Being tossed about on what could be one of the last Solent ferries before you're all cut off. It's getting windy out there.
I'm getting a bit nervous about my conservatory roof. It's creaking like Trump's thought processes.
Completely banjaxed, then ?
On Jan 17 Trump told a New Hampshire audience: “We’re…going to place strong protections to stop banks and regulators from trying to debank you from your—you know, your political beliefs, what they do. They want to debank you, and we’re going to debank—think of this. They want to take away your rights. They want to take away your country. The things they’re doing. All electric cars.” https://twitter.com/tribelaw/status/1749051641280483544
That's the first good news I've seen from the Israeli/Palestine conflict in literally years.
I still think the Opposition were mad not to insist on his resignation before forming a coalition.
Eh?
The 'he' in question is Netanyahu.
Look at the comment you replied to.
I was just testing to see if anyone was awake, honest...*innocent face*
More seriously, Vanilla did that annoying glitch where it put up two posts at once, and I clearly deleted the wrong one. I was trying to reply to this one:
"New poll, Maariv: Were elections held today, the Opposition would take 71 Knesset seats (out of 120), the present coalition, 44. Of those, only 16 would go to Netanyahu’s Likud, half its present strength. https://m.maariv.co.il/news/politics/Article-1069268"
Indeed. Many in the West may think Netanyahu is doing a good job prosecuting the war in Gaza, but Israelis don’t.
The people that think Netanyahu is doing a good job correlates to the people that think the Tories are doing a good job. At least they are consistent.
Being tossed about on what could be one of the last Solent ferries before you're all cut off. It's getting windy out there.
I'm getting a bit nervous about my conservatory roof. It's creaking like Trump's thought processes.
Completely banjaxed, then ?
On Jan 17 Trump told a New Hampshire audience: “We’re…going to place strong protections to stop banks and regulators from trying to debank you from your—you know, your political beliefs, what they do. They want to debank you, and we’re going to debank—think of this. They want to take away your rights. They want to take away your country. The things they’re doing. All electric cars.” https://twitter.com/tribelaw/status/1749051641280483544
That's the first good news I've seen from the Israeli/Palestine conflict in literally years.
I still think the Opposition were mad not to insist on his resignation before forming a coalition.
Eh?
The 'he' in question is Netanyahu.
Look at the comment you replied to.
I was just testing to see if anyone was awake, honest...*innocent face*
More seriously, Vanilla did that annoying glitch where it put up two posts at once, and I clearly deleted the wrong one. I was trying to reply to this one:
"New poll, Maariv: Were elections held today, the Opposition would take 71 Knesset seats (out of 120), the present coalition, 44. Of those, only 16 would go to Netanyahu’s Likud, half its present strength. https://m.maariv.co.il/news/politics/Article-1069268"
Indeed. Many in the West may think Netanyahu is doing a good job prosecuting the war in Gaza, but Israelis don’t.
Anyone who thinks that is an idiot.
One of the reasons it's gone on as long as it has is because he's toast the moment it finishes.
Do I think that every person killed in Gaza is an 'innocent,' in the words of our favourite Corbynite? Certainly not. That will include many Hamas fighters who are genocidal lunatics. But far more people have died than have needed to in order to support Netanyahu's career, even before he started adopting outright genocidal slogans as his own.
If the Israelis are finally seeing through him, then that is something. Whether it will lead to a better PM is another question given the current state of Israeli politics but losing the scumbag is a start.
Next step, to persuade the Palestinians to abandon Hamas and Fatah, who are even worse than Netanyahu. That's going to be much more difficult, in no small part thanks to Netanyahu's actions.
I expect most of us are experiencing this seriously dangerous storm and in Capel Curig a wind speed of 90 mph has been recorded with expectations it will exceed 100mph later tonight
Yesterday the RNLI launched a multi search and rescue in the Irish Sea, including the Llandudno and Rhyl lifeboats, for a man overboard the Irish ferry who was recovered by the coastguard helicopter but sadly died in hospital. Notwithstanding the crews took to sea in atrocious conditions in an attempt to save a life as they always will
The media, coastguard, and RNLI are warning people to stay away from the coast and indeed anywhere, as it is highly dangerous to be out in these exceptional conditions
However, the broadcast media are wholly irresponsible allowing their journalist to report outside in these conditions, even standing alongside sea walls - what on earth are they thinking, even if indeed they are thinking, and what example it is to others
Keep safe everyone
Nobody living more than five miles from the sea really appreciates the risk that people like Big G junior take to save other people.
He was actually out on exercise this morning in the inshore D class lifeboat when the Coastguard advised to return to the boathouse due to imminent F10 - 11 windspeeds
The Inshore can be at sea at max F6 and anything higher requires the AWB ( all weather boat)
I expect most of us are experiencing this seriously dangerous storm and in Capel Curig a wind speed of 90 mph has been recorded with expectations it will exceed 100mph later tonight
Yesterday the RNLI launched a multi search and rescue in the Irish Sea, including the Llandudno and Rhyl lifeboats, for a man overboard the Irish ferry who was recovered by the coastguard helicopter but sadly died in hospital. Notwithstanding the crews took to sea in atrocious conditions in an attempt to save a life as they always will
The media, coastguard, and RNLI are warning people to stay away from the coast and indeed anywhere, as it is highly dangerous to be out in these exceptional conditions
However, the broadcast media are wholly irresponsible allowing their journalist to report outside in these conditions, even standing alongside sea walls - what on earth are they thinking, even if indeed they are thinking, and what example it is to others
Keep safe everyone
Nobody living more than five miles from the sea really appreciates the risk that people like Big G junior take to save other people.
He was actually out on exercise this morning in the inshore D class lifeboat when the Coastguard advised to return to the boathouse due to imminent F10 - 11 windspeeds
The Inshore can be at sea at max F6 and anything higher requires the AWB ( all weather boat)
Anyone taking any sort of boat out in conditions like this is a much braver person than I am, frankly. Respect.
I do think unlike many that the “back to the office” is not some grand conspiracy to save the economy, it is just that a lot of people really did get sick of working from home every day. In hindsight it was never realistic that people wouldn’t go to the office for at least some of the time.
But I do think it’s shattered the concept of many people ever doing five days again. That really has changed - at least amongst my friendship group.
It's complex - I think the pandemic challenged a lot of people's view of work. When life was more compartmentalised - you lived in one place, worked in another, socialised in both but in different ways with different circles.
Bringing work home was a first and a challenge - that gap was gone and the line between your home life and your work life blurred. Some adapted it to well - others didn't. If it was difficult for individuals it was more so for organisations who found themselves with empty offices for which they were either paying rent or an office whose value was going down with the commercial property market.
Hence an inevitability there would be a reaction as there is to most revolutionary or evolutionary events.
The other aspect of the work-life debate was the recognition for some they preferred the latter to the former and for them stopping working equated to starting living.
A lot of it depended on your boss. I had an asshole line manager who basically made it clear I was unemployed if I didn't eat every bite out of every bag of shit he laid on my table (the table which used to be my dining table, but was now my own personal Work Hell™). Nothing against my former employer per se, but my boss directly contributed to my total nervous breakdown. I might have coped if I'd had my support network, been able to work out at the gym, vent with colleagues over beers after work at the pub. But no. I was stuck. On my own. In a tiny flat. For months. With no human contact.
I'm still seething with rage now, just thinking about it.
I expect most of us are experiencing this seriously dangerous storm and in Capel Curig a wind speed of 90 mph has been recorded with expectations it will exceed 100mph later tonight
Yesterday the RNLI launched a multi search and rescue in the Irish Sea, including the Llandudno and Rhyl lifeboats, for a man overboard the Irish ferry who was recovered by the coastguard helicopter but sadly died in hospital. Notwithstanding the crews took to sea in atrocious conditions in an attempt to save a life as they always will
The media, coastguard, and RNLI are warning people to stay away from the coast and indeed anywhere, as it is highly dangerous to be out in these exceptional conditions
However, the broadcast media are wholly irresponsible allowing their journalist to report outside in these conditions, even standing alongside sea walls - what on earth are they thinking, even if indeed they are thinking, and what example it is to others
Keep safe everyone
Nobody living more than five miles from the sea really appreciates the risk that people like Big G junior take to save other people.
He was actually out on exercise this morning in the inshore D class lifeboat when the Coastguard advised to rReturn to the boathouse due to imminent F10 - 11 windspeeds
The Inshore can be at sea at max F6 and anything higher requires the AWB ( all weather boat)
Anyone taking any sort of boat out in conditions like this is a much braver person than I am, frankly. Respect.
To be honest they shouldn't, but the RNLI crews will train and take to the water in most any conditions to save lives
They are able to self right the inshore and the AWB is self righting but the amount of training and dedication to the service, particularly as they volunteer and are unpaid, is simply a 'calling'
Being tossed about on what could be one of the last Solent ferries before you're all cut off. It's getting windy out there.
I'm getting a bit nervous about my conservatory roof. It's creaking like Trump's thought processes.
Completely banjaxed, then ?
On Jan 17 Trump told a New Hampshire audience: “We’re…going to place strong protections to stop banks and regulators from trying to debank you from your—you know, your political beliefs, what they do. They want to debank you, and we’re going to debank—think of this. They want to take away your rights. They want to take away your country. The things they’re doing. All electric cars.” https://twitter.com/tribelaw/status/1749051641280483544
That's the first good news I've seen from the Israeli/Palestine conflict in literally years.
I still think the Opposition were mad not to insist on his resignation before forming a coalition.
Eh?
The 'he' in question is Netanyahu.
Look at the comment you replied to.
I was just testing to see if anyone was awake, honest...*innocent face*
More seriously, Vanilla did that annoying glitch where it put up two posts at once, and I clearly deleted the wrong one. I was trying to reply to this one:
"New poll, Maariv: Were elections held today, the Opposition would take 71 Knesset seats (out of 120), the present coalition, 44. Of those, only 16 would go to Netanyahu’s Likud, half its present strength. https://m.maariv.co.il/news/politics/Article-1069268"
Indeed. Many in the West may think Netanyahu is doing a good job prosecuting the war in Gaza, but Israelis don’t.
Anyone who thinks that is an idiot.
One of the reasons it's gone on as long as it has is because he's toast the moment it finishes.
Do I think that every person killed in Gaza is an 'innocent,' in the words of our favourite Corbynite? Certainly not. That will include many Hamas fighters who are genocidal lunatics. But far more people have died than have needed to in order to support Netanyahu's career, even before he started adopting outright genocidal slogans as his own.
If the Israelis are finally seeing through him, then that is something. Whether it will lead to a better PM is another question given the current state of Israeli politics but losing the scumbag is a start.
Next step, to persuade the Palestinians to abandon Hamas and Fatah, who are even worse than Netanyahu. That's going to be much more difficult, in no small part thanks to Netanyahu's actions.
Even worse? Netanyahu has killed FIFTEEN times as many people in the last three months!
I disagree with you. I think a lot of the mental health issues around today are due to trying to force introverts to behave like extroverts.
I both agree and disagree.
I worked from home pretty much every day for two years (forcibly during Covid and then a bit after) and it destroyed my mental health. I was never able to escape work, I used to work ridiculous hours. Even though I was - and am - a very sociable chap I just couldn't get my mind off work. This exhausted me and I spiralled into depression.
I then started a new job where I was in every day except Fridays. This initially improved my mental health but over time I felt completely exhausted having to commute in every day, I was constantly ill and I was actually incredibly unproductive because I was constantly being disturbed/distracted by others. My mental health dived again.
So I settled on going in a couple of times a week and then working at home the other three. This gave me a great balance because on the days I went in I got my meetings done in person and for a lot of these I strongly feel the in-person element is important. But on the other days I got my work done in a productive way, I got to do my workouts when I wanted to, I got to run when I wanted to and I organised my day around work instead of the other way around. The result is that my mental health has maintained its strength as the best it has ever been, for well over a year.
I am now looking for something new but I intend to maintain this arrangement for any job I do, assuming I am able to.
I know not everyone has the luxury that I have but I feel very fortunate that I am able to work in a way that works for me.
Good for you. Seriously
Covid fucked with everyone’s brains, I know some that loved lockdown, I was more like you - damaged by it. I’ve realised I’m a kind of loner wandering extrovert - I need plenty of time on my own, to think, but I also love socialising and I basically NEED new experiences- mainly travel, or sex, or whatever - to keep me sane and not suicidal from boredom, Covid prevented: socialising, travel, sex, everything
No wonder I was close to topping myself
The scale of the psychic damage we have wrought with lockdowns on the populations of the world, especially kids, is only now becoming apparent. The introvert geeks who crunch data might have loved it, most hated it
I was literally just now having this exact conversation with a Cambodian restaurant manager. He spoke of Covid like it was a second reign of the Khmer Rouge - he and his business and his sanity barely survived. What the fuck did we do to ourselves?
Who are these people who “loved” lockdown? That is insanity right there.
