NEWS: The British Bill of Rights (or how Human Rights are not so universal after all)

Photo: The Procrastinator Times ©

UK's new government isn't wasting any time says Thomas Gorton in Dazed Magazine, "Boris Johnson has shut down ten fire stations in London, Iain Duncan Smith is pressing on with his plan to cut £12 billion of welfare funding and Michael Gove – a man who once wrote of his support for hanging – is in charge of scrapping the Human Rights Act, a law that's been in place since 1998 to ensure that our human rights are protected." But now the Tory party wants to replace the Human Rights Act with a "British Bill Of Rights".

Gorton asked Bella Sankey, director of policy at human rights organisation Liberty, what that change in law might mean for her. This is a small extract of her thoughts: "At best, the repeal plans are merely a vapid attempt to indulge xenophobia and English nationalism. At worst, they’re a conscious bid by Government ministers to unilaterally renounce the universality of human rights and choose when and to whom they apply. As well as diminishing all of our rights, axing the Act would give a green light to tyrannical despots the world over – if UK leaders think it’s fine to limit human rights to certain groups, why shouldn’t they?" Read full article in Dazed. E.T.P. 3'

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Image via The New Yorker.

Adam Gopnik on the heated debate over whether or not Pluto should be considered a planet: “Those who imagine that picking sides is the small thing, easily overcome by common interests or even common sense, are generally, on this planet and every other, proved tragically, catastrophically wrong.” Read full article in The New Yorker. E.T.P. 6'

 

Photo via WSJ Blog.

UK dreams of a robot heaven: "If everything goes according to plan, robots will decommission British nuclear sites, service offshore oil and gas rigs; zip Brits across the skies and deliver their pizza. Garbage-bots will also collect trash and carebots will look after the elderly. Life will be simpler, easier, and more efficient when humans let robots do all the work, so that we can do everything else." Read full article in the WSJ Blog. E.T.P. 5'

The Procrastinator (some) Times Sunday 17th of November Edition

EDITORIAL

This week we should start mentioning Belle Beth Cooper's article in Fast Company that you can find  in the Design, Business & Innovation section, a very interesting piece that justify our efforts to make procrastination meaningful, we will add that article to our manifesto for sure. Photoautomat presents the work of Riitta Päiväläinen, In Dog We Trust teach us how to make a fondant poodle and we keep talking about Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity, because we really loved it. Finally, we thank Batkid for saving not only Gotham or San Francisco, but the whole world of another week of just terrible news. Thanks Batkid!

Happy reading and happy Sunday!


NEWS

David Cameron at the Lord Mayor's Banquet. Photo: Getty via The New Stateman.

There is really not much that I can add about Laurie Penny New Stateman's very eloquent article. I'm not English, and I really consider that I don't have a qualified opinion on this country politics. The only thing I will say is that when I read news like this about the UK, the same day I saw photos of the actual re-written history books of my country (Venezuela), books that praise "subordination" as a value, I can't help but think that deep down we are not as far away as it might seem, and as Laurey I had to repeat out loud: "We have not always been at war with Eastasia."

This is how Laurie Penny's article begin:  The throne was golden and the lectern was golden and the speech was very clear: austerity will not be temporary policy in Tory Britain. It will last forever. Addressing a roomful of diplomats and business leaders who had just dined lavishly at the Lord Mayor's banquet, the Prime Minister this week promised a "leaner, more efficient state". "We need to do more with less," said David Cameron, looking comfy in his white tie and tails. "Not just now, but permanently." But he hadn't counted on Ruth Hardy, a journalism student, who was working as a waitress that night. "The contrast of the two worlds was striking; someone said it was like a scene from Downton Abbey," wrote Hardy in a viral piece for the Guardian. "Maybe Cameron didn't see the irony; perhaps he forgot about the army of waiting staff, cleaners, chefs and porters who were also present at the banquet. Perhaps he thought he was in a room of similarly rich people, who understood the necessity for austerity. Perhaps it didn't occur to him that this message might not be as easily comprehended by those who hadn't just enjoyed a four-course meal. Perhaps he forgot about those of us, disabled or unemployed or on the minimum wage, for whom austerity has had a catastrophic and wounding effect." Read full article here. E.T.P. (including video): 7'.

Jim Sollish and his son via The New York Times.

I Want to Be a Millenial When I Retire. Jim Sollish wrote a really thoughtful article about his kid, a happy independent musician whose success is hard to be "measure" and therefore understood by older generations. "The Eskimos have all those words for snow, and it seems the only language we have for expressing success is numeric. It may be a universal language, but it’s an impoverished one. Maybe we need a word for “never having to sit in a meeting where someone reads long power point slides out loud.” Maybe we should have an expression that captures the level of success you’ve achieved when you do exactly what you love every day." Read full article in The New York Times. E.T.P. 3'

Photo via SF Gate.

Photo via SF Gate.

Photo via SF Gate.

Photo via Wired.

And of course, the cutest news from this past week was Gotham City being save by Batkid, the legendary Miles Scott aged 5. Thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which organised the event, and to thousands of people in San Francisco that collaborated, Miles fulfil his wish to be Batman for a day. He participated in events across the city including fighting mock crimes and receiving an honour from the mayor. Read the article in BBC, Wired, SF Gate or in Spanish in BBC Mundo.