Graeme Beale

Reminds me of this worrying buffet offer

new bluesky motto just dropped.

My current bad #scifi opinion is that the Culture books (Ian M Banks) are structurally a bleak future with the only roles being: robots/machines, artists, and secret policemen.
I really enjoyed them when I was a teenager, but the satire seems darker the older I get.

Hero level life advice.

Hedgehog

Hello spiky fren.

And the response link is here: consult.gov.scot/environment-...

The consultation closes on 24th October 2025.

Consultation on 2027-32 Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture (ENRA) Research Strategy A draft strategy for the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture (ENRA) Research Programme from 2027-32 is available for public consultation. The programme covers a broad range of issues critic...

You can see our draft Areas of Research Interest here: www.gov.scot/publications...

A Sankey diagram linking missions to challenges and SG policy areas/priorities

And we've tried to link each of our missions to main challenges and to Scottish Government policy priorities/areas.

Mission: Delivering climate-positive and resilient landscapes Challenges: • Adapting to climate change • Protecting and restoring soils & peatland • Maximising the circular economy and reducing waste • Protecting and enhancing biodiversity • Investing in Scotland's natural capital • Optimising Scotland's land use Mission: Delivering sustainable and regenerative agriculture and food systems Challenges: • Ensuring Scotland's food safety • Maintaining high plant health • Promoting crop & livestock improvement • Protecting our food system resilience • Protecting and restoring soils & peatland • Protecting and enhancing biodiversity • Maximising the circular economy and reducing waste • Reforming Scotland's agricultural system • Promoting healthy and sustainable food in Scotland • Improving animal health and animal welfare Mission: Restoring nature and protecting our environment Challenges: • Protecting and enhancing biodiversity • Enhancing Scotland's environment • Protecting and restoring soils & peatland • Reforming Scotland's agricultural system • Maintaining high plant health • Investing in Scotland's natural capital Mission: Enhancing rural and island communities Challenges: • Reforming Scotland's land system • Adapting to climate change • Supporting rural & island communities & economies Mission: Building the circular economy Challenges: • Maximising the circular economy and reducing waste • Reforming Scotland's agricultural system

And here's a brief list of our main missions for the new programme and the challenges that sit underneath them

Figure 1: 2027-2032 ENRA Research Strategy approach. The dark blue outer ring shows the five Missions, which are synonymous with impact outcomes. The main customers or stakeholders benefiting from impacts are shown in the centre in lighter blues. Research activities will support one or more missions and engage with one or more stakeholders. Within the 2027-32 ENRA Research Strategy the five Missions are Delivering sustainable and regenerative agriculture and food systems; Delivering climate-positive and resilient landscapes; Restoring nature and protecting our environment; Enhancing Rural and Island communities; and Building the circular economy. The main customers or stakeholders are Government; Industry/Innovators; and Producers/Land Managers. A set of supporting Challenges have been identified to support the Missions. For instance, the Mission to ‘Deliver regenerative and sustainable agriculture and food systems’ has Challenges focused on: maintaining high plant health status, promoting crop and livestock improvement, and protecting food system resilience. The Challenges are in turn underpinned by Areas of Research Interest (ARIs), indicating where project outcomes are expected to generate significant impact.

We're using mission based approach:
1. Delivering sustainable and regenerative agriculture and food systems
2. Delivering climate-positive and resilient landscapes
3. Restoring nature and protecting our environment
4. Enhancing rural and islands communities
5. Building the circular economy

Exciting RESAS news! We have launched our draft Research Strategy from 2022-2027. Have a look at what we've put together as our draft Areas of Research Interest, and give us your views about whether they're the right research priorities. consult.gov.scot/environment-....

Back of a packet of jam sugar

Just using the jam sugar recipe on the back of the silver spoon bag calls for butter. That’s always how I’ve done it, just varying the raspberries or strawberries according to what’s grown.

Jam jar with new jam in it

Properly pleased with this. Never made it vegan before so crossing fingers that it sets alright. Always good to try a new challenge.

Socks with sandals

Reminder it’s #Quaker meeting for business today. After usual meeting. Please come suitably ready.

Cartoon drawing of Nietzsche hoovering and thinking "God I hate this thing". Caption reads Nietzsche abhors a vacuum.

Nietzsche abhors a vacuum

www.worldofmoose.com/products/nie...

Bloodlust & Bonnets by Emily McGovern

Twelve Percent Dread by Emily McGovern

Finished these two books by Emily McGovern. Both complete joys to read. For anyone of a certain internet generation who read BackgroundSlytherin I'm so glad she's gone on and had a good career.
Oh - she's on Bluesky! @emilyscartoons.bsky.social Wonderful, now an instant follow. 😀

We've built an R&D toolkit for policymakers A new suite of interactive tools to help policymakers strengthen UK innovation.

Really interesting toolkit here for #innovation policy folks. britishprogress.org/articles/wev... . If only the organisation hadn't wasn't called Centre for British Progress. Just makes it sound like it was set up by the Colonial Office in the 19th century. You'd think they'd test the name first?

I read it all because I’m genuinely curious about Quaker structures and arrangements!

Also love that this is a huge reorganisation of a religious group, and basically it's been endless conversations/meetings and now an email. No great ceremony, just a sort of sigh and I guess this is us now.

[Also well done on anyone who made it through the thread. I'm genuinely curious as to why?]

But, (my inner chaos goblin notes), the way this is being done is to seek active agreement from every member by emailing them all. No explanation of what happens if not every member actively agrees, doesn't get the email. Is too old to read the email etc...

Also worth remembering there have never been more than around 1,000 Quakers in Scotland, so for an anti-organisation organisation we have a lot of organisation, and this hopefully will mean just one tier of roles to fill above local meetings.

Why - well standard issue about expensive meeting houses to maintain and small attendances and Area Meetings struggling to keep them open.
(But most local meetings don't have a building, thank goodness - different I think to most religious organisations, most just use local community centres etc.)

List of area meetings and QiS for Scotland after an Area Meeting has disestablished itself.

This will make it possible for Area Meetings to disestablish themselves and for their members to be direct members of Quakers in Scotland. (Local Meetings are actually part of Area Meetings currently, not institutions in themselves).

List of area meetings and GM for Scotland

From what I understand, (and I've a fairly fervent revulsion to the words church governance), this will transfer everyone's membership from GM Scotland to its successor (QiS). This latter one will then be able to incorporate area meetings if they so desire (and take liabilities e.g. meeting houses).

Quick #Scottish #quaker reform thread. 🧵🤓

General Meeting for Scotland is transforming itself into Quakers in Scotland. It's been a roughly decade-long process. Quakers/Ents being slow to decide on a thing. There's an explanation: www.quakerscotland.org/sites/quaker...

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

Just finished We by Yevgeny Zamyatin. Strange and confusing #dystopia, but the audiobook was nicely read. One of those that makes you realise “ah… that’s where that trope comes from..”
The “guardians “; endless glass walls; all resurfacing in contemporary dystopian lit.

Oh this is going straight into my lexicon. Digital asbestos is a perfect example. Asbestos does have uses, it's great at stopping fires, unfortunately it's fatal to things that breathe (including, of course, humans).

WASPInomics and the magic avocado tree Why boomers struggle to make sense of the millennial world.

My latest, exploring with numbers how the millennial household budget is basically incomprehensible to retired boomers.

...quietly adding Fire Goblins to my 2025 planner... 😬

Loch Fitty sculpture hills

Visited the Loch Fitty sculpture hills yesterday. Fascinating and odd place, semi-wild semi-forgotten. Driven past there on the M90 so many times and wondered about them. Could do with some care and better footpaths.