The pick an odd number from 1 to 100 with two different digits....massive bias to 37....
One of the tests I've done on LLM's of late has been giving them the choice between two numbers. No other context. Just "Which do you prefer? 30 or 50000?". There is a huge naive bias towards bigger numbers - whether you swap the order, or even with a second run prefixed with "I prefer 30".
No idea what it means, but I found it interesting (I resist the urge to imagine it's a VC/SV valuation bias). And I've taken it into account in some of our LLM pipelines.
I think it reflects the fact that the Mac is continuing to take significant share. And also, of course, that many of the traditional early adopters are now on Mac rather than PC. I made the shift from quite an expensive Windows PC to the cheapest Apple Mac Mini M4. And I must admit, I couldn't be happier.
That doesn't really seem to be supported by the stats. MacOS hovered around 18% market share for a couple of years, but since 2024 has dropped to 14%. I would guess sales of new Macs are holding steady, but a lot of older Intel Macs have been retired lately.
Despite the ongoing enshittification of Windows, I've always been of the opinion there' a hard cap on Mac adoption. Too much software just isn't available for Macs; almost none of the packages I use for work have Mac versions, it's Windows or Linux. And Apple's continuing erosion of expansion and customisation in Mac hardware doesn't exactly broaden their appeal.
I would guess some of that drop is also due to 'enterprise' adoption of JAMF and it's requirements.
I was given a new JAMF'd mac by $work about two months ago and other than the initial boot - it's been powered off on a shelf since. Useless junk.
I guess it doesn't get more insulting in the military world:
Some of the sources [to Washington Times] have a perception that Hegseth "operates with a junior officer’s mentality" that causes him to micromanage policies and focus on petty things like facial hair standards.
My new 'professional management' director has recently instituted an "office bin work package". Replete with spreadsheets, kanban-style boards, meetings, status updates, etc.
God bless the taxpayer for this ~£100k/yr improvement over our previous 'put stuff in bin, when a bit full, take bin out' procedures - which admittedly generated very few 'tickets' and contributed quite little to the overall PowerBI graphs.
Clarkson is actually from England's largest city unlike London born Ed
Betraying my ignorance but I don’t understand. Isn’t London the largest city in England?
not by area
It all depends on the definition of 'city' and how the boundaries are drawn.
If you go with the fairly widely accepted definition of 'any single local authority with city status', Greater London doesn't qualify because it's technically an entire 'region' (and/or county) comprised of 33 LAs of which two (City of London and City of Westminster) are themselves cities. And fairly small ones at that.
At one point Carlisle was, surprisingly, the largest city in England by area. Now that there is a unitary Cumbria, not all of which has city status, that has become a bit ambiguous.
Clarkson is actually from England's largest city unlike London born Ed
Betraying my ignorance but I don’t understand. Isn’t London the largest city in England?
not by area
It all depends on the definition of 'city' and how the boundaries are drawn.
If you go with the fairly widely accepted definition of 'any single local authority with city status', Greater London doesn't qualify because it's technically an entire 'region' (and/or county) comprised of 33 LAs of which two (City of London and City of Westminster) are themselves cities. And fairly small ones at that.
At one point Carlisle was, surprisingly, the largest city in England by area. Now that there is a unitary Cumbria, not all of which has city status, that has become a bit ambiguous.
I think you'd struggle to define the middle of Thorne Moors as part of a 'City', but hey, we'll take it.
I guess it doesn't get more insulting in the military world:
Some of the sources [to Washington Times] have a perception that Hegseth "operates with a junior officer’s mentality" that causes him to micromanage policies and focus on petty things like facial hair standards.
In the British Army he'd top out at Major and not go any further. Just like Iain Duncan Smith did. It's not necessarily a bitch and IDS arguably did well in the Coalition years, but at that level you need to know how and when to break the rules. One of the generals in Vietnam (Westmoreland?) was observed berating an XO for producing five things when there should have been six, and this caused concern to the observer because at his level he shouldn't have been worrying about things like that.
I have just watched a guy from Mother Jones explain that even if the 2026 mid terms flip either or both houses Trump simply won't allow the winning Democrats to sit. He was saying Mike Johnson has already dry-ran this with Adelita Grijalva from Arizona.
I have just watched a guy from Mother Jones explain that even if the 2026 mid terms flip either or both houses Trump simply won't allow the winning Democrats to sit. He was saying Mike Johnson has already dry-ran this with Adelita Grijalva from Arizona.
I have just watched a guy from Mother Jones explain that even if the 2026 mid terms flip either or both houses Trump simply won't allow the winning Democrats to sit. He was saying Mike Johnson has already dry-ran this with Adelita Grijalva from Arizona.
Keep the government shut down...simples....
Does this just about wind it up for the argument that having a formal written constitution is superior to our hodgepodge?
I have just watched a guy from Mother Jones explain that even if the 2026 mid terms flip either or both houses Trump simply won't allow the winning Democrats to sit. He was saying Mike Johnson has already dry-ran this with Adelita Grijalva from Arizona.
Keep the government shut down...simples....
I don't believe that is possible indefinitely, but keeping a handful of Dems from sitting in the House is doable.
I am hearing P.Diddy is getting an imminent pardon and Ghislaine is going free by the end of 2026.
I foresaw madness but I underestimated the rapidity and extent of the transition from democracy to dictatorship.
I have just watched a guy from Mother Jones explain that even if the 2026 mid terms flip either or both houses Trump simply won't allow the winning Democrats to sit. He was saying Mike Johnson has already dry-ran this with Adelita Grijalva from Arizona.
Keep the government shut down...simples....
I don't believe that is possible indefinitely, but keeping a handful of Dems from sitting in the House is doable.
I am hearing P.Diddy is getting an imminent pardon and Ghislaine is going free by the end of 2026.
I foresaw madness but I underestimated the rapidity and extent of the transition from democracy to dictatorship.
Let me introduce you to Donald J Trump....
I was joking. He can't as the arse is already falling out of various services.
I have just watched a guy from Mother Jones explain that even if the 2026 mid terms flip either or both houses Trump simply won't allow the winning Democrats to sit. He was saying Mike Johnson has already dry-ran this with Adelita Grijalva from Arizona.
Keep the government shut down...simples....
I don't believe that is possible indefinitely, but keeping a handful of Dems from sitting in the House is doable.
I am hearing P.Diddy is getting an imminent pardon and Ghislaine is going free by the end of 2026.
I foresaw madness but I underestimated the rapidity and extent of the transition from democracy to dictatorship.
Let me introduce you to Donald J Trump....
I was joking. He can't as the arse is already falling out of various services.
If he could he would. Whatever it takes, would he really mind collapsing services if itt is imperative that the Epstein files remain sealed? We heard earlier that some loyalist has said categorically that Trump doesn't appear in the Epstein files but Clinton does, and he will be pursued.
As students of political history we live in fascinating times.
I have just watched a guy from Mother Jones explain that even if the 2026 mid terms flip either or both houses Trump simply won't allow the winning Democrats to sit. He was saying Mike Johnson has already dry-ran this with Adelita Grijalva from Arizona.
Keep the government shut down...simples....
I don't believe that is possible indefinitely, but keeping a handful of Dems from sitting in the House is doable.
I am hearing P.Diddy is getting an imminent pardon and Ghislaine is going free by the end of 2026.
I foresaw madness but I underestimated the rapidity and extent of the transition from democracy to dictatorship.
You may be hearing that but the White House is denying that
I have just watched a guy from Mother Jones explain that even if the 2026 mid terms flip either or both houses Trump simply won't allow the winning Democrats to sit. He was saying Mike Johnson has already dry-ran this with Adelita Grijalva from Arizona.
IIUC these are really different situations. A majority in the existing House can decide its own procedures and that's how they're doing the current ratfuckery over Grijalva. However at the end of its term the existing House ceases to exist, so the new House doesn't need their permission to convene and start deciding *its* own procedures.
"Writing of Bill Clinton accepting plane rides from Jeffrey Epstein, former Tatler and Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown described private plane travel as “a true satanic temptation from the mountaintop”. There is, she says, “no one you wouldn’t kill, betray, or sleep with to ensure a lifetime of luxe relief from the armpit of mass transit”.
Brown’s insight is a potent one: the real moral hazard behind ultra-high-end luxuries such as private plane travel is the way they stand for exclusive access. An invitation to travel by private plane symbolises inclusion in what C.S. Lewis called “the Inner Ring”: the aspirational set, the ones in the know, the insider group within which everyone longs to be included. And among the infinite poisons leaking from the Epstein scandal into every level of public life, one of the most noxious is the the way it has combined this Inner Ring exclusivity with a profound moral inversion."
Yougov now has the Greens AHEAD with 18-24s, fractionally of Labour with the LDs third and the Tories and Reform joint 4th.
Labour and Reform are tied with 25-49s just ahead of the Greens with the Tories and LDs tied on 15% for 4th.
