News you might have missed: March 2015

From the minimum wage to Joey Essex, and banning Minecraft to the DNA of Celts...

Here's the news you might have missed in March... 

Politics

Ed Miliband named fourth most influential person in Doncaster behind Louis from One Direction
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ed-miliband-named-fourth-most-5258348

An improvement on last year!

Six reasons why Cameron has hugely miscalculated on the TV debates

http://markreckons.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/six-reasons-why-cameron-has-hugely.html

Totally agree

National minimum wage to rise by 20p an hour to £6.70
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-31907601

Good news for apprentices

Nursing Counts - and deserves recognition
http://scottish-liberal.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/nursing-counts-and-deserves-recognition.html

Worth a read --> A blog about the contents of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) manifesto, Nursing Counts.

Personal details of world leaders accidentally revealed by G20 organisers
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/30/personal-details-of-world-leaders-accidentally-revealed-by-g20-organisers?CMP=share_btn_fb

Just a minor data protection slip-up...

Meet Britain’s First HIV-Positive Parliamentary Candidate
http://www.buzzfeed.com/patrickstrudwick/meet-britains-first-hiv-positive-parliamentary-candidate?utm_term=.luNMlqmJ0g

A really moving interview

Joey Essex talks about interviewing Nick Clegg
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2015-32127044?SThisFB

Bless --> He now knew the party was not called the "Liberal Democats"

Cameron and Miliband set out horrible, soul-destroying choice
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/politics/politics-headlines/cameron-and-miliband-set-out-horrible-soul-destroying-choice-2015033096878

The party leaders cemented Britain’s worst fears, dashing any hopes that the next prime minister might actually be good at it.

LGBT

Home Office mistreatment of LGBT people must be stopped

http://www.libdemvoice.org/home-office-mistreatment-of-lgbt-people-must-be-stopped-44908.html

Disgusting Australian ad paints gay-headed families as harmful to kids

http://www.goodasyou.org/good_as_you/2015/03/video-disgusting-australian-ad-paints-gay-headed-families-as-harmful-to-kids.html

Irish Minister Leo Varadkar delivers heartfelt plea for equal marriage

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/03/11/watch-gay-irish-minister-delivers-heartfelt-speech-calling-for-same-sex-marriage/

Moving

Government Accused Of Letting Gay Men Die By Not Giving Boys The HPV Vaccine

http://www.buzzfeed.com/patrickstrudwick/government-accused-of-letting-gay-men-die-by-not-giving-boys#.fcbM5zzGA

Interesting piece by Patrick Strudwick - I hope the discrimination ends soon

Irish senator claims Mother’s Day will be banned if same-sex marriage becomes law
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/03/15/irish-senator-claims-mothers-day-will-be-banned-if-same-sex-marriage-becomes-law/

Didn't everyone notice that thanks to same-sex marriage, no one in the UK celebrated Mother's Day yesterday?

Why I Oppose the United States’ Special Envoy for LGBT Human Rights
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/03/10/why-i-oppose-the-united-states-special-envoy-for-lgbt-human-rights.html?via=desktop&source=facebook

Some good arguments...

Entertainment

Bank of Canada urges ‘Star Trek’ fans to stop ‘Spocking’ their fivers
http://dangerousminds.net/comments/bank_of_canada_urges_star_trek_fans_to_stop_spocking_their_fivers

Love the Canadians!

Zoolander and Hansel walk for Valentino at Paris Fashion Week
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/11461684/Zoolander-and-Hansel-walk-for-Valentino-at-Milan-Fashion-Week.html

And the crowd go wild!

Turkey's 'family' ministry wants to ban Minecraft -- just like it did with 4Chan

http://venturebeat.com/2015/03/10/turkeys-family-ministry-wants-to-ban-minecraft-just-like-it-did-with-4chan/#

Bit random!

