Bobby the kitten survives 60C washing machine cycle

A kitten that was accidentally trapped in a washing machine on a 60C cycle has made a full recovery.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-36912549

Retiring to Spain: does it live up to expectations?

Anya Ahmed, Senior Lecturer in Social Policy at the University of Salford, explores the pleasures and pitfalls of retiring to Spain in her research into the lives and times of working class British women who've made this choice. Laurie Taylor presents.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p042tczy

The waste mountain of coffee cups

 The cups are not even made from recycled material in the first place - the way they are designed means one thin seam of card inside the cup comes into contact with the hot drink, so they have to be made from virgin paper pulp.

And of course, they have very brief lives - just the time it takes to down a macchiato. The millions of coffee cups we use every day are, in effect, virgin materials with a single use, thrown almost immediately into the bin - a horrendous waste, with a hefty carbon footprint.

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-36882799

Mechanical puppet to tour south-west England to highlight mining past

The Man Engine, a structure nearly as tall as three double-decker buses, will travel 130 miles across Devon and Cornwall

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jul/25/the-man-engine-mechanical-puppet-tour-devon-cornwall-mining-history

The nation that hates to be late

Although many countries are saddled with stereotypes, in Switzerland’s case they’re dead on.

The alpine nation really is highly efficient. And meticulously punctual. Clean, too. For chronically tardy, resolutely inefficient (not to mention slovenly) people like myself, a visit to Switzerland yields a cocktail of emotions: awe, relief and a dash of irritation.

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20160711-the-nation-that-hates-to-be-late

Bosch. The 5th Centenary Exhibition

 The Museo del Prado is presenting the exhibition that marks the 5th centenary of the death of Jheronimus Bosch (on display until 11 September 2016), representing an unrepeatable opportunity to see a remarkable group of works comprising the eight original paintings by the artist to be found in Spain together with others loaned from collections and museums around the world.

https://www.museodelprado.es/en/whats-on/exhibition/bosch-the-5th-centenary-exhibition/f049c260-888a-4ff1-8911-b320f587324a

Melania Trump convention speech seems to plagiarise Michelle Obama

A number of lines in the robustly applauded speech delivered by Melania Trump at the Republican national convention on Monday night appear to have been lifted verbatim from a speech Michelle Obama delivered at the 2008 Democratic convention.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jul/19/melania-trump-republican-convention-plagiarism-michelle-obama

Should we close our zoos?

R

ecently, for reasons too odd to explain, I visited London zoo without intending to. I don’t go to zoos nowadays. I was quickly reminded why. A crowd were gathered by a compound. Behind a pane of glass, sitting with her back to us, was an adult western lowland gorilla. She was impossibly huge, almost too black and beautiful to be real. She resolutely refused to meet the public gaze. She looked straight ahead, into the simulacrum of a rainforest with which she had been provided. Disturbed by the sight, I took one look and left.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jul/20/should-we-close-our-zoos

Food

Welcome to the Food Revolution newsroom. This is your go-to place for food news – here we’ll shout about both the joys of cooking and the ugly truths of the food industry. This is where you can keep informed, discuss, comment and act on the food issues that urgently need to change.

http://www.jamiesfoodrevolution.org/

Why going on holiday by yourself is a good thing

Going on holiday alone is not such a big deal these days it seems, with a third of people saying they travel  by themselves.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p040td7q

GEORGIA O’KEEFFE AT TATE MODERN

Georgia Totto O'Keeffe (November 15, 1887 – March 6, 1986) was an American artist. She is best known for her paintings of enlarged flowers, New York skyscrapers, and New Mexico landscapes. O'Keeffe has been recognized as the "Mother of American modernism".

Nobody sees a flower really; it is so small. We haven't time, and to see takes time - like to have a friend takes time.  Georgia O'keeffe

http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/georgia-okeeffe

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/g/georgia_okeeffe.html

'The Hanging Gardens of Paddington' put up at London hotel

The world's largest hanging basket has been put up outside a London hotel.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/4289417/The-Hanging-Gardens-of-Paddington-put-up-at-London-hotel.html

David Hockney RA: 82 Portraits and 1 Still-life

David Hockney RA returns to the Academy this summer with his sparkling new series of portraits.

https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/david-hockney-portraits

Butterflies and Moths

Butterflies conjure up images of sunshine, the warmth and colour of flowery meadows, and summer gardens teaming with life. Moths are one of the most diverse group of insects on earth, ranging from spectacular Hawk-moths to small, intricately patterned Footman moths.

Sadly, four butterflies and over 60 moths became extinct during the last century. Three-quarters of British butterflies are in decline and many moths are also facing an uncertain future.

The 56 species in Britain and Ireland are under threat today from unprecedented environmental change. Butterflies and moths have been recognised by the Government as indicators of biodiversity. Their fragility makes them quick to react to change so their struggle to survive is a serious warning about our environment.

http://butterfly-conservation.org/50/2/identify-a-butterfly.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGY20dMibl0&feature=youtu.be

Leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Genius

Highlights of the exhibition include:

• 39 historical models of Leonardo’s inventions including flying machines, diving equipment and weapons
• Large-scale reproductions of Leonardo’s famous drawings and sketches
• 13 Interactive games and 10 multimedia installations
• Modern examples of bio-inspired robotics, aviation and materials technology

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/plan_your_visit/exhibitions/leonardo

"Although human subtlety conceives various inventions...it will never devise an invention more beautiful, more simple or more direct than does nature beacuse in her inventions nothing is lacking

and nothing is suplerfluous."

Leonardo da Vinci, Quaderni d'anatomia


https://biomimicry.org/what-is-biomimicry/#.V4ENZfmLTIU

https://www.festo.com/group/en/cms/10238.htm

The Floating Piers

For sixteen days – June 18 through July 3, 2016 (weather permitting) – Italy’s Lake Iseo is being reimagined. 100,000 square meters of shimmering yellow fabric, carried by a modular floating dock system of 220,000 high-density polyethylene cubes, undulate with the movement of the waves as The Floating Piers rise just above the surface of the water.

http://www.thefloatingpiers.com/the-project/

No grades, no timetables: Berlin school turns teaching upside down

The Evangelical School Berlin Centre (ESBC) is trying to do nothing less than “reinvent what a school is”, she says. “The mission of a progressive school should be to prepare young people to cope with change, or better still, to make them look forward to change. In the 21st century, schools should see it as their job to develop strong personalities.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/01/no-grades-no-timetable-berlin-school-turns-teaching-upside-down