Reform lead comfortably with 50-64s with the Greens 5th and over 65s see Reform narrowly ahead of the Conservatives with the LDs third, Labour a disastrous 4th now with pensioners and the Greens again 5th barely ahead of the SNP
- UAVs targeted a power substation in Bryansk region; - Allegedly, a Storm Shadow missiles struck the Bryansk Chemical Plant, which had been serving Russia’s military-industrial complex; - A thermal power plant in Smolensk region is on fire.
The £5.30 orange juice that tells the story of why supermarket prices are sky high
Oranges are not the only food that has seen a price spike, of course. The price of beef and veal is up almost 25% in a year. Butter is up almost 19%, and chocolate and coffee 15% and milk over 12%, all according to the Office for National Statistics. This all suggests that, more generally, there may be something else at play.
Christ on a bike. A massive long article highlighting on food that has gone up globally, going round and round the houses, but then confused what it could be that is causing all food inflation in the shops....considering every reason under the sun....
I wonder what happens when you jack up minimum wage and NI? Remember a bigger hit to the supermarkets isn't the extra on the rate, it is the threshold has gone right down and lots of supermarkets use mums who do part time for their workforce who wouldn't make enough to trigger NI.
Yougov now has the Greens AHEAD with 18-24s, fractionally of Labour with the LDs third and the Tories and Reform joint 4th.
Labour and Reform are tied with 25-49s just ahead of the Greens with the Tories and LDs tied on 15% for 4th.
Reform lead comfortably with 50-64s with the Greens 5th and over 65s see Reform narrowly ahead of the Conservatives with the LDs third, Labour a disastrous 4th now with pensioners and the Greens again 5th barely ahead of the SNP
The £5.30 orange juice that tells the story of why supermarket prices are sky high
Oranges are not the only food that has seen a price spike, of course. The price of beef and veal is up almost 25% in a year. Butter is up almost 19%, and chocolate and coffee 15% and milk over 12%, all according to the Office for National Statistics. This all suggests that, more generally, there may be something else at play.
Christ on a bike. A massive long article highlighting on food that has gone up globally, going round and round the houses, but then confused what it could be that is causing all food inflation in the shops....considering every reason under the sun....
I wonder what happens when you jack up minimum wage and NI? Remember a bigger hit to the supermarkets isn't the extra on the rate, it is the threshold has gone right down and lots of supermarkets use mums who do part time for their workforce who wouldn't make enough to trigger NI.
LOL. Yes, the majority of the costs of a supermarket are rent, labour, and energy (electricity and diesel). Interest rates have gone from nothing to 5%, minimum wage has gone up and NI threshold come down, and the UK has the world’s most expensive electricity and some of the world’s most expensive diesel.
Whether a pound of coffee costs $2 or $2.20 on the global markets has little to do with the price of a packet of it in Tesco.
The £5.30 orange juice that tells the story of why supermarket prices are sky high
Oranges are not the only food that has seen a price spike, of course. The price of beef and veal is up almost 25% in a year. Butter is up almost 19%, and chocolate and coffee 15% and milk over 12%, all according to the Office for National Statistics. This all suggests that, more generally, there may be something else at play.
Christ on a bike. A massive long article highlighting on food that has gone up globally, going round and round the houses, but then confused what it could be that is causing all food inflation in the shops....considering every reason under the sun....
I wonder what happens when you jack up minimum wage and NI? Remember a bigger hit to the supermarkets isn't the extra on the rate, it is the threshold has gone right down and lots of supermarkets use mums who do part time for their workforce who wouldn't make enough to trigger NI.
LOL. Yes, the majority of the costs of a supermarket are rent, labour, and energy (electricity and diesel). Interest rates have gone from nothing to 5%, minimum wage has gone up and NI threshold come down, and the UK has the world’s most expensive electricity and some of the world’s most expensive diesel.
Whether a pound of coffee costs $2 or $2.20 on the global markets has little to do with the price of a packet of it in Tesco.
Its a good job the writer of this article isn't the highly paid economics editor of BBC News....
Rachel Reeves will launch a £2 billion tax raid on lawyers, family doctors and accountants as she seeks to balance the books by targeting the wealthy
The chancellor is expected to use the budget to impose a new charge on people who use limited liability partnerships as she tries to fill a £30 billion hole in the public finances
More than 190,000 workers use partnerships, particularly in the legal world, and they offer a significant tax benefit over ordinary employment. They are not subject to employers' national insurance as partners are treated as self-employed
Reeves is said to consider this unfair and is expected to announce changes to the system in her budget. She has repeatedly said that 'those with the broadest shoulders' should pay their 'fair share of tax', and many of those who use partnerships are high earners
Details of the planned tax raid on partnerships were obtained by The State of It, the new political podcast from The Times and The Sunday Times
More than 13,000 partners earn an average of £1.25 million each a year. Solicitors who draw profits from partnerships make an average of £316,000 a year. The family doctors make £118,000 and accountants an average of £246,000
Reeves is also expected to push ahead with a mansion tax, imposing capital gains on the sale of main residences for the most expensive properties
Just merge National Insurance and Income Tax and make everyone pay the same rate of tax, regardless of how they earn it.
Once again - LLP's big benefit is reducing the amount of EMPLOYER NI not employee...
Yes, and once again, BOTH forms of NI should be abolished and rolled into Income Tax.
Employers NI is a form of Income Tax levied only on those gainfully employed. Just as alcohol or fuel duty is a tax on alcohol and fuel. All incomes should face the same tax rate.
Employers' NI is a payroll tax, not an income tax.
I have just watched a guy from Mother Jones explain that even if the 2026 mid terms flip either or both houses Trump simply won't allow the winning Democrats to sit. He was saying Mike Johnson has already dry-ran this with Adelita Grijalva from Arizona.
Keep the government shut down...simples....
I don't believe that is possible indefinitely, but keeping a handful of Dems from sitting in the House is doable.
I am hearing P.Diddy is getting an imminent pardon and Ghislaine is going free by the end of 2026.
I foresaw madness but I underestimated the rapidity and extent of the transition from democracy to dictatorship.
You may be hearing that but the White House is denying that
Has Donald Trump or Caroline Leavitt ever lied to you before?
"The Whitehouse ballroom will be built without damaging the original building, it won't touch it".
I have just watched a guy from Mother Jones explain that even if the 2026 mid terms flip either or both houses Trump simply won't allow the winning Democrats to sit. He was saying Mike Johnson has already dry-ran this with Adelita Grijalva from Arizona.
Keep the government shut down...simples....
I don't believe that is possible indefinitely, but keeping a handful of Dems from sitting in the House is doable.
I am hearing P.Diddy is getting an imminent pardon and Ghislaine is going free by the end of 2026.
I foresaw madness but I underestimated the rapidity and extent of the transition from democracy to dictatorship.
You may be hearing that but the White House is denying that
Has Donald Trump or Caroline Leavitt ever lied to you before?
"The Whitehouse ballroom will be built without damaging the original building, it won't touch it".
Well...technically......isn't the bit they are currently smashing to pieces a previous extension that was added to the original building?
Although I don't think they thought that way when they deployed their claim. It was more lie big or go home.
🔥 Two oil refineries owned/controlled by Russia and used for refining crude delivered through the Druzhba pipeline from Russia exploded in the European Union: 1) Petrotel Lukoil refinery in Romania owned by Russia. 2) MOL Danube refinery in the Kremlin puppet regime Hungary.
🔥 Two oil refineries owned/controlled by Russia and used for refining crude delivered through the Druzhba pipeline from Russia exploded in the European Union: 1) Petrotel Lukoil refinery in Romania owned by Russia. 2) MOL Danube refinery in the Kremlin puppet regime Hungary.
2 experienced prosecutors looked at the case against Letitia James and decided it was insufficient to bring charges. One of these was the relevant Attorney for the district. He soon resigned before being sacked. Trump then appointed one of his personal attorneys, Halligan, to the job, someone with zero prosecution experience. She, at Trump’s instruction, launched the case against James.
You have to be drinking deeply from the well of MAGA propaganda to believe any of this is appropriate.
Halligan went to a grand jury to get an indictment. James’s great-niece testified before that jury that she lives in the house and doesn’t pay rent. The jury appears to have refused to support an indictment. It appears Halligan then tried a new grand jury, this time without the niece testifying, and managed to secure an indictment.
I struggle to understand what Trump thinks he's going to achieve with these. I always thought the Trump prosecutions were (politically) incredibly dumb. The same is true of these.
There is no way that Comey isn't going to walk.
I woulde be extremely surprised if Latetia James doesn't get the big NG too.
And there are going to be a whole bunch of real criminals who don't end up being convicted because the US attorneys' offices are hollowed out because all the career prosecutors left rather than pursue doomed cases. How is that a vote winning strategy?
He doesn’t care.
