Wow. For the longest time it was a Manhattan parlor game to try and come up with a weird enough story to explain how a dead bear cub ended up in Central Park. But no one guessed RFK jr. had to drive to JFK but the dead bear in his van needed to be dropped off first. https://x.com/TinaDupuy/status/1820163458354073769
Seen stories in the papers this morning that all six “hunter-killer” subs are out of service due to a lack of dry dock space to fix them so leaving us exposed to Russian threats.
Call me old fashioned but shouldn’t these sort of stories be suppressed by a D-notice if the editors of the papers don’t care about not letting our enemies know things themselves?
This is not the first time I have raised in the chamber that residents of Tamworth want their hotel back. I will work closely with the new Government and Home Secretary to end the use of the Holiday Inn for asylum purposes.
Again, for those at the back:
Complaining that a hotel is used for a reason you don’t like: fine (though quite why it’s anyone’s business who a hotel sells its rooms to I don’t know). Attacking a hotel with people in it: not fine.
In some areas, the block booking of hotels to use for asylum purposes has inconvenienced local business by massively reducing the available hotels rooms.
In other places, the hotels booked stopped providing amenities like pools and gyms that the residents were using previously. In a fair number of places, a hotel provided swimming pool is the only one, locally.
So it is perfectly reasonable to question the use of long term block booking hotels vs other options.
Indeed. And attacking that hotel is neither reasonable nor civilised but, well, a bit Brownshirt.
Precisely nobody here has condoned the attacking of hotels.
This is not the first time I have raised in the chamber that residents of Tamworth want their hotel back. I will work closely with the new Government and Home Secretary to end the use of the Holiday Inn for asylum purposes.
Again, for those at the back:
Complaining that a hotel is used for a reason you don’t like: fine (though quite why it’s anyone’s business who a hotel sells its rooms to I don’t know). Attacking a hotel with people in it: not fine.
When these hotels are used by the government for asylum seekers they don't just rent out rooms but take over the whole building, so local people who might have previously used the amenities like health clubs or restaurants suddenly can't.
Putting illegal asylum seekers into hotels. Is this something recently introduced by the Starmer Government?
Condemning rioters and backing Trump is not a coherent position.
Trump caps also spotted amongst the street fighting men. What a surprise.
Has Trump shill Nigel National-Treasure apologised for prompting the false narrative which stoked up this violence, namely that the Southport alleged murderer was a Syrian Asylum Seeker? No, I thought not.
Why is Farage getting away with this?
When parliament resumes and these thicko racists have been swept away and the human beings return there will be a reckoning and Farage will find himself reviled and friendless in a way he has managed to avoid before. His incitement is on record.
Seen stories in the papers this morning that all six “hunter-killer” subs are out of service due to a lack of dry dock space to fix them so leaving us exposed to Russian threats.
Call me old fashioned but shouldn’t these sort of stories be suppressed by a D-notice if the editors of the papers don’t care about not letting our enemies know things themselves?
Russia would be well aware of this before it hits the Daily Mirror. Our strategic defence is in a very sorry state to be sure but it’s barely featured in the political conversation.
One of the paradoxes of travel is how travellers are so keen to tick off sights and experiences while travelling, but so reluctant to engage and meet with the people who travel to visit us. They are considered a nuisance or worse in our own cities. There is a world of experience to be had with our neighbours, but that seems to pale compared the attraction of visiting some far off place for a selfie and to Instagram dinner, a church or a view.
A wise man observed that it was far better for the soul to visit one Cathedral a hundred times than a hundred Cathedrals once.
Change church for setting light to Holiday Inn, and you have the current riot tourists.
On a more serious note, it is another negative of social media, the "IT" trends on Instagram, people all rush there, take their own Instagram photo and leave, achievement unlocked.
Seen stories in the papers this morning that all six “hunter-killer” subs are out of service due to a lack of dry dock space to fix them so leaving us exposed to Russian threats.
Call me old fashioned but shouldn’t these sort of stories be suppressed by a D-notice if the editors of the papers don’t care about not letting our enemies know things themselves?
Russia would be well aware of this before it hits the Daily Mirror. Our strategic defence is in a very sorry state to be sure but it’s barely featured in the political conversation.
It's not just the NHS and Civil Justice system that has been run into the ground by the last government. It is pretty much every bit of public life.
They fly their flags but allow the Royal Navy to rust, with crews unfilled.
It's going to take a long time and a lot of money to become a functioning country again.
