Teen climate activists attend a hearing to address the climate crisis and its traumatic effect on the younger generation"
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/sep/18/greta-thunberg-testimony-congress-climate-change-action
Sep 19, 2019 at 8:46 AM | Mark Hodgson
Sep 19, 2019 at 8:45 AM | Mark Hodgson

Our schools and universities are not preparing students for some of life's genuine hardships.

GC. North Welsh slate is genuinely world class and at one time was shipped world wide (I have seen it adorning roofs in New Zealand). I believe its perfection comes from two main features. Firstly its splitting (or cleavage) is near perfect (= flat) over large surface areas. In other slates the cleavage is not so perfect displaying flexures or interrupted by small folds. Secondly the original muds were laid down in a deep trench and were exceptionally fine-grained (mostly uniform clay, little silt). This meant that when the muds were subjected to tectonic pressure they developed their near-perfect cleavage. Its uniformity allows slates to be made to near-uniform thickness.
Welsh slates are an example of a commodity that broke most economic rules. Most earth materials (except gems) are expensive to transport and thus have limited geographic reach. Welsh slates were sent by ship worldwide such was their uniqueness.

I thought the NHS switched from using laughing gas as an anaesthetic a long time ago. But perhaps I am wrong.

https://www.nhs.uk/news/medical-practice/anaesthesia-with-laughing-gas/

GC, my sister lives within sight of the Blaenau Ffestiniog slate quarry. When she had her roof replaced she used Spanish slate, local just cost too much.

Sep 19, 2019 at 8:07 AM | AK
Sep 19, 2019 at 9:37 AM | It doesn't add up...

The Welsh Slate industry was hit by the EEC and Spanish Slate industry.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/welsh-hillside-told-to-welcome-spanish-slate-1587299.html

Are there genuine geological reasons (or is it quarrying techniques?) that make Welsh Slate a superior product?

The key part of your comment Messenger is 'unnecessarily'. So rude comments to ATTP, ZDB, Phil Clarke etc were necessary? Maybe they were if they came here to goad or gloat about our side failing in the news. They were if they just popped up to pick up on a few sentences in a comment or article to argue about and missed the wider intention. They were if they hardly ever made any positive or on topic comments. They were if they posted a link, demanding you go read it and be converted to their way of thinking. They'd never summarise that link for you and highlight the good and the bad. That would have required too much work and you might have picked their views to pieces instead. They were if they got a long, reasoned, honest answer and just ignored it or gave it a short, throw away sentence because they had no reasoned comeback of their own. In short they trolled but only because they were on the other side of the climate argument. Of course it's been a while because they got bored and mostly don't comment anymore, so maybe you don't remember?

So it's all a matter of which side you are on for it to be unnecessary or necessary.

AK

Interesting point about quarrying. There is a substantial quarry at the top of the Honister Pass in the Lake District, which produces the green slate to be found on many a local roof. It seems they recognised its value in maintaining the local environment. I was less impressed by the solar panels adorning cottages in Elterwater, obstructing the pale green roofs.

"Not enough’s rotten in the state of Denmark
Copenhagen’s new waste incineration plant needs foreign trash to burn."

https://www.politico.eu/article/denmark-garbage-gamble-amager-bakke-plant-waste/

Sep 18, 2019 at 9:51 AM | Unregistered CommenterTinyCO2: "Messenger, do you read this site?"

I have been reading this blog for over ten years. I'm hardly likely to have made the comment unless I had read something in it that I considered unnecessarily rude.

The Bishop would frequently jump on people who got personal about those they disagreed with.

When one religion conflicts with another....:

"The NHS produces 5.4% of the UK’s greenhouse gases. How can hospitals cut their emissions?
Switching anaesthetic gases, using electric ambulances and ‘greening’ dialysis are reducing the NHS’s carbon footprint"

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/sep/18/hospitals-planet-health-anaesthetic-gases-electric-ambulances-dialysis-nhs-carbon-footprint