This is classic mafia don behaviour - if they lose they go to prison; if they win they are bankrupted by legal costs. It’s to encourage loyalty and obedience among others
(And he no longer cares about voters. The only way he gets to carry on for another term is if there isn’t a vote)
"By 45% to 35%, the British public think Clarkson would make a bad MP"
As usual with Yougov these days, it's the wrong question. Clarkson doesn't need to be thought a good MP to win, he just needs to be better than the consistently catastrophic Ed Miliband.
Miliband's got a local problem to deal with first:
Three MPs have criticised plans for a 3,500-acre solar farm between Doncaster and Rotherham.
The project, named Whitestone Solar Farm, would stretch across a number of separate parcels of land and could power 250,000 homes.
However, local MPs John Healey, Sarah Champion and Jake Richards have all raised concerns about the size and location of the scheme.
...
Healey, Labour MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough, told project developer Green Nation in a letter that the scheme did not meet his expectations, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
"In my view, every project must still meet three tests: it must be proportionate, it must be safe, and it must be fair - Whitestone fails all three," he said.
He said it was "the wrong scale of scheme in the wrong place".
I'm struggling to think of ways in which the solar farm won't be safe... Solar (photovoltaic) panels are -one would think- by far the "safest" form of electricity generation. There's no swinging blades at high height; there's no radioactive byproducts; there's no high pressure, high temperature steam; there's no slag heap.
What is the safety aspect that Mr Healey is concerned about?
I mean, you can take issue regarding their cost or location or the opportunity cost of not using the location for (say) housing. But safety... I mean... what?
"According to cancer biologist David H. Nguyen, PhD, toxic chemicals in solar panels include cadmium telluride, copper indium selenide, cadmium gallium (di)selenide, copper indium gallium (di)selenide, hexafluoroethane, lead, and polyvinyl fluoride. Silicon tetrachloride, a byproduct of producing crystalline silicon, is also highly toxic."
Manufacturing them produces a significant amount of waste. Buying them from China doesn't. And the polysilicon solar panels in question (most if those manufactured) don't use cadmium.
The Mad King now wants $230m for losing the election in 2020
You can't make this shit up
Wasn't a purported advantage of having a "billionaire" as President that they wouldn't need to steal money from the government?
And what did they think would happen with a felon as President?
This is more concerning I think:
Aaron Rupar @atrupar · 48m Trump: "We can never let what happened in the 2020 election happen again. We just can't let that happen. I know Kash is working on it, everybody is working on it. And certainly Tulsi is working on it. We can't let that happen again to our country."
I have just watched a guy from Mother Jones explain that even if the 2026 mid terms flip either or both houses Trump simply won't allow the winning Democrats to sit. He was saying Mike Johnson has already dry-ran this with Adelita Grijalva from Arizona.
🔥 Two oil refineries owned/controlled by Russia and used for refining crude delivered through the Druzhba pipeline from Russia exploded in the European Union: 1) Petrotel Lukoil refinery in Romania owned by Russia. 2) MOL Danube refinery in the Kremlin puppet regime Hungary.
Clumsy.
So who are the Romanian and Hungarian saboteurs though, who co-ordinated the attacks at two locations?
Airbourne attack? - very unlikely Ukranian special forces? - unlikely Local anarchists? - possibly Explosive payload sent down the pipeline? - maybe possible Cyber attack on SCADA system? - possibly Insider job at the plants? - possibly Any other ideas?
At some point Trump is going to realise that there’s no good faith in Russia to actually end the war, and the only way it’s ending quickly is by arming the Ukranians with more and better weapons, so that the Russians are forced to the negotiating table from a position of weakness.
In an interview with an actual trans person, Bridget Philipson, the Woman and Equalities Minister, is unable to tell them to their face which toilet they should use, instead gabbling the phrase "dignity and respect" and various gubbins three times.
I have just watched a guy from Mother Jones explain that even if the 2026 mid terms flip either or both houses Trump simply won't allow the winning Democrats to sit. He was saying Mike Johnson has already dry-ran this with Adelita Grijalva from Arizona.
I have just watched a guy from Mother Jones explain that even if the 2026 mid terms flip either or both houses Trump simply won't allow the winning Democrats to sit. He was saying Mike Johnson has already dry-ran this with Adelita Grijalva from Arizona.
That 's not up to Trump, though. Or Johnson.
Though they might well try.
You say that but Adelita Grijalva hasn't been sworn in and there is rather pressing items that would require congress to be in session to resolve.
Miliband's got a local problem to deal with first:
Three MPs have criticised plans for a 3,500-acre solar farm between Doncaster and Rotherham.
The project, named Whitestone Solar Farm, would stretch across a number of separate parcels of land and could power 250,000 homes.
However, local MPs John Healey, Sarah Champion and Jake Richards have all raised concerns about the size and location of the scheme.
...
Healey, Labour MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough, told project developer Green Nation in a letter that the scheme did not meet his expectations, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
"In my view, every project must still meet three tests: it must be proportionate, it must be safe, and it must be fair - Whitestone fails all three," he said.
He said it was "the wrong scale of scheme in the wrong place".
I'm struggling to think of ways in which the solar farm won't be safe... Solar (photovoltaic) panels are -one would think- by far the "safest" form of electricity generation. There's no swinging blades at high height; there's no radioactive byproducts; there's no high pressure, high temperature steam; there's no slag heap.
What is the safety aspect that Mr Healey is concerned about?
I mean, you can take issue regarding their cost or location or the opportunity cost of not using the location for (say) housing. But safety... I mean... what?
"According to cancer biologist David H. Nguyen, PhD, toxic chemicals in solar panels include cadmium telluride, copper indium selenide, cadmium gallium (di)selenide, copper indium gallium (di)selenide, hexafluoroethane, lead, and polyvinyl fluoride. Silicon tetrachloride, a byproduct of producing crystalline silicon, is also highly toxic."
Manufacturing them produces a significant amount of waste. Buying them from China doesn't. And the polysilicon solar panels in question (most if those manufactured) don't use cadmium.
It's depressing to see all this nimbyism and selfishness. Maybe we should have some kind of system where local authorities who reject new homes and solar panels see their council tax and energy bills go up.
TV "personalities" trying to win a seat on the back of an unpopular local candidate rarely do well. Martin Bell seems to be the exception rather the rule. The like of Al Murray, all the dickheads that have gone for London Mayor, etc, don't trouble the scorers. The Monster Raving Loony Party often still do better than them.
"By 45% to 35%, the British public think Clarkson would make a bad MP"
As usual with Yougov these days, it's the wrong question. Clarkson doesn't need to be thought a good MP to win, he just needs to be better than the consistently catastrophic Ed Miliband.
So I think he's got an excellent chance.
Majority ~9k and got over 50% of vote in constituency though? He'd have a better chance vs Emma Reynolds (defra sos).
Miliband's got a local problem to deal with first:
Three MPs have criticised plans for a 3,500-acre solar farm between Doncaster and Rotherham.
The project, named Whitestone Solar Farm, would stretch across a number of separate parcels of land and could power 250,000 homes.
However, local MPs John Healey, Sarah Champion and Jake Richards have all raised concerns about the size and location of the scheme.
...
Healey, Labour MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough, told project developer Green Nation in a letter that the scheme did not meet his expectations, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
"In my view, every project must still meet three tests: it must be proportionate, it must be safe, and it must be fair - Whitestone fails all three," he said.
He said it was "the wrong scale of scheme in the wrong place".
I'm struggling to think of ways in which the solar farm won't be safe... Solar (photovoltaic) panels are -one would think- by far the "safest" form of electricity generation. There's no swinging blades at high height; there's no radioactive byproducts; there's no high pressure, high temperature steam; there's no slag heap.
What is the safety aspect that Mr Healey is concerned about?
I mean, you can take issue regarding their cost or location or the opportunity cost of not using the location for (say) housing. But safety... I mean... what?
"According to cancer biologist David H. Nguyen, PhD, toxic chemicals in solar panels include cadmium telluride, copper indium selenide, cadmium gallium (di)selenide, copper indium gallium (di)selenide, hexafluoroethane, lead, and polyvinyl fluoride. Silicon tetrachloride, a byproduct of producing crystalline silicon, is also highly toxic."
Manufacturing them produces a significant amount of waste. Buying them from China doesn't. And the polysilicon solar panels in question (most if those manufactured) don't use cadmium.
It's depressing to see all this nimbyism and selfishness. Maybe we should have some kind of system where local authorities who reject new homes and solar panels see their council tax and energy bills go up.
You can't blame local authorities for using their power in a way that maximises their chances of being elected, that's what democracy is. If you want certain things to happen even if the locals don't want it,you have to enforce it at Westminster level. So the Govt will have to pass a law enforcing it. But Starmer is wandering the planet talking to Important People about Big Things, and neglecting the knitting.
At some point Trump is going to realise that there’s no good faith in Russia to actually end the war, and the only way it’s ending quickly is by arming the Ukranians with more and better weapons, so that the Russians are forced to the negotiating table from a position of weakness.