@AverageNinja is right. Lockdown was destructive, on a grand scale.
I’ve now had Covid thrice. Including a long and deeply boring bout this Christmas which ruined my holiday.
Yet no bout of Covid is as bad as a bout of lockdown.
For reasons that utterly baffle me polling showed, consistently, that lockdown was popular. This was at odds with almost everyone I spoke to.
I can only assume they mean lockdown for other people, not them, and it was one of those classic inconsistent polling findings.
Who were these people who approved of lockdown for other people but didn’t have to follow the rules themselves? Aside from Boris and his pals of course.
Many people say they approve of things that are difficult or demanding. Like higher taxes, less use of scarce public services, building homes next door, lockdowns…
Especially when asked about it. It’s like asking if you are in favour of the NHS or being kind to small children and cute animals.
Strangely, many also have a completely thought out, utterly valid reason why, when it comes down to it, that should only apply to other people.
Being tossed about on what could be one of the last Solent ferries before you're all cut off. It's getting windy out there.
I'm getting a bit nervous about my conservatory roof. It's creaking like Trump's thought processes.
Completely banjaxed, then ?
On Jan 17 Trump told a New Hampshire audience: “We’re…going to place strong protections to stop banks and regulators from trying to debank you from your—you know, your political beliefs, what they do. They want to debank you, and we’re going to debank—think of this. They want to take away your rights. They want to take away your country. The things they’re doing. All electric cars.” https://twitter.com/tribelaw/status/1749051641280483544
That's the first good news I've seen from the Israeli/Palestine conflict in literally years.
I still think the Opposition were mad not to insist on his resignation before forming a coalition.
Eh?
The 'he' in question is Netanyahu.
Look at the comment you replied to.
I was just testing to see if anyone was awake, honest...*innocent face*
More seriously, Vanilla did that annoying glitch where it put up two posts at once, and I clearly deleted the wrong one. I was trying to reply to this one:
"New poll, Maariv: Were elections held today, the Opposition would take 71 Knesset seats (out of 120), the present coalition, 44. Of those, only 16 would go to Netanyahu’s Likud, half its present strength. https://m.maariv.co.il/news/politics/Article-1069268"
Indeed. Many in the West may think Netanyahu is doing a good job prosecuting the war in Gaza, but Israelis don’t.
Anyone who thinks that is an idiot.
One of the reasons it's gone on as long as it has is because he's toast the moment it finishes.
Do I think that every person killed in Gaza is an 'innocent,' in the words of our favourite Corbynite? Certainly not. That will include many Hamas fighters who are genocidal lunatics. But far more people have died than have needed to in order to support Netanyahu's career, even before he started adopting outright genocidal slogans as his own.
If the Israelis are finally seeing through him, then that is something. Whether it will lead to a better PM is another question given the current state of Israeli politics but losing the scumbag is a start.
Next step, to persuade the Palestinians to abandon Hamas and Fatah, who are even worse than Netanyahu. That's going to be much more difficult, in no small part thanks to Netanyahu's actions.
Even worse? Netanyahu has killed FIFTEEN times as many people in the last three months!
Your naivety is staggering. Do you think if the "scoreboard" was the other way around Hamas would stop?
I disagree with you. I think a lot of the mental health issues around today are due to trying to force introverts to behave like extroverts.
I both agree and disagree.
I worked from home pretty much every day for two years (forcibly during Covid and then a bit after) and it destroyed my mental health. I was never able to escape work, I used to work ridiculous hours. Even though I was - and am - a very sociable chap I just couldn't get my mind off work. This exhausted me and I spiralled into depression.
I then started a new job where I was in every day except Fridays. This initially improved my mental health but over time I felt completely exhausted having to commute in every day, I was constantly ill and I was actually incredibly unproductive because I was constantly being disturbed/distracted by others. My mental health dived again.
So I settled on going in a couple of times a week and then working at home the other three. This gave me a great balance because on the days I went in I got my meetings done in person and for a lot of these I strongly feel the in-person element is important. But on the other days I got my work done in a productive way, I got to do my workouts when I wanted to, I got to run when I wanted to and I organised my day around work instead of the other way around. The result is that my mental health has maintained its strength as the best it has ever been, for well over a year.
I am now looking for something new but I intend to maintain this arrangement for any job I do, assuming I am able to.
I know not everyone has the luxury that I have but I feel very fortunate that I am able to work in a way that works for me.
Good for you. Seriously
Covid fucked with everyone’s brains, I know some that loved lockdown, I was more like you - damaged by it. I’ve realised I’m a kind of loner wandering extrovert - I need plenty of time on my own, to think, but I also love socialising and I basically NEED new experiences- mainly travel, or sex, or whatever - to keep me sane and not suicidal from boredom, Covid prevented: socialising, travel, sex, everything
No wonder I was close to topping myself
The scale of the psychic damage we have wrought with lockdowns on the populations of the world, especially kids, is only now becoming apparent. The introvert geeks who crunch data might have loved it, most hated it
I was literally just now having this exact conversation with a Cambodian restaurant manager. He spoke of Covid like it was a second reign of the Khmer Rouge - he and his business and his sanity barely survived. What the fuck did we do to ourselves?
Who are these people who “loved” lockdown? That is insanity right there.
@AverageNinja is right. Lockdown was destructive, on a grand scale.
I’ve now had Covid thrice. Including a long and deeply boring bout this Christmas which ruined my holiday.
Yet no bout of Covid is as bad as a bout of lockdown.
For reasons that utterly baffle me polling showed, consistently, that lockdown was popular. This was at odds with almost everyone I spoke to.
I can only assume they mean lockdown for other people, not them, and it was one of those classic inconsistent polling findings.
Who were these people who approved of lockdown for other people but didn’t have to follow the rules themselves? Aside from Boris and his pals of course.
Many people say they approve of things that are difficult or demanding. Like higher taxes, less use of scarce public services, building homes next door, lockdowns…
Especially when asked about it. It’s like asking if you are in favour of the NHS or being kind to small children and cute animals.
Strangely, many also have a completely thought out, utterly valid reason why, when it comes down to it, that should only apply to other people.
I broke the rules most days during that first lockdown, in a minor way. AFAICR the rule was that we were allowed out once a day for exercise; I took my son outside for that. But I went out again most days for a walk or run, taking routes that mostly kept me away from other people.
Yes, it was against the rules as I understood them. But it was a minor risk, and did my head and mood a lot of good. A calculated risk and rule-breaking.
Supposedly got the penultimate day of my latest trial tomorrow. All Scotrail trains stopped at 7pm and will be off until after the rush hour tomorrow. Not exactly optimistic that all of the relevant parties are going to make it to court. One thing after another in this trial.
Being tossed about on what could be one of the last Solent ferries before you're all cut off. It's getting windy out there.
I'm getting a bit nervous about my conservatory roof. It's creaking like Trump's thought processes.
Completely banjaxed, then ?
On Jan 17 Trump told a New Hampshire audience: “We’re…going to place strong protections to stop banks and regulators from trying to debank you from your—you know, your political beliefs, what they do. They want to debank you, and we’re going to debank—think of this. They want to take away your rights. They want to take away your country. The things they’re doing. All electric cars.” https://twitter.com/tribelaw/status/1749051641280483544
That's the first good news I've seen from the Israeli/Palestine conflict in literally years.
I still think the Opposition were mad not to insist on his resignation before forming a coalition.
Eh?
The 'he' in question is Netanyahu.
Look at the comment you replied to.
I was just testing to see if anyone was awake, honest...*innocent face*
More seriously, Vanilla did that annoying glitch where it put up two posts at once, and I clearly deleted the wrong one. I was trying to reply to this one:
"New poll, Maariv: Were elections held today, the Opposition would take 71 Knesset seats (out of 120), the present coalition, 44. Of those, only 16 would go to Netanyahu’s Likud, half its present strength. https://m.maariv.co.il/news/politics/Article-1069268"
Indeed. Many in the West may think Netanyahu is doing a good job prosecuting the war in Gaza, but Israelis don’t.
Anyone who thinks that is an idiot.
One of the reasons it's gone on as long as it has is because he's toast the moment it finishes.
Do I think that every person killed in Gaza is an 'innocent,' in the words of our favourite Corbynite? Certainly not. That will include many Hamas fighters who are genocidal lunatics. But far more people have died than have needed to in order to support Netanyahu's career, even before he started adopting outright genocidal slogans as his own.
If the Israelis are finally seeing through him, then that is something. Whether it will lead to a better PM is another question given the current state of Israeli politics but losing the scumbag is a start.
Next step, to persuade the Palestinians to abandon Hamas and Fatah, who are even worse than Netanyahu. That's going to be much more difficult, in no small part thanks to Netanyahu's actions.
Even worse? Netanyahu has killed FIFTEEN times as many people in the last three months!
Your naivety is staggering. Do you think if the "scoreboard" was the other way around Hamas would stop?
Hamas's wet dream, and that of many of their supporters, is for the scoreboard to be the other way around. And more so.
But that does not excuse what Netanyahu's done. He's doing Israel immense harm.
I do think unlike many that the “back to the office” is not some grand conspiracy to save the economy, it is just that a lot of people really did get sick of working from home every day. In hindsight it was never realistic that people wouldn’t go to the office for at least some of the time.
But I do think it’s shattered the concept of many people ever doing five days again. That really has changed - at least amongst my friendship group.
It's complex - I think the pandemic challenged a lot of people's view of work. When life was more compartmentalised - you lived in one place, worked in another, socialised in both but in different ways with different circles.
Bringing work home was a first and a challenge - that gap was gone and the line between your home life and your work life blurred. Some adapted it to well - others didn't. If it was difficult for individuals it was more so for organisations who found themselves with empty offices for which they were either paying rent or an office whose value was going down with the commercial property market.
Hence an inevitability there would be a reaction as there is to most revolutionary or evolutionary events.
The other aspect of the work-life debate was the recognition for some they preferred the latter to the former and for them stopping working equated to starting living.
A lot of it depended on your boss. I had an asshole line manager who basically made it clear I was unemployed if I didn't eat every bite out of every bag of shit he laid on my table (the table which used to be my dining table, but was now my own personal Work Hell™). Nothing against my former employer per se, but my boss directly contributed to my total nervous breakdown. I might have coped if I'd had my support network, been able to work out at the gym, vent with colleagues over beers after work at the pub. But no. I was stuck. On my own. In a tiny flat. For months. With no human contact.
I'm still seething with rage now, just thinking about it.
Yes.
Everyone's experience was different and it depended on a range of factors both physical, mental and psychological. Some did cope well - others didn't. It was a situation for which most of us were unpreprared - it's not like a storm or a blizzard or a train strike for which preparation could be made. This was outside everyone's experience - again, had we known it would last a week, we could have coped but the unknown was the time. It could have gone on of months longer we just didn't know or couldn't be sure.
I understand it was purgatory for many and compounded for those who had older relatives with covid. Once I realised outdoor transmission of the virus was unlikely, I remember trying to enjoy the outdoors with a daily walk along empty streets or the garden and I wholly recognise how fortunate I was.
It affected us all and for some the effects are still with them.
Being tossed about on what could be one of the last Solent ferries before you're all cut off. It's getting windy out there.
I'm getting a bit nervous about my conservatory roof. It's creaking like Trump's thought processes.
Completely banjaxed, then ?
On Jan 17 Trump told a New Hampshire audience: “We’re…going to place strong protections to stop banks and regulators from trying to debank you from your—you know, your political beliefs, what they do. They want to debank you, and we’re going to debank—think of this. They want to take away your rights. They want to take away your country. The things they’re doing. All electric cars.” https://twitter.com/tribelaw/status/1749051641280483544
That's the first good news I've seen from the Israeli/Palestine conflict in literally years.
I still think the Opposition were mad not to insist on his resignation before forming a coalition.
Eh?
The 'he' in question is Netanyahu.
Look at the comment you replied to.
I was just testing to see if anyone was awake, honest...*innocent face*
More seriously, Vanilla did that annoying glitch where it put up two posts at once, and I clearly deleted the wrong one. I was trying to reply to this one:
"New poll, Maariv: Were elections held today, the Opposition would take 71 Knesset seats (out of 120), the present coalition, 44. Of those, only 16 would go to Netanyahu’s Likud, half its present strength. https://m.maariv.co.il/news/politics/Article-1069268"
Indeed. Many in the West may think Netanyahu is doing a good job prosecuting the war in Gaza, but Israelis don’t.
Anyone who thinks that is an idiot.
One of the reasons it's gone on as long as it has is because he's toast the moment it finishes.
Do I think that every person killed in Gaza is an 'innocent,' in the words of our favourite Corbynite? Certainly not. That will include many Hamas fighters who are genocidal lunatics. But far more people have died than have needed to in order to support Netanyahu's career, even before he started adopting outright genocidal slogans as his own.
If the Israelis are finally seeing through him, then that is something. Whether it will lead to a better PM is another question given the current state of Israeli politics but losing the scumbag is a start.
