One wonders why no other country in the world has copied our privatisation experiment. If it was such a marvellous success people would be lining up to copy it.
Other nations have privatised their railways. They've just typically done it much better, more thoroughly and a more real privatisation than the bodged half-private, half-public, bidding for rights and subsidised by taxpayer, spiderman-pointing-fingers-at-each-other way it was done here.
Have a look at Japan for one of the world's most successful networks, that was privatised, operates successfully and privately, takes one of the highest shares of transportation in any country on the planet, and does so with zero subsidies on the mainland.
In Japan they still have state-owned railways and they are entirely run and controlled by the state.
The UK system's issue is how fragmented it is, thanks to the Tories and then New Labour not fixing it
Japan's is fragmented, but it works, because it was better fragmented than ours. And the state-owned railways aren't for the mainland IIRC, its for the remote islands (so more comparable to Scotland).
I feel you would be a lot happier with their level of service if it could be achieved here than that achieved either by the semi-private system we have in the UK, or British Rail.
In Japan a single railway is owned by a single company, who owns and operates the trains, track etc.
In the UK we don't have that.
We should either privatise it properly or have a proper StateCo which does it all.
Surrey County Council demonstrating total incompetence. Popped down to the pub and the road was closed. These things happen. Stuff has to be fixed. So I went in the opposite direction to find the road closed that way also. OK must be an emergency then. But no I went on the Surrey County Council web site and both closures were scheduled for the same day.
The roadsigns on the A31 between Farnham and Guildford are now almost completely obscured by foliage growth that has been allowed to run unchecked for months. Many people have mentioned it to them.
What on earth is wrong with them?
Come to Wales from 17th September and all the 30mph will have shiny new 20mph signs
One wonders why no other country in the world has copied our privatisation experiment. If it was such a marvellous success people would be lining up to copy it.
Other nations have privatised their railways. They've just typically done it much better, more thoroughly and a more real privatisation than the bodged half-private, half-public, bidding for rights and subsidised by taxpayer, spiderman-pointing-fingers-at-each-other way it was done here.
Have a look at Japan for one of the world's most successful networks, that was privatised, operates successfully and privately, takes one of the highest shares of transportation in any country on the planet, and does so with zero subsidies on the mainland.
Can I please ask the PB Brains Trust for advice on cleaning an internal Laptop fan?
My Laptop has suddenly become very noisy and I'm pretty certain its one of the fans. Not sure if its the CPU fan, or the GPU fan (gaming Laptop so has dedicated GPU). The noise volume goes up or down, its not consistent, but at its worst its very loud.
I'm taken the case apart and there was quite a bit of grey dust build-up in the fan so I've cleaned what I can access with cotton wool but its hard to access it properly and its still making a noise.
I was thinking of getting some compressed air to clean it with, but had a look at Amazon and I can't find any I trust. Everything on Amazon seems to seems to be dodgy stuff from China and have really mixed reviews with a lot of negative reviews about it just spraying liquid instead which isn't ideal with electronics. Found one on Amazon that looked professional but zooming into the picture there's multiple spelling mistakes on the can so clearly a very dodgy Chinese knock off again who can't afford a spellchecker so who knows what you're actually getting?
Any advice on anything I can get that's reliable?
Are you able to replace it? Might also be worn bearings. Fans are normally dirt cheap. Some laptops aren't too bad to take apart.
Amazon is a nightmare of rip-offs, Chinese tat and fakes these days, but compressed air is hard to get wrong.
My usual technique to remove dust is a big hoover with a small nozzle. Maybe risking static if you aren't careful but it works for me.
For removing gunge, an alcohol based cleaner is fine (or something like this).
If need be I will try and replace it, but I wanted to try other solutions first if viable, especially since everything in the Laptop seems to be quite connected. I've built my own PC before and PC components are generally quite a bit simpler to isolate, but in the Laptop there seem to be multiple things connected to the fan so stripping it apart and replacing elements will be a last sort.
have a look on Youtube. There is at least one chap/firm who/which has a whole series of videos on how to tear down laptops to replace batteries and so on.
(The one on the Microsoft Surface Book [the first] is a real horror movie. Instrumental in my decision to scrap mine when the battery went all bolshy on me. Now a look on those videos is essential before I buy a new laptop. The Lenovo Yoga Something I have now - takes about three steps to replace the battery. This is incontrast to the 96 ro something steps and hammer and chisel work* for the MS one. Bastards. )
* Not quite literally - but the battery is glued in . And there are two batteries.
Can I please ask the PB Brains Trust for advice on cleaning an internal Laptop fan?
My Laptop has suddenly become very noisy and I'm pretty certain its one of the fans. Not sure if its the CPU fan, or the GPU fan (gaming Laptop so has dedicated GPU). The noise volume goes up or down, its not consistent, but at its worst its very loud.
I'm taken the case apart and there was quite a bit of grey dust build-up in the fan so I've cleaned what I can access with cotton wool but its hard to access it properly and its still making a noise.
I was thinking of getting some compressed air to clean it with, but had a look at Amazon and I can't find any I trust. Everything on Amazon seems to seems to be dodgy stuff from China and have really mixed reviews with a lot of negative reviews about it just spraying liquid instead which isn't ideal with electronics. Found one on Amazon that looked professional but zooming into the picture there's multiple spelling mistakes on the can so clearly a very dodgy Chinese knock off again who can't afford a spellchecker so who knows what you're actually getting?
Any advice on anything I can get that's reliable?
Are you able to replace it? Might also be worn bearings. Fans are normally dirt cheap. Some laptops aren't too bad to take apart.
Amazon is a nightmare of rip-offs, Chinese tat and fakes these days, but compressed air is hard to get wrong.
My usual technique to remove dust is a big hoover with a small nozzle. Maybe risking static if you aren't careful but it works for me.
For removing gunge, an alcohol based cleaner is fine (or something like this).
If need be I will try and replace it, but I wanted to try other solutions first if viable, especially since everything in the Laptop seems to be quite connected. I've built my own PC before and PC components are generally quite a bit simpler to isolate, but in the Laptop there seem to be multiple things connected to the fan so stripping it apart and replacing elements will be a last sort.
You can normally find good ‘teardown’ videos for most popular laptop models on Youtube, which explain the cables and the correct order of disassembly. Yes they’re an order of magnitude more difficult than a tower PC, and you might need some weird tools for some things. If you can get a model number for the fan, it’s usually easy to find a replacement online at somewhere like Scan.co.uk
@RochdalePioneers also made a good point above, that if the problem is the fan running flat out all the time, it’s as likely to be a software issue as a hardware one!
One wonders why no other country in the world has copied our privatisation experiment. If it was such a marvellous success people would be lining up to copy it.
Other nations have privatised their railways. They've just typically done it much better, more thoroughly and a more real privatisation than the bodged half-private, half-public, bidding for rights and subsidised by taxpayer, spiderman-pointing-fingers-at-each-other way it was done here.
Have a look at Japan for one of the world's most successful networks, that was privatised, operates successfully and privately, takes one of the highest shares of transportation in any country on the planet, and does so with zero subsidies on the mainland.
In Japan they still have state-owned railways and they are entirely run and controlled by the state.
The UK system's issue is how fragmented it is, thanks to the Tories and then New Labour not fixing it
Japan's is fragmented, but it works, because it was better fragmented than ours. And the state-owned railways aren't for the mainland IIRC, its for the remote islands (so more comparable to Scotland).
I feel you would be a lot happier with their level of service if it could be achieved here than that achieved either by the semi-private system we have in the UK, or British Rail.
In Japan a single railway is owned by a single company, who owns and operates the trains, track etc.
In the UK we don't have that.
We should either privatise it properly or have a proper StateCo which does it all.
You literally couldn't be more wrong.
The Japanese Railway Companies are privately companies, that are listed on the stock market.
Indeed, three of the JR East, JR Central, and JR West are members of the Nikkei 225 index.
One wonders why no other country in the world has copied our privatisation experiment. If it was such a marvellous success people would be lining up to copy it.
Other nations have privatised their railways. They've just typically done it much better, more thoroughly and a more real privatisation than the bodged half-private, half-public, bidding for rights and subsidised by taxpayer, spiderman-pointing-fingers-at-each-other way it was done here.
Have a look at Japan for one of the world's most successful networks, that was privatised, operates successfully and privately, takes one of the highest shares of transportation in any country on the planet, and does so with zero subsidies on the mainland.
In Japan they still have state-owned railways and they are entirely run and controlled by the state.
The UK system's issue is how fragmented it is, thanks to the Tories and then New Labour not fixing it
Japan's is fragmented, but it works, because it was better fragmented than ours. And the state-owned railways aren't for the mainland IIRC, its for the remote islands (so more comparable to Scotland).
I feel you would be a lot happier with their level of service if it could be achieved here than that achieved either by the semi-private system we have in the UK, or British Rail.
In Japan a single railway is owned by a single company, who owns and operates the trains, track etc.
In the UK we don't have that.
We should either privatise it properly or have a proper StateCo which does it all.
Yes, we should privatise it properly, I agree.
We've tried StateCo, it was terrible. We've tried half-arsed privatisation. It was better, but still not good.
One wonders why no other country in the world has copied our privatisation experiment. If it was such a marvellous success people would be lining up to copy it.
Other nations have privatised their railways. They've just typically done it much better, more thoroughly and a more real privatisation than the bodged half-private, half-public, bidding for rights and subsidised by taxpayer, spiderman-pointing-fingers-at-each-other way it was done here.
Have a look at Japan for one of the world's most successful networks, that was privatised, operates successfully and privately, takes one of the highest shares of transportation in any country on the planet, and does so with zero subsidies on the mainland.
In Japan they still have state-owned railways and they are entirely run and controlled by the state.
The UK system's issue is how fragmented it is, thanks to the Tories and then New Labour not fixing it
AFAIAA you are very wrong about the make-up of Japan's railways.
It's difficult for the public sector to not be involved in transport because it runs in the public domain.
Ports and airports are probably the most amenable to being run on purelycommercial lines because they minimise interface with the land domain and sea and air "infrastructure" is natural and cost free, but even then subsidies take place particularly for those routes/hubs of a strategic nature.
On topic, Vivek has been gaining in popularity becuase he’s putting himself out there and going dozens of interviews, including people with whom he will disagree, and often in long form rather than five minute soundbites.
Here’s an hour of a quite combative podcast interview with a slightly stoned Bill Maher, they end up agreeing on more than they disagree. https://youtube.com/watch?v=lrpW-SUchFo
I haven't seen it but I like your summary.
I wish there were far more political interviews like this rather than the "gotcha" crap.
If we deal in substance not soundbites we might start to get more politics of substance.
Of course, and it’s actually something from which you can learn an awful lot about the politician.
The US cable news seven minute gotcha session, almost seems designed to debase politics.
Completely off topic, but cheering: "Not many 94-year-olds still have their mothers around, but Dorothy Williams does — and the two women live together in Houston.
Can I please ask the PB Brains Trust for advice on cleaning an internal Laptop fan?
My Laptop has suddenly become very noisy and I'm pretty certain its one of the fans. Not sure if its the CPU fan, or the GPU fan (gaming Laptop so has dedicated GPU). The noise volume goes up or down, its not consistent, but at its worst its very loud.
I'm taken the case apart and there was quite a bit of grey dust build-up in the fan so I've cleaned what I can access with cotton wool but its hard to access it properly and its still making a noise.
I was thinking of getting some compressed air to clean it with, but had a look at Amazon and I can't find any I trust. Everything on Amazon seems to seems to be dodgy stuff from China and have really mixed reviews with a lot of negative reviews about it just spraying liquid instead which isn't ideal with electronics. Found one on Amazon that looked professional but zooming into the picture there's multiple spelling mistakes on the can so clearly a very dodgy Chinese knock off again who can't afford a spellchecker so who knows what you're actually getting?
Any advice on anything I can get that's reliable?
Are you able to replace it? Might also be worn bearings. Fans are normally dirt cheap. Some laptops aren't too bad to take apart.
Amazon is a nightmare of rip-offs, Chinese tat and fakes these days, but compressed air is hard to get wrong.
My usual technique to remove dust is a big hoover with a small nozzle. Maybe risking static if you aren't careful but it works for me.
For removing gunge, an alcohol based cleaner is fine (or something like this).
+1 on fan replacement. Search around for model numbers etc. There is often fan that multiple people have used to replace the exact model you have. Quieter quite often.
Preventing static from a vacuum cleaner is perfectly possible.
Within most of our lifetimes, we have had the death penalty for high treason.
And it was wrong then as it is now.
Perhaps. Oddly for such an emotive issue, I don't think I have passionate opinions either way. I wouldn't want a death sentence for Letby I don't think. Though not to be too much of a ratepayer about it, but I do have a slight resentment that we have to keep her for the rest of her life, which will probably cost more than putting her through Eton on a continual loop.
The evidence suggests that the death penalty is far more expensive than prison.
It must never, ever be brought back. It is appalling.
Is that not in America, where people are on death row for decades? In the UK, I think it was quite brisk, you got an appeal, and if that was thrown out, the sentence was carried out. Of course, there were miscarriages of justice.
Indeed. As one of our (at the time) most respected judges put it, in regard to the Birmingham Six: ..If the six men win, it will mean that the police are guilty of perjury, that they are guilty of violence and threats, that the confessions were invented and improperly admitted in evidence and the convictions were erroneous... This is such an appalling vista that every sensible person in the land would say that it cannot be right that these actions should go any further...
"We shouldn't have all these campaigns to get the Birmingham Six released if they'd been hanged. They'd have been forgotten and the whole community would have been satisfied." ..
The obvious argument against the Death Penalty is that as a deterrent it is an utter failure. If it worked as a deterrent then its introduction would stop murders, but historically it makes no difference to the murder rate and some people have argued that it makes things worse (if you are going to hang for murdering one, why worry about doing a dozen?)
The true argument about the Death Penalty is more about whether we, as a society, want to exact revenge on the apparently guilty.
Cost or deterrence is irrelevant. We have to decide if we are the sort of people who want to hear their neck snap or fry them until their eyeballs pop.
Yes I do think it boils down to this. Do we want the state doing this on our behalf? The 'pros v cons' calculus is important but you have to process that question first.
So it comes down to our own moral vanity?
Don't quite follow. In what sense is it vanity?
Because it places upholding our self-image as the highest good. We deny the families of the victims real justice because it would offend our sense of ourselves as morally superior beings.
It's not about feeling good about ourselves it's about including in the standards underpinning society that it's a crime to murder somebody. We don't deny the families of victims 'real justice' we deny them eye-for-an-eye retribution. Why? Because of that standard we've just signed off on - that it's a crime to murder somebody. If you have the DP, it sanctions the state doing that and by inference if a private citizen (eg a murder victim's friend or family member) took it upon themselves to do similar it wouldn't be a crime. Bang goes our standard. Society has one less. Society is lowered.
The same argument could be used against imprisonment. If it’s a crime to imprison someone, why is it ok for the state to do it?
More fundamentally it puts the state in a position of power over the individual.
The state is an administrative function created by citizens for collective action.
If someone breaks laws set out by the state they can be excluded from the benefits of the state (by imprisonment or exile). But the state does not have the authority to deprive someone of their life
One wonders why no other country in the world has copied our privatisation experiment. If it was such a marvellous success people would be lining up to copy it.
Other nations have privatised their railways. They've just typically done it much better, more thoroughly and a more real privatisation than the bodged half-private, half-public, bidding for rights and subsidised by taxpayer, spiderman-pointing-fingers-at-each-other way it was done here.
Have a look at Japan for one of the world's most successful networks, that was privatised, operates successfully and privately, takes one of the highest shares of transportation in any country on the planet, and does so with zero subsidies on the mainland.
In Japan they still have state-owned railways and they are entirely run and controlled by the state.
The UK system's issue is how fragmented it is, thanks to the Tories and then New Labour not fixing it
Japan's is fragmented, but it works, because it was better fragmented than ours. And the state-owned railways aren't for the mainland IIRC, its for the remote islands (so more comparable to Scotland).
I feel you would be a lot happier with their level of service if it could be achieved here than that achieved either by the semi-private system we have in the UK, or British Rail.
In Japan a single railway is owned by a single company, who owns and operates the trains, track etc.
In the UK we don't have that.
We should either privatise it properly or have a proper StateCo which does it all.
Yes, we should privatise it properly, I agree.
We've tried StateCo, it was terrible. We've tried half-arsed privatisation. It was better, but still not good.
We should do it properly.
That's brave. It would probably mean just the main intercity lines and commuter south-east network would survive, with everything else decanting onto the roads - including freight.
You'd have to price road use far better and at higher rates to reflect their real "cost" - including pollution and congestion to the economy.
There's probably very little commercial case for the Welsh, Scottish and Cornish branch lines but our country would be poorer for them.
We also built railways and left Westminster style democracy and the rule of law.
In any case it isn't a matter of just keeping out criminals, immigrants generally fleeing persecution or with skills we need are welcome here
We built the railways to move our troops around more effectively and to extract the country’s wealth and resources more efficiently. We installed our laws to give some an appearance of legality to the wealth extraction. It wasn’t altruism that built these things.
Can I please ask the PB Brains Trust for advice on cleaning an internal Laptop fan?
My Laptop has suddenly become very noisy and I'm pretty certain its one of the fans. Not sure if its the CPU fan, or the GPU fan (gaming Laptop so has dedicated GPU). The noise volume goes up or down, its not consistent, but at its worst its very loud.
I'm taken the case apart and there was quite a bit of grey dust build-up in the fan so I've cleaned what I can access with cotton wool but its hard to access it properly and its still making a noise.