I have just watched a guy from Mother Jones explain that even if the 2026 mid terms flip either or both houses Trump simply won't allow the winning Democrats to sit. He was saying Mike Johnson has already dry-ran this with Adelita Grijalva from Arizona.
That 's not up to Trump, though. Or Johnson.
Though they might well try.
If they try, who or what stops them?
After elections of taken place in November next year, the congressional term of sitting members expires on January 3rd. If there is a Democratic majority after this elections, they can assemble wherever they chose for the new Congress, and appoint a new majority leader. It's not up to the retiring majority leader.
All that is quite clear in the Constitution (see Article 1, and the 22nd Amendment).
Of course if the GOP decides to stage a coup, then "what stops them" is a good question. But they're not going be be able to stage a coup, simply by Johnson refusing to seat new members. Post January 3rd, 2027, that has no legal force.
I have just watched a guy from Mother Jones explain that even if the 2026 mid terms flip either or both houses Trump simply won't allow the winning Democrats to sit. He was saying Mike Johnson has already dry-ran this with Adelita Grijalva from Arizona.
Keep the government shut down...simples....
I don't believe that is possible indefinitely, but keeping a handful of Dems from sitting in the House is doable.
I am hearing P.Diddy is getting an imminent pardon and Ghislaine is going free by the end of 2026.
I foresaw madness but I underestimated the rapidity and extent of the transition from democracy to dictatorship.
You may be hearing that but the White House is denying that
Has Donald Trump or Caroline Leavitt ever lied to you before?
"The Whitehouse ballroom will be built without damaging the original building, it won't touch it".
Well...technically......isn't the bit they are currently smashing to pieces a previous extension that was added to the original building?
Although I don't think they thought that way when they deployed their claim. It was more lie big or go home.
Yes it is. It is normally the wing where the First Lady operates from. But being as Melania doesn't use the White House it is currently redundant.
Extension it may be, but a flat roofed carbuncle tacked onto a post-war semi, it is not. That comes next...
I have just watched a guy from Mother Jones explain that even if the 2026 mid terms flip either or both houses Trump simply won't allow the winning Democrats to sit. He was saying Mike Johnson has already dry-ran this with Adelita Grijalva from Arizona.
That 's not up to Trump, though. Or Johnson.
Though they might well try.
You say that but Adelita Grijalva hasn't been sworn in and there is rather pressing items that would require congress to be in session to resolve.
Until the Democrats have a majority of members, there is little they can do about it. The Constitution requires only that Congress meet annually.
It's an interesting point, though, that most voters will be more aware of Congressional rules, which are relatively mutable, than they are of the fundamental law of the land which underlies them - something that can be changed only with great difficulty by constitutional amendment.
🔥 Two oil refineries owned/controlled by Russia and used for refining crude delivered through the Druzhba pipeline from Russia exploded in the European Union: 1) Petrotel Lukoil refinery in Romania owned by Russia. 2) MOL Danube refinery in the Kremlin puppet regime Hungary.
Clumsy.
So who are the Romanian and Hungarian saboteurs though, who co-ordinated the attacks at two locations?
Airbourne attack? - very unlikely Ukranian special forces? - unlikely Local anarchists? - possibly Explosive payload sent down the pipeline? - maybe possible Cyber attack on SCADA system? - possibly Insider job at the plants? - possibly Any other ideas?
Nah. Totally random, simultaneous, industrial accidents. These things happen.
At some point Trump is going to realise that there’s no good faith in Russia to actually end the war, and the only way it’s ending quickly is by arming the Ukranians with more and better weapons, so that the Russians are forced to the negotiating table from a position of weakness.
Do you not think that is obvious to everyone already? Why is Trump particularly slow to come to that conclusion?
A more likely explanation is that he has a fixed position of not wanting to help Ukraine, and all this stuff about summits, peace, being upset with Putin, etc, is simply shadow play to deflect pressure on him to act.
When will Republican congressmen realise that waiting for Trump to decide to act is futile, and they need to take their own action?
I have just watched a guy from Mother Jones explain that even if the 2026 mid terms flip either or both houses Trump simply won't allow the winning Democrats to sit. He was saying Mike Johnson has already dry-ran this with Adelita Grijalva from Arizona.
Keep the government shut down...simples....
I don't believe that is possible indefinitely, but keeping a handful of Dems from sitting in the House is doable.
I am hearing P.Diddy is getting an imminent pardon and Ghislaine is going free by the end of 2026.
I foresaw madness but I underestimated the rapidity and extent of the transition from democracy to dictatorship.
You may be hearing that but the White House is denying that
Has Donald Trump or Caroline Leavitt ever lied to you before?
"The Whitehouse ballroom will be built without damaging the original building, it won't touch it".
The Whitehouse has now said it will submit the plans for the new carbuncle to the relevant planning authority
I have just watched a guy from Mother Jones explain that even if the 2026 mid terms flip either or both houses Trump simply won't allow the winning Democrats to sit. He was saying Mike Johnson has already dry-ran this with Adelita Grijalva from Arizona.
Keep the government shut down...simples....
I don't believe that is possible indefinitely, but keeping a handful of Dems from sitting in the House is doable.
I am hearing P.Diddy is getting an imminent pardon and Ghislaine is going free by the end of 2026.
I foresaw madness but I underestimated the rapidity and extent of the transition from democracy to dictatorship.
You may be hearing that but the White House is denying that
Has Donald Trump or Caroline Leavitt ever lied to you before?
"The Whitehouse ballroom will be built without damaging the original building, it won't touch it".
Well...technically......isn't the bit they are currently smashing to pieces a previous extension that was added to the original building?
Although I don't think they thought that way when they deployed their claim. It was more lie big or go home.
Yes it is. It is normally the wing where the First Lady operates from. But being as Melania doesn't use the White House it is currently redundant.
Extension it may be, but a flat roofed carbuncle tacked onto a post-war semi, it is not. That comes next...
Built in 1942 to cover the underground bunker being built it seems, though retaining bits from 1905. That is ancient history by US standards.
Sunday: Trump posts video of him defecating on Americans Monday: Starts demolition of part of the White House without permission. Tuesday: Shakes down the Justice Dept for $230 million for himself
What do we have to look forward to today? We all know that Trump cares most about his "ratings" so needs something new every day. It's all about being the centre of attention.
The BBC in their radio summaries often call the YoY figure "inflation in September". Very annoying, the annualised rate of that would be hyperinflation.
Miliband's got a local problem to deal with first:
Three MPs have criticised plans for a 3,500-acre solar farm between Doncaster and Rotherham.
The project, named Whitestone Solar Farm, would stretch across a number of separate parcels of land and could power 250,000 homes.
However, local MPs John Healey, Sarah Champion and Jake Richards have all raised concerns about the size and location of the scheme.
...
Healey, Labour MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough, told project developer Green Nation in a letter that the scheme did not meet his expectations, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
"In my view, every project must still meet three tests: it must be proportionate, it must be safe, and it must be fair - Whitestone fails all three," he said.
He said it was "the wrong scale of scheme in the wrong place".
I'm struggling to think of ways in which the solar farm won't be safe... Solar (photovoltaic) panels are -one would think- by far the "safest" form of electricity generation. There's no swinging blades at high height; there's no radioactive byproducts; there's no high pressure, high temperature steam; there's no slag heap.
What is the safety aspect that Mr Healey is concerned about?
I mean, you can take issue regarding their cost or location or the opportunity cost of not using the location for (say) housing. But safety... I mean... what?
"According to cancer biologist David H. Nguyen, PhD, toxic chemicals in solar panels include cadmium telluride, copper indium selenide, cadmium gallium (di)selenide, copper indium gallium (di)selenide, hexafluoroethane, lead, and polyvinyl fluoride. Silicon tetrachloride, a byproduct of producing crystalline silicon, is also highly toxic."
Manufacturing them produces a significant amount of waste. Buying them from China doesn't. And the polysilicon solar panels in question (most if those manufactured) don't use cadmium.
It's depressing to see all this nimbyism and selfishness. Maybe we should have some kind of system where local authorities who reject new homes and solar panels see their council tax and energy bills go up.
You can't blame local authorities for using their power in a way that maximises their chances of being elected, that's what democracy is. If you want certain things to happen even if the locals don't want it,you have to enforce it at Westminster level. So the Govt will have to pass a law enforcing it. But Starmer is wandering the planet talking to Important People about Big Things, and neglecting the knitting.
Fair points. I do agree that more leadership from Westminsfer needed. But creating local support for these projects is also important, at the moment the nimbys don't see the downsides of blanket opposition. And the silent majority who want lower energy bills aren't mobilised.
🔥 Two oil refineries owned/controlled by Russia and used for refining crude delivered through the Druzhba pipeline from Russia exploded in the European Union: 1) Petrotel Lukoil refinery in Romania owned by Russia. 2) MOL Danube refinery in the Kremlin puppet regime Hungary.
Clumsy.
