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Familiar names to the mayor of Bristol but no transparency
The mayor may be in breach of GDPR by not providing a transparency notice about his collection of public data. After this blog revealed that the council have contracted to collect social media information, concerns were raised about whether the mayor is collecting lists of residents who mention him or the Bristol City Council. The…
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How close an eye is the mayor keeping on Bristol’s residents?
Update: 10:06 20 Feb 2020 A Freedom of Information request by Ephemeral Digest has revealed that social media mentions of the Bristol Mayor and Bristol City Council go directly to the Head of the Mayor’s Office and to the mayor’s policy advisers. Bristol City Council have paid £90,000 to social media company Impact Social so…
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New knitting pattern: The Very Hungry Scarfapilla
[[Until January 21: Use code Twitter for a free copy of the pattern on Ravelry]] I’d like to introduce you all to my new pattern, and the first one for 2020, The Very Hungry Scarfapilla. In the same spirit as my Nice Cup of Tea shawl, I’ve used brioche and reverse stockinette for…
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The mayor’s air quality progress, as told to the world and an NHS doctor – 2019
The above is a link to the entire Full Council meeting. The following link is for the 10 minutes that Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees aggressively responds to an NHS doctor about her request for him to help save lives. A petition was brought to Full Council by a doctors Ellen Wood and Victoria Stanford. Dr…
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Resolutions for 2020 and shining a light
I love resolutions. For me, they provide space for self-reflection and realignment with better strategies for getting through life. They also allow for awareness. Awareness is about shining a spotlight on all areas and not just the ones we want to talk about. Therefore, I won’t pick my own categories to explore. If it was…
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A story of how people’s lives were turned upside down — SEND failures
Despite years of having the lowest rates in school attendance, and concern from Ofsted, Bristol City Council has had nobody leading a project on improving them for over a year. From Chopsy Baby: In each type of school — primary, secondary and special schools — Bristol is well above the national average, with persistent absence…
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Bristol City Council quietly reverse unlawful action refusing EHCP applications
As Bristol City Council quietly reverse their decision to stop accepting applications for Education Health Care plans, Jacqui Jensen, the Executive Director of Adults, Children and Education, has changed her Twitter handle from @jacqui_jensen to @GoneTime6 (Gone Fishing). Parents who applied after November 26 have been asked to do so again. In a letter of…
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Bristol City Council has spent almost £3m on a new fleet of diesel vehicles
Bristol City Council has spent almost £3m on a new fleet of diesel vehicles that would potentially have to pay to enter its own clean air zone. The consultation on the clean air zone began on July 1, just weeks before the 12-month vehicle contracts worth £2.7m were signed. On July 26, the city council…
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How to research your own PhD — inspired by Scott Young’s ‘Ultralearning’ — Part I
Introduction I came across Scott Young on the Learning to Learn course taught by McMaster University & University of California San Diego. This was a course designed to provide strategies and the latest research on learning techniques. Young was featured for his work at completing an MIT degree without going to MIT, and in 12…
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New pattern: Brexit Socks for leavers and remainers
As March 29 2019—the original Brexit day—came and left with no resolution as to what would happen, I thought the best way to work out some of my limbo angst was by making a Brexit sock pattern. One sock has 27 stars and the second sock has 28, reflecting the UK’s desire to leave and…