What The?????.....Trampolining Badgers!.....Freedom From Torture……
by Bernie Bell - 09:59 on 01 September 2023
What The?????....
Was my first response to reading Kenny Brophy’s most recent ‘Urban Pre-historian‘ blog entry…
https://theurbanprehistorian.wordpress.com/2023/08/29/little-britain/
I stayed clear of the Jubilee celebrations so hadn’t seen the projections onto Stonehenge, and I actually thought that Kenny had made it up!
Then, having read the whole article, I can see that Stonehenge might have been something along the lines of what Kenny says…..that sorta thing could have kind-of been what it represented right from the start – those in power dictating what‘s what.
This is a corker of an article. ‘Nuff said.
The place has been mis-used repeatedly..…
https://theorkneynews.scot/2018/05/17/a-bit-of-a-rant-about-the-use-misuse-of-words/
Re…. "What part do archaeologists play in these insidious processes? I’ve already included above a troubling headline from the Daily Telegraph that was inspired by press releases and an interview with an archaeologist involved in the project that started this whole thing. This highlights the unintentional enabling role that prehistorians can have in allowing journalists to spin stories in a certain direction. The pathway from archaeological claim to journalistic spin can be contested, but surely should be embarked upon with cynicism and diligence.”
Some years ago, I took an archaeologist of my acquaintance to task about what he had purportedly said in an article about the Ness of Brodgar which someone sent me – might even have been in the Guardian - I only buy ‘The Orcadian’. He told me that he’d been mis-quoted and quoted out of context and, wisely, advised me not to believe everything I read in the papers!
Here’s a tale. Last year, someone we know worked part-time marshalling the visitors from the Cruise Liners onto buses to be taken around Orkney. One woman asked him how she could get to Edinburgh. He answered that she could go to the airport and catch a ‘plane. She will then have been taken in a coach, walked round the Ring of Brodgar taking photos – or even just up to the Ring, taking photos - then back onto the bus. As far as she was concerned she was in Scotland – Scotland means Edinburgh – no real idea of where she was, or what the Ring is/might be.
So it goes.
Meanwhile – they’re wrecking the land around the Ring with their foot-fall...
https://theorkneynews.scot/2022/03/14/more-than-just-a-ditch/
https://theorkneynews.scot/2020/03/26/the-healing-of-brodgar/
“Maybe , when this crisis is over, and the world settles into whatever normal life will be then, there might be less massive liners coming to Orkney, and a more steady, balanced flow of folk, coming to pay their respects at Brodgar. And the healing can continue. Maybe.”
Turns out I was a bit optimistic…
http://www.spanglefish.com/berniesblog/blog.asp?blogid=16305
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Trampolining Badgers!.....
How could I not post this?....
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-leicestershire-66657159
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Freedom From Torture……
I received the following from ‘Freedom from Torture’ … https://www.freedomfromtorture.org/
“Fire risks, deadly bacteria and a mental health catastrophe: this government’s failed barge experiment is a human rights disaster. And they’re moving full steam ahead, ignoring all the warning signs.
We know thousands of us stand with refugees and torture survivors and against the use of this cruel barge. But despite the general outcry, they forced people seeking safety to move in. Only to remove people days later because of an outbreak of potentially deadly Legionella bacteria.
Now, the Fire Brigade Union has named the Bibby Stockholm a 'potential deathtrap' and launched a legal challenge against it.
The Port’s CEO is under intense pressure. So now’s our time to act. Tell Portland Port’s CEO, Bill Reeves: end your support for this cruel, unnecessary and dangerous plan now.
We know from our work with torture survivors, this plan would have a huge effect on the mental health of people who have already gone through so much. Kolbassia Haoussou our Survivor Empowerment Director, and other survivors, highlighted how the barge would feel "like being back in prison. No matter if you have a TV, the feeling is being locked away".
And we know that, together, we can make real change. We’ve seen it again and again: hundreds of thousands of you emailed Privilege Style airlines until they bowed out of this Government’s cruel Rwanda plans.
So now’s our time to remind Portland Port’s CEO where we stand - on the right side of history. Ask Portland Port’s CEO Bill Reeves to stand with refugees and against cruelty.
No one - especially those who have survived torture and war - deserves to be exposed to these conditions.
Please stand together with refugees and torture survivors today and help us make the UK a more welcoming place.
In solidarity
Agustina
Digital Campaigns Manager
Freedom from Torture
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Here’s one I made earlier….. https://theorkneynews.scot/2021/10/26/distant-connections/
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