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That's a very sweeping statement! Britain has a far more violent history than the US, having participated as an ally or an enemy in most of the wars the USA has fought, and very many more besides. Most of the old European states have similar histories to Britain. We have fought between ourselves, and very notably, created empires through military and economic might, fought over them and with their people for centuries. No doubt you could come up with many egregious examples of aggressive foreign policy by the US, but I very much doubt that they exceed foreign atrocities of their Old World progenitors. Nevertheless, American gun culture is clearly a thing. Rightly or wrongly, some Americans see the right to carry a gun as important. And I can see the point. America is big. If you live in an East Coast metropolis, it doesn't feel much different to anywhere in Europe. A policeman can be on the scene just as quickly in Boston as in Douglas, probably. But if you happen to live in the South Western US for example, on a farm where anywhere is a few hundred miles away across empty scrub, then having a gun in the house probably feels quite reassuring. I do think the whole Second Amendment/NRA libertarian 'right to bear arms' is a nonsense, though, in a democratic state. I think the second amendment, having been written not long after the War of Independence and in the absence of a standing American army, was intended to facilitate the raising of militias: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." Take out that first and last comma, and the meaning is clearer. Rather than being a right per se, firearms ownership ought to be regulated along the same lines as in the UK, where you have to show that you need a gun for genuine sporting or practical purposes. The type of weapon, and particularly the capacity for rapid firing of multiple rounds has to be limited, as it is here.

Interesting, but I found it very hard to dance to.

Always the dig .... no, there's a limit to the amount of research I'm prepared to do to answer you, Woody.

I'd say probably Edward Heath. The first (unsuccessful) well was drilled in 1973, so I assume the exploration began somewhat before that.

The short answer is that the Rhum Field was a joint venture between BP and the Iranian Oil Company before the fall of the Shah.

Greenwich has been subject to astonishing, overnight, climate change according to local residents!

I agree. They seem to have got it right all the way. Apologies, I hit post a bit too sharp. I've edited to add more detail and links.

Blue Origin (Jeff Bezos) flew their 8th Mission with 'New Shepard' yesterday. It was a straight up and down flight, hence the name 'New Shepherd', named for Alan Shepard's Mercury/Redstone non-orbital flight. Fabulous view out of the capsule windows of the sky darkening and the curve of the horizon near the apogee of the flight. The crewman was 'Mannequin Skywalker' but they can't be very far from their first human crewed flight, this being the first flight to space (above100km) of the actual commercial vehicle. Perfect powered return by the booster (like SpaceX/Falcon) and landing of the capsule under parachutes with a retro rocket to soften the arrival (like Soyuz). I believe Blue Origin plan to fly paying customers on their own, the flight being fully automated. I think I would find all the clanking, gongs, rocket engine noises and rushing slipstream quite alarming without anyone there to tell me everything was OK. Capsule View: https://www.blueorigin.com/#youtube6ZJghIk7_VA Edited overview of flight https://www.blueorigin.com/#youtubeCSDHM6iuogI Thew whole live stream is available to watch too, if you have the time.

Well done Druid. The cabbage seedlings look a wee bit leggy, try to put them in good light where they aren't having to 'reach out' for it. You might want to create a herb garden for your thyme, lavender etc.. A lot of herbs, including thyme, don't do well in a fertile soil. Go for a limy soil with plenty of gravel and don't add any fertilisers. They like Mediterranean habitats with thin, poor soils. Good luck.

I've a vague idea that the dust does cause power issues, but that every so often, when a wind blows up, the solar panels get a bit of a dust-off. It was a totally unexpected benefit of Mars weather.

They built them very well when they made both 'Spirit' and 'Opportunity'. Opportunity is still functioning, approaching 14 years on the surface of Mars, and has driven over 40 Km, the record for a vehicle on another world. Opportunity discovered globules of heamatite, considered a proof of once abundant water on Mars. BTW, it is the later 'Curiosity' rover that is nuclear powered. It uses about 5 kilos of plutonium 238 as a heat source to drive a thermoelectric generator. 'Spirit' and 'Opportunity' have solar panels and a lithium battery, with makes it all the more remarkable that they worked for so long. They had to 'hibernate' in the Martian winter because of low-power, but 'Opportunity' has been successfully woken each Spring. 'Spirit' last made contact in 2011.

Deleted post - duplicates an earlier comment.

NWA. Researching a holiday this summer and my niece's insistence that she has to have a picture in Compton. I'm not encouraged, NWA don't really sell the place.

That was in fact looked at. There are no radio emissions coming from it, and several natural explanations for its origin require far fewer assumption than the explanation that it is an alien artefact of some kind. So maybe, yes, but it is at the bottom of the list of possibilities. On the program, they did discuss the international protocols to be followed in the event that evidence of alien intelligence. is found. First, check and re-check the results. Secondly, ask for independent verification by other scientists. Third, inform the United Nations that evidence for alien life has been found. Fourth, make a public announcement.

Source for that?