Freedom of Information

**Hello there!** Our Face-to-Face Afternoon Classes are back this March in London! Are you learning English as a second language and looking for an opportunity to practise your English? Interested in **free, in-person classes**? We’ve got you covered! Here at **Stafford House,** our teachers-in-training are gaining hands-on experience by teaching enthusiastic English learners. Each lesson is interactive and fun, with plenty of opportunities to practise speaking, meet other learners, and improve your English along the way. We also offer **free online English classes (London and Canterbury)**. Check out our other events for more information! Please see the **updated** details below! 🕑 **When:** From **2nd March - 26th March (4 weeks)** ➡️Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. ➡️Fridays 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m 📍 **Where:** Stafford House London, 2 Southampton Place, WC1A 2DA (just 2 minutes from Holborn Station) 📚 **Level: Both levels available** **\- Pre\-Intermediate \(A2\-B1\)** **\- Upper\-Intermediate \(B2\)** Spaces are limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Please arrive **15- 30 minutes early** to secure your spot. We will ask for your name and email upon arrival. *Please note: confirming attendance on Meetup does not guarantee a place in the classroom.* **Please note that class times or dates may occasionally change due to the nature of the course. If this happens, we will inform you by email.** We look forward to seeing you all very soon! Got Questions? send us an email at [teachertraining@staffordhouse.com](mailto:teachertraining@staffordhouse.com)

**When nothing happens: Bayesian approaches to testing for "no effect"** We are delighted to have Mircea Zloteanu for the first Bayesian Mixer of 2026, please register here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/bayesianmixer/2066946 **Abstract:** Non-significant p-values do not constitute evidence for the absence of an effect, yet researchers often wish to make claims about “no difference.” Often this will lead to publications that make incorrect statements (i.e., claim no difference when the data is just uncertain) or even deter researchers from pursuing specific hypotheses or publish their work. This talk presents Bayesian alternatives for evaluating null results. First, I demonstrate Bayes Equivalence Tests for interval (composite) hypotheses. Second, I illustrate the default Bayesian t-test method relying on model comparison (using the JZS Bayes factor), showing how routine analyses can quantify evidence for or against a point null. Third, I introduce posterior-based equivalence testing using the Region of Practical Equivalence (ROPE) via bayestestR. Together, these approaches provide principled tools for publishing credible null findings. **Bio:** Mircea Zloteanu is a Lecturer in Psychology and Criminology at King’s College London, where his focus is on Research Methods and Statistics. He received his PhD in Experimental Psychology from University College London and has previously held posts at UCL, Teesside University, and Kingston University. His recent work focuses on meta-research, statistical methodology, and improving research practice, with particular emphasis on Bayesian methods, equivalence testing, and transparent reporting. Mircea is actively involved in the open science movement as UK Reproducibility Network Local Co-Lead and a member of ReproducibiliTea, promoting reproducible, rigorous, and cumulative psychological science.

We start with warm up exercises. These are gentle movements and stretching from Qi Gong. We then proceed through the Tai Chi Form (short-form Yang style), usually at an easy pace, but with continous repetition. You need to wear loose clothing that allows body movement. The sessions end with some more Qi Gong meditations. Tea and Coffee is available. Please RSVP if you are going to attend, so as we have some idea about numbers.