Next step, to persuade the Palestinians to abandon Hamas and Fatah, who are even worse than Netanyahu. That's going to be much more difficult, in no small part thanks to Netanyahu's actions.
The further someone is from Israel, the more uncritical they tend to be off Netenyahu.
Being tossed about on what could be one of the last Solent ferries before you're all cut off. It's getting windy out there.
I'm getting a bit nervous about my conservatory roof. It's creaking like Trump's thought processes.
Completely banjaxed, then ?
On Jan 17 Trump told a New Hampshire audience: “We’re…going to place strong protections to stop banks and regulators from trying to debank you from your—you know, your political beliefs, what they do. They want to debank you, and we’re going to debank—think of this. They want to take away your rights. They want to take away your country. The things they’re doing. All electric cars.” https://twitter.com/tribelaw/status/1749051641280483544
That's the first good news I've seen from the Israeli/Palestine conflict in literally years.
I still think the Opposition were mad not to insist on his resignation before forming a coalition.
Eh?
The 'he' in question is Netanyahu.
Look at the comment you replied to.
I was just testing to see if anyone was awake, honest...*innocent face*
More seriously, Vanilla did that annoying glitch where it put up two posts at once, and I clearly deleted the wrong one. I was trying to reply to this one:
"New poll, Maariv: Were elections held today, the Opposition would take 71 Knesset seats (out of 120), the present coalition, 44. Of those, only 16 would go to Netanyahu’s Likud, half its present strength. https://m.maariv.co.il/news/politics/Article-1069268"
Indeed. Many in the West may think Netanyahu is doing a good job prosecuting the war in Gaza, but Israelis don’t.
Anyone who thinks that is an idiot.
One of the reasons it's gone on as long as it has is because he's toast the moment it finishes.
Do I think that every person killed in Gaza is an 'innocent,' in the words of our favourite Corbynite? Certainly not. That will include many Hamas fighters who are genocidal lunatics. But far more people have died than have needed to in order to support Netanyahu's career, even before he started adopting outright genocidal slogans as his own.
If the Israelis are finally seeing through him, then that is something. Whether it will lead to a better PM is another question given the current state of Israeli politics but losing the scumbag is a start.
Next step, to persuade the Palestinians to abandon Hamas and Fatah, who are even worse than Netanyahu. That's going to be much more difficult, in no small part thanks to Netanyahu's actions.
Even worse? Netanyahu has killed FIFTEEN times as many people in the last three months!
Your naivety is staggering. Do you think if the "scoreboard" was the other way around Hamas would stop?
Before ze war, in fact from 2008 to August 2023, we get this bar chart from Wikipedia*:
I do think unlike many that the “back to the office” is not some grand conspiracy to save the economy, it is just that a lot of people really did get sick of working from home every day. In hindsight it was never realistic that people wouldn’t go to the office for at least some of the time.
But I do think it’s shattered the concept of many people ever doing five days again. That really has changed - at least amongst my friendship group.
It's complex - I think the pandemic challenged a lot of people's view of work. When life was more compartmentalised - you lived in one place, worked in another, socialised in both but in different ways with different circles.
Bringing work home was a first and a challenge - that gap was gone and the line between your home life and your work life blurred. Some adapted it to well - others didn't. If it was difficult for individuals it was more so for organisations who found themselves with empty offices for which they were either paying rent or an office whose value was going down with the commercial property market.
Hence an inevitability there would be a reaction as there is to most revolutionary or evolutionary events.
The other aspect of the work-life debate was the recognition for some they preferred the latter to the former and for them stopping working equated to starting living.
A lot of it depended on your boss. I had an asshole line manager who basically made it clear I was unemployed if I didn't eat every bite out of every bag of shit he laid on my table (the table which used to be my dining table, but was now my own personal Work Hell™). Nothing against my former employer per se, but my boss directly contributed to my total nervous breakdown. I might have coped if I'd had my support network, been able to work out at the gym, vent with colleagues over beers after work at the pub. But no. I was stuck. On my own. In a tiny flat. For months. With no human contact.
I'm still seething with rage now, just thinking about it.
A problem, which is curiously not recognised by many, is that working from home requires skills and by-in from management and workforce. And an appropriate work methodology.
Many in software already worked in Agile - which was expressly designed for distributed teams and remote working. In addition remote working systems were commonplace.
For many people, being sent home with a battered laptop was all there was. Control freak managers became even more control freakish
So for some, working from home was a simple extension of what they already did. For others, it was, and is, a disaster.
Same procedure as before: I'll incorporate your points (some'll have to go into an appendix) into an upgraded version and discuss it with you backstage at a later date.
I disagree with you. I think a lot of the mental health issues around today are due to trying to force introverts to behave like extroverts.
I both agree and disagree.
I worked from home pretty much every day for two years (forcibly during Covid and then a bit after) and it destroyed my mental health. I was never able to escape work, I used to work ridiculous hours. Even though I was - and am - a very sociable chap I just couldn't get my mind off work. This exhausted me and I spiralled into depression.
I then started a new job where I was in every day except Fridays. This initially improved my mental health but over time I felt completely exhausted having to commute in every day, I was constantly ill and I was actually incredibly unproductive because I was constantly being disturbed/distracted by others. My mental health dived again.
So I settled on going in a couple of times a week and then working at home the other three. This gave me a great balance because on the days I went in I got my meetings done in person and for a lot of these I strongly feel the in-person element is important. But on the other days I got my work done in a productive way, I got to do my workouts when I wanted to, I got to run when I wanted to and I organised my day around work instead of the other way around. The result is that my mental health has maintained its strength as the best it has ever been, for well over a year.
I am now looking for something new but I intend to maintain this arrangement for any job I do, assuming I am able to.
I know not everyone has the luxury that I have but I feel very fortunate that I am able to work in a way that works for me.
Good for you. Seriously
Covid fucked with everyone’s brains, I know some that loved lockdown, I was more like you - damaged by it. I’ve realised I’m a kind of loner wandering extrovert - I need plenty of time on my own, to think, but I also love socialising and I basically NEED new experiences- mainly travel, or sex, or whatever - to keep me sane and not suicidal from boredom, Covid prevented: socialising, travel, sex, everything
No wonder I was close to topping myself
The scale of the psychic damage we have wrought with lockdowns on the populations of the world, especially kids, is only now becoming apparent. The introvert geeks who crunch data might have loved it, most hated it
I was literally just now having this exact conversation with a Cambodian restaurant manager. He spoke of Covid like it was a second reign of the Khmer Rouge - he and his business and his sanity barely survived. What the fuck did we do to ourselves?
Who are these people who “loved” lockdown? That is insanity right there.
@AverageNinja is right. Lockdown was destructive, on a grand scale.
I’ve now had Covid thrice. Including a long and deeply boring bout this Christmas which ruined my holiday.
Yet no bout of Covid is as bad as a bout of lockdown.
For reasons that utterly baffle me polling showed, consistently, that lockdown was popular. This was at odds with almost everyone I spoke to.
I can only assume they mean lockdown for other people, not them, and it was one of those classic inconsistent polling findings.
Who were these people who approved of lockdown for other people but didn’t have to follow the rules themselves? Aside from Boris and his pals of course.
Many people say they approve of things that are difficult or demanding. Like higher taxes, less use of scarce public services, building homes next door, lockdowns…
Especially when asked about it. It’s like asking if you are in favour of the NHS or being kind to small children and cute animals.
Strangely, many also have a completely thought out, utterly valid reason why, when it comes down to it, that should only apply to other people.
I broke the rules most days during that first lockdown, in a minor way. AFAICR the rule was that we were allowed out once a day for exercise; I took my son outside for that. But I went out again most days for a walk or run, taking routes that mostly kept me away from other people.
Yes, it was against the rules as I understood them. But it was a minor risk, and did my head and mood a lot of good. A calculated risk and rule-breaking.
There never was a rule that you could only go out once a day.
Being tossed about on what could be one of the last Solent ferries before you're all cut off. It's getting windy out there.
I'm getting a bit nervous about my conservatory roof. It's creaking like Trump's thought processes.
Completely banjaxed, then ?
On Jan 17 Trump told a New Hampshire audience: “We’re…going to place strong protections to stop banks and regulators from trying to debank you from your—you know, your political beliefs, what they do. They want to debank you, and we’re going to debank—think of this. They want to take away your rights. They want to take away your country. The things they’re doing. All electric cars.” https://twitter.com/tribelaw/status/1749051641280483544
That's the first good news I've seen from the Israeli/Palestine conflict in literally years.
I still think the Opposition were mad not to insist on his resignation before forming a coalition.
Eh?
The 'he' in question is Netanyahu.
Look at the comment you replied to.
I was just testing to see if anyone was awake, honest...*innocent face*
More seriously, Vanilla did that annoying glitch where it put up two posts at once, and I clearly deleted the wrong one. I was trying to reply to this one:
"New poll, Maariv: Were elections held today, the Opposition would take 71 Knesset seats (out of 120), the present coalition, 44. Of those, only 16 would go to Netanyahu’s Likud, half its present strength. https://m.maariv.co.il/news/politics/Article-1069268"
Indeed. Many in the West may think Netanyahu is doing a good job prosecuting the war in Gaza, but Israelis don’t.
Anyone who thinks that is an idiot.
One of the reasons it's gone on as long as it has is because he's toast the moment it finishes.
Do I think that every person killed in Gaza is an 'innocent,' in the words of our favourite Corbynite? Certainly not. That will include many Hamas fighters who are genocidal lunatics. But far more people have died than have needed to in order to support Netanyahu's career, even before he started adopting outright genocidal slogans as his own.
If the Israelis are finally seeing through him, then that is something. Whether it will lead to a better PM is another question given the current state of Israeli politics but losing the scumbag is a start.
Next step, to persuade the Palestinians to abandon Hamas and Fatah, who are even worse than Netanyahu. That's going to be much more difficult, in no small part thanks to Netanyahu's actions.
Even worse? Netanyahu has killed FIFTEEN times as many people in the last three months!
Your naivety is staggering. Do you think if the "scoreboard" was the other way around Hamas would stop?
Before ze war, in fact from 2008 to August 2023, we get this bar chart from Wikipedia*:
* ie. this bar chart is NOT a Sunil Special!
The Tories can't win here. Only the Lib Dems can beat the number of Palestinian deaths Labour recorded in 2014.
I disagree with you. I think a lot of the mental health issues around today are due to trying to force introverts to behave like extroverts.
I both agree and disagree.
I worked from home pretty much every day for two years (forcibly during Covid and then a bit after) and it destroyed my mental health. I was never able to escape work, I used to work ridiculous hours. Even though I was - and am - a very sociable chap I just couldn't get my mind off work. This exhausted me and I spiralled into depression.
I then started a new job where I was in every day except Fridays. This initially improved my mental health but over time I felt completely exhausted having to commute in every day, I was constantly ill and I was actually incredibly unproductive because I was constantly being disturbed/distracted by others. My mental health dived again.
So I settled on going in a couple of times a week and then working at home the other three. This gave me a great balance because on the days I went in I got my meetings done in person and for a lot of these I strongly feel the in-person element is important. But on the other days I got my work done in a productive way, I got to do my workouts when I wanted to, I got to run when I wanted to and I organised my day around work instead of the other way around. The result is that my mental health has maintained its strength as the best it has ever been, for well over a year.
I am now looking for something new but I intend to maintain this arrangement for any job I do, assuming I am able to.
I know not everyone has the luxury that I have but I feel very fortunate that I am able to work in a way that works for me.
Good for you. Seriously
Covid fucked with everyone’s brains, I know some that loved lockdown, I was more like you - damaged by it. I’ve realised I’m a kind of loner wandering extrovert - I need plenty of time on my own, to think, but I also love socialising and I basically NEED new experiences- mainly travel, or sex, or whatever - to keep me sane and not suicidal from boredom, Covid prevented: socialising, travel, sex, everything
No wonder I was close to topping myself
The scale of the psychic damage we have wrought with lockdowns on the populations of the world, especially kids, is only now becoming apparent. The introvert geeks who crunch data might have loved it, most hated it
I was literally just now having this exact conversation with a Cambodian restaurant manager. He spoke of Covid like it was a second reign of the Khmer Rouge - he and his business and his sanity barely survived. What the fuck did we do to ourselves?
Who are these people who “loved” lockdown? That is insanity right there.
@AverageNinja is right. Lockdown was destructive, on a grand scale.
I’ve now had Covid thrice. Including a long and deeply boring bout this Christmas which ruined my holiday.
Yet no bout of Covid is as bad as a bout of lockdown.
For reasons that utterly baffle me polling showed, consistently, that lockdown was popular. This was at odds with almost everyone I spoke to.
I can only assume they mean lockdown for other people, not them, and it was one of those classic inconsistent polling findings.
Who were these people who approved of lockdown for other people but didn’t have to follow the rules themselves? Aside from Boris and his pals of course.
