One of the things I want to hear wrt Paula Vennells is what personal systems she had put in place to hold herself accountable. For me it is basic in any leadership position to have a suitable person outside the immediate environment given specific permission to ask awkward questions and challenge, to be met with regularly.
If there were none, then that for me is an indication of promotion beyond competence or capability.
I'm not sure I agree with TSE's conclusions here. People are pretty sceptical about the scheme right now but that is because a lot of time and effort has been made and no-one has been deported. The key for Sunak is that he needs to successfully send some people to Rwanda and then he needs the small boat numbers to drop over the summer. IF that happens then voters might start to reevaluate
Part A should be a rip roaring success. Part B relies on asylum seekers watching GeeBeebies and reading the Mail, or alternatively we have a summer of God awful weather in the Channel. Now that would stop the boats.
The UK government advertises on TikTok, Telegram, etc. in countries that produce lots of asylos saying "Don't Fucking Bother M8, LOL"
Odds on next Tory leader (Betfair Exchange) Kemi Badenoch – 7/2 Penny Mordaunt – 5/1 James Cleverly – 10/1 Suella Braverman – 9/1 Priti Patel – 8/1
That is depressing. Part of me hopes they just choose Braverman so they can either collapse and then rejuvenate in a few years time or simply collapse into irrelevance.
I'd wager a bob or two on Andy Street but he isn't in the list.
Loses the mayoralty, gets a safe seat, quickly rises to the top of rump.
Unlike the above-named he has passed the whelk stall test (more than once).
Came across this (when checking the news re BR Birmingham New Street shutdown this morning). Anti-LTN thugs systematically stealing bollards and threatening the locals who complain - the locals like their LTN.
That's a ludicrously biased summary even of the piece as it reads, which itself shows considerable bias. Are the 'thugs' not 'local'? Or do you suppose Nigel Farage and Susan Hall are touring the country with a tow truck?
While we're on about stuff on the internet, does anyone else have clickbait constantly forced on them mawkishly reporting the death of 'much loved' Robert Peston? I don't click on it because it's so obviously clickbaity lies. But I'm puzzled about why the internet is targeting me this way.
Not Pesto, but I have seen the odd fake obituary of someone I've been searching up on Youtube etc. What a time to be alive!
I don't think I've ever searched for Peston. I wonder what it is about my search history which the internet thinks would draw me in?
Odds on next Tory leader (Betfair Exchange) Kemi Badenoch – 7/2 Penny Mordaunt – 5/1 James Cleverly – 10/1 Suella Braverman – 9/1 Priti Patel – 8/1
Cleverly is an interesting bet there. The safest of safe seats, and could split the Badenoch and Mourdaunt factions down the middle in the post-election contest.
But Cleverly's problem is that Rwanda is his project, whether he likes it or not. If the party wants Red Meat after the election, he's not the man to give it to them.
Angela Rayner scores a last-minute winner by accusing the Tories of "ditching their biggest election winner for a pint-sized loser".
Amazing scenes.
Was that wise? If Labour harbour a secret admiration for the political gifts of Boris Johnson then surely better to keep quiet about it. At best it'll make them look hypocritical as they never had a good word to say about him when he was around; at worst it might persuade the Tories to bring him back.
Ooof. Bad move. It needs fixing. Although I criticised Sunak's knee-jerk, the defence problem needs fixing, and if that means spending money, then money must be spent. It's not a nice-to-have.
There is an urgent need to address our need for modern weapon systems, specifically drones and drone defence systems, without which it is now obvious no modern military can operate. The rate at which each version of these is becoming obsolete suggests that this is going to be a significant ongoing expenditure.
We have also discovered that having sufficient ammunition to fight a 2 week war in Europe is completely insufficient and far greater reserves are needed.
Its not easy to see how either of these can be met from current budgets which already seem overstretched and over committed.
And finally, and perhaps most critically of all, we may find in November that the defence pact on which we have relied since the end of WW 2 is no longer something we can count on.
Missile stocks is another matter, but even in that case, committed multiyear funding is more important than the headline figures. Our manufacturers need guaranteed orders for the rest of the decade in order to invest in the production facilities.
The drone stuff is now really easy to do with military budgets, and the Ukranians have demonstrated the hell out of improvised small drones dropping shells in close combat.
What you want is mostly small armed drones, that are designed to either take out or waste expensive air defences.
We also need layered air defences, that can shoot down small drones with small rockets, rather than wasting million-dollar missiles on them.
The UK should be selling the hell out of whatever we can currently and easily produce. European defence budgets are all about to go up.
The real money is going to be in cheap guidance systems that use no Chinese technology.
The improvised drones dropping grenades seem to have completely disappeared. They're all FPV drones flying directly into the target at the moment.
Yes, these things iterate damn quickly when there’s an actual war going on!
I know this was touched on yesterday. I just don't get this. If there are 72,000 jobs in the civil service that can just be culled to fund defence spending then why the hell are they already being filled and have not been culled already if they are superfluous. Also how much will it cost in terms of severance pay.
I suspect this is all BS, there are not 72,000 civil servants sitting there twiddling their thumbs taking a salary for doing nowt. Just more lazy political rhetoric.
Observation and control of Casimir effects in a sphere-plate-sphere system https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-33915-4 A remarkable prediction of quantum field theory is that there are quantum electromagnetic fluctuations (virtual photons) everywhere, which leads to the intriguing Casimir effect. While the Casimir force between two objects has been studied extensively for several decades, the Casimir force between three objects has not been measured yet. Here, we report the experimental demonstration of an object under the Casimir force exerted by two other objects simultaneously. Our Casimir system consists of a micrometer-thick cantilever placed in between two microspheres, forming a unique sphere-plate-sphere geometry. We also propose and demonstrate a three-terminal switchable architecture exploiting opto-mechanical Casimir interactions that can lay the foundations of a Casimir transistor. Beyond the paradigm of Casimir forces between two objects in different geometries, our Casimir transistor represents an important development for controlling three-body virtual photon interactions and will have potential applications in sensing and information processing.
Is that the paper from a couple of years ago, or is it further research?
Drones also obsolete *really* fast, so there's no point stockpiling thousands of them. Components like motors, possibly...
What's needed is production capacity, and the ability to innovate/iterate.
Before he got fired for not being a delusional optimist, Zaluzhny called the SMO "война одного шанса" lit. "The War of One Chance".
His point was that both sides would roll out some new system (he specifically referred to HIMARS) and then the other side would learn how to counter it so they only ever really got "one chance" to get the most out of anything.
So if the UK were going to spend more on defence, which they definitely shouldn't as 90% of it would be jizzed up the wall to no effect, then it would be better to spend the money on industrial and research capacity rather than shitloads of hardware that only has one chance to be fully effective.
Absolutely. Fucking Ajax, or Challenger III being good examples.
Some hardware - mortar bombs and 155mm shells, for example - doesn't obsolete quickly, though.
And the U.S. is building brand new systems (with BAE) using 2.75in rocket motors which were stockpiled maybe forty years ago.
What Dura_Ace describes happened in World War Two as well: The Zero was a great fighter in 1941; within a few years if was obsolete. The Spitfire only kept current through the war by having zillions of different upgrades. Radar and sonar changed massively. Not just tanks, but also entire tank systems and their usage.
What I'd like to see is stockpiling of long-lead, multi-purpose items. Chips, as an example. Move designs away from custom hardware ASICS and hand-wired breadboards (which the industry apparently *still* relies on too much) to more software-defined systems that offer greater flexibility.
AIUI turbine blades are a particularly long-lead item for jet engines. Order five years' worth and keep them in store. For ammunition, make loads of shell casings and don't fill them.
Odds on next Tory leader (Betfair Exchange) Kemi Badenoch – 7/2 Penny Mordaunt – 5/1 James Cleverly – 10/1 Suella Braverman – 9/1 Priti Patel – 8/1
That is depressing. Part of me hopes they just choose Braverman so they can either collapse and then rejuvenate in a few years time or simply collapse into irrelevance.
I'd wager a bob or two on Andy Street but he isn't in the list.
Loses the mayoralty, gets a safe seat, quickly rises to the top of rump.
Unlike the above-named he has passed the whelk stall test (more than once).
That’s an interesting 100/1 shot, much as Starmer would have been in 2015. As leader-after-next, he should be a whole load shorter.
Ooof. Bad move. It needs fixing. Although I criticised Sunak's knee-jerk, the defence problem needs fixing, and if that means spending money, then money must be spent. It's not a nice-to-have.
There is an urgent need to address our need for modern weapon systems, specifically drones and drone defence systems, without which it is now obvious no modern military can operate. The rate at which each version of these is becoming obsolete suggests that this is going to be a significant ongoing expenditure.
We have also discovered that having sufficient ammunition to fight a 2 week war in Europe is completely insufficient and far greater reserves are needed.
Its not easy to see how either of these can be met from current budgets which already seem overstretched and over committed.
And finally, and perhaps most critically of all, we may find in November that the defence pact on which we have relied since the end of WW 2 is no longer something we can count on.
Missile stocks is another matter, but even in that case, committed multiyear funding is more important than the headline figures. Our manufacturers need guaranteed orders for the rest of the decade in order to invest in the production facilities.
The drone stuff is now really easy to do with military budgets, and the Ukranians have demonstrated the hell out of improvised small drones dropping shells in close combat.
What you want is mostly small armed drones, that are designed to either take out or waste expensive air defences.
We also need layered air defences, that can shoot down small drones with small rockets, rather than wasting million-dollar missiles on them.
The UK should be selling the hell out of whatever we can currently and easily produce. European defence budgets are all about to go up.
The real money is going to be in cheap guidance systems that use no Chinese technology.
Drones also obsolete *really* fast, so there's no point stockpiling thousands of them. Components like motors, possibly...
What's needed is production capacity, and the ability to innovate/iterate.
What's really needs is munition production.
In volume.
Yesterday.
Yes. Zelensky also needs to start conscripting ukrainian 18 to 25 yr old because manpower is a problem. Go on Volodymer bite the bullet and get more ukrainians to the front.