Join us on March 10th from **6:00pm** for a Data Streaming meetup hosted by **[Fresha](https://www.fresha.com/)**! 📍**Venue:** **Fresha** The Tower, 207 Old Street London, EC1V 9NR 7th Floor **PLEASE bring your PHOTO ID and REGISTER with your First and Last Name, Email. Thanks!** **DOORS CLOSE AT 7PM FOR SECURITY.** 🗓 **Agenda:** * 6:00pm – 6:30pm: Food/Drinks and Networking * 6:30pm - 7:00pm: Jesús Gómez-Escalonilla Guijarro, Data Engineer @ Fresha * 7:00pm - 7:30pm: Pranam Codur, Senior Solutions Engineer @ Confluent * 7:30pm - 8:00pm: Sreeram Machavaram C, Principal Architect @ Cognizant * 8:00pm - 9:00pm: Q&A Networking 💡**Speaker One:** Jesús Gómez-Escalonilla Guijarro, Data Engineer @ Fresha **Title of Talk:** Optimizing StarRocks Query Performance: Lost in JSON, Found by Northstar **Abstract:** StarRocks is fast, but understanding slow queries at scale is hard when plans are massive JSON. We built Northstar at Fresha to turn plans and execution metrics into a visual view you can reason about quickly. Through production case studies that reflect our real workloads, we'll show the bottlenecks Northstar exposed (scans, joins, skew, modelling) and how it made tuning faster and more systematic. **Bio:** Jesús Gómez-Escalonilla Guijarro is a Data Engineer at Fresha, where he focuses on building scalable and performant analytical data systems. He has been part of Fresha’s data team for several years, first as an Analytics Engineer and now in his current role, helping shape how data is modelled, analysed, and optimised across the organisation. Passionate about making complex systems understandable and efficient, Jesús enjoys tackling performance bottlenecks and sharing learnings with the wider data engineering community. 💡**Speaker Two:** Pranam Codur, Senior Solutions Engineer @ Confluent **Title of Talk:** From Data Mess to Data Streaming Platform **Abstract:** Most organizations want realtime data but are held back by brittle integrations, batch ETL, and siloed warehouses. In this session, we’ll walk through the Confluent Data Streaming Platform (DSP), which is built on Apache Kafka® and Apache Flink®, and a reference architecture you can use to ship governed, reusable real-time data products that power applications, analytics, and AI workloads. Attendees will leave with practical patterns to modernize existing Kafka and batch pipelines while maintaining security, lineage, and compliance. 💡**Speaker Three:** Sreeram Machavaram C, Principal Architect @ Cognizant **Title of Talk:** From "Data Rich and Information Poor" utility To "Event-driven, Real-time intelligent" operations **Abstract:** Utilities are massive and complex. Whether it’s water, gas, or rail, they operate treatment works, pumping stations, compressor sites, signalling systems, and vast networks that span cities and regions. Keeping these services running safely and continuously means collecting and interpreting data from highly distributed sites and their connected networks in real time. This machine data — from PLCs, sensors, third-party devices, and operational systems — reflects the physical world: pumps starting, valves opening, pressure fluctuating, trains moving, gas flows changing. But raw telemetry is noisy, inconsistent, and deeply technical. SCADA and other OT systems are often siloed and reactive. Engineering signals are hard for IT to interpret, leaving organisations unable to combine OT data with IT-based analytics and intelligence in real time. The result: fragmented visibility, alarm fatigue, and reactive decision-making. A Unified Namespace (UNS) and event-driven stream processing provides a solution. Using MQTT to publish operational events, Kafka as the enterprise backbone, and Flink for scalable stream processing, raw telemetry is filtered, contextualized, and transformed into meaningful, business-ready events. The outcome is IT-OT convergence in action — turning reactive, siloed systems into event-driven, real-time intelligent operations Intended to give a high-level approach and architecture around IO-OT convergence using UNS, Event Driven and Stream processing in modern intelligent utilities. **Bio:** Sreeram Machavaram C is hands-on practitioner specialising in utility solutions across IT-OT convergence, real-time data architectures, and stream processing. He works in a team that designs and builds event-driven systems that bridge operational technology (OT) and enterprise IT, enabling utilities to transform raw telemetry into actionable intelligence. \*\*\* If you are interested in hosting/speaking at a meetup, please email community@confluent.io

PUT AN END TO AUTO! Would you like to learn to use your camera properly and get the shots you want by choice and not by accident? Attending this small group workshop will give you a strong understanding of the essentials needed to get the results you're looking for. This session will include theory and practical exercises to apply what you have learned. By the end of this session you forget about only getting great results by accident, and feel confident that you understand how to get your camera to do what you want! This is the end of Auto! WHAT YOU WILL LEARN: * The important dials and buttons on your camera * Exposure triangle: Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO * Focus * Histogram * Depth of Field * Metering * White balance * And much more... **PAYMENT OPTIONS** * **PayPal via RSVP** * The Meetup transaction fee will be added. and you'll automatically be added to attend * **Send £30 via PayPal** to \*\*[creativebeansproductions@gmail.com**](http://creativebeansproductions@gmail.com%2A%2A/) with no extra fee. * Send us a text or comment below and we will add you to the event attendee list. EXPERIENCE Beginners / Refreshers EQUIPMENT * Any camera * Any lens OTHER ESSENTIALS * A fun and experimental attitude! TRAVEL As usual check TFL website for any issues that may delay your journey. CONTACT Alex 07956 264049 **TRAVEL EVENTS** **VENICE WEEKEND - Oct 2026** [https://www.meetup.com/londonphotographiclcp/events/313109097/](https://www.meetup.com/londonphotographiclcp/events/313109097/) **UPCOMING EVENTS** [https://www.meetup.com/londonphotographiclcp/events/calendar](https://www.meetup.com/londonphotographic/events/calendar)