Many people say they approve of things that are difficult or demanding. Like higher taxes, less use of scarce public services, building homes next door, lockdowns…
Especially when asked about it. It’s like asking if you are in favour of the NHS or being kind to small children and cute animals.
Strangely, many also have a completely thought out, utterly valid reason why, when it comes down to it, that should only apply to other people.
I broke the rules most days during that first lockdown, in a minor way. AFAICR the rule was that we were allowed out once a day for exercise; I took my son outside for that. But I went out again most days for a walk or run, taking routes that mostly kept me away from other people.
Yes, it was against the rules as I understood them. But it was a minor risk, and did my head and mood a lot of good. A calculated risk and rule-breaking.
There never was a rule that you could only go out once a day.
There was also never a rule you had to stay in the same place. If you needed to move, you could.
There was also apparently no ban on socialising at work.
It just wasn't made very clear unless it directly affected our Lords and Masters.
I do think unlike many that the “back to the office” is not some grand conspiracy to save the economy, it is just that a lot of people really did get sick of working from home every day. In hindsight it was never realistic that people wouldn’t go to the office for at least some of the time.
But I do think it’s shattered the concept of many people ever doing five days again. That really has changed - at least amongst my friendship group.
It's complex - I think the pandemic challenged a lot of people's view of work. When life was more compartmentalised - you lived in one place, worked in another, socialised in both but in different ways with different circles.
Bringing work home was a first and a challenge - that gap was gone and the line between your home life and your work life blurred. Some adapted it to well - others didn't. If it was difficult for individuals it was more so for organisations who found themselves with empty offices for which they were either paying rent or an office whose value was going down with the commercial property market.
Hence an inevitability there would be a reaction as there is to most revolutionary or evolutionary events.
The other aspect of the work-life debate was the recognition for some they preferred the latter to the former and for them stopping working equated to starting living.
A lot of it depended on your boss. I had an asshole line manager who basically made it clear I was unemployed if I didn't eat every bite out of every bag of shit he laid on my table (the table which used to be my dining table, but was now my own personal Work Hell™). Nothing against my former employer per se, but my boss directly contributed to my total nervous breakdown. I might have coped if I'd had my support network, been able to work out at the gym, vent with colleagues over beers after work at the pub. But no. I was stuck. On my own. In a tiny flat. For months. With no human contact.
I'm still seething with rage now, just thinking about it.
A problem, which is curiously not recognised by many, is that working from home requires skills and by-in from management and workforce. And an appropriate work methodology.
Many in software already worked in Agile - which was expressly designed for distributed teams and remote working. In addition remote working systems were commonplace.
For many people, being sent home with a battered laptop was all there was. Control freak managers became even more control freakish
So for some, working from home was a simple extension of what they already did. For others, it was, and is, a disaster.
One friend of mine was working much longer hours while at home because his managers on-site Don scheduling so many Teams meetings 'to check in'.
Eventually he just got another screen and left them rabbitting on while he did the actual work.
So Kids are suffering because of lockdown. Why then do the majority who hold such a view favour tax cuts for themselves rather than spending increases on the areas which could help?
The issue is that spending is necessary but not sufficient
Government often does not spend wisely and the unions (reasonably given their role) will advocate just for better wages and conditions for teachers.
It is likely, as a result, there will be limited return on additional budget
What there needs to be is an imaginative rethinking of how to solve the problem. Then fund it appropriately. I’m not sure I’ve seen evidence of the necessary thinking.
Being tossed about on what could be one of the last Solent ferries before you're all cut off. It's getting windy out there.
I'm getting a bit nervous about my conservatory roof. It's creaking like Trump's thought processes.
Completely banjaxed, then ?
On Jan 17 Trump told a New Hampshire audience: “We’re…going to place strong protections to stop banks and regulators from trying to debank you from your—you know, your political beliefs, what they do. They want to debank you, and we’re going to debank—think of this. They want to take away your rights. They want to take away your country. The things they’re doing. All electric cars.” https://twitter.com/tribelaw/status/1749051641280483544
That's the first good news I've seen from the Israeli/Palestine conflict in literally years.
I still think the Opposition were mad not to insist on his resignation before forming a coalition.
Eh?
The 'he' in question is Netanyahu.
Look at the comment you replied to.
I was just testing to see if anyone was awake, honest...*innocent face*
More seriously, Vanilla did that annoying glitch where it put up two posts at once, and I clearly deleted the wrong one. I was trying to reply to this one:
"New poll, Maariv: Were elections held today, the Opposition would take 71 Knesset seats (out of 120), the present coalition, 44. Of those, only 16 would go to Netanyahu’s Likud, half its present strength. https://m.maariv.co.il/news/politics/Article-1069268"
Indeed. Many in the West may think Netanyahu is doing a good job prosecuting the war in Gaza, but Israelis don’t.
The people that think Netanyahu is doing a good job correlates to the people that think the Tories are doing a good job. At least they are consistent.
So Kids are suffering because of lockdown. Why then do the majority who hold such a view favour tax cuts for themselves rather than spending increases on the areas which could help?
The issue is that spending is necessary but not sufficient
Government often does not spend wisely and the unions (reasonably given their role) will advocate just for better wages and conditions for teachers.
It is likely, as a result, there will be limited return on additional budget
What there needs to be is an imaginative rethinking of how to solve the problem. Then fund it appropriately. I’m not sure I’ve seen evidence of the necessary thinking.
I'm not talking about teachers. I'm talking about specialist support services which used to exist but now don't.
I do think unlike many that the “back to the office” is not some grand conspiracy to save the economy, it is just that a lot of people really did get sick of working from home every day. In hindsight it was never realistic that people wouldn’t go to the office for at least some of the time.
But I do think it’s shattered the concept of many people ever doing five days again. That really has changed - at least amongst my friendship group.
It's complex - I think the pandemic challenged a lot of people's view of work. When life was more compartmentalised - you lived in one place, worked in another, socialised in both but in different ways with different circles.
Bringing work home was a first and a challenge - that gap was gone and the line between your home life and your work life blurred. Some adapted it to well - others didn't. If it was difficult for individuals it was more so for organisations who found themselves with empty offices for which they were either paying rent or an office whose value was going down with the commercial property market.
Hence an inevitability there would be a reaction as there is to most revolutionary or evolutionary events.
The other aspect of the work-life debate was the recognition for some they preferred the latter to the former and for them stopping working equated to starting living.
A lot of it depended on your boss. I had an asshole line manager who basically made it clear I was unemployed if I didn't eat every bite out of every bag of shit he laid on my table (the table which used to be my dining table, but was now my own personal Work Hell™). Nothing against my former employer per se, but my boss directly contributed to my total nervous breakdown. I might have coped if I'd had my support network, been able to work out at the gym, vent with colleagues over beers after work at the pub. But no. I was stuck. On my own. In a tiny flat. For months. With no human contact.
I'm still seething with rage now, just thinking about it.
A problem, which is curiously not recognised by many, is that working from home requires skills and by-in from management and workforce. And an appropriate work methodology.
Many in software already worked in Agile - which was expressly designed for distributed teams and remote working. In addition remote working systems were commonplace.
For many people, being sent home with a battered laptop was all there was. Control freak managers became even more control freakish
So for some, working from home was a simple extension of what they already did. For others, it was, and is, a disaster.
One friend of mine was working much longer hours while at home because his managers on-site Don scheduling so many Teams meetings 'to check in'.
Eventually he just got another screen and left them rabbitting on while he did the actual work.
I do think unlike many that the “back to the office” is not some grand conspiracy to save the economy, it is just that a lot of people really did get sick of working from home every day. In hindsight it was never realistic that people wouldn’t go to the office for at least some of the time.
But I do think it’s shattered the concept of many people ever doing five days again. That really has changed - at least amongst my friendship group.
It's complex - I think the pandemic challenged a lot of people's view of work. When life was more compartmentalised - you lived in one place, worked in another, socialised in both but in different ways with different circles.
Bringing work home was a first and a challenge - that gap was gone and the line between your home life and your work life blurred. Some adapted it to well - others didn't. If it was difficult for individuals it was more so for organisations who found themselves with empty offices for which they were either paying rent or an office whose value was going down with the commercial property market.
Hence an inevitability there would be a reaction as there is to most revolutionary or evolutionary events.
The other aspect of the work-life debate was the recognition for some they preferred the latter to the former and for them stopping working equated to starting living.
A lot of it depended on your boss. I had an asshole line manager who basically made it clear I was unemployed if I didn't eat every bite out of every bag of shit he laid on my table (the table which used to be my dining table, but was now my own personal Work Hell™). Nothing against my former employer per se, but my boss directly contributed to my total nervous breakdown. I might have coped if I'd had my support network, been able to work out at the gym, vent with colleagues over beers after work at the pub. But no. I was stuck. On my own. In a tiny flat. For months. With no human contact.
I'm still seething with rage now, just thinking about it.
A problem, which is curiously not recognised by many, is that working from home requires skills and by-in from management and workforce. And an appropriate work methodology.
Many in software already worked in Agile - which was expressly designed for distributed teams and remote working. In addition remote working systems were commonplace.
For many people, being sent home with a battered laptop was all there was. Control freak managers became even more control freakish
So for some, working from home was a simple extension of what they already did. For others, it was, and is, a disaster.
One friend of mine was working much longer hours while at home because his managers on-site Don scheduling so many Teams meetings 'to check in'.
Eventually he just got another screen and left them rabbitting on while he did the actual work.
I have no idea what happened there. The words in bold should be 'insisted on.'
I disagree with you. I think a lot of the mental health issues around today are due to trying to force introverts to behave like extroverts.
I both agree and disagree.
I worked from home pretty much every day for two years (forcibly during Covid and then a bit after) and it destroyed my mental health. I was never able to escape work, I used to work ridiculous hours. Even though I was - and am - a very sociable chap I just couldn't get my mind off work. This exhausted me and I spiralled into depression.
I then started a new job where I was in every day except Fridays. This initially improved my mental health but over time I felt completely exhausted having to commute in every day, I was constantly ill and I was actually incredibly unproductive because I was constantly being disturbed/distracted by others. My mental health dived again.
So I settled on going in a couple of times a week and then working at home the other three. This gave me a great balance because on the days I went in I got my meetings done in person and for a lot of these I strongly feel the in-person element is important. But on the other days I got my work done in a productive way, I got to do my workouts when I wanted to, I got to run when I wanted to and I organised my day around work instead of the other way around. The result is that my mental health has maintained its strength as the best it has ever been, for well over a year.
I am now looking for something new but I intend to maintain this arrangement for any job I do, assuming I am able to.
I know not everyone has the luxury that I have but I feel very fortunate that I am able to work in a way that works for me.
Good for you. Seriously
Covid fucked with everyone’s brains, I know some that loved lockdown, I was more like you - damaged by it. I’ve realised I’m a kind of loner wandering extrovert - I need plenty of time on my own, to think, but I also love socialising and I basically NEED new experiences- mainly travel, or sex, or whatever - to keep me sane and not suicidal from boredom, Covid prevented: socialising, travel, sex, everything
No wonder I was close to topping myself
The scale of the psychic damage we have wrought with lockdowns on the populations of the world, especially kids, is only now becoming apparent. The introvert geeks who crunch data might have loved it, most hated it
I was literally just now having this exact conversation with a Cambodian restaurant manager. He spoke of Covid like it was a second reign of the Khmer Rouge - he and his business and his sanity barely survived. What the fuck did we do to ourselves?
Who are these people who “loved” lockdown? That is insanity right there.
@AverageNinja is right. Lockdown was destructive, on a grand scale.
I’ve now had Covid thrice. Including a long and deeply boring bout this Christmas which ruined my holiday.
Yet no bout of Covid is as bad as a bout of lockdown.
For reasons that utterly baffle me polling showed, consistently, that lockdown was popular. This was at odds with almost everyone I spoke to.
I can only assume they mean lockdown for other people, not them, and it was one of those classic inconsistent polling findings.
Who were these people who approved of lockdown for other people but didn’t have to follow the rules themselves? Aside from Boris and his pals of course.
Many people say they approve of things that are difficult or demanding. Like higher taxes, less use of scarce public services, building homes next door, lockdowns…
Especially when asked about it. It’s like asking if you are in favour of the NHS or being kind to small children and cute animals.
Strangely, many also have a completely thought out, utterly valid reason why, when it comes down to it, that should only apply to other people.
I broke the rules most days during that first lockdown, in a minor way. AFAICR the rule was that we were allowed out once a day for exercise; I took my son outside for that. But I went out again most days for a walk or run, taking routes that mostly kept me away from other people.
Yes, it was against the rules as I understood them. But it was a minor risk, and did my head and mood a lot of good. A calculated risk and rule-breaking.
There never was a rule that you could only go out once a day.
I do think unlike many that the “back to the office” is not some grand conspiracy to save the economy, it is just that a lot of people really did get sick of working from home every day. In hindsight it was never realistic that people wouldn’t go to the office for at least some of the time.