So who are the Romanian and Hungarian saboteurs though, who co-ordinated the attacks at two locations?
Airbourne attack? - very unlikely Ukranian special forces? - unlikely Local anarchists? - possibly Explosive payload sent down the pipeline? - maybe possible Cyber attack on SCADA system? - possibly Insider job at the plants? - possibly Any other ideas?
Nah. Totally random, simultaneous, industrial accidents. These things happen.
Nice refinery you've got there. Be a real shame if anything happened to it. Twice.
I have just watched a guy from Mother Jones explain that even if the 2026 mid terms flip either or both houses Trump simply won't allow the winning Democrats to sit. He was saying Mike Johnson has already dry-ran this with Adelita Grijalva from Arizona.
Keep the government shut down...simples....
I don't believe that is possible indefinitely, but keeping a handful of Dems from sitting in the House is doable.
I am hearing P.Diddy is getting an imminent pardon and Ghislaine is going free by the end of 2026.
I foresaw madness but I underestimated the rapidity and extent of the transition from democracy to dictatorship.
You may be hearing that but the White House is denying that
Has Donald Trump or Caroline Leavitt ever lied to you before?
"The Whitehouse ballroom will be built without damaging the original building, it won't touch it".
Well...technically......isn't the bit they are currently smashing to pieces a previous extension that was added to the original building?
Although I don't think they thought that way when they deployed their claim. It was more lie big or go home.
Yes it is. It is normally the wing where the First Lady operates from. But being as Melania doesn't use the White House it is currently redundant.
Extension it may be, but a flat roofed carbuncle tacked onto a post-war semi, it is not. That comes next...
Built in 1942 to cover the underground bunker being built it seems, though retaining bits from 1905. That is ancient history by US standards.
Sunday: Trump posts video of him defecating on Americans Monday: Starts demolition of part of the White House without permission. Tuesday: Shakes down the Justice Dept for $230 million for himself
What do we have to look forward to today? We all know that Trump cares most about his "ratings" so needs something new every day. It's all about being the centre of attention.
Importing Argentinian beef (with added foot and mouth) to destroy what's left of the US farm industry.
Miliband's got a local problem to deal with first:
Three MPs have criticised plans for a 3,500-acre solar farm between Doncaster and Rotherham.
The project, named Whitestone Solar Farm, would stretch across a number of separate parcels of land and could power 250,000 homes.
However, local MPs John Healey, Sarah Champion and Jake Richards have all raised concerns about the size and location of the scheme.
...
Healey, Labour MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough, told project developer Green Nation in a letter that the scheme did not meet his expectations, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
"In my view, every project must still meet three tests: it must be proportionate, it must be safe, and it must be fair - Whitestone fails all three," he said.
He said it was "the wrong scale of scheme in the wrong place".
I'm struggling to think of ways in which the solar farm won't be safe... Solar (photovoltaic) panels are -one would think- by far the "safest" form of electricity generation. There's no swinging blades at high height; there's no radioactive byproducts; there's no high pressure, high temperature steam; there's no slag heap.
What is the safety aspect that Mr Healey is concerned about?
I mean, you can take issue regarding their cost or location or the opportunity cost of not using the location for (say) housing. But safety... I mean... what?
"According to cancer biologist David H. Nguyen, PhD, toxic chemicals in solar panels include cadmium telluride, copper indium selenide, cadmium gallium (di)selenide, copper indium gallium (di)selenide, hexafluoroethane, lead, and polyvinyl fluoride. Silicon tetrachloride, a byproduct of producing crystalline silicon, is also highly toxic."
Manufacturing them produces a significant amount of waste. Buying them from China doesn't. And the polysilicon solar panels in question (most if those manufactured) don't use cadmium.
It's depressing to see all this nimbyism and selfishness. Maybe we should have some kind of system where local authorities who reject new homes and solar panels see their council tax and energy bills go up.
Or incentives. Local/regional energy pricing; central government grant based on increases in the number of homes.
NIMBYs are being perfectly rational in their opposition. They get all of the costs and none of the benefits of development.
At some point Trump is going to realise that there’s no good faith in Russia to actually end the war, and the only way it’s ending quickly is by arming the Ukranians with more and better weapons, so that the Russians are forced to the negotiating table from a position of weakness.
Do you not think that is obvious to everyone already? Why is Trump particularly slow to come to that conclusion?
A more likely explanation is that he has a fixed position of not wanting to help Ukraine, and all this stuff about summits, peace, being upset with Putin, etc, is simply shadow play to deflect pressure on him to act.
When will Republican congressmen realise that waiting for Trump to decide to act is futile, and they need to take their own action?
Never.
They're all scared of what will happen to them if they stand against the Mafia boss.
At some point Trump is going to realise that there’s no good faith in Russia to actually end the war, and the only way it’s ending quickly is by arming the Ukranians with more and better weapons, so that the Russians are forced to the negotiating table from a position of weakness.
Do you not think that is obvious to everyone already? Why is Trump particularly slow to come to that conclusion?
A more likely explanation is that he has a fixed position of not wanting to help Ukraine, and all this stuff about summits, peace, being upset with Putin, etc, is simply shadow play to deflect pressure on him to act.
When will Republican congressmen realise that waiting for Trump to decide to act is futile, and they need to take their own action?
The minute the US public turns, they are sure he is an electoral liability, and the MAGA coalition fractures.
This lawsuit, which demands that the House of Representatives finally seat Rep. Adelita Grijalva, has, um, fairly major implications for our democracy's survival in 2026 and beyond.
At some point Trump is going to realise that there’s no good faith in Russia to actually end the war, and the only way it’s ending quickly is by arming the Ukranians with more and better weapons, so that the Russians are forced to the negotiating table from a position of weakness.
Do you not think that is obvious to everyone already? Why is Trump particularly slow to come to that conclusion?
A more likely explanation is that he has a fixed position of not wanting to help Ukraine, and all this stuff about summits, peace, being upset with Putin, etc, is simply shadow play to deflect pressure on him to act.
When will Republican congressmen realise that waiting for Trump to decide to act is futile, and they need to take their own action?
Never.
They're all scared of what will happen to them if they stand against the Mafia boss.
And it's not Antifa that they're worried about.
I am really curious, when these guys are alone at night, exactly what they think happens after Trump.
It kinda makes sense to ride the tiger now, but who on the planet is going to thank them for it later?
At some point Trump is going to realise that there’s no good faith in Russia to actually end the war, and the only way it’s ending quickly is by arming the Ukranians with more and better weapons, so that the Russians are forced to the negotiating table from a position of weakness.
Do you not think that is obvious to everyone already? Why is Trump particularly slow to come to that conclusion?
A more likely explanation is that he has a fixed position of not wanting to help Ukraine, and all this stuff about summits, peace, being upset with Putin, etc, is simply shadow play to deflect pressure on him to act.
When will Republican congressmen realise that waiting for Trump to decide to act is futile, and they need to take their own action?
So far as I can see Putin has many supporters amongst Republican Congressmen and Senators, so dont hold your breath. Vance is nakedly pro-Putin and anti-Ukranian too.
Mafia Don will shift to support Ukraine when bribed or blackmailed enough. That may be tough as we dont know the level of Kompromat that Putin has on Trump.
At some point Trump is going to realise that there’s no good faith in Russia to actually end the war, and the only way it’s ending quickly is by arming the Ukranians with more and better weapons, so that the Russians are forced to the negotiating table from a position of weakness.
He already knows, and doesn't care.
I think he does care, in the sense that he wants all that smelly, difficult stuff to go away. The report of Trump during his last meeting with Zelensky knocking the map of the Ukr-Rus border off the table bellowing that he’s sick of looking at it rings all too true. He’s a toddler who kicks the toy blackboard over when introduced to multiplication.
At some point Trump is going to realise that there’s no good faith in Russia to actually end the war, and the only way it’s ending quickly is by arming the Ukranians with more and better weapons, so that the Russians are forced to the negotiating table from a position of weakness.
Do you not think that is obvious to everyone already? Why is Trump particularly slow to come to that conclusion?
A more likely explanation is that he has a fixed position of not wanting to help Ukraine, and all this stuff about summits, peace, being upset with Putin, etc, is simply shadow play to deflect pressure on him to act.
When will Republican congressmen realise that waiting for Trump to decide to act is futile, and they need to take their own action?
So far as I can see Putin has many supporters amongst Republican Congressmen and Senators, so dont hold your breath. Vance is nakedly pro-Putin and anti-Ukranian too.
Mafia Don will shift to support Ukraine when bribed or blackmailed enough. That may be tough as we dont know the level of Kompromat that Putin has on Trump.
I think at least half of Republican representatives and more among senators are solidly pro-Ukrainian. Together with Democrats that gives an unstoppable level of support for Ukraine in both chambers of congress - if they choose to act.
Phillips P. O'Brien has described the relationship between Trump and Putin in terms of unrequited love. I really do think it's more fundamental than simply financial self-interest (and Trump is blackmail-proof, he's been able to shrug off everything).