One of the paradoxes of travel is how travellers are so keen to tick off sights and experiences while travelling, but so reluctant to engage and meet with the people who travel to visit us. They are considered a nuisance or worse in our own cities. There is a world of experience to be had with our neighbours, but that seems to pale compared the attraction of visiting some far off place for a selfie and to Instagram dinner, a church or a view.
A wise man observed that it was far better for the soul to visit one Cathedral a hundred times than a hundred Cathedrals once.
Very true, and i recognise myself in some of those vignettes
One of the paradoxes of travel is how travellers are so keen to tick off sights and experiences while travelling, but so reluctant to engage and meet with the people who travel to visit us. They are considered a nuisance or worse in our own cities. There is a world of experience to be had with our neighbours, but that seems to pale compared the attraction of visiting some far off place for a selfie and to Instagram dinner, a church or a view.
A wise man observed that it was far better for the soul to visit one Cathedral a hundred times than a hundred Cathedrals once.
I chatted to one of the Italian guides whilst I was at Pompeii last year. She said many American tourists pay to enter, haul themselves up to the forum area, then leave to spend more time in the gift shop than at the actual site - just so they could say they had 'done' Pompeii. To my surprise, she also singled out Canadians as doing the same.
And when we were on HMS Warrior a few months back, a very attractive young lady went int the captain's cabin whilst videoing herself - presumably for a vlog. She walked in, read a noticeboard into the camera, then flounced out. She got no details, none of the interesting or fascinating little details in that room. And certainly none of the ambiance.
Seen stories in the papers this morning that all six “hunter-killer” subs are out of service due to a lack of dry dock space to fix them so leaving us exposed to Russian threats.
Call me old fashioned but shouldn’t these sort of stories be suppressed by a D-notice if the editors of the papers don’t care about not letting our enemies know things themselves?
There's only 5. Agamemnon and Agincourt are still under construction or commissioning. They've only been working on Agamemnon for 11 years, let's not rush them.
There's no point in denying it or concealing it. The Russians/Chinese/Americans/Welsh have agents, eyes and satellites so they can see all five/six are in Devonport. They're not exactly small.
The Russians operate crowdsourced intelligence gathering in Ukraine by announcing that they need pictures of X location and will pay ₿ Y for it on Telegram. The Ukrainians do similar but they'll also pay if you fancy blowing up an oil refinery or something. This is almost impossible to detect or counter and I assume they do the same in the UK.
One of the paradoxes of travel is how travellers are so keen to tick off sights and experiences while travelling, but so reluctant to engage and meet with the people who travel to visit us. They are considered a nuisance or worse in our own cities. There is a world of experience to be had with our neighbours, but that seems to pale compared the attraction of visiting some far off place for a selfie and to Instagram dinner, a church or a view.
A wise man observed that it was far better for the soul to visit one Cathedral a hundred times than a hundred Cathedrals once.
Very true, and i recognise myself in some of those vignettes
Yes, and me too.
Why is it that I have visited mosques in Istanbul, Cairo, and Morocco but not one in Leicester? Synagogues in Jerusalem and Budapest but not Leicester? In part I suppose because Leicester's are of less architectural and historic significance, but it does show a lack of curiosity.
If you want to drive every sane or civilised right wing voice off the site then carry on exactly as you are and I will indeed leave. And this time I won’t come back
And this site will turn into an insanely boring pile of shite where centrist lefty dads discuss the fucking west coast main line. And it will finally die
Who among our 'sane and civilised right wing voices' are you expecting to leave with you?
Is the tory membership especially in favour of Trump unlike 98% of the rest of UK population?
Seems odd thing to push out there.
He didn't 'push it out there' he was asked a question. Perhaps he was just telling the truth - remember that?
The fact that Jenrick, Johnson and Truss have all said they would vote for, or support Trump, is quite interesting. No poster on this website has said they would vote for Trump as far as I know. This supports my theory that this website has become a centre left hive/bubble. Even the outliers (like @Leon ) are to the left of mainstream thinking in the conservative party.
Is the tory membership especially in favour of Trump unlike 98% of the rest of UK population?
Seems odd thing to push out there.
He didn't 'push it out there' he was asked a question. Perhaps he was just telling the truth - remember that?
Sure, but it's not an attractive truth - even for his narrow audience. Trump is an agent of chaos, not a conservative.
Tell the truth. Explain why you hold the opinion that you do. People may not agree, but they'll respect you if your reasons are sound. It's a refreshing change from Sir Keir 'Joe Biden was extremely sharp and on the ball' Starmer.