But I do think it’s shattered the concept of many people ever doing five days again. That really has changed - at least amongst my friendship group.
It's complex - I think the pandemic challenged a lot of people's view of work. When life was more compartmentalised - you lived in one place, worked in another, socialised in both but in different ways with different circles.
Bringing work home was a first and a challenge - that gap was gone and the line between your home life and your work life blurred. Some adapted it to well - others didn't. If it was difficult for individuals it was more so for organisations who found themselves with empty offices for which they were either paying rent or an office whose value was going down with the commercial property market.
Hence an inevitability there would be a reaction as there is to most revolutionary or evolutionary events.
The other aspect of the work-life debate was the recognition for some they preferred the latter to the former and for them stopping working equated to starting living.
A lot of it depended on your boss. I had an asshole line manager who basically made it clear I was unemployed if I didn't eat every bite out of every bag of shit he laid on my table (the table which used to be my dining table, but was now my own personal Work Hell™). Nothing against my former employer per se, but my boss directly contributed to my total nervous breakdown. I might have coped if I'd had my support network, been able to work out at the gym, vent with colleagues over beers after work at the pub. But no. I was stuck. On my own. In a tiny flat. For months. With no human contact.
I'm still seething with rage now, just thinking about it.
A problem, which is curiously not recognised by many, is that working from home requires skills and by-in from management and workforce. And an appropriate work methodology.
Many in software already worked in Agile - which was expressly designed for distributed teams and remote working. In addition remote working systems were commonplace.
For many people, being sent home with a battered laptop was all there was. Control freak managers became even more control freakish
So for some, working from home was a simple extension of what they already did. For others, it was, and is, a disaster.
One friend of mine was working much longer hours while at home because his managers on-site Don scheduling so many Teams meetings 'to check in'.
Eventually he just got another screen and left them rabbitting on while he did the actual work.
Yup - that’s a bingo
I was just thinking about this the other day. About 10 years ago I had one regular meeting every fortnight where we covered everything that was going on (plus a yearly 'how's things?' with my my line manager).
Now I spend 30-50% of my week in meetings - most of which could have been covered by an email. Not to mention the 'all 40 of _you people_ need to turn up in person at room 1234 because $manager likes to see 'his people'' thus wasting even more of peoples time, coupled with follow-up meetings for people who couldn't make it.
I disagree with you. I think a lot of the mental health issues around today are due to trying to force introverts to behave like extroverts.
I both agree and disagree.
I worked from home pretty much every day for two years (forcibly during Covid and then a bit after) and it destroyed my mental health. I was never able to escape work, I used to work ridiculous hours. Even though I was - and am - a very sociable chap I just couldn't get my mind off work. This exhausted me and I spiralled into depression.
I then started a new job where I was in every day except Fridays. This initially improved my mental health but over time I felt completely exhausted having to commute in every day, I was constantly ill and I was actually incredibly unproductive because I was constantly being disturbed/distracted by others. My mental health dived again.
So I settled on going in a couple of times a week and then working at home the other three. This gave me a great balance because on the days I went in I got my meetings done in person and for a lot of these I strongly feel the in-person element is important. But on the other days I got my work done in a productive way, I got to do my workouts when I wanted to, I got to run when I wanted to and I organised my day around work instead of the other way around. The result is that my mental health has maintained its strength as the best it has ever been, for well over a year.
I am now looking for something new but I intend to maintain this arrangement for any job I do, assuming I am able to.
I know not everyone has the luxury that I have but I feel very fortunate that I am able to work in a way that works for me.
Good for you. Seriously
Covid fucked with everyone’s brains, I know some that loved lockdown, I was more like you - damaged by it. I’ve realised I’m a kind of loner wandering extrovert - I need plenty of time on my own, to think, but I also love socialising and I basically NEED new experiences- mainly travel, or sex, or whatever - to keep me sane and not suicidal from boredom, Covid prevented: socialising, travel, sex, everything
No wonder I was close to topping myself
The scale of the psychic damage we have wrought with lockdowns on the populations of the world, especially kids, is only now becoming apparent. The introvert geeks who crunch data might have loved it, most hated it
I was literally just now having this exact conversation with a Cambodian restaurant manager. He spoke of Covid like it was a second reign of the Khmer Rouge - he and his business and his sanity barely survived. What the fuck did we do to ourselves?
Who are these people who “loved” lockdown? That is insanity right there.
@AverageNinja is right. Lockdown was destructive, on a grand scale.
I’ve now had Covid thrice. Including a long and deeply boring bout this Christmas which ruined my holiday.
Yet no bout of Covid is as bad as a bout of lockdown.
For reasons that utterly baffle me polling showed, consistently, that lockdown was popular. This was at odds with almost everyone I spoke to.
I can only assume they mean lockdown for other people, not them, and it was one of those classic inconsistent polling findings.
Who were these people who approved of lockdown for other people but didn’t have to follow the rules themselves? Aside from Boris and his pals of course.
Many people say they approve of things that are difficult or demanding. Like higher taxes, less use of scarce public services, building homes next door, lockdowns…
Especially when asked about it. It’s like asking if you are in favour of the NHS or being kind to small children and cute animals.
Strangely, many also have a completely thought out, utterly valid reason why, when it comes down to it, that should only apply to other people.
I broke the rules most days during that first lockdown, in a minor way. AFAICR the rule was that we were allowed out once a day for exercise; I took my son outside for that. But I went out again most days for a walk or run, taking routes that mostly kept me away from other people.
Yes, it was against the rules as I understood them. But it was a minor risk, and did my head and mood a lot of good. A calculated risk and rule-breaking.
There never was a rule that you could only go out once a day.
Wasn't there? I thought there was?
You could go out for 60x1-minute trips at one point as I remember.
I can't believe it, I just don't believe it! We're never gonna get a hold of that stupid nomination! Just forget it! Look at this - look at this, I'm so ticked off that I'm molting!
I bought one of these space heaters off Amazon. As usual it's originally from Alibaba but I have to say it works brilliantly to warm me up whilst I sit on the laptop.
I mean almost as many Brits think lockdown was right as want to rejoin the EU!
I supported lockdown at the time and was one of the biggest advocates of it along with that CorrectHorseBattery fellow (whatever happened to it?). But in hindsight I think whilst I can buy the arguments for the first lockdown, with what the government did and the impact it had, I really am very sceptical it was the right thing to do.
As usual I seem to be in the non-ideological group - the early lockdowns made sense, but after the vaccines arrived, the C/B ratio changed dramatically.
There seem to be plenty of ideologues on both sides of lockdowns.
I had family at home with me, enough space to live and work - and a job to match. *Before* the first lockdown, they said - “You can send your whole desk, computer, monitors, chair etc home. Free delivery.”
For many, many people there was no space, loneliness and no work. Let alone free delivery of Aeron office chairs.
I think that's possibly the case outside of lockdown too.
Aside from snark - I also think the first lockdown was probably the right call in the circumstances. They had no idea what was happening, or how to find out, or what was going to happen. Outside of the 'holy sh*t' coming out of Italy, Spain etc. (The reasons for them having no idea and no ability to find out are another matter of course).
If the Alpha wave had come on us six months later than it did it's possible things would have then played out very differently.
Yes: you can only judge decisions in the context of the information available at the time.
That makes the first lockdown understandable, if significantly over long. The others, not so much.
Lockdown was grim, I was living on my own, going through a breakup of a long relationship and my old man was dying and in and out of hospital. At the time it was understandable because we didn’t really know what was happening or how bad Covid could be. What wasn’t cool were subsequent lockdowns - I remember a Christmas lockdown where I was banging my head on the table as to why they hadn’t locked down over November (where cases here were going through the roof) to suppress Covid and then enable opening up for December so people and businesses could enjoy Christmas.
Hopefully, once the enquiry has got over the bitching and point scoring they can establish how in future they can better manage any required lockdowns.
By point-scoring, sniping across the benches and wholesale cuts to public health funding? Who needs an inquiry!
Unless the inquiry discusses, at length and properly, Sweden, then I will continue to believe it is a waste of time.
The way the Inquiry has been structured, it’s very focused on what the UK and devolved governments did. It’s not carrying out an international comparison of public health responses and what worked best. It’s more concerned, so far as I can see, with the workings of government.
International comparisons have been carried out, however, and Sweden isn’t generally held up as a success. South Korea, Taiwan and Japan are. They took SARS seriously and invested in public health.
I used to listen to a podcast based in Thailand and I was impressed (and depressed) that they had taken public health so seriously compared to us. Each block or so had a designated nurse (or even 'Auntie') who knew everyone - especially the infirm or ill - and would check up on them. Tell them to isolate or advise/help as needed.
I do think unlike many that the “back to the office” is not some grand conspiracy to save the economy, it is just that a lot of people really did get sick of working from home every day. In hindsight it was never realistic that people wouldn’t go to the office for at least some of the time.
But I do think it’s shattered the concept of many people ever doing five days again. That really has changed - at least amongst my friendship group.
It's complex - I think the pandemic challenged a lot of people's view of work. When life was more compartmentalised - you lived in one place, worked in another, socialised in both but in different ways with different circles.
Bringing work home was a first and a challenge - that gap was gone and the line between your home life and your work life blurred. Some adapted it to well - others didn't. If it was difficult for individuals it was more so for organisations who found themselves with empty offices for which they were either paying rent or an office whose value was going down with the commercial property market.
Hence an inevitability there would be a reaction as there is to most revolutionary or evolutionary events.
The other aspect of the work-life debate was the recognition for some they preferred the latter to the former and for them stopping working equated to starting living.
A lot of it depended on your boss. I had an asshole line manager who basically made it clear I was unemployed if I didn't eat every bite out of every bag of shit he laid on my table (the table which used to be my dining table, but was now my own personal Work Hell™). Nothing against my former employer per se, but my boss directly contributed to my total nervous breakdown. I might have coped if I'd had my support network, been able to work out at the gym, vent with colleagues over beers after work at the pub. But no. I was stuck. On my own. In a tiny flat. For months. With no human contact.
I'm still seething with rage now, just thinking about it.
A problem, which is curiously not recognised by many, is that working from home requires skills and by-in from management and workforce. And an appropriate work methodology.
Many in software already worked in Agile - which was expressly designed for distributed teams and remote working. In addition remote working systems were commonplace.
For many people, being sent home with a battered laptop was all there was. Control freak managers became even more control freakish
So for some, working from home was a simple extension of what they already did. For others, it was, and is, a disaster.
One friend of mine was working much longer hours while at home because his managers on-site Don scheduling so many Teams meetings 'to check in'.
Eventually he just got another screen and left them rabbitting on while he did the actual work.
I have no idea what happened there. The words in bold should be 'insisted on.'
Well its been coming. He was going to get hammered in New Hampshire and the money has dried up. Will he endorse Trump? I suspect so but I am not sure that he has much to offer.
Well its been coming. He was going to get hammered in New Hampshire and the money has dried up. Will he endorse Trump? I suspect so but I am not sure that he has much to offer.
I do think unlike many that the “back to the office” is not some grand conspiracy to save the economy, it is just that a lot of people really did get sick of working from home every day. In hindsight it was never realistic that people wouldn’t go to the office for at least some of the time.
But I do think it’s shattered the concept of many people ever doing five days again. That really has changed - at least amongst my friendship group.
Especially sociopathic middle-management and sex-pests. I remember listening to a podcast by some ex-Google HR people who had lived through the 'I know we build the internet and all the online work tools - but back to the expensive real-estate you come!' diktat. They said the number of sex-pest cases went through the roof.
I bought one of these space heaters off Amazon. As usual it's originally from Alibaba but I have to say it works brilliantly to warm me up whilst I sit on the laptop.
I once overhauled several paraffin space heaters for my dad. They were like mini jet engines and could warm a workshop up in a few minutes.
It's when I learnt I wasn't a very good mechanic...
Looks like there might be one more ferry tonight after this one, then they are all cancelled. I fear for my roof if the storm is at the worse end of the forecast, although it looks like NI and the NW are most in the firing line?
It is a touch windy here.
It's really getting quite 'brisk' here. Cat is wandering around quite out of sorts. I'm just watching a tall tree out the back bend in quite alarming ways and hoping for the best.
Flight from Heathrow to Belfast City just gave up trying to land after a pretty terrifying attempt.. now en route to Manchester. Not sure how much better the weather is there but hopefully stand a better chance.
So that tweet only just sent but we’ve just landed in Manchester 🙏 Scary biscuits above Belfast. I’ve never been as happy to see @manairport #StormIsha
Here for the night. Not sure what the plan for the return leg is - airport staff informed us our plane has to get fixed first BECAUSE IT WAS DAMAGED IN THE ORDEAL. 🫢Thank you to the captain for not sharing that little titbit of information while we were mid air.
So Kids are suffering because of lockdown. Why then do the majority who hold such a view favour tax cuts for themselves rather than spending increases on the areas which could help?