Sunak claims defence spending plan won't affect government's ability to keep cutting taxes
Guardian live blog
The Tory Magic Money Tree.
Why don't they get hammered the way Labour would be if they came up with this crap??
He is quite correct. His defence spending plan is that of the opposition. The governments spending plans and ability to keep cutting taxes is not impacted one iota.
I'm not sure I agree with TSE's conclusions here. People are pretty sceptical about the scheme right now but that is because a lot of time and effort has been made and no-one has been deported. The key for Sunak is that he needs to successfully send some people to Rwanda and then he needs the small boat numbers to drop over the summer. IF that happens then voters might start to reevaluate
Part A should be a rip roaring success. Part B relies on asylum seekers watching GeeBeebies and reading the Mail, or alternatively we have a summer of God awful weather in the Channel. Now that would stop the boats.
The UK government advertises on TikTok, Telegram, etc. in countries that produce lots of asylos saying "Don't Fucking Bother M8, LOL"
The little shit could pass legislation to say he was 6'2".
It's funny how many leftists - including on here - are aghast at bullying and name-calling, until their enemy's the target.
Then it's fine.
I always mentally picture people who make jokes about other peoples height as giving their height as 5' 4" and 3/4
And the people who bang on about baldness combing their hair just so.
And the people who bang on about others fatness - you can breathe out now.
And the people who bang on about free speech NOT THAT KIND OF FREE SPEECH!
Free speech is an absolute. Everything I could ever want to say is free speech.
Everything you say is heresy. For the sake of your immortal soul, you will be burned alive. It's the most compassionate thing we can do to help you.
In the Goode Olde Days of American politics, when it was just comic, everyone who railed against abortion had either had one, or paid for one. Everyone who ranted about illegals had at least 2 in the household staff. The gun control types always had an arsenal - and concealed carry permit from the governor in New York.
Between the Rwanda bill and defense spending announcement I feel ever more certain that we are heading into a summer GE. Finally something Farage and I agree on.
Borrowing more than expected and lower tax receipts in March, yet promises of more spending.
Promises of more spending when they have a 3% chance of being in power......
Whereas, whilst they are in power backing away from the already watered down renters reform bill.
No Fault eviction is nothing of the sort. It is the end of a contract.
If the landlord does not want to renew why should they ?
Renters are not being "kicked out of their homes", they are at the end of a contract. Why should they be entitled to remain in a property after that.
because they are literally being "kicked out of their homes"?
They aren't.
It is not their home, they are renting it.
The contract has ended. So be it. Or should the renter be compelled to remain if they want to leave ?
Exactly , after the first agreed period then either party can leave with one month's notice. Why should it be loaded one way. If they don't like term of contract then don't sign up or give both parties right to make tenant stay / landlord keep renting.
The little shit could pass legislation to say he was 6'2".
It's funny how many leftists - including on here - are aghast at bullying and name-calling, until their enemy's the target.
Then it's fine.
I always mentally picture people who make jokes about other peoples height as giving their height as 5' 4" and 3/4
And the people who bang on about baldness combing their hair just so.
And the people who bang on about others fatness - you can breathe out now.
And the people who bang on about free speech NOT THAT KIND OF FREE SPEECH!
Free speech is an absolute. Everything I could ever want to say is free speech.
Everything you say is heresy. For the sake of your immortal soul, you will be burned alive. It's the most compassionate thing we can do to help you.
In the Goode Olde Days of American politics, when it was just comic, everyone who railed against abortion had either had one, or paid for one. Everyone who ranted about illegals had at least 2 in the household staff. The gun control types always had an arsenal - and concealed carry permit from the governor in New York.
American politicians being total and utter hypocrites. Nah, can’t see that ever happening…
Between the Rwanda bill and defense spending announcement I feel ever more certain that we are heading into a summer GE. Finally something Farage and I agree on.
Borrowing more than expected and lower tax receipts in March, yet promises of more spending.
Promises of more spending when they have a 3% chance of being in power......
Whereas, whilst they are in power backing away from the already watered down renters reform bill.
No Fault eviction is nothing of the sort. It is the end of a contract.
If the landlord does not want to renew why should they ?
Renters are not being "kicked out of their homes", they are at the end of a contract. Why should they be entitled to remain in a property after that.
because they are literally being "kicked out of their homes"?
They aren't.
It is not their home, they are renting it.
The contract has ended. So be it. Or should the renter be compelled to remain if they want to leave ?
So logically, if it is not their home, all renters are homeless? Big news.
The stupidity of Taz's stance has brightened up my morning.
Nothing stupid about it and you trying to twist what he said is the stupidity. It is rented for a specific period. You never heard of a contract being a legal agreement. Feckin looney.
Between the Rwanda bill and defense spending announcement I feel ever more certain that we are heading into a summer GE. Finally something Farage and I agree on.
Borrowing more than expected and lower tax receipts in March, yet promises of more spending.
Unfortunately Trump leads by 7% in Arizona, according to a Bloomberg/Morning Consult survey released just now.
In fact, he leads in all 6 out of 7 swing states surveyed.
The real problem is Biden’s approval rating, which is very bad for a President, six months out.
Trump's trial is going very badly. The case laid out by the prosecutors is being fully supported by their first witness.
The "catch and kill" efforts at suppressing stories that could have hurt Trump are being set out by David Pecker in terms the jury can easily understand.
The defence case appears to be flimsy at best. I'm really unsure how they intend to overturn a mountain of evidence. "But....but...but....Michael Cohen lied!" seems to be the extent of it. Claiming Trump never had any relationship with Stormy Daniels who was just a shake-down merchant is fine - until they get punched in the face by her testimony.
Trump is never going to be anywhere near the witness box. "The prosecution hasn't made its case" is going to be their line. But I suspect that will fail and Trump will be offering himself up to the voters as "convicted felon Donald Trump".
By the time of the Convention, Trump will be an obvious loser. But the Republican Party is so in his pocket now they will just have to go with the beating heading their way in November. All down the ticket.
Re renting. I have rented around 11 (I think) properties in my younger days as a student and then a Post Doc. One final rent as a lecturer before we bought our current home. All of the previous rents I would not have regarded as my 'home' in a significant way as they were always going to be short term (non more than a year or two). This fitted the flexibility of the lifestyle. However for many of the renting population of the country (is it really 25 million) I expect they feel very differently about their rented properties, and do indeed call them their homes. I mean if you've lived in a council flat for years on end, it is your home. How we balance short term provision (for those who need it and want it), long term rents and the rights of the owners of the rents is the key.
Build sh!tloads more houses, while restricting immigration - so the landlords end up fighting for the tenants.
Odds on next Tory leader (Betfair Exchange) Kemi Badenoch – 7/2 Penny Mordaunt – 5/1 James Cleverly – 10/1 Suella Braverman – 9/1 Priti Patel – 8/1
That is depressing. Part of me hopes they just choose Braverman so they can either collapse and then rejuvenate in a few years time or simply collapse into irrelevance.
I'd wager a bob or two on Andy Street but he isn't in the list.
Loses the mayoralty, gets a safe seat, quickly rises to the top of rump.
Unlike the above-named he has passed the whelk stall test (more than once).
That’s an interesting 100/1 shot, much as Starmer would have been in 2015. As leader-after-next, he should be a whole load shorter.
Street at 100/1 on Ladbrokes and Coral and Bill Hill.
I've just had my first flutter since my Theresa May bloodbath.
Re renting. I have rented around 11 (I think) properties in my younger days as a student and then a Post Doc. One final rent as a lecturer before we bought our current home. All of the previous rents I would not have regarded as my 'home' in a significant way as they were always going to be short term (non more than a year or two). This fitted the flexibility of the lifestyle. However for many of the renting population of the country (is it really 25 million) I expect they feel very differently about their rented properties, and do indeed call them their homes. I mean if you've lived in a council flat for years on end, it is your home. How we balance short term provision (for those who need it and want it), long term rents and the rights of the owners of the rents is the key.
Build sh!tloads more houses, while restricting immigration - so the landlords end up fighting for the tenants.
Odds on next Tory leader (Betfair Exchange) Kemi Badenoch – 7/2 Penny Mordaunt – 5/1 James Cleverly – 10/1 Suella Braverman – 9/1 Priti Patel – 8/1
That is depressing. Part of me hopes they just choose Braverman so they can either collapse and then rejuvenate in a few years time or simply collapse into irrelevance.
I'd wager a bob or two on Andy Street but he isn't in the list.
Loses the mayoralty, gets a safe seat, quickly rises to the top of rump.
Unlike the above-named he has passed the whelk stall test (more than once).
That’s an interesting 100/1 shot, much as Starmer would have been in 2015. As leader-after-next, he should be a whole load shorter.
It would require the party to come to its senses and actually want to return to power. That may not be the case for 10 years and 2 (or more) leaders (as demonstrated by Labour).
It might be politically incorrect but Rayners pint sized jab was very funny .
Once again her performance today highlights why the Tories want her out of the way .
Why is making fun of someone's height okay?
The British left is so against body shaming that an advert of an attractive woman in a bikini has to be banned on the Tube. But they happily attack men on their physical stature. Labour have this weird mixture of misandry in their ideology, but will never trust a woman to lead them.
Re renting. I have rented around 11 (I think) properties in my younger days as a student and then a Post Doc. One final rent as a lecturer before we bought our current home. All of the previous rents I would not have regarded as my 'home' in a significant way as they were always going to be short term (non more than a year or two). This fitted the flexibility of the lifestyle. However for many of the renting population of the country (is it really 25 million) I expect they feel very differently about their rented properties, and do indeed call them their homes. I mean if you've lived in a council flat for years on end, it is your home. How we balance short term provision (for those who need it and want it), long term rents and the rights of the owners of the rents is the key.
Build sh!tloads more houses, while restricting immigration - so the landlords end up fighting for the tenants.
That is a fantasy
No, it is basic supply and demand.
You think it is likely to happen? I have a nice bridge here for you going cheap
I know this was touched on yesterday. I just don't get this. If there are 72,000 jobs in the civil service that can just be culled to fund defence spending then why the hell are they already being filled and have not been culled already if they are superfluous. Also how much will it cost in terms of severance pay.
