Banbury's Prodrive helps smash 400mph hydrogen land speed record

US: British Car & Driver Smash Land-Speed Record [406.320MPH]! (16.8.2026)

Driven by Wing Commander Andy Green OBE, JCB Hydromax completed the record attempt on the Bonneville Salt Flats, setting a new world benchmark for a hydrogen combustion-powered vehicle. The achievement represents the culmination of an intensive development programme that combined JCB’s hydrogen combustion technology with engineering and operational expertise from across the project team.

Following its appointment to the programme this time last year, Prodrive has played a key role, being responsible for vehicle integration and trackside operations, helping prepare both car and crew for the unique challenges of a world land speed record campaign. Working alongside JCB and Ricardo, the company supported the development, testing and execution of the record attempt, drawing on decades of experience operating at the highest levels of international motorsport.

Field-Stripping Devices is an Important Skill!

Surrey: Gee & Kai-Lin Field Strip & Assemble a Wooden Stool! (29.5.2026)

Anyway, we visited the “Rural Life Living Museum” (ob May 28th, 2026) – not far from the log-cabin area we were staying at in Tilford (a bourgeois cesspit of wealth). We have visited similar places not far from Sutton, and also in Oxford, Devon, and Cornwall. Many Moons ago, I visited places like this in the Lake District and in Scotland. They are essentially centres of education for school-children – and for adults to reminisce. My childhood (pre-Star Wars) was a very different reality to that which exists today. The working-class pre-1977 were very localised in mentality – with the middle-class attending university and developing a world-wide appreciation. This difference in education always benefits the middle-class who understand more and are able to use this knowledge to keep the workers in their place. Stll, it was a good day out and I will have to author a number of posts to cover it all.

WWII Home Guard Emplacement - Waverly Abbey - Farnham

UK: WWII Home Guard Fort Revisit – Waverly Abbey – Farnham! (23.5.2026)

Perhaps a platoon (30-men), or a “section” (10-men) would have manned this small fort. There was a small artillary gun at the front together with a machine-gun – whilst others defended the walls via “murder-holes” in the centre of the walls or high-up from the Parapet (Merlons) and Battlement. A team would man the front gun(s) – whilst the other soldiers would be positioned on the outside and inside of the “zig-zag” structure. The enemy would have to advance past Embrasures blasting with vicious fire-power. When entering the interior (over the dead bodies of the exterior guard) the enemy would be met with sharply changing brick structures all defended round blind-corners. The interior guard would fall back to the rear of the front-gun to make a final stand. The heavy guns would be destroyed to prevent capture. These young and old men (and some women) formed static infantry formations designed to stand their ground and buy time for the regular army to reach the location.

Fidel Signs Land Reform!

Cuba: 67-Years Ago – Fidel Signed First “Land-Reform Law”! (18.5.2026)

And he concluded his speech on that historic day with “the infinite satisfaction of having fulfilled one more promise, of having contributed to making possible the well-being of millions of compatriots who have been suffering in neglect and oblivion, and who were the ones who, in ’68, in ’95, and in this latest liberating struggle, made the greatest sacrifices.”

“It was necessary to write, once and for all in our pure lone star, that formula of the Apostle that the homeland was for everyone and for the good of all.”

International Workers' Day - 2026

China: May 1st – International Workers’ Day – Celebrating the Empowerment of Women & Girls! (1.5.2026)

Zhong, 49, who is also a deputy to the 14th National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature, and an inheritor of the She ethnic martial arts, said: “Only a thriving village can preserve the She ethnic martial arts.”

Under her leadership, roads were repaired, streetlamps installed, and tourism facilities upgraded. Instead of moving away, many villagers became homestay hosts or martial arts performers. Thanks to rural tourism centered on the She ethnic martial arts, the village’s revenue jumped from 200,000 yuan ($28,000) in 2021 to 500,000 yuan in 2024.

According to the 2022 progress monitoring report of the Outline for Women’s Development in China (2021-30), women accounted for 54.3 percent of neighborhood committee members and 41.3 percent of neighborhood committee directors, as well as 26.1 percent of village committee members and 10.9 percent of village committee directors.

Data from the Ministry of Civil Affairs showed that in 2022, there were 489,000 village committees, with a total of 2.154 million village committee members. And there were 118,000 neighbourhood committees, comprising 663,000 neighbourhood committee members.

Photo © Louise Impey

UK: Gypsy News – the Battle of Friendless Lane! (9.4.2026)

. Another issue stemmed around the difference between ethnic Gypsies and those people from the settled community who simply declared themselves a “Traveller”. This was followed by an influx of Irish Gypsies and Gypsies from Europe, and so on. A few years ago, when I was in regular contact with the Gypsy Council, and had just publish an article about Gypsies who served in the Soviet Red Army – I was attacked by an Irish youth from a nearby Traveller community that had took-over a park. I say “attacked” – but as a trained martial artist and a law abiding citizen, I simply “moved out the way” of this short kids punches – which made his friends laugh and pull him away. Obviously, I did not grass, but I suspect the entire encounter is on the Sainsbury car-park CCTV. It is a sad state of affairs all round. Some of these people are violent and obnoxious because of the things that have been done to them in the past – this must be understood – but the prejudice aimed at Travellers is breath-taking! No other disadvantaged group wants anything to do with them. You will not see BLM or Palestine Solidarity turning-up to protest their treatment or demand their rights. Physical violence does not bother me – it is an occupational hazard – but for many others the shock of it far too much to take, and around it goes.

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