**Should we Defund The BBC?** Those who argue that the British Broadcasting Corporation should be defunded claim the licence fee is outdated in an era of subscription platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. They also point to past scandals, including the failure to address abuse by Jimmy Savile and the controversy surrounding Huw Edwards, arguing that such incidents have damaged public trust and accountability. Supporters argue that, despite these serious failings, the BBC remains a vital public service broadcaster, providing impartial news, educational content, and distinctive British programming. They contend that defunding it would undermine high-quality journalism and weaken an institution that continues to play an important cultural and democratic role in the UK. **Where do you stand on this debate?** **YOU decide!** Join us on 10 March 2026 at the Windsor Castle pub for drinks and discussion as we debate the motion: **This House Would Defund the BBC** **First half**: Improvised mini-debates – all are welcome to speak. **Second half**: Prepared speeches, followed by floor contributions – an opportunity to share your views. **[GET YOUR GUEST TICKET HERE](https://104londondebaters.club/)** During the first half of the meeting, there will be an improvised mini-debate session, where anyone may get called to defend or oppose a motion in 2 minutes (voluntarily, of course). During the main debate, 3 debaters will propose the motion, 3 debaters will oppose it, and **YOU** may give your opinion during Floor Contributions. The meeting will be held on the first floor of[ the Windsor Castle pub](https://windsorcastle-victoria.co.uk/) in Victoria, a beautiful Victorian pub with great food, drinks prices. Make sure to give the code word: *Debate Club*!

It's a ClickHouse Observability Meetup at SRE Days London! We've joined forces with the SRE Days team to host an evening meetup at their stunning venue. Join us for a few deep-dive talks, some food, and beverages. In fact, we are so excited that we have a discount if you want to attend the entirety of the event. Just head on over to https://luma.com/sreday-2026-london-q1 and use the code CLICK80 for a massive discount. Looking forward to seeing you there! Agenda: 5:30 - Arrival 6:00 - Uncovered: The Hard Truth About OpenTelemetry's Vendor Neutrality - Adriana Villela 6:30 - Observability Updates in ClickHouse - Dale McDiarmid 7:00 - How we built an SRE Agent with Clickhouse and eBPF - Chris Battarbee 7:30 - Running Grafana at Scale - Rory Crispin

Join us for Grafana talks mixed with snacks and community conversations! Schedule 18:00-18:30 Welcome, snacks, drinks and networking 18:30-19:00 **From Service to Line Number: Getting Started with Continuous Profiling** by Christian Simon, Principal Engineer at Grafana Logs, metrics, and traces tell you which service is slow or expensive. Profiles tell you which code path - down to the line number. With profiling now part of OpenTelemetry, and the eBPF profiler requiring zero instrumentation, there's never been a better time to add this missing piece to your observability stack. 1\. Value of Continuous Profiling 2\. How do you set up continuous profiling \(Pyroscope \+ OTel eBPF profiler\) 3\. Deriving insights from Profiles using Grafana Assistant 4\. Demo 19:00-19:40 **My Cool Grafana Dashboard Show and Tell - Lightning Talks** **Lightning talks:** **1\. What if Your Career Had Metrics?** **Roxana Turc, Software Engineer at BNY**, will show how she used Grafana to build a **career dashboard—tracking learning, work, and growth**, and why seeing her progress this way changed how she thinks about development. **2\. Using Grafana for Visualising IoT Air Quality Sensor Data** by John Sinha, Lead Technical Business Analyst IoT air quality sensors produce noisy, high-resolution time series data, but how you visualise it determines what you actually see. This lightning talk walks through a Grafana dashboard designed to **present environmental data clearly, covering time and value scaling choices, linear vs. log views, and practical denoising techniques.** See how small visualisation decisions can dramatically change the story your sensor data tells. 3. **How I discovered pigeons sabotaging my project with Kafka and Grafana** \- by Hugh Evans\, Developer Advocate at Aiven Learn how how a lightweight Kafka + Grafana observability stack helped Hugh **catch his avian adversaries** and iterate on a hobby project **without enterprise-scale complexity or costs**.