I suspect this is all BS, there are not 72,000 civil servants sitting there twiddling their thumbs taking a salary for doing nowt. Just more lazy political rhetoric.
Not so fast. We have four defence secretaries. Grant Shapps, Michael Green, Corinne Stock Heath and Sebastian Fox. I say get rid of three of them.
I once knew a civil servant for whom a significant part of his job was being responsible for "circus animals (small)". There is definitely fat in the civil service. That is what happens when it is near impossible to fire people.
France almost completely lacks the numinous. The UK Is stuffed with numinosity. We have an embarrassment of numinousness, they have nearly none
Even the great French cathedrals. Pas de numinous. Compare with Durham or Ely. Or Carnac - meh. Callanish - wow. Likewise All the churches - scoured clean of Le Numine. Almost any Medieval English church - bonkers NOOM
Why? The Revolution? Secularism? Cartesian logic? But it is true.
I don’t really understand why people think ad hominem attacks are acceptable in some instances in politics but awful in other instances. Perhaps simply that when it’s the other side doing it, it’s awful whereas when it’s your side dishing it out, it’s a-ok?
I want Labour to win the next election but they can do better than making fun of people’s physical characteristics.
Observation and control of Casimir effects in a sphere-plate-sphere system https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-33915-4 A remarkable prediction of quantum field theory is that there are quantum electromagnetic fluctuations (virtual photons) everywhere, which leads to the intriguing Casimir effect. While the Casimir force between two objects has been studied extensively for several decades, the Casimir force between three objects has not been measured yet. Here, we report the experimental demonstration of an object under the Casimir force exerted by two other objects simultaneously. Our Casimir system consists of a micrometer-thick cantilever placed in between two microspheres, forming a unique sphere-plate-sphere geometry. We also propose and demonstrate a three-terminal switchable architecture exploiting opto-mechanical Casimir interactions that can lay the foundations of a Casimir transistor. Beyond the paradigm of Casimir forces between two objects in different geometries, our Casimir transistor represents an important development for controlling three-body virtual photon interactions and will have potential applications in sensing and information processing.
Is that the paper from a couple of years ago, or is it further research?
The paper is from a couple of years back; I've no idea if its gone anywhere. But it seems although it *could*. The lead author Zhujing Xu is mentioned in this more recent news. Their labs seem to be doing interesting stuff.
Purdue physicists lift a nano-dumbbell with light and spin it at 100 billion rpm near a surface https://www.physics.purdue.edu/news/2023/1208-li-nl.html ..“As the nanosphere is the building element of our toolbox, the nano-dumbbell is the simplest product of nanospheres that are asymmetric. Being asymmetrical is crucial for spinning and torque detection,” explains Peng Ju, PhD student and lead author of this publication. “We use light to drive the nano-dumbbell to spin at about 100 billion rpm. The corresponding relative linear velocity is about 4 times the speed of sound at standard temperature and pressure! We also demonstrated it to be an ultrasensitive torque detector. Bringing such an ultrasensitive torque detector near the surface will enable the measurement of non-Newtonian effect and quantum vacuum fluctuation induced torque.” Ju works in the lab of Dr. Tongcang Li, Professor of Physics and Astronomy and Electrical and Computer Engineering, who is the corresponding author for this work. The two conceived the concept and designed the project. Ju was involved in every aspect of this experiment. Lab-mates Kunhong Shen, Zhujing Xu, Xingyu Gao (all PhD students) and post-doc Yuanbin Jin helped with the experiment. Members of Penn State Electrical Engineering, Yao Duan and Xingjie Ni were also involved and helped fabricate the nanograting on a sapphire plate. Ni is a PhD 2012 alumnus of Purdue University Electrical and Computer Engineering...
Britain might actually have the greatest Noom per square mile of any nation on earth. Perhaps it’s God’s Way of apologising for the shit weather and ugly Barratt homes
Also Fpt that theme of time flying and how to spend your years. Just saw this walking in to the walled sea girt medieval town of Concarneau on a raw Breton day
“Time flees like a shadow”
Is that the original quote from which tempus fugit comes? Didn’t know that
And it’s “time flees” not “time flies”. I’ve always had that wrong. “Time flees” is much much better
Also Time Fleas, a classic lost episode of Dr Who.
I love the idea that time constantly absconds, it escapes, it is a fugitive on the run that we never quite capture and interrogate. It nails something crucial about the human condition
Talking of which, I’m escaping Concarneu. It’s a beautiful medieval sea girt granite dump, full of miserable French people with whining kids and sullen wives all eating the same frozen crepes in one of 13 identical creperies and then buying the same crappy Chinese made “souvenirs” so they can remember their horrible day out in the rain
Why do tourists do this? C’est stupide
Because there is sod all else to do when it rains. We did a 2 week holiday in June in Brittany many years ago. It rained every single day. Sometimes all day. It was miserable. My daughter got so bored she taught herself to crawl. The crepes were nice but jeez. One of our worst holidays.
Yes. If I had one family holiday a year no way I’d risk Brittany. You want guaranteed sun for the kids - which makes for happy parents
I absolutely do understand families that flock to the same resorts on the Costas
But this is April in Brittany, a place full of magical towns and curious sites - with creperies everywhere. Yet they all crowd in here - and the parking is a nightmare. And they’re French. C’est un mystere
Quick meteorological point on Brittany and holidays.
Northern and Western Breton summer weather is unpredictable and frequently shit, on a par with Cornwall and less good than the Channel Is or Normandy.
Southern Breton weather, from Carnac Southwards, is statistically excellent. Much warmer, pretty dry and exceptionally sunny. Hence why Muscadet is able to make good wines whereas the North sticks to cider. More reliable weather in Southern Brittany than most of central France, notwithstanding the very occasional Atlantic gale.
Also Fpt that theme of time flying and how to spend your years. Just saw this walking in to the walled sea girt medieval town of Concarneau on a raw Breton day
“Time flees like a shadow”
Is that the original quote from which tempus fugit comes? Didn’t know that
And it’s “time flees” not “time flies”. I’ve always had that wrong. “Time flees” is much much better
Also Time Fleas, a classic lost episode of Dr Who.
I love the idea that time constantly absconds, it escapes, it is a fugitive on the run that we never quite capture and interrogate. It nails something crucial about the human condition
Talking of which, I’m escaping Concarneu. It’s a beautiful medieval sea girt granite dump, full of miserable French people with whining kids and sullen wives all eating the same frozen crepes in one of 13 identical creperies and then buying the same crappy Chinese made “souvenirs” so they can remember their horrible day out in the rain
Why do tourists do this? C’est stupide
Because there is sod all else to do when it rains. We did a 2 week holiday in June in Brittany many years ago. It rained every single day. Sometimes all day. It was miserable. My daughter got so bored she taught herself to crawl. The crepes were nice but jeez. One of our worst holidays.
Yes. If I had one family holiday a year no way I’d risk Brittany. You want guaranteed sun for the kids - which makes for happy parents
I absolutely do understand families that flock to the same resorts on the Costas
But this is April in Brittany, a place full of magical towns and curious sites - with creperies everywhere. Yet they all crowd in here - and the parking is a nightmare. And they’re French. C’est un mystere
Quick meteorological point on Brittany and holidays.
Northern and Western Breton summer weather is unpredictable and frequently shit, on a par with Cornwall and less good than the Channel Is or Normandy.
Southern Breton weather, from Carnac Southwards, is statistically excellent. Much warmer, pretty dry and exceptionally sunny. Hence why Muscadet is able to make good wines whereas the North sticks to cider. More reliable weather in Southern Brittany than most of central France, notwithstanding the very occasional Atlantic gale.
It might be politically incorrect but Rayners pint sized jab was very funny .
Once again her performance today highlights why the Tories want her out of the way .
Why is making fun of someone's height okay?
The British left is so against body shaming that an advert of an attractive woman in a bikini has to be banned on the Tube. But they happily attack men on their physical stature. Labour have this weird mixture of misandry in their ideology, but will never trust a woman to lead them.
Although there are many more female labour mps as a percentage than tory mps.
I know this was touched on yesterday. I just don't get this. If there are 72,000 jobs in the civil service that can just be culled to fund defence spending then why the hell are they already being filled and have not been culled already if they are superfluous. Also how much will it cost in terms of severance pay.
I suspect this is all BS, there are not 72,000 civil servants sitting there twiddling their thumbs taking a salary for doing nowt. Just more lazy political rhetoric.
Not so fast. We have four defence secretaries. Grant Shapps, Michael Green, Corinne Stock Heath and Sebastian Fox. I say get rid of three of them.
I once knew a civil servant for whom a significant part of his job was being responsible for "circus animals (small)". There is definitely fat in the civil service. That is what happens when it is near impossible to fire people.
Some time ago my wife had a job in the Irish civil service, which she eventually quit in part due to being bored stiff because she had no work to do. It wasn't that there wasn't work to do - there were massive delays on responding to applications for permits for one thing or another - but the organisation was so dysfunctional that she wasn't allowed to do any of it, and the only experienced person with decision-making power left in the organisation was a depressed alcoholic.
A lot of the problem with the civil service is that it's a political football where the external emphasis is on things like headcount, rather than on competently doing the job required of them.
Unfortunately Trump leads by 7% in Arizona, according to a Bloomberg/Morning Consult survey released just now.
In fact, he leads in all 6 out of 7 swing states surveyed.
The real problem is Biden’s approval rating, which is very bad for a President, six months out.
Trump's trial is going very badly. The case laid out by the prosecutors is being fully supported by their first witness.
The "catch and kill" efforts at suppressing stories that could have hurt Trump are being set out by David Pecker in terms the jury can easily understand.
The defence case appears to be flimsy at best. I'm really unsure how they intend to overturn a mountain of evidence. "But....but...but....Michael Cohen lied!" seems to be the extent of it. Claiming Trump never had any relationship with Stormy Daniels who was just a shake-down merchant is fine - until they get punched in the face by her testimony.
Trump is never going to be anywhere near the witness box. "The prosecution hasn't made its case" is going to be their line. But I suspect that will fail and Trump will be offering himself up to the voters as "convicted felon Donald Trump".
