Brilliant news . . . the Birmingham Post, along with the New Optimists, is going to have a Science Blog, we think a first for a regional newspaper.

As well as yours truly, these are the interesting bunch of people who'll be contributing -- just look at the range of expertise and experience:

• Russell Beale: Professor of Human-Computer Interaction, University of Birmingham.


• Roslyn Bill: Reader in Molecular Sciences & Director of the Aston Research Centre for Healthy Ageing.


• Jack Cohen: Science of Discworld author, retired reproductive biologist, Hon Professor at the Maths Institute, University of Warwick.


• Jon Frampton: Director of Research and Professor of Stem Cell Biology, University of Birmingham.


• Miriam Gifford:A researcher in plant science in the School of Life Sciences & the Warwick Systems Biology Centre.


• Craig Jackson: Professor of Workplace Health Psychology and Head of the Psychology Department at BCU.


• Alison Murray: Former postdoc biochemist, then TV producer and science writer -- -- and member of the initial New Optimists team


• James Tucker: Reader in Supramolecular Chemistry, University of Birmingham.


• Kenny Webster: Resident Scientist at Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum

The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament which has responsibility for the conduct and regulation of next month's referendum on moving to an AV voting system.

It's sent out a press release explaining the work it's been doing, including "reaching out to voters through social media" with a four-minute cartoon called "Victor the Vote Counter" on YouTube.

But is the cartoon really impartial? Here it is:

Labour is continuing to hedge its bets over the possibility that Birmingham might soon be run by an elected mayor.
So much so that the party has no plans to select a mayoral candidate until after the May 2012 referendum, which will finally decide whether the city is to have an elected mayor.
The jury's out on whether this is good or bad news for Sion Simon, the former Labour MP for Erdington, who resigned last year in order to campaign to become his party's choice for Birmingham mayor.

Nick Booth is chairing a New Optimists panel at The Spring Thing, run by Birmingham's Book Festival. It's at 4:00pm today in the Arena Foyer of Birmingham Conservatoire.

There's development geographer Professor Hazel Barrett whose research is about HIV spread, neuroscientist Professor Gina Rippon and Director of both The Institute of Gaming and Animation and IT Futures Dr Stuart Slater. Their task: to interrogate what the future holds for us.

You can book online here -- or just turn up at the door. I'll be there.

The battle over Britain's voting system really is turning nasty.

I love the "Yes" campaign's response to reports that they removed black Birmingham poet Benjamin Zephaniah's image from leaflets distributed outside London.

PA reports that a Yes campaign spokesman said: "These allegations mark a new low for the 'No' campaign and their increasingly desperate smears.

"Let's put it this way. Operation Black Vote, the Muslim Council of Britain and a host of similar groups are backing the 'Yes' campaign. The BNP are backing the 'No' campaign. People can draw their own conclusions."

So the "No" campaigners are engaging in desperate smears, and by the way they're also a bunch of evil racists. Let's be grateful the "Yes" campaign haven't sunk to their level . . .