Latest news with #JohnHarrison
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Architecture expert, 83, graduates with PhD
An 83-year-old architecture scholar has become one of the oldest people to graduate from the University of Liverpool. John Harrison has achieved a PhD in the subject, 65 years on from when he first attended the university as an undergraduate. After finishing his studies in 1963 he worked first as a city conservation officer before leaving to document the architecture of the Himalayas. Mr Harrison, originally of Preston, Lancashire, said while studying had been "a bit more work than I had expected" it had been "fun" to continue his passion for the subject. He said he had worked on historic building conservation in the early part of his career but, at the age of 44, decided he wanted to do something else. "I needed a change so I bailed out and went travelling, and I fell in love with the Himalayas," he said. In 1985 he began to study the architecture of the area and went on to publish several books including his research on Tibetan architecture. And, after some 40 years of further studies, he said he wanted to formalise his research. "I saw you could get a PhD by prior publication so I thought I'd just bang all these books in and that'll give me a certificate," he said. "But it turned out there's a lot more to it. "I've enjoyed it and it's been good reviewing all the work that I've done." He said despite being older than all of the university's the staff "nobody seemed to have been too shocked" to see him on campus. "It's what you feel like inside," he said. "We can go to the gym, go swimming or walking to keep the body going - but you need something to keep the brain going as well." He said while it was a "relief" to have finally gained his doctorate it "was good to have done it". "I'll keep going for as long as I can because it's what I really enjoy doing," he added. Mr Harrison is set to return to the Himalayas this weekend to work with a group of young Tibetan architects documenting monasteries in the Ladakh region. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230. University of Liverpool
BBC News
12 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Architecture expert, 83, graduates with PhD
An 83-year-old architecture scholar has become one of the oldest people to graduate from the University of Harrison has achieved a PhD in the subject, 65 years on from when he first attended the university as an finishing his studies in 1963 he worked first as a city conservation officer before leaving to document the architecture of the Harrison, originally of Preston, Lancashire, said while studying had been "a bit more work than I had expected" it had been "fun" to continue his passion for the subject. He said he had worked on historic building conservation in the early part of his career but, at the age of 44, decided he wanted to do something else."I needed a change so I bailed out and went travelling, and I fell in love with the Himalayas," he said. In 1985 he began to study the architecture of the area and went on to publish several books including his research on Tibetan after some 40 years of further studies, he said he wanted to formalise his research."I saw you could get a PhD by prior publication so I thought I'd just bang all these books in and that'll give me a certificate," he said."But it turned out there's a lot more to it."I've enjoyed it and it's been good reviewing all the work that I've done." 'I'll keep going' He said despite being older than all of the university's the staff "nobody seemed to have been too shocked" to see him on campus."It's what you feel like inside," he said."We can go to the gym, go swimming or walking to keep the body going - but you need something to keep the brain going as well."He said while it was a "relief" to have finally gained his doctorate it "was good to have done it"."I'll keep going for as long as I can because it's what I really enjoy doing," he Harrison is set to return to the Himalayas this weekend to work with a group of young Tibetan architects documenting monasteries in the Ladakh region. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Indian Express
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
How India's disavowal of SCO statement signals a new realism in global politics
— Amit Kumar and John Harrison As the Israel-Iran conflict rages on, India has distanced itself from the statement issued by the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) last week, condemning Israel's military strikes on Iran. As one of the most influential members of the SCO, currently chaired by China, India dissociated itself from the statement and said it didn't even participate in the discussion. This diplomatic friction within the 10-member bloc is more than a technical disagreement. It poses a critical question: What does the SCO's statement criticising Israel reveal about China, and what does India's quick withdrawal from it indicate about global politics? The answer opens a window into the dynamics of rising powers, shifting alliances, and the strategic contest to control not just geography, but global narratives. At first glance, the SCO's intervention in the Israel-Iran conflict might seem like a bold assertion of a regional security body stepping up to global relevance. But the deeper context matters. The Israel-Iran relationship has long been defined by hostility, espionage, and proxy warfare. Israel's strikes on June 13, deep into Iranian territory, marked a dangerous escalation in a conflict that often teeters on the edge of a regional war. But why would the SCO – a forum traditionally focused on Central Asian stability and counterterrorism – involve itself in the conflict so visibly? The answer lies in the bloc's new composition, particularly the recent inclusion of Iran as a full member, and more fundamentally, in the growing centrality of China within it. What looks like a gesture of support for a fellow member is, more subtly, a reflection of the SCO's transformation into a geopolitical lever for Chinese diplomacy. By positioning the SCO as a moral counterbalance