By the time of the Convention, Trump will be an obvious loser. But the Republican Party is so in his pocket now they will just have to go with the beating heading their way in November. All down the ticket.
Re renting. I have rented around 11 (I think) properties in my younger days as a student and then a Post Doc. One final rent as a lecturer before we bought our current home. All of the previous rents I would not have regarded as my 'home' in a significant way as they were always going to be short term (non more than a year or two). This fitted the flexibility of the lifestyle. However for many of the renting population of the country (is it really 25 million) I expect they feel very differently about their rented properties, and do indeed call them their homes. I mean if you've lived in a council flat for years on end, it is your home. How we balance short term provision (for those who need it and want it), long term rents and the rights of the owners of the rents is the key.
Build sh!tloads more houses, while restricting immigration - so the landlords end up fighting for the tenants.
That is a fantasy
No, it is basic supply and demand.
You think it is likely to happen? I have a nice bridge here for you going cheap
It's happened in the recent past in a number of places.
Odds on next Tory leader (Betfair Exchange) Kemi Badenoch – 7/2 Penny Mordaunt – 5/1 James Cleverly – 10/1 Suella Braverman – 9/1 Priti Patel – 8/1
That is depressing. Part of me hopes they just choose Braverman so they can either collapse and then rejuvenate in a few years time or simply collapse into irrelevance.
I'd wager a bob or two on Andy Street but he isn't in the list.
Loses the mayoralty, gets a safe seat, quickly rises to the top of rump.
Unlike the above-named he has passed the whelk stall test (more than once).
That’s an interesting 100/1 shot, much as Starmer would have been in 2015. As leader-after-next, he should be a whole load shorter.
Street at 100/1 on Ladbrokes and Coral and Bill Hill.
I've just had my first flutter since my Theresa May bloodbath.
Also Fpt that theme of time flying and how to spend your years. Just saw this walking in to the walled sea girt medieval town of Concarneau on a raw Breton day
“Time flees like a shadow”
Is that the original quote from which tempus fugit comes? Didn’t know that
And it’s “time flees” not “time flies”. I’ve always had that wrong. “Time flees” is much much better
Also Time Fleas, a classic lost episode of Dr Who.
I love the idea that time constantly absconds, it escapes, it is a fugitive on the run that we never quite capture and interrogate. It nails something crucial about the human condition
Talking of which, I’m escaping Concarneu. It’s a beautiful medieval sea girt granite dump, full of miserable French people with whining kids and sullen wives all eating the same frozen crepes in one of 13 identical creperies and then buying the same crappy Chinese made “souvenirs” so they can remember their horrible day out in the rain
Why do tourists do this? C’est stupide
Because there is sod all else to do when it rains. We did a 2 week holiday in June in Brittany many years ago. It rained every single day. Sometimes all day. It was miserable. My daughter got so bored she taught herself to crawl. The crepes were nice but jeez. One of our worst holidays.
Yes. If I had one family holiday a year no way I’d risk Brittany. You want guaranteed sun for the kids - which makes for happy parents
I absolutely do understand families that flock to the same resorts on the Costas
But this is April in Brittany, a place full of magical towns and curious sites - with creperies everywhere. Yet they all crowd in here - and the parking is a nightmare. And they’re French. C’est un mystere
Quick meteorological point on Brittany and holidays.
Northern and Western Breton summer weather is unpredictable and frequently shit, on a par with Cornwall and less good than the Channel Is or Normandy.
Southern Breton weather, from Carnac Southwards, is statistically excellent. Much warmer, pretty dry and exceptionally sunny. Hence why Muscadet is able to make good wines whereas the North sticks to cider. More reliable weather in Southern Brittany than most of central France, notwithstanding the very occasional Atlantic gale.
La Rochelle a bit further down the coast has an excellent summer climate.
France almost completely lacks the numinous. The UK Is stuffed with numinosity. We have an embarrassment of numinousness, they have nearly none
Even the great French cathedrals. Pas de numinous. Compare with Durham or Ely. Or Carnac - meh. Callanish - wow. Likewise All the churches - scoured clean of Le Numine. Almost any Medieval English church - bonkers NOOM
Why? The Revolution? Secularism? Cartesian logic? But it is true.
True, in my limited experience. Somehow they feel slightly abandoned (even if still in use).
I don’t really understand why people think ad hominem attacks are acceptable in some instances in politics but awful in other instances. Perhaps simply that when it’s the other side doing it, it’s awful whereas when it’s your side dishing it out, it’s a-ok?
I want Labour to win the next election but they can do better than making fun of people’s physical characteristics.
Depends on the ad hom. If you think someone is dishonest and incompetent, then why would you want them in power ?
From a friend: "Pretty sure if God objected to this [Rwanda] policy he'd let us know by sending a sign, a bad omen of some kind involving blood and royal horses."
Drones also obsolete *really* fast, so there's no point stockpiling thousands of them. Components like motors, possibly...
What's needed is production capacity, and the ability to innovate/iterate.
Before he got fired for not being a delusional optimist, Zaluzhny called the SMO "война одного шанса" lit. "The War of One Chance".
His point was that both sides would roll out some new system (he specifically referred to HIMARS) and then the other side would learn how to counter it so they only ever really got "one chance" to get the most out of anything.
So if the UK were going to spend more on defence, which they definitely shouldn't as 90% of it would be jizzed up the wall to no effect, then it would be better to spend the money on industrial and research capacity rather than shitloads of hardware that only has one chance to be fully effective.
Absolutely. Fucking Ajax, or Challenger III being good examples.
Some hardware - mortar bombs and 155mm shells, for example - doesn't obsolete quickly, though.
And the U.S. is building brand new systems (with BAE) using 2.75in rocket motors which were stockpiled maybe forty years ago.
What Dura_Ace describes happened in World War Two as well: The Zero was a great fighter in 1941; within a few years if was obsolete. The Spitfire only kept current through the war by having zillions of different upgrades. Radar and sonar changed massively. Not just tanks, but also entire tank systems and their usage.
What I'd like to see is stockpiling of long-lead, multi-purpose items. Chips, as an example. Move designs away from custom hardware ASICS and hand-wired breadboards (which the industry apparently *still* relies on too much) to more software-defined systems that offer greater flexibility.
AIUI turbine blades are a particularly long-lead item for jet engines. Order five years' worth and keep them in store. For ammunition, make loads of shell casings and don't fill them.
Even then, its not so much the stock as the manufacturing capacity, The Fairey Battle was useless come WWII - but the factories weren't.
France almost completely lacks the numinous. The UK Is stuffed with numinosity. We have an embarrassment of numinousness, they have nearly none
Even the great French cathedrals. Pas de numinous. Compare with Durham or Ely. Or Carnac - meh. Callanish - wow. Likewise All the churches - scoured clean of Le Numine. Almost any Medieval English church - bonkers NOOM
Why? The Revolution? Secularism? Cartesian logic? But it is true.
True, in my limited experience. Somehow they feel slightly abandoned (even if still in use).
C’est vrait!
Places with numinosity in France:
Upland Lozere and her megaliths. A bit
That famous Provençal monastery that inspired Corbusier. A bit
Corbusiers priory of La Tourette near Lyon in the basement when they open the doors forming a cross with the famous light - shed by the light cannons
The Great War battlefields - a lot - but for the wrong reasons
Gargas cave with the hands. A bit
That’s it. That’s not a great amount
I’ve not ever walked in a French church and felt the shiver
There’s probably more numinosity in Herefordshire alone. Craswall church. Kilpeck church. Abbey dore. Hergest ridge. Garway
Came across this (when checking the news re BR Birmingham New Street shutdown this morning). Anti-LTN thugs systematically stealing bollards and threatening the locals who complain - the locals like their LTN.
That's a ludicrously biased summary even of the piece as it reads, which itself shows considerable bias. Are the 'thugs' not 'local'? Or do you suppose Nigel Farage and Susan Hall are touring the country with a tow truck?
While we're on about stuff on the internet, does anyone else have clickbait constantly forced on them mawkishly reporting the death of 'much loved' Robert Peston? I don't click on it because it's so obviously clickbaity lies. But I'm puzzled about why the internet is targeting me this way.
Not Pesto, but I have seen the odd fake obituary of someone I've been searching up on Youtube etc. What a time to be alive!
I don't think I've ever searched for Peston. I wonder what it is about my search history which the internet thinks would draw me in?
In some ways perhaps a shame McConnell is exiting stage left soon. I didn’t think I would have ever thought that, but what’s that Churchill quote about Hitler invading hell?
France almost completely lacks the numinous. The UK Is stuffed with numinosity. We have an embarrassment of numinousness, they have nearly none
Even the great French cathedrals. Pas de numinous. Compare with Durham or Ely. Or Carnac - meh. Callanish - wow. Likewise All the churches - scoured clean of Le Numine. Almost any Medieval English church - bonkers NOOM
Why? The Revolution? Secularism? Cartesian logic? But it is true.
True, in my limited experience. Somehow they feel slightly abandoned (even if still in use).
IIRC as a hangover from the revolution, the french state owns and maintains the church buildings. And it's not a priority, as you can imagine.
Odds on next Tory leader (Betfair Exchange) Kemi Badenoch – 7/2 Penny Mordaunt – 5/1 James Cleverly – 10/1 Suella Braverman – 9/1 Priti Patel – 8/1
That is depressing. Part of me hopes they just choose Braverman so they can either collapse and then rejuvenate in a few years time or simply collapse into irrelevance.
I'd wager a bob or two on Andy Street but he isn't in the list.
Loses the mayoralty, gets a safe seat, quickly rises to the top of rump.
Unlike the above-named he has passed the whelk stall test (more than once).
That’s an interesting 100/1 shot, much as Starmer would have been in 2015. As leader-after-next, he should be a whole load shorter.
Street at 100/1 on Ladbrokes and Coral and Bill Hill.
I've just had my first flutter since my Theresa May bloodbath.