Miliband's got a local problem to deal with first:
Three MPs have criticised plans for a 3,500-acre solar farm between Doncaster and Rotherham.
The project, named Whitestone Solar Farm, would stretch across a number of separate parcels of land and could power 250,000 homes.
However, local MPs John Healey, Sarah Champion and Jake Richards have all raised concerns about the size and location of the scheme.
...
Healey, Labour MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough, told project developer Green Nation in a letter that the scheme did not meet his expectations, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
"In my view, every project must still meet three tests: it must be proportionate, it must be safe, and it must be fair - Whitestone fails all three," he said.
He said it was "the wrong scale of scheme in the wrong place".
I'm struggling to think of ways in which the solar farm won't be safe... Solar (photovoltaic) panels are -one would think- by far the "safest" form of electricity generation. There's no swinging blades at high height; there's no radioactive byproducts; there's no high pressure, high temperature steam; there's no slag heap.
What is the safety aspect that Mr Healey is concerned about?
I mean, you can take issue regarding their cost or location or the opportunity cost of not using the location for (say) housing. But safety... I mean... what?
"According to cancer biologist David H. Nguyen, PhD, toxic chemicals in solar panels include cadmium telluride, copper indium selenide, cadmium gallium (di)selenide, copper indium gallium (di)selenide, hexafluoroethane, lead, and polyvinyl fluoride. Silicon tetrachloride, a byproduct of producing crystalline silicon, is also highly toxic."
Manufacturing them produces a significant amount of waste. Buying them from China doesn't. And the polysilicon solar panels in question (most if those manufactured) don't use cadmium.
It's depressing to see all this nimbyism and selfishness. Maybe we should have some kind of system where local authorities who reject new homes and solar panels see their council tax and energy bills go up.
You can't blame local authorities for using their power in a way that maximises their chances of being elected, that's what democracy is. If you want certain things to happen even if the locals don't want it,you have to enforce it at Westminster level. So the Govt will have to pass a law enforcing it. But Starmer is wandering the planet talking to Important People about Big Things, and neglecting the knitting.
Fair points. I do agree that more leadership from Westminsfer needed. But creating local support for these projects is also important, at the moment the nimbys don't see the downsides of blanket opposition. And the silent majority who want lower energy bills aren't mobilised.
It's similar to the issue with housebuilding. Those who lose out are all concentrated in one locality, and there's probably not enough mitigation possible to really placate them. Those who benefit are spread out, which makes them much less useful as an electoral force.
At some point Trump is going to realise that there’s no good faith in Russia to actually end the war, and the only way it’s ending quickly is by arming the Ukranians with more and better weapons, so that the Russians are forced to the negotiating table from a position of weakness.
He already knows, and doesn't care.
He doesn’t care about his wives, he doesn’t care about his business clients, he doesn’t care about his business partners, he doesn’t care about his employees, he doesn’t care about the voters, he doesn’t care about the nation’s allies… indeed, he doesn’t care about Ukraine.
Rachel Reeves will launch a £2 billion tax raid on lawyers, family doctors and accountants as she seeks to balance the books by targeting the wealthy
The chancellor is expected to use the budget to impose a new charge on people who use limited liability partnerships as she tries to fill a £30 billion hole in the public finances
More than 190,000 workers use partnerships, particularly in the legal world, and they offer a significant tax benefit over ordinary employment. They are not subject to employers' national insurance as partners are treated as self-employed
Reeves is said to consider this unfair and is expected to announce changes to the system in her budget. She has repeatedly said that 'those with the broadest shoulders' should pay their 'fair share of tax', and many of those who use partnerships are high earners
Details of the planned tax raid on partnerships were obtained by The State of It, the new political podcast from The Times and The Sunday Times
More than 13,000 partners earn an average of £1.25 million each a year. Solicitors who draw profits from partnerships make an average of £316,000 a year. The family doctors make £118,000 and accountants an average of £246,000
Reeves is also expected to push ahead with a mansion tax, imposing capital gains on the sale of main residences for the most expensive properties
Just merge National Insurance and Income Tax and make everyone pay the same rate of tax, regardless of how they earn it.
Once again - LLP's big benefit is reducing the amount of EMPLOYER NI not employee...
Yes, and once again, BOTH forms of NI should be abolished and rolled into Income Tax.
Employers NI is a form of Income Tax levied only on those gainfully employed. Just as alcohol or fuel duty is a tax on alcohol and fuel. All incomes should face the same tax rate.
Employers' NI is a payroll tax, not an income tax.
You will fry Bart Simpson's sole remaining brain cell with that kind of reply
Miliband's got a local problem to deal with first:
Three MPs have criticised plans for a 3,500-acre solar farm between Doncaster and Rotherham.
The project, named Whitestone Solar Farm, would stretch across a number of separate parcels of land and could power 250,000 homes.
However, local MPs John Healey, Sarah Champion and Jake Richards have all raised concerns about the size and location of the scheme.
...
Healey, Labour MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough, told project developer Green Nation in a letter that the scheme did not meet his expectations, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
"In my view, every project must still meet three tests: it must be proportionate, it must be safe, and it must be fair - Whitestone fails all three," he said.
He said it was "the wrong scale of scheme in the wrong place".
I'm struggling to think of ways in which the solar farm won't be safe... Solar (photovoltaic) panels are -one would think- by far the "safest" form of electricity generation. There's no swinging blades at high height; there's no radioactive byproducts; there's no high pressure, high temperature steam; there's no slag heap.
What is the safety aspect that Mr Healey is concerned about?
I mean, you can take issue regarding their cost or location or the opportunity cost of not using the location for (say) housing. But safety... I mean... what?
"According to cancer biologist David H. Nguyen, PhD, toxic chemicals in solar panels include cadmium telluride, copper indium selenide, cadmium gallium (di)selenide, copper indium gallium (di)selenide, hexafluoroethane, lead, and polyvinyl fluoride. Silicon tetrachloride, a byproduct of producing crystalline silicon, is also highly toxic."
Manufacturing them produces a significant amount of waste. Buying them from China doesn't. And the polysilicon solar panels in question (most if those manufactured) don't use cadmium.
It's depressing to see all this nimbyism and selfishness. Maybe we should have some kind of system where local authorities who reject new homes and solar panels see their council tax and energy bills go up.
You can't blame local authorities for using their power in a way that maximises their chances of being elected, that's what democracy is. If you want certain things to happen even if the locals don't want it,you have to enforce it at Westminster level. So the Govt will have to pass a law enforcing it. But Starmer is wandering the planet talking to Important People about Big Things, and neglecting the knitting.
Fair points. I do agree that more leadership from Westminsfer needed. But creating local support for these projects is also important, at the moment the nimbys don't see the downsides of blanket opposition. And the silent majority who want lower energy bills aren't mobilised.
It's similar to the issue with housebuilding. Those who lose out are all concentrated in one locality, and there's probably not enough mitigation possible to really placate them. Those who benefit are spread out, which makes them much less useful as an electoral force.
Not only that, but those who directly benefit are a minority. Most people have a narrow personal interest in high house prices because we own them already, even if we know that's not good for the country.
It's another thing that a property value tax would solve. Prices going up is suddenly not such a good thing.
🔥 Two oil refineries owned/controlled by Russia and used for refining crude delivered through the Druzhba pipeline from Russia exploded in the European Union: 1) Petrotel Lukoil refinery in Romania owned by Russia. 2) MOL Danube refinery in the Kremlin puppet regime Hungary.
Clumsy.
So who are the Romanian and Hungarian saboteurs though, who co-ordinated the attacks at two locations?
Airbourne attack? - very unlikely Ukranian special forces? - unlikely Local anarchists? - possibly Explosive payload sent down the pipeline? - maybe possible Cyber attack on SCADA system? - possibly Insider job at the plants? - possibly Any other ideas?
Be locals fed up with the Putin loving arses running their countries and have decided enough is enough, or perhaps some visitors.
At some point Trump is going to realise that there’s no good faith in Russia to actually end the war, and the only way it’s ending quickly is by arming the Ukranians with more and better weapons, so that the Russians are forced to the negotiating table from a position of weakness.
He already knows, and doesn't care.
He does care. He probably charged Putin $100m in bitcoin not to care.
Miliband's got a local problem to deal with first:
Three MPs have criticised plans for a 3,500-acre solar farm between Doncaster and Rotherham.
The project, named Whitestone Solar Farm, would stretch across a number of separate parcels of land and could power 250,000 homes.
However, local MPs John Healey, Sarah Champion and Jake Richards have all raised concerns about the size and location of the scheme.
...
Healey, Labour MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough, told project developer Green Nation in a letter that the scheme did not meet his expectations, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
"In my view, every project must still meet three tests: it must be proportionate, it must be safe, and it must be fair - Whitestone fails all three," he said.
He said it was "the wrong scale of scheme in the wrong place".