**Hello there!** Our Face-to-Face Afternoon Classes are back this March in London! Are you learning English as a second language and looking for an opportunity to practise your English? Interested in **free, in-person classes**? We’ve got you covered! Here at **Stafford House,** our teachers-in-training are gaining hands-on experience by teaching enthusiastic English learners. Each lesson is interactive and fun, with plenty of opportunities to practise speaking, meet other learners, and improve your English along the way. We also offer **free online English classes (London and Canterbury)**. Check out our other events for more information! Please see the **updated** details below! 🕑 **When:** From **2nd March - 26th March (4 weeks)** ➡️Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. ➡️Fridays 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m 📍 **Where:** Stafford House London, 2 Southampton Place, WC1A 2DA (just 2 minutes from Holborn Station) 📚 **Level: Both levels available** **\- Pre\-Intermediate \(A2\-B1\)** **\- Upper\-Intermediate \(B2\)** Spaces are limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Please arrive **15- 30 minutes early** to secure your spot. We will ask for your name and email upon arrival. *Please note: confirming attendance on Meetup does not guarantee a place in the classroom.* **Please note that class times or dates may occasionally change due to the nature of the course. If this happens, we will inform you by email.** We look forward to seeing you all very soon! Got Questions? send us an email at [teachertraining@staffordhouse.com](mailto:teachertraining@staffordhouse.com)

Welcome to our **Free Event - Master the Art of Communication**! Join us at the Church of Scientology **Life Improvement Centre** to learn valuable basics of communication and skills that will help you in both your personal and professional life. During this event, you will learn some fundamentals of communication - what is it, what are the vital parts of the communication formula.... and have the opportunity to participate in these new skills. Hear from trained and experienced communicators, and practice communication techniques in a supportive environment. Whether you struggle with public speaking, conflict resolution, or simply want to improve your relationships, this is for you! Come and discover the power of knowledge and how to achieve effective communication. Find out how you could guide and control communication in your life! Don't miss out on this opportunity to enhance your communication abilities and connect with like-minded individuals. We look forward to seeing you here!

**Hello there!** Are you learning English as a second language and looking for an opportunity to practise your English? Interested in **free, in-person lessons**? We’ve got you covered! Here at **Stafford House London**, our teachers-in-training are gaining hands-on experience by teaching enthusiastic English learners. Each lesson is interactive and fun, with plenty of opportunities to practise speaking, meet other learners, and improve your English along the way. We also offer **free online English classes**. For more information, please email us at \*\*[teachertraining@staffordhouse.com**.](http://teachertraining@staffordhouse.com%2A%2A./) Please see the **updated** details below! 🕑 **When:** From **26th Jan** \- 8th April 2026 \(12 weeks\) ➡️Mondays and Wednesdays 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm 📍 **Where:** Stafford House London, 2 Southampton Place, WC1A 2DA (just 2 minutes from Holborn Station) 📚 **Level:** **\- Pre\-Intermediate \(A2\) \- Mondays** **\- Upper\-Intermediate \(B2\) \- Wednesdays** Spaces are limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Please arrive **15- 30 minutes early** to secure your spot. We will ask for your name and email upon arrival. *Please note: confirming attendance on Meetup does not guarantee a place in the classroom.* We look forward to seeing you all very soon!

The bedrock of any society is the social contract. Truth, Fairness and Respect are some of the things that build and maintain a well functioning society. But what if we threw that away? In a liar's city, even a simple "hello, how are you?" becomes suspicious. In a cheating city, queues are filled with fools. In a thief's world, only fools work hard. What if instead of Truth, Fairness and Respect, we rewarded people who Lie, Cheat and Steal? What if we punished those who tell the truth and rewarded those who lie to us? What if cheating always wins, would anyone play fair? What if stealing gave you more than respecting what belongs to others? How do we recognise what kind of society we are living in? Should we Lie, Cheat and Steal? And why should we follow Truth, Fairness and Respect? What would benefit us all in the long term? How can we make sure people don't Lie, Cheat and Steal? Is that an ambitious goal? \*Please do your own research and share resources related to this topic in the comment section\* #======# Donation! Thank you for being a member. I have made a donation page for those who want to help with the costs. [https://examinedlife.uk/donation/](https://examinedlife.uk/donation/) #======# Group chat We have a telegram group chat and here is a link for the front door: [https://t.me/+o9T9DL5u6AcwMmRk](https://t.me/+o9T9DL5u6AcwMmRk) #======# The Examined Life, "Let's Discuss..." session is an open discussion. The format of this event will be: 13:15 - Free flow group discussion about the topic. 14:00 ish - We will be splitting into smaller groups for more engaging discussion about what interests each of you. 16:00 - End of the official meetup. Most often attendees stay and continue discussing up to around 18:00. #======# Please RSVP if you can commit to attending and change your RSVP if something comes up. Inaccurate RSVPs can keep potential attendees on the waiting list and makes it difficult to plan for room sizes and bookings. Art work: Fantastic Ruins with Saint Augustine and the Child 1632 François de Nomé

Window functions have nothing to do with the Windows operating system but provide a “window” to a result set when used in SQL queries. They are powerful, set-based methods to view data in unexpected ways. Window functions provide easy, set-based solutions to solve some common problems: * Using running totals * Performing operations in intervals * Identifying data gaps and islands * Performing aggregates without losing detail Many people are confused by window functions and do not know how to use them properly. This session will explore window functions, how they work, and how to use them. Demonstrations with several examples will solidify how window functions can simplify queries and make them more powerful.