France almost completely lacks the numinous. The UK Is stuffed with numinosity. We have an embarrassment of numinousness, they have nearly none
Even the great French cathedrals. Pas de numinous. Compare with Durham or Ely. Or Carnac - meh. Callanish - wow. Likewise All the churches - scoured clean of Le Numine. Almost any Medieval English church - bonkers NOOM
Why? The Revolution? Secularism? Cartesian logic? But it is true.
Albi or Chartres Cathedral? Mont St. Michel? Rocamadour? Conques or indeed several other stops on the Chemin de St. Jacques? Taize? The Cote D´Or? The Cirque de Navacelles? the Pont de Millau?
Drones also obsolete *really* fast, so there's no point stockpiling thousands of them. Components like motors, possibly...
What's needed is production capacity, and the ability to innovate/iterate.
Before he got fired for not being a delusional optimist, Zaluzhny called the SMO "война одного шанса" lit. "The War of One Chance".
His point was that both sides would roll out some new system (he specifically referred to HIMARS) and then the other side would learn how to counter it so they only ever really got "one chance" to get the most out of anything.
So if the UK were going to spend more on defence, which they definitely shouldn't as 90% of it would be jizzed up the wall to no effect, then it would be better to spend the money on industrial and research capacity rather than shitloads of hardware that only has one chance to be fully effective.
Absolutely. Fucking Ajax, or Challenger III being good examples.
Some hardware - mortar bombs and 155mm shells, for example - doesn't obsolete quickly, though.
And the U.S. is building brand new systems (with BAE) using 2.75in rocket motors which were stockpiled maybe forty years ago.
What Dura_Ace describes happened in World War Two as well: The Zero was a great fighter in 1941; within a few years if was obsolete. The Spitfire only kept current through the war by having zillions of different upgrades. Radar and sonar changed massively. Not just tanks, but also entire tank systems and their usage.
What I'd like to see is stockpiling of long-lead, multi-purpose items. Chips, as an example. Move designs away from custom hardware ASICS and hand-wired breadboards (which the industry apparently *still* relies on too much) to more software-defined systems that offer greater flexibility.
AIUI turbine blades are a particularly long-lead item for jet engines. Order five years' worth and keep them in store. For ammunition, make loads of shell casings and don't fill them.
Even then, its not so much the stock as the manufacturing capacity, The Fairey Battle was useless come WWII - but the factories weren't.
The other purpose of the Battle was building out RAF squadrons. Complete with maintenance, facilities and aircrews. The crew of a pilot, navigator and air gunner was to form the nucleus of the crews for things like the B1/39 designs when they arrived.
France almost completely lacks the numinous. The UK Is stuffed with numinosity. We have an embarrassment of numinousness, they have nearly none
Even the great French cathedrals. Pas de numinous. Compare with Durham or Ely. Or Carnac - meh. Callanish - wow. Likewise All the churches - scoured clean of Le Numine. Almost any Medieval English church - bonkers NOOM
Why? The Revolution? Secularism? Cartesian logic? But it is true.
I wonder if you need to come from somewhere to feel it intensely. Go into an English parish church and you are walking into somewhere that you know people just like you have sat in for many hundreds of years. The small histories of your own country are on every surface. You feel the presence of the past because it is your past too.
What I'd like to see is stockpiling of long-lead, multi-purpose items. Chips, as an example. Move designs away from custom hardware ASICS and hand-wired breadboards (which the industry apparently *still* relies on too much) to more software-defined systems that offer greater flexibility.
ASICs aren't nearly as prevalent in defence applications as they used to be, FPGAs have mostly taken over that segment now. An off-the-shelf FPGA with a $5000 sticker price that can be updated in the field is a lot more attractive than a non-updatable ASIC that may take years to get into production and cost hundreds of millions in up front costs.
Stockpiling FPGAs isn't a terrible idea, all the major vendors are US-based but I don't believe any of them actually fab their chips in the US, other than a small selection of Intel parts. A stockpile is good insurance against China going for Taiwan, but not so critical for anything else.
Not long before the Russian SMO kicked off market supply of one particular family of Intel FPGAs dried up completely, to the point where major customers couldn't even get one single chip for prototyping work. Rumour has it Intel diverted their entire production to the manufacture of a weapon at the time much in demand by Ukraine.
France almost completely lacks the numinous. The UK Is stuffed with numinosity. We have an embarrassment of numinousness, they have nearly none
Even the great French cathedrals. Pas de numinous. Compare with Durham or Ely. Or Carnac - meh. Callanish - wow. Likewise All the churches - scoured clean of Le Numine. Almost any Medieval English church - bonkers NOOM
Why? The Revolution? Secularism? Cartesian logic? But it is true.
True, in my limited experience. Somehow they feel slightly abandoned (even if still in use).
C’est vrait!
Places with numinosity in France:
Upland Lozere and her megaliths. A bit
That famous Provençal monastery that inspired Corbusier. A bit
Corbusiers priory of La Tourette near Lyon in the basement when they open the doors forming a cross with the famous light - shed by the light cannons
The Great War battlefields - a lot - but for the wrong reasons
Gargas cave with the hands. A bit
That’s it. That’s not a great amount
I’ve not ever walked in a French church and felt the shiver
There’s probably more numinosity in Herefordshire alone. Craswall church. Kilpeck church. Abbey dore. Hergest ridge. Garway
There’s a shrine and it’s “holy spring” at a mate’s vineyard in the Loire which never seemed much in the summer but come the late autumn, winter and early spring, when all the trees and vines were bare and everything was grey, brown and cold it suddenly had a very strange aura as if it was the only source of “life” as far as the eye could see and so had a definite spiritual quality.
Unfortunately Trump leads by 7% in Arizona, according to a Bloomberg/Morning Consult survey released just now.
In fact, he leads in all 6 out of 7 swing states surveyed.
The real problem is Biden’s approval rating, which is very bad for a President, six months out.
Trump's trial is going very badly. The case laid out by the prosecutors is being fully supported by their first witness.
The "catch and kill" efforts at suppressing stories that could have hurt Trump are being set out by David Pecker in terms the jury can easily understand.
The defence case appears to be flimsy at best. I'm really unsure how they intend to overturn a mountain of evidence. "But....but...but....Michael Cohen lied!" seems to be the extent of it. Claiming Trump never had any relationship with Stormy Daniels who was just a shake-down merchant is fine - until they get punched in the face by her testimony.
Trump is never going to be anywhere near the witness box. "The prosecution hasn't made its case" is going to be their line. But I suspect that will fail and Trump will be offering himself up to the voters as "convicted felon Donald Trump".
By the time of the Convention, Trump will be an obvious loser. But the Republican Party is so in his pocket now they will just have to go with the beating heading their way in November. All down the ticket.
That's already priced in, for 46/47% of voters.
I really don't think it is. 25% of voters, maybe.
The lack of attention to politics in the US is startling. Getting in the way of the ability to have an abortion? That cuts through. Being found to be a felon? That cuts through.
It might be politically incorrect but Rayners pint sized jab was very funny .
Once again her performance today highlights why the Tories want her out of the way .
Why is making fun of someone's height okay?
The British left is so against body shaming that an advert of an attractive woman in a bikini has to be banned on the Tube. But they happily attack men on their physical stature. Labour have this weird mixture of misandry in their ideology, but will never trust a woman to lead them.
Although there are many more female labour mps as a percentage than tory mps.
France almost completely lacks the numinous. The UK Is stuffed with numinosity. We have an embarrassment of numinousness, they have nearly none
Even the great French cathedrals. Pas de numinous. Compare with Durham or Ely. Or Carnac - meh. Callanish - wow. Likewise All the churches - scoured clean of Le Numine. Almost any Medieval English church - bonkers NOOM
Why? The Revolution? Secularism? Cartesian logic? But it is true.
I wonder if you need to come from somewhere to feel it intensely. Go into an English parish church and you are walking into somewhere that you know people just like you have sat in for many hundreds of years. The small histories of your own country are on every surface. You feel the presence of the past because it is your past too.
I felt that most recently, when exploring the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey. It's depressing to contemplate what was destroyed during the Reformation.
From a friend: "Pretty sure if God objected to this [Rwanda] policy he'd let us know by sending a sign, a bad omen of some kind involving blood and royal horses."
To be honest I think the weather is more telling. Hoping for a June election, Labour win and then a glorious summer breaks out to start the national renewal.
In earlier times we would have been sacrificing by now to stop the rains...
WRT Trump, I liked a recent comment from Brett Devereux, who said that history shows you cannot rely on laws to stop a tyrant rising to power, if there is not the will to stop him from rising to power.
From a friend: "Pretty sure if God objected to this [Rwanda] policy he'd let us know by sending a sign, a bad omen of some kind involving blood and royal horses."
To be honest I think the weather is more telling. Hoping for a June election, Labour win and then a glorious summer breaks out to start the national renewal.
In earlier times we would have been sacrificing by now to stop the rains...
What a naive optimist you are. Mind you you are an academic so that explains it. The real world aint your forte.
France almost completely lacks the numinous. The UK Is stuffed with numinosity. We have an embarrassment of numinousness, they have nearly none
Even the great French cathedrals. Pas de numinous. Compare with Durham or Ely. Or Carnac - meh. Callanish - wow. Likewise All the churches - scoured clean of Le Numine. Almost any Medieval English church - bonkers NOOM
Why? The Revolution? Secularism? Cartesian logic? But it is true.
I would agree, but with two caveats: 1. we perhaps perceive British things as more numinous because of the ancestral and emotional resonance they hold for us, being born on these islands. 1. The romanesque chapels and churches of Southern Burgundy are an exception to the rule. Bien numineux, to me at least. Chapaize, La Chapelle des Moines, Anzy-le-Duc, Mazille etc.
EDIT: I see others have already addressed the first point
his solar giant is moving manufacturing back to the US Tariffs and IRA tax incentives are starting to reshape global supply chains—but vast challenges lie ahead, explains Shawn Qu, founder of Canadian Solar.
https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/04/23/1091665/canadian-solar-ira-manufacturing-us/ ..After decades of mostly manufacturing in Asia, Canadian Solar is pivoting back to the US because it sees a real chance for a solar industry revival, mostly thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed in 2022. The incentives provided in the bill are just enough to offset the higher manufacturing costs in the US, Qu says. He believes that US solar manufacturing capacity could grow significantly in two to three years, if the industrial policy turns out to be stable enough to keep bringing companies in. ..