to Western-aligned military action, it looks like China is seeking to extend the SCO's relevance far beyond its founding mandate. This pivot also suggests that China is attempting to redefine the normative language of international conduct, one that seemingly aligns less with UN charters or US-led alliances and more with a China-centric worldview that selectively invokes sovereignty, non-intervention, and regional stability based on who benefits from the narrative. Behind the SCO's statement lies a bold, if underappreciated, strategy. China is no longer content to merely participate in global forums. It is repurposing them. By mobilising the SCO to speak collectively against Israel, China was not just defending Iran; rather it was testing a model of bloc-based legitimacy that could challenge Western diplomatic hegemony. The symbolism was potent – a group representing over 40 per cent of the world's population speaking in unison against a close US ally. This messaging also marks a subtle recalibration of China's non-interference doctrine. Beijing is no longer sitting on the fence when its strategic partners are involved. Whether by abstaining from condemning the October 7 Hamas attacks or by amplifying Iranian grievances through multilateral forums, China is beginning to act with strategic asymmetry. It remains non-confrontational with the West on its own borders, yet assertive when it comes to Western partners in volatile regions like West Asia. Such moves reveal China's attempt to build a moral alternative to US exceptionalism, not by mimicking Western institutions, but by gradually bending others, like the SCO, into ideological alignment. Through carefully orchestrated diplomatic theater, China is reshaping the perception of who holds the moral high ground, casting itself as a defender of sovereignty and stability against Western chaos. India's prompt disavowal of the SCO statement was neither accidental nor reactionary. It was a calibrated act of diplomatic insulation – a move designed to protect its carefully balanced relationships with both Iran and Israel, while also signalling its discomfort with China's dominance over the SCO's voice. In doing so, India reaffirmed a principle that is becoming the hallmark of its foreign policy in the multipolar age: alignment without entanglement. What makes India's move even more significant is its context within the global narrative competition. China may have tried to portray the SCO condemnation as reflective of a broader anti-Israel, implicitly anti-Western consensus, and India, had it stayed silent, would have been passively co-opted into that message. But India's refusal disrupted the choreography. It showed that multilateralism, in a world of self-confident middle powers, can no longer be orchestrated so easily. Moreover, India's action speaks to a subtle transformation in its global identity. It no longer sees itself as a bridge between East and West, nor as a swing state, but as a sovereign power center shaping its own trajectory in the global order. In distancing itself from the SCO statement, India is rather projecting a future in which it refuses to let other powers define its strategic posture, even within forums it has co-founded or supports. The incident reveals more than a disagreement between two members of a regional bloc. It exposes the tectonic shifts in global governance. China's attempt to manufacture a diplomatic consensus through the SCO is emblematic of a broader ambition. It seeks to build a non-Western geopolitical ecosystem where legitimacy flows from shared grievance, not shared values. In this system, countries like Iran find a voice not because of shared vision, but because of shared opposition to the US-led order. At the same time, India's dissent points to a new realism in global politics. Multipolarity is not about blocs competing with one another. It is about a growing number of states refusing to be defined by any bloc at all. India's stance implies that true global influence now depends on agility, narrative independence, and the ability to defy both Western and Eastern orthodoxy. If China's rise is defined by the repurposing of institutions like the SCO into ideological tools, India's ascent is marked by its refusal to be absorbed into any ideological project, not of its own making. This divergence in strategy, one building a club of allies, the other cultivating freedom of motion, may well define the contours of the coming global order. In trying to turn the SCO into a stage for its foreign policy theatre, China revealed both its growing capabilities and its limitations. While it may script the lines, not all actors will follow. India's silent refusal to play the part it was assigned shows that even in the age of emerging powers, autonomy, not alignment, remains the highest currency of diplomacy. India's disavowal of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation statement on Israel's attack against Iran reaffirmed a principle that is becoming the hallmark of its foreign policy in the multipolar age: alignment without entanglement. Comment. Critically examine the aims and objectives of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. What importance does it hold for India? By positioning the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation as a moral counterbalance to Western-aligned military action, is China seeking to extend the bloc's relevance far beyond its founding mandate? Multipolarity is not about blocs competing with one another. It is about a growing number of states refusing to be defined by any bloc at all. Explain with examples. Virus of Conflict is affecting the functioning of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation; In the light of the above statement point out the role of India in mitigating the problems. (Amit Kumar is a PhD candidate at the Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani, Rajasthan, India. Dr. John Harrison is an Associate Professor at Rabdan Academy, specialising in homeland security.) Share your thoughts and ideas on UPSC Special articles with Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.