The issue is that spending is necessary but not sufficient
Government often does not spend wisely and the unions (reasonably given their role) will advocate just for better wages and conditions for teachers.
It is likely, as a result, there will be limited return on additional budget
What there needs to be is an imaginative rethinking of how to solve the problem. Then fund it appropriately. I’m not sure I’ve seen evidence of the necessary thinking.
There is no interest in government in really increasing productivity. No, flogging the serfs harder doesn’t work.
It takes skill, time, dedication and investment.
I’m just reading a report. The entire Starship/Super Heavy stack is estimated to currently cost $90 million USD. Largest rocket ever launched etc.
NASA is paying north of $100 million dollars per RS-25 - that is old shuttle engines they already paid for. Each engine is setting them back 100 big ones to be refurbished. And made *non-reusable”
But it makes everyone involved happy. So there’s that.
I bought one of these space heaters off Amazon. As usual it's originally from Alibaba but I have to say it works brilliantly to warm me up whilst I sit on the laptop.
My boiler has been playing up during the cold snap (naturally) and the little space heater I picked up last year has been a god-send. 30 quid well spent.
I bought one of these space heaters off Amazon. As usual it's originally from Alibaba but I have to say it works brilliantly to warm me up whilst I sit on the laptop.
I bought one of these space heaters off Amazon. As usual it's originally from Alibaba but I have to say it works brilliantly to warm me up whilst I sit on the laptop.
My boiler has been playing up during the cold snap (naturally) and the little space heater I picked up last year has been a god-send. 30 quid well spent.
"Covid and ‘lab leak’ is a great example of why when you hear mainstream figures from the UK government, the EU Commission etc yapping about ‘misinformation’ you should always think ‘they’re lying or deluded or both’. In spring 2020 Whitehall’s top scientists and the top intelligence officials walked into the PM’s office and told the PM and me that lab leak ‘is definitely false’ and ‘a conspiracy theory’. (James Phillips, a scientist and original ‘weirdo and misfit’, said to me: their confidence is totally misplaced, there are MANY highly suspicious signals — and he was clearly right.) Not one hack has noticed that a page of my evidence to the Inquiry was redacted by the Cabinet Office on ‘national security’ grounds. And when I checked with the Inquiry they confirmed this means that the judge also will not see such redactions — even though the joke Inquiry fought legal action to get access to private messages on the basis it needs all information to judge ‘the general context’ of decisions. Clearly this does not include absolutely critical information on ‘general context’ that would embarrass Whitehall. Whitehall wants no investigation of how and why the PM was given such monumentally false advice and encouraged to pass on this duff advice to the world. The real misinformation almost always comes from our rotten regimes and the old media. And remember, this same rotten system is responsible for advice today on multiple wars and biosecurity, AI etc…"
"Covid and ‘lab leak’ is a great example of why when you hear mainstream figures from the UK government, the EU Commission etc yapping about ‘misinformation’ you should always think ‘they’re lying or deluded or both’. In spring 2020 Whitehall’s top scientists and the top intelligence officials walked into the PM’s office and told the PM and me that lab leak ‘is definitely false’ and ‘a conspiracy theory’. (James Phillips, a scientist and original ‘weirdo and misfit’, said to me: their confidence is totally misplaced, there are MANY highly suspicious signals — and he was clearly right.) Not one hack has noticed that a page of my evidence to the Inquiry was redacted by the Cabinet Office on ‘national security’ grounds. And when I checked with the Inquiry they confirmed this means that the judge also will not see such redactions — even though the joke Inquiry fought legal action to get access to private messages on the basis it needs all information to judge ‘the general context’ of decisions. Clearly this does not include absolutely critical information on ‘general context’ that would embarrass Whitehall. Whitehall wants no investigation of how and why the PM was given such monumentally false advice and encouraged to pass on this duff advice to the world. The real misinformation almost always comes from our rotten regimes and the old media. And remember, this same rotten system is responsible for advice today on multiple wars and biosecurity, AI etc…"
This was discussed slightly below, and for the record, I think it's yet more disingenuous sh*t from Cummings.
But I'll add one more point: why did the origins matter? We knew the disease started in China, and knew that China were not being very forthcoming with information about it. Whether it was zoonotic in origin, or man-made, would have made very little difference to the way we acted in March 2020.
I hated the great weather during Lockdown 1. It was rubbing my nose in what might have been; all those great long spring-summer days with friends missed. Yes, I had a garden, yes the sun shone. So what?
"Covid and ‘lab leak’ is a great example of why when you hear mainstream figures from the UK government, the EU Commission etc yapping about ‘misinformation’ you should always think ‘they’re lying or deluded or both’.
The extra 5% or so for Trump in New Hampshire could seal it for him. Will Nikki Haley try to cling on until Super Tuesday?
Nikki Haley is doing one event a day in New Hampshire. She is just going through the motions at this point.
The Maths just don't work for here - most of RDS' and Vivek's support will go to Trump so she is looking at a pasting in NH by around 30pp at this stage.
I hated the great weather during Lockdown 1. It was rubbing my nose in what might have been; all those great long spring-summer days with friends missed. Yes, I had a garden, yes the sun shone. So what?
My issue with the lockdowns was before and after going to the shops having to disinfect all the notes and coins.
Republicans against Trump @RpsAgainstTrump · 18m Just now on CNN, Nikki Haley refused to say if she would support Trump if he became the GOP nominee. 👀
I hated the great weather during Lockdown 1. It was rubbing my nose in what might have been; all those great long spring-summer days with friends missed. Yes, I had a garden, yes the sun shone. So what?
My issue with the lockdowns was before and after going to the shops having to disinfect all the notes and coins.
The extra 5% or so for Trump in New Hampshire could seal it for him. Will Nikki Haley try to cling on until Super Tuesday?
Nikki Haley is doing one event a day in New Hampshire. She is just going through the motions at this point.
The Maths just don't work for here - most of RDS' and Vivek's support will go to Trump so she is looking at a pasting in NH by around 30pp at this stage.
She's also way behind in her own state of South Carolina, which is due to vote before Super Tuesday. There probably won't be much point continuing if she loses in NH.
Republicans against Trump @RpsAgainstTrump · 18m Just now on CNN, Nikki Haley refused to say if she would support Trump if he became the GOP nominee. 👀
Well, I'm not surprised given he seems to think she's a Democrat.
Edit - she won't though. Leaving aside the fact that all the issues with Trump mounting a third party campaign apply with equal force to her, she is still young enough to have another go in 2028 and won't want to rile the party with disloyalty.
The extra 5% or so for Trump in New Hampshire could seal it for him. Will Nikki Haley try to cling on until Super Tuesday?
Nikki Haley is doing one event a day in New Hampshire. She is just going through the motions at this point.
The Maths just don't work for here - most of RDS' and Vivek's support will go to Trump so she is looking at a pasting in NH by around 30pp at this stage.
Ah but does even that margin suggest Haley is a better VP choice for Trump this year, even with only a third of Republicans, than RDS whose supporters will vote Trump anyway? (Not a tip: VP picks are normally out of left field.) In 2028, RDS will run as heir to MAGA, and Haley as leading mainstream Republican.
Republicans against Trump @RpsAgainstTrump · 18m Just now on CNN, Nikki Haley refused to say if she would support Trump if he became the GOP nominee. 👀
Well, I'm not surprised given he seems to think she's a Democrat.
Edit - she won't though. Leaving aside the fact that all the issues with Trump mounting a third party campaign apply with equal force to her, she is still young enough to have another go in 2028 and won't want to rile the party with disloyalty.
There might not be a post of POTUS to run for in 2028 if Trump wins.
The extra 5% or so for Trump in New Hampshire could seal it for him. Will Nikki Haley try to cling on until Super Tuesday?
Nikki Haley is doing one event a day in New Hampshire. She is just going through the motions at this point.
The Maths just don't work for here - most of RDS' and Vivek's support will go to Trump so she is looking at a pasting in NH by around 30pp at this stage.
She's also way behind in her own state of South Carolina, which is due to vote before Super Tuesday. There probably won't be much point continuing if she loses in NH.
And if the SC rules Trump can then not be on the ballot the GOP won't have a candidate? Or if Trump is convicted and jailed after one of his criminal cases then their candidate could be running from prison
There wasn't a lockdown. Unless you were shielding, if you were daft enough you could pop down to the shops every single day, and once you'd got home an had a cup of tea, then head out again for your daily exercise.
And there wasn't the Stasi stopping you from breaking the rules and visiting folks as long as you didn’t shout it from the rooftops (or post about it on social media). We relied on community cohesion to do the right thing.
We were shielding for 3 months - some may remember my posts describing my trips to the front gate to put the bin out. That's as far as I got.
So to those who say that they were locked down while enjoying a daily stroll in the park or a bike ride through the countryside I say not really.
Garbage. There certainly was a lockdown unless you consider shuffling around in masks in Tesco a form of social contact.
You were one of the worst PBers in terms of moralising about others’ activities during Covid. Please don’t try to revise history,
Yes, I thought that everyone should follow the rules. But no, people were not locked down.
You were Curtain Twitcher General throughout lockdown, not only smearing others for breaking the actual rules but also smearing people for breaking what you thought the rules should be.
I hated the great weather during Lockdown 1. It was rubbing my nose in what might have been; all those great long spring-summer days with friends missed. Yes, I had a garden, yes the sun shone. So what?
My issue with the lockdowns was before and after going to the shops having to disinfect all the notes and coins.
As I have said before, the correlation of PBers who are at pains to broadcast how tiresome they find my views on cash yet bring up cash apropos of nothing is extraordinary.
I expect most of us are experiencing this seriously dangerous storm and in Capel Curig a wind speed of 90 mph has been recorded with expectations it will exceed 100mph later tonight
Yesterday the RNLI launched a multi search and rescue in the Irish Sea, including the Llandudno and Rhyl lifeboats, for a man overboard the Irish ferry who was recovered by the coastguard helicopter but sadly died in hospital. Notwithstanding the crews took to sea in atrocious conditions in an attempt to save a life as they always will
The media, coastguard, and RNLI are warning people to stay away from the coast and indeed anywhere, as it is highly dangerous to be out in these exceptional conditions
However, the broadcast media are wholly irresponsible allowing their journalist to report outside in these conditions, even standing alongside sea walls - what on earth are they thinking, even if indeed they are thinking, and what example it is to others
Keep safe everyone
Nobody living more than five miles from the sea really appreciates the risk that people like Big G junior take to save other people.
On reflection, it was when the right wing nutters began to attack the RNLI for rescuing people from "the boats" that we realised that they had fled all reason (and were also a bunch of utter bastards).
There wasn't a lockdown. Unless you were shielding, if you were daft enough you could pop down to the shops every single day, and once you'd got home an had a cup of tea, then head out again for your daily exercise.
And there wasn't the Stasi stopping you from breaking the rules and visiting folks as long as you didn’t shout it from the rooftops (or post about it on social media). We relied on community cohesion to do the right thing.
We were shielding for 3 months - some may remember my posts describing my trips to the front gate to put the bin out. That's as far as I got.
So to those who say that they were locked down while enjoying a daily stroll in the park or a bike ride through the countryside I say not really.
Garbage. There certainly was a lockdown unless you consider shuffling around in masks in Tesco a form of social contact.
You were one of the worst PBers in terms of moralising about others’ activities during Covid. Please don’t try to revise history,
Yes, I thought that everyone should follow the rules. But no, people were not locked down.
You were Curtain Twitcher General throughout lockdown not only smearing others for breaking the actual
I hated the great weather during Lockdown 1. It was rubbing my nose in what might have been; all those great long spring-summer days with friends missed. Yes, I had a garden, yes the sun shone. So what?
My issue with the lockdowns was before and after going to the shops having to disinfect all the notes and coins.
As I have said before, the correlation of PBers who are at pains to broadcast how tiresome they find my views on cash yet bring up cash apropos of nothing is extraordinary.
The extra 5% or so for Trump in New Hampshire could seal it for him. Will Nikki Haley try to cling on until Super Tuesday?
Nikki Haley is doing one event a day in New Hampshire. She is just going through the motions at this point.
The Maths just don't work for here - most of RDS' and Vivek's support will go to Trump so she is looking at a pasting in NH by around 30pp at this stage.
She's also way behind in her own state of South Carolina, which is due to vote before Super Tuesday. There probably won't be much point continuing if she loses in NH.
And if the SC rules Trump can then not be on the ballot the GOP won't have a candidate? Or if Trump is convicted and jailed after one of his criminal cases then their candidate could be running from prison
Don't they have guards to stop that sort of thing?
"John Dewhirst 13 hours ago Entry to the USA through the JFK border control booths is indeed eye-opening. However it’s not simply the infrastructure but the remarkably unfriendly, bureaucratic and generally sullen attitude of those tasked with stamping your passport.
Reply to John Dewhirst I think that, as with many road Toll booths, JFK passport control may be a dumping group for failing policemen. In any case, it is a remarkable showcase of dysfunction – the most unfathomable part being that in 20-40 (?) years, no-one has been able to clear up this very public display of broken America."