Notice that message again - commercial companies need a predictable environment for the next few years in order to invest. Biden's industrial subsidies have worked to get some industries back into the US, but subsidies alone aren't enough in the longer run.
From a friend: "Pretty sure if God objected to this [Rwanda] policy he'd let us know by sending a sign, a bad omen of some kind involving blood and royal horses."
To be honest I think the weather is more telling. Hoping for a June election, Labour win and then a glorious summer breaks out to start the national renewal.
In earlier times we would have been sacrificing by now to stop the rains...
What a naive optimist you are. Mind you you are an academic so that explains it. The real world aint your forte.
And picking up nuance on forum posts isn't yours, clearly!
FPT: rcs1000 said:"The three Democrats who voted against [aid for Ukraine] were: Sanders (Vermont), Welch (Vermont) and Merkley (Oregon)."
Minor correction: All three are on the left in the US Senate, but Sanders is, technically, an independent. (Yes, I know, that made his run for the Democratic presidential nomination, more than a little weird.)
(Bernie Sanders describes himself as a democratic socialist; I've thought for years that the second part was far more important to him than the first. He honeymooned in the old Soviet Union, which was not particularly democratic at the time.
He's also a three-house owning millionaire, thanks to his political career.)
Came across this (when checking the news re BR Birmingham New Street shutdown this morning). Anti-LTN thugs systematically stealing bollards and threatening the locals who complain - the locals like their LTN.
That's a ludicrously biased summary even of the piece as it reads, which itself shows considerable bias. Are the 'thugs' not 'local'? Or do you suppose Nigel Farage and Susan Hall are touring the country with a tow truck?
Elementary reading comprehension. There is nothing in the piece to indicate that the vandals and thugs threatening the locals are themselves locals to the immediate area.
If you think Mr Farage and Ms Hall are plausible culprits, feel free. It's a free world. But I don't think it likely.
It's the Kings Heath LTN in Birmingham, which is supported by residents, as has been acknowledged by the Council, but politicians from elsewhere are trying to reimpose rat running.
The ReformUK types are the Birmingham version of Susan Hall aiui. For people who oppose vandalism, my impression is they seem to be quite keen to express sympathy for people doing it.
Here's a thread from locals who support their streets being made safer:
If anyone has one from *locals* opposed to it, please do post.
To be clear - I'm partisan in support of modal filters etc in this issue; these have been UK planning policy for new estates since the 1960s, and I think other areas should also benefit.
France almost completely lacks the numinous. The UK Is stuffed with numinosity. We have an embarrassment of numinousness, they have nearly none
Even the great French cathedrals. Pas de numinous. Compare with Durham or Ely. Or Carnac - meh. Callanish - wow. Likewise All the churches - scoured clean of Le Numine. Almost any Medieval English church - bonkers NOOM
Why? The Revolution? Secularism? Cartesian logic? But it is true.
True, in my limited experience. Somehow they feel slightly abandoned (even if still in use).
C’est vrait!
Places with numinosity in France:
Upland Lozere and her megaliths. A bit
That famous Provençal monastery that inspired Corbusier. A bit
Corbusiers priory of La Tourette near Lyon in the basement when they open the doors forming a cross with the famous light - shed by the light cannons
The Great War battlefields - a lot - but for the wrong reasons
Gargas cave with the hands. A bit
That’s it. That’s not a great amount
I’ve not ever walked in a French church and felt the shiver
There’s probably more numinosity in Herefordshire alone. Craswall church. Kilpeck church. Abbey dore. Hergest ridge. Garway
There’s a shrine and it’s “holy spring” at a mate’s vineyard in the Loire which never seemed much in the summer but come the late autumn, winter and early spring, when all the trees and vines were bare and everything was grey, brown and cold it suddenly had a very strange aura as if it was the only source of “life” as far as the eye could see and so had a definite spiritual quality.
There is a spring supposedly in my next door neighbour Camille's courtyard. The street is called Impasse de la Source. But it's no longer there. However, the paysan who grazes his cattle in the neighbouring fields seems to have a trough that's magically always full despite there being no mains water supply. Not numinous but very Marcel Pagnol.
WRT Trump, I liked a recent comment from Brett Devereux, who said that history shows you cannot rely on laws to stop a tyrant rising to power, if there is not the will to stop him from rising to power.
Just arrived home having watched Civil War. Excellent film but I'm traumatised. Not a spoiler, but the photo at the end of the film disturbed me.
If this isn't a warning of what a Trump type person can bring, nothing is.
Drones also obsolete *really* fast, so there's no point stockpiling thousands of them. Components like motors, possibly...
What's needed is production capacity, and the ability to innovate/iterate.
Before he got fired for not being a delusional optimist, Zaluzhny called the SMO "война одного шанса" lit. "The War of One Chance".
His point was that both sides would roll out some new system (he specifically referred to HIMARS) and then the other side would learn how to counter it so they only ever really got "one chance" to get the most out of anything.
So if the UK were going to spend more on defence, which they definitely shouldn't as 90% of it would be jizzed up the wall to no effect, then it would be better to spend the money on industrial and research capacity rather than shitloads of hardware that only has one chance to be fully effective.
Absolutely. Fucking Ajax, or Challenger III being good examples.
Some hardware - mortar bombs and 155mm shells, for example - doesn't obsolete quickly, though.
And the U.S. is building brand new systems (with BAE) using 2.75in rocket motors which were stockpiled maybe forty years ago.
What Dura_Ace describes happened in World War Two as well: The Zero was a great fighter in 1941; within a few years if was obsolete. The Spitfire only kept current through the war by having zillions of different upgrades. Radar and sonar changed massively. Not just tanks, but also entire tank systems and their usage.
What I'd like to see is stockpiling of long-lead, multi-purpose items. Chips, as an example. Move designs away from custom hardware ASICS and hand-wired breadboards (which the industry apparently *still* relies on too much) to more software-defined systems that offer greater flexibility.
AIUI turbine blades are a particularly long-lead item for jet engines. Order five years' worth and keep them in store. For ammunition, make loads of shell casings and don't fill them.
Even then, its not so much the stock as the manufacturing capacity, The Fairey Battle was useless come WWII - but the factories weren't.
Yes, which is why building up stocks helps with production and knowledge.
In all seriousness, I'd chuck JCB a few million to see what they could do in a hurry to produce (say) tanks or APCs. Yes, they don't do armour, but they have heavy construction and engine development experience. Ask them what the long-lead items would be, and see what can be done to fix those.
On weather, exercise outdoors, and vacations: Some time ago I formed the opinion that -- if possible -- one should use "nowcasts" rather than forecasts, that -- again, if possible -- you should decide to go at the last possible minute.
(That rule has sometimes saved me from a nasty surprise. For instance, years ago, I was planning a ridge walk in central Pennsylvania. The forecast had been OK, but I decided to check the weather radar befor leaving. I could see a storm coming. If I hadn't made that check, I might have been up on the ridge when the lightning started.)
I don’t really understand why people think ad hominem attacks are acceptable in some instances in politics but awful in other instances. Perhaps simply that when it’s the other side doing it, it’s awful whereas when it’s your side dishing it out, it’s a-ok?
I want Labour to win the next election but they can do better than making fun of people’s physical characteristics.
Depends on the ad hom. If you think someone is dishonest and incompetent, then why would you want them in power ?
If you think someone is dishonest or incompetent then you have better arguments to use than making jokes about physical characteristics.
Drones also obsolete *really* fast, so there's no point stockpiling thousands of them. Components like motors, possibly...
What's needed is production capacity, and the ability to innovate/iterate.
Before he got fired for not being a delusional optimist, Zaluzhny called the SMO "война одного шанса" lit. "The War of One Chance".
His point was that both sides would roll out some new system (he specifically referred to HIMARS) and then the other side would learn how to counter it so they only ever really got "one chance" to get the most out of anything.
So if the UK were going to spend more on defence, which they definitely shouldn't as 90% of it would be jizzed up the wall to no effect, then it would be better to spend the money on industrial and research capacity rather than shitloads of hardware that only has one chance to be fully effective.
Absolutely. Fucking Ajax, or Challenger III being good examples.
Some hardware - mortar bombs and 155mm shells, for example - doesn't obsolete quickly, though.
And the U.S. is building brand new systems (with BAE) using 2.75in rocket motors which were stockpiled maybe forty years ago.
What Dura_Ace describes happened in World War Two as well: The Zero was a great fighter in 1941; within a few years if was obsolete. The Spitfire only kept current through the war by having zillions of different upgrades. Radar and sonar changed massively. Not just tanks, but also entire tank systems and their usage.
What I'd like to see is stockpiling of long-lead, multi-purpose items. Chips, as an example. Move designs away from custom hardware ASICS and hand-wired breadboards (which the industry apparently *still* relies on too much) to more software-defined systems that offer greater flexibility.
AIUI turbine blades are a particularly long-lead item for jet engines. Order five years' worth and keep them in store. For ammunition, make loads of shell casings and don't fill them.
Even then, its not so much the stock as the manufacturing capacity, The Fairey Battle was useless come WWII - but the factories weren't.
Yes, which is why building up stocks helps with production and knowledge.
In all seriousness, I'd chuck JCB a few million to see what they could do in a hurry to produce (say) tanks or APCs. Yes, they don't do armour, but they have heavy construction and engine development experience. Ask them what the long-lead items would be, and see what can be done to fix those.
Timescales in WW2 fascinate me. I've just started reading James Holland's book on the Dambusters. The short amount of time to go from the idea to the mission boggles the mind.
WRT Trump, I liked a recent comment from Brett Devereux, who said that history shows you cannot rely on laws to stop a tyrant rising to power, if there is not the will to stop him from rising to power.
Just arrived home having watched Civil War. Excellent film but I'm traumatised. Not a spoiler, but the photo at the end of the film disturbed me.
If this isn't a warning of what a Trump type person can bring, nothing is.