Daily Record
05-06-2025
- Science
- Daily Record
Royal Mail unveil special stamps honouring UK attraction with dual hemispheres
When you stand across the line from this UK spot, you have one foot in the east and one in the west Posting a letter might seem a thing of the past. But whether it's a birthday card, an update from abroad, or just a note of appreciation to a loved one, there are new stamps on the UK market that could fit the bill. Royal Mail has unveiled 10 stamps being issued to celebrate the history and scientific developments achieved at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, since its foundation in 1675. And the attraction has a fascinating feature. The Observatory stands at the Prime Meridian, which divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. Visitors can stand with one foot in the East and one foot in the West - literally straddling the hemispheres. The Prime Meridian is also the reference point for Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), the basis for all time zones. The main set of six tamps pays home to the the Airy Transit Circle Telescope, Flamsteed House, which is the Great Equatorial Telescope, the largest refracting telescope in the UK, the Annie Maunder Astrographic Telescope, the Prime Meridian where visitors can experience said dual hemispheres, and the Shepherd Gate Clock. A further four stamps, presented in a miniature sheet, honour prize-winning clockmaker John Harrison and his marine timekeepers, ahead of the 250th anniversary of his death next year. The stamps showcase each of Harrison's prototypes for measuring longitude at sea, which became known as H1, H2, H3 and H4. "We are proud to honour the Royal Observatory's 350th anniversary with a set of stamps that celebrate its enduring legacy in advancing our understanding of the universe," said David Gold, Director of External Affairs at Royal Mail. The Royal Observatory was founded by King Charles II in 1675 and was Britain's first state-funded scientific building. The Observatory was founded to provide better star charts that would enhance navigation for global trade. Flamsteed House, the Observatory's original building, became home to ten successive Astronomers Royal who observed the stars and developed new instruments such as the Airy Transit Circle and Great Equatorial Telescope. And what's so special about the Prime Meridian? Well, from the late 19th century, astronomers took thousands of measurements to define the Prime Meridian and establish zero degrees longitude. Their work transformed how we explored our world in an age before smartphones and satellites. Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) was made publicly visible via the Shepherd Gate Clock and its distribution via telegraph signals became an essential part of daily life. Out at sea, Royal Navy surveyors plotted their longitude from Greenwich using chronometers based on John Harrison's revolutionary marine timekeepers. The widespread use by ships worldwide of charts based on the Greenwich Meridian contributed to the international recognition of Greenwich as Prime Meridian of the world in 1884. The stamp images narrate the story of the Royal Observatory and its pivotal role in the history of astronomy, timekeeping, and navigation. The set features specially commissioned artwork highlighting key areas such as notable buildings and significant objects from the collection. Fancy surprising a relative with a good old-fashioned letter? The stamps are available to pre-order from June 5 by clicking here and by telephone on 03457 641 641. A Presentation Pack including all 10 stamps is priced at £17.90. The stamps go on general sale from 12 June. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Rhyl Journal
05-06-2025
- Science
- Rhyl Journal
New stamps to celebrate the Royal Observatory
Featured on the main set of six stamps are the Airy Transit Circle Telescope; Flamsteed House; the Great Equatorial Telescope, the largest refracting telescope in the UK; the Annie Maunder Astrographic Telescope; the Prime Meridian; and the Shepherd Gate Clock. A further four stamps honour prize-winning clockmaker John Harrison and his marine timekeepers, ahead of the 250th anniversary of his death in 2026, showcasing each of his prototypes for measuring longitude at sea. The stamp images narrate the story of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London and its role in the history of astronomy, timekeeping, and navigation. David Gold, Royal Mail's director of external affairs and policy, said: 'We are proud to honour the Royal Observatory's 350th anniversary with a set of stamps that celebrate its enduring legacy in advancing our understanding of the universe and its pivotal role in shaping modern science and navigation.' Dr Louise Devoy, senior curator of Royal Observatory, said: 'We are delighted to have partnered with Royal Mail to celebrate six key moments in the 350-year history of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich and the groundbreaking timekeepers by John Harrison, which still call the Royal Observatory home.' The stamps and a range of collectible products, are available to pre-order from today ahead of the stamps going on general sale from June 12.