Is the tory membership especially in favour of Trump unlike 98% of the rest of UK population?
Seems odd thing to push out there.
He didn't 'push it out there' he was asked a question. Perhaps he was just telling the truth - remember that?
The fact that Jenrick, Johnson and Truss have all said they would vote for, or support Trump, is quite interesting. No poster on this website has said they would vote for Trump as far as I know. This supports my theory that this website has become a centre left hive/bubble. Even the outliers (like @Leon ) are to the left of mainstream thinking in the conservative party.
I'd have voted for him over Biden. I don't know enough about Harris yet to know whether I'd do the same against her.
They are both completely functional yet also romantic. I can’t think of any British motorway that does that. Some American freeways do manage this.
the M6 through Cumbria comes close
The M50 through Herefordshire is another possible. I think it's unique among British motorways in that it serves no major conurbations, just ambling through some beautiful wooded countryside past three small towns (Ledbury, Newent and Ross) ending with a fine view of the Black Mountains.
One of the paradoxes of travel is how travellers are so keen to tick off sights and experiences while travelling, but so reluctant to engage and meet with the people who travel to visit us. They are considered a nuisance or worse in our own cities. There is a world of experience to be had with our neighbours, but that seems to pale compared the attraction of visiting some far off place for a selfie and to Instagram dinner, a church or a view.
A wise man observed that it was far better for the soul to visit one Cathedral a hundred times than a hundred Cathedrals once.
Very true, and i recognise myself in some of those vignettes
Yes, and me too.
Why is it that I have visited mosques in Istanbul, Cairo, and Morocco but not one in Leicester? Synagogues in Jerusalem and Budapest but not Leicester? In part I suppose because Leicester's are of less architectural and historic significance, but it does show a lack of curiosity.
I think I need to change my ways.
I think it's fairly common not to visit places near where you live. When I lived in London there were loads of museums that I did not visit, yet I will now travel to visit them. And it's not just age - back then I would travel to visit other museums and places.
In the last few years I've run nearly every road and path in a very large area around my home. I've discovered loads of places and things that are quite wonderful in understated ways. For instance, this communal bakehouse in Papworth St Agnes: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1164387
But there are still places that I've been past, but have yet to go in and visit.
Is the tory membership especially in favour of Trump unlike 98% of the rest of UK population?
Seems odd thing to push out there.
He didn't 'push it out there' he was asked a question. Perhaps he was just telling the truth - remember that?
The fact that Jenrick, Johnson and Truss have all said they would vote for, or support Trump, is quite interesting. No poster on this website has said they would vote for Trump as far as I know. This supports my theory that this website has become a centre left hive/bubble. Even the outliers (like @Leon ) are to the left of mainstream thinking in the conservative party.
@williamglenn has always been a Trump supporter, even in his eurofanatic days, and there are others who are clearly sympathetic such as @Sandpit.
We cover a pretty good spectrum of UK political opinion (despite being nearly entirely male), but UK political opinion is different to the USA.
"Overall, 14% are favourable towards Donald Trump and 71% are unfavourable, including 83% of 2019 Labour voters, 83% of Remain voters, two-thirds of 2019 Conservative voters (67%) and 65% of Leave voters."
Which is always an obstacle when trying to evaluate USA betting markets. It's hard to believe that Americans are daft enough to vote Trump, but they clearly are.
One of the paradoxes of travel is how travellers are so keen to tick off sights and experiences while travelling, but so reluctant to engage and meet with the people who travel to visit us. They are considered a nuisance or worse in our own cities. There is a world of experience to be had with our neighbours, but that seems to pale compared the attraction of visiting some far off place for a selfie and to Instagram dinner, a church or a view.
A wise man observed that it was far better for the soul to visit one Cathedral a hundred times than a hundred Cathedrals once.
Very true, and i recognise myself in some of those vignettes
Yes, and me too.
Why is it that I have visited mosques in Istanbul, Cairo, and Morocco but not one in Leicester? Synagogues in Jerusalem and Budapest but not Leicester? In part I suppose because Leicester's are of less architectural and historic significance, but it does show a lack of curiosity.
I think I need to change my ways.
I think it's fairly common not to visit places near where you live. When I lived in London there were loads of museums that I did not visit, yet I will now travel to visit them. And it's not just age - back then I would travel to visit other museums and places.
In the last few years I've run nearly every road and path in a very large area around my home. I've discovered loads of places and things that are quite wonderful in understated ways. For instance, this communal bakehouse in Papworth St Agnes: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1164387
But there are still places that I've been past, but have yet to go in and visit.