Incidentally, Devereaux's (he's a historian at University of North Carolina), blog, Unmitigated Pedantry, is a must-read for anyone who is interested in military history generally, and in the politics of the ancient world.
Came across this (when checking the news re BR Birmingham New Street shutdown this morning). Anti-LTN thugs systematically stealing bollards and threatening the locals who complain - the locals like their LTN.
That's a ludicrously biased summary even of the piece as it reads, which itself shows considerable bias. Are the 'thugs' not 'local'? Or do you suppose Nigel Farage and Susan Hall are touring the country with a tow truck?
Elementary reading comprehension. There is nothing in the piece to indicate that the vandals and thugs threatening the locals are themselves locals to the immediate area.
If you think Mr Farage and Ms Hall are plausible culprits, feel free. It's a free world. But I don't think it likely.
It's the Kings Heath LTN in Birmingham, which is supported by residents, as has been acknowledged by the Council, but politicians from elsewhere are trying to reimpose rat running.
The ReformUK types are the Birmingham version of Susan Hall aiui. For people who oppose vandalism, my impression is they seem to be quite keen to express sympathy for people doing it.
Here's a thread from locals who support their streets being made safer:
If anyone has one from *locals* opposed to it, please do post.
To be clear - I'm partisan in support of modal filters etc in this issue; these have been UK planning policy for new estates since the 1960s, and I think other areas should also benefit.
Forgot to say, Birmingham was the centre of attention for Active Travel Cafe a few weeks ago, and here is a presentation from Shivaji Shiva about how it is developing. He became involved because he wanted to take his children to primary school safely.
He is involved in a new umbrella organisation. The presentation is really interesting in how tactical it all is, and how to do effective local campaigning.
Earlier in the video there is an interesting presentation by a Usonian about similar initiatives in the USA. The different attitude to the police is interesting - in the USA he sees them as more of a threat, whereas in the UK we usually see them as a stakeholder in need of some education.
Drones also obsolete *really* fast, so there's no point stockpiling thousands of them. Components like motors, possibly...
What's needed is production capacity, and the ability to innovate/iterate.
Before he got fired for not being a delusional optimist, Zaluzhny called the SMO "война одного шанса" lit. "The War of One Chance".
His point was that both sides would roll out some new system (he specifically referred to HIMARS) and then the other side would learn how to counter it so they only ever really got "one chance" to get the most out of anything.
So if the UK were going to spend more on defence, which they definitely shouldn't as 90% of it would be jizzed up the wall to no effect, then it would be better to spend the money on industrial and research capacity rather than shitloads of hardware that only has one chance to be fully effective.
Absolutely. Fucking Ajax, or Challenger III being good examples.
Some hardware - mortar bombs and 155mm shells, for example - doesn't obsolete quickly, though.
And the U.S. is building brand new systems (with BAE) using 2.75in rocket motors which were stockpiled maybe forty years ago.
What Dura_Ace describes happened in World War Two as well: The Zero was a great fighter in 1941; within a few years if was obsolete. The Spitfire only kept current through the war by having zillions of different upgrades. Radar and sonar changed massively. Not just tanks, but also entire tank systems and their usage.
What I'd like to see is stockpiling of long-lead, multi-purpose items. Chips, as an example. Move designs away from custom hardware ASICS and hand-wired breadboards (which the industry apparently *still* relies on too much) to more software-defined systems that offer greater flexibility.
AIUI turbine blades are a particularly long-lead item for jet engines. Order five years' worth and keep them in store. For ammunition, make loads of shell casings and don't fill them.
Even then, its not so much the stock as the manufacturing capacity, The Fairey Battle was useless come WWII - but the factories weren't.
Yes, which is why building up stocks helps with production and knowledge.
In all seriousness, I'd chuck JCB a few million to see what they could do in a hurry to produce (say) tanks or APCs. Yes, they don't do armour, but they have heavy construction and engine development experience. Ask them what the long-lead items would be, and see what can be done to fix those.
Timescales in WW2 fascinate me. I've just started reading James Holland's book on the Dambusters. The short amount of time to go from the idea to the mission boggles the mind.
Also, how they prototypes things. The Dambusters bomb was first 'tested' on a local pond ISTR. Incidentally, I've recently heard a podcast that made Barnes Wallis out to be a real git.
And (though post-war), Goodhart's aircraft carrier landing lights system:
" He had verified the concept in his office using a secretary’s pocketbook mirror and flashlight. He drew datum lines on the mirror in lipstick and placed it on the desktop. “Flying” down to the desk, and keeping the light between the lines, his nose and chin would always touch the desk at the same spot. Goodhart convinced the naval aeronautical research committee to approve the idea, which was tested at the Royal Aeronautical establishment, Farnborough, in November 1953."
Drones also obsolete *really* fast, so there's no point stockpiling thousands of them. Components like motors, possibly...
What's needed is production capacity, and the ability to innovate/iterate.
Before he got fired for not being a delusional optimist, Zaluzhny called the SMO "война одного шанса" lit. "The War of One Chance".
His point was that both sides would roll out some new system (he specifically referred to HIMARS) and then the other side would learn how to counter it so they only ever really got "one chance" to get the most out of anything.
So if the UK were going to spend more on defence, which they definitely shouldn't as 90% of it would be jizzed up the wall to no effect, then it would be better to spend the money on industrial and research capacity rather than shitloads of hardware that only has one chance to be fully effective.
Absolutely. Fucking Ajax, or Challenger III being good examples.
Some hardware - mortar bombs and 155mm shells, for example - doesn't obsolete quickly, though.
And the U.S. is building brand new systems (with BAE) using 2.75in rocket motors which were stockpiled maybe forty years ago.
What Dura_Ace describes happened in World War Two as well: The Zero was a great fighter in 1941; within a few years if was obsolete. The Spitfire only kept current through the war by having zillions of different upgrades. Radar and sonar changed massively. Not just tanks, but also entire tank systems and their usage.
What I'd like to see is stockpiling of long-lead, multi-purpose items. Chips, as an example. Move designs away from custom hardware ASICS and hand-wired breadboards (which the industry apparently *still* relies on too much) to more software-defined systems that offer greater flexibility.
AIUI turbine blades are a particularly long-lead item for jet engines. Order five years' worth and keep them in store. For ammunition, make loads of shell casings and don't fill them.
Even then, its not so much the stock as the manufacturing capacity, The Fairey Battle was useless come WWII - but the factories weren't.
Yes, which is why building up stocks helps with production and knowledge.
In all seriousness, I'd chuck JCB a few million to see what they could do in a hurry to produce (say) tanks or APCs. Yes, they don't do armour, but they have heavy construction and engine development experience. Ask them what the long-lead items would be, and see what can be done to fix those.
Drones also obsolete *really* fast, so there's no point stockpiling thousands of them. Components like motors, possibly...
What's needed is production capacity, and the ability to innovate/iterate.
Before he got fired for not being a delusional optimist, Zaluzhny called the SMO "война одного шанса" lit. "The War of One Chance".
His point was that both sides would roll out some new system (he specifically referred to HIMARS) and then the other side would learn how to counter it so they only ever really got "one chance" to get the most out of anything.
So if the UK were going to spend more on defence, which they definitely shouldn't as 90% of it would be jizzed up the wall to no effect, then it would be better to spend the money on industrial and research capacity rather than shitloads of hardware that only has one chance to be fully effective.
Absolutely. Fucking Ajax, or Challenger III being good examples.
Some hardware - mortar bombs and 155mm shells, for example - doesn't obsolete quickly, though.
And the U.S. is building brand new systems (with BAE) using 2.75in rocket motors which were stockpiled maybe forty years ago.
What Dura_Ace describes happened in World War Two as well: The Zero was a great fighter in 1941; within a few years if was obsolete. The Spitfire only kept current through the war by having zillions of different upgrades. Radar and sonar changed massively. Not just tanks, but also entire tank systems and their usage.
What I'd like to see is stockpiling of long-lead, multi-purpose items. Chips, as an example. Move designs away from custom hardware ASICS and hand-wired breadboards (which the industry apparently *still* relies on too much) to more software-defined systems that offer greater flexibility.
AIUI turbine blades are a particularly long-lead item for jet engines. Order five years' worth and keep them in store. For ammunition, make loads of shell casings and don't fill them.
Even then, its not so much the stock as the manufacturing capacity, The Fairey Battle was useless come WWII - but the factories weren't.
Yes, which is why building up stocks helps with production and knowledge.
In all seriousness, I'd chuck JCB a few million to see what they could do in a hurry to produce (say) tanks or APCs. Yes, they don't do armour, but they have heavy construction and engine development experience. Ask them what the long-lead items would be, and see what can be done to fix those.
Timescales in WW2 fascinate me. I've just started reading James Holland's book on the Dambusters. The short amount of time to go from the idea to the mission boggles the mind.
Also, how they prototypes things. The Dambusters bomb was first 'tested' on a local pond ISTR. Incidentally, I've recently heard a podcast that made Barnes Wallis out to be a real git.
And (though post-war), Goodhart's aircraft carrier landing lights system:
" He had verified the concept in his office using a secretary’s pocketbook mirror and flashlight. He drew datum lines on the mirror in lipstick and placed it on the desktop. “Flying” down to the desk, and keeping the light between the lines, his nose and chin would always touch the desk at the same spot. Goodhart convinced the naval aeronautical research committee to approve the idea, which was tested at the Royal Aeronautical establishment, Farnborough, in November 1953."
IIRC BW first tested the bouncing concept by skimming stones in his garden, then when they got started there was a model for explosives built at what is now the Building Research Establishment in Watford (still there and listed *), then they scaled up to a redundant dam in Wales (iirc).
Comments
If there were none, then that for me is an indication of promotion beyond competence or capability.
Loses the mayoralty, gets a safe seat, quickly rises to the top of rump.
Unlike the above-named he has passed the whelk stall test (more than once).
Once again her performance today highlights why the Tories want her out of the way .
What I'd like to see is stockpiling of long-lead, multi-purpose items. Chips, as an example. Move designs away from custom hardware ASICS and hand-wired breadboards (which the industry apparently *still* relies on too much) to more software-defined systems that offer greater flexibility.