I hated the great weather during Lockdown 1. It was rubbing my nose in what might have been; all those great long spring-summer days with friends missed. Yes, I had a garden, yes the sun shone. So what?
My issue with the lockdowns was before and after going to the shops having to disinfect all the notes and coins.
Oh good grief, here we go.
Another one who pretends he finds the discussion tiresome yet brings it up regularly.
Odd.
I have said several times that the cash debate is utterly dull. If you want to use cash, go ahead. Why should I care?
I expect most of us are experiencing this seriously dangerous storm and in Capel Curig a wind speed of 90 mph has been recorded with expectations it will exceed 100mph later tonight
Yesterday the RNLI launched a multi search and rescue in the Irish Sea, including the Llandudno and Rhyl lifeboats, for a man overboard the Irish ferry who was recovered by the coastguard helicopter but sadly died in hospital. Notwithstanding the crews took to sea in atrocious conditions in an attempt to save a life as they always will
The media, coastguard, and RNLI are warning people to stay away from the coast and indeed anywhere, as it is highly dangerous to be out in these exceptional conditions
However, the broadcast media are wholly irresponsible allowing their journalist to report outside in these conditions, even standing alongside sea walls - what on earth are they thinking, even if indeed they are thinking, and what example it is to others
Keep safe everyone
Nobody living more than five miles from the sea really appreciates the risk that people like Big G junior take to save other people.
On reflection, it was when the right wing nutters began to attack the RNLI for rescuing people from "the boats" that we realised that they had fled all reason (and were also a bunch of utter bastards).
Quite so on both.
And when HM Government started targeting the RNLI* in its proposed legislation, though as I recall some right-wingers found it very difficult to put 2 plus 2 together and accept that the supposed party of law, order and tradition really was trying to castrate one of the UK (and RoI)'s most eminent charities. Like burning down the National Trust's Cliveden or pouring weedkiller on the Cerne Abbas Giant's nether bits.
*everyone from senior management to the shore volunteers would have been liable. And it would have been conspiracy a priori, added on.
I hated the great weather during Lockdown 1. It was rubbing my nose in what might have been; all those great long spring-summer days with friends missed. Yes, I had a garden, yes the sun shone. So what?
My issue with the lockdowns was before and after going to the shops having to disinfect all the notes and coins.
Oh good grief, here we go.
Another one who pretends he finds the discussion tiresome yet brings it up regularly.
Odd.
I have said several times that the cash debate is utterly dull. If you want to use cash, go ahead. Why should I care?
Well, you do have ana and bob in your title - it means against the shilling.
There wasn't a lockdown. Unless you were shielding, if you were daft enough you could pop down to the shops every single day, and once you'd got home an had a cup of tea, then head out again for your daily exercise.
And there wasn't the Stasi stopping you from breaking the rules and visiting folks as long as you didn’t shout it from the rooftops (or post about it on social media). We relied on community cohesion to do the right thing.
We were shielding for 3 months - some may remember my posts describing my trips to the front gate to put the bin out. That's as far as I got.
So to those who say that they were locked down while enjoying a daily stroll in the park or a bike ride through the countryside I say not really.
Garbage. There certainly was a lockdown unless you consider shuffling around in masks in Tesco a form of social contact.
You were one of the worst PBers in terms of moralising about others’ activities during Covid. Please don’t try to revise history,
Yes, I thought that everyone should follow the rules. But no, people were not locked down.
You were Curtain Twitcher General throughout lockdown not only smearing others for breaking the actual
I hated the great weather during Lockdown 1. It was rubbing my nose in what might have been; all those great long spring-summer days with friends missed. Yes, I had a garden, yes the sun shone. So what?
My issue with the lockdowns was before and after going to the shops having to disinfect all the notes and coins.
As I have said before, the correlation of PBers who are at pains to broadcast how tiresome they find my views on cash yet bring up cash apropos of nothing is extraordinary.
"John Dewhirst 13 hours ago Entry to the USA through the JFK border control booths is indeed eye-opening. However it’s not simply the infrastructure but the remarkably unfriendly, bureaucratic and generally sullen attitude of those tasked with stamping your passport.
Reply to John Dewhirst I think that, as with many road Toll booths, JFK passport control may be a dumping group for failing policemen. In any case, it is a remarkable showcase of dysfunction – the most unfathomable part being that in 20-40 (?) years, no-one has been able to clear up this very public display of broken America."
The worst of it is, they never actually stop anyone. You have to wait 90 minutes while they process 10,000 travellers in front of you but they wave them all through anyway.
The extra 5% or so for Trump in New Hampshire could seal it for him. Will Nikki Haley try to cling on until Super Tuesday?
Nikki Haley is doing one event a day in New Hampshire. She is just going through the motions at this point.
The Maths just don't work for here - most of RDS' and Vivek's support will go to Trump so she is looking at a pasting in NH by around 30pp at this stage.
Ah but does even that margin suggest Haley is a better VP choice for Trump this year, even with only a third of Republicans, than RDS whose supporters will vote Trump anyway? (Not a tip: VP picks are normally out of left field.) In 2028, RDS will run as heir to MAGA, and Haley as leading mainstream Republican.
He has pretty much ruled out Haley and I think he knows it would be a step too far for many of his supporters. I mentioned her a few times before but Elise Stefanik is picking up a lot of coverage now as a potential VP pick. It may not be her and this is just distraction from somebody else but - if I am Trump - he is going to be going for someone who can help in his key weak points i.e. women and black voters. The other option is he goes for a Hispanic candidate to cement the vote there but there are not that many GOP picks.
There wasn't a lockdown. Unless you were shielding, if you were daft enough you could pop down to the shops every single day, and once you'd got home an had a cup of tea, then head out again for your daily exercise.
And there wasn't the Stasi stopping you from breaking the rules and visiting folks as long as you didn’t shout it from the rooftops (or post about it on social media). We relied on community cohesion to do the right thing.
We were shielding for 3 months - some may remember my posts describing my trips to the front gate to put the bin out. That's as far as I got.
So to those who say that they were locked down while enjoying a daily stroll in the park or a bike ride through the countryside I say not really.
Garbage. There certainly was a lockdown unless you consider shuffling around in masks in Tesco a form of social contact.
You were one of the worst PBers in terms of moralising about others’ activities during Covid. Please don’t try to revise history,
Yes, I thought that everyone should follow the rules. But no, people were not locked down.
You were Curtain Twitcher General throughout lockdown not only smearing others for breaking the actual
I hated the great weather during Lockdown 1. It was rubbing my nose in what might have been; all those great long spring-summer days with friends missed. Yes, I had a garden, yes the sun shone. So what?
My issue with the lockdowns was before and after going to the shops having to disinfect all the notes and coins.
As I have said before, the correlation of PBers who are at pains to broadcast how tiresome they find my views on cash yet bring up cash apropos of nothing is extraordinary.
"Covid and ‘lab leak’ is a great example of why when you hear mainstream figures from the UK government, the EU Commission etc yapping about ‘misinformation’ you should always think ‘they’re lying or deluded or both’. In spring 2020 Whitehall’s top scientists and the top intelligence officials walked into the PM’s office and told the PM and me that lab leak ‘is definitely false’ and ‘a conspiracy theory’. (James Phillips, a scientist and original ‘weirdo and misfit’, said to me: their confidence is totally misplaced, there are MANY highly suspicious signals — and he was clearly right.) Not one hack has noticed that a page of my evidence to the Inquiry was redacted by the Cabinet Office on ‘national security’ grounds. And when I checked with the Inquiry they confirmed this means that the judge also will not see such redactions — even though the joke Inquiry fought legal action to get access to private messages on the basis it needs all information to judge ‘the general context’ of decisions. Clearly this does not include absolutely critical information on ‘general context’ that would embarrass Whitehall. Whitehall wants no investigation of how and why the PM was given such monumentally false advice and encouraged to pass on this duff advice to the world. The real misinformation almost always comes from our rotten regimes and the old media. And remember, this same rotten system is responsible for advice today on multiple wars and biosecurity, AI etc…"
BTW, bettors should note that a couple of polls have come out for NH that indicate Trump is widening his lead. This makes the current odds on DJT to be nominee look very attractive, given they will probably change on Tuesday.
Nikki should carry on though.
Now RDS is out she can get most of the non Trump delegates and establish herself as the obvious candidate should he fall under a bus accidentally
There wasn't a lockdown. Unless you were shielding, if you were daft enough you could pop down to the shops every single day, and once you'd got home an had a cup of tea, then head out again for your daily exercise.
And there wasn't the Stasi stopping you from breaking the rules and visiting folks as long as you didn’t shout it from the rooftops (or post about it on social media). We relied on community cohesion to do the right thing.
We were shielding for 3 months - some may remember my posts describing my trips to the front gate to put the bin out. That's as far as I got.
So to those who say that they were locked down while enjoying a daily stroll in the park or a bike ride through the countryside I say not really.
Garbage. There certainly was a lockdown unless you consider shuffling around in masks in Tesco a form of social contact.
You were one of the worst PBers in terms of moralising about others’ activities during Covid. Please don’t try to revise history,
Yes, I thought that everyone should follow the rules. But no, people were not locked down.
You were Curtain Twitcher General throughout lockdown not only smearing others for breaking the actual
I hated the great weather during Lockdown 1. It was rubbing my nose in what might have been; all those great long spring-summer days with friends missed. Yes, I had a garden, yes the sun shone. So what?
My issue with the lockdowns was before and after going to the shops having to disinfect all the notes and coins.
As I have said before, the correlation of PBers who are at pains to broadcast how tiresome they find my views on cash yet bring up cash apropos of nothing is extraordinary.
There wasn't a lockdown. Unless you were shielding, if you were daft enough you could pop down to the shops every single day, and once you'd got home an had a cup of tea, then head out again for your daily exercise.
And there wasn't the Stasi stopping you from breaking the rules and visiting folks as long as you didn’t shout it from the rooftops (or post about it on social media). We relied on community cohesion to do the right thing.
We were shielding for 3 months - some may remember my posts describing my trips to the front gate to put the bin out. That's as far as I got.
So to those who say that they were locked down while enjoying a daily stroll in the park or a bike ride through the countryside I say not really.
Garbage. There certainly was a lockdown unless you consider shuffling around in masks in Tesco a form of social contact.
You were one of the worst PBers in terms of moralising about others’ activities during Covid. Please don’t try to revise history,
Yes, I thought that everyone should follow the rules. But no, people were not locked down.
You were Curtain Twitcher General throughout lockdown, not only smearing others for breaking the actual rules but also smearing people for breaking what you thought the rules should be.
I hated the great weather during Lockdown 1. It was rubbing my nose in what might have been; all those great long spring-summer days with friends missed. Yes, I had a garden, yes the sun shone. So what?
My issue with the lockdowns was before and after going to the shops having to disinfect all the notes and coins.
As I have said before, the correlation of PBers who are at pains to broadcast how tiresome they find my views on cash yet bring up cash apropos of nothing is extraordinary.
It’s almost as if they WANT me to discuss it!!
We recently had PBers arguing against EVs because their 82 year old mothers wouldn't be able to understand the controls.
The extra 5% or so for Trump in New Hampshire could seal it for him. Will Nikki Haley try to cling on until Super Tuesday?
Nikki Haley is doing one event a day in New Hampshire. She is just going through the motions at this point.
The Maths just don't work for here - most of RDS' and Vivek's support will go to Trump so she is looking at a pasting in NH by around 30pp at this stage.
Ah but does even that margin suggest Haley is a better VP choice for Trump this year, even with only a third of Republicans, than RDS whose supporters will vote Trump anyway? (Not a tip: VP picks are normally out of left field.) In 2028, RDS will run as heir to MAGA, and Haley as leading mainstream Republican.
He has pretty much ruled out Haley and I think he knows it would be a step too far for many of his supporters. I mentioned her a few times before but Elise Stefanik is picking up a lot of coverage now as a potential VP pick. It may not be her and this is just distraction from somebody else but - if I am Trump - he is going to be going for someone who can help in his key weak points i.e. women and black voters. The other option is he goes for a Hispanic candidate to cement the vote there but there are not that many GOP picks.
There wasn't a lockdown. Unless you were shielding, if you were daft enough you could pop down to the shops every single day, and once you'd got home an had a cup of tea, then head out again for your daily exercise.
And there wasn't the Stasi stopping you from breaking the rules and visiting folks as long as you didn’t shout it from the rooftops (or post about it on social media). We relied on community cohesion to do the right thing.
We were shielding for 3 months - some may remember my posts describing my trips to the front gate to put the bin out. That's as far as I got.
So to those who say that they were locked down while enjoying a daily stroll in the park or a bike ride through the countryside I say not really.
Garbage. There certainly was a lockdown unless you consider shuffling around in masks in Tesco a form of social contact.