I go to the Isle of Wight every couple of months, yet there is plenty there I haven't seen.
When my youngest son was born we didn't want to take him abroad just 2 months old, so booked a hotel off Regents Park (lots of good deals as that was the summer of Foot and Mouth, and a lot of foreign tourists had cancelled) and did all the tourist sights with him asleep and his brother with the curiosity of a 6 year old. It was quite fun and we saw in a week more sights than I had in my six years in London.
Incidentally; last year I met a lady who was travelling around the country in an attempt to swim in every public pool in the UK. I think she was doing three or four that day alone.
A god way of travelling to see the country. And ruining your hair with chlorine...
One of the paradoxes of travel is how travellers are so keen to tick off sights and experiences while travelling, but so reluctant to engage and meet with the people who travel to visit us. They are considered a nuisance or worse in our own cities. There is a world of experience to be had with our neighbours, but that seems to pale compared the attraction of visiting some far off place for a selfie and to Instagram dinner, a church or a view.
A wise man observed that it was far better for the soul to visit one Cathedral a hundred times than a hundred Cathedrals once.
Very true, and i recognise myself in some of those vignettes
Yes, and me too.
Why is it that I have visited mosques in Istanbul, Cairo, and Morocco but not one in Leicester? Synagogues in Jerusalem and Budapest but not Leicester? In part I suppose because Leicester's are of less architectural and historic significance, but it does show a lack of curiosity.
I think I need to change my ways.
I think it's fairly common not to visit places near where you live. When I lived in London there were loads of museums that I did not visit, yet I will now travel to visit them. And it's not just age - back then I would travel to visit other museums and places.
In the last few years I've run nearly every road and path in a very large area around my home. I've discovered loads of places and things that are quite wonderful in understated ways. For instance, this communal bakehouse in Papworth St Agnes: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1164387
But there are still places that I've been past, but have yet to go in and visit.
I go to the Isle of Wight every couple of months, yet there is plenty there I haven't seen.
When my youngest son was born we didn't want to take him abroad just 2 months old, so booked a hotel off Regents Park (lots of good deals as that was the summer of Foot and Mouth, and a lot of foreign tourists had cancelled) and did all the tourist sights with him asleep and his brother with the curiosity of a 6 year old. It was quite fun and we saw in a week more sights than I had in my six years in London.
Some interesting points in that article - but it hardly proves what it says
Travel broadens the mind simply because - if you travel widely enough - you encounter multiple different human ways of doing, thinking, seeing, acting, loving, working, fighting, dying. And in the end you are forced to ask why they do this, and whether it is superior or inferior to your own ways. Or just fascinatingly different
Will all credit to ventnor, you don’t get that on the Isle of Wight
Looks like it might be an 'interesting' day in the markets.
The reason being?
IIUC the main reason is that the Bank of Japan put up interest rates and the yen started becoming stronger. It's still insanely weak, but not as much as it was - for example, last week I went out for lunch with a visitor from Britain and came back from the loo at the end to find him in front of the till engaged in a heated argument with the restaurant staff because he couldn't believe it could possibly be that cheap. This in turn has hit people who have been borrowing JPY and selling them for USD and earning USD interest. These people were caught on the hop and had to hurriedly reverse their positions, which increased JPY further and caused a cascade, and people also had to sell other stuff to cover their losses.
Then a lot of the drop is just the mechanical effect of the currency, because a lot of the companies involved are international so if the yen is worth more and they're worth the same then they're worth fewer yen. But there's also various stuff going down in the middle-east and weak US jobs data which means you have to be a little bit braver than usual to bargain-hunt.
One of the paradoxes of travel is how travellers are so keen to tick off sights and experiences while travelling, but so reluctant to engage and meet with the people who travel to visit us. They are considered a nuisance or worse in our own cities. There is a world of experience to be had with our neighbours, but that seems to pale compared the attraction of visiting some far off place for a selfie and to Instagram dinner, a church or a view.
A wise man observed that it was far better for the soul to visit one Cathedral a hundred times than a hundred Cathedrals once.
Very true, and i recognise myself in some of those vignettes
Yes, and me too.
Why is it that I have visited mosques in Istanbul, Cairo, and Morocco but not one in Leicester? Synagogues in Jerusalem and Budapest but not Leicester? In part I suppose because Leicester's are of less architectural and historic significance, but it does show a lack of curiosity.