AIUI turbine blades are a particularly long-lead item for jet engines. Order five years' worth and keep them in store. For ammunition, make loads of shell casings and don't fill them.
Then it's fine.
https://www.strangeloopcanon.com/p/what-can-llms-never-do
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/live/cv2xryed5vnt#player
https://news.sky.com/story/asylum-seekers-warn-others-against-seeking-refuge-in-the-uk-as-some-face-prospect-of-deportation-to-rwanda-13117315
Unfortunately Trump leads by 7% in Arizona, according to a Bloomberg/Morning Consult survey released just now.
In fact, he leads in all 6 out of 7 swing states surveyed.
The real problem is Biden’s approval rating, which is very bad for a President, six months out.
And the people who bang on about baldness combing their hair just so.
And the people who bang on about others fatness - you can breathe out now.
Ugh. Onwards to pont aven
Everything you say is heresy. For the sake of your immortal soul, you will be burned alive. It's the most compassionate thing we can do to help you.
In the Goode Olde Days of American politics, when it was just comic, everyone who railed against abortion had either had one, or paid for one. Everyone who ranted about illegals had at least 2 in the household staff. The gun control types always had an arsenal - and concealed carry permit from the governor in New York.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/24/wales-ammanford-school-stabbing-crime-teacher/
The "catch and kill" efforts at suppressing stories that could have hurt Trump are being set out by David Pecker in terms the jury can easily understand.
The defence case appears to be flimsy at best. I'm really unsure how they intend to overturn a mountain of evidence. "But....but...but....Michael Cohen lied!" seems to be the extent of it. Claiming Trump never had any relationship with Stormy Daniels who was just a shake-down merchant is fine - until they get punched in the face by her testimony.
Trump is never going to be anywhere near the witness box. "The prosecution hasn't made its case" is going to be their line. But I suspect that will fail and Trump will be offering himself up to the voters as "convicted felon Donald Trump".
By the time of the Convention, Trump will be an obvious loser. But the Republican Party is so in his pocket now they will just have to go with the beating heading their way in November. All down the ticket.
I've just had my first flutter since my Theresa May bloodbath.
So I would say 100/1 is a fair bet.
Even the great French cathedrals. Pas de numinous. Compare with Durham or Ely. Or Carnac - meh. Callanish - wow. Likewise All the churches - scoured clean of Le Numine. Almost any Medieval English church - bonkers NOOM
Why? The Revolution? Secularism? Cartesian logic? But it is true.
I want Labour to win the next election but they can do better than making fun of people’s physical characteristics.
The lead author Zhujing Xu is mentioned in this more recent news.
Their labs seem to be doing interesting stuff.
Purdue physicists lift a nano-dumbbell with light and spin it at 100 billion rpm near a surface
https://www.physics.purdue.edu/news/2023/1208-li-nl.html
..“As the nanosphere is the building element of our toolbox, the nano-dumbbell is the simplest product of nanospheres that are asymmetric. Being asymmetrical is crucial for spinning and torque detection,” explains Peng Ju, PhD student and lead author of this publication. “We use light to drive the nano-dumbbell to spin at about 100 billion rpm. The corresponding relative linear velocity is about 4 times the speed of sound at standard temperature and pressure! We also demonstrated it to be an ultrasensitive torque detector. Bringing such an ultrasensitive torque detector near the surface will enable the measurement of non-Newtonian effect and quantum vacuum fluctuation induced torque.”
Ju works in the lab of Dr. Tongcang Li, Professor of Physics and Astronomy and Electrical and Computer Engineering, who is the corresponding author for this work. The two conceived the concept and designed the project. Ju was involved in every aspect of this experiment. Lab-mates Kunhong Shen, Zhujing Xu, Xingyu Gao (all PhD students) and post-doc Yuanbin Jin helped with the experiment. Members of Penn State Electrical Engineering, Yao Duan and Xingjie Ni were also involved and helped fabricate the nanograting on a sapphire plate. Ni is a PhD 2012 alumnus of Purdue University Electrical and Computer Engineering...
Northern and Western Breton summer weather is unpredictable and frequently shit, on a par with Cornwall and less good than the Channel Is or Normandy.
Southern Breton weather, from Carnac Southwards, is statistically excellent. Much warmer, pretty dry and exceptionally sunny. Hence why Muscadet is able to make good wines whereas the North sticks to cider. More reliable weather in Southern Brittany than most of central France, notwithstanding the very occasional Atlantic gale.
A lot of the problem with the civil service is that it's a political football where the external emphasis is on things like headcount, rather than on competently doing the job required of them.
Somehow they feel slightly abandoned (even if still in use).
If you think someone is dishonest and incompetent, then why would you want them in power ?
The Fairey Battle was useless come WWII - but the factories weren't.
Places with numinosity in France:
Upland Lozere and her megaliths. A bit
That famous Provençal monastery that inspired Corbusier. A bit
Corbusiers priory of La Tourette near Lyon in the basement when they open the doors forming a cross with the famous light - shed by the light cannons
The Great War battlefields - a lot - but for the wrong reasons
Gargas cave with the hands. A bit
That’s it. That’s not a great amount
I’ve not ever walked in a French church and felt the shiver
There’s probably more numinosity in Herefordshire alone. Craswall church. Kilpeck church. Abbey dore. Hergest ridge. Garway
But interesting he's saying it publicly.
McConnell says Tucker Carlson and Trump's waffling delayed crucial Ukraine aid
https://twitter.com/dandeluce/status/1782881869719068834
Not the full £50, though.
Maybe you just don´t have a soul...
Stockpiling FPGAs isn't a terrible idea, all the major vendors are US-based but I don't believe any of them actually fab their chips in the US, other than a small selection of Intel parts. A stockpile is good insurance against China going for Taiwan, but not so critical for anything else.
Not long before the Russian SMO kicked off market supply of one particular family of Intel FPGAs dried up completely, to the point where major customers couldn't even get one single chip for prototyping work. Rumour has it Intel diverted their entire production to the manufacture of a weapon at the time much in demand by Ukraine.
The lack of attention to politics in the US is startling. Getting in the way of the ability to have an abortion? That cuts through. Being found to be a felon? That cuts through.
In earlier times we would have been sacrificing by now to stop the rains...
EDIT: I see others have already addressed the first point
Tariffs and IRA tax incentives are starting to reshape global supply chains—but vast challenges lie ahead, explains Shawn Qu, founder of Canadian Solar.
https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/04/23/1091665/canadian-solar-ira-manufacturing-us/
..After decades of mostly manufacturing in Asia, Canadian Solar is pivoting back to the US because it sees a real chance for a solar industry revival, mostly thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed in 2022. The incentives provided in the bill are just enough to offset the higher manufacturing costs in the US, Qu says. He believes that US solar manufacturing capacity could grow significantly in two to three years, if the industrial policy turns out to be stable enough to keep bringing companies in. ..
Notice that message again - commercial companies need a predictable environment for the next few years in order to invest.
Biden's industrial subsidies have worked to get some industries back into the US, but subsidies alone aren't enough in the longer run.
Minor correction: All three are on the left in the US Senate, but Sanders is, technically, an independent. (Yes, I know, that made his run for the Democratic presidential nomination, more than a little weird.)
(Bernie Sanders describes himself as a democratic socialist; I've thought for years that the second part was far more important to him than the first. He honeymooned in the old Soviet Union, which was not particularly democratic at the time.
He's also a three-house owning millionaire, thanks to his political career.)
The ReformUK types are the Birmingham version of Susan Hall aiui. For people who oppose vandalism, my impression is they seem to be quite keen to express sympathy for people doing it.
Here's a thread from locals who support their streets being made safer:
If anyone has one from *locals* opposed to it, please do post.
https://twitter.com/for_birmingham/status/1376075316431568899
To be clear - I'm partisan in support of modal filters etc in this issue; these have been UK planning policy for new estates since the 1960s, and I think other areas should also benefit.
The hellish reality of living in a castle.
Bless her.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/travel/news/the-hellish-reality-of-living-in-a-castle/ar-AA1g06dN?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=db3620d371624f38ff48044f5636bfe4&ei=14
If this isn't a warning of what a Trump type person can bring, nothing is.
In all seriousness, I'd chuck JCB a few million to see what they could do in a hurry to produce (say) tanks or APCs. Yes, they don't do armour, but they have heavy construction and engine development experience. Ask them what the long-lead items would be, and see what can be done to fix those.
(That rule has sometimes saved me from a nasty surprise. For instance, years ago, I was planning a ridge walk in central Pennsylvania. The forecast had been OK, but I decided to check the weather radar befor leaving. I could see a storm coming. If I hadn't made that check, I might have been up on the ridge when the lightning started.)
He is involved in a new umbrella organisation. The presentation is really interesting in how tactical it all is, and how to do effective local campaigning.
https://youtu.be/4JM4X5jWr3s?t=1920
Earlier in the video there is an interesting presentation by a Usonian about similar initiatives in the USA. The different attitude to the police is interesting - in the USA he sees them as more of a threat, whereas in the UK we usually see them as a stakeholder in need of some education.
And (though post-war), Goodhart's aircraft carrier landing lights system:
" He had verified the concept in his office using a secretary’s pocketbook mirror and flashlight. He drew datum lines on the mirror in lipstick and placed it on the desktop. “Flying” down to the desk, and keeping the light between the lines, his nose and chin would always touch the desk at the same spot. Goodhart convinced the naval aeronautical research committee to approve the idea, which was tested at the Royal Aeronautical establishment, Farnborough, in November 1953."
https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2019/august/call-ball-optical-mirror-landing-system
https://raeng.org.uk/programmes-and-prizes/prizes/the-president-s-special-awards-for-pandemic-service/a-personal-respirator-created-for-local-healthcare-workers-could-have-global-reach
https://www.mclaren.com/racing/latest-news/mclarenracing/article/case-study-ventilator-challenge-uk/
And BAE already builds a perfectly acceptable IFV
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combat_Vehicle_90
Cancel Ajax, and give them a multi year order.
APCs are produced by any number of businesses.
* https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1020749