I was thinking of getting some compressed air to clean it with, but had a look at Amazon and I can't find any I trust. Everything on Amazon seems to seems to be dodgy stuff from China and have really mixed reviews with a lot of negative reviews about it just spraying liquid instead which isn't ideal with electronics. Found one on Amazon that looked professional but zooming into the picture there's multiple spelling mistakes on the can so clearly a very dodgy Chinese knock off again who can't afford a spellchecker so who knows what you're actually getting?
Any advice on anything I can get that's reliable?
Are you able to replace it? Might also be worn bearings. Fans are normally dirt cheap. Some laptops aren't too bad to take apart.
Amazon is a nightmare of rip-offs, Chinese tat and fakes these days, but compressed air is hard to get wrong.
My usual technique to remove dust is a big hoover with a small nozzle. Maybe risking static if you aren't careful but it works for me.
For removing gunge, an alcohol based cleaner is fine (or something like this).
If need be I will try and replace it, but I wanted to try other solutions first if viable, especially since everything in the Laptop seems to be quite connected. I've built my own PC before and PC components are generally quite a bit simpler to isolate, but in the Laptop there seem to be multiple things connected to the fan so stripping it apart and replacing elements will be a last sort.
Yeah, try the easy solution first.
I took a laptop apart to fix it the other week - as usual it was a bit fiddly. You have to be very careful with the tiny connectors and make sure you stick screws on labelled bits of paper. In this case it probably wasn't economic to fix but I hate binning stuff that can still be made to work, so fixed it was.
I wish more items were made easily repairable - it is something that really bugs me, particularly when there's no need to make it difficult. Glue is an abomination. As are cheap capacitors.
Women’s 100m semi-finals coming up. Dina Asher-Smith the British interest, with the Jamaican Shelly Ann Fraser-Price going for a record-equalling sixth straight title in this event.
It’s not impossible that one of the most disgraceful world records ever ratified, could finally be consigned to the history books in tonight’s final.
We also built railways and left Westminster style democracy and the rule of law.
In any case it isn't a matter of just keeping out criminals, immigrants generally fleeing persecution or with skills we need are welcome here
We built the railways to move our troops around more effectively and to extract the country’s wealth and resources more efficiently. We installed our laws to give some an appearance of legality to the wealth extraction. It wasn’t altruism that built these things.
They kept them though didn't they, nor did they retain things like throwing widows on funeral pyres we abolished
We also built railways and left Westminster style democracy and the rule of law.
In any case it isn't a matter of just keeping out criminals, immigrants generally fleeing persecution or with skills we need are welcome here
You almost certainly couldn't find a path to the modern world as it is today, with its liberal internationalist order that didn't go through the British Empire, or something very similar to it.
Indeed and compare Hong Kong 25 years ago under British rule to today under Communist Chinese rule. Singapore now clearly the financial centre of Asia, also once a British colony
We also built railways and left Westminster style democracy and the rule of law.
In any case it isn't a matter of just keeping out criminals, immigrants generally fleeing persecution or with skills we need are welcome here
We built the railways to move our troops around more effectively and to extract the country’s wealth and resources more efficiently. We installed our laws to give some an appearance of legality to the wealth extraction. It wasn’t altruism that built these things.
They kept them though didn't they, nor did they retain things like throwing widows on funeral pyres we abolished
Well why would they rip up the railways or dismantle the legal system? That’s just cutting off your nose to spite your face. Doesn’t mean you can credibly argue there was some altruism behind their creation, some high-minded British desire to benefit India.
One wonders why no other country in the world has copied our privatisation experiment. If it was such a marvellous success people would be lining up to copy it.
Other nations have privatised their railways. They've just typically done it much better, more thoroughly and a more real privatisation than the bodged half-private, half-public, bidding for rights and subsidised by taxpayer, spiderman-pointing-fingers-at-each-other way it was done here.
Have a look at Japan for one of the world's most successful networks, that was privatised, operates successfully and privately, takes one of the highest shares of transportation in any country on the planet, and does so with zero subsidies on the mainland.
In Japan they still have state-owned railways and they are entirely run and controlled by the state.
The UK system's issue is how fragmented it is, thanks to the Tories and then New Labour not fixing it
Japan's is fragmented, but it works, because it was better fragmented than ours. And the state-owned railways aren't for the mainland IIRC, its for the remote islands (so more comparable to Scotland).
I feel you would be a lot happier with their level of service if it could be achieved here than that achieved either by the semi-private system we have in the UK, or British Rail.
In Japan a single railway is owned by a single company, who owns and operates the trains, track etc.
In the UK we don't have that.
We should either privatise it properly or have a proper StateCo which does it all.
Yes, we should privatise it properly, I agree.
We've tried StateCo, it was terrible. We've tried half-arsed privatisation. It was better, but still not good.
We should do it properly.
That's brave. It would probably mean just the main intercity lines and commuter south-east network would survive, with everything else decanting onto the roads - including freight.
You'd have to price road use far better and at higher rates to reflect their real "cost" - including pollution and congestion to the economy.
There's probably very little commercial case for the Welsh, Scottish and Cornish branch lines but our country would be poorer for them.
Within most of our lifetimes, we have had the death penalty for high treason.
And it was wrong then as it is now.
Perhaps. Oddly for such an emotive issue, I don't think I have passionate opinions either way. I wouldn't want a death sentence for Letby I don't think. Though not to be too much of a ratepayer about it, but I do have a slight resentment that we have to keep her for the rest of her life, which will probably cost more than putting her through Eton on a continual loop.
The evidence suggests that the death penalty is far more expensive than prison.
It must never, ever be brought back. It is appalling.
Is that not in America, where people are on death row for decades? In the UK, I think it was quite brisk, you got an appeal, and if that was thrown out, the sentence was carried out. Of course, there were miscarriages of justice.
Indeed. As one of our (at the time) most respected judges put it, in regard to the Birmingham Six: ..If the six men win, it will mean that the police are guilty of perjury, that they are guilty of violence and threats, that the confessions were invented and improperly admitted in evidence and the convictions were erroneous... This is such an appalling vista that every sensible person in the land would say that it cannot be right that these actions should go any further...
"We shouldn't have all these campaigns to get the Birmingham Six released if they'd been hanged. They'd have been forgotten and the whole community would have been satisfied." ..
The obvious argument against the Death Penalty is that as a deterrent it is an utter failure. If it worked as a deterrent then its introduction would stop murders, but historically it makes no difference to the murder rate and some people have argued that it makes things worse (if you are going to hang for murdering one, why worry about doing a dozen?)
The true argument about the Death Penalty is more about whether we, as a society, want to exact revenge on the apparently guilty.
Cost or deterrence is irrelevant. We have to decide if we are the sort of people who want to hear their neck snap or fry them until their eyeballs pop.
Yes I do think it boils down to this. Do we want the state doing this on our behalf? The 'pros v cons' calculus is important but you have to process that question first.
So it comes down to our own moral vanity?
Don't quite follow. In what sense is it vanity?
Because it places upholding our self-image as the highest good. We deny the families of the victims real justice because it would offend our sense of ourselves as morally superior beings.
It's not about feeling good about ourselves it's about including in the standards underpinning society that it's a crime to murder somebody. We don't deny the families of victims 'real justice' we deny them eye-for-an-eye retribution. Why? Because of that standard we've just signed off on - that it's a crime to murder somebody. If you have the DP, it sanctions the state doing that and by inference if a private citizen (eg a murder victim's friend or family member) took it upon themselves to do similar it wouldn't be a crime. Bang goes our standard. Society has one less. Society is lowered.
The same argument could be used against imprisonment. If it’s a crime to imprison someone, why is it ok for the state to do it?
I knew you'd say that. It's like a chess match!
Slightly different argument, I think. Imprisoning people, like building motorways and demolishing buildings, is something the state does (or regulates) for societal benefit. Murder doesn't fit with that.
Question for you for a change. Why iyo don't the Tories (esp these populist Brexity Tories) adopt the return of the death penalty as a policy?
One wonders why no other country in the world has copied our privatisation experiment. If it was such a marvellous success people would be lining up to copy it.
Other nations have privatised their railways. They've just typically done it much better, more thoroughly and a more real privatisation than the bodged half-private, half-public, bidding for rights and subsidised by taxpayer, spiderman-pointing-fingers-at-each-other way it was done here.
Have a look at Japan for one of the world's most successful networks, that was privatised, operates successfully and privately, takes one of the highest shares of transportation in any country on the planet, and does so with zero subsidies on the mainland.
In Japan they still have state-owned railways and they are entirely run and controlled by the state.
The UK system's issue is how fragmented it is, thanks to the Tories and then New Labour not fixing it
Japan's is fragmented, but it works, because it was better fragmented than ours. And the state-owned railways aren't for the mainland IIRC, its for the remote islands (so more comparable to Scotland).
I feel you would be a lot happier with their level of service if it could be achieved here than that achieved either by the semi-private system we have in the UK, or British Rail.
In Japan a single railway is owned by a single company, who owns and operates the trains, track etc.
In the UK we don't have that.
We should either privatise it properly or have a proper StateCo which does it all.
Yes, we should privatise it properly, I agree.
We've tried StateCo, it was terrible. We've tried half-arsed privatisation. It was better, but still not good.
We should do it properly.
That's brave. It would probably mean just the main intercity lines and commuter south-east network would survive, with everything else decanting onto the roads - including freight.
You'd have to price road use far better and at higher rates to reflect their real "cost" - including pollution and congestion to the economy.
There's probably very little commercial case for the Welsh, Scottish and Cornish branch lines but our country would be poorer for them.
How about fully privatising the roads? Bring back turnpikes!
Can I please ask the PB Brains Trust for advice on cleaning an internal Laptop fan?
My Laptop has suddenly become very noisy and I'm pretty certain its one of the fans. Not sure if its the CPU fan, or the GPU fan (gaming Laptop so has dedicated GPU). The noise volume goes up or down, its not consistent, but at its worst its very loud.
I'm taken the case apart and there was quite a bit of grey dust build-up in the fan so I've cleaned what I can access with cotton wool but its hard to access it properly and its still making a noise.
I was thinking of getting some compressed air to clean it with, but had a look at Amazon and I can't find any I trust. Everything on Amazon seems to seems to be dodgy stuff from China and have really mixed reviews with a lot of negative reviews about it just spraying liquid instead which isn't ideal with electronics. Found one on Amazon that looked professional but zooming into the picture there's multiple spelling mistakes on the can so clearly a very dodgy Chinese knock off again who can't afford a spellchecker so who knows what you're actually getting?
Any advice on anything I can get that's reliable?
Are you able to replace it? Might also be worn bearings. Fans are normally dirt cheap. Some laptops aren't too bad to take apart.
Amazon is a nightmare of rip-offs, Chinese tat and fakes these days, but compressed air is hard to get wrong.
My usual technique to remove dust is a big hoover with a small nozzle. Maybe risking static if you aren't careful but it works for me.
For removing gunge, an alcohol based cleaner is fine (or something like this).
If need be I will try and replace it, but I wanted to try other solutions first if viable, especially since everything in the Laptop seems to be quite connected. I've built my own PC before and PC components are generally quite a bit simpler to isolate, but in the Laptop there seem to be multiple things connected to the fan so stripping it apart and replacing elements will be a last sort.
You can normally find good ‘teardown’ videos for most popular laptop models on Youtube, which explain the cables and the correct order of disassembly. Yes they’re an order of magnitude more difficult than a tower PC, and you might need some weird tools for some things. If you can get a model number for the fan, it’s usually easy to find a replacement online at somewhere like Scan.co.uk
@RochdalePioneers also made a good point above, that if the problem is the fan running flat out all the time, it’s as likely to be a software issue as a hardware one!
Right to repair cannot come soon enough.
Very true - although I will admit to smiling at the story of John Deere remotely bricking Ukranian tractors stolen by Russian troops.
Within most of our lifetimes, we have had the death penalty for high treason.
And it was wrong then as it is now.
Perhaps. Oddly for such an emotive issue, I don't think I have passionate opinions either way. I wouldn't want a death sentence for Letby I don't think. Though not to be too much of a ratepayer about it, but I do have a slight resentment that we have to keep her for the rest of her life, which will probably cost more than putting her through Eton on a continual loop.
The evidence suggests that the death penalty is far more expensive than prison.
It must never, ever be brought back. It is appalling.
Is that not in America, where people are on death row for decades? In the UK, I think it was quite brisk, you got an appeal, and if that was thrown out, the sentence was carried out. Of course, there were miscarriages of justice.
Indeed. As one of our (at the time) most respected judges put it, in regard to the Birmingham Six: ..If the six men win, it will mean that the police are guilty of perjury, that they are guilty of violence and threats, that the confessions were invented and improperly admitted in evidence and the convictions were erroneous... This is such an appalling vista that every sensible person in the land would say that it cannot be right that these actions should go any further...
"We shouldn't have all these campaigns to get the Birmingham Six released if they'd been hanged. They'd have been forgotten and the whole community would have been satisfied." ..
The obvious argument against the Death Penalty is that as a deterrent it is an utter failure. If it worked as a deterrent then its introduction would stop murders, but historically it makes no difference to the murder rate and some people have argued that it makes things worse (if you are going to hang for murdering one, why worry about doing a dozen?)
The true argument about the Death Penalty is more about whether we, as a society, want to exact revenge on the apparently guilty.
Cost or deterrence is irrelevant. We have to decide if we are the sort of people who want to hear their neck snap or fry them until their eyeballs pop.
Yes I do think it boils down to this. Do we want the state doing this on our behalf? The 'pros v cons' calculus is important but you have to process that question first.
So it comes down to our own moral vanity?
Don't quite follow. In what sense is it vanity?
Because it places upholding our self-image as the highest good. We deny the families of the victims real justice because it would offend our sense of ourselves as morally superior beings.
It's not about feeling good about ourselves it's about including in the standards underpinning society that it's a crime to murder somebody. We don't deny the families of victims 'real justice' we deny them eye-for-an-eye retribution. Why? Because of that standard we've just signed off on - that it's a crime to murder somebody. If you have the DP, it sanctions the state doing that and by inference if a private citizen (eg a murder victim's friend or family member) took it upon themselves to do similar it wouldn't be a crime. Bang goes our standard. Society has one less. Society is lowered.
The same argument could be used against imprisonment. If it’s a crime to imprison someone, why is it ok for the state to do it?
More fundamentally it puts the state in a position of power over the individual.
The state is an administrative function created by citizens for collective action.
If someone breaks laws set out by the state they can be excluded from the benefits of the state (by imprisonment or exile). But the state does not have the authority to deprive someone of their life
Imprisoning someone is not merely excluding someone from the benefits of the state but depriving them of their liberty, so it still places the state in a position of power over the individual.
Are you justifying imprisonment on the grounds that the state has a duty to protect its citizens from threats to their safety?
One wonders why no other country in the world has copied our privatisation experiment. If it was such a marvellous success people would be lining up to copy it.
Other nations have privatised their railways. They've just typically done it much better, more thoroughly and a more real privatisation than the bodged half-private, half-public, bidding for rights and subsidised by taxpayer, spiderman-pointing-fingers-at-each-other way it was done here.
Have a look at Japan for one of the world's most successful networks, that was privatised, operates successfully and privately, takes one of the highest shares of transportation in any country on the planet, and does so with zero subsidies on the mainland.
In Japan they still have state-owned railways and they are entirely run and controlled by the state.
The UK system's issue is how fragmented it is, thanks to the Tories and then New Labour not fixing it
Japan's is fragmented, but it works, because it was better fragmented than ours. And the state-owned railways aren't for the mainland IIRC, its for the remote islands (so more comparable to Scotland).
I feel you would be a lot happier with their level of service if it could be achieved here than that achieved either by the semi-private system we have in the UK, or British Rail.
In Japan a single railway is owned by a single company, who owns and operates the trains, track etc.
In the UK we don't have that.
We should either privatise it properly or have a proper StateCo which does it all.
Yes, we should privatise it properly, I agree.
We've tried StateCo, it was terrible. We've tried half-arsed privatisation. It was better, but still not good.
We should do it properly.
That's brave. It would probably mean just the main intercity lines and commuter south-east network would survive, with everything else decanting onto the roads - including freight.
You'd have to price road use far better and at higher rates to reflect their real "cost" - including pollution and congestion to the economy.
There's probably very little commercial case for the Welsh, Scottish and Cornish branch lines but our country would be poorer for them.
How about fully privatising the roads? Bring back turnpikes!
One wonders why no other country in the world has copied our privatisation experiment. If it was such a marvellous success people would be lining up to copy it.
Other nations have privatised their railways. They've just typically done it much better, more thoroughly and a more real privatisation than the bodged half-private, half-public, bidding for rights and subsidised by taxpayer, spiderman-pointing-fingers-at-each-other way it was done here.
Have a look at Japan for one of the world's most successful networks, that was privatised, operates successfully and privately, takes one of the highest shares of transportation in any country on the planet, and does so with zero subsidies on the mainland.
In Japan they still have state-owned railways and they are entirely run and controlled by the state.
The UK system's issue is how fragmented it is, thanks to the Tories and then New Labour not fixing it
Japan's is fragmented, but it works, because it was better fragmented than ours. And the state-owned railways aren't for the mainland IIRC, its for the remote islands (so more comparable to Scotland).
I feel you would be a lot happier with their level of service if it could be achieved here than that achieved either by the semi-private system we have in the UK, or British Rail.
In Japan a single railway is owned by a single company, who owns and operates the trains, track etc.
