I previously thought he was one of the better ones in the current crop. Clearly I was mistaken.
A UK government spokesperson said more than 1,000 FCDO staff worked tirelessly to evacuate more than 15,000 people from Afghanistan within a fortnight....
Many of them WFH, apparently, and refusing overtime. "Tirelessly" seems to be the new meaningless government spin which covers all cases, along with the similar "round the clock".
I previously thought he was one of the better ones in the current crop. Clearly I was mistaken.
A UK government spokesperson said more than 1,000 FCDO staff worked tirelessly to evacuate more than 15,000 people from Afghanistan within a fortnight....
Many of them WFH, apparently, and refusing overtime. "Tirelessly" seems to be the new meaningless government spin which covers all cases, along with the similar "round the clock".
"Refusing overtime" - I think they will have TOIL/flexi at FCDO, so seems unlikely.
I was repeating what was reported this morning.
Though the Guardian has a more detailed, different account: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/07/whistleblower-on-uks-afghan-evacuation-main-accusations ...Despite the gravity of the situation, Marshall said, the default expectation remained that FCDO staff would continue to work normal hours, and only be asked to do extra shifts. This resulted in frequent personnel changes and “serious shortages of capacity”, Marshall said, blaming a “deliberate drive by the FCDO to prioritise ‘work-life balance’”. He concluded: “The FCDO’s approach has undermined organisational effectiveness.”...
The work life balance line sounds like an excuse, like blaming health and safety or political correctness.
Work life balance is a real thing.
I've worked for the clock watching managers. They get exactly what they want - a bunch of people who sit in the office for long hours. Other managers get more of the.... work stuff done.
That being said, the Afghan government imploding is one of those occasions when it wasn't assholic to say "everyone in - working 7 days on this one".
For a company like Inrix, cars are revenue generating to a much greater extent than bikes. The analytics involved in the motoring setor that flow into insurance, IoT applications (car, signals, traffic alerts), parking, charging, and so on make it very easy for an anti-bike bias to arrive fairly organically. Worth remembering the source of the study when assessing its reliability.
Ironically the biggest reason for cars being so slow in London was demonstrated by TfL to be due to Uber (i.e. cars)
For a company like Inrix, cars are revenue generating to a much greater extent than bikes. The analytics involved in the motoring setor that flow into insurance, IoT applications (car, signals, traffic alerts), parking, charging, and so on make it very easy for an anti-bike bias to arrive fairly organically. Worth remembering the source of the study when assessing its reliability.
Ironically the biggest reason for cars being so slow in London was demonstrated by TfL to be due to Uber (i.e. cars)
I predicted on this website over a week ago that Omicron was less harmful than Delta and I’ve seen nothing yet to go back on that.
Yes, but your 'prediction' was little better than a hunch, based on second- and third-hand information, often contradictory.
Having said that, let's hope that hunch was correct...
Yes, but isn’t that how all predictions are made?
Only bad ones.
I can predict (say) that the SpaceX launch will go well and gets its payload into orbit. I can say that's a fairly firm prediction, based on their track record. Making a prediction about Omicron a week ago - based on the massively contradictory information we had then (or now) - is just pure guesswork. Unless you has some inside information or greater knowledge.
It's like betting on the party you want to win at an election: is the desire for the outcome you want overwhelming your judgement?
I know at least half a dozen people in Epstein’s black book. I’ve met maybe 2 dozen. The idea they are all pedos is QAnon territory
If that is the sole basis for this “accusation” by Arcuri she is about to reap the libel law whirlwind
What do you reckon, two-thirds? three quarters?
As most of them are multimillionaires, and quite a few billionaires, I’d rein in any such commentary
In fact I was slightly surprised to see that you were NOT on the list. Yet yer dad made it?
Epstein knew where the real power lies. Lib Dems in Bedfordshire
FWIW, I don't know who's in the 'Book', but as with you, I suspect I've met a fair number of them. Admittedly, they were all wearing masks at the party, so I couldn't be sure exactly who was who.
I bet you’ve met ten or more, you might be friends with one or two, well, at least one, your dad. OK maybe none, but at least you kinda know him (your dad)
FWIW and slightly more seriously I think the “book” is a load of old bollocks. It’s a list compiled by Epstein and Maxwell (allegedly!) of people in the USA and Europe who *might* be possible customers or punters or donors or just people they might one day hope to use. It’s a shopping list, complete with tell-tale spelling errors. Half of these people they’d never met, and never would
That’s not to deny they did snare some big fish
It's also *seriously* out of date. It has Rupert Soames as CEO of Misys.
He hasn't been at Misys since 2003. And he also wasn't CEO.
Well, yeah. The book is dated with a scribble from about 2003?
it is a period piece, and largely bullshit at that. But that doesn’t mean it is valueless. It gives an insight into the Epstein/Maxwell?/Mossad (or whoever) operation. Their targets. Socially, financially, politically, commercially and academically influential people in NY, London and elsewhere.
Goal? Try and get them on the Lolita Express. A free private jet flight to the Virgin Islands with Prince Andrew as a golf partner. The British Royals! Gotta be legit. Salve their anxieties. Don’t shower them with girls, yet
Let the golf commence. Or a lunch and a lecture and some networking. All above board but plenty of booze
In the evening, relax. Luxury food, louche music, some dancing. A very young but very pretty girl takes an interest in you. Why not? You’re a minister, mogul, top Harvard boffin, major journalist. You end up in bed. You are filmed. They show you. They have photos and videos. She, it turns out, is 17 or even 15; you, it turns out, are fucked. Epstein has you by the bollocks, and you must give him what he wants and protect him if is he in endangered by the law. In the meantime, he will supply you with more parties and more fun and more girls
So simple, yet so effective
There are so many questions about where his wealth kept coming from. We know he got paid a load of money from the bloke behind L Brands, which owns Victoria Secrets, there must have been loads more. He for instance granted Epstein full power of attorney over his affairs.
Money laundering.
Mossad
That too. More than a hint of BCCI about him. It probably suited some authorities to have him launder money and have a hold over others.
Jeffrey Epstein sent $30m to Ghislaine Maxwell over an eight year period. That’s some pay rate. The value of her services to the operation must have been immense. There is no way UK intelligence services and law enforcement could not have been aware of the nature of the operation Prince Andrew was tangled up in. They must have “had a word” with the Royal Household, surely?! Did he choose to simply ignore them? His arrogance exceeds his idiocy.
Oh come on Stuart, who hasn't donated $30m (and a helicopter) to someone to procure under age girls?
”Underage girls” is perhaps a poor choice of words.
Many (probable most) people refer to women in their twenties as girls.
That’ll disappear as society get’s less sexist.
It doesn’t work in Sweden, where society is much more equal. It would be impossible to refer to women in their twenties as “flickor”. It just sounds preposterous in the Swedish language: people would genuinely consider you to be not right in the head.
I'm not sure about that. My parents frequently addressed each other like this - "Stupid boy, stop that ! My long-lost girl, you're back !" well into their 70's.
Mrs C, meets, every so often with friends from student days, 60 or so years ago, referring to them as 'the girls'. As do I, when asking her about them/.
My wife's uni friends are referred to in the same way, by her (somewhat younger, but they're all mid-thirties now). I can imagine her referring to my uni friends as 'the lads', but that doesn't really happen as they're much more of a mix (closest group is two men and two women).
Having said that, my wife was not very impressed when, after my parents first met her when she was ~25, they told me that she was "a lovely girl" (and I told her). After our first child was born she commented that perhaps my parents would see her as a woman now.
As with all things, I think we need to consider what we say and react thoughtfully if we are challenged or told we're causing offence and change our language if the request to change seems reasonable. For an older person to refer to a younger adult as 'girl' or 'boy' can show a degree of condescension.
It's about context and manner, isn't it? When there was something in the news about a woman who felt excluded by her boss saying "Hello guys" in the morning, I apologised individually to my (largely female) team because I'd often said "Hi guys" in emails to them. Their responses ranged from who-cares to concern for me that I should be worrying about it. But if only one had been a woman perhaps it would have been different?
"Girls" is in my experience usually used by women about mates - "we're having a girls' night out", that sort of thing. Ultimately, I think it's fairly harmless unless it's part of a pattern of patronising behaviour, but probably best avoided in case someone feels differently.
I don't agree with that. Just because someone feels offence doesn't mean the offence was intended. And intent is what matters.
You are not allowing for the possibility that the "offence" is manufactured by the "offended" or the possibility that the offended are simply incorrect in their interpretation of what has been said. I agree with the "who-cares" response of those in your team. We are not children.
It is remarkable how soon Carlsen recognises some boards, and as for the Harry Potter game...
Chess - I think every chess player knows that a computer could and will beat him.
Go - I love the fact that we still have skin in the game.
New game - Someone needs to invent a game that AI's can't reliably win at.
Identifying pictures of zebra crossings, buses, mountains etc seems to distinguish us from robots. So it seems we might still be able to beat the computer when playing a version of "Snap".
Am I the only one to struggle with those? Is that really a bus, or a large taxi? Is that metal thing in the corner part of a lorry? It usually takes me a couple of goes to satisfy it. Likewise the straggly letters on a squiggly background. Why can't they ask something that we all know, like "Who was the LibDem candidate in last week's parish council by-election?"
I feel the same when confronted with these but despite a degree of trepidation I cannot remember ever failing to get past pone first time.
I still prefer the ones were you have to tick a box to say you're not a robot mind.
I've probably been her harshest critic on this site down the years, but I have to say I agreed with every word I saw Theresa May say on the news last night. She put it very well and very eloquently so credit where credit is due. 👍
That is a huge, huge call.
I really, really thought I had claimed the crown of Theresa May's "harshest critic on this site"
She did drive PT to vote for Farage, so I'd say he has you beat on that one.
I do agree with that. But I also agree with Nigelb that there isn't always such a clear line. I've heard recently from a woman who when she was 16 "fell in love" with a man in his thirties. He flattered her, bought her things. They had sex a handful of times, then he moved on to the next conquest. Now, some decades later, she says he groomed her and abused her and used her. But was it consensual? Probably in a legal sense. Was it abusive? I think so. I also heard from a woman who was sexually abused by a man when she was 6 years old - clearly not consensual and a serious crime. But also - this was the same woman. The man who had sex with her when she was 16 didn't know about the earlier abuse, but for her it was a continuation or repetition in some sense of the earlier abuse. This is why it isn't enough for people to just examine *themselves* if they are going to enter into a sexual thing with someone very much younger.
Interesting, thoughtful post. By comparison, I know a woman who married someone 28 years older than her. She was about 35. The marriage lasted happily, as far as I can tell, with two kids - he's now in his 90s and not very well, but they have the same stable, affectionate relationship that they always had - it's touching to see. So a big age gap can work, but I think the younger partner needs to have a starting point of a fair anount of reasonably positive experience, which your friend clearly didn't have.
I know at least half a dozen people in Epstein’s black book. I’ve met maybe 2 dozen. The idea they are all pedos is QAnon territory
If that is the sole basis for this “accusation” by Arcuri she is about to reap the libel law whirlwind
What do you reckon, two-thirds? three quarters?
As most of them are multimillionaires, and quite a few billionaires, I’d rein in any such commentary
In fact I was slightly surprised to see that you were NOT on the list. Yet yer dad made it?
Epstein knew where the real power lies. Lib Dems in Bedfordshire
FWIW, I don't know who's in the 'Book', but as with you, I suspect I've met a fair number of them. Admittedly, they were all wearing masks at the party, so I couldn't be sure exactly who was who.
I bet you’ve met ten or more, you might be friends with one or two, well, at least one, your dad. OK maybe none, but at least you kinda know him (your dad)
FWIW and slightly more seriously I think the “book” is a load of old bollocks. It’s a list compiled by Epstein and Maxwell (allegedly!) of people in the USA and Europe who *might* be possible customers or punters or donors or just people they might one day hope to use. It’s a shopping list, complete with tell-tale spelling errors. Half of these people they’d never met, and never would
That’s not to deny they did snare some big fish
It's also *seriously* out of date. It has Rupert Soames as CEO of Misys.
He hasn't been at Misys since 2003. And he also wasn't CEO.
Well, yeah. The book is dated with a scribble from about 2003?
it is a period piece, and largely bullshit at that. But that doesn’t mean it is valueless. It gives an insight into the Epstein/Maxwell?/Mossad (or whoever) operation. Their targets. Socially, financially, politically, commercially and academically influential people in NY, London and elsewhere.
Goal? Try and get them on the Lolita Express. A free private jet flight to the Virgin Islands with Prince Andrew as a golf partner. The British Royals! Gotta be legit. Salve their anxieties. Don’t shower them with girls, yet
Let the golf commence. Or a lunch and a lecture and some networking. All above board but plenty of booze
In the evening, relax. Luxury food, louche music, some dancing. A very young but very pretty girl takes an interest in you. Why not? You’re a minister, mogul, top Harvard boffin, major journalist. You end up in bed. You are filmed. They show you. They have photos and videos. She, it turns out, is 17 or even 15; you, it turns out, are fucked. Epstein has you by the bollocks, and you must give him what he wants and protect him if is he in endangered by the law. In the meantime, he will supply you with more parties and more fun and more girls
So simple, yet so effective
There are so many questions about where his wealth kept coming from. We know he got paid a load of money from the bloke behind L Brands, which owns Victoria Secrets, there must have been loads more. He for instance granted Epstein full power of attorney over his affairs.
Money laundering.
Mossad
That too. More than a hint of BCCI about him. It probably suited some authorities to have him launder money and have a hold over others.
Jeffrey Epstein sent $30m to Ghislaine Maxwell over an eight year period. That’s some pay rate. The value of her services to the operation must have been immense. There is no way UK intelligence services and law enforcement could not have been aware of the nature of the operation Prince Andrew was tangled up in. They must have “had a word” with the Royal Household, surely?! Did he choose to simply ignore them? His arrogance exceeds his idiocy.
Oh come on Stuart, who hasn't donated $30m (and a helicopter) to someone to procure under age girls?
”Underage girls” is perhaps a poor choice of words.
Many (probable most) people refer to women in their twenties as girls.
That’ll disappear as society get’s less sexist.
It doesn’t work in Sweden, where society is much more equal. It would be impossible to refer to women in their twenties as “flickor”. It just sounds preposterous in the Swedish language: people would genuinely consider you to be not right in the head.
I'm not sure about that. My parents frequently addressed each other like this - "Stupid boy, stop that ! My long-lost girl, you're back !" well into their 70's.
Mrs C, meets, every so often with friends from student days, 60 or so years ago, referring to them as 'the girls'. As do I, when asking her about them/.
I know at least half a dozen people in Epstein’s black book. I’ve met maybe 2 dozen. The idea they are all pedos is QAnon territory
If that is the sole basis for this “accusation” by Arcuri she is about to reap the libel law whirlwind
What do you reckon, two-thirds? three quarters?
As most of them are multimillionaires, and quite a few billionaires, I’d rein in any such commentary
In fact I was slightly surprised to see that you were NOT on the list. Yet yer dad made it?
Epstein knew where the real power lies. Lib Dems in Bedfordshire
FWIW, I don't know who's in the 'Book', but as with you, I suspect I've met a fair number of them. Admittedly, they were all wearing masks at the party, so I couldn't be sure exactly who was who.
I bet you’ve met ten or more, you might be friends with one or two, well, at least one, your dad. OK maybe none, but at least you kinda know him (your dad)
FWIW and slightly more seriously I think the “book” is a load of old bollocks. It’s a list compiled by Epstein and Maxwell (allegedly!) of people in the USA and Europe who *might* be possible customers or punters or donors or just people they might one day hope to use. It’s a shopping list, complete with tell-tale spelling errors. Half of these people they’d never met, and never would
That’s not to deny they did snare some big fish
It's also *seriously* out of date. It has Rupert Soames as CEO of Misys.
He hasn't been at Misys since 2003. And he also wasn't CEO.
Well, yeah. The book is dated with a scribble from about 2003?
it is a period piece, and largely bullshit at that. But that doesn’t mean it is valueless. It gives an insight into the Epstein/Maxwell?/Mossad (or whoever) operation. Their targets. Socially, financially, politically, commercially and academically influential people in NY, London and elsewhere.
Goal? Try and get them on the Lolita Express. A free private jet flight to the Virgin Islands with Prince Andrew as a golf partner. The British Royals! Gotta be legit. Salve their anxieties. Don’t shower them with girls, yet
Let the golf commence. Or a lunch and a lecture and some networking. All above board but plenty of booze
In the evening, relax. Luxury food, louche music, some dancing. A very young but very pretty girl takes an interest in you. Why not? You’re a minister, mogul, top Harvard boffin, major journalist. You end up in bed. You are filmed. They show you. They have photos and videos. She, it turns out, is 17 or even 15; you, it turns out, are fucked. Epstein has you by the bollocks, and you must give him what he wants and protect him if is he in endangered by the law. In the meantime, he will supply you with more parties and more fun and more girls
So simple, yet so effective
There are so many questions about where his wealth kept coming from. We know he got paid a load of money from the bloke behind L Brands, which owns Victoria Secrets, there must have been loads more. He for instance granted Epstein full power of attorney over his affairs.
Money laundering.
Mossad
That too. More than a hint of BCCI about him. It probably suited some authorities to have him launder money and have a hold over others.
Jeffrey Epstein sent $30m to Ghislaine Maxwell over an eight year period. That’s some pay rate. The value of her services to the operation must have been immense. There is no way UK intelligence services and law enforcement could not have been aware of the nature of the operation Prince Andrew was tangled up in. They must have “had a word” with the Royal Household, surely?! Did he choose to simply ignore them? His arrogance exceeds his idiocy.
Oh come on Stuart, who hasn't donated $30m (and a helicopter) to someone to procure under age girls?
”Underage girls” is perhaps a poor choice of words.
Many (probable most) people refer to women in their twenties as girls.
That’ll disappear as society get’s less sexist.
It doesn’t work in Sweden, where society is much more equal. It would be impossible to refer to women in their twenties as “flickor”. It just sounds preposterous in the Swedish language: people would genuinely consider you to be not right in the head.
I'm not sure about that. My parents frequently addressed each other like this - "Stupid boy, stop that ! My long-lost girl, you're back !" well into their 70's.
Mrs C, meets, every so often with friends from student days, 60 or so years ago, referring to them as 'the girls'. As do I, when asking her about them/.
Then, according to the strange minds of some, Mrs C is sexist - and playing a part in the problem of abuse by not corrected her speech to the approved terms don't you know.
Hope she doesn't say "underage girls"! Bah!
Absolutely! Mrs C has had her mind colonised and controlled by the Patriarchy for far too long...
Absolutely right. @OldKingCole you should have a word with your wife.
Let us know how you get on.
My wife is her own person and makes up her own mind. She asks me about things, as I ask her. Very often we agree, occasionally we don't. Sometimes we agree to differ. She has her friends, I have mine. We have different hobbies, too. We met in 1959, got engaged in 1960, married in '62 and we've been together since, so it seems to work.
It is remarkable how soon Carlsen recognises some boards, and as for the Harry Potter game...
Chess - I think every chess player knows that a computer could and will beat him.
Go - I love the fact that we still have skin in the game.
New game - Someone needs to invent a game that AI's can't reliably win at.
Identifying pictures of zebra crossings, buses, mountains etc seems to distinguish us from robots. So it seems we might still be able to beat the computer when playing a version of "Snap".
Am I the only one to struggle with those? Is that really a bus, or a large taxi? Is that metal thing in the corner part of a lorry? It usually takes me a couple of goes to satisfy it. Likewise the straggly letters on a squiggly background. Why can't they ask something that we all know, like "Who was the LibDem candidate in last week's parish council by-election?"
That’s because you’re actually a droid. Check your solar plexus, you should be able to locate the control panel.
I thought the controls were administered via vaccine nowadays?
Nah, those only activate once the 5G roll-out is complete
Just been outside and had my first encounter with black ice. Quite surprised, as it's cold but (I'd thought) just too warm for ice to form or hang around. Stuff was bloody invisible.
I know at least half a dozen people in Epstein’s black book. I’ve met maybe 2 dozen. The idea they are all pedos is QAnon territory
If that is the sole basis for this “accusation” by Arcuri she is about to reap the libel law whirlwind
What do you reckon, two-thirds? three quarters?
As most of them are multimillionaires, and quite a few billionaires, I’d rein in any such commentary
In fact I was slightly surprised to see that you were NOT on the list. Yet yer dad made it?
Epstein knew where the real power lies. Lib Dems in Bedfordshire
FWIW, I don't know who's in the 'Book', but as with you, I suspect I've met a fair number of them. Admittedly, they were all wearing masks at the party, so I couldn't be sure exactly who was who.
I bet you’ve met ten or more, you might be friends with one or two, well, at least one, your dad. OK maybe none, but at least you kinda know him (your dad)
FWIW and slightly more seriously I think the “book” is a load of old bollocks. It’s a list compiled by Epstein and Maxwell (allegedly!) of people in the USA and Europe who *might* be possible customers or punters or donors or just people they might one day hope to use. It’s a shopping list, complete with tell-tale spelling errors. Half of these people they’d never met, and never would
That’s not to deny they did snare some big fish
It's also *seriously* out of date. It has Rupert Soames as CEO of Misys.
He hasn't been at Misys since 2003. And he also wasn't CEO.
Well, yeah. The book is dated with a scribble from about 2003?
it is a period piece, and largely bullshit at that. But that doesn’t mean it is valueless. It gives an insight into the Epstein/Maxwell?/Mossad (or whoever) operation. Their targets. Socially, financially, politically, commercially and academically influential people in NY, London and elsewhere.
Goal? Try and get them on the Lolita Express. A free private jet flight to the Virgin Islands with Prince Andrew as a golf partner. The British Royals! Gotta be legit. Salve their anxieties. Don’t shower them with girls, yet
Let the golf commence. Or a lunch and a lecture and some networking. All above board but plenty of booze
In the evening, relax. Luxury food, louche music, some dancing. A very young but very pretty girl takes an interest in you. Why not? You’re a minister, mogul, top Harvard boffin, major journalist. You end up in bed. You are filmed. They show you. They have photos and videos. She, it turns out, is 17 or even 15; you, it turns out, are fucked. Epstein has you by the bollocks, and you must give him what he wants and protect him if is he in endangered by the law. In the meantime, he will supply you with more parties and more fun and more girls
So simple, yet so effective
There are so many questions about where his wealth kept coming from. We know he got paid a load of money from the bloke behind L Brands, which owns Victoria Secrets, there must have been loads more. He for instance granted Epstein full power of attorney over his affairs.
Money laundering.
Mossad
That too. More than a hint of BCCI about him. It probably suited some authorities to have him launder money and have a hold over others.
Jeffrey Epstein sent $30m to Ghislaine Maxwell over an eight year period. That’s some pay rate. The value of her services to the operation must have been immense. There is no way UK intelligence services and law enforcement could not have been aware of the nature of the operation Prince Andrew was tangled up in. They must have “had a word” with the Royal Household, surely?! Did he choose to simply ignore them? His arrogance exceeds his idiocy.
Oh come on Stuart, who hasn't donated $30m (and a helicopter) to someone to procure under age girls?
”Underage girls” is perhaps a poor choice of words.
Many (probable most) people refer to women in their twenties as girls.
That’ll disappear as society get’s less sexist.
It doesn’t work in Sweden, where society is much more equal. It would be impossible to refer to women in their twenties as “flickor”. It just sounds preposterous in the Swedish language: people would genuinely consider you to be not right in the head.
I think you're a little handicapped by being a man in a country 1500 miles away with its own cultural peculiarities and hangups writing about women in the UK.
In my circles it is entirely usual for women from their 20s to their 70s to refer to themselves as girls. Rather than trying to ban words, the meaning has evolved. To me the '"girls" is sexist' thing is a broken down outrage bus from decades ago - rather like opening doors for people is just being polite to another human being.
BTW (Small Point of Order), BCCI was Pak, not Indian.
I've probably been her harshest critic on this site down the years, but I have to say I agreed with every word I saw Theresa May say on the news last night. She put it very well and very eloquently so credit where credit is due. 👍
For a company like Inrix, cars are revenue generating to a much greater extent than bikes. The analytics involved in the motoring setor that flow into insurance, IoT applications (car, signals, traffic alerts), parking, charging, and so on make it very easy for an anti-bike bias to arrive fairly organically. Worth remembering the source of the study when assessing its reliability.
Ironically the biggest reason for cars being so slow in London was demonstrated by TfL to be due to Uber (i.e. cars)
In my part of London, the new bike lanes are hated by the cyclists. Because they have been shoved in without regard for anyone or anything. Including cyclists.
Among other things, the bus stops are extremely... hmmmm. Because the bike lanes are completely segregated, you now have to cross the bike lane to an "island" to board a bus. The geniuses who did this used the zebra marking in the road for a zebra crossing. Except without actually lights. So this had led to a number of entertaining intersections between cyclists and elderly pedestrians.
The buses, since they have nowhere to "pull over" to when stopping, literally stop in the traffic flow. Which stops all the traffic behind them. Strangely, several miles of road are now filled with cars crawling along, stopping every few minutes...
I predicted on this website over a week ago that Omicron was less harmful than Delta and I’ve seen nothing yet to go back on that.
I don't think we've yet seen any clinical data to give us a clear indication in either direction.
But it is worth remembering that the initial scientific view about the mutations present in Omicron was that some of them had the potential to make it more severe.
That may not happen in practice, but given our current state of ignorance there's no way we should be making a default assumption that it is milder, let alone welcoming Omicron with open arms.
It is too early to remove current restrictions, yes.
But I hope the government has the strength to relax them should my prediction be proven correct.
I'm glad there's a subject we can agree on.
I worry the government is going to feel bounced into keeping masks and any other bullshit it introduces at the moment through the winter now, rather than stick to the three week timeline and remove restrictions if they're not really required.
I know at least half a dozen people in Epstein’s black book. I’ve met maybe 2 dozen. The idea they are all pedos is QAnon territory
If that is the sole basis for this “accusation” by Arcuri she is about to reap the libel law whirlwind
What do you reckon, two-thirds? three quarters?
As most of them are multimillionaires, and quite a few billionaires, I’d rein in any such commentary
In fact I was slightly surprised to see that you were NOT on the list. Yet yer dad made it?
Epstein knew where the real power lies. Lib Dems in Bedfordshire
FWIW, I don't know who's in the 'Book', but as with you, I suspect I've met a fair number of them. Admittedly, they were all wearing masks at the party, so I couldn't be sure exactly who was who.
I bet you’ve met ten or more, you might be friends with one or two, well, at least one, your dad. OK maybe none, but at least you kinda know him (your dad)
FWIW and slightly more seriously I think the “book” is a load of old bollocks. It’s a list compiled by Epstein and Maxwell (allegedly!) of people in the USA and Europe who *might* be possible customers or punters or donors or just people they might one day hope to use. It’s a shopping list, complete with tell-tale spelling errors. Half of these people they’d never met, and never would
That’s not to deny they did snare some big fish
It's also *seriously* out of date. It has Rupert Soames as CEO of Misys.
He hasn't been at Misys since 2003. And he also wasn't CEO.
Well, yeah. The book is dated with a scribble from about 2003?
it is a period piece, and largely bullshit at that. But that doesn’t mean it is valueless. It gives an insight into the Epstein/Maxwell?/Mossad (or whoever) operation. Their targets. Socially, financially, politically, commercially and academically influential people in NY, London and elsewhere.
Goal? Try and get them on the Lolita Express. A free private jet flight to the Virgin Islands with Prince Andrew as a golf partner. The British Royals! Gotta be legit. Salve their anxieties. Don’t shower them with girls, yet
Let the golf commence. Or a lunch and a lecture and some networking. All above board but plenty of booze
In the evening, relax. Luxury food, louche music, some dancing. A very young but very pretty girl takes an interest in you. Why not? You’re a minister, mogul, top Harvard boffin, major journalist. You end up in bed. You are filmed. They show you. They have photos and videos. She, it turns out, is 17 or even 15; you, it turns out, are fucked. Epstein has you by the bollocks, and you must give him what he wants and protect him if is he in endangered by the law. In the meantime, he will supply you with more parties and more fun and more girls
So simple, yet so effective
There are so many questions about where his wealth kept coming from. We know he got paid a load of money from the bloke behind L Brands, which owns Victoria Secrets, there must have been loads more. He for instance granted Epstein full power of attorney over his affairs.
Money laundering.
Mossad
That too. More than a hint of BCCI about him. It probably suited some authorities to have him launder money and have a hold over others.
Jeffrey Epstein sent $30m to Ghislaine Maxwell over an eight year period. That’s some pay rate. The value of her services to the operation must have been immense. There is no way UK intelligence services and law enforcement could not have been aware of the nature of the operation Prince Andrew was tangled up in. They must have “had a word” with the Royal Household, surely?! Did he choose to simply ignore them? His arrogance exceeds his idiocy.
Oh come on Stuart, who hasn't donated $30m (and a helicopter) to someone to procure under age girls?
”Underage girls” is perhaps a poor choice of words.
Many (probable most) people refer to women in their twenties as girls.
That’ll disappear as society get’s less sexist.
It doesn’t work in Sweden, where society is much more equal. It would be impossible to refer to women in their twenties as “flickor”. It just sounds preposterous in the Swedish language: people would genuinely consider you to be not right in the head.
I'm not sure about that. My parents frequently addressed each other like this - "Stupid boy, stop that ! My long-lost girl, you're back !" well into their 70's.
Mrs C, meets, every so often with friends from student days, 60 or so years ago, referring to them as 'the girls'. As do I, when asking her about them/.
I know at least half a dozen people in Epstein’s black book. I’ve met maybe 2 dozen. The idea they are all pedos is QAnon territory
If that is the sole basis for this “accusation” by Arcuri she is about to reap the libel law whirlwind
What do you reckon, two-thirds? three quarters?
As most of them are multimillionaires, and quite a few billionaires, I’d rein in any such commentary
In fact I was slightly surprised to see that you were NOT on the list. Yet yer dad made it?
Epstein knew where the real power lies. Lib Dems in Bedfordshire
FWIW, I don't know who's in the 'Book', but as with you, I suspect I've met a fair number of them. Admittedly, they were all wearing masks at the party, so I couldn't be sure exactly who was who.
I bet you’ve met ten or more, you might be friends with one or two, well, at least one, your dad. OK maybe none, but at least you kinda know him (your dad)
FWIW and slightly more seriously I think the “book” is a load of old bollocks. It’s a list compiled by Epstein and Maxwell (allegedly!) of people in the USA and Europe who *might* be possible customers or punters or donors or just people they might one day hope to use. It’s a shopping list, complete with tell-tale spelling errors. Half of these people they’d never met, and never would
That’s not to deny they did snare some big fish
It's also *seriously* out of date. It has Rupert Soames as CEO of Misys.
He hasn't been at Misys since 2003. And he also wasn't CEO.
Well, yeah. The book is dated with a scribble from about 2003?
it is a period piece, and largely bullshit at that. But that doesn’t mean it is valueless. It gives an insight into the Epstein/Maxwell?/Mossad (or whoever) operation. Their targets. Socially, financially, politically, commercially and academically influential people in NY, London and elsewhere.
Goal? Try and get them on the Lolita Express. A free private jet flight to the Virgin Islands with Prince Andrew as a golf partner. The British Royals! Gotta be legit. Salve their anxieties. Don’t shower them with girls, yet
Let the golf commence. Or a lunch and a lecture and some networking. All above board but plenty of booze
In the evening, relax. Luxury food, louche music, some dancing. A very young but very pretty girl takes an interest in you. Why not? You’re a minister, mogul, top Harvard boffin, major journalist. You end up in bed. You are filmed. They show you. They have photos and videos. She, it turns out, is 17 or even 15; you, it turns out, are fucked. Epstein has you by the bollocks, and you must give him what he wants and protect him if is he in endangered by the law. In the meantime, he will supply you with more parties and more fun and more girls
So simple, yet so effective
There are so many questions about where his wealth kept coming from. We know he got paid a load of money from the bloke behind L Brands, which owns Victoria Secrets, there must have been loads more. He for instance granted Epstein full power of attorney over his affairs.
Money laundering.
Mossad
That too. More than a hint of BCCI about him. It probably suited some authorities to have him launder money and have a hold over others.
Jeffrey Epstein sent $30m to Ghislaine Maxwell over an eight year period. That’s some pay rate. The value of her services to the operation must have been immense. There is no way UK intelligence services and law enforcement could not have been aware of the nature of the operation Prince Andrew was tangled up in. They must have “had a word” with the Royal Household, surely?! Did he choose to simply ignore them? His arrogance exceeds his idiocy.
Oh come on Stuart, who hasn't donated $30m (and a helicopter) to someone to procure under age girls?
”Underage girls” is perhaps a poor choice of words.
Many (probable most) people refer to women in their twenties as girls.
That’ll disappear as society get’s less sexist.
It doesn’t work in Sweden, where society is much more equal. It would be impossible to refer to women in their twenties as “flickor”. It just sounds preposterous in the Swedish language: people would genuinely consider you to be not right in the head.
I'm not sure about that. My parents frequently addressed each other like this - "Stupid boy, stop that ! My long-lost girl, you're back !" well into their 70's.
Mrs C, meets, every so often with friends from student days, 60 or so years ago, referring to them as 'the girls'. As do I, when asking her about them/.
Then, according to the strange minds of some, Mrs C is sexist - and playing a part in the problem of abuse by not corrected her speech to the approved terms don't you know.
Hope she doesn't say "underage girls"! Bah!
Absolutely! Mrs C has had her mind colonised and controlled by the Patriarchy for far too long...
Absolutely right. @OldKingCole you should have a word with your wife.
Let us know how you get on.
My wife is her own person and makes up her own mind. She asks me about things, as I ask her. Very often we agree, occasionally we don't. Sometimes we agree to differ. She has her friends, I have mine. We have different hobbies, too. We met in 1959, got engaged in 1960, married in '62 and we've been together since, so it seems to work.
Well done both of you. Big anniversary coming up next year!
I previously thought he was one of the better ones in the current crop. Clearly I was mistaken.
A UK government spokesperson said more than 1,000 FCDO staff worked tirelessly to evacuate more than 15,000 people from Afghanistan within a fortnight....
Many of them WFH, apparently, and refusing overtime. "Tirelessly" seems to be the new meaningless government spin which covers all cases, along with the similar "round the clock".
"Refusing overtime" - I think they will have TOIL/flexi at FCDO, so seems unlikely.
I was repeating what was reported this morning.
Though the Guardian has a more detailed, different account: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/07/whistleblower-on-uks-afghan-evacuation-main-accusations ...Despite the gravity of the situation, Marshall said, the default expectation remained that FCDO staff would continue to work normal hours, and only be asked to do extra shifts. This resulted in frequent personnel changes and “serious shortages of capacity”, Marshall said, blaming a “deliberate drive by the FCDO to prioritise ‘work-life balance’”. He concluded: “The FCDO’s approach has undermined organisational effectiveness.”...
Work-life balance is chilling - uk work, Afghan lives.
I've probably been her harshest critic on this site down the years, but I have to say I agreed with every word I saw Theresa May say on the news last night. She put it very well and very eloquently so credit where credit is due. 👍
What was she talking about Philip?
How Brexit was a complete horlicks and she was sorry she didn't just ignore the referendum
(Actually about how there will always be new Covid variants and we have to live with it, mitigating through vaccines etc as required, but we can't destroy the hospitality sector etc with cycling restrictions)
I know at least half a dozen people in Epstein’s black book. I’ve met maybe 2 dozen. The idea they are all pedos is QAnon territory
If that is the sole basis for this “accusation” by Arcuri she is about to reap the libel law whirlwind
What do you reckon, two-thirds? three quarters?
As most of them are multimillionaires, and quite a few billionaires, I’d rein in any such commentary
In fact I was slightly surprised to see that you were NOT on the list. Yet yer dad made it?
Epstein knew where the real power lies. Lib Dems in Bedfordshire
FWIW, I don't know who's in the 'Book', but as with you, I suspect I've met a fair number of them. Admittedly, they were all wearing masks at the party, so I couldn't be sure exactly who was who.
I bet you’ve met ten or more, you might be friends with one or two, well, at least one, your dad. OK maybe none, but at least you kinda know him (your dad)
FWIW and slightly more seriously I think the “book” is a load of old bollocks. It’s a list compiled by Epstein and Maxwell (allegedly!) of people in the USA and Europe who *might* be possible customers or punters or donors or just people they might one day hope to use. It’s a shopping list, complete with tell-tale spelling errors. Half of these people they’d never met, and never would
That’s not to deny they did snare some big fish
It's also *seriously* out of date. It has Rupert Soames as CEO of Misys.
He hasn't been at Misys since 2003. And he also wasn't CEO.
Well, yeah. The book is dated with a scribble from about 2003?
it is a period piece, and largely bullshit at that. But that doesn’t mean it is valueless. It gives an insight into the Epstein/Maxwell?/Mossad (or whoever) operation. Their targets. Socially, financially, politically, commercially and academically influential people in NY, London and elsewhere.
Goal? Try and get them on the Lolita Express. A free private jet flight to the Virgin Islands with Prince Andrew as a golf partner. The British Royals! Gotta be legit. Salve their anxieties. Don’t shower them with girls, yet
Let the golf commence. Or a lunch and a lecture and some networking. All above board but plenty of booze
In the evening, relax. Luxury food, louche music, some dancing. A very young but very pretty girl takes an interest in you. Why not? You’re a minister, mogul, top Harvard boffin, major journalist. You end up in bed. You are filmed. They show you. They have photos and videos. She, it turns out, is 17 or even 15; you, it turns out, are fucked. Epstein has you by the bollocks, and you must give him what he wants and protect him if is he in endangered by the law. In the meantime, he will supply you with more parties and more fun and more girls
So simple, yet so effective
There are so many questions about where his wealth kept coming from. We know he got paid a load of money from the bloke behind L Brands, which owns Victoria Secrets, there must have been loads more. He for instance granted Epstein full power of attorney over his affairs.
Money laundering.
Mossad
That too. More than a hint of BCCI about him. It probably suited some authorities to have him launder money and have a hold over others.
Jeffrey Epstein sent $30m to Ghislaine Maxwell over an eight year period. That’s some pay rate. The value of her services to the operation must have been immense. There is no way UK intelligence services and law enforcement could not have been aware of the nature of the operation Prince Andrew was tangled up in. They must have “had a word” with the Royal Household, surely?! Did he choose to simply ignore them? His arrogance exceeds his idiocy.
Oh come on Stuart, who hasn't donated $30m (and a helicopter) to someone to procure under age girls?
”Underage girls” is perhaps a poor choice of words.
Many (probable most) people refer to women in their twenties as girls.
That’ll disappear as society get’s less sexist.
It doesn’t work in Sweden, where society is much more equal. It would be impossible to refer to women in their twenties as “flickor”. It just sounds preposterous in the Swedish language: people would genuinely consider you to be not right in the head.
I'm not sure about that. My parents frequently addressed each other like this - "Stupid boy, stop that ! My long-lost girl, you're back !" well into their 70's.
Mrs C, meets, every so often with friends from student days, 60 or so years ago, referring to them as 'the girls'. As do I, when asking her about them/.
I know at least half a dozen people in Epstein’s black book. I’ve met maybe 2 dozen. The idea they are all pedos is QAnon territory
If that is the sole basis for this “accusation” by Arcuri she is about to reap the libel law whirlwind
What do you reckon, two-thirds? three quarters?
As most of them are multimillionaires, and quite a few billionaires, I’d rein in any such commentary
In fact I was slightly surprised to see that you were NOT on the list. Yet yer dad made it?
Epstein knew where the real power lies. Lib Dems in Bedfordshire
FWIW, I don't know who's in the 'Book', but as with you, I suspect I've met a fair number of them. Admittedly, they were all wearing masks at the party, so I couldn't be sure exactly who was who.
I bet you’ve met ten or more, you might be friends with one or two, well, at least one, your dad. OK maybe none, but at least you kinda know him (your dad)
FWIW and slightly more seriously I think the “book” is a load of old bollocks. It’s a list compiled by Epstein and Maxwell (allegedly!) of people in the USA and Europe who *might* be possible customers or punters or donors or just people they might one day hope to use. It’s a shopping list, complete with tell-tale spelling errors. Half of these people they’d never met, and never would
That’s not to deny they did snare some big fish
It's also *seriously* out of date. It has Rupert Soames as CEO of Misys.
He hasn't been at Misys since 2003. And he also wasn't CEO.
Well, yeah. The book is dated with a scribble from about 2003?
it is a period piece, and largely bullshit at that. But that doesn’t mean it is valueless. It gives an insight into the Epstein/Maxwell?/Mossad (or whoever) operation. Their targets. Socially, financially, politically, commercially and academically influential people in NY, London and elsewhere.
Goal? Try and get them on the Lolita Express. A free private jet flight to the Virgin Islands with Prince Andrew as a golf partner. The British Royals! Gotta be legit. Salve their anxieties. Don’t shower them with girls, yet
Let the golf commence. Or a lunch and a lecture and some networking. All above board but plenty of booze
In the evening, relax. Luxury food, louche music, some dancing. A very young but very pretty girl takes an interest in you. Why not? You’re a minister, mogul, top Harvard boffin, major journalist. You end up in bed. You are filmed. They show you. They have photos and videos. She, it turns out, is 17 or even 15; you, it turns out, are fucked. Epstein has you by the bollocks, and you must give him what he wants and protect him if is he in endangered by the law. In the meantime, he will supply you with more parties and more fun and more girls
So simple, yet so effective
There are so many questions about where his wealth kept coming from. We know he got paid a load of money from the bloke behind L Brands, which owns Victoria Secrets, there must have been loads more. He for instance granted Epstein full power of attorney over his affairs.
Money laundering.
Mossad
That too. More than a hint of BCCI about him. It probably suited some authorities to have him launder money and have a hold over others.
Jeffrey Epstein sent $30m to Ghislaine Maxwell over an eight year period. That’s some pay rate. The value of her services to the operation must have been immense. There is no way UK intelligence services and law enforcement could not have been aware of the nature of the operation Prince Andrew was tangled up in. They must have “had a word” with the Royal Household, surely?! Did he choose to simply ignore them? His arrogance exceeds his idiocy.
Oh come on Stuart, who hasn't donated $30m (and a helicopter) to someone to procure under age girls?
”Underage girls” is perhaps a poor choice of words.
Many (probable most) people refer to women in their twenties as girls.
That’ll disappear as society get’s less sexist.
It doesn’t work in Sweden, where society is much more equal. It would be impossible to refer to women in their twenties as “flickor”. It just sounds preposterous in the Swedish language: people would genuinely consider you to be not right in the head.
I'm not sure about that. My parents frequently addressed each other like this - "Stupid boy, stop that ! My long-lost girl, you're back !" well into their 70's.
Mrs C, meets, every so often with friends from student days, 60 or so years ago, referring to them as 'the girls'. As do I, when asking her about them/.
Then, according to the strange minds of some, Mrs C is sexist - and playing a part in the problem of abuse by not corrected her speech to the approved terms don't you know.
Hope she doesn't say "underage girls"! Bah!
Absolutely! Mrs C has had her mind colonised and controlled by the Patriarchy for far too long...
Absolutely right. @OldKingCole you should have a word with your wife.
Let us know how you get on.
My wife is her own person and makes up her own mind. She asks me about things, as I ask her. Very often we agree, occasionally we don't. Sometimes we agree to differ. She has her friends, I have mine. We have different hobbies, too. We met in 1959, got engaged in 1960, married in '62 and we've been together since, so it seems to work.
I know at least half a dozen people in Epstein’s black book. I’ve met maybe 2 dozen. The idea they are all pedos is QAnon territory
If that is the sole basis for this “accusation” by Arcuri she is about to reap the libel law whirlwind
What do you reckon, two-thirds? three quarters?
As most of them are multimillionaires, and quite a few billionaires, I’d rein in any such commentary
In fact I was slightly surprised to see that you were NOT on the list. Yet yer dad made it?
Epstein knew where the real power lies. Lib Dems in Bedfordshire
FWIW, I don't know who's in the 'Book', but as with you, I suspect I've met a fair number of them. Admittedly, they were all wearing masks at the party, so I couldn't be sure exactly who was who.
I bet you’ve met ten or more, you might be friends with one or two, well, at least one, your dad. OK maybe none, but at least you kinda know him (your dad)
FWIW and slightly more seriously I think the “book” is a load of old bollocks. It’s a list compiled by Epstein and Maxwell (allegedly!) of people in the USA and Europe who *might* be possible customers or punters or donors or just people they might one day hope to use. It’s a shopping list, complete with tell-tale spelling errors. Half of these people they’d never met, and never would
That’s not to deny they did snare some big fish
It's also *seriously* out of date. It has Rupert Soames as CEO of Misys.
He hasn't been at Misys since 2003. And he also wasn't CEO.
Well, yeah. The book is dated with a scribble from about 2003?
it is a period piece, and largely bullshit at that. But that doesn’t mean it is valueless. It gives an insight into the Epstein/Maxwell?/Mossad (or whoever) operation. Their targets. Socially, financially, politically, commercially and academically influential people in NY, London and elsewhere.
Goal? Try and get them on the Lolita Express. A free private jet flight to the Virgin Islands with Prince Andrew as a golf partner. The British Royals! Gotta be legit. Salve their anxieties. Don’t shower them with girls, yet
Let the golf commence. Or a lunch and a lecture and some networking. All above board but plenty of booze
In the evening, relax. Luxury food, louche music, some dancing. A very young but very pretty girl takes an interest in you. Why not? You’re a minister, mogul, top Harvard boffin, major journalist. You end up in bed. You are filmed. They show you. They have photos and videos. She, it turns out, is 17 or even 15; you, it turns out, are fucked. Epstein has you by the bollocks, and you must give him what he wants and protect him if is he in endangered by the law. In the meantime, he will supply you with more parties and more fun and more girls
So simple, yet so effective
There are so many questions about where his wealth kept coming from. We know he got paid a load of money from the bloke behind L Brands, which owns Victoria Secrets, there must have been loads more. He for instance granted Epstein full power of attorney over his affairs.
Money laundering.
Mossad
That too. More than a hint of BCCI about him. It probably suited some authorities to have him launder money and have a hold over others.
Jeffrey Epstein sent $30m to Ghislaine Maxwell over an eight year period. That’s some pay rate. The value of her services to the operation must have been immense. There is no way UK intelligence services and law enforcement could not have been aware of the nature of the operation Prince Andrew was tangled up in. They must have “had a word” with the Royal Household, surely?! Did he choose to simply ignore them? His arrogance exceeds his idiocy.
Oh come on Stuart, who hasn't donated $30m (and a helicopter) to someone to procure under age girls?
”Underage girls” is perhaps a poor choice of words.
Many (probable most) people refer to women in their twenties as girls.
That’ll disappear as society get’s less sexist.
It doesn’t work in Sweden, where society is much more equal. It would be impossible to refer to women in their twenties as “flickor”. It just sounds preposterous in the Swedish language: people would genuinely consider you to be not right in the head.
I'm not sure about that. My parents frequently addressed each other like this - "Stupid boy, stop that ! My long-lost girl, you're back !" well into their 70's.
Mrs C, meets, every so often with friends from student days, 60 or so years ago, referring to them as 'the girls'. As do I, when asking her about them/.
I know at least half a dozen people in Epstein’s black book. I’ve met maybe 2 dozen. The idea they are all pedos is QAnon territory
If that is the sole basis for this “accusation” by Arcuri she is about to reap the libel law whirlwind
What do you reckon, two-thirds? three quarters?
As most of them are multimillionaires, and quite a few billionaires, I’d rein in any such commentary
In fact I was slightly surprised to see that you were NOT on the list. Yet yer dad made it?
Epstein knew where the real power lies. Lib Dems in Bedfordshire
FWIW, I don't know who's in the 'Book', but as with you, I suspect I've met a fair number of them. Admittedly, they were all wearing masks at the party, so I couldn't be sure exactly who was who.
I bet you’ve met ten or more, you might be friends with one or two, well, at least one, your dad. OK maybe none, but at least you kinda know him (your dad)
FWIW and slightly more seriously I think the “book” is a load of old bollocks. It’s a list compiled by Epstein and Maxwell (allegedly!) of people in the USA and Europe who *might* be possible customers or punters or donors or just people they might one day hope to use. It’s a shopping list, complete with tell-tale spelling errors. Half of these people they’d never met, and never would
That’s not to deny they did snare some big fish
It's also *seriously* out of date. It has Rupert Soames as CEO of Misys.
He hasn't been at Misys since 2003. And he also wasn't CEO.
Well, yeah. The book is dated with a scribble from about 2003?
it is a period piece, and largely bullshit at that. But that doesn’t mean it is valueless. It gives an insight into the Epstein/Maxwell?/Mossad (or whoever) operation. Their targets. Socially, financially, politically, commercially and academically influential people in NY, London and elsewhere.
Goal? Try and get them on the Lolita Express. A free private jet flight to the Virgin Islands with Prince Andrew as a golf partner. The British Royals! Gotta be legit. Salve their anxieties. Don’t shower them with girls, yet
Let the golf commence. Or a lunch and a lecture and some networking. All above board but plenty of booze
In the evening, relax. Luxury food, louche music, some dancing. A very young but very pretty girl takes an interest in you. Why not? You’re a minister, mogul, top Harvard boffin, major journalist. You end up in bed. You are filmed. They show you. They have photos and videos. She, it turns out, is 17 or even 15; you, it turns out, are fucked. Epstein has you by the bollocks, and you must give him what he wants and protect him if is he in endangered by the law. In the meantime, he will supply you with more parties and more fun and more girls
So simple, yet so effective
There are so many questions about where his wealth kept coming from. We know he got paid a load of money from the bloke behind L Brands, which owns Victoria Secrets, there must have been loads more. He for instance granted Epstein full power of attorney over his affairs.
Money laundering.
Mossad
That too. More than a hint of BCCI about him. It probably suited some authorities to have him launder money and have a hold over others.
Jeffrey Epstein sent $30m to Ghislaine Maxwell over an eight year period. That’s some pay rate. The value of her services to the operation must have been immense. There is no way UK intelligence services and law enforcement could not have been aware of the nature of the operation Prince Andrew was tangled up in. They must have “had a word” with the Royal Household, surely?! Did he choose to simply ignore them? His arrogance exceeds his idiocy.
Oh come on Stuart, who hasn't donated $30m (and a helicopter) to someone to procure under age girls?
”Underage girls” is perhaps a poor choice of words.
Many (probable most) people refer to women in their twenties as girls.
That’ll disappear as society get’s less sexist.
It doesn’t work in Sweden, where society is much more equal. It would be impossible to refer to women in their twenties as “flickor”. It just sounds preposterous in the Swedish language: people would genuinely consider you to be not right in the head.
I'm not sure about that. My parents frequently addressed each other like this - "Stupid boy, stop that ! My long-lost girl, you're back !" well into their 70's.
Mrs C, meets, every so often with friends from student days, 60 or so years ago, referring to them as 'the girls'. As do I, when asking her about them/.
Then, according to the strange minds of some, Mrs C is sexist - and playing a part in the problem of abuse by not corrected her speech to the approved terms don't you know.
Hope she doesn't say "underage girls"! Bah!
Absolutely! Mrs C has had her mind colonised and controlled by the Patriarchy for far too long...
Absolutely right. @OldKingCole you should have a word with your wife.
Let us know how you get on.
My wife is her own person and makes up her own mind. She asks me about things, as I ask her. Very often we agree, occasionally we don't. Sometimes we agree to differ. She has her friends, I have mine. We have different hobbies, too. We met in 1959, got engaged in 1960, married in '62 and we've been together since, so it seems to work.
Well done both of you. Big anniversary coming up next year!
Thank you. Managed three children, too! All with stable marriages, AFAIK.
I've probably been her harshest critic on this site down the years, but I have to say I agreed with every word I saw Theresa May say on the news last night. She put it very well and very eloquently so credit where credit is due. 👍
Former PM Theresa May warns against further Covid restrictions In the Commons Theresa May, the former prime minister, said it would be a mistake for the government to respond to every new variant by closing down the economy.
The early indications of Omicron are that it is more transmissible but potentially leads to less serious illness than other variants. I understand that would be the normal progress of a virus. Variants will continue to appear year after year.
When is the government going to accept that learning to live with Covid, which we will all have to do, means we will almost certainly have an annual vaccine and that we cannot respond to new variants by stopping and starting sectors of our economy which leads to businesses going under and jobs being lost?
Javid replied:
In terms of the severity of this, I think we shouldn’t jump to any conclusion, we just don’t have enough data.
It is not going away ... for many, many years and perhaps it will lead to annual vaccinations, but we have to find ways to continue with life as normal.
Feeling a bit grim this morning. Swinney's comments on lat flows, concern over how harmful Omicron is on R4 etc.
I think we are being set up for another (pre-emptive, this time) winter lockdown. We were late with the boosters and the anti-vaxxers are going to overwhelm the NHS.
Two years in - I'd quite like to get on with life at some point soon.
Understand your concern, but what part of life are you not getting on with at the moment? If you are in England the only thing is wearing masks in shops and on public transport.
For a company like Inrix, cars are revenue generating to a much greater extent than bikes. The analytics involved in the motoring setor that flow into insurance, IoT applications (car, signals, traffic alerts), parking, charging, and so on make it very easy for an anti-bike bias to arrive fairly organically. Worth remembering the source of the study when assessing its reliability.
Ironically the biggest reason for cars being so slow in London was demonstrated by TfL to be due to Uber (i.e. cars)
In my part of London, the new bike lanes are hated by the cyclists. Because they have been shoved in without regard for anyone or anything. Including cyclists.
Among other things, the bus stops are extremely... hmmmm. Because the bike lanes are completely segregated, you now have to cross the bike lane to an "island" to board a bus. The geniuses who did this used the zebra marking in the road for a zebra crossing. Except without actually lights. So this had led to a number of entertaining intersections between cyclists and elderly pedestrians.
The buses, since they have nowhere to "pull over" to when stopping, literally stop in the traffic flow. Which stops all the traffic behind them. Strangely, several miles of road are now filled with cars crawling along, stopping every few minutes...
The main thing stopping the cars is... other cars. It's usually easy to go around a stopped bus if the opposite side of the road isn't full of... again, cars.
Pecresse seems to have momentum. I've just backed to be next French President. £53 at 6.8 on Betfair.
Agreed. £20 at 7.0 (it's got longer!). If you don't think Macron is very good but don't want an ultra-nationalist or a Trotskyist, then she's actually the only candidate with a decent chance.
I do agree with that. But I also agree with Nigelb that there isn't always such a clear line. I've heard recently from a woman who when she was 16 "fell in love" with a man in his thirties. He flattered her, bought her things. They had sex a handful of times, then he moved on to the next conquest. Now, some decades later, she says he groomed her and abused her and used her. But was it consensual? Probably in a legal sense. Was it abusive? I think so. I also heard from a woman who was sexually abused by a man when she was 6 years old - clearly not consensual and a serious crime. But also - this was the same woman. The man who had sex with her when she was 16 didn't know about the earlier abuse, but for her it was a continuation or repetition in some sense of the earlier abuse. This is why it isn't enough for people to just examine *themselves* if they are going to enter into a sexual thing with someone very much younger.
Interesting, thoughtful post. By comparison, I know a woman who married someone 28 years older than her. She was about 35. The marriage lasted happily, as far as I can tell, with two kids - he's now in his 90s and not very well, but they have the same stable, affectionate relationship that they always had - it's touching to see. So a big age gap can work, but I think the younger partner needs to have a starting point of a fair anount of reasonably positive experience, which your friend clearly didn't have.
I can see what people mean when they say that a 40 year old man going out with a 20 year old woman is creepy. But I'm conflicted on this because surely we should in a liberal democracy accept that a woman of 20 can make her own relationship decisions?
Just been outside and had my first encounter with black ice. Quite surprised, as it's cold but (I'd thought) just too warm for ice to form or hang around. Stuff was bloody invisible.
This year, or ever? In the car, on your bike, on foot, or subsequently on your arse?
Scary the first time; I can still remember mine - at a very low speed the car swapped ends before I could even react.
Feeling a bit grim this morning. Swinney's comments on lat flows, concern over how harmful Omicron is on R4 etc.
I think we are being set up for another (pre-emptive, this time) winter lockdown. We were late with the boosters and the anti-vaxxers are going to overwhelm the NHS.
Two years in - I'd quite like to get on with life at some point soon.
Understand your concern, but what part of life are you not getting on with at the moment? If you are in England the only thing is wearing masks in shops and on public transport.
This is to misunderstand (spectacularly, if I may say) the causes of anxiety and anguish that many people feel on account of this pandemic.
For a company like Inrix, cars are revenue generating to a much greater extent than bikes. The analytics involved in the motoring setor that flow into insurance, IoT applications (car, signals, traffic alerts), parking, charging, and so on make it very easy for an anti-bike bias to arrive fairly organically. Worth remembering the source of the study when assessing its reliability.
Ironically the biggest reason for cars being so slow in London was demonstrated by TfL to be due to Uber (i.e. cars)
In my part of London, the new bike lanes are hated by the cyclists. Because they have been shoved in without regard for anyone or anything. Including cyclists.
Among other things, the bus stops are extremely... hmmmm. Because the bike lanes are completely segregated, you now have to cross the bike lane to an "island" to board a bus. The geniuses who did this used the zebra marking in the road for a zebra crossing. Except without actually lights. So this had led to a number of entertaining intersections between cyclists and elderly pedestrians.
The buses, since they have nowhere to "pull over" to when stopping, literally stop in the traffic flow. Which stops all the traffic behind them. Strangely, several miles of road are now filled with cars crawling along, stopping every few minutes...
The main thing stopping the cars is... other cars. It's usually easy to go around a stopped bus if the opposite side of the road isn't full of... again, cars.
For a company like Inrix, cars are revenue generating to a much greater extent than bikes. The analytics involved in the motoring setor that flow into insurance, IoT applications (car, signals, traffic alerts), parking, charging, and so on make it very easy for an anti-bike bias to arrive fairly organically. Worth remembering the source of the study when assessing its reliability.
Ironically the biggest reason for cars being so slow in London was demonstrated by TfL to be due to Uber (i.e. cars)
In my part of London, the new bike lanes are hated by the cyclists. Because they have been shoved in without regard for anyone or anything. Including cyclists.
Among other things, the bus stops are extremely... hmmmm. Because the bike lanes are completely segregated, you now have to cross the bike lane to an "island" to board a bus. The geniuses who did this used the zebra marking in the road for a zebra crossing. Except without actually lights. So this had led to a number of entertaining intersections between cyclists and elderly pedestrians.
The buses, since they have nowhere to "pull over" to when stopping, literally stop in the traffic flow. Which stops all the traffic behind them. Strangely, several miles of road are now filled with cars crawling along, stopping every few minutes...
The main thing stopping the cars is... other cars. It's usually easy to go around a stopped bus if the opposite side of the road isn't full of... again, cars.
Ah, indeed. If I remove everyone else from the road, it would be awesome. Bit like those people who said that the congestion charge should £100 a day - get the scum off the roads so they can really stretch their dads Lamborghini out....
Given it s a high street, quite a lot of times the traffic coming the other way is.... buses.
A road layout which stops all traffic when someone stops is stupid.
Thanks to the new layout, the other day, a lorry stopped to deliver to a shop, somewhat awkwardly. Due to the road layout, no buses could enter or leave.... the bus depot.
Pecresse seems to have momentum. I've just backed to be next French President. £53 at 6.8 on Betfair.
Agreed. £20 at 7.0 (it's got longer!). If you don't think Macron is very good but don't want an ultra-nationalist or a Trotskyist, then she's actually the only candidate with a decent chance.
Yes. Pecresse is probably the only candidate who could beat Macron in the run off as the Les Republicains candidate of the centre right.
Le Pen and Zemmour splitting the far right vote and Melenchon and Hamon splitting the leftwing vote gives her a chance of making the runoff v Macron now
Offtopic request, please can someone with access to Betfair let me know the F1 driver’s championship market odds?
Hamilton 1.59 Verstappen 2.68
Where is the value?
For me, it’s Verstappen. He’s ahead in the championship, but Lewis does have the momentum of three straight wins and what looks to be the slightly faster car. It should probably be closer to 50/50 than it is, weight of British money perhaps?
I backed Lewis at odds-against earlier in the season, but also have a bet on him for SPoTY (actually a lay of Emma, waves at @Philip_Thompson ) that I am thinking of inventive ways to hedge.
16h When Boris Johnson ramps up the failed "War on Drugs", remember it's not people like him, Michael Gove, or other Conservative MPs who have admitted to taking Class A drugs that will be worst affected by it.
Feeling a bit grim this morning. Swinney's comments on lat flows, concern over how harmful Omicron is on R4 etc.
I think we are being set up for another (pre-emptive, this time) winter lockdown. We were late with the boosters and the anti-vaxxers are going to overwhelm the NHS.
Two years in - I'd quite like to get on with life at some point soon.
Understand your concern, but what part of life are you not getting on with at the moment? If you are in England the only thing is wearing masks in shops and on public transport.
This is to misunderstand (spectacularly, if I may say) the causes of anxiety and anguish that many people feel on account of this pandemic.
Maybe, but there will always be something, won't there? If the attitude is to wait for covid to vanish I am afraid people will have a very LONG wait. Its here and will be here forever.
Pecresse seems to have momentum. I've just backed to be next French President. £53 at 6.8 on Betfair.
Agreed. £20 at 7.0 (it's got longer!). If you don't think Macron is very good but don't want an ultra-nationalist or a Trotskyist, then she's actually the only candidate with a decent chance.
Aside from the betting considerations how far to the right is she would you say?
Pecresse seems to have momentum. I've just backed to be next French President. £53 at 6.8 on Betfair.
Agreed. £20 at 7.0 (it's got longer!). If you don't think Macron is very good but don't want an ultra-nationalist or a Trotskyist, then she's actually the only candidate with a decent chance.
Feeling a bit grim this morning. Swinney's comments on lat flows, concern over how harmful Omicron is on R4 etc.
I think we are being set up for another (pre-emptive, this time) winter lockdown. We were late with the boosters and the anti-vaxxers are going to overwhelm the NHS.
Two years in - I'd quite like to get on with life at some point soon.
Understand your concern, but what part of life are you not getting on with at the moment? If you are in England the only thing is wearing masks in shops and on public transport.
There's also the self-isolation requirement. This means if you really want to do x at point in time t + dt then there is reason to be careful from point in time t, in order to avoid having to isolate instead of doing x, where dt is equal to the incubation and isolation periods (about two weeks combined?)
I previously thought he was one of the better ones in the current crop. Clearly I was mistaken.
A UK government spokesperson said more than 1,000 FCDO staff worked tirelessly to evacuate more than 15,000 people from Afghanistan within a fortnight....
Many of them WFH, apparently, and refusing overtime. "Tirelessly" seems to be the new meaningless government spin which covers all cases, along with the similar "round the clock".
"Refusing overtime" - I think they will have TOIL/flexi at FCDO, so seems unlikely.
I was repeating what was reported this morning.
Though the Guardian has a more detailed, different account: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/07/whistleblower-on-uks-afghan-evacuation-main-accusations ...Despite the gravity of the situation, Marshall said, the default expectation remained that FCDO staff would continue to work normal hours, and only be asked to do extra shifts. This resulted in frequent personnel changes and “serious shortages of capacity”, Marshall said, blaming a “deliberate drive by the FCDO to prioritise ‘work-life balance’”. He concluded: “The FCDO’s approach has undermined organisational effectiveness.”...
Work-life balance is chilling - uk work, Afghan lives.
Until the evidence is fully heard, it's hard to judge exactly what happened, but it's clear that the "tirelessly" spin is nonsense.
I would bet the farm on the truth of the detail of Raab refusing to make decisions unless the data were in a little spreadsheet laid out just the way he likes.
16h When Boris Johnson ramps up the failed "War on Drugs", remember it's not people like him, Michael Gove, or other Conservative MPs who have admitted to taking Class A drugs that will be worst affected by it.
It will be working class black and brown people.
There'll be something of an issue with 'nice' people out in rural areas too. It'll cut the sales of fireworks, too.
For a company like Inrix, cars are revenue generating to a much greater extent than bikes. The analytics involved in the motoring setor that flow into insurance, IoT applications (car, signals, traffic alerts), parking, charging, and so on make it very easy for an anti-bike bias to arrive fairly organically. Worth remembering the source of the study when assessing its reliability.
Ironically the biggest reason for cars being so slow in London was demonstrated by TfL to be due to Uber (i.e. cars)
In my part of London, the new bike lanes are hated by the cyclists. Because they have been shoved in without regard for anyone or anything. Including cyclists.
Among other things, the bus stops are extremely... hmmmm. Because the bike lanes are completely segregated, you now have to cross the bike lane to an "island" to board a bus. The geniuses who did this used the zebra marking in the road for a zebra crossing. Except without actually lights. So this had led to a number of entertaining intersections between cyclists and elderly pedestrians.
The buses, since they have nowhere to "pull over" to when stopping, literally stop in the traffic flow. Which stops all the traffic behind them. Strangely, several miles of road are now filled with cars crawling along, stopping every few minutes...
The main thing stopping the cars is... other cars. It's usually easy to go around a stopped bus if the opposite side of the road isn't full of... again, cars.
Ah, indeed. If I remove everyone else from the road, it would be awesome. Bit like those people who said that the congestion charge should £100 a day - get the scum off the roads so they can really stretch their dads Lamborghini out....
Given it s a high street, quite a lot of times the traffic coming the other way is.... buses.
A road layout which stops all traffic when someone stops is stupid.
Thanks to the new layout, the other day, a lorry stopped to deliver to a shop, somewhat awkwardly. Due to the road layout, no buses could enter or leave.... the bus depot.
Maybe that’s the point. Make car driving in those areas such a chore that people don’t bother. Thus reducing cars from the road
Offtopic request, please can someone with access to Betfair let me know the F1 driver’s championship market odds?
Hamilton 1.59 Verstappen 2.68
Where is the value?
For me, it’s Verstappen. He’s ahead in the championship, but Lewis does have the momentum of three straight wins and what looks to be the slightly faster car. It should probably be closer to 50/50 than it is, weight of British money perhaps?
I backed Lewis at odds-against earlier in the season, but also have a bet on him for SPoTY (actually a lay of Emma, waves at @Philip_Thompson ) that I am thinking of inventive ways to hedge.
Look for "without the favourite" markets for SPotY. I've backed Lewis without Emma. Car-wise, they are level on points but Max leads by 9 wins to 8, which is what presumably has led some to speculate on the Schumacher tactic of wiping both cars out.
SPotY nominations should be out soon. In the overseas betting, Rachael Blackmore is favourite which I am mildly sceptical about. I suspect this may be due to most punters being racing fans.
Feeling a bit grim this morning. Swinney's comments on lat flows, concern over how harmful Omicron is on R4 etc.
I think we are being set up for another (pre-emptive, this time) winter lockdown. We were late with the boosters and the anti-vaxxers are going to overwhelm the NHS.
Two years in - I'd quite like to get on with life at some point soon.
Understand your concern, but what part of life are you not getting on with at the moment? If you are in England the only thing is wearing masks in shops and on public transport.
This is to misunderstand (spectacularly, if I may say) the causes of anxiety and anguish that many people feel on account of this pandemic.
Maybe, but there will always be something, won't there? If the attitude is to wait for covid to vanish I am afraid people will have a very LONG wait. Its here and will be here forever.
It's precisely not to do that. It is to get rid of the largely useless NPIs.
Given next year's changes it's possible this is Max's best chance of getting a championship - so it really wouldn't surprise me (after all he came close last week).
My gut instinct (based on Sods law) is that if Max does pull such a trick the next 4 years will see Red Bull having an advantage - if however he plays fair - Mercedes will enter 2022 with an advantage similar to the last few years.
Max however would only be getting the championship based on unfair play and the race that shouldn't have been.
I've probably been her harshest critic on this site down the years, but I have to say I agreed with every word I saw Theresa May say on the news last night. She put it very well and very eloquently so credit where credit is due. 👍
Former PM Theresa May warns against further Covid restrictions In the Commons Theresa May, the former prime minister, said it would be a mistake for the government to respond to every new variant by closing down the economy.
The early indications of Omicron are that it is more transmissible but potentially leads to less serious illness than other variants. I understand that would be the normal progress of a virus. Variants will continue to appear year after year.
When is the government going to accept that learning to live with Covid, which we will all have to do, means we will almost certainly have an annual vaccine and that we cannot respond to new variants by stopping and starting sectors of our economy which leads to businesses going under and jobs being lost?
Javid replied:
In terms of the severity of this, I think we shouldn’t jump to any conclusion, we just don’t have enough data.
It is not going away ... for many, many years and perhaps it will lead to annual vaccinations, but we have to find ways to continue with life as normal.
I've probably been her harshest critic on this site down the years, but I have to say I agreed with every word I saw Theresa May say on the news last night. She put it very well and very eloquently so credit where credit is due. 👍
Former PM Theresa May warns against further Covid restrictions In the Commons Theresa May, the former prime minister, said it would be a mistake for the government to respond to every new variant by closing down the economy.
The early indications of Omicron are that it is more transmissible but potentially leads to less serious illness than other variants. I understand that would be the normal progress of a virus. Variants will continue to appear year after year.
When is the government going to accept that learning to live with Covid, which we will all have to do, means we will almost certainly have an annual vaccine and that we cannot respond to new variants by stopping and starting sectors of our economy which leads to businesses going under and jobs being lost?
Javid replied:
In terms of the severity of this, I think we shouldn’t jump to any conclusion, we just don’t have enough data.
It is not going away ... for many, many years and perhaps it will lead to annual vaccinations, but we have to find ways to continue with life as normal.
She is entirely and 100% correct.
I would quibble about endless vaccination. As it goes endemic, as everyone has had a dose and thus decent immunity in a few years time, as each escape variant has milder effects than the last simply because of immunity, the need for vaccination for one type of common cold should recede, and we shouldn't let anyone gull us into thinking otherwise.
How painful would these economic sanctions be for Russia? The article suggests cutting them out of Swift would be very damaging to their economy. Enough of a deterence?
16h When Boris Johnson ramps up the failed "War on Drugs", remember it's not people like him, Michael Gove, or other Conservative MPs who have admitted to taking Class A drugs that will be worst affected by it.
It will be working class black and brown people.
There'll be something of an issue with 'nice' people out in rural areas too. It'll cut the sales of fireworks, too.
Out here the anti drug slogan is Say neigh to ketamine
I don't think I've come across anyone who competes in any semi-serious form of (4 wheeled) motorsport who wouldn't if they thought they could get away with it.
I've dished it out and been on the receiving end when I raced in BRSCC. See also: bribing scrutineers and marshals.
For a company like Inrix, cars are revenue generating to a much greater extent than bikes. The analytics involved in the motoring setor that flow into insurance, IoT applications (car, signals, traffic alerts), parking, charging, and so on make it very easy for an anti-bike bias to arrive fairly organically. Worth remembering the source of the study when assessing its reliability.
Ironically the biggest reason for cars being so slow in London was demonstrated by TfL to be due to Uber (i.e. cars)
In my part of London, the new bike lanes are hated by the cyclists. Because they have been shoved in without regard for anyone or anything. Including cyclists.
Among other things, the bus stops are extremely... hmmmm. Because the bike lanes are completely segregated, you now have to cross the bike lane to an "island" to board a bus. The geniuses who did this used the zebra marking in the road for a zebra crossing. Except without actually lights. So this had led to a number of entertaining intersections between cyclists and elderly pedestrians.
The buses, since they have nowhere to "pull over" to when stopping, literally stop in the traffic flow. Which stops all the traffic behind them. Strangely, several miles of road are now filled with cars crawling along, stopping every few minutes...
Absolutely. Most of the stuff going in over the last 1-2 years is panicky tactical stuff; and even the best practice guidelines / designs are about 3 decades out of date because the underlying values are mistaken.
But OTOH, the last serious lot of investment in cycling was probably in the 1920s/1930s or maybe the 1950s, so there's a lot to catch up on.
The usual preference for bus stops aiui is to have the cycleway go behind the bus stop ("floating bus stop"), so people cross the bike lane in dribs and drabs as they arrive, rather than en masse at the time the bus arrives.
I don't think I've come across anyone who competes in any semi-serious form of (4 wheeled) motorsport who wouldn't if they thought they could get away with it.
I've dished it out and been on the receiving end when I raced in BRSCC. See also: bribing scrutineers and marshals.
I don't think I've come across anyone who competes in any semi-serious form of (4 wheeled) motorsport who wouldn't if they thought they could get away with it.
I've dished it out and been on the receiving end when I raced in BRSCC. See also: bribing scrutineers and marshals.
If it were determined to be done deliberately what might the punishment be? Points deduction would be the only telling one.
In other news, Harriet Harman has announced she's not going fight the next election. I remember being at a social evening at a pharmaceutical managers conference, and a colleagues wife wishing she could vote for 'that bright young woman' in a then forthcoming by-election.
For a company like Inrix, cars are revenue generating to a much greater extent than bikes. The analytics involved in the motoring setor that flow into insurance, IoT applications (car, signals, traffic alerts), parking, charging, and so on make it very easy for an anti-bike bias to arrive fairly organically. Worth remembering the source of the study when assessing its reliability.
Ironically the biggest reason for cars being so slow in London was demonstrated by TfL to be due to Uber (i.e. cars)
In my part of London, the new bike lanes are hated by the cyclists. Because they have been shoved in without regard for anyone or anything. Including cyclists.
Among other things, the bus stops are extremely... hmmmm. Because the bike lanes are completely segregated, you now have to cross the bike lane to an "island" to board a bus. The geniuses who did this used the zebra marking in the road for a zebra crossing. Except without actually lights. So this had led to a number of entertaining intersections between cyclists and elderly pedestrians.
The buses, since they have nowhere to "pull over" to when stopping, literally stop in the traffic flow. Which stops all the traffic behind them. Strangely, several miles of road are now filled with cars crawling along, stopping every few minutes...
The main thing stopping the cars is... other cars. It's usually easy to go around a stopped bus if the opposite side of the road isn't full of... again, cars.
Ah, indeed. If I remove everyone else from the road, it would be awesome. Bit like those people who said that the congestion charge should £100 a day - get the scum off the roads so they can really stretch their dads Lamborghini out....
Given it s a high street, quite a lot of times the traffic coming the other way is.... buses.
A road layout which stops all traffic when someone stops is stupid.
Thanks to the new layout, the other day, a lorry stopped to deliver to a shop, somewhat awkwardly. Due to the road layout, no buses could enter or leave.... the bus depot.
Well, not all traffic, eh? Bikes can probably still get through
I've probably been her harshest critic on this site down the years, but I have to say I agreed with every word I saw Theresa May say on the news last night. She put it very well and very eloquently so credit where credit is due. 👍
Former PM Theresa May warns against further Covid restrictions In the Commons Theresa May, the former prime minister, said it would be a mistake for the government to respond to every new variant by closing down the economy.
The early indications of Omicron are that it is more transmissible but potentially leads to less serious illness than other variants. I understand that would be the normal progress of a virus. Variants will continue to appear year after year.
When is the government going to accept that learning to live with Covid, which we will all have to do, means we will almost certainly have an annual vaccine and that we cannot respond to new variants by stopping and starting sectors of our economy which leads to businesses going under and jobs being lost?
Javid replied:
In terms of the severity of this, I think we shouldn’t jump to any conclusion, we just don’t have enough data.
It is not going away ... for many, many years and perhaps it will lead to annual vaccinations, but we have to find ways to continue with life as normal.
I've probably been her harshest critic on this site down the years, but I have to say I agreed with every word I saw Theresa May say on the news last night. She put it very well and very eloquently so credit where credit is due. 👍
Former PM Theresa May warns against further Covid restrictions In the Commons Theresa May, the former prime minister, said it would be a mistake for the government to respond to every new variant by closing down the economy.
The early indications of Omicron are that it is more transmissible but potentially leads to less serious illness than other variants. I understand that would be the normal progress of a virus. Variants will continue to appear year after year.
When is the government going to accept that learning to live with Covid, which we will all have to do, means we will almost certainly have an annual vaccine and that we cannot respond to new variants by stopping and starting sectors of our economy which leads to businesses going under and jobs being lost?
Javid replied:
In terms of the severity of this, I think we shouldn’t jump to any conclusion, we just don’t have enough data.
It is not going away ... for many, many years and perhaps it will lead to annual vaccinations, but we have to find ways to continue with life as normal.
She is entirely and 100% correct.
I would quibble about endless vaccination. As it goes endemic, as everyone has had a dose and thus decent immunity in a few years time, as each escape variant has milder effects than the last simply because of immunity, the need for vaccination for one type of common cold should recede, and we shouldn't let anyone gull us into thinking otherwise.
It depends, it could evolve into a common cold style coronavirus, in which case no need for vaccinations.
Or it could evolve into a flu type virus, in which case annual vaccinations are only logical.
Time will tell. But vaccinations are the best line of defence for now.
I don't think I've come across anyone who competes in any semi-serious form of (4 wheeled) motorsport who wouldn't if they thought they could get away with it.
I've dished it out and been on the receiving end when I raced in BRSCC. See also: bribing scrutineers and marshals.
If it were determined to be done deliberately what might the punishment be? Points deduction would be the only telling one.
Jerez 1997 says Hi. If they decided it was deliberate, they would exclude from the championship and Max would come in last place with zero points.
Of course, given the stewarding over the last month, we know they will do no such thing. Fake 10s no impact penalty for a deliberate crash being the latest belter.
In other news, Harriet Harman has announced she's not going fight the next election. I remember being at a social evening at a pharmaceutical managers conference, and a colleagues wife wishing she could vote for 'that bright young woman' in a then forthcoming by-election.
Sometimes events make one feel old.
Should be a few more Labour MP retirements today and tomorrow (I think that's the deadline for re-nominations).
How Corbyn get's re-nominated is going to be fun to watch (given that he currently isn't an Labour MP).
How painful would these economic sanctions be for Russia? The article suggests cutting them out of Swift would be very damaging to their economy. Enough of a deterence?
Cutting them out of Swift would be massive, would effectively stop international trade with Russia as no-one will be able to pay them for exports, and cause a lot of problems for Russians living abroad with interests there.
For a company like Inrix, cars are revenue generating to a much greater extent than bikes. The analytics involved in the motoring setor that flow into insurance, IoT applications (car, signals, traffic alerts), parking, charging, and so on make it very easy for an anti-bike bias to arrive fairly organically. Worth remembering the source of the study when assessing its reliability.
Ironically the biggest reason for cars being so slow in London was demonstrated by TfL to be due to Uber (i.e. cars)
In my part of London, the new bike lanes are hated by the cyclists. Because they have been shoved in without regard for anyone or anything. Including cyclists.
Among other things, the bus stops are extremely... hmmmm. Because the bike lanes are completely segregated, you now have to cross the bike lane to an "island" to board a bus. The geniuses who did this used the zebra marking in the road for a zebra crossing. Except without actually lights. So this had led to a number of entertaining intersections between cyclists and elderly pedestrians.
The buses, since they have nowhere to "pull over" to when stopping, literally stop in the traffic flow. Which stops all the traffic behind them. Strangely, several miles of road are now filled with cars crawling along, stopping every few minutes...
I don't know which part of London you're in, but generally the protected lanes are welcomed by everyone on a bike apart from the small number of roadies who can cycle fast down the carriageway as they've always done.
For a company like Inrix, cars are revenue generating to a much greater extent than bikes. The analytics involved in the motoring setor that flow into insurance, IoT applications (car, signals, traffic alerts), parking, charging, and so on make it very easy for an anti-bike bias to arrive fairly organically. Worth remembering the source of the study when assessing its reliability.
Ironically the biggest reason for cars being so slow in London was demonstrated by TfL to be due to Uber (i.e. cars)
In my part of London, the new bike lanes are hated by the cyclists. Because they have been shoved in without regard for anyone or anything. Including cyclists.
Among other things, the bus stops are extremely... hmmmm. Because the bike lanes are completely segregated, you now have to cross the bike lane to an "island" to board a bus. The geniuses who did this used the zebra marking in the road for a zebra crossing. Except without actually lights. So this had led to a number of entertaining intersections between cyclists and elderly pedestrians.
The buses, since they have nowhere to "pull over" to when stopping, literally stop in the traffic flow. Which stops all the traffic behind them. Strangely, several miles of road are now filled with cars crawling along, stopping every few minutes...
Absolutely. Most of the stuff going in over the last 1-2 years is panicky tactical stuff; and even the best practice guidelines / designs are about 3 decades out of date because the underlying values are mistaken.
But OTOH, the last serious lot of investment in cycling was probably in the 1920s/1930s or maybe the 1950s, so there's a lot to catch up on.
The usual preference for bus stops aiui is to have the cycleway go behind the bus stop ("floating bus stop"), so people cross the bike lane in dribs and drabs as they arrive, rather than en masse at the time the bus arrives.
A short vid about 10 types of bus stop bypass. The main thing for peds/cyclists is just to be a little patient.
Buses stopping in the traffic lane, if a single lane 'cos the space has gone to people on foot and bike, is a good readjustment of priorities to get people out of their cars. They can wait or get a bike .
The important thing is to separate motor vehicles from vulnerable road users.
For a company like Inrix, cars are revenue generating to a much greater extent than bikes. The analytics involved in the motoring setor that flow into insurance, IoT applications (car, signals, traffic alerts), parking, charging, and so on make it very easy for an anti-bike bias to arrive fairly organically. Worth remembering the source of the study when assessing its reliability.
I've worked with a cycling organisation that has bought data off Inrix in the past. I can't imagine they're going to be doing so again after today's clickbait nonsense.
Yep the chances of Max just taking out Hamilton or them both and claiming the crown I would say are around 1,000=1.
Not knowing anything about F1 I do appreciate that going very fast and trying a move that has to be *exactly* right to avoid serious injury, perhaps death, and collateral damage is a very high odds play.
Pecresse seems to have momentum. I've just backed to be next French President. £53 at 6.8 on Betfair.
Précresse chances depend on Zemmour neither building nor losing support, under France's arbitrary electoral system. In the first case Zemmour, not Précresse nor Le Pen, will make the run-off to meet Macron. In the second, Zemmour's votes will largely go to Le Pen and she will go to the run-off.
If however Précresse does make the run-off she is the most likely of anyone to beat Macron
I do agree with that. But I also agree with Nigelb that there isn't always such a clear line. I've heard recently from a woman who when she was 16 "fell in love" with a man in his thirties. He flattered her, bought her things. They had sex a handful of times, then he moved on to the next conquest. Now, some decades later, she says he groomed her and abused her and used her. But was it consensual? Probably in a legal sense. Was it abusive? I think so. I also heard from a woman who was sexually abused by a man when she was 6 years old - clearly not consensual and a serious crime. But also - this was the same woman. The man who had sex with her when she was 16 didn't know about the earlier abuse, but for her it was a continuation or repetition in some sense of the earlier abuse. This is why it isn't enough for people to just examine *themselves* if they are going to enter into a sexual thing with someone very much younger.
Interesting, thoughtful post. By comparison, I know a woman who married someone 28 years older than her. She was about 35. The marriage lasted happily, as far as I can tell, with two kids - he's now in his 90s and not very well, but they have the same stable, affectionate relationship that they always had - it's touching to see. So a big age gap can work, but I think the younger partner needs to have a starting point of a fair anount of reasonably positive experience, which your friend clearly didn't have.
I can see what people mean when they say that a 40 year old man going out with a 20 year old woman is creepy. But I'm conflicted on this because surely we should in a liberal democracy accept that a woman of 20 can make her own relationship decisions?
There were 18 years between my parents; she was 23, he was 41. Creepy? No. Their marriage endured.
I know at least half a dozen people in Epstein’s black book. I’ve met maybe 2 dozen. The idea they are all pedos is QAnon territory
If that is the sole basis for this “accusation” by Arcuri she is about to reap the libel law whirlwind
What do you reckon, two-thirds? three quarters?
As most of them are multimillionaires, and quite a few billionaires, I’d rein in any such commentary
In fact I was slightly surprised to see that you were NOT on the list. Yet yer dad made it?
Epstein knew where the real power lies. Lib Dems in Bedfordshire
FWIW, I don't know who's in the 'Book', but as with you, I suspect I've met a fair number of them. Admittedly, they were all wearing masks at the party, so I couldn't be sure exactly who was who.
I bet you’ve met ten or more, you might be friends with one or two, well, at least one, your dad. OK maybe none, but at least you kinda know him (your dad)
FWIW and slightly more seriously I think the “book” is a load of old bollocks. It’s a list compiled by Epstein and Maxwell (allegedly!) of people in the USA and Europe who *might* be possible customers or punters or donors or just people they might one day hope to use. It’s a shopping list, complete with tell-tale spelling errors. Half of these people they’d never met, and never would
That’s not to deny they did snare some big fish
It's also *seriously* out of date. It has Rupert Soames as CEO of Misys.
He hasn't been at Misys since 2003. And he also wasn't CEO.
Well, yeah. The book is dated with a scribble from about 2003?
it is a period piece, and largely bullshit at that. But that doesn’t mean it is valueless. It gives an insight into the Epstein/Maxwell?/Mossad (or whoever) operation. Their targets. Socially, financially, politically, commercially and academically influential people in NY, London and elsewhere.
Goal? Try and get them on the Lolita Express. A free private jet flight to the Virgin Islands with Prince Andrew as a golf partner. The British Royals! Gotta be legit. Salve their anxieties