced his decision.
After leaving the priesthood... in 1991, Bryant worked as the election agent to the Holborn and St Pancras Constituency Labour Party, where he helped Frank Dobson hold his seat in the 1992 general election.
From 1993... he was Local Government officer for the Labour Party; he lived in Hackney and was elected to Hackney Borough Council in 1993 serving until 1998. He became Chair of the Christian Socialist Movement.
He is both... a member of the Labour Friends of Israel and Labour Friends of Palestine & the Middle East. From 1994 to 1996 he was London manager of the leader-grooming "charity", Common Purpose.
He was Labour candidate for Wycombe, in the 1997 general election (he lost by 2,370 votes), and Head of European Affairs for the BBC, from 1998.
His selection -- for the very safe Labour seat of Rhondda, South Wales in 2000, shocked many people given Bryant's background; gay, an ex- Anglican vicar, and someone who was a Tory, while studying at Oxford, and a member now of the Henry Jackson Society 'think tank' --- described by The Guardian newspaper, as 'neoconservative'. It is pro-US, pro-NATO & pro-military intervention, as well as being fundamentally anti-socialist.
Fifty-two people applied for the candidature and a local councillor was hot favourite to win, before Bryant ....was parachuted in.
In 2004, a photograph of Mr Bryant.. in his underpants which he had posted to a gay dating website was published in 'papers.
When an interviewer suggested he was a 'disgrace to the Rhondda', he said: "They can't get rid of me."
His pay, allowances and some expenses:
The basic annual salary for an MP -- from April 1st, 2016 is £74,962. MPs also get expenses: to cover the costs of running an office, employing staff, having some- where to live in London, plus, in their constituency and travelling between Parliament and their constituency.
His MP's expenses story:
Chris Bryant changed second home, twice to claim £20,000: the deputy leader of the House of Commons, "flipped" his second home twice, in 2 years allowing him to claim almost £20,000 for renovations and fees.
Chris Bryant, MP for the Rhondda, split over £92,000 of expenses between 3 properties in Wales and London --- within five years.
In 2004, he attempted to claim £58,000 to overhaul his second home in Wales, after allegedly complaining that properties in his constituency were "terrace or mine owners' houses".
Mr Bryant, a former Church of England clergyman, wanted the money for a new bathroom & kitchen, and to demolish his conservatory. He'd bought the detached house for £97,500, under a year earlier.
He submitted a claim to the Commons fees office for £58,493.26 --- almost 3 times the annual maximum. He noted that the claim exceeded his allowance.
His alleged justification was disclosed....... in correspondence between Commons officials. By email, an official wrote: "He had problems finding a suitable property because in the Rhondda there is a choice mainly -- of terraced property.. or mine owners' houses." When approached by the Daily Telegraph, Mr Bryant said: "I have never said or thought anything of the sort".
In all ----- he successfully claimed over £13,000 for renovations, repairs & appliances, in 2004. Along with other bills, his annual claim was £20,902.
In April 2005 ---- he flipped his expenses to his flat in west London, which he bought for £400,000 in April 2002. He also claimed £630 a month, for mortgage interest along with other bills. After claiming over £3,600 over 3 months, he sold the flat in July 2005..... for £477,000.
Mr Bryant used his profits to buy a more expensive flat in west London, which was valued at £670,000. He immediately flipped his second home expenses there, claiming almost £6,400 in stamp duty, legal fees and mortgage fees incurred in the purchase.
He then began claiming interest of £1,000 a month, on the mortgage. He also claimed a further £6,000 a year, for the flat's service charge & ground rent.
In all, he claimed £92, 415 in second home expenses, from 2004 to 2009.
Mr Bryant said at the time: "I moved flat in London, so as to be closer to Parliament."
Research by Channel 4 News in 2015 - found that at least 46 MPs had this kind of system in place a move one Labour backbencher described as “a new fiddle”. Channel 4 reported then:
“Our investigation ---- found that many of the MPs bought their London properties with the help of taxpayers, when a previous expenses system let them claim back the mortgage payments. But when those claims were banned, after the expenses scandal - they switched to letting out their properties, in some cases for up to £3,000 a month. They then started claiming expenses... for rent and hotels in the capital.”
Among those identified was Chris Bryant, shadow leader of the House of Commons. He had already bought a penthouse in London back in 2005 and claimed around £1,000 a month in mortgage claims under the old system.
But after the expenses scandal ----- he started renting the property out. It’s since been advertised by estate agents as having a private lift and porter, with rent at about £3,000 a month. Meantime, Bryant moved into a new flat claiming his own rent on expenses.
