Barometer

We will remember them A German diplomat called on Britain to commemorate but not celebrate the centenary of the Great War. Some of the events planned so far: — Candle to be extinguished in Westminster Abbey at 11 p.m. on 4 August — First world war paintings to be displayed on 22,000 poster sites around the country — Memorial arch to be constructed in Folkestone, from where many soldiers left for the front — Replicas of biplanes to be flown from Dover to St Omer — Bus used at the front to be restored by London Transport Museum A sense of conviction The Football Association has been attacked for clearing just two out of 473 players brought before it on disciplinary matters in 2011, a ‘conviction’ rate of 99.6 per cent.

Ward ceremony There have been 29 health secretaries since 1948. How many have wards that — though not necessarily named after them — bear their surname? NYE BEVAN Hillingdon, Harlow, Ealing, East London, Princess Alexandra, Stepping Hall (Stockport) ENOCH POWELL Lewisham Hospital KENNETH ROBINSON Mile End, Lewes, Chesterfield, St Andrews BARBARA CASTLE Warwick, Royal Berkshire, Worthing PATRICK JENKIN West Cumbria KEN CLARKE Kent and Canterbury, Northwick Park, Royal Hampshire STEPHEN DORRELL Royal Berkshire ALAN JOHNSON Lincoln, Bridling, Buxton (closing) ANDY BURNHAM Nottingham City The price of progress NHS funding has trebled since 1997. Some performance indicators over that period VISITS TO A&E Total number Q2 2003 3.21m Q2 2005 3.

Art by the seaside The Kent seaside resort of Herne Bay staged the parade of a urinal through the town to celebrate its connection with Marcel Duchamp, who spent a month there in 1913 and credited the place with rekindling his artistic career — a postcard to a friend declared: ‘I am not dead. I am in Herne Bay.’ Some other artists and their favoured English seaside resorts: — J.M.W. Turner frequently visited Margate for inspiration, after first being sent there as an 11-year-old boy. — John Constable lived in Brighton between 1824 and 1828. — Vincent van Gogh taught at a small boarding school in Ramsgate in 1876, from where he wrote to his brother Theo about helping the children to build sandcastles on the beach. — L.S.

Running scared Three participants were gored at the Pamplona bull run. The event has reputation for danger, but how risky is it? —Since 1910, 15 deaths have been recorded, the last in 2009. Five of the deaths have been since 1980. — Counting of the participants began only 2011, when 20,500 people were recorded as taking part in the eight bull runnings of that year. If this is typical it suggests a mortality rate of about one in 140,000. — This compares well with another mass outdoor event: the London marathon. Since 1981, there have been eight deaths during or immediately after the marathon. Over 32 years the number of participants has grown from 6,500 to 32,000, suggesting a mortality rate of approximately one in 67,000, or about twice that of the bull run.

Family games Andy Murray said that as a child he lived in the shadow of his elder brother Jamie, who was then thought the better tennis player. Some other sporting brothers: — As a teenager Wayne Lineker was thought to be more talented than his elder brother Gary. While Gary went on to captain England, and score 48 goals for the national team, Wayne dropped out of football and opened several bars in Spain. His latest venture is an appearance on ITV2 show The Only Way is Essex. — While Bobby Charlton was given an apprenticeship, his elder brother Jack sought work in a coal mine before a talent scout for Leeds United spotted him in an amateur match. He went on to join Bobby in England’s World Cup winning team and later succeeded as a manager.

A place of greater safety CIA whistleblower Edward Snowden has claimed asylum in 21 countries. How do whistleblowers fare in some of them? China: 5 journalists killed since 1992.

Souls on ice Three Oxford academics have revealed that they have paid to become cryonically preserved at death in the hope of one day being revived. A selection of the 117 clients lying in ‘patient care drawers’ at the Alcor Life Extension Foundation, Arizona: — Roy Schiavello, 30, programmer — Michael Louis Friedman, 32, lawyer shot by disgruntled client — Jim Glennie, hydrogeologist — Stanley Penska, 99, coal-miner turned building contractor — James Gallagher, 55, software developer — Edward Kuhrt, 65, private investigator — Paul Garfield, 93, second world war veteran, purchasing agent.

Minority sports The annual cheese-rolling race took place at Cooper’s Hill, Gloucestershire, won by an American who had flown over for the occasion. Some more minority sports: Chessboxing Contestants compete over 11 rounds, each one consisting of 4 minutes of chess followed by 2 minutes of boxing. National championships are held in India Unicycle polo Self-explanatory. Ten teams are registered in the UK, but the home of the sport is Germany, where 53 teams play Sheep-counting Invented by professional sheep-counters employed by Australian auction houses. Held inaugural national championships in Australia in 2002. Bank of optimism The Governor of the Bank of England Mervyn King upgraded his forecast of GDP growth for the second quarter of the year.