In the UK we don't have that.
We should either privatise it properly or have a proper StateCo which does it all.
Yes, we should privatise it properly, I agree.
We've tried StateCo, it was terrible. We've tried half-arsed privatisation. It was better, but still not good.
We should do it properly.
That's brave. It would probably mean just the main intercity lines and commuter south-east network would survive, with everything else decanting onto the roads - including freight.
You'd have to price road use far better and at higher rates to reflect their real "cost" - including pollution and congestion to the economy.
There's probably very little commercial case for the Welsh, Scottish and Cornish branch lines but our country would be poorer for them.
How about fully privatising the roads? Bring back turnpikes!
The M6 toll is effectively a turnpike.
They really should have made that an autobahn with no speed limit. It’s surprising the operator didn’t specify that in the contract.
Within most of our lifetimes, we have had the death penalty for high treason.
And it was wrong then as it is now.
Perhaps. Oddly for such an emotive issue, I don't think I have passionate opinions either way. I wouldn't want a death sentence for Letby I don't think. Though not to be too much of a ratepayer about it, but I do have a slight resentment that we have to keep her for the rest of her life, which will probably cost more than putting her through Eton on a continual loop.
The evidence suggests that the death penalty is far more expensive than prison.
It must never, ever be brought back. It is appalling.
Is that not in America, where people are on death row for decades? In the UK, I think it was quite brisk, you got an appeal, and if that was thrown out, the sentence was carried out. Of course, there were miscarriages of justice.
Indeed. As one of our (at the time) most respected judges put it, in regard to the Birmingham Six: ..If the six men win, it will mean that the police are guilty of perjury, that they are guilty of violence and threats, that the confessions were invented and improperly admitted in evidence and the convictions were erroneous... This is such an appalling vista that every sensible person in the land would say that it cannot be right that these actions should go any further...
"We shouldn't have all these campaigns to get the Birmingham Six released if they'd been hanged. They'd have been forgotten and the whole community would have been satisfied." ..
The obvious argument against the Death Penalty is that as a deterrent it is an utter failure. If it worked as a deterrent then its introduction would stop murders, but historically it makes no difference to the murder rate and some people have argued that it makes things worse (if you are going to hang for murdering one, why worry about doing a dozen?)
The true argument about the Death Penalty is more about whether we, as a society, want to exact revenge on the apparently guilty.
Cost or deterrence is irrelevant. We have to decide if we are the sort of people who want to hear their neck snap or fry them until their eyeballs pop.
Yes I do think it boils down to this. Do we want the state doing this on our behalf? The 'pros v cons' calculus is important but you have to process that question first.
So it comes down to our own moral vanity?
Don't quite follow. In what sense is it vanity?
Because it places upholding our self-image as the highest good. We deny the families of the victims real justice because it would offend our sense of ourselves as morally superior beings.
It's not about feeling good about ourselves it's about including in the standards underpinning society that it's a crime to murder somebody. We don't deny the families of victims 'real justice' we deny them eye-for-an-eye retribution. Why? Because of that standard we've just signed off on - that it's a crime to murder somebody. If you have the DP, it sanctions the state doing that and by inference if a private citizen (eg a murder victim's friend or family member) took it upon themselves to do similar it wouldn't be a crime. Bang goes our standard. Society has one less. Society is lowered.
The same argument could be used against imprisonment. If it’s a crime to imprison someone, why is it ok for the state to do it?
I knew you'd say that. It's like a chess match!
Slightly different argument, I think. Imprisoning people, like building motorways and demolishing buildings, is something the state does (or regulates) for societal benefit. Murder doesn't fit with that.
Question for you for a change. Why iyo don't the Tories (esp these populist Brexity Tories) adopt the return of the death penalty as a policy?
I would guess because it's too divisive. Even in the days when there wasn't such a taboo about bringing it back, it was still seen as an issue of conscience where individual MPs were free to have their own views.
We also built railways and left Westminster style democracy and the rule of law.
In any case it isn't a matter of just keeping out criminals, immigrants generally fleeing persecution or with skills we need are welcome here
We built the railways to move our troops around more effectively and to extract the country’s wealth and resources more efficiently. We installed our laws to give some an appearance of legality to the wealth extraction. It wasn’t altruism that built these things.
They kept them though didn't they, nor did they retain things like throwing widows on funeral pyres we abolished
Well why would they rip up the railways or dismantle the legal system? That’s just cutting off your nose to spite your face. Doesn’t mean you can credibly argue there was some altruism behind their creation, some high-minded British desire to benefit India.
The Chinese are proud of the railway they've built in Tibet, and all the development they've brought to that backward place. Strange how some Tibetans aren't grateful.
We also built railways and left Westminster style democracy and the rule of law.
In any case it isn't a matter of just keeping out criminals, immigrants generally fleeing persecution or with skills we need are welcome here
We built the railways to move our troops around more effectively and to extract the country’s wealth and resources more efficiently. We installed our laws to give some an appearance of legality to the wealth extraction. It wasn’t altruism that built these things.
Was it altruism that built our own domestic rail network?
In almost all instances it was shareholders and landowners that were looking to make a commercial profit.
I still struggle with Lucy Letby. The motive and psychological explanation still seems wholly insufficient to me.
Why would someone do something like that? And if they did chose to do it, why would they do so, repeatedly and of their own volition, unless they were mad?
My confusion is probably compounded by the fact she's young, female, was popular and not unattractive.
It's easier if none of those things apply. But they do in her case.
Can I please ask the PB Brains Trust for advice on cleaning an internal Laptop fan?
My Laptop has suddenly become very noisy and I'm pretty certain its one of the fans. Not sure if its the CPU fan, or the GPU fan (gaming Laptop so has dedicated GPU). The noise volume goes up or down, its not consistent, but at its worst its very loud.
I'm taken the case apart and there was quite a bit of grey dust build-up in the fan so I've cleaned what I can access with cotton wool but its hard to access it properly and its still making a noise.
I was thinking of getting some compressed air to clean it with, but had a look at Amazon and I can't find any I trust. Everything on Amazon seems to seems to be dodgy stuff from China and have really mixed reviews with a lot of negative reviews about it just spraying liquid instead which isn't ideal with electronics. Found one on Amazon that looked professional but zooming into the picture there's multiple spelling mistakes on the can so clearly a very dodgy Chinese knock off again who can't afford a spellchecker so who knows what you're actually getting?
Any advice on anything I can get that's reliable?
Are you able to replace it? Might also be worn bearings. Fans are normally dirt cheap. Some laptops aren't too bad to take apart.
Amazon is a nightmare of rip-offs, Chinese tat and fakes these days, but compressed air is hard to get wrong.
My usual technique to remove dust is a big hoover with a small nozzle. Maybe risking static if you aren't careful but it works for me.
For removing gunge, an alcohol based cleaner is fine (or something like this).
If need be I will try and replace it, but I wanted to try other solutions first if viable, especially since everything in the Laptop seems to be quite connected. I've built my own PC before and PC components are generally quite a bit simpler to isolate, but in the Laptop there seem to be multiple things connected to the fan so stripping it apart and replacing elements will be a last sort.
Yeah, try the easy solution first.
I took a laptop apart to fix it the other week - as usual it was a bit fiddly. You have to be very careful with the tiny connectors and make sure you stick screws on labelled bits of paper. In this case it probably wasn't economic to fix but I hate binning stuff that can still be made to work, so fixed it was.
I wish more items were made easily repairable - it is something that really bugs me, particularly when there's no need to make it difficult. Glue is an abomination. As are cheap capacitors.
I have 2 issues it seems.
When I unscrew the case, then on one side the case is proving very difficult to remove. On the left hand side, just under one of the USB ports its proving very difficult to separate even after ensuring all clips are open (I can actually see the clip has separated, but its still not coming off.
I can remove it all apart from that one section - and on that one section it looks like it is pulling up something metallic when I try to lift it. I've watched YouTube videos for my model* and the metal that is lifting up with the case seems like it is a part of the heat sink. I can't see any evidence for it on the plastic, but fear that a part of the case may have melted or otherwise got attached onto the heatsink and don't want to just yank off the case, in case I snap anything, including the heat sink which is quite a big one.
Second issue is that as I suspected, the copper heatsink is spread all over the Laptop and needs removing before you can remove the fans. So will need to get thermal paste, alcohol wipes etc in order to replace the fan, as well as ordering a new fan, if it comes to it.
* sort of, the video is for an Asus Tuf FA506, mine is an Asus Tuf FA506I - sceptical if the I makes a big difference, what I can see of the internals looks identical.
On topic, my view is that there is value in the betting on Tim Scott.
He is a credible candidate, has done well in fundraising terms, and is significantly outperforming his national polls in early primary states.
I don't think he'll win the GOP nomination ultimately, but do expect him to have a moment when the price comes in significantly. That may come around the early states as nervousness grows around Trump's legal problems, and Scott over-performs.
Surrey County Council demonstrating total incompetence. Popped down to the pub and the road was closed. These things happen. Stuff has to be fixed. So I went in the opposite direction to find the road closed that way also. OK must be an emergency then. But no I went on the Surrey County Council web site and both closures were scheduled for the same day.
The roadsigns on the A31 between Farnham and Guildford are now almost completely obscured by foliage growth that has been allowed to run unchecked for months. Many people have mentioned it to them.
What on earth is wrong with them?
Come to Wales from 17th September and all the 30mph will have shiny new 20mph signs
We all know you love Mr Drakeford to bits, but you do have to admit that some of the 30mph zones will still be there. Don't want to confuse the rUK PBers, do we?
A very limited number in our area and in some cases they are justified
However a blanket ban with odd exceptions is unacceptable as local businesses, bus services, and taxis all complain
Having read the various docs, it seems to be a sensible process and setup.
The reduced speeds and resulting reduced casualty figures may be coming in just in time to expose the UK Governments policies arounds roads and streets for the shitshow that they have become.
Perhaps some interim results March-April 2024; more in autumn 2024.
I still struggle with Lucy Letby. The motive and psychological explanation still seems wholly insufficient to me.
Why would someone do something like that? And if they did chose to do it, why would they do so, repeatedly and of their own volition, unless they were mad?
My confusion is probably compounded by the fact she's young, female, was popular and not unattractive.
It's easier if none of those things apply. But they do in her case.
Presumably she's a psychopath. Certainly some of the trial evidence suggested a narcissistic personality. Psychopathy is less common among women than men, but I don't think is less prevalent among the young, the popular or the not unattractive.
Surrey County Council demonstrating total incompetence. Popped down to the pub and the road was closed. These things happen. Stuff has to be fixed. So I went in the opposite direction to find the road closed that way also. OK must be an emergency then. But no I went on the Surrey County Council web site and both closures were scheduled for the same day.
The roadsigns on the A31 between Farnham and Guildford are now almost completely obscured by foliage growth that has been allowed to run unchecked for months. Many people have mentioned it to them.
What on earth is wrong with them?
Come to Wales from 17th September and all the 30mph will have shiny new 20mph signs
We all know you love Mr Drakeford to bits, but you do have to admit that some of the 30mph zones will still be there. Don't want to confuse the rUK PBers, do we?
A very limited number in our area and in some cases they are justified
However a blanket ban with odd exceptions is unacceptable as local businesses, bus services, and taxis all complain
Having read the various docs, it seems to be a sensible process and setup.
The reduced speeds and resulting reduced casualty figures may be coming in just in time to expose the UK Governments policies arounds roads and streets for the shitshow that they have become.
Perhaps some interim results March-April 2024; more in autumn 2024.
It is certain that the policy will be reviewed and expect many more 30mph zones reinstated
Surrey County Council demonstrating total incompetence. Popped down to the pub and the road was closed. These things happen. Stuff has to be fixed. So I went in the opposite direction to find the road closed that way also. OK must be an emergency then. But no I went on the Surrey County Council web site and both closures were scheduled for the same day.
The roadsigns on the A31 between Farnham and Guildford are now almost completely obscured by foliage growth that has been allowed to run unchecked for months. Many people have mentioned it to them.
What on earth is wrong with them?
Come to Wales from 17th September and all the 30mph will have shiny new 20mph signs
We all know you love Mr Drakeford to bits, but you do have to admit that some of the 30mph zones will still be there. Don't want to confuse the rUK PBers, do we?
A very limited number in our area and in some cases they are justified
However a blanket ban with odd exceptions is unacceptable as local businesses, bus services, and taxis all complain
Having read the various docs, it seems to be a sensible process and setup.
The reduced speeds and resulting reduced casualty figures may be coming in just in time to expose the UK Governments policies arounds roads and streets for the shitshow that they have become.
Perhaps some interim results March-April 2024; more in autumn 2024.
It is certain that the policy will be reviewed and expect many more 30mph zones reinstated
Was talking to a friend of mine in rural Gwynedd today.
She was grumbling loudly that the new speed limits will increase her travel time to the nearest hospital by 50%.
His only public engagements since the start of the month have been at the Highland Games on the 5th, followed by a visit to the Port of Nigg on the 8th. If his holiday is only starting now, what's he been doing for the past couple of weeks?
The Queen has done nothing since visiting Sandringham Flower show on the 26th of July. What's she been doing?
This man has spent his life dealing with Charles' shit - both literally and metaphorically. He's been sacked from multiple royal-adjacent jobs over the past couple of decades, but always manages to float back up to the surface with only mild staining to his & Chaz's reputation. And so it is this time; indeed, it turns out that he's already back - and has been working as a consultant for the King before the investigation had concluded!
It's almost as if they want to make themselves look dodgy.
Surrey County Council demonstrating total incompetence. Popped down to the pub and the road was closed. These things happen. Stuff has to be fixed. So I went in the opposite direction to find the road closed that way also. OK must be an emergency then. But no I went on the Surrey County Council web site and both closures were scheduled for the same day.
The roadsigns on the A31 between Farnham and Guildford are now almost completely obscured by foliage growth that has been allowed to run unchecked for months. Many people have mentioned it to them.
What on earth is wrong with them?
Come to Wales from 17th September and all the 30mph will have shiny new 20mph signs
We all know you love Mr Drakeford to bits, but you do have to admit that some of the 30mph zones will still be there. Don't want to confuse the rUK PBers, do we?
A very limited number in our area and in some cases they are justified
However a blanket ban with odd exceptions is unacceptable as local businesses, bus services, and taxis all complain
Having read the various docs, it seems to be a sensible process and setup.
The reduced speeds and resulting reduced casualty figures may be coming in just in time to expose the UK Governments policies arounds roads and streets for the shitshow that they have become.
Perhaps some interim results March-April 2024; more in autumn 2024.
Casualty figures in the UK are very low, and casualty rates on the roads are safer than they've ever been.
If we were going off objective figures, increasing speed limits to 40 that are currently 30 should be considered safe compared to the risks of 30 in the past.
Still today road safety awareness campaigns use the lie/myth that pedestrians hit at 30 have a 20% chance of death, versus an 80% chance at 40 - which is a figure that dates back to the 1970s.
Nowadays today a pedestrian hit at 40 has a 17% chance of death. So hitting a pedestrian at 40 today is safer than hitting a pedestrian at 30 was in the 1970s.
Cars have been designed to be safer than ever before, which includes for pedestrians not just drivers. So if speed limits are to change, then lets increase them.
Surrey County Council demonstrating total incompetence. Popped down to the pub and the road was closed. These things happen. Stuff has to be fixed. So I went in the opposite direction to find the road closed that way also. OK must be an emergency then. But no I went on the Surrey County Council web site and both closures were scheduled for the same day.
The roadsigns on the A31 between Farnham and Guildford are now almost completely obscured by foliage growth that has been allowed to run unchecked for months. Many people have mentioned it to them.
What on earth is wrong with them?
Come to Wales from 17th September and all the 30mph will have shiny new 20mph signs
We all know you love Mr Drakeford to bits, but you do have to admit that some of the 30mph zones will still be there. Don't want to confuse the rUK PBers, do we?
A very limited number in our area and in some cases they are justified
However a blanket ban with odd exceptions is unacceptable as local businesses, bus services, and taxis all complain
Having read the various docs, it seems to be a sensible process and setup.
The reduced speeds and resulting reduced casualty figures may be coming in just in time to expose the UK Governments policies arounds roads and streets for the shitshow that they have become.
Perhaps some interim results March-April 2024; more in autumn 2024.
It is certain that the policy will be reviewed and expect many more 30mph zones reinstated
Was talking to a friend of mine in rural Gwynedd today.
She was grumbling loudly that the new speed limits will increase her travel time to the nearest hospital by 50%.
Do not see how that disputes anything I said, perhaps I didn't phrase it as clearly as I had hoped.
A single company does own a single railway. They have lots of private companies that own different railways I agree but my point is that JR East say owns all of their railways, as in they own the track, the trains, the infrastructure etc
JR East operates all of the Shinkansen, high-speed rail lines, north of Tokyo, except the Hokkaido Shinkansen, which is operated by JR Hokkaido.
My point was that we don't have anything like that in the UK. If Network Rail owned say the South Western "unit" (for want of a better word) and the trains, track, timetabling etc that would be more like the Japanese system but the company would just happen to be owned by the government.
I am not saying the government should own the companies necessarily - although I think in practice that would be the solution - but I am saying the existing "privatised" system doesn't work. Something like Japan or Germany, or France, is just fine with me.
I'm with Peter Hitchens on the railways and with my parents who despite being loyal Tory voters since the 70s think the railways would be better nationalised. Personally if we had something like Japan that would be fine with me but it is clear the current system has failed us all - and the Tories and New Labour should have reformed it long ago.