You were one of the worst PBers in terms of moralising about others’ activities during Covid. Please don’t try to revise history,
Yes, I thought that everyone should follow the rules. But no, people were not locked down.
You were Curtain Twitcher General throughout lockdown, not only smearing others for breaking the actual rules but also smearing people for breaking what you thought the rules should be.
I hated the great weather during Lockdown 1. It was rubbing my nose in what might have been; all those great long spring-summer days with friends missed. Yes, I had a garden, yes the sun shone. So what?
My issue with the lockdowns was before and after going to the shops having to disinfect all the notes and coins.
As I have said before, the correlation of PBers who are at pains to broadcast how tiresome they find my views on cash yet bring up cash apropos of nothing is extraordinary.
It’s almost as if they WANT me to discuss it!!
We recently had PBers arguing against EVs because their 82 year old mothers wouldn't be able to understand the controls.
Many - perhaps most - PBers own cars that don’t work - some of which cannot be driven at 20mph. So, it doesn’t surprise me.
I expect most of us are experiencing this seriously dangerous storm and in Capel Curig a wind speed of 90 mph has been recorded with expectations it will exceed 100mph later tonight
Yesterday the RNLI launched a multi search and rescue in the Irish Sea, including the Llandudno and Rhyl lifeboats, for a man overboard the Irish ferry who was recovered by the coastguard helicopter but sadly died in hospital. Notwithstanding the crews took to sea in atrocious conditions in an attempt to save a life as they always will
The media, coastguard, and RNLI are warning people to stay away from the coast and indeed anywhere, as it is highly dangerous to be out in these exceptional conditions
However, the broadcast media are wholly irresponsible allowing their journalist to report outside in these conditions, even standing alongside sea walls - what on earth are they thinking, even if indeed they are thinking, and what example it is to others
Keep safe everyone
Nobody living more than five miles from the sea really appreciates the risk that people like Big G junior take to save other people.
On reflection, it was when the right wing nutters began to attack the RNLI for rescuing people from "the boats" that we realised that they had fled all reason (and were also a bunch of utter bastards).
Quite so on both.
And when HM Government started targeting the RNLI* in its proposed legislation, though as I recall some right-wingers found it very difficult to put 2 plus 2 together and accept that the supposed party of law, order and tradition really was trying to castrate one of the UK (and RoI)'s most eminent charities. Like burning down the National Trust's Cliveden or pouring weedkiller on the Cerne Abbas Giant's nether bits.
*everyone from senior management to the shore volunteers would have been liable. And it would have been conspiracy a priori, added on.
Attacking the charity that regularly saves those hard-core Marxists - retiree yacht sailors
Comments
One of the reasons it's gone on as long as it has is because he's toast the moment it finishes.
Do I think that every person killed in Gaza is an 'innocent,' in the words of our favourite Corbynite? Certainly not. That will include many Hamas fighters who are genocidal lunatics. But far more people have died than have needed to in order to support Netanyahu's career, even before he started adopting outright genocidal slogans as his own.
If the Israelis are finally seeing through him, then that is something. Whether it will lead to a better PM is another question given the current state of Israeli politics but losing the scumbag is a start.
Next step, to persuade the Palestinians to abandon Hamas and Fatah, who are even worse than Netanyahu. That's going to be much more difficult, in no small part thanks to Netanyahu's actions.
The Inshore can be at sea at max F6 and anything higher requires the AWB ( all weather boat)
https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1749083683120697717
I'm still seething with rage now, just thinking about it.
They are able to self right the inshore and the AWB is self righting but the amount of training and dedication to the service, particularly as they volunteer and are unpaid, is simply a 'calling'
Especially when asked about it. It’s like asking if you are in favour of the NHS or being kind to small children and cute animals.
Strangely, many also have a completely thought out, utterly valid reason why, when it comes down to it, that should only apply to other people.
Do you think if the "scoreboard" was the other way around Hamas would stop?
Yes, it was against the rules as I understood them. But it was a minor risk, and did my head and mood a lot of good. A calculated risk and rule-breaking.
One thing after another in this trial.
But that does not excuse what Netanyahu's done. He's doing Israel immense harm.
Everyone's experience was different and it depended on a range of factors both physical, mental and psychological. Some did cope well - others didn't. It was a situation for which most of us were unpreprared - it's not like a storm or a blizzard or a train strike for which preparation could be made. This was outside everyone's experience - again, had we known it would last a week, we could have coped but the unknown was the time. It could have gone on of months longer we just didn't know or couldn't be sure.
I understand it was purgatory for many and compounded for those who had older relatives with covid. Once I realised outdoor transmission of the virus was unlikely, I remember trying to enjoy the outdoors with a daily walk along empty streets or the garden and I wholly recognise how fortunate I was.
It affected us all and for some the effects are still with them.
* ie. this bar chart is NOT a Sunil Special!
Many in software already worked in Agile - which was expressly designed for distributed teams and remote working. In addition remote working systems were commonplace.
For many people, being sent home with a battered laptop was all there was. Control freak managers became even more control freakish
So for some, working from home was a simple extension of what they already did. For others, it was, and is, a disaster.
https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/1749159384112845285
Thank you to those who responded, namely @Benpointer, @bigjohnowls, @Casino_Royale, @Cicero, @Cleitophon, @darkage, @edmundintokyo, @Foxy, @geoffw, @HYUFD, @IanB2, @JosiasJessop, @Leon, @NickPalmer, @Nigelb, @Peter_the_Punter, @StillWaters, @Sunil_Prasannan, @twistedfirestopper3. i apologise to those I missed and thank you for your points, which I read. It is not possible to discuss all of them here, but some I wish to address now are:
@Cicero, @darkage,@HYUFD, @geoffw, @NickPalmer: thank you for your points about Finnish politics
@IanB2, @darkage, @Foxy, @Leon, @twistedfirestopper3, @Nigelb, @bigjohnowls: thank you for your more general points about Finland
@edmundintokyo: a good if somewhat convoluted point
@geoffw: yes, I noticed. The article was written Friday night/Saturday morning (pain, couldn't sleep). I pre-empted the Green poll lead.
@NickPalmer: thank you for the link: https://www.politico.eu/europe-poll-of-polls/
@Foxy, :@Benpointer, @IanB2, @Nigelb: I was a bit distressed the article was difficult to understand. The gist was we can't address international betting rapidly enough, but by comparing present odds, present polls and past polls we may be able to spot mispricing
@Cleitophon, @Peter_the_Punter, @Casino_Royale : thank you
@Sunil_Prasannan: round the Antares Maelstrom and round Perdition's flames...
@StillWaters: Indeed
Same procedure as before: I'll incorporate your points (some'll have to go into an appendix) into an upgraded version and discuss it with you backstage at a later date.
Thanks to @rcs1000 and @TSE
There was also apparently no ban on socialising at work.
It just wasn't made very clear unless it directly affected our Lords and Masters.
Eventually he just got another screen and left them rabbitting on while he did the actual work.
DeSantis not running.
Government often does not spend wisely and the unions (reasonably given their role) will advocate just for better wages and conditions for teachers.
It is likely, as a result, there will be limited return on additional budget
What there needs to be is an imaginative rethinking of how to solve the problem. Then fund it appropriately. I’m not sure I’ve seen evidence of the necessary thinking.
Sunil sees the light.
I'm talking about specialist support services which used to exist but now don't.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68051757
Yup - that’s a bingo
Now I spend 30-50% of my week in meetings - most of which could have been covered by an email. Not to mention the 'all 40 of _you people_ need to turn up in person at room 1234 because $manager likes to see 'his people'' thus wasting even more of peoples time, coupled with follow-up meetings for people who couldn't make it.
https://www.betfair.com/sport/politics : 33/1
https://www.betfair.com/exchange/plus/en/politics-betting-2378961 : 770
If you are quick you can lay before suspension
And we had Matt Hancock. And a sort of app thing?
Edit, I see that he has endorsed Trump already.
It's when I learnt I wasn't a very good mechanic...
Flight from Heathrow to Belfast City just gave up trying to land after a pretty terrifying attempt.. now en route to Manchester. Not sure how much better the weather is there but hopefully stand a better chance.
So that tweet only just sent but we’ve just landed in Manchester 🙏 Scary biscuits above Belfast. I’ve never been as happy to see
@manairport #StormIsha
Here for the night. Not sure what the plan for the return leg is - airport staff informed us our plane has to get fixed first BECAUSE IT WAS DAMAGED IN THE ORDEAL. 🫢Thank you to the captain for not sharing that little titbit of information while we were mid air.
It takes skill, time, dedication and investment.
I’m just reading a report. The entire Starship/Super Heavy stack is estimated to currently cost $90 million USD. Largest rocket ever launched etc.
NASA is paying north of $100 million dollars per RS-25 - that is old shuttle engines they already paid for. Each engine is setting them back 100 big ones to be refurbished. And made *non-reusable”
But it makes everyone involved happy. So there’s that.
Not that it was ever terribly likely he would ditch her.
https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1748852407532966338
If you are quick you can lay before suspension
If you are quick you can lay before suspension
http://www.amberwayequine.com/products/radiant-heaters-2/
"Covid and ‘lab leak’ is a great example of why when you hear mainstream figures from the UK government, the EU Commission etc yapping about ‘misinformation’ you should always think ‘they’re lying or deluded or both’. In spring 2020 Whitehall’s top scientists and the top intelligence officials walked into the PM’s office and told the PM and me that lab leak ‘is definitely false’ and ‘a conspiracy theory’. (James Phillips, a scientist and original ‘weirdo and misfit’, said to me: their confidence is totally misplaced, there are MANY highly suspicious signals — and he was clearly right.) Not one hack has noticed that a page of my evidence to the Inquiry was redacted by the Cabinet Office on ‘national security’ grounds. And when I checked with the Inquiry they confirmed this means that the judge also will not see such redactions — even though the joke Inquiry fought legal action to get access to private messages on the basis it needs all information to judge ‘the general context’ of decisions. Clearly this does not include absolutely critical information on ‘general context’ that would embarrass Whitehall. Whitehall wants no investigation of how and why the PM was given such monumentally false advice and encouraged to pass on this duff advice to the world. The real misinformation almost always comes from our rotten regimes and the old media. And remember, this same rotten system is responsible for advice today on multiple wars and biosecurity, AI etc…"
https://dominiccummings.substack.com/p/snippets-12-paralysed-force-gesture
https://www.reddit.com/r/ImTheMainCharacter/comments/19ca73k/ccp_demand_piano_player_in_a_public_place_stop/
The CCP are responsible for an ongoing genocide in Uighurstan and should be classed as a terrorist organization.
But I'll add one more point: why did the origins matter? We knew the disease started in China, and knew that China were not being very forthcoming with information about it. Whether it was zoonotic in origin, or man-made, would have made very little difference to the way we acted in March 2020.
Suspended unless Trump disqualified is reasonable and sensible.
When I hear him yapping about any subject I know anything about, I find he's lying, or deluded, or both.
So I automatically assume he's doing it all the time.
If there is one possible subliminal message, it is that Joe and Kamala are tied together i.e. if he steps down pre-election, so will she.
Republicans against Trump
@RpsAgainstTrump
·
18m
Just now on CNN, Nikki Haley refused to say if she would support Trump if he became the GOP nominee. 👀
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/president-primary-r/2024/south-carolina/
Edit - she won't though. Leaving aside the fact that all the issues with Trump mounting a third party campaign apply with equal force to her, she is still young enough to have another go in 2028 and won't want to rile the party with disloyalty.
It’s almost as if they WANT me to discuss it!!
I'm blaming you for setting him off.
"John Dewhirst
13 hours ago
Entry to the USA through the JFK border control booths is indeed eye-opening. However it’s not simply the infrastructure but the remarkably unfriendly, bureaucratic and generally sullen attitude of those tasked with stamping your passport.
Reply to John Dewhirst
I think that, as with many road Toll booths, JFK passport control may be a dumping group for failing policemen. In any case, it is a remarkable showcase of dysfunction – the most unfathomable part being that in 20-40 (?) years, no-one has been able to clear up this very public display of broken America."
https://unherd.com/2024/01/why-american-cities-are-squalid/
Odd.
I have said several times that the cash debate is utterly dull. If you want to use cash, go ahead. Why should I care?
And when HM Government started targeting the RNLI* in its proposed legislation, though as I recall some right-wingers found it very difficult to put 2 plus 2 together and accept that the supposed party of law, order and tradition really was trying to castrate one of the UK (and RoI)'s most eminent charities. Like burning down the National Trust's Cliveden or pouring weedkiller on the Cerne Abbas Giant's nether bits.
*everyone from senior management to the shore volunteers would have been liable. And it would have been conspiracy a priori, added on.
John Kelly, Trump 1.0 chief of staff (for a while).
Now RDS is out she can get most of the non Trump delegates and establish herself as the obvious candidate should he fall under a bus accidentally
https://twitter.com/sahilkapur/status/1749178174422892973
For an indecent candidate.