I think I need to change my ways.
I think it's fairly common not to visit places near where you live. When I lived in London there were loads of museums that I did not visit, yet I will now travel to visit them. And it's not just age - back then I would travel to visit other museums and places.
In the last few years I've run nearly every road and path in a very large area around my home. I've discovered loads of places and things that are quite wonderful in understated ways. For instance, this communal bakehouse in Papworth St Agnes: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1164387
But there are still places that I've been past, but have yet to go in and visit.
One of the many things that I love about Britain is the layers of things of interest to see. We are surrounded by them. I lived in NZ for a year and really missed that. Christchurch was a lovely city, but nothing over 150 years old, and when climbing a hill on the South Island, there wasn't an interesting village or old pub or ancient ruin, just another hill or lake. Pretty, but lacking the cultural intensity and depth, and often ugliness that I have grown up with.
Looks like it might be an 'interesting' day in the markets.
The reason being?
Principally, the rise in Japanese interest rates > stronger yen > pressure on their exporters, at a time when domestic demand is weak. It also makes it more costly to borrow to buy shares; zero to 0.25% doesn't sound like much, but it's significant in terms of expectations.
And no one knows WTF will happen in the US in November.
This could be one of those moments when the dawn really does follow the darkest night. These racist thugs and their fellow travellers have now exposed themselves for what they are. There is no getting away from it or hiding. The burning hotels with people in them are on camera. They have backed themselves into a dark corner and their words and behaviour are a matter of record
Even the right wing press have disowned them and are feigning disgust. This could be the moment when agitators like Lawrence Fox and Nigel Farage and several notable Tories face their reckoning. Oddly enough I cant think of anyone I'd prefer to have in charge at this particular moment than SKS
One of the paradoxes of travel is how travellers are so keen to tick off sights and experiences while travelling, but so reluctant to engage and meet with the people who travel to visit us. They are considered a nuisance or worse in our own cities. There is a world of experience to be had with our neighbours, but that seems to pale compared the attraction of visiting some far off place for a selfie and to Instagram dinner, a church or a view.
A wise man observed that it was far better for the soul to visit one Cathedral a hundred times than a hundred Cathedrals once.
Very true, and i recognise myself in some of those vignettes
Yes, and me too.
Why is it that I have visited mosques in Istanbul, Cairo, and Morocco but not one in Leicester? Synagogues in Jerusalem and Budapest but not Leicester? In part I suppose because Leicester's are of less architectural and historic significance, but it does show a lack of curiosity.
I think I need to change my ways.
I think it's fairly common not to visit places near where you live. When I lived in London there were loads of museums that I did not visit, yet I will now travel to visit them. And it's not just age - back then I would travel to visit other museums and places.
In the last few years I've run nearly every road and path in a very large area around my home. I've discovered loads of places and things that are quite wonderful in understated ways. For instance, this communal bakehouse in Papworth St Agnes: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1164387
But there are still places that I've been past, but have yet to go in and visit.
I go to the Isle of Wight every couple of months, yet there is plenty there I haven't seen.
When my youngest son was born we didn't want to take him abroad just 2 months old, so booked a hotel off Regents Park (lots of good deals as that was the summer of Foot and Mouth, and a lot of foreign tourists had cancelled) and did all the tourist sights with him asleep and his brother with the curiosity of a 6 year old. It was quite fun and we saw in a week more sights than I had in my six years in London.
Some interesting points in that article - but it hardly proves what it says
Travel broadens the mind simply because - if you travel widely enough - you encounter multiple different human ways of doing, thinking, seeing, acting, loving, working, fighting, dying. And in the end you are forced to ask why they do this, and whether it is superior or inferior to your own ways. Or just fascinatingly different
Will all credit to ventnor, you don’t get that on the Isle of Wight
You don't get that anywhere; living proof that despite tons of travel you can still wash up as a narrow-minded credulous cretin.
One of the paradoxes of travel is how travellers are so keen to tick off sights and experiences while travelling, but so reluctant to engage and meet with the people who travel to visit us. They are considered a nuisance or worse in our own cities. There is a world of experience to be had with our neighbours, but that seems to pale compared the attraction of visiting some far off place for a selfie and to Instagram dinner, a church or a view.
A wise man observed that it was far better for the soul to visit one Cathedral a hundred times than a hundred Cathedrals once.
Very true, and i recognise myself in some of those vignettes
Yes, and me too.