The Humanist Monthly Program is our longest running event and still a community favorite. In the old days it used to be called "Going to HCCO" and we still like to think of it as our flagship event. Food and drinks will be provided at the event. Feel free to show up a little bit early to hang out and talk. Our March speakers are Molly Gaines and Zack Parrish, co-organizers of the Secular Education Association: They will share their story of how a small group of Ohio parents grew into a national organization tracking released-time religious instruction and other church–state issues in public schools. The presentation will cover SEA’s early wins and hard lessons, what we’re seeing nationally right now, and how local advocates can play a meaningful role in protecting public education. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of the landscape — and practical ways to get involved. Going forward our meetings will be hybrid. You can meet us in-person or attend online Join Zoom Meeting [https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87836564953?pwd=4Mi57ElZkDIFlb1fnlNwOJ0NiOK4tP.1](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87836564953?pwd=4Mi57ElZkDIFlb1fnlNwOJ0NiOK4tP.1) Meeting ID: 878 3656 4953 Passcode: 760812 One tap mobile +19292056099,,87836564953#,,,,\*760812# US (New York) +13017158592,,87836564953#,,,,\*760812# US (Washington DC) The formal presentation will start at noon

The Unity of Columbus Resource Group for the Homeless is seeking compassionate volunteers who would like to help serve and uplift members of our homeless community. This group is dedicated to sharing kindness, resources, and support with individuals who may be experiencing difficult circumstances. Anyone with a heart for service is welcome to join us as we work together to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Community members are also invited to contribute by bringing helpful items for those in need. Donations of items can be contributed at the meeting and will be distributed to assist members of the homeless community. Please consider joining us and sharing this opportunity with friends, family, or associates who may also wish to help. Learn more about Unity of Columbus at www.unityofcolumbus.org or call (614) 267-4959. Together we can extend compassion, dignity, and support to our community. 💛

Private Group. Closed to the Public Knowing ourselves and understanding our abilities is the first step toward wielding our gifts with control and accuracy. In subsequent classes we will verify and hone our talents with activities and discussion. These are hands-on workshops and participation is expected. The goal of our series will be to develop expertise in areas of particular interest such as mediumship, channeling, divination, healing and, etc.. Our ultimate directions will be determined by class members as we evolve. I look forward to sharing and discovering with you. - Cynthia

**Community Dance – Every Friday at Unity of Columbus** Let go of the week’s stress and move into joy! Join us every Friday for an evening of community, connection, and dance at Unity of Columbus. It’s a chance to meet new friends, express yourself through movement, and experience the emotional healing that comes from music and rhythm. No dance experience needed — just bring your energy, an open heart, and your dancing shoes! Dance is freedom. Dance is healing. Dance is fun.

A great movie deserves a great dinner! Join us after PROJECT HAIL MARY for another fun and tasty dinner at a CMG-favorite restaurant, FUGU SUSHI! RSVPs are limited for the dinner portion of this event! Here are complete details: FUGU SUSHI: Fugu Sushi offers a truly authentic experience that keeps customers (and the Movie Group) coming back for more. They offer an extensive menu with a delightful array of options and something for everyone! From their top-rated sushi, to tasty appetizers, soups, salads, bento boxes, tempura, delicious teriyaki dishes (including chicken, shrimp, salmon, tofu, vegetable and more), and vegetarian and vegan options, you’ll be certain to find something you love! MENU: https://www.fugusushicolumbus.com/menus RSVP: An RSVP here means you're signed up for the DINNER portion of this event. Seating is limited. If you also plan to join for the movie, please also RSVP in the separate event listing for the movie portion of this event. For the movie, we'll meet in the theater lobby at 2:10pm for the 2:30pm SuperScreen DLX showing. Advance ticket purchase for the movie is advised. Please RSVP in both events, if you plan to attend the movie and dinner. Look forward to seeing you there, Dan