Ian Banks

Homepage - Maret Anne Sara Artist and Author

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Máret Ánne Sara’s Turbine Hall review – did no one think to ask her for a little bit more? The Sámi artist may use reindeer skulls and bones, but her spiralling wooden fences are so slight they fail to impose themselves on the venue’s vast space – or the imagination

Must visit Turbine Hall when in London next month as find this review mean-hearted. Artist deals with indigenous reindeer herding Sámi community & her 2022 Pavilion at Venice Biennale was seen as genuine Sámi-led initiative telling story on their terms. Same here. www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...

'We never gave up,' say Israeli hostage families as Trump and world leaders sign Gaza ceasefire deal - live updates Hamas returns all 20 living hostages, while Israel has released almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in exchange.

“It took 3000 years to get to this point. Can you believe it?” boasts vainglorious Trump. Is he implying a peace in Levant only he achieved & that Babylonian, Roman, Byzantine & Ottoman empires & a British administrative territory of Mandatory Palestine failed to get? www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cx...

First seven hostages released in Gaza are now with Israeli military, IDF confirms - follow live Hamas has released the names of 20 living hostages expected to be released today. Israel is releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees in exchange.

Desperately hope today’s historic moment is catalyst for end of war & starts true peace plan agreement. But how now to rebuild an un-policed Gaza in flux where Hamas & Doghmush fight over territorial control, over legal & illicit economic activity & political power? www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cx...

Green party reaches 100,000 members for first time after Polanski becomes leader Green party in England and Wales has had near-50% rise in membership since since Zack Polanski took over last month

Very happy to be one of the new paid up members of the Green Party and really feel a new wave of positive momentum under Zac Polanski. Already checking out my Cheshire East ‘Upcoming Events’ list www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Case Studies - Global Tipping Points

Global Tipping Points report by University of Exeter involved 160 scientists from 87 institutions in 23 countries. It estimates coral reefs hit a tipping point when temperatures are 1-1.5C above that of late 19th century. Global heating is now at c. 1.4C global-tipping-points.org/case-studies/

…I needed not fear a shortage of Sloes in Anglesey today: A veritable bounty is still left on the blackthorn there, and we have more than enough for 1 litre of Xmas Sloe Gin as well as gifts of surplus Sloe fruit for all our friends.

@riverflies.bsky.social Really looking forward as ‘citizen scientist’ attending your Riverfly Partnership Conference 14th Nov in London. I read on press releases that you are still short of a keynote speaker? May I suggest if so, the magnificent Robert McFarlane, author of book ‘Is A River Alive?’

Israel and Gaza prepare for release of hostages and prisoners Living Israeli hostages due to be released on Monday, with nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees to follow

Stark contrasting scenes of celebratory Tel Aviv & what looks like & is a post-sieged, starved & apocalyptic Palestine. Really hope for a true peace at last but power play between mobilised Hamas & insurgent Doghmush clan in vacuum of derelict Gaza City worrying www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

Heading to Anglesey today our own secret hotspot for wild Sloes - Home made Xmas Sloe Gin of course is our only objective. Hoping no one else has discovered our stash yet, but so many more wild foragers out there these days. Stumbled on these delightful film shorts: foragers-association.org/Films

The Dark Side Of The Boom | Stephen Innes 🇨🇦 🇹🇭 | Substack With 35 years of experience in the Interbank Market, I have an extensive background in proprietary trading across multiple products including Forex, Bonds, Gold, and Oil. I've had the privilege of wor...

The Dark Side Of The Boom
thedarksideoftheboom.substack.com?r=2cm0o5&utm...

Stars and stripes flags for Trump UK visit had to be changed for brighter red Switch of 66 hand-sewn flags for use along Mall and at Windsor Castle cost estimated £52,800 in public funds

£52,800 extra expenses in UK taxpayer funding to replace & brighten-up the cherry red shade to 66 hand-stitched stars & stripes flags just for the US President visit? Really? www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

White House slams Trump’s perceived Nobel peace prize snub as ‘politics over peace’ President has ‘heart of humanitarian’, spokesperson says after unsuccessful bid for prize amid Gaza ceasefire deal

To ever attain the true “heart of a humanitarian” needed for true Nobel Laureates, heartless Tim Man Trump can only head to a fantasy Land of Oz. Only there, with no presidential courage or brains either, he “…could be another Lincoln, If (he) only had a brain”. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Venezuelan politician María Corina Machado wins Nobel peace prize Opponent of Maduro regime receives award and praise for keeping ‘flame of democracy burning’

Venezuelan María Corina Machado’s deserved 2025 Nobel peace laureateship for dogged struggle to rescue country from “brutal, authoritarian state”. In contrast, a vindictive Trump will weaponise Nobel snub by Norway’s committee just like he abuses US justice system www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

Nobel Peace Prize goes to "person who has done most or best to advance fellowship among nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies, & establishment & promotion of peace congresses” So no to sociopath Trump, yes to María Corina Machado & watch yourself Norway! www.ndtv.com/world-news/l...

Norway braces for Trump’s reaction if he does not win Nobel peace prize US president may impose tariffs, demand higher Nato contributions or even declare Norway an enemy, analyst says

“Trump’s reaction if he does not win Nobel peace prize: US president may impose tariffs, demand higher Nato contributions or even declare Norway an enemy”: Hope but not confident, Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, world happiness rate & hygge wellbeing can hold out www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

The official website of the Nobel Prize - NobelPrize.org The Nobel Prize rewards science, humanism and peace efforts. This is one of the central concepts in the will of Alfred Nobel, and it also permeates the outreach activities that have been developed for...