Why is it that I have visited mosques in Istanbul, Cairo, and Morocco but not one in Leicester? Synagogues in Jerusalem and Budapest but not Leicester? In part I suppose because Leicester's are of less architectural and historic significance, but it does show a lack of curiosity.
I think I need to change my ways.
I think it's fairly common not to visit places near where you live. When I lived in London there were loads of museums that I did not visit, yet I will now travel to visit them. And it's not just age - back then I would travel to visit other museums and places.
In the last few years I've run nearly every road and path in a very large area around my home. I've discovered loads of places and things that are quite wonderful in understated ways. For instance, this communal bakehouse in Papworth St Agnes: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1164387
But there are still places that I've been past, but have yet to go in and visit.
One of the many things that I love about Britain is the layers of things of interest to see. We are surrounded by them. I lived in NZ for a year and really missed that. Christchurch was a lovely city, but nothing over 150 years old, and when climbing a hill on the South Island, there wasn't an interesting village or old pub or ancient ruin, just another hill or lake. Pretty, but lacking the cultural intensity and depth, and often ugliness that I have grown up with.
Yes, this is where Europe has the world beat. The millefeuille of history
I’m sitting in a little square in Béziers. It’s the oldest city in France. The piazza is probably 200 years old. The streets behind me 400 years old. The cathedral 5 minutes away was built in the 13th century after the great massacres of the Albigensian crusade
Down the road ten minutes are the ruins of a Roman arena. Around them are the scattered remnants of a Greek settlement dating from about 500BC
One of the paradoxes of travel is how travellers are so keen to tick off sights and experiences while travelling, but so reluctant to engage and meet with the people who travel to visit us. They are considered a nuisance or worse in our own cities. There is a world of experience to be had with our neighbours, but that seems to pale compared the attraction of visiting some far off place for a selfie and to Instagram dinner, a church or a view.
A wise man observed that it was far better for the soul to visit one Cathedral a hundred times than a hundred Cathedrals once.
Very true, and i recognise myself in some of those vignettes
Yes, and me too.
Why is it that I have visited mosques in Istanbul, Cairo, and Morocco but not one in Leicester? Synagogues in Jerusalem and Budapest but not Leicester? In part I suppose because Leicester's are of less architectural and historic significance, but it does show a lack of curiosity.
I think I need to change my ways.
I think it's fairly common not to visit places near where you live. When I lived in London there were loads of museums that I did not visit, yet I will now travel to visit them. And it's not just age - back then I would travel to visit other museums and places.
In the last few years I've run nearly every road and path in a very large area around my home. I've discovered loads of places and things that are quite wonderful in understated ways. For instance, this communal bakehouse in Papworth St Agnes: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1164387
But there are still places that I've been past, but have yet to go in and visit.
I go to the Isle of Wight every couple of months, yet there is plenty there I haven't seen.
When my youngest son was born we didn't want to take him abroad just 2 months old, so booked a hotel off Regents Park (lots of good deals as that was the summer of Foot and Mouth, and a lot of foreign tourists had cancelled) and did all the tourist sights with him asleep and his brother with the curiosity of a 6 year old. It was quite fun and we saw in a week more sights than I had in my six years in London.
Some interesting points in that article - but it hardly proves what it says
Travel broadens the mind simply because - if you travel widely enough - you encounter multiple different human ways of doing, thinking, seeing, acting, loving, working, fighting, dying. And in the end you are forced to ask why they do this, and whether it is superior or inferior to your own ways. Or just fascinatingly different
Will all credit to ventnor, you don’t get that on the Isle of Wight
You don't get that anywhere; living proof that despite tons of travel you can still wash up as a narrow-minded credulous cretin.
I always imagined it was your extensive foreign travels, broadening your mind, that gave you the bravery to experiment with man-dog love, despite all the net curtain twitchers at home “ooh Ian’s at it with ‘iz poor old dog again”
They are both completely functional yet also romantic. I can’t think of any British motorway that does that. Some American freeways do manage this.
the M6 through Cumbria comes close
The M50 through Herefordshire is another possible. I think it's unique among British motorways in that it serves no major conurbations, just ambling through some beautiful wooded countryside past three small towns (Ledbury, Newent and Ross) ending with a fine view of the Black Mountains.
The "Ross spur", as I know it, was built before the M5 was built southwards from the M50/M5 junction. Its aim was to better link South Wales with the Midlands.
They are both completely functional yet also romantic. I can’t think of any British motorway that does that. Some American freeways do manage this.
the M6 through Cumbria comes close
The M50 through Herefordshire is another possible. I think it's unique among British motorways in that it serves no major conurbations, just ambling through some beautiful wooded countryside past three small towns (Ledbury, Newent and Ross) ending with a fine view of the Black Mountains.
