South Cambridgeshire is the best place to live in rural Britain, according to a survey by the Halifax The countryside around Cambridge is the best place to live in rural Britain, according to a Halifax survey which gave it the top spot for its mix of high incomes, life expectancy, good health, high educational standards – and the fact that it doesn’t rain too much. In a survey of every rural area in the UK, South Cambridgeshire emerged at the top of the table, closely followed by East Hertfordshire, Uttlesford (the area around Stansted Airport) and Aylesbury Vale in Buckinghamshire. Outside the south and east of England, the top-rated spots were Rushcliffe, south of Nottingham, and Wychavon in Worcestershire. But South Cambridgeshire edged ahead of every other part of the UK with 95% of its 140,000 residents reporting generally good health, and the highest life expectancy of any rural area in the country. Average weekly earnings across the area, made up of 105 villages, are £739, and the employment rate, at 79%, is one of the highest in the UK. The area, which includes the village of Grantchester made famous by Rupert Brooke and latterly Jeffrey Archer, derives most of its prosperity from the university city it encircles. Alex Colyer, executive director of South Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “It’s a very vibrant place with a science and education-driven economy which ripples out of Cambridge. We have lots of biotech and science companies and low levels of deprivation.” Recession and austerity have barely touched the district, where house prices rose strongly through 2010 and currently average around £275,000. Unemployment is below 2% and employment in the R&D sector is 18 times the national average. The council says one of its biggest challenge is public transport. “We have a very high reliance on cars in this area and cuts to public transport are an issue for us.” Halifax measured every rural location in Britain on criteria including home size, traffic flows, employment, crime, weather, and GCSE results. Employment was highest in Ryedale in North Yorkshire and the Shetlands, both at 86%. The Western Isles had the lowest burglary rate, least traffic and smallest school class sizes. At the other end of the country, the Isle of Wight scored highest for sunshine, while the Isles of Scilly, Teesdale and Wear Valley in County Durham were top for GCSE results. Health Housing market Real estate Patrick Collinson guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Heavy metal is outlandish, it’s ridiculous, it’s frightening—and it relates fundamental truths about the dark side of human nature, writes James Parker in the Atlantic . Indeed, its dark lyrics echo the writings of mythographer Sir James George Frazier: “We seem to move on a thin crust which may at…
Continue reading …If you ever find yourself before a judge, you should hope that he or she is well-fed and well-rested, new research suggests. Researchers analyzed more than a thousand parole hearings in Israel and discovered that judges were much likelier to grant an inmate parole if the hearing occurred soon after…
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Human rights group: There seemed to be “a continual expectation containment would be used” on London TUC march Senior officers policing protests in London last month focused too heavily on kettling to contain activists, Liberty says. The rights group, which had 120 observers, including two inside Scotland Yard’s special operations room (SOR), for the TUC march on 26 March, said the tactic was “under near constant consideration” when potential trouble emerged. “In the SOR, there seemed to be a continual expectation that a containment would be imposed at some point,” Liberty’s report said, adding that the tactic “does appear seriously to undermine the relationship of trust and confidence between peaceful protesters and the police”. The report added: “The possibility of mass containment of peaceful protesters has undoubtedly had a chilling effect on many people’s rights to freedom of expression and assembly.” Despite its criticism, Liberty added that the Met’s response was “on the whole proportionate” and found no need for further police powers to deal with violent groups who infiltrate demonstrations. Assistant Commissioner Lynne Owens, of the Met, said: “We were faced with the difficult task of striking the right balance between ensuring the vast majority of people were able to peacefully protest whilst managing the small number of criminals intent on disorder.” Police Protest London TUC Trade unions guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Human rights group: There seemed to be “a continual expectation containment would be used” on London TUC march Senior officers policing protests in London last month focused too heavily on kettling to contain activists, Liberty says. The rights group, which had 120 observers, including two inside Scotland Yard’s special operations room (SOR), for the TUC march on 26 March, said the tactic was “under near constant consideration” when potential trouble emerged. “In the SOR, there seemed to be a continual expectation that a containment would be imposed at some point,” Liberty’s report said, adding that the tactic “does appear seriously to undermine the relationship of trust and confidence between peaceful protesters and the police”. The report added: “The possibility of mass containment of peaceful protesters has undoubtedly had a chilling effect on many people’s rights to freedom of expression and assembly.” Despite its criticism, Liberty added that the Met’s response was “on the whole proportionate” and found no need for further police powers to deal with violent groups who infiltrate demonstrations. Assistant Commissioner Lynne Owens, of the Met, said: “We were faced with the difficult task of striking the right balance between ensuring the vast majority of people were able to peacefully protest whilst managing the small number of criminals intent on disorder.” Police Protest London TUC Trade unions guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Rare good news from Afghanistan: The Taliban is losing ground in the south, meaning that “we start this year in a very different place from last year,” Gen. David Petraeus says. For the first time since the beginning of the war, the Taliban’s summer fighting season begins with less control…
Continue reading …Imagine being blind for your entire life and then, one day, gaining the ability to see. Would you be able to identify an object by sight, if it was previously only familiar to you by touch? A new study suggests that you wouldn’t be able to at first, but would…
Continue reading …Moammar Gadhafi’s forces shelled the eastern edge of Ajdabiya today, bringing the fight to the front-line rebel town that has been the scene of fierce fighting in recent weeks. Rebel forces fired back with rockets and no government forces entered the city, said a rebel fighter. Rebels acknowledged the setback…
Continue reading …An entire town is washed away in minutes. Panicked residents try to escape as the waters rush toward them. It sounds like something out of a disaster movie, but it’s horribly, terrifyingly real. Mashable points to the new footage of the Japan tsunami, posted on YouTube last week, and Charlie…
Continue reading …Rescuers worked through the night and were still at it today, but a man trapped in an Idaho mine since Friday remains underground. A remote-controlled digging machine was brought in today, the AP reports, but it must be disassembled and then reassembled more than a mile below ground, and it’s…
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