Surrey County Council demonstrating total incompetence. Popped down to the pub and the road was closed. These things happen. Stuff has to be fixed. So I went in the opposite direction to find the road closed that way also. OK must be an emergency then. But no I went on the Surrey County Council web site and both closures were scheduled for the same day.
The roadsigns on the A31 between Farnham and Guildford are now almost completely obscured by foliage growth that has been allowed to run unchecked for months. Many people have mentioned it to them.
What on earth is wrong with them?
Come to Wales from 17th September and all the 30mph will have shiny new 20mph signs
We all know you love Mr Drakeford to bits, but you do have to admit that some of the 30mph zones will still be there. Don't want to confuse the rUK PBers, do we?
A very limited number in our area and in some cases they are justified
However a blanket ban with odd exceptions is unacceptable as local businesses, bus services, and taxis all complain
Having read the various docs, it seems to be a sensible process and setup.
The reduced speeds and resulting reduced casualty figures may be coming in just in time to expose the UK Governments policies arounds roads and streets for the shitshow that they have become.
Perhaps some interim results March-April 2024; more in autumn 2024.
Casualty figures in the UK are very low, and casualty rates on the roads are safer than they've ever been.
If we were going off objective figures, increasing speed limits to 40 that are currently 30 should be considered safe compared to the risks of 30 in the past.
Still today road safety awareness campaigns use the lie/myth that pedestrians hit at 30 have a 20% chance of death, versus an 80% chance at 40 - which is a figure that dates back to the 1970s.
Nowadays today a pedestrian hit at 40 has a 17% chance of death. So hitting a pedestrian at 40 today is safer than hitting a pedestrian at 30 was in the 1970s.
Cars have been designed to be safer than ever before, which includes for pedestrians not just drivers. So if speed limits are to change, then lets increase them.
The only stat I can find for 17% fatality rate is drivers being hit at 40mph. Could you point to the 17% for pedestrians?
Surrey County Council demonstrating total incompetence. Popped down to the pub and the road was closed. These things happen. Stuff has to be fixed. So I went in the opposite direction to find the road closed that way also. OK must be an emergency then. But no I went on the Surrey County Council web site and both closures were scheduled for the same day.
The roadsigns on the A31 between Farnham and Guildford are now almost completely obscured by foliage growth that has been allowed to run unchecked for months. Many people have mentioned it to them.
What on earth is wrong with them?
Come to Wales from 17th September and all the 30mph will have shiny new 20mph signs
We all know you love Mr Drakeford to bits, but you do have to admit that some of the 30mph zones will still be there. Don't want to confuse the rUK PBers, do we?
A very limited number in our area and in some cases they are justified
However a blanket ban with odd exceptions is unacceptable as local businesses, bus services, and taxis all complain
Having read the various docs, it seems to be a sensible process and setup.
The reduced speeds and resulting reduced casualty figures may be coming in just in time to expose the UK Governments policies arounds roads and streets for the shitshow that they have become.
Perhaps some interim results March-April 2024; more in autumn 2024.
Casualty figures in the UK are very low, and casualty rates on the roads are safer than they've ever been.
If we were going off objective figures, increasing speed limits to 40 that are currently 30 should be considered safe compared to the risks of 30 in the past.
Still today road safety awareness campaigns use the lie/myth that pedestrians hit at 30 have a 20% chance of death, versus an 80% chance at 40 - which is a figure that dates back to the 1970s.
Nowadays today a pedestrian hit at 40 has a 17% chance of death. So hitting a pedestrian at 40 today is safer than hitting a pedestrian at 30 was in the 1970s.
Cars have been designed to be safer than ever before, which includes for pedestrians not just drivers. So if speed limits are to change, then lets increase them.
I'm not in a position to, nor interested in, disputing your data. However, I would point out that a pedestrian hit by a car cannot simply be categorised as 'dead' or 'not dead', in the sense that the vast majority of pedestrians hit by a car are likely to be injured, seriously injured, or very seriously injured. The slower the car is going, the less serious the injury, logically.
However, I've absolutely no intention of getting into a debate with you and already regret posting on this. Sorry.
Can I please ask the PB Brains Trust for advice on cleaning an internal Laptop fan?
My Laptop has suddenly become very noisy and I'm pretty certain its one of the fans. Not sure if its the CPU fan, or the GPU fan (gaming Laptop so has dedicated GPU). The noise volume goes up or down, its not consistent, but at its worst its very loud.
I'm taken the case apart and there was quite a bit of grey dust build-up in the fan so I've cleaned what I can access with cotton wool but its hard to access it properly and its still making a noise.
I was thinking of getting some compressed air to clean it with, but had a look at Amazon and I can't find any I trust. Everything on Amazon seems to seems to be dodgy stuff from China and have really mixed reviews with a lot of negative reviews about it just spraying liquid instead which isn't ideal with electronics. Found one on Amazon that looked professional but zooming into the picture there's multiple spelling mistakes on the can so clearly a very dodgy Chinese knock off again who can't afford a spellchecker so who knows what you're actually getting?
Any advice on anything I can get that's reliable?
Are you able to replace it? Might also be worn bearings. Fans are normally dirt cheap. Some laptops aren't too bad to take apart.
Amazon is a nightmare of rip-offs, Chinese tat and fakes these days, but compressed air is hard to get wrong.
My usual technique to remove dust is a big hoover with a small nozzle. Maybe risking static if you aren't careful but it works for me.
For removing gunge, an alcohol based cleaner is fine (or something like this).
If need be I will try and replace it, but I wanted to try other solutions first if viable, especially since everything in the Laptop seems to be quite connected. I've built my own PC before and PC components are generally quite a bit simpler to isolate, but in the Laptop there seem to be multiple things connected to the fan so stripping it apart and replacing elements will be a last sort.
Yeah, try the easy solution first.
I took a laptop apart to fix it the other week - as usual it was a bit fiddly. You have to be very careful with the tiny connectors and make sure you stick screws on labelled bits of paper. In this case it probably wasn't economic to fix but I hate binning stuff that can still be made to work, so fixed it was.
I wish more items were made easily repairable - it is something that really bugs me, particularly when there's no need to make it difficult. Glue is an abomination. As are cheap capacitors.
I have 2 issues it seems.
When I unscrew the case, then on one side the case is proving very difficult to remove. On the left hand side, just under one of the USB ports its proving very difficult to separate even after ensuring all clips are open (I can actually see the clip has separated, but its still not coming off.
I can remove it all apart from that one section - and on that one section it looks like it is pulling up something metallic when I try to lift it. I've watched YouTube videos for my model* and the metal that is lifting up with the case seems like it is a part of the heat sink. I can't see any evidence for it on the plastic, but fear that a part of the case may have melted or otherwise got attached onto the heatsink and don't want to just yank off the case, in case I snap anything, including the heat sink which is quite a big one.
Second issue is that as I suspected, the copper heatsink is spread all over the Laptop and needs removing before you can remove the fans. So will need to get thermal paste, alcohol wipes etc in order to replace the fan, as well as ordering a new fan, if it comes to it.
* sort of, the video is for an Asus Tuf FA506, mine is an Asus Tuf FA506I - sceptical if the I makes a big difference, what I can see of the internals looks identical.
Hmm.
It is always difficult to know exactly how much force to apply with these things, but having seen a video it looks like it shouldn't be hard, so there's something not right.
Melting would be a manufacturing fault for which they might be liable even if outside the warranty.
His only public engagements since the start of the month have been at the Highland Games on the 5th, followed by a visit to the Port of Nigg on the 8th. If his holiday is only starting now, what's he been doing for the past couple of weeks?
The Queen has done nothing since visiting Sandringham Flower show on the 26th of July. What's she been doing?
This man has spent his life dealing with Charles' shit - both literally and metaphorically. He's been sacked from multiple royal-adjacent jobs over the past couple of decades, but always manages to float back up to the surface with only mild staining to his & Chaz's reputation. And so it is this time; indeed, it turns out that he's already back - and has been working as a consultant for the King before the investigation had concluded!
It's almost as if they want to make themselves look dodgy.
I expect they have stayed in Birkhall when in Scotland before beginning official residence at Balmoral.
I still struggle with Lucy Letby. The motive and psychological explanation still seems wholly insufficient to me.
Why would someone do something like that? And if they did chose to do it, why would they do so, repeatedly and of their own volition, unless they were mad?
My confusion is probably compounded by the fact she's young, female, was popular and not unattractive.
It's easier if none of those things apply. But they do in her case.
Presumably she's a psychopath. Certainly some of the trial evidence suggested a narcissistic personality. Psychopathy is less common among women than men, but I don't think is less prevalent among the young, the popular or the not unattractive.
How does one become a psychopath? And surely that's a sign of mental illness, right?
Not sure what to make of tonight's offering from R&W - perhaps just consign to the bin and forget about it might be the most prudent option.
Among men, the Labour lead is 10 and among women the lead is 20 - but that excludes 8% of DKs among the men and 14% among the women which is lower than in some other polls.
The 2019 Conservative vote retention is 59% staying loyal, 15% to Labour, 10% Don't Know, 8% Reform and 4% to the LDs.
Trying to pick through the undergrowth of some very iffy looking sub samples (the Conservatives outpolling Labour 2:1 in London - someone tell Susan Hall) we get Labour 43%, Conservative 29% and Liberal Democrats 14%, Reform on 7%, Greens on 6% and Others on 1% so the actual moves between the Con/Ref grouping and the Lab/LD/Green grouping remain very small with the bulk of the Labour loss shared across the other "progressive" parties.
That's a Con-Lab swing of 13% and a Con-LD swing of 9% which isn't much different to what we've seen for a while.
The numbers are much closer to Opinium than other posters - could still be an outlier but it's a difficult time for polling and pollsters and we may need to wait until after the holidays to see the dust settle before Conference season - presumably the last before a General Election.
I still struggle with Lucy Letby. The motive and psychological explanation still seems wholly insufficient to me.
Why would someone do something like that? And if they did chose to do it, why would they do so, repeatedly and of their own volition, unless they were mad?
My confusion is probably compounded by the fact she's young, female, was popular and not unattractive.
It's easier if none of those things apply. But they do in her case.
Presumably she's a psychopath. Certainly some of the trial evidence suggested a narcissistic personality. Psychopathy is less common among women than men, but I don't think is less prevalent among the young, the popular or the not unattractive.
How does one become a psychopath? And surely that's a sign of mental illness, right?
You're born one in the main. Poor upbringing can be a contributing factor. And it's difficult, because most psychopaths don't offend. In fact, their skills* can be in great demand. They are prevalent amongst surgeons and CEO's. Robert Winston is one ISTR.
*Boldness, superficial charm, pathological lying, lack of empathy or remorse, inclination to violence and Psychological manipulation, impulsivity, narcissism
Surrey County Council demonstrating total incompetence. Popped down to the pub and the road was closed. These things happen. Stuff has to be fixed. So I went in the opposite direction to find the road closed that way also. OK must be an emergency then. But no I went on the Surrey County Council web site and both closures were scheduled for the same day.
The roadsigns on the A31 between Farnham and Guildford are now almost completely obscured by foliage growth that has been allowed to run unchecked for months. Many people have mentioned it to them.
What on earth is wrong with them?
Come to Wales from 17th September and all the 30mph will have shiny new 20mph signs
We all know you love Mr Drakeford to bits, but you do have to admit that some of the 30mph zones will still be there. Don't want to confuse the rUK PBers, do we?
A very limited number in our area and in some cases they are justified
However a blanket ban with odd exceptions is unacceptable as local businesses, bus services, and taxis all complain
Having read the various docs, it seems to be a sensible process and setup.
The reduced speeds and resulting reduced casualty figures may be coming in just in time to expose the UK Governments policies arounds roads and streets for the shitshow that they have become.
Perhaps some interim results March-April 2024; more in autumn 2024.
It is certain that the policy will be reviewed and expect many more 30mph zones reinstated
Was talking to a friend of mine in rural Gwynedd today.
She was grumbling loudly that the new speed limits will increase her travel time to the nearest hospital by 50%.
Sounds well rural.
Between Carmarthen (Glangwili) in the south west, Merthyr in the south east, Wrexham in the north east and Bangor in the north west, there is precisely one hospital in Wales with an A and E department and a meaningful level of inpatient care - Ysbyty Bronglais in Aberystwyth.
Almost all the other hospitals are 'community hospitals' I.e. in effect glorified GP surgeries. Even if the handful that are not, most now do not even have minor injury units because they can't afford the staff.
Thing is, almost all of mid Wales is what most people in pretty much any part of England, the Valleys and the Scottish lowlands would think of as 'well rural.' There are two air ambulances (one of which was nearly axed recently) and only one significant road that is more than a single carriageway - the Newtown bypass.
This is one reason why I'm thinking lower speed limits might have hidden costs.
He will have to pretend to be excited at the Braemar Highland Games, though. I think that's punishment enough.
Highland Games are brilliant, as long as you can avoid the midges. A school sports day type atmosphere. Talking of Highland Games, I read an article about Geoff Capes recently. Apparently in his Highland Games peak he had a best of 11.2s at the 100m. That's jolly rapid for a giant.
His only public engagements since the start of the month have been at the Highland Games on the 5th, followed by a visit to the Port of Nigg on the 8th. If his holiday is only starting now, what's he been doing for the past couple of weeks?
The Queen has done nothing since visiting Sandringham Flower show on the 26th of July. What's she been doing?
This man has spent his life dealing with Charles' shit - both literally and metaphorically. He's been sacked from multiple royal-adjacent jobs over the past couple of decades, but always manages to float back up to the surface with only mild staining to his & Chaz's reputation. And so it is this time; indeed, it turns out that he's already back - and has been working as a consultant for the King before the investigation had concluded!
It's almost as if they want to make themselves look dodgy.
I expect they have stayed in Birkhall when in Scotland before beginning official residence at Balmoral.
Fawcett had to resign from the charity though
He did, yes. And he got a £60k payoff, despite the fact that the stuff he's admitted to doing would be seen as gross misconduct in any normal organisation.
And he's already already back in a similar role!
And, and... this isn't even the first time this cycle of events has played out. It's utterly ridiculous, proper tin-pot dictator stuff.
Surrey County Council demonstrating total incompetence. Popped down to the pub and the road was closed. These things happen. Stuff has to be fixed. So I went in the opposite direction to find the road closed that way also. OK must be an emergency then. But no I went on the Surrey County Council web site and both closures were scheduled for the same day.
The roadsigns on the A31 between Farnham and Guildford are now almost completely obscured by foliage growth that has been allowed to run unchecked for months. Many people have mentioned it to them.
What on earth is wrong with them?
Come to Wales from 17th September and all the 30mph will have shiny new 20mph signs
We all know you love Mr Drakeford to bits, but you do have to admit that some of the 30mph zones will still be there. Don't want to confuse the rUK PBers, do we?
A very limited number in our area and in some cases they are justified
However a blanket ban with odd exceptions is unacceptable as local businesses, bus services, and taxis all complain
Having read the various docs, it seems to be a sensible process and setup.
The reduced speeds and resulting reduced casualty figures may be coming in just in time to expose the UK Governments policies arounds roads and streets for the shitshow that they have become.
Perhaps some interim results March-April 2024; more in autumn 2024.
It is certain that the policy will be reviewed and expect many more 30mph zones reinstated
Was talking to a friend of mine in rural Gwynedd today.
She was grumbling loudly that the new speed limits will increase her travel time to the nearest hospital by 50%.
Sounds well rural.
Between Carmarthen (Glangwili) in the south west, Merthyr in the south east, Wrexham in the north east and Bangor in the north west, there is precisely one hospital in Wales with an A and E department and a meaningful level of inpatient care - Ysbyty Bronglais in Aberystwyth.
Almost all the other hospitals are 'community hospitals' I.e. in effect glorified GP surgeries. Even if the handful that are not, most now do not even have minor injury units because they can't afford the staff.
Thing is, almost all of mid Wales is what most people in pretty much any part of England, the Valleys and the Scottish lowlands would think of as 'well rural.' There are two air ambulances (one of which was nearly axed recently) and only one significant road that is more than a single carriageway - the Newport bypass.
This is one reason why I'm thinking lower speed limits might have hidden costs.
A 50% increase suggests the journey between the persons home and the hospital is entirely 30mph limit at the mo. If the hospital is Ysbyty Bronglais, then maximum travel time to the hospital within the 30mph zone on a non-emergency call is 10 mins, if that.
Of course, the waiting time at the hospital will be a bit less given a reduction in the number of road traffic collision injuries, so they will probably get some of the time back
Surrey County Council demonstrating total incompetence. Popped down to the pub and the road was closed. These things happen. Stuff has to be fixed. So I went in the opposite direction to find the road closed that way also. OK must be an emergency then. But no I went on the Surrey County Council web site and both closures were scheduled for the same day.
The roadsigns on the A31 between Farnham and Guildford are now almost completely obscured by foliage growth that has been allowed to run unchecked for months. Many people have mentioned it to them.
What on earth is wrong with them?
Come to Wales from 17th September and all the 30mph will have shiny new 20mph signs
We all know you love Mr Drakeford to bits, but you do have to admit that some of the 30mph zones will still be there. Don't want to confuse the rUK PBers, do we?
A very limited number in our area and in some cases they are justified
However a blanket ban with odd exceptions is unacceptable as local businesses, bus services, and taxis all complain
Having read the various docs, it seems to be a sensible process and setup.
The reduced speeds and resulting reduced casualty figures may be coming in just in time to expose the UK Governments policies arounds roads and streets for the shitshow that they have become.
Perhaps some interim results March-April 2024; more in autumn 2024.