The "Ross spur", as I know it, was built before the M5 was built southwards from the M50/M5 junction. Its aim was to better link South Wales with the Midlands.
It has railway bridges for two lines - one from Tewkesbury to Malvern that closed under Beeching, and one from Gloucester to Ledbury that didn't even make it to the Beeching era!
They are both completely functional yet also romantic. I can’t think of any British motorway that does that. Some American freeways do manage this.
the M6 through Cumbria comes close
The M50 through Herefordshire is another possible. I think it's unique among British motorways in that it serves no major conurbations, just ambling through some beautiful wooded countryside past three small towns (Ledbury, Newent and Ross) ending with a fine view of the Black Mountains.
The "Ross spur", as I know it, was built before the M5 was built southwards from the M50/M5 junction. Its aim was to better link South Wales with the Midlands.
It has railway bridges for two lines - one from Tewkesbury to Malvern that closed under Beeching, and one from Gloucester to Ledbury that didn't even make it to the Beeching era!
The M50's bridge over the River Wye is a sight to behold, spanning 220 meters. For the true aficionados, Junction 4 is the only example of a trumpet interchange on the M50!
They are both completely functional yet also romantic. I can’t think of any British motorway that does that. Some American freeways do manage this.
the M6 through Cumbria comes close
The M50 through Herefordshire is another possible. I think it's unique among British motorways in that it serves no major conurbations, just ambling through some beautiful wooded countryside past three small towns (Ledbury, Newent and Ross) ending with a fine view of the Black Mountains.
The "Ross spur", as I know it, was built before the M5 was built southwards from the M50/M5 junction. Its aim was to better link South Wales with the Midlands.
It has railway bridges for two lines - one from Tewkesbury to Malvern that closed under Beeching, and one from Gloucester to Ledbury that didn't even make it to the Beeching era!
The M50's bridge over the River Wye is a sight to behold, spanning 220 meters. For the true aficionados, Junction 4 is the only example of a trumpet interchange on the M50!
One of the paradoxes of travel is how travellers are so keen to tick off sights and experiences while travelling, but so reluctant to engage and meet with the people who travel to visit us. They are considered a nuisance or worse in our own cities. There is a world of experience to be had with our neighbours, but that seems to pale compared the attraction of visiting some far off place for a selfie and to Instagram dinner, a church or a view.
A wise man observed that it was far better for the soul to visit one Cathedral a hundred times than a hundred Cathedrals once.
I chatted to one of the Italian guides whilst I was at Pompeii last year. She said many American tourists pay to enter, haul themselves up to the forum area, then leave to spend more time in the gift shop than at the actual site - just so they could say they had 'done' Pompeii. To my surprise, she also singled out Canadians as doing the same.
And when we were on HMS Warrior a few months back, a very attractive young lady went int the captain's cabin whilst videoing herself - presumably for a vlog. She walked in, read a noticeboard into the camera, then flounced out. She got no details, none of the interesting or fascinating little details in that room. And certainly none of the ambiance.
You are doing it for entertainment in your spare time. For her it is a job
One of the paradoxes of travel is how travellers are so keen to tick off sights and experiences while travelling, but so reluctant to engage and meet with the people who travel to visit us. They are considered a nuisance or worse in our own cities. There is a world of experience to be had with our neighbours, but that seems to pale compared the attraction of visiting some far off place for a selfie and to Instagram dinner, a church or a view.
A wise man observed that it was far better for the soul to visit one Cathedral a hundred times than a hundred Cathedrals once.
Very true, and i recognise myself in some of those vignettes
Yes, and me too.
Why is it that I have visited mosques in Istanbul, Cairo, and Morocco but not one in Leicester? Synagogues in Jerusalem and Budapest but not Leicester? In part I suppose because Leicester's are of less architectural and historic significance, but it does show a lack of curiosity.
I think I need to change my ways.
I have a mate who is a teacher who went on a school trip to Leicester to see a mosque and a gurdwara.
He was very impressed with the Sikhs but less so with the Muslims - they treated the female teacher in the group as an inferior.
Comments
Trump is an agent of chaos, not a conservative.
Call me old fashioned but shouldn’t these sort of stories be suppressed by a D-notice if the editors of the papers don’t care about not letting our enemies know things themselves?
