2010-02-05T10:33:55Z The GWPF and its chair Nigel Lawson appear regularly in the media representing the 'climate change sceptic's view'. One discussion on Channel 4 News recently included a question (posed by a Twitter user) about Lawson's "links with oil". Given how often Lawson and his group is quoted in the media it would be useful to find out more about their funding and backgrounds. 0 false 141 2 live 2010-02-05T10:37:19Z What is the background and funding of the Global Warming Policy Foundation? 2010-02-05T10:37:19Z 4 0 2010-02-02T21:31:13Z 0 false 140 3 live 2010-02-02T21:40:18Z Are Royal Mail removing post boxes? 2010-02-02T21:57:42Z 133 0 2010-02-02T17:55:16Z <p> <strong>UPDATE: James Ball has blogged <a href="http://www.jamesrb.co.uk/?p=260">a roundup of what the investigation has discovered so far - and questions raised</a>.</strong> </p> <p> James Ball has raised some excellent questions about The London Weekly, a free newspaper which is supposedly due to launch on Friday. Has the media done enough probing in its reportage of this new venture? </p> <p> I've <a href="http://blogs.journalism.co.uk/editors/2010/02/02/the-london-weekly-some-unanswered-questions/">written a blog post outlining the unanswered questions here</a>. </p> 0 true 139 22 live 2010-02-02T21:02:02Z What do you know about The London Weekly? 2010-02-04T09:01:28Z 138 0 2010-01-29T13:25:40Z I've submitted a Freedom of Information request to the council that has revealed how much the council pays in bonuses. In 2007/08 this was over £9m. They'll tell me the biggest bonuses, but for 'data protection' reasons, not who gets them. 0 false 138 3 live 2010-01-29T13:25:40Z How much do Birmingham City Council spend on bonuses - and who gets the biggest bonuses? 2010-01-29T13:50:48Z 4 0 2010-01-14T16:24:32Z There have been a team of gritters out here in central Birmingham after the ice and snow had begun to melt. It may be precautionary, but appears to be a waste of resources. Clearly the city council will need to review its use of manpower and grit in these circumstances and we're interested in tracking this. We also would like to ensure that they generate better contingency plans for future years. Part of an investigation for an article appearing on the local blog grounds.posterous.com 0 false 137 2 live 2010-01-14T16:39:30Z How well were Birmingham City Council's gritting resources used and how will the council ensure that improvements are made in the future? 2010-01-14T17:06:01Z 119 0 2010-01-14T16:12:06Z To offset clean-up costs associated with free publications Birmingham City Council has set up licensing for distribution within designated areas. It costs businesses £255 for a year licence. We're interested in finding out how much the city council raises from the licensing scheme, including fines for non-compliance. We're also interested in understanding how they have evaluated the costs of refuse collection associated to the distribution of free literature (whether from waste bins or litter picking). Is the council breaking even based on its calculation and is its calculation correct? Some forms of free literature are exempt - and should presumably have been costed in. For details follow this link: http://birmingham.gov.uk/freeliterature. This investigation is being made for the grounds.posterous.com blog for central Birmingham. 0 false 136 5 live 2010-01-14T16:16:57Z Does the distribution of free publications cost Birmingham City Council money? 2010-01-14T16:35:08Z 119 0 2010-01-12T18:45:36Z After hearing stories about student publications being unable to write what they wish, I'm interested to see how widespread this problem is and how it can be justified. 0 false 135 5 live 2010-01-13T11:06:19Z How many student publications are facing interference from student unions? 2010-01-13T11:06:19Z 237 0 2010-01-12T11:53:38Z On 5th January 2010 WordPress.com suspended (at least) three blogs it hosted – The Bristol Blogger, EcoLogics and Sir Howard Newby Watch. It was claimed that each had published blog entries which defamed Sir Howard Newby, current vice-chancellor of the University of Liverpool and formerly vice-chancellor of the University of the West of England. TBB and EL each had four blog posts apiece censored before they were allowed back up; SHNW is still suspended. Subsequent communication with WordPress.com reveals that the complaint came from Kevan Ryan, the director of legal services at the University of Liverpool. The blog posts in question dated from 2007, and comprised material published by the likes of the Times Higher Education, The Guardian and Private Eye. <a href="http://bristle.wordpress.com/category/%C2%BB-complexes/%C2%BB-serious-shizzle/%C2%BB-campaigns-projects/bristolbloggergate-%C2%BB-campaigns-projects-%C2%BB-serious-shizzle-%C2%BB-complexes/">Updates here</a> 0 false 134 10 live 2010-01-12T14:08:26Z Why is the University of Liverpool seeking to silence blogs critical of its vice-chancellor Sir Howard Newby? 2010-02-03T11:36:03Z 294 0 2009-12-05T12:20:30Z 0 false 131 3 live 2009-12-05T16:43:09Z How many people still buy local newspapers in Bristol? 2009-12-05T16:43:25Z 347 0 2009-12-03T10:43:57Z I'm looking into how safe is it to cycle around Cardiff - with a particular focus on the number of potholes on certain roads. I spent last year cycling around the city while doing a postgraduate course, and found there are a number of danger spots which should be avoided.</p> If we can plot these danger spots on a map using data obtained by Cardiff City Council, we should be able to help people choose a safer route to work/school/university. I have put in a <a href="http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/the_most_dangerous_roads_for_cyc/">FOI request</a> to find out which areas and particular roads are riddled with potholes, and also to find out the cause of road accidents involving cyclists in the last year, and where they occur.</p> Inspired by <a href="http://www.helpmeinvestigate.com/investigations/121-how-safe-is-birmingham-for-cyclists/">Dan Davies' similar investigation</a> in Birmingham, I also plan to carry out a practical survey across the city - testing a number of cycle routes and analysing factors which can attribute to increased danger on the roads. This survey would be helped by other cyclists across the city contributing their own analysis. Together we can identify spots which are particularly dangerous or the hazards such as large potholes to avoid on certain routes, perhaps highlighting to the council areas in need of attention.</p> 0 false 129 5 live 2009-12-03T10:47:20Z Where are the danger spots for cyclists in Cardiff? 2009-12-03T11:41:26Z 195 0