It will also be interesting to see what the residents think, once they have actually tried it.
I see that HMG's proposals to roll back LTNs could hit many that have been in place since the 1970s - and indeed some built into new estates. I used to live on a Victorian street that had been modified into a LTN c. 1985 at the latest - blissfully quiet and I never heard any complaint. To think of it becoming a rat-run now.
I still struggle with Lucy Letby. The motive and psychological explanation still seems wholly insufficient to me.
Why would someone do something like that? And if they did chose to do it, why would they do so, repeatedly and of their own volition, unless they were mad?
My confusion is probably compounded by the fact she's young, female, was popular and not unattractive.
It's easier if none of those things apply. But they do in her case.
Presumably she's a psychopath. Certainly some of the trial evidence suggested a narcissistic personality. Psychopathy is less common among women than men, but I don't think is less prevalent among the young, the popular or the not unattractive.
How does one become a psychopath? And surely that's a sign of mental illness, right?
You're born one. And it's difficult, because most psychopaths don't offend. In fact, their skills can be in great demand. They are prevalent amongst surgeons and CEO's. Robert Winston is one ISTR.
Tony Blair was arguably a psychopath, yes it can lead to lying, crime, disregarding conventional behaviour, lack of empathy, manipulation and narcissism but also tough character, not getting beat up if they do wrong, self confidence and willingness to take tough decisions. Hence as you say surgeons, CEOS and leaders of big organisations, top sports stars, lawyers, media personalities and also senior politicians have above average levels of pyschopaths
Surrey County Council demonstrating total incompetence. Popped down to the pub and the road was closed. These things happen. Stuff has to be fixed. So I went in the opposite direction to find the road closed that way also. OK must be an emergency then. But no I went on the Surrey County Council web site and both closures were scheduled for the same day.
The roadsigns on the A31 between Farnham and Guildford are now almost completely obscured by foliage growth that has been allowed to run unchecked for months. Many people have mentioned it to them.
What on earth is wrong with them?
Come to Wales from 17th September and all the 30mph will have shiny new 20mph signs
We all know you love Mr Drakeford to bits, but you do have to admit that some of the 30mph zones will still be there. Don't want to confuse the rUK PBers, do we?
A very limited number in our area and in some cases they are justified
However a blanket ban with odd exceptions is unacceptable as local businesses, bus services, and taxis all complain
Having read the various docs, it seems to be a sensible process and setup.
The reduced speeds and resulting reduced casualty figures may be coming in just in time to expose the UK Governments policies arounds roads and streets for the shitshow that they have become.
Perhaps some interim results March-April 2024; more in autumn 2024.
Casualty figures in the UK are very low, and casualty rates on the roads are safer than they've ever been.
If we were going off objective figures, increasing speed limits to 40 that are currently 30 should be considered safe compared to the risks of 30 in the past.
Still today road safety awareness campaigns use the lie/myth that pedestrians hit at 30 have a 20% chance of death, versus an 80% chance at 40 - which is a figure that dates back to the 1970s.
Nowadays today a pedestrian hit at 40 has a 17% chance of death. So hitting a pedestrian at 40 today is safer than hitting a pedestrian at 30 was in the 1970s.
Cars have been designed to be safer than ever before, which includes for pedestrians not just drivers. So if speed limits are to change, then lets increase them.
I'm not in a position to, nor interested in, disputing your data. However, I would point out that a pedestrian hit by a car cannot simply be categorised as 'dead' or 'not dead', in the sense that the vast majority of pedestrians hit by a car are likely to be injured, seriously injured, or very seriously injured. The slower the car is going, the less serious the injury, logically.
However, I've absolutely no intention of getting into a debate with you and already regret posting on this. Sorry.
ISTR various studies showing 20mph zones do absolutely nothing to reduce casualties. Can't remember why not.
I still struggle with Lucy Letby. The motive and psychological explanation still seems wholly insufficient to me.
Why would someone do something like that? And if they did chose to do it, why would they do so, repeatedly and of their own volition, unless they were mad?
My confusion is probably compounded by the fact she's young, female, was popular and not unattractive.
It's easier if none of those things apply. But they do in her case.
Presumably she's a psychopath. Certainly some of the trial evidence suggested a narcissistic personality. Psychopathy is less common among women than men, but I don't think is less prevalent among the young, the popular or the not unattractive.
How does one become a psychopath? And surely that's a sign of mental illness, right?
You're born one in the main. Poor upbringing can be a contributing factor. And it's difficult, because most psychopaths don't offend. In fact, their skills* can be in great demand. They are prevalent amongst surgeons and CEO's. Robert Winston is one ISTR.
*Boldness, superficial charm, pathological lying, lack of empathy or remorse, inclination to violence and Psychological manipulation, impulsivity, narcissism
Yes, definitely over represented among the cadre of CEOs.
I still struggle with Lucy Letby. The motive and psychological explanation still seems wholly insufficient to me.
Why would someone do something like that? And if they did chose to do it, why would they do so, repeatedly and of their own volition, unless they were mad?
My confusion is probably compounded by the fact she's young, female, was popular and not unattractive.
It's easier if none of those things apply. But they do in her case.
Presumably she's a psychopath. Certainly some of the trial evidence suggested a narcissistic personality. Psychopathy is less common among women than men, but I don't think is less prevalent among the young, the popular or the not unattractive.
How does one become a psychopath? And surely that's a sign of mental illness, right?
It is a mental disorder I believe but I don't think it can be cited as a defence or as a plea for diminished responsibility. Psychopaths understand the difference between right and wrong. I'm guessing that everyone who commits murder is either in some kind of extreme situation, or doesn't mean to do it, or is intoxicated or otherwise mentally impaired or has some kind of mental disorder almost by definition. It doesn't mean they shouldn't be locked up to punish them, protect the public and provide some relief to their victims' families.
Are there any other examples of incredibly wealthy people going into politics, having a confidence that is superficially attractive until it becomes clear that their wealth stops them understanding the benefits of having more than a token state?
I still struggle with Lucy Letby. The motive and psychological explanation still seems wholly insufficient to me.
Why would someone do something like that? And if they did chose to do it, why would they do so, repeatedly and of their own volition, unless they were mad?
My confusion is probably compounded by the fact she's young, female, was popular and not unattractive.
It's easier if none of those things apply. But they do in her case.
Presumably she's a psychopath. Certainly some of the trial evidence suggested a narcissistic personality. Psychopathy is less common among women than men, but I don't think is less prevalent among the young, the popular or the not unattractive.
How does one become a psychopath? And surely that's a sign of mental illness, right?
You're born one in the main. Poor upbringing can be a contributing factor. And it's difficult, because most psychopaths don't offend. In fact, their skills* can be in great demand. They are prevalent amongst surgeons and CEO's. Robert Winston is one ISTR.
*Boldness, superficial charm, pathological lying, lack of empathy or remorse, inclination to violence and Psychological manipulation, impulsivity, narcissism
Not to mention a job description for a politician. If he or she can restrain the mental and physical violence, and the impulsivity .
Edit: Dixon's The Psychology of Military Incompetence exploted that sort of issue - whether pathological traits get you promoted. A sort of Peter Principle on steroids, in khaki. THough I can't recall if he talked about pathology.
Surrey County Council demonstrating total incompetence. Popped down to the pub and the road was closed. These things happen. Stuff has to be fixed. So I went in the opposite direction to find the road closed that way also. OK must be an emergency then. But no I went on the Surrey County Council web site and both closures were scheduled for the same day.
The roadsigns on the A31 between Farnham and Guildford are now almost completely obscured by foliage growth that has been allowed to run unchecked for months. Many people have mentioned it to them.
What on earth is wrong with them?
Come to Wales from 17th September and all the 30mph will have shiny new 20mph signs
We all know you love Mr Drakeford to bits, but you do have to admit that some of the 30mph zones will still be there. Don't want to confuse the rUK PBers, do we?
A very limited number in our area and in some cases they are justified
However a blanket ban with odd exceptions is unacceptable as local businesses, bus services, and taxis all complain
Having read the various docs, it seems to be a sensible process and setup.
The reduced speeds and resulting reduced casualty figures may be coming in just in time to expose the UK Governments policies arounds roads and streets for the shitshow that they have become.
Perhaps some interim results March-April 2024; more in autumn 2024.
It is certain that the policy will be reviewed and expect many more 30mph zones reinstated
Was talking to a friend of mine in rural Gwynedd today.
She was grumbling loudly that the new speed limits will increase her travel time to the nearest hospital by 50%.
Sounds well rural.
Between Carmarthen (Glangwili) in the south west, Merthyr in the south east, Wrexham in the north east and Bangor in the north west, there is precisely one hospital in Wales with an A and E department and a meaningful level of inpatient care - Ysbyty Bronglais in Aberystwyth.
Almost all the other hospitals are 'community hospitals' I.e. in effect glorified GP surgeries. Even if the handful that are not, most now do not even have minor injury units because they can't afford the staff.
Thing is, almost all of mid Wales is what most people in pretty much any part of England, the Valleys and the Scottish lowlands would think of as 'well rural.' There are two air ambulances (one of which was nearly axed recently) and only one significant road that is more than a single carriageway - the Newport bypass.
This is one reason why I'm thinking lower speed limits might have hidden costs.
A 50% increase suggests the journey between the persons home and the hospital is entirely 30mph limit at the mo. If the hospital is Ysbyty Bronglais, then maximum travel time to the hospital on a non-emergency call is 10 mins, if that.
Of course, the waiting time at the hospital will be a bit less given a reduction in the number of road traffic colission injuries, so they will probably get some of the time back
Ten minutes? What the fuck are you smoking?
Are you seriously suggesting you can get from Dolgellau to Aberystwyth in 10 minutes? Even Max Verstappen couldn't do that in an F1 car!
It is going up from an hour to an hour and a half because of the very large number of villages the route passes through.
Which is again one of the curses of the roads of mid-Wales. Of the major towns, only Welshpool, Newtown (just) Dolgellau and (bizarrely) Newbridge on Wye have by-passes.
But Drakeford, in his infinite wisdom, which has been assembled in a lifetime of never leaving the south, has declared he's building no more as they only encourage traffic.
Surrey County Council demonstrating total incompetence. Popped down to the pub and the road was closed. These things happen. Stuff has to be fixed. So I went in the opposite direction to find the road closed that way also. OK must be an emergency then. But no I went on the Surrey County Council web site and both closures were scheduled for the same day.
The roadsigns on the A31 between Farnham and Guildford are now almost completely obscured by foliage growth that has been allowed to run unchecked for months. Many people have mentioned it to them.
What on earth is wrong with them?
Come to Wales from 17th September and all the 30mph will have shiny new 20mph signs
We all know you love Mr Drakeford to bits, but you do have to admit that some of the 30mph zones will still be there. Don't want to confuse the rUK PBers, do we?
A very limited number in our area and in some cases they are justified
However a blanket ban with odd exceptions is unacceptable as local businesses, bus services, and taxis all complain
Having read the various docs, it seems to be a sensible process and setup.
The reduced speeds and resulting reduced casualty figures may be coming in just in time to expose the UK Governments policies arounds roads and streets for the shitshow that they have become.
Perhaps some interim results March-April 2024; more in autumn 2024.
It will also be interesting to see what the residents think, once they have actually tried it.
I see that HMG's proposals to roll back LTNs could hit many that have been in place since the 1970s - and indeed some built into new estates. I used to live on a Victorian street that had been modified into a LTN c. 1985 at the latest - blissfully quiet and I never heard any complaint. To think of it becoming a rat-run now.
The cost of retro-fitting through roads to all the new estates is going to be enormous.
His only public engagements since the start of the month have been at the Highland Games on the 5th, followed by a visit to the Port of Nigg on the 8th. If his holiday is only starting now, what's he been doing for the past couple of weeks?
The Queen has done nothing since visiting Sandringham Flower show on the 26th of July. What's she been doing?
This man has spent his life dealing with Charles' shit - both literally and metaphorically. He's been sacked from multiple royal-adjacent jobs over the past couple of decades, but always manages to float back up to the surface with only mild staining to his & Chaz's reputation. And so it is this time; indeed, it turns out that he's already back - and has been working as a consultant for the King before the investigation had concluded!
It's almost as if they want to make themselves look dodgy.
I expect they have stayed in Birkhall when in Scotland before beginning official residence at Balmoral.
Fawcett had to resign from the charity though
He did, yes. And he got a £60k payoff, despite the fact that the stuff he's admitted to doing would be seen as gross misconduct in any normal organisation.
And he's already already back in a similar role!
And, and... this isn't even the first time this cycle of events has played out. It's utterly ridiculous, proper tin-pot dictator stuff.
Well Fawcett probably would have raised much more than £60k from Mahfouz for the charity, even if offering him gongs and hep with citizenship wasn't a good idea
Surrey County Council demonstrating total incompetence. Popped down to the pub and the road was closed. These things happen. Stuff has to be fixed. So I went in the opposite direction to find the road closed that way also. OK must be an emergency then. But no I went on the Surrey County Council web site and both closures were scheduled for the same day.
The roadsigns on the A31 between Farnham and Guildford are now almost completely obscured by foliage growth that has been allowed to run unchecked for months. Many people have mentioned it to them.
What on earth is wrong with them?
Come to Wales from 17th September and all the 30mph will have shiny new 20mph signs
We all know you love Mr Drakeford to bits, but you do have to admit that some of the 30mph zones will still be there. Don't want to confuse the rUK PBers, do we?
A very limited number in our area and in some cases they are justified
However a blanket ban with odd exceptions is unacceptable as local businesses, bus services, and taxis all complain
Having read the various docs, it seems to be a sensible process and setup.
The reduced speeds and resulting reduced casualty figures may be coming in just in time to expose the UK Governments policies arounds roads and streets for the shitshow that they have become.
Perhaps some interim results March-April 2024; more in autumn 2024.
Casualty figures in the UK are very low, and casualty rates on the roads are safer than they've ever been.
If we were going off objective figures, increasing speed limits to 40 that are currently 30 should be considered safe compared to the risks of 30 in the past.
Still today road safety awareness campaigns use the lie/myth that pedestrians hit at 30 have a 20% chance of death, versus an 80% chance at 40 - which is a figure that dates back to the 1970s.
Nowadays today a pedestrian hit at 40 has a 17% chance of death. So hitting a pedestrian at 40 today is safer than hitting a pedestrian at 30 was in the 1970s.
Cars have been designed to be safer than ever before, which includes for pedestrians not just drivers. So if speed limits are to change, then lets increase them.
I'm not in a position to, nor interested in, disputing your data. However, I would point out that a pedestrian hit by a car cannot simply be categorised as 'dead' or 'not dead', in the sense that the vast majority of pedestrians hit by a car are likely to be injured, seriously injured, or very seriously injured. The slower the car is going, the less serious the injury, logically.
However, I've absolutely no intention of getting into a debate with you and already regret posting on this. Sorry.
ISTR various studies showing 20mph zones do absolutely nothing to reduce casualties. Can't remember why not.
Because cars aren’t designed to do 20mph, and drivers spend too much time looking at their speed rather than outside.
Surrey County Council demonstrating total incompetence. Popped down to the pub and the road was closed. These things happen. Stuff has to be fixed. So I went in the opposite direction to find the road closed that way also. OK must be an emergency then. But no I went on the Surrey County Council web site and both closures were scheduled for the same day.
The roadsigns on the A31 between Farnham and Guildford are now almost completely obscured by foliage growth that has been allowed to run unchecked for months. Many people have mentioned it to them.
What on earth is wrong with them?
Come to Wales from 17th September and all the 30mph will have shiny new 20mph signs
We all know you love Mr Drakeford to bits, but you do have to admit that some of the 30mph zones will still be there. Don't want to confuse the rUK PBers, do we?
A very limited number in our area and in some cases they are justified
However a blanket ban with odd exceptions is unacceptable as local businesses, bus services, and taxis all complain
Having read the various docs, it seems to be a sensible process and setup.
The reduced speeds and resulting reduced casualty figures may be coming in just in time to expose the UK Governments policies arounds roads and streets for the shitshow that they have become.
Perhaps some interim results March-April 2024; more in autumn 2024.
It is certain that the policy will be reviewed and expect many more 30mph zones reinstated
Was talking to a friend of mine in rural Gwynedd today.
She was grumbling loudly that the new speed limits will increase her travel time to the nearest hospital by 50%.
Sounds well rural.
Between Carmarthen (Glangwili) in the south west, Merthyr in the south east, Wrexham in the north east and Bangor in the north west, there is precisely one hospital in Wales with an A and E department and a meaningful level of inpatient care - Ysbyty Bronglais in Aberystwyth.
Almost all the other hospitals are 'community hospitals' I.e. in effect glorified GP surgeries. Even if the handful that are not, most now do not even have minor injury units because they can't afford the staff.
Thing is, almost all of mid Wales is what most people in pretty much any part of England, the Valleys and the Scottish lowlands would think of as 'well rural.' There are two air ambulances (one of which was nearly axed recently) and only one significant road that is more than a single carriageway - the Newport bypass.
This is one reason why I'm thinking lower speed limits might have hidden costs.
A 50% increase suggests the journey between the persons home and the hospital is entirely 30mph limit at the mo. If the hospital is Ysbyty Bronglais, then maximum travel time to the hospital on a non-emergency call is 10 mins, if that.
Of course, the waiting time at the hospital will be a bit less given a reduction in the number of road traffic colission injuries, so they will probably get some of the time back
Ten minutes? What the fuck are you smoking?