On a more serious note, it is another negative of social media, the "IT" trends on Instagram, people all rush there, take their own Instagram photo and leave, achievement unlocked.
They fly their flags but allow the Royal Navy to rust, with crews unfilled.
It's going to take a long time and a lot of money to become a functioning country again.
https://x.com/rishisunak/status/1820132969513664691?s=61
And when we were on HMS Warrior a few months back, a very attractive young lady went int the captain's cabin whilst videoing herself - presumably for a vlog. She walked in, read a noticeboard into the camera, then flounced out. She got no details, none of the interesting or fascinating little details in that room. And certainly none of the ambiance.
There's no point in denying it or concealing it. The Russians/Chinese/Americans/Welsh have agents, eyes and satellites so they can see all five/six are in Devonport. They're not exactly small.
The Russians operate crowdsourced intelligence gathering in Ukraine by announcing that they need pictures of X location and will pay ₿ Y for it on Telegram. The Ukrainians do similar but they'll also pay if you fancy blowing up an oil refinery or something. This is almost impossible to detect or counter and I assume they do the same in the UK.
Why is it that I have visited mosques in Istanbul, Cairo, and Morocco but not one in Leicester? Synagogues in Jerusalem and Budapest but not Leicester? In part I suppose because Leicester's are of less architectural and historic significance, but it does show a lack of curiosity.
I think I need to change my ways.
Looks like it might be an 'interesting' day in the markets.
In the last few years I've run nearly every road and path in a very large area around my home. I've discovered loads of places and things that are quite wonderful in understated ways. For instance, this communal bakehouse in Papworth St Agnes:
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1164387
But there are still places that I've been past, but have yet to go in and visit.
We cover a pretty good spectrum of UK political opinion (despite being nearly entirely male), but UK political opinion is different to the USA.
"Overall, 14% are favourable towards Donald Trump and 71% are unfavourable, including 83% of 2019 Labour voters, 83% of Remain voters, two-thirds of 2019 Conservative voters (67%) and 65% of Leave voters."
https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/7-in-10-britons-hold-an-unfavourable-opinion-of-donald-trump-2024-election
Which is always an obstacle when trying to evaluate USA betting markets. It's hard to believe that Americans are daft enough to vote Trump, but they clearly are.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpwddpzyxpzo
https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/aug/05/japan-nikkei-index-225-asia-stock-markets-slump
When my youngest son was born we didn't want to take him abroad just 2 months old, so booked a hotel off Regents Park (lots of good deals as that was the summer of Foot and Mouth, and a lot of foreign tourists had cancelled) and did all the tourist sights with him asleep and his brother with the curiosity of a 6 year old. It was quite fun and we saw in a week more sights than I had in my six years in London.
European stock markets are about to open, who’s along for what’s looking like a very bumpy ride?
A god way of travelling to see the country. And ruining your hair with chlorine...
NEW THREAD
Travel broadens the mind simply because - if you travel widely enough - you encounter multiple different human ways of doing, thinking, seeing, acting, loving, working, fighting, dying. And in the end you are forced to ask why they do this, and whether it is superior or inferior to your own ways. Or just fascinatingly different
Will all credit to ventnor, you don’t get that on the Isle of Wight
Then a lot of the drop is just the mechanical effect of the currency, because a lot of the companies involved are international so if the yen is worth more and they're worth the same then they're worth fewer yen. But there's also various stuff going down in the middle-east and weak US jobs data which means you have to be a little bit braver than usual to bargain-hunt.
It also makes it more costly to borrow to buy shares; zero to 0.25% doesn't sound like much, but it's significant in terms of expectations.
And no one knows WTF will happen in the US in November.
The burning hotels with people in them are on camera. They have backed themselves into a dark corner and their words and behaviour are a matter of record
Even the right wing press have disowned them and are feigning disgust. This could be the moment when agitators like Lawrence Fox and Nigel Farage and several notable Tories face their reckoning. Oddly enough I cant think of anyone I'd prefer to have in charge at this particular moment than SKS
I’m sitting in a little square in Béziers. It’s the oldest city in France. The piazza is probably 200 years old. The streets behind me 400 years old. The cathedral 5 minutes away was built in the 13th century after the great massacres of the Albigensian crusade
Down the road ten minutes are the ruins of a Roman arena. Around them are the scattered remnants of a Greek settlement dating from about 500BC
Was it not? Apologies if so
Its aim was to better link South Wales with the Midlands.
He was very impressed with the Sikhs but less so with the Muslims - they treated the female teacher in the group as an inferior.