I'm struggling to think of ways in which the solar farm won't be safe... Solar (photovoltaic) panels are -one would think- by far the "safest" form of electricity generation. There's no swinging blades at high height; there's no radioactive byproducts; there's no high pressure, high temperature steam; there's no slag heap.
What is the safety aspect that Mr Healey is concerned about?
I mean, you can take issue regarding their cost or location or the opportunity cost of not using the location for (say) housing. But safety... I mean... what?
"According to cancer biologist David H. Nguyen, PhD, toxic chemicals in solar panels include cadmium telluride, copper indium selenide, cadmium gallium (di)selenide, copper indium gallium (di)selenide, hexafluoroethane, lead, and polyvinyl fluoride. Silicon tetrachloride, a byproduct of producing crystalline silicon, is also highly toxic."
Manufacturing them produces a significant amount of waste. Buying them from China doesn't. And the polysilicon solar panels in question (most if those manufactured) don't use cadmium.
It's depressing to see all this nimbyism and selfishness. Maybe we should have some kind of system where local authorities who reject new homes and solar panels see their council tax and energy bills go up.
Or incentives. Local/regional energy pricing; central government grant based on increases in the number of homes.
NIMBYs are being perfectly rational in their opposition. They get all of the costs and none of the benefits of development.
Trouble is, Nimbies are going to be bloody expensive to buy off. By definition, they are pretty well off and have a lot of wealth in their house price.
£1000 a year to ruin their view is unlikely to cut it. You and I know that their view is unlikely to be ruined, and that solar panels are pretty low disruption, but that's not the point.
(It's a bit like the problem employers have motivating highly-paid staff. You can always do it with money, but you need to dangle a lot more extra money in front of someone on £100k than someone on £30k.)
🔥 Two oil refineries owned/controlled by Russia and used for refining crude delivered through the Druzhba pipeline from Russia exploded in the European Union: 1) Petrotel Lukoil refinery in Romania owned by Russia. 2) MOL Danube refinery in the Kremlin puppet regime Hungary.
Clumsy.
So who are the Romanian and Hungarian saboteurs though, who co-ordinated the attacks at two locations?
Airbourne attack? - very unlikely Ukranian special forces? - unlikely Local anarchists? - possibly Explosive payload sent down the pipeline? - maybe possible Cyber attack on SCADA system? - possibly Insider job at the plants? - possibly Any other ideas?
Nah. Totally random, simultaneous, industrial accidents. These things happen.
Wrong.
Smoking accidents caused by Lucky Strike cigarettes.
This lawsuit, which demands that the House of Representatives finally seat Rep. Adelita Grijalva, has, um, fairly major implications for our democracy's survival in 2026 and beyond.
It makes, in a great deal more detail, similar points to the ones I raised.
"..The Speaker may not use his statutory obligation to administer the oath under 2 U.S.C. § 25 to arbitrarily delay seating a member when there is no dispute as to the election or qualifications and no practical reason why he is unable to administer the oath..." "...The question of whether an individual has a right to a House seat, and whether the House is wrongfully denying that person admission, is justiciable and is not a political question. Powell, 395 U.S. at 548..."
"..It is a constitutional qualification for office that a member take the oath of office before assuming office. U.S. Const. art. VI, cl. 3 (“The … Representatives … shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution.”)..." "36. The Constitution provides neither the language of the oath nor any requirements as to who must administer it. 37. One statute, 5 U.S.C. § 3331, gives the language of the oath, but does not specify how it is to be administered. 38. A second statute, 2 U.S.C. § 25, describes the procedure for swearing in the Speaker and members-elect. 39. Per that process, “any Member of the House of Representatives” swears in the Speaker upon the Speaker’s election. The Speaker then swears in the members-elect. But the individual who swears in the Speaker (usually the Dean of the House) has not yet been sworn for that Congress, and so is at that time a member-elect, establishing that non-members of the House may and do constitutionally administer the oath. 40. Nothing in 2 U.S.C. § 25 makes the administration of the oath discretionary on the part of the Speaker..."
Note that there is no practicable way to change the constitution before the midterms. The procedures for seating House members are set out in statutory law (see above). To make any change to that would (along with the Senate and Presidential conformation) require the House to come back in session. And in any event, there will be at least a handful of GOP members who would stop short of the kind of insanity we're talking about.
So while on the one hand, this is a democratic outrage, on the other it does not in itself provide a route for preventing a Democratic majority Congress seating itself in January 2027.
Miliband's got a local problem to deal with first:
Three MPs have criticised plans for a 3,500-acre solar farm between Doncaster and Rotherham.
The project, named Whitestone Solar Farm, would stretch across a number of separate parcels of land and could power 250,000 homes.
However, local MPs John Healey, Sarah Champion and Jake Richards have all raised concerns about the size and location of the scheme.
...
Healey, Labour MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough, told project developer Green Nation in a letter that the scheme did not meet his expectations, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
"In my view, every project must still meet three tests: it must be proportionate, it must be safe, and it must be fair - Whitestone fails all three," he said.
He said it was "the wrong scale of scheme in the wrong place".
I'm struggling to think of ways in which the solar farm won't be safe... Solar (photovoltaic) panels are -one would think- by far the "safest" form of electricity generation. There's no swinging blades at high height; there's no radioactive byproducts; there's no high pressure, high temperature steam; there's no slag heap.
What is the safety aspect that Mr Healey is concerned about?
I mean, you can take issue regarding their cost or location or the opportunity cost of not using the location for (say) housing. But safety... I mean... what?
"According to cancer biologist David H. Nguyen, PhD, toxic chemicals in solar panels include cadmium telluride, copper indium selenide, cadmium gallium (di)selenide, copper indium gallium (di)selenide, hexafluoroethane, lead, and polyvinyl fluoride. Silicon tetrachloride, a byproduct of producing crystalline silicon, is also highly toxic."
Manufacturing them produces a significant amount of waste. Buying them from China doesn't. And the polysilicon solar panels in question (most if those manufactured) don't use cadmium.
It's depressing to see all this nimbyism and selfishness. Maybe we should have some kind of system where local authorities who reject new homes and solar panels see their council tax and energy bills go up.
Or incentives. Local/regional energy pricing; central government grant based on increases in the number of homes.
NIMBYs are being perfectly rational in their opposition. They get all of the costs and none of the benefits of development.
Trouble is, Nimbies are going to be bloody expensive to buy off. By definition, they are pretty well off and have a lot of wealth in their house price.
£1000 a year to ruin their view is unlikely to cut it. You and I know that their view is unlikely to be ruined, and that solar panels are pretty low disruption, but that's not the point.
(It's a bit like the problem employers have motivating highly-paid staff. You can always do it with money, but you need to dangle a lot more extra money in front of someone on £100k than someone on £30k.)
It's an interesting question. You do get cases where rather small financial incentives have a big effect, particularly in insurance.
Even just the token value of 1/4 off your energy would sweeten it quite a bit.
Comments
No idea what it means, but I found it interesting (I resist the urge to imagine it's a VC/SV valuation bias). And I've taken it into account in some of our LLM pipelines.
I was given a new JAMF'd mac by $work about two months ago and other than the initial boot - it's been powered off on a shelf since. Useless junk.
God bless the taxpayer for this ~£100k/yr improvement over our previous 'put stuff in bin, when a bit full, take bin out' procedures - which admittedly generated very few 'tickets' and contributed quite little to the overall PowerBI graphs.
If you go with the fairly widely accepted definition of 'any single local authority with city status', Greater London doesn't qualify because it's technically an entire 'region' (and/or county) comprised of 33 LAs of which two (City of London and City of Westminster) are themselves cities. And fairly small ones at that.
At one point Carlisle was, surprisingly, the largest city in England by area. Now that there is a unitary Cumbria, not all of which has city status, that has become a bit ambiguous.
https://www.ox.ac.uk/news-and-events/The-University-Year/sheldonian-series
I am hearing P.Diddy is getting an imminent pardon and Ghislaine is going free by the end of 2026.
I foresaw madness but I underestimated the rapidity and extent of the transition from democracy to dictatorship.
I was joking. He can't as the arse is already falling out of various services.
As students of political history we live in fascinating times.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvDXwjeMB_k
"Writing of Bill Clinton accepting plane rides from Jeffrey Epstein, former Tatler and Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown described private plane travel as “a true satanic temptation from the mountaintop”. There is, she says, “no one you wouldn’t kill, betray, or sleep with to ensure a lifetime of luxe relief from the armpit of mass transit”.
Brown’s insight is a potent one: the real moral hazard behind ultra-high-end luxuries such as private plane travel is the way they stand for exclusive access. An invitation to travel by private plane symbolises inclusion in what C.S. Lewis called “the Inner Ring”: the aspirational set, the ones in the know, the insider group within which everyone longs to be included. And among the infinite poisons leaking from the Epstein scandal into every level of public life, one of the most noxious is the the way it has combined this Inner Ring exclusivity with a profound moral inversion."
https://unherd.com/2025/10/epsteins-inner-ring-of-evil
https://x.com/bohuslavskakate/status/1980732364197360049
- UAVs targeted a power substation in Bryansk region;
- Allegedly, a Storm Shadow missiles struck the Bryansk Chemical Plant, which had been serving Russia’s military-industrial complex;
- A thermal power plant in Smolensk region is on fire.