Gnome territory This year only, garden gnomes are allowed at the Chelsea Flower Show. Some other places to see them: Germany. The home of the gnome, where the first batch were manufactured in 1841, has an estimated 25 million. European Gnome Sanctuary, Barga, Italy. A town whose parks and gardens have become a dumping ground for stolen gnomes, promoted by an underground Gnome Liberation Front. Bed of Wast Water, Cumbria. In 2005 the North West Police Underwater Search Unit removed a gnome on the lake bed blamed for luring several inexperienced divers to their deaths. More gnomes promptly appeared — this time below the depth limit at which police divers work. Taxing calculations David Cameron wrote to British dependencies asking for more help fighting tax avoidance.

The first filibuster A bill for an in-out referendum on the EU seems doomed to be killed off by a ‘filibuster’ — a campaign by opponents to keep on talking until it runs out of time. — The filibuster is often assumed to be an invention of Westminster, yet its first recorded use was in the Roman senate in 60 BC, by Cato the Younger against an attempt by private contractors to renegotiate deals for government work. — The publicani were businessmen who bid for the right to collect taxes in the provinces on behalf of Rome. Many, however, got their sums wrong and were losing money. Cato was having none of it, and kept on killing off debates on the subject for months until they backed down.

Four kinds of nonsense Lord Lawson accused Nick Clegg of talking ‘poppycock’ on Europe. What are we really saying when we accuse people of talking nonsense? Poppycock From old Dutch word for ‘soft dung’. Codswallop Unknown, but said by some to come from a non-alcoholic beer (or ‘wallop’) brewed by Hiram Codd in the 19th century. Balderdash Unknown, but already in use in 17th century as a term for a poorly mixed cocktail of drinks. Bunkum From Buncombe County, North Carolina, on whose behalf Felix Walker made a poorly delivered speech in the House of Representatives in 1820. Class divide Lord Winston said he prefers to employ people with upper second-class degrees than with first-class degrees. Does getting a first help your career?

Dots on the map An Edinburgh man is planning to stay 60 days on Rockall, a rocky island in the Atlantic 200 miles off the Western Isles — the longest-ever stay. Rockall was claimed for the United Kingdom in 1955, but it is far from our remotest colonial possession. Other islands include: Oeno A 120-acre island set within a three-mile-wide atoll in the Pacific 89 miles northwest of Pitcairn. It is known as the place Pitcairners go when they want to get away from it all. And unlike Rockall, it has a tap. Ducie Island For those who find Oeno too busy, there is always Ducie Island, a 1.5 square mile island 290 miles east of Pitcairn, discovered during an expedition to capture the mutineers from HMS Bounty.

Dyeing and dying A teacher in Harrow complained to his MP that he had been banned from marking pupils’ work in red ink in case it upset them. Some origins of ink: Black Made from burned bones, tar and pitch in India by the 4th century BC. Made from soot in China by the 3rd century BC. Red Blood was used in medieval England (red ink from blood is said to have been used by poor monasteries; hence its association with debt). Made with brazilwood from the 16th century in Europe. Blue Made from various vitreous pigments added to black ink in 11th-century Europe. Purple Made in ancient Tyre, in the 7th century BC, from a secretion of shellfish. Epidemic of fear Eight hundred people in the Swansea area contracted measles in a now rare epidemic of a once universal disease.

Googling lessons Delegates at the National Union of Teachers conference complained about Michael Gove’s ‘pub quiz’ curriculum and suggested that children didn’t need to learn facts any more because they could Google them. Some things you can Google about the NUT: — The union was formed on 25 June 1870 as the National Union of Elementary Teachers, and was renamed the NUT in 1889. — It has had only 11 general secretaries since 1870. The current general secretary, Christine Blower, began her career as a French teacher at the ‘socialist Eton’, Holland Park Comprehensive, in 1973. She is reported to earn £142,000 a year.

Economic migrants David Cameron announced that the government would make it harder for migrants to claim benefits, NHS treatment and social housing. Do migrants make a positive contribution to the public coffers? — A Home Office study using data from 1999-2000 concluded that migrants paid £31.2bn in taxes and used £28.8bn in public services, for a net contribution of £2.

Big ask Birmingham Council asked residents, in a survey on wheelie bins, whether they were gay or bisexual. Some more nosey questions asked by councils: — Is your gender identity the same as the gender you were assigned with at birth? (Consultation into relief road near Manchester Airport) — Which of the following describes your religion? (Lambeth council consultation on road humps) — Which of the following describes how you think of yourself? Male? Female? In another way? (Consultation on super fast broadband for Isle of Wight council) — What do you think caused your heterosexuality?