I wonder how many people who signed the reinstate Clarkson petition will now regret it?
http://www.markpack.org.uk/130410/jeremy-clarkson-sacked/

20 minutes verbal abuse, 30 second physical assault - hardly a moment of madness

Education

Oxford and Cambridge Unions avoid terror ban on extremist speakers
http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/mar/13/oxford-and-cambridge-unions-exempted-from-terror-ban-on-extremist-speakers?CMP=share_btn_fb

I can understand the legal reasoning (debating societies at other universities are part of the students' unions) but this looks like yet another special exception for Oxford and Cambridge universities...

Students occupy Oxford university in fossil fuel divestment protest

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/16/oxford-university-defers-fossil-fuel-divestment-decision

Engaging Citizens: A Game Changer for Development? - Week 0
http://viewfromtheshire.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/engaging-citizens-game-changer-for.html

I'm doing a MOOC!

Buckingham University 'breached own plagiarism rules'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-32034849?SThisFB

I always thought that poor referencing was plagiarism...

Engaging Citizens - Week 1 - Theories and mechanisms
http://viewfromtheshire.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/engaging-citizens-week-1-theories-and.html

Here is my review of the first week of the MOOC on citizen engagement. Short version: The theories and mechanisms can be applied to UK politics (both local and national) and higher education.

Students turn to sex work to make ends meet at university, study finds

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/mar/27/university-students-sex-work-living-costs-tuition-fee-debts

A new report from CentreForum highlights the problems with Labour’s tuition fees policy

http://www.libdemvoice.org/the-independent-view-a-new-report-from-centreforum-highlights-the-problems-with-labours-tuition-fees-policy-45189.html

Engaging Citizens - Week 2 - Improved Policymaking
http://viewfromtheshire.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/engaging-citizens-week-2-improved.html

I've blogged about my second week of studying a MOOC on citizen engagement. Short version: There is lots of research about increasing participation but ultimately it comes down to experimenting on your target group to see what works.

Coventry's Phoenix pub set to reopen after £280,000 revamp
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/look-coventrys-phoenix-pub-set-8928221

It does look quite appealing now, although I'm not sure how many non-students will venture inside

Science

5 WhatsApp settings to change right now
http://mashable.com/2015/03/09/whatsapp-tips-and-tricks/#:eyJzIjoiZiIsImkiOiJfOWl2dXJmaDF6N3Fiam51MyJ9

Useful tweaks...

DNA study shows Celts are not a unique genetic group
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-31905764

This is a really interesting study of the different genetic populations in the UK. It turns out that genetically there is no such thing as Celts, but instead distinct regional populations

Office workers 'too sedentary'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-32069698

I read this whilst sat at my desk eating my lunch...

Northampton

One of the largest Starbucks in the UK and new pan-Asian restaurant to open in Northampton town centre
http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/local/one-of-the-largest-starbucks-in-the-uk-and-new-pan-asian-restaurant-to-open-in-northampton-town-centre-1-6627444

I guess they are trying to make the town more of a destination...

And finally…

Former BBC Royal Correspondent Jennie Bond Gets A Craving For Red Grapes After Smoking Cannabis For Channel 4 Experiment ‘Drugs Live: Cannabis On Trial'
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/03/02/jennie-bond-cannabis-drugs-live-channel-4_n_6782432.html?1425297807

Jennie Bond high!

Fifty Things I Love About Britain
http://loveandliberty.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/fifty-things-i-love-about-britain.html

I agree with most of these...

Men's Standards Of Beauty Around The World
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tneKwarw1Yk

Apart from the ethnicity of the models, there doesn't seem that much diversity in the video. They all seem to be lean, muscular and with "interesting" hair styles

Max's Underpants Episode Three - The Female Model, Guest Starring Lissy Smith
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VLxJgfY4t4

Some light entertainment for a Saturday afternoon - a sketch about the perils of being an underwear model...

Daphne And Celeste - You And I Alone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJr_uyA0Np4

Daphne and Celeste are back - and it's ... interesting...

Students Discover That Their Math Lecturer Is Also A Smoking Hot Model
http://distractify.com/mark-pygas/university-of-london-pietro-boselli-is-a-hottie/

I've never met a Mechanical Engineering lecturer that looks like this...