After Gaza peace & hostage release Arab League/Trump 20-point plan reboots Palestinians with new committee (& no Hamas). No 2025 Nobel Peace Prizes yet (see live streaming 6–13 Oct on nobelprize.org). To propose Trump would be an insult to World & likes of true Peace Laureates like Nihon Hidankyo.

‘The president is unhinged’: Trump’s online behavior grows increasingly odd The US president’s recent behavior is strange to many, from reposting a false AI video of himself to confusing comments during press conferences

“The president sounded incoherent, exhausted, rabidly partisan, at times stupid, meandering, couldn’t hold a thought together”…. Plus ça change? www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Worth it for the sunrise alone

René Magritte’s ‘superstar of surrealism’ to go on sale in Paris La Magie Noire, bought by family of wartime resistance heroine 90 years ago, expected to fetch more than €7m

“La Magie Noire” by superstar “Taylor Swift of surrealism” René Magritte? I hate the artistic work of both these trite show pony’s. The painting’s about as artistic as “Fallen Madonna with the Big Boobies” another René (Artois) is forced to hide in ‘Allo 'Allo! www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...

'I have your nudes and everything to ruin your life' - the cyber scammers targeting teenagers The BBC challenges the scammers targeting teenagers like Evan Boettler, who took his own life just 90 minutes after being contacted.

So sad that we should even need support services like Report Remove collaboration between Childline and Internet Watch Foundation (for young people in the UK to confidentially report and remove sexual images or videos of themselves from the internet) www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

YouTube video by Novara Media 'Helping Fascist Farage Into Power is My Red Line' | Zack Polanski Interview

Final day of conference - and the energy has been amazing.

Our country is a mess. The world is in turmoil. We've got lots to do.

And we're ready.

youtu.be/tffONP7XErg?...

‘Cheating is encouraged’: nut crackers at Peckham’s Conker Championships go for the fun South London upstart takes itself far less seriously than the World Championships, but is not risk-free

Timothy Nuts wins this year’s Peckham Conker Championships, defeating 2024 champion Pietro the Pummeller: Great to see conkers hanging in as autumnal cultural tradition but does switch from innocent school game to boozy competitive spectacle have to be inevitable? www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/o...

Trump authorises National Guard deployment to Chicago The controversial move follows protests over ramped-up immigration enforcement and the shooting of a woman during unrest on Saturday.

No surprises with Trump yet again “attempting to manufacture a crisis" making statements “untethered to the facts” and moves violating the Constitution that "risk blurring the line between civil and military federal power - to the detriment of this nation" www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Man Utd 2-0 Sunderland: Mason Mount and Benjamin Sesko give United priceless win Follow live text commentary, score updates and match stats from Manchester United vs Sunderland in the Premier League

Why is my first sense one of relief whenever #ManUtd win any game these days? Senne Lammens keeps clean sheet & Benjamin Sesko scores again great, but respectively, each also flirted very closely with a separate red card and a conceded penalty - both overruled by VAR. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

Zack Polanski: 'Migrants and refugees are welcome here' Green Party leader Zack Polanski has delivered his first conference speech as leader and criticised the rise of Nigel Farage's Reform party.

“..we say it loud, we say it clear: migrants and refugees are welcome here…” Green Party leader Zack Polanski has delivered his first conference speech as leader and he has my vote www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...

‘Trump’s decomposing ear of corn’: what does ‘hair certainty’ tell us about our leaders? From Starmer’s stiff quiff to the Maga movement’s glossy TV locks, how performative a politician’s hair appears can tell us much about the prevailing political winds

A question of the presidential importance of “hair-certainty” applied to Trump’s own orange comb-over. Not quite the iconic signature trademark of a Liberace candelabra, Mick Jagger’s lips, or indeed the 1950s pompadour coiffure of an Elvis or Johnny Hallyday www.theguardian.com/fashion/2025...

Beavers | The Wildlife Trusts Once extinct in Britain, beavers have been reintroduced to a few select sites. Discover what The Wildlife Trusts are doing to help this charismatic mammal.

Sorry, I have no idea. Nothing listed on Wildlife Trust link below - but then neither is anything on Denton Hall Reserve in Addingham Wharfedale where I read introductions of a pair was imminent. www.wildlifetrusts.org/saving-speci...

Wild Trout Trust awarded £1.18 million Defra grant | Wild Trout Trust In good news for Lincolnshire, we’re delighted to share that the Wild Trout Trust has been awarded £1,185,957 from Defra’s Water Restoration Fund - read more .

Great to hear #WildTroutTrust interviewed on BBC R4 Today this morning talking of Wetland Creation Schemes. Huge grant too from Defra’s Water Restoration Fund for River Witham in Lincolnshire www.wildtrout.org/news/wild-tr...

Saudi comedy festival: Inside the controversial Riyadh event starring comedians Dave Chappelle, Bill Burr, Jack Whitehall and Jimmy Carr A-listers including Dave Chappelle, Bill Burr and Jack Whitehall have faced a backlash over the event.

No Sun City anti-apartheid-like solidarity here then. With death penalties for same sex relationships, Sharia law beheading, stoning & amputation & murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, be careful comedians you read your content restrictions small print right www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...