Are you seriously suggesting you can get from Dolgellau to Aberystwyth in 10 minutes? Even Max Verstappen couldn't do that in an F1 car!
It is going up from an hour to an hour and a half because of the very large number of villages the route passes through.
Which is again one of the curses of the roads of mid-Wales. Of the major towns, only Welshpool, Newtown (just) Dolgellau and (bizarrely) Newbridge on Wye have by-passes.
But Drakeford, in his infinite wisdom, which has been assembled in a lifetime of never leaving the south, has declared he's building no more as they only encourage traffic.
Just doing some maths. You're friend suggested the new limits would increase journey times by 50%. That could only happen entirely within what is now a 30mph zone.
Can I please ask the PB Brains Trust for advice on cleaning an internal Laptop fan?
My Laptop has suddenly become very noisy and I'm pretty certain its one of the fans. Not sure if its the CPU fan, or the GPU fan (gaming Laptop so has dedicated GPU). The noise volume goes up or down, its not consistent, but at its worst its very loud.
I'm taken the case apart and there was quite a bit of grey dust build-up in the fan so I've cleaned what I can access with cotton wool but its hard to access it properly and its still making a noise.
I was thinking of getting some compressed air to clean it with, but had a look at Amazon and I can't find any I trust. Everything on Amazon seems to seems to be dodgy stuff from China and have really mixed reviews with a lot of negative reviews about it just spraying liquid instead which isn't ideal with electronics. Found one on Amazon that looked professional but zooming into the picture there's multiple spelling mistakes on the can so clearly a very dodgy Chinese knock off again who can't afford a spellchecker so who knows what you're actually getting?
Any advice on anything I can get that's reliable?
Take it to a professional computer repair firm. There has to be one near you. Ask them to clean it inside and out and get a new keyboard as well.
However, if you can't do that or don't want to, physical stores sell compressed air (B&Q) and wipes (Currys).
Can I please ask the PB Brains Trust for advice on cleaning an internal Laptop fan?
My Laptop has suddenly become very noisy and I'm pretty certain its one of the fans. Not sure if its the CPU fan, or the GPU fan (gaming Laptop so has dedicated GPU). The noise volume goes up or down, its not consistent, but at its worst its very loud.
I'm taken the case apart and there was quite a bit of grey dust build-up in the fan so I've cleaned what I can access with cotton wool but its hard to access it properly and its still making a noise.
I was thinking of getting some compressed air to clean it with, but had a look at Amazon and I can't find any I trust. Everything on Amazon seems to seems to be dodgy stuff from China and have really mixed reviews with a lot of negative reviews about it just spraying liquid instead which isn't ideal with electronics. Found one on Amazon that looked professional but zooming into the picture there's multiple spelling mistakes on the can so clearly a very dodgy Chinese knock off again who can't afford a spellchecker so who knows what you're actually getting?
Any advice on anything I can get that's reliable?
Are you able to replace it? Might also be worn bearings. Fans are normally dirt cheap. Some laptops aren't too bad to take apart.
Amazon is a nightmare of rip-offs, Chinese tat and fakes these days, but compressed air is hard to get wrong.
My usual technique to remove dust is a big hoover with a small nozzle. Maybe risking static if you aren't careful but it works for me.
For removing gunge, an alcohol based cleaner is fine (or something like this).
If need be I will try and replace it, but I wanted to try other solutions first if viable, especially since everything in the Laptop seems to be quite connected. I've built my own PC before and PC components are generally quite a bit simpler to isolate, but in the Laptop there seem to be multiple things connected to the fan so stripping it apart and replacing elements will be a last sort.
You can normally find good ‘teardown’ videos for most popular laptop models on Youtube, which explain the cables and the correct order of disassembly. Yes they’re an order of magnitude more difficult than a tower PC, and you might need some weird tools for some things. If you can get a model number for the fan, it’s usually easy to find a replacement online at somewhere like Scan.co.uk
@RochdalePioneers also made a good point above, that if the problem is the fan running flat out all the time, it’s as likely to be a software issue as a hardware one!
Don't laptops have thermal paste that enables absorption/dispersal of heat but degrades over time and have to be replaced? Or am I stupid?
Surrey County Council demonstrating total incompetence. Popped down to the pub and the road was closed. These things happen. Stuff has to be fixed. So I went in the opposite direction to find the road closed that way also. OK must be an emergency then. But no I went on the Surrey County Council web site and both closures were scheduled for the same day.
The roadsigns on the A31 between Farnham and Guildford are now almost completely obscured by foliage growth that has been allowed to run unchecked for months. Many people have mentioned it to them.
What on earth is wrong with them?
Come to Wales from 17th September and all the 30mph will have shiny new 20mph signs
We all know you love Mr Drakeford to bits, but you do have to admit that some of the 30mph zones will still be there. Don't want to confuse the rUK PBers, do we?
A very limited number in our area and in some cases they are justified
However a blanket ban with odd exceptions is unacceptable as local businesses, bus services, and taxis all complain
Having read the various docs, it seems to be a sensible process and setup.
The reduced speeds and resulting reduced casualty figures may be coming in just in time to expose the UK Governments policies arounds roads and streets for the shitshow that they have become.
Perhaps some interim results March-April 2024; more in autumn 2024.
Casualty figures in the UK are very low, and casualty rates on the roads are safer than they've ever been.
If we were going off objective figures, increasing speed limits to 40 that are currently 30 should be considered safe compared to the risks of 30 in the past.
Still today road safety awareness campaigns use the lie/myth that pedestrians hit at 30 have a 20% chance of death, versus an 80% chance at 40 - which is a figure that dates back to the 1970s.
Nowadays today a pedestrian hit at 40 has a 17% chance of death. So hitting a pedestrian at 40 today is safer than hitting a pedestrian at 30 was in the 1970s.
Cars have been designed to be safer than ever before, which includes for pedestrians not just drivers. So if speed limits are to change, then lets increase them.
I'm not in a position to, nor interested in, disputing your data. However, I would point out that a pedestrian hit by a car cannot simply be categorised as 'dead' or 'not dead', in the sense that the vast majority of pedestrians hit by a car are likely to be injured, seriously injured, or very seriously injured. The slower the car is going, the less serious the injury, logically.
However, I've absolutely no intention of getting into a debate with you and already regret posting on this. Sorry.
ISTR various studies showing 20mph zones do absolutely nothing to reduce casualties. Can't remember why not.
Because cars aren’t designed to do 20mph, and drivers spend too much time looking at their speed rather than outside.
Surrey County Council demonstrating total incompetence. Popped down to the pub and the road was closed. These things happen. Stuff has to be fixed. So I went in the opposite direction to find the road closed that way also. OK must be an emergency then. But no I went on the Surrey County Council web site and both closures were scheduled for the same day.
The roadsigns on the A31 between Farnham and Guildford are now almost completely obscured by foliage growth that has been allowed to run unchecked for months. Many people have mentioned it to them.
What on earth is wrong with them?
Come to Wales from 17th September and all the 30mph will have shiny new 20mph signs
We all know you love Mr Drakeford to bits, but you do have to admit that some of the 30mph zones will still be there. Don't want to confuse the rUK PBers, do we?
A very limited number in our area and in some cases they are justified
However a blanket ban with odd exceptions is unacceptable as local businesses, bus services, and taxis all complain
Having read the various docs, it seems to be a sensible process and setup.
The reduced speeds and resulting reduced casualty figures may be coming in just in time to expose the UK Governments policies arounds roads and streets for the shitshow that they have become.
Perhaps some interim results March-April 2024; more in autumn 2024.
It is certain that the policy will be reviewed and expect many more 30mph zones reinstated
Was talking to a friend of mine in rural Gwynedd today.
She was grumbling loudly that the new speed limits will increase her travel time to the nearest hospital by 50%.
Sounds well rural.
Between Carmarthen (Glangwili) in the south west, Merthyr in the south east, Wrexham in the north east and Bangor in the north west, there is precisely one hospital in Wales with an A and E department and a meaningful level of inpatient care - Ysbyty Bronglais in Aberystwyth.
Almost all the other hospitals are 'community hospitals' I.e. in effect glorified GP surgeries. Even if the handful that are not, most now do not even have minor injury units because they can't afford the staff.
Thing is, almost all of mid Wales is what most people in pretty much any part of England, the Valleys and the Scottish lowlands would think of as 'well rural.' There are two air ambulances (one of which was nearly axed recently) and only one significant road that is more than a single carriageway - the Newport bypass.
This is one reason why I'm thinking lower speed limits might have hidden costs.
A 50% increase suggests the journey between the persons home and the hospital is entirely 30mph limit at the mo. If the hospital is Ysbyty Bronglais, then maximum travel time to the hospital on a non-emergency call is 10 mins, if that.
Of course, the waiting time at the hospital will be a bit less given a reduction in the number of road traffic colission injuries, so they will probably get some of the time back
Ten minutes? What the fuck are you smoking?
Are you seriously suggesting you can get from Dolgellau to Aberystwyth in 10 minutes? Even Max Verstappen couldn't do that in an F1 car!
It is going up from an hour to an hour and a half because of the very large number of villages the route passes through.
Which is again one of the curses of the roads of mid-Wales. Of the major towns, only Welshpool, Newtown (just) Dolgellau and (bizarrely) Newbridge on Wye have by-passes.
But Drakeford, in his infinite wisdom, which has been assembled in a lifetime of never leaving the south, has declared he's building no more as they only encourage traffic.
Just doing some maths. You're friend suggested the new limits would increase journey times by 50%. That could only happen entirely within what is now a 30mph zone.
Strictly, there is a possibility that some of the drive is outside a 30/20mph zone (before and after) and some is inside, but slower than the maximum in the area. But that doesn't make sense as an explanation because the outside limits are unchanged.
Surrey County Council demonstrating total incompetence. Popped down to the pub and the road was closed. These things happen. Stuff has to be fixed. So I went in the opposite direction to find the road closed that way also. OK must be an emergency then. But no I went on the Surrey County Council web site and both closures were scheduled for the same day.
The roadsigns on the A31 between Farnham and Guildford are now almost completely obscured by foliage growth that has been allowed to run unchecked for months. Many people have mentioned it to them.
What on earth is wrong with them?
Come to Wales from 17th September and all the 30mph will have shiny new 20mph signs
We all know you love Mr Drakeford to bits, but you do have to admit that some of the 30mph zones will still be there. Don't want to confuse the rUK PBers, do we?
A very limited number in our area and in some cases they are justified
However a blanket ban with odd exceptions is unacceptable as local businesses, bus services, and taxis all complain
Having read the various docs, it seems to be a sensible process and setup.
The reduced speeds and resulting reduced casualty figures may be coming in just in time to expose the UK Governments policies arounds roads and streets for the shitshow that they have become.
Perhaps some interim results March-April 2024; more in autumn 2024.
It will also be interesting to see what the residents think, once they have actually tried it.
I see that HMG's proposals to roll back LTNs could hit many that have been in place since the 1970s - and indeed some built into new estates. I used to live on a Victorian street that had been modified into a LTN c. 1985 at the latest - blissfully quiet and I never heard any complaint. To think of it becoming a rat-run now.
The planned review is the sort of thing Sir Humphrey would plan to get Jim Hacker out of a hole;
HACKER: So we will review every traffic restriction in the country?
SIR HUMPHREY: Exactly, Prime Minister.
HACKER: Including the popular ones?
SIR HUMPHREY: Precisely, Prime Minister.
HACKER: And this will take until after the next election to report?
SIR HUMPHREY: Of course not. You may still be Prime Minister after the next election.
(BERNARD snorts, leaves the room stifling giggles.)
HACKER: So, after the election after that?
SIR HUMPHREY: Yes, Prime Minister.
(Applause. Gerald Scarfe cartoon and credits. Theme tune that sounds a bit like To The Manor Born.)
His only public engagements since the start of the month have been at the Highland Games on the 5th, followed by a visit to the Port of Nigg on the 8th. If his holiday is only starting now, what's he been doing for the past couple of weeks?
The Queen has done nothing since visiting Sandringham Flower show on the 26th of July. What's she been doing?
This man has spent his life dealing with Charles' shit - both literally and metaphorically. He's been sacked from multiple royal-adjacent jobs over the past couple of decades, but always manages to float back up to the surface with only mild staining to his & Chaz's reputation. And so it is this time; indeed, it turns out that he's already back - and has been working as a consultant for the King before the investigation had concluded!
It's almost as if they want to make themselves look dodgy.
I expect they have stayed in Birkhall when in Scotland before beginning official residence at Balmoral.
Fawcett had to resign from the charity though
He did, yes. And he got a £60k payoff, despite the fact that the stuff he's admitted to doing would be seen as gross misconduct in any normal organisation.
And he's already already back in a similar role!
And, and... this isn't even the first time this cycle of events has played out. It's utterly ridiculous, proper tin-pot dictator stuff.
Well Fawcett probably would have raised much more than £60k from Mahfouz for the charity, even if offering him gongs and hep with citizenship wasn't a good idea
I mean, I don't disagree with that - but, at the same time, he allowed the Saudis to humiliate Charles. That's exactly why they were handing over the cash in carrier bacg in the way that they did - it was intended to lord it over Charles, to show that they were the big men, and to make it clear that they were owed something.
And, look... I get it: he's Charles' fixer. A bagman. It's his job to suck it up and take the shit, whilst maintaining a degree of plausible deniability for his lord and master.
The problem is that he's done it too often, and he's been caught one too many times. If he were working for a gangster, he'd have been pensioned off (or worse!) twenty years ago.
It's all so tawdry. Aren't the Royal Family meant to be above such things?
Surrey County Council demonstrating total incompetence. Popped down to the pub and the road was closed. These things happen. Stuff has to be fixed. So I went in the opposite direction to find the road closed that way also. OK must be an emergency then. But no I went on the Surrey County Council web site and both closures were scheduled for the same day.
The roadsigns on the A31 between Farnham and Guildford are now almost completely obscured by foliage growth that has been allowed to run unchecked for months. Many people have mentioned it to them.
What on earth is wrong with them?
Come to Wales from 17th September and all the 30mph will have shiny new 20mph signs
We all know you love Mr Drakeford to bits, but you do have to admit that some of the 30mph zones will still be there. Don't want to confuse the rUK PBers, do we?
A very limited number in our area and in some cases they are justified
However a blanket ban with odd exceptions is unacceptable as local businesses, bus services, and taxis all complain
Having read the various docs, it seems to be a sensible process and setup.
The reduced speeds and resulting reduced casualty figures may be coming in just in time to expose the UK Governments policies arounds roads and streets for the shitshow that they have become.
Perhaps some interim results March-April 2024; more in autumn 2024.
It will also be interesting to see what the residents think, once they have actually tried it.
I see that HMG's proposals to roll back LTNs could hit many that have been in place since the 1970s - and indeed some built into new estates. I used to live on a Victorian street that had been modified into a LTN c. 1985 at the latest - blissfully quiet and I never heard any complaint. To think of it becoming a rat-run now.
The cost of retro-fitting through roads to all the new estates is going to be enormous.
Surrey County Council demonstrating total incompetence. Popped down to the pub and the road was closed. These things happen. Stuff has to be fixed. So I went in the opposite direction to find the road closed that way also. OK must be an emergency then. But no I went on the Surrey County Council web site and both closures were scheduled for the same day.
The roadsigns on the A31 between Farnham and Guildford are now almost completely obscured by foliage growth that has been allowed to run unchecked for months. Many people have mentioned it to them.
What on earth is wrong with them?
Come to Wales from 17th September and all the 30mph will have shiny new 20mph signs
We all know you love Mr Drakeford to bits, but you do have to admit that some of the 30mph zones will still be there. Don't want to confuse the rUK PBers, do we?
A very limited number in our area and in some cases they are justified
However a blanket ban with odd exceptions is unacceptable as local businesses, bus services, and taxis all complain
Having read the various docs, it seems to be a sensible process and setup.
The reduced speeds and resulting reduced casualty figures may be coming in just in time to expose the UK Governments policies arounds roads and streets for the shitshow that they have become.
Perhaps some interim results March-April 2024; more in autumn 2024.
Casualty figures in the UK are very low, and casualty rates on the roads are safer than they've ever been.
If we were going off objective figures, increasing speed limits to 40 that are currently 30 should be considered safe compared to the risks of 30 in the past.
Still today road safety awareness campaigns use the lie/myth that pedestrians hit at 30 have a 20% chance of death, versus an 80% chance at 40 - which is a figure that dates back to the 1970s.
Nowadays today a pedestrian hit at 40 has a 17% chance of death. So hitting a pedestrian at 40 today is safer than hitting a pedestrian at 30 was in the 1970s.
Cars have been designed to be safer than ever before, which includes for pedestrians not just drivers. So if speed limits are to change, then lets increase them.
I'm not in a position to, nor interested in, disputing your data. However, I would point out that a pedestrian hit by a car cannot simply be categorised as 'dead' or 'not dead', in the sense that the vast majority of pedestrians hit by a car are likely to be injured, seriously injured, or very seriously injured. The slower the car is going, the less serious the injury, logically.
However, I've absolutely no intention of getting into a debate with you and already regret posting on this. Sorry.
ISTR various studies showing 20mph zones do absolutely nothing to reduce casualties. Can't remember why not.
Because cars aren’t designed to do 20mph, and drivers spend too much time looking at their speed rather than outside.
Mine does 20mph just fine. Third gear.
Does it double as a sewing machine when in 1st gear?
Surrey County Council demonstrating total incompetence. Popped down to the pub and the road was closed. These things happen. Stuff has to be fixed. So I went in the opposite direction to find the road closed that way also. OK must be an emergency then. But no I went on the Surrey County Council web site and both closures were scheduled for the same day.