Image: Russian scientists and Scottish ones
Russian/Scottish scientists hail long-range secure quantum communication system.
A group of scientists from ITMO University in Saint Petersburg, Russia, has developed a new approach to constructing quantum communication systems for secure data exchange.
The experimental device based on the results of the research is capable of transmitting single-photon quantum signals across distances of 250 klmtrs or more, which is on par with its cutting edge analogues, the ITMO press-service says.
"Now researchers are on a mission -- to create a fully-fledged quantum cryptographic system, that will generate & distribute quantum keys and transmit useful data simultaneously", ITMO says.
Information security is becoming more and more of a critical issue not only for large companies, banks and defense enterprises but even for small businesses and individual users.
But the data encryption algorithms we currently use for protecting our data are imperfect - in the long-term, their logic can be cracked. Regardless of how complex and intricate the algorithm is, getting around it, is just a matter of time.
Unlike algorithm-based encryption, systems that protect information, by making use of fundamental laws of quantum physics, can make data transmission totally immune to hacker attacks, in the future.
Information in a quantum channel is carried by single photons that change irreversibly if an eavesdropper tries to intercept them. The legitimate users will instantly know about any kind of intervention.
Researchers at the Quantum Information Centre of the International Institute of Photonics and Optical Information Technology at ITMO Uni., Russia, along with their colleagues from the Heriot-Watt University, in Edinburgh, have devised a new way to generate and distribute, quantum bits.
This makes it possible to share quantum signals --- via optical fibres --- 250 kilometres in distance.
"To transmit quantum signals, we use the so- called side frequencies," says Artur Gleim, head of the Quantum Information Centre, at ITMO University,
"This unique approach gives us a number of advantages -- such as a considerable simplification of the device architecture and the large pass-through capacity of the quantum channel. In terms of bit rate and operating distances, our system is comparable to absolute champions in the field of quantum communications."
According to Robert Collins, research associate at the Institute of Photonics & Quantum Sciences at Heriot-Watt University, and one of the authors of the study, this may become a pivotal point for the whole field of quantum communication and cryptography:
"Down the track, this new approach can enable smooth coexistence of numerous data streams with different wavelengths in one single optical cable. On top of it, these quantum streams can be fed into the already existing fibre optic lines --- along with conventional communications."
The research paper is published in the Optics Express journal.
Scottish universities are to be congratulated for their strong & growing links with Chinese and Russian universities....
What a shame, that Wales is lying low --- with academics too scared to break from US military research.
Image: BRICS
Image: March 26 London anti cuts demo
KILLING THE ELDERLY BY CLOSING CARE HOMES
Did you know that each time a local authority
closes a care home for the elderly, within 8
months, around half the residents are dead?
Campaigners liken the cuts and their effect to euthanasia of the UK's elderly. What to do?
We can start by urging our MPs to sign EDM 2251:
EDM 2251: The contents
This House notes with deep concern the worsening crisis for elderly care as growing numbers of local authority and private care homes face closure
Acknowledges concerns that the loss of elderly people's care homes causes fear, anxiety and, in many cases, a higher mortality rate, when vulnerable, elderly people are forced to leave their homes
Further notes that the Southern Cross crisis will increase needs for local authority care
And therefore calls on the government to hold a public inquiry into the deaths after closures, of local authority care homes, and impose a moratorium on the closure of local authority care homes, until that inquiry publishes its results, to ensure that vulnerable, elderly people's lives are not put at further risk.
Image: unemployment in Wales
FARMING AND SCIENCE COULD REGENERATE WALES
A new UN General Assembly report warns "vast areas" of cultivated land are lost each year, and that this could lead to unrest.
The report says up to 30 million hectares, an area the size of Italy, is lost each year to environmental degradation, industry & urbanization - the growth of cities - and all because of speculative building and greed.
The UN special rapporteur Olivier De Schutter, gives the example of eastern Africa, where the amount of cultivated land has declined by half --- in just one generation! "
As rural populations grow and competition with large industrial units increases, plots cultivated by smallholders are shrinking year after year," says De Schutter.
"Farmers are often relegated to soils that are arid, hilly or without irrigation."
The UN officer also mentions India as another example, where the average landholding fell from 2.6 hectares in 1960 to 1.4 hectares in 2000. A cut of nearly half in 40 years!
He says 500 million small farmers suffer from hunger, partly because their right to land is being violated. The expert warns of the devastating consequences, as foreign investors compete for larger and larger areas of the world's land for "their" agriculture.
Rhondda Records says Wales could rebuild its new economy by basing it on a fresh approach to high-value added products, using science and agriculture... such as the Altzeim project in Gwent.