Oranges are not the only food that has seen a price spike, of course. The price of beef and veal is up almost 25% in a year. Butter is up almost 19%, and chocolate and coffee 15% and milk over 12%, all according to the Office for National Statistics. This all suggests that, more generally, there may be something else at play.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c397n3jl3z8o
Christ on a bike. A massive long article highlighting on food that has gone up globally, going round and round the houses, but then confused what it could be that is causing all food inflation in the shops....considering every reason under the sun....
I wonder what happens when you jack up minimum wage and NI? Remember a bigger hit to the supermarkets isn't the extra on the rate, it is the threshold has gone right down and lots of supermarkets use mums who do part time for their workforce who wouldn't make enough to trigger NI.
Whether a pound of coffee costs $2 or $2.20 on the global markets has little to do with the price of a packet of it in Tesco.
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/boris-johnson-felt-homicidal-after-36109394
The Daily Star splashes Bozo the killer clown on its front page.
"The Whitehouse ballroom will be built without damaging the original building, it won't touch it".
Although I don't think they thought that way when they deployed their claim. It was more lie big or go home.
Not in Russia, not in Ukraine, but in Romania and Hungary. They both deal with Russian imports though.
https://x.com/igorsushko/status/1980716172309065938
🔥 Two oil refineries owned/controlled by Russia and used for refining crude delivered through the Druzhba pipeline from Russia exploded in the European Union:
1) Petrotel Lukoil refinery in Romania owned by Russia.
2) MOL Danube refinery in the Kremlin puppet regime Hungary.
This is classic mafia don behaviour - if they lose they go to prison; if they win they are bankrupted by legal costs. It’s to encourage loyalty and obedience among others
(And he no longer cares about voters. The only way he gets to carry on for another term is if there isn’t a vote)
As usual with Yougov these days, it's the wrong question. Clarkson doesn't need to be thought a good MP to win, he just needs to be better than the consistently catastrophic Ed Miliband.
So I think he's got an excellent chance.
And the polysilicon solar panels in question (most if those manufactured) don't use cadmium.
Or Johnson.
Though they might well try.
Airbourne attack? - very unlikely
Ukranian special forces? - unlikely
Local anarchists? - possibly
Explosive payload sent down the pipeline? - maybe possible
Cyber attack on SCADA system? - possibly
Insider job at the plants? - possibly
Any other ideas?
https://x.com/officejjsmart/status/1980685198468796827
Here’s a video of a drone taking out the distillation column of a refinery, in broad daylight, with no obvious attempt to take it down.
https://x.com/maria_drutska/status/1980859855901774177
Sergei Lavrov had a call with Marco Rubio yesterday, and basically told the Secrety of State to eff off with their American peace plan.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2025/10/21/trump-no-longer-plans-meet-putin-hungary/
At some point Trump is going to realise that there’s no good faith in Russia to actually end the war, and the only way it’s ending quickly is by arming the Ukranians with more and better weapons, so that the Russians are forced to the negotiating table from a position of weakness.
https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/10/21/bridget-phillipson-trans-student-asks/
Maybe we should have some kind of system where local authorities who reject new homes and solar panels see their council tax and energy bills go up.
He'd have a better chance vs Emma Reynolds (defra sos).
If there is a Democratic majority after this elections, they can assemble wherever they chose for the new Congress, and appoint a new majority leader.
It's not up to the retiring majority leader.
All that is quite clear in the Constitution (see Article 1, and the 22nd Amendment).
Of course if the GOP decides to stage a coup, then "what stops them" is a good question.
But they're not going be be able to stage a coup, simply by Johnson refusing to seat new members. Post January 3rd, 2027, that has no legal force.
Still not great given the 2% target but a win is a win
UK Inflation (Sep)
CPI (YoY): 3.8% vs. 4.0% exp. (prior 3.8%)
CPI (MoM): 0.0% vs. 0.1% exp. (prior 0.3%)
Core CPI (YoY): 3.5% vs. 3.7% exp. (prior 3.6%)
CPI Services (YoY): 4.7% vs. 4.8% exp. (prior 4.7%)
https://x.com/mrmbrown/status/1980876833588670904?s=61
Extension it may be, but a flat roofed carbuncle tacked onto a post-war semi, it is not. That comes next...
The Constitution requires only that Congress meet annually.
It's an interesting point, though, that most voters will be more aware of Congressional rules, which are relatively mutable, than they are of the fundamental law of the land which underlies them - something that can be changed only with great difficulty by constitutional amendment.
A more likely explanation is that he has a fixed position of not wanting to help Ukraine, and all this stuff about summits, peace, being upset with Putin, etc, is simply shadow play to deflect pressure on him to act.
When will Republican congressmen realise that waiting for Trump to decide to act is futile, and they need to take their own action?
Sunday: Trump posts video of him defecating on Americans
Monday: Starts demolition of part of the White House without permission.
Tuesday: Shakes down the Justice Dept for $230 million for himself
What do we have to look forward to today? We all know that Trump cares most about his "ratings" so needs something new every day. It's all about being the centre of attention.
But creating local support for these projects is also important, at the moment the nimbys don't see the downsides of blanket opposition. And the silent majority who want lower energy bills aren't mobilised.
NIMBYs are being perfectly rational in their opposition. They get all of the costs and none of the benefits of development.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/oct/22/im-suddenly-so-angry-my-strange-unnerving-week-with-an-ai-friend?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
They're all scared of what will happen to them if they stand against the Mafia boss.
And it's not Antifa that they're worried about.
Oh for some neocons right now…
This lawsuit, which demands that the House of Representatives finally seat Rep. Adelita Grijalva, has, um, fairly major implications for our democracy's survival in 2026 and beyond.
https://bsky.app/profile/mjsdc.bsky.social/post/3m3qe76xvwc2z
It kinda makes sense to ride the tiger now, but who on the planet is going to thank them for it later?
Mafia Don will shift to support Ukraine when bribed or blackmailed enough. That may be tough as we dont know the level of Kompromat that Putin has on Trump.
He’s a toddler who kicks the toy blackboard over when introduced to multiplication.
Phillips P. O'Brien has described the relationship between Trump and Putin in terms of unrequited love. I really do think it's more fundamental than simply financial self-interest (and Trump is blackmail-proof, he's been able to shrug off everything).
NEW THREAD
It's another thing that a property value tax would solve. Prices going up is suddenly not such a good thing.
£1000 a year to ruin their view is unlikely to cut it. You and I know that their view is unlikely to be ruined, and that solar panels are pretty low disruption, but that's not the point.
(It's a bit like the problem employers have motivating highly-paid staff. You can always do it with money, but you need to dangle a lot more extra money in front of someone on £100k than someone on £30k.)
Smoking accidents caused by Lucky Strike cigarettes.
It Is Known.
"..The Speaker may not use his statutory obligation to administer the oath under 2
U.S.C. § 25 to arbitrarily delay seating a member when there is no dispute as to the election or
qualifications and no practical reason why he is unable to administer the oath..."
"...The question of whether an individual has a right to a House seat, and whether the
House is wrongfully denying that person admission, is justiciable and is not a political question.
Powell, 395 U.S. at 548..."
"..It is a constitutional qualification for office that a member take the oath of office
before assuming office. U.S. Const. art. VI, cl. 3 (“The … Representatives … shall be bound by
Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution.”)..."
"36. The Constitution provides neither the language of the oath nor any requirements as
to who must administer it.
37. One statute, 5 U.S.C. § 3331, gives the language of the oath, but does not specify
how it is to be administered.
38. A second statute, 2 U.S.C. § 25, describes the procedure for swearing in the Speaker
and members-elect.
39. Per that process, “any Member of the House of Representatives” swears in the
Speaker upon the Speaker’s election. The Speaker then swears in the members-elect. But the
individual who swears in the Speaker (usually the Dean of the House) has not yet been sworn for
that Congress, and so is at that time a member-elect, establishing that non-members of the House
may and do constitutionally administer the oath.
40. Nothing in 2 U.S.C. § 25 makes the administration of the oath discretionary on the
part of the Speaker..."
Note that there is no practicable way to change the constitution before the midterms.
The procedures for seating House members are set out in statutory law (see above). To make any change to that would (along with the Senate and Presidential conformation) require the House to come back in session. And in any event, there will be at least a handful of GOP members who would stop short of the kind of insanity we're talking about.
So while on the one hand, this is a democratic outrage, on the other it does not in itself provide a route for preventing a Democratic majority Congress seating itself in January 2027.
Even just the token value of 1/4 off your energy would sweeten it quite a bit.