The roadsigns on the A31 between Farnham and Guildford are now almost completely obscured by foliage growth that has been allowed to run unchecked for months. Many people have mentioned it to them.
What on earth is wrong with them?
Come to Wales from 17th September and all the 30mph will have shiny new 20mph signs
We all know you love Mr Drakeford to bits, but you do have to admit that some of the 30mph zones will still be there. Don't want to confuse the rUK PBers, do we?
A very limited number in our area and in some cases they are justified
However a blanket ban with odd exceptions is unacceptable as local businesses, bus services, and taxis all complain
Having read the various docs, it seems to be a sensible process and setup.
The reduced speeds and resulting reduced casualty figures may be coming in just in time to expose the UK Governments policies arounds roads and streets for the shitshow that they have become.
Perhaps some interim results March-April 2024; more in autumn 2024.
It is certain that the policy will be reviewed and expect many more 30mph zones reinstated
Was talking to a friend of mine in rural Gwynedd today.
She was grumbling loudly that the new speed limits will increase her travel time to the nearest hospital by 50%.
Sounds well rural.
Between Carmarthen (Glangwili) in the south west, Merthyr in the south east, Wrexham in the north east and Bangor in the north west, there is precisely one hospital in Wales with an A and E department and a meaningful level of inpatient care - Ysbyty Bronglais in Aberystwyth.
Almost all the other hospitals are 'community hospitals' I.e. in effect glorified GP surgeries. Even if the handful that are not, most now do not even have minor injury units because they can't afford the staff.
Thing is, almost all of mid Wales is what most people in pretty much any part of England, the Valleys and the Scottish lowlands would think of as 'well rural.' There are two air ambulances (one of which was nearly axed recently) and only one significant road that is more than a single carriageway - the Newtown bypass.
This is one reason why I'm thinking lower speed limits might have hidden costs.
@Big_G_NorthWales Yes I'd agree with that, and expect more exceptions to come forward, as an artefact of the current patchwork of default speed limits, 30mph speed limits set by Traffic Regulation Orders (TRO), theoretical speed limits put up but Councils not bothering with a TRO, and whatever other mechanisms exist. I don't see that as a problem - mainly it's tidying up.
(Lack of TROs are a similar problem with cycling infrastructure - a very large number of signs have been put up over the last half-century with no legal authority for enforcement in place. There are similar problems in England with certain 20mph speed limits.)
If it is "well rural", why would the default 30mph 'lamp post' urban speed limit be in place everywhere, rather than the national limit or an intermediate limit?
Observing the interactive map, there doesn't seem to be a humongous impact on well rural Wales - except in towns.
Incidentally - it was very noticeable driving around today that many currently 40mph limits on main roads are being cut to 20 (evidence - flashing speed signs that have been put up but not yet put in use) and many 60 limits are being cut to 40 (same evidence).
This is not just about safety. If it were, we'd be seeing widespread road improvements too, which are sorely needed.
This is about an unhealthy obsession with speed, imposed by idiots who don't know what they're doing or care much for the consequences.
One immediate thought is if they don't want people to die trying to get to hospitals (not usually any point waiting for an ambulance given how long it takes to arrive) they should take over the Wales Air Ambulance service and fund it properly, with more helicopters.
Surrey County Council demonstrating total incompetence. Popped down to the pub and the road was closed. These things happen. Stuff has to be fixed. So I went in the opposite direction to find the road closed that way also. OK must be an emergency then. But no I went on the Surrey County Council web site and both closures were scheduled for the same day.
The roadsigns on the A31 between Farnham and Guildford are now almost completely obscured by foliage growth that has been allowed to run unchecked for months. Many people have mentioned it to them.
What on earth is wrong with them?
Come to Wales from 17th September and all the 30mph will have shiny new 20mph signs
We all know you love Mr Drakeford to bits, but you do have to admit that some of the 30mph zones will still be there. Don't want to confuse the rUK PBers, do we?
A very limited number in our area and in some cases they are justified
However a blanket ban with odd exceptions is unacceptable as local businesses, bus services, and taxis all complain
Having read the various docs, it seems to be a sensible process and setup.
The reduced speeds and resulting reduced casualty figures may be coming in just in time to expose the UK Governments policies arounds roads and streets for the shitshow that they have become.
Perhaps some interim results March-April 2024; more in autumn 2024.
Casualty figures in the UK are very low, and casualty rates on the roads are safer than they've ever been.
If we were going off objective figures, increasing speed limits to 40 that are currently 30 should be considered safe compared to the risks of 30 in the past.
Still today road safety awareness campaigns use the lie/myth that pedestrians hit at 30 have a 20% chance of death, versus an 80% chance at 40 - which is a figure that dates back to the 1970s.
Nowadays today a pedestrian hit at 40 has a 17% chance of death. So hitting a pedestrian at 40 today is safer than hitting a pedestrian at 30 was in the 1970s.
Cars have been designed to be safer than ever before, which includes for pedestrians not just drivers. So if speed limits are to change, then lets increase them.
I'm not in a position to, nor interested in, disputing your data. However, I would point out that a pedestrian hit by a car cannot simply be categorised as 'dead' or 'not dead', in the sense that the vast majority of pedestrians hit by a car are likely to be injured, seriously injured, or very seriously injured. The slower the car is going, the less serious the injury, logically.
However, I've absolutely no intention of getting into a debate with you and already regret posting on this. Sorry.
ISTR various studies showing 20mph zones do absolutely nothing to reduce casualties. Can't remember why not.
Because cars aren’t designed to do 20mph, and drivers spend too much time looking at their speed rather than outside.
Is it not possible for them to be modified in some way to make it more efficient? Changing the gear ratios or something?
Highly unlikely to happen given the timeframe, but a fun one to keen an eye on. There's also a strong Cape Verde storm halfway across the Atlantic making a beeline for the Lesser Antilles at that time too.
Surrey County Council demonstrating total incompetence. Popped down to the pub and the road was closed. These things happen. Stuff has to be fixed. So I went in the opposite direction to find the road closed that way also. OK must be an emergency then. But no I went on the Surrey County Council web site and both closures were scheduled for the same day.
The roadsigns on the A31 between Farnham and Guildford are now almost completely obscured by foliage growth that has been allowed to run unchecked for months. Many people have mentioned it to them.
What on earth is wrong with them?
Come to Wales from 17th September and all the 30mph will have shiny new 20mph signs
We all know you love Mr Drakeford to bits, but you do have to admit that some of the 30mph zones will still be there. Don't want to confuse the rUK PBers, do we?
A very limited number in our area and in some cases they are justified
However a blanket ban with odd exceptions is unacceptable as local businesses, bus services, and taxis all complain
Having read the various docs, it seems to be a sensible process and setup.
The reduced speeds and resulting reduced casualty figures may be coming in just in time to expose the UK Governments policies arounds roads and streets for the shitshow that they have become.
Perhaps some interim results March-April 2024; more in autumn 2024.
It is certain that the policy will be reviewed and expect many more 30mph zones reinstated
Was talking to a friend of mine in rural Gwynedd today.
She was grumbling loudly that the new speed limits will increase her travel time to the nearest hospital by 50%.
Sounds well rural.
Between Carmarthen (Glangwili) in the south west, Merthyr in the south east, Wrexham in the north east and Bangor in the north west, there is precisely one hospital in Wales with an A and E department and a meaningful level of inpatient care - Ysbyty Bronglais in Aberystwyth.
Almost all the other hospitals are 'community hospitals' I.e. in effect glorified GP surgeries. Even if the handful that are not, most now do not even have minor injury units because they can't afford the staff.
Thing is, almost all of mid Wales is what most people in pretty much any part of England, the Valleys and the Scottish lowlands would think of as 'well rural.' There are two air ambulances (one of which was nearly axed recently) and only one significant road that is more than a single carriageway - the Newport bypass.
This is one reason why I'm thinking lower speed limits might have hidden costs.
A 50% increase suggests the journey between the persons home and the hospital is entirely 30mph limit at the mo. If the hospital is Ysbyty Bronglais, then maximum travel time to the hospital on a non-emergency call is 10 mins, if that.
Of course, the waiting time at the hospital will be a bit less given a reduction in the number of road traffic colission injuries, so they will probably get some of the time back
Ten minutes? What the fuck are you smoking?
Are you seriously suggesting you can get from Dolgellau to Aberystwyth in 10 minutes? Even Max Verstappen couldn't do that in an F1 car!
It is going up from an hour to an hour and a half because of the very large number of villages the route passes through.
Which is again one of the curses of the roads of mid-Wales. Of the major towns, only Welshpool, Newtown (just) Dolgellau and (bizarrely) Newbridge on Wye have by-passes.
But Drakeford, in his infinite wisdom, which has been assembled in a lifetime of never leaving the south, has declared he's building no more as they only encourage traffic.
Just doing some maths. You're friend suggested the new limits would increase journey times by 50%. That could only happen entirely within what is now a 30mph zone.
Not even then as you're very unlikely to go at a steady 30mph now and steady 20mph after. You'll stop for lights, slow for roundabouts, traffic etc.
Surrey County Council demonstrating total incompetence. Popped down to the pub and the road was closed. These things happen. Stuff has to be fixed. So I went in the opposite direction to find the road closed that way also. OK must be an emergency then. But no I went on the Surrey County Council web site and both closures were scheduled for the same day.
The roadsigns on the A31 between Farnham and Guildford are now almost completely obscured by foliage growth that has been allowed to run unchecked for months. Many people have mentioned it to them.
What on earth is wrong with them?
Come to Wales from 17th September and all the 30mph will have shiny new 20mph signs
We all know you love Mr Drakeford to bits, but you do have to admit that some of the 30mph zones will still be there. Don't want to confuse the rUK PBers, do we?
A very limited number in our area and in some cases they are justified
However a blanket ban with odd exceptions is unacceptable as local businesses, bus services, and taxis all complain
Having read the various docs, it seems to be a sensible process and setup.
The reduced speeds and resulting reduced casualty figures may be coming in just in time to expose the UK Governments policies arounds roads and streets for the shitshow that they have become.
Perhaps some interim results March-April 2024; more in autumn 2024.
It is certain that the policy will be reviewed and expect many more 30mph zones reinstated
Was talking to a friend of mine in rural Gwynedd today.
She was grumbling loudly that the new speed limits will increase her travel time to the nearest hospital by 50%.
Sounds well rural.
Between Carmarthen (Glangwili) in the south west, Merthyr in the south east, Wrexham in the north east and Bangor in the north west, there is precisely one hospital in Wales with an A and E department and a meaningful level of inpatient care - Ysbyty Bronglais in Aberystwyth.
Almost all the other hospitals are 'community hospitals' I.e. in effect glorified GP surgeries. Even if the handful that are not, most now do not even have minor injury units because they can't afford the staff.
Thing is, almost all of mid Wales is what most people in pretty much any part of England, the Valleys and the Scottish lowlands would think of as 'well rural.' There are two air ambulances (one of which was nearly axed recently) and only one significant road that is more than a single carriageway - the Newport bypass.
This is one reason why I'm thinking lower speed limits might have hidden costs.
A 50% increase suggests the journey between the persons home and the hospital is entirely 30mph limit at the mo. If the hospital is Ysbyty Bronglais, then maximum travel time to the hospital on a non-emergency call is 10 mins, if that.
Of course, the waiting time at the hospital will be a bit less given a reduction in the number of road traffic colission injuries, so they will probably get some of the time back
Ten minutes? What the fuck are you smoking?
Are you seriously suggesting you can get from Dolgellau to Aberystwyth in 10 minutes? Even Max Verstappen couldn't do that in an F1 car!
It is going up from an hour to an hour and a half because of the very large number of villages the route passes through.
Which is again one of the curses of the roads of mid-Wales. Of the major towns, only Welshpool, Newtown (just) Dolgellau and (bizarrely) Newbridge on Wye have by-passes.
But Drakeford, in his infinite wisdom, which has been assembled in a lifetime of never leaving the south, has declared he's building no more as they only encourage traffic.
Just doing some maths. You're friend suggested the new limits would increase journey times by 50%. That could only happen entirely within what is now a 30mph zone.
No it couldn't. You're making a number of assumptions from ignorance there.
That's like saying 'the only way Lewis Hamilton can win a Grand Prix is if Verstappen is shot dead on the start line.'* Yes, it's one possible outcome but not the only one.
Surrey County Council demonstrating total incompetence. Popped down to the pub and the road was closed. These things happen. Stuff has to be fixed. So I went in the opposite direction to find the road closed that way also. OK must be an emergency then. But no I went on the Surrey County Council web site and both closures were scheduled for the same day.
The roadsigns on the A31 between Farnham and Guildford are now almost completely obscured by foliage growth that has been allowed to run unchecked for months. Many people have mentioned it to them.
What on earth is wrong with them?
Come to Wales from 17th September and all the 30mph will have shiny new 20mph signs
We all know you love Mr Drakeford to bits, but you do have to admit that some of the 30mph zones will still be there. Don't want to confuse the rUK PBers, do we?
A very limited number in our area and in some cases they are justified
However a blanket ban with odd exceptions is unacceptable as local businesses, bus services, and taxis all complain
Having read the various docs, it seems to be a sensible process and setup.
The reduced speeds and resulting reduced casualty figures may be coming in just in time to expose the UK Governments policies arounds roads and streets for the shitshow that they have become.
Perhaps some interim results March-April 2024; more in autumn 2024.
It is certain that the policy will be reviewed and expect many more 30mph zones reinstated
Was talking to a friend of mine in rural Gwynedd today.
She was grumbling loudly that the new speed limits will increase her travel time to the nearest hospital by 50%.
Sounds well rural.
Between Carmarthen (Glangwili) in the south west, Merthyr in the south east, Wrexham in the north east and Bangor in the north west, there is precisely one hospital in Wales with an A and E department and a meaningful level of inpatient care - Ysbyty Bronglais in Aberystwyth.
Almost all the other hospitals are 'community hospitals' I.e. in effect glorified GP surgeries. Even if the handful that are not, most now do not even have minor injury units because they can't afford the staff.
Thing is, almost all of mid Wales is what most people in pretty much any part of England, the Valleys and the Scottish lowlands would think of as 'well rural.' There are two air ambulances (one of which was nearly axed recently) and only one significant road that is more than a single carriageway - the Newport bypass.
This is one reason why I'm thinking lower speed limits might have hidden costs.
A 50% increase suggests the journey between the persons home and the hospital is entirely 30mph limit at the mo. If the hospital is Ysbyty Bronglais, then maximum travel time to the hospital on a non-emergency call is 10 mins, if that.
Of course, the waiting time at the hospital will be a bit less given a reduction in the number of road traffic colission injuries, so they will probably get some of the time back
Ten minutes? What the fuck are you smoking?
Are you seriously suggesting you can get from Dolgellau to Aberystwyth in 10 minutes? Even Max Verstappen couldn't do that in an F1 car!
It is going up from an hour to an hour and a half because of the very large number of villages the route passes through.
Which is again one of the curses of the roads of mid-Wales. Of the major towns, only Welshpool, Newtown (just) Dolgellau and (bizarrely) Newbridge on Wye have by-passes.
But Drakeford, in his infinite wisdom, which has been assembled in a lifetime of never leaving the south, has declared he's building no more as they only encourage traffic.
Just doing some maths. You're friend suggested the new limits would increase journey times by 50%. That could only happen entirely within what is now a 30mph zone.
Not even then as you're very unlikely to go at a steady 30mph now and steady 20mph after. You'll stop for lights, slow for roundabouts, traffic etc.
I'm starting to think ydoethur's friend might have made a mistake.
One wonders why no other country in the world has copied our privatisation experiment. If it was such a marvellous success people would be lining up to copy it.
Other nations have privatised their railways. They've just typically done it much better, more thoroughly and a more real privatisation than the bodged half-private, half-public, bidding for rights and subsidised by taxpayer, spiderman-pointing-fingers-at-each-other way it was done here.
Have a look at Japan for one of the world's most successful networks, that was privatised, operates successfully and privately, takes one of the highest shares of transportation in any country on the planet, and does so with zero subsidies on the mainland.
But after public money built a huge amount of the infrastructure.
Surrey County Council demonstrating total incompetence. Popped down to the pub and the road was closed. These things happen. Stuff has to be fixed. So I went in the opposite direction to find the road closed that way also. OK must be an emergency then. But no I went on the Surrey County Council web site and both closures were scheduled for the same day.
The roadsigns on the A31 between Farnham and Guildford are now almost completely obscured by foliage growth that has been allowed to run unchecked for months. Many people have mentioned it to them.
What on earth is wrong with them?
Come to Wales from 17th September and all the 30mph will have shiny new 20mph signs
We all know you love Mr Drakeford to bits, but you do have to admit that some of the 30mph zones will still be there. Don't want to confuse the rUK PBers, do we?
A very limited number in our area and in some cases they are justified
However a blanket ban with odd exceptions is unacceptable as local businesses, bus services, and taxis all complain
Having read the various docs, it seems to be a sensible process and setup.
The reduced speeds and resulting reduced casualty figures may be coming in just in time to expose the UK Governments policies arounds roads and streets for the shitshow that they have become.
Perhaps some interim results March-April 2024; more in autumn 2024.
It is certain that the policy will be reviewed and expect many more 30mph zones reinstated
Was talking to a friend of mine in rural Gwynedd today.
She was grumbling loudly that the new speed limits will increase her travel time to the nearest hospital by 50%.
Sounds well rural.
Between Carmarthen (Glangwili) in the south west, Merthyr in the south east, Wrexham in the north east and Bangor in the north west, there is precisely one hospital in Wales with an A and E department and a meaningful level of inpatient care - Ysbyty Bronglais in Aberystwyth.
Almost all the other hospitals are 'community hospitals' I.e. in effect glorified GP surgeries. Even if the handful that are not, most now do not even have minor injury units because they can't afford the staff.
Thing is, almost all of mid Wales is what most people in pretty much any part of England, the Valleys and the Scottish lowlands would think of as 'well rural.' There are two air ambulances (one of which was nearly axed recently) and only one significant road that is more than a single carriageway - the Newport bypass.
This is one reason why I'm thinking lower speed limits might have hidden costs.
A 50% increase suggests the journey between the persons home and the hospital is entirely 30mph limit at the mo. If the hospital is Ysbyty Bronglais, then maximum travel time to the hospital on a non-emergency call is 10 mins, if that.
Of course, the waiting time at the hospital will be a bit less given a reduction in the number of road traffic colission injuries, so they will probably get some of the time back
Ten minutes? What the fuck are you smoking?
Are you seriously suggesting you can get from Dolgellau to Aberystwyth in 10 minutes? Even Max Verstappen couldn't do that in an F1 car!
It is going up from an hour to an hour and a half because of the very large number of villages the route passes through.
Which is again one of the curses of the roads of mid-Wales. Of the major towns, only Welshpool, Newtown (just) Dolgellau and (bizarrely) Newbridge on Wye have by-passes.
But Drakeford, in his infinite wisdom, which has been assembled in a lifetime of never leaving the south, has declared he's building no more as they only encourage traffic.
Just doing some maths. You're friend suggested the new limits would increase journey times by 50%. That could only happen entirely within what is now a 30mph zone.
Not even then as you're very unlikely to go at a steady 30mph now and steady 20mph after. You'll stop for lights, slow for roundabouts, traffic etc.
I'm starting to think ydoethur's friend might have made a mistake.
I would say I'm starting to think you're talking nonsense.
But to be honest, you've talked that on this subject all the way through.
I will admit you did correct one mistake when it was pointed out to you, putting forward an irrelevant thesis.
I still struggle with Lucy Letby. The motive and psychological explanation still seems wholly insufficient to me.
Why would someone do something like that? And if they did chose to do it, why would they do so, repeatedly and of their own volition, unless they were mad?
My confusion is probably compounded by the fact she's young, female, was popular and not unattractive.
It's easier if none of those things apply. But they do in her case.
Presumably she's a psychopath. Certainly some of the trial evidence suggested a narcissistic personality. Psychopathy is less common among women than men, but I don't think is less prevalent among the young, the popular or the not unattractive.
How does one become a psychopath? And surely that's a sign of mental illness, right?
You're born one in the main. Poor upbringing can be a contributing factor. And it's difficult, because most psychopaths don't offend. In fact, their skills* can be in great demand. They are prevalent amongst surgeons and CEO's. Robert Winston is one ISTR.
*Boldness, superficial charm, pathological lying, lack of empathy or remorse, inclination to violence and Psychological manipulation, impulsivity, narcissism
Comments
In the UK we don't have that.
We should either privatise it properly or have a proper StateCo which does it all.
(The one on the Microsoft Surface Book [the first] is a real horror movie. Instrumental in my decision to scrap mine when the battery went all bolshy on me. Now a look on those videos is essential before I buy a new laptop. The Lenovo Yoga Something I have now - takes about three steps to replace the battery. This is incontrast to the 96 ro something steps and hammer and chisel work* for the MS one. Bastards. )
* Not quite literally - but the battery is glued in . And there are two batteries.
The Japanese Railway Companies are privately companies, that are listed on the stock market.
Indeed, three of the JR East, JR Central, and JR West are members of the Nikkei 225 index.
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Japan_Railway_Company for example.
We've tried StateCo, it was terrible.
We've tried half-arsed privatisation. It was better, but still not good.
We should do it properly.
Ports and airports are probably the most amenable to being run on purelycommercial lines because they minimise interface with the land domain and sea and air "infrastructure" is natural and cost free, but even then subsidies take place particularly for those routes/hubs of a strategic nature.
The US cable news seven minute gotcha session, almost seems designed to debase politics.
Her mother, Elizabeth Francis, just turned 114.
“I guess I would have to say the Lord has blessed me in my young age,” joked Francis, whose birthday was July 25."
source$: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/08/18/elizabeth-francis-houston-centenarian-birthday/
She's the second oldest in the US, seventh oldest in the world. (Oh, and for those obsessed with such things: She has a better natural tan than I do.)
Preventing static from a vacuum cleaner is perfectly possible.
The state is an administrative function created by citizens for collective action.
If someone breaks laws set out by the state they can be excluded from the benefits of the state (by imprisonment or exile). But the state does not have the authority to deprive someone of their life
You'd have to price road use far better and at higher rates to reflect their real "cost" - including pollution and congestion to the economy.
There's probably very little commercial case for the Welsh, Scottish and Cornish branch lines but our country would be poorer for them.
I took a laptop apart to fix it the other week - as usual it was a bit fiddly. You have to be very careful with the tiny connectors and make sure you stick screws on labelled bits of paper. In this case it probably wasn't economic to fix but I hate binning stuff that can still be made to work, so fixed it was.
I wish more items were made easily repairable - it is something that really bugs me, particularly when there's no need to make it difficult. Glue is an abomination. As are cheap capacitors.
It’s not impossible that one of the most disgraceful world records ever ratified, could finally be consigned to the history books in tonight’s final.
Men’s 110m hurdles semi finals now on track.
P.S. Why do you only post terrible, terrible Labour polls? Tories a mere 15 points adrift.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serpell_Report
Slightly different argument, I think. Imprisoning people, like building motorways and demolishing buildings, is something the state does (or regulates) for societal benefit. Murder doesn't fit with that.
Question for you for a change. Why iyo don't the Tories (esp these populist Brexity Tories) adopt the return of the death penalty as a policy?
Are you justifying imprisonment on the grounds that the state has a duty to protect its citizens from threats to their safety?
It's not a breeze.
In almost all instances it was shareholders and landowners that were looking to make a commercial profit.
Why would someone do something like that? And if they did chose to do it, why would they do so, repeatedly and of their own volition, unless they were mad?
My confusion is probably compounded by the fact she's young, female, was popular and not unattractive.
It's easier if none of those things apply. But they do in her case.
When I unscrew the case, then on one side the case is proving very difficult to remove. On the left hand side, just under one of the USB ports its proving very difficult to separate even after ensuring all clips are open (I can actually see the clip has separated, but its still not coming off.
I can remove it all apart from that one section - and on that one section it looks like it is pulling up something metallic when I try to lift it. I've watched YouTube videos for my model* and the metal that is lifting up with the case seems like it is a part of the heat sink. I can't see any evidence for it on the plastic, but fear that a part of the case may have melted or otherwise got attached onto the heatsink and don't want to just yank off the case, in case I snap anything, including the heat sink which is quite a big one.
Second issue is that as I suspected, the copper heatsink is spread all over the Laptop and needs removing before you can remove the fans. So will need to get thermal paste, alcohol wipes etc in order to replace the fan, as well as ordering a new fan, if it comes to it.
* sort of, the video is for an Asus Tuf FA506, mine is an Asus Tuf FA506I - sceptical if the I makes a big difference, what I can see of the internals looks identical.
He is a credible candidate, has done well in fundraising terms, and is significantly outperforming his national polls in early primary states.
I don't think he'll win the GOP nomination ultimately, but do expect him to have a moment when the price comes in significantly. That may come around the early states as nervousness grows around Trump's legal problems, and Scott over-performs.
The reduced speeds and resulting reduced casualty figures may be coming in just in time to expose the UK Governments policies arounds roads and streets for the shitshow that they have become.
Perhaps some interim results March-April 2024; more in autumn 2024.
She was grumbling loudly that the new speed limits will increase her travel time to the nearest hospital by 50%.
The Queen has done nothing since visiting Sandringham Flower show on the 26th of July. What's she been doing?
Meanwhile, Michael Fawcett - Chaz's erstwhile chief penis-holder, toothpaste-squeezer, and bags-of-Saudi-cash-handler has had charges against him dropped in what seems like a moderately-whiffy manner: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/aug/21/met-police-no-further-action-cash-for-honours-claims-king-charity-princes-foundation
This man has spent his life dealing with Charles' shit - both literally and metaphorically. He's been sacked from multiple royal-adjacent jobs over the past couple of decades, but always manages to float back up to the surface with only mild staining to his & Chaz's reputation. And so it is this time; indeed, it turns out that he's already back - and has been working as a consultant for the King before the investigation had concluded!
It's almost as if they want to make themselves look dodgy.
If we were going off objective figures, increasing speed limits to 40 that are currently 30 should be considered safe compared to the risks of 30 in the past.
Still today road safety awareness campaigns use the lie/myth that pedestrians hit at 30 have a 20% chance of death, versus an 80% chance at 40 - which is a figure that dates back to the 1970s.
Nowadays today a pedestrian hit at 40 has a 17% chance of death. So hitting a pedestrian at 40 today is safer than hitting a pedestrian at 30 was in the 1970s.
Cars have been designed to be safer than ever before, which includes for pedestrians not just drivers. So if speed limits are to change, then lets increase them.
A single company does own a single railway. They have lots of private companies that own different railways I agree but my point is that JR East say owns all of their railways, as in they own the track, the trains, the infrastructure etc My point was that we don't have anything like that in the UK. If Network Rail owned say the South Western "unit" (for want of a better word) and the trains, track, timetabling etc that would be more like the Japanese system but the company would just happen to be owned by the government.
I am not saying the government should own the companies necessarily - although I think in practice that would be the solution - but I am saying the existing "privatised" system doesn't work. Something like Japan or Germany, or France, is just fine with me.
I'm with Peter Hitchens on the railways and with my parents who despite being loyal Tory voters since the 70s think the railways would be better nationalised. Personally if we had something like Japan that would be fine with me but it is clear the current system has failed us all - and the Tories and New Labour should have reformed it long ago.
However, I've absolutely no intention of getting into a debate with you and already regret posting on this. Sorry.
GOP senator touts Ramaswamy as exciting presidential candidate
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4162240-gop-senator-ramaswamy-exciting-presidential-candidate/
It is always difficult to know exactly how much force to apply with these things, but having seen a video it looks like it shouldn't be hard, so there's something not right.
Melting would be a manufacturing fault for which they might be liable even if outside the warranty.
Fawcett had to resign from the charity though
Not sure what to make of tonight's offering from R&W - perhaps just consign to the bin and forget about it might be the most prudent option.
Among men, the Labour lead is 10 and among women the lead is 20 - but that excludes 8% of DKs among the men and 14% among the women which is lower than in some other polls.
The 2019 Conservative vote retention is 59% staying loyal, 15% to Labour, 10% Don't Know, 8% Reform and 4% to the LDs.
Trying to pick through the undergrowth of some very iffy looking sub samples (the Conservatives outpolling Labour 2:1 in London - someone tell Susan Hall) we get Labour 43%, Conservative 29% and Liberal Democrats 14%, Reform on 7%, Greens on 6% and Others on 1% so the actual moves between the Con/Ref grouping and the Lab/LD/Green grouping remain very small with the bulk of the Labour loss shared across the other "progressive" parties.
That's a Con-Lab swing of 13% and a Con-LD swing of 9% which isn't much different to what we've seen for a while.
The numbers are much closer to Opinium than other posters - could still be an outlier but it's a difficult time for polling and pollsters and we may need to wait until after the holidays to see the dust settle before Conference season - presumably the last before a General Election.
And it's difficult, because most psychopaths don't offend.
In fact, their skills* can be in great demand. They are prevalent amongst surgeons and CEO's.
Robert Winston is one ISTR.
*Boldness, superficial charm, pathological lying, lack of empathy or remorse, inclination to violence and Psychological manipulation, impulsivity, narcissism
Almost all the other hospitals are 'community hospitals' I.e. in effect glorified GP surgeries. Even if the handful that are not, most now do not even have minor injury units because they can't afford the staff.
Thing is, almost all of mid Wales is what most people in pretty much any part of England, the Valleys and the Scottish lowlands would think of as 'well rural.' There are two air ambulances (one of which was nearly axed recently) and only one significant road that is more than a single carriageway - the Newtown bypass.
This is one reason why I'm thinking lower speed limits might have hidden costs.
Talking of Highland Games, I read an article about Geoff Capes recently. Apparently in his Highland Games peak he had a best of 11.2s at the 100m. That's jolly rapid for a giant.
And he's already already back in a similar role!
And, and... this isn't even the first time this cycle of events has played out. It's utterly ridiculous, proper tin-pot dictator stuff.
If I'm feeling really pissed off I say I'm going to donate it to the DfE, at which point it always starts working...
VIVEK RAMASWAMY’S TRUTH
The Millennial outsider Republican says he wants a revolution. To get there, he’d gut the federal government.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2023/08/vivek-ramaswamy-gop-election/675041/
Of course, the waiting time at the hospital will be a bit less given a reduction in the number of road traffic collision injuries, so they will probably get some of the time back
I see that HMG's proposals to roll back LTNs could hit many that have been in place since the 1970s - and indeed some built into new estates. I used to live on a Victorian street that had been modified into a LTN c. 1985 at the latest - blissfully quiet and I never heard any complaint. To think of it becoming a rat-run now.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3680049/A-professor-criminology-analyses-deluded-messianic-Tony-Blair.html
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brown-s-supporters-launch-revenge-attack-and-label-blair-a-psychopath-96635.html
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyclay/2013/01/05/the-top-10-jobs-that-attract-psychopaths/
Edit: Dixon's The Psychology of Military Incompetence exploted that sort of issue - whether pathological traits get you promoted. A sort of Peter Principle on steroids, in khaki. THough I can't recall if he talked about pathology.
Are you seriously suggesting you can get from Dolgellau to Aberystwyth in 10 minutes? Even Max Verstappen couldn't do that in an F1 car!
It is going up from an hour to an hour and a half because of the very large number of villages the route passes through.
Which is again one of the curses of the roads of mid-Wales. Of the major towns, only Welshpool, Newtown (just) Dolgellau and (bizarrely) Newbridge on Wye have by-passes.
But Drakeford, in his infinite wisdom, which has been assembled in a lifetime of never leaving the south, has declared he's building no more as they only encourage traffic.
However, if you can't do that or don't want to, physical stores sell compressed air (B&Q) and wipes (Currys).
https://www.diy.com/departments/durable-powerclean-air-duster-200ml-invertible-flammable/4005546504629_BQ.prd
https://www.currys.co.uk/products/logik-lsw2520-screen-wipes-25-wipes-10204333.html
HACKER: So we will review every traffic restriction in the country?
SIR HUMPHREY: Exactly, Prime Minister.
HACKER: Including the popular ones?
SIR HUMPHREY: Precisely, Prime Minister.
HACKER: And this will take until after the next election to report?
SIR HUMPHREY: Of course not. You may still be Prime Minister after the next election.
(BERNARD snorts, leaves the room stifling giggles.)
HACKER: So, after the election after that?
SIR HUMPHREY: Yes, Prime Minister.
(Applause. Gerald Scarfe cartoon and credits. Theme tune that sounds a bit like To The Manor Born.)
And, look... I get it: he's Charles' fixer. A bagman. It's his job to suck it up and take the shit, whilst maintaining a degree of plausible deniability for his lord and master.
The problem is that he's done it too often, and he's been caught one too many times. If he were working for a gangster, he'd have been pensioned off (or worse!) twenty years ago.
It's all so tawdry. Aren't the Royal Family meant to be above such things?
(Lack of TROs are a similar problem with cycling infrastructure - a very large number of signs have been put up over the last half-century with no legal authority for enforcement in place. There are similar problems in England with certain 20mph speed limits.)
If it is "well rural", why would the default 30mph 'lamp post' urban speed limit be in place everywhere, rather than the national limit or an intermediate limit?
Observing the interactive map, there doesn't seem to be a humongous impact on well rural Wales - except in towns.
Link:https://datamap.gov.wales/maps/roads-affected-by-changes-to-the-speed-limit-on-re/?_ga=2.248976066.451096920.1692645753-1341565.1690627791
This is not just about safety. If it were, we'd be seeing widespread road improvements too, which are sorely needed.
This is about an unhealthy obsession with speed, imposed by idiots who don't know what they're doing or care much for the consequences.
One immediate thought is if they don't want people to die trying to get to hospitals (not usually any point waiting for an ambulance given how long it takes to arrive) they should take over the Wales Air Ambulance service and fund it properly, with more helicopters.
But they're not going to.
Do BEVs suffer from the same issue?
This evening's GFS 12z model run landfalls a category 4 hurricane on the Florida panhandle. (At 384 hours, the furthest out the model goes).
https://www.tropicaltidbits.com/analysis/models/gfs/2023082112/gfs_mslp_uv850_seus_64.png
Highly unlikely to happen given the timeframe, but a fun one to keen an eye on. There's also a strong Cape Verde storm halfway across the Atlantic making a beeline for the Lesser Antilles at that time too.
That's like saying 'the only way Lewis Hamilton can win a Grand Prix is if Verstappen is shot dead on the start line.'* Yes, it's one possible outcome but not the only one.
*I'm hoping I haven't given TSE any ideas here.
But to be honest, you've talked that on this subject all the way through.
I will admit you did correct one mistake when it was pointed out to you, putting forward an irrelevant thesis.
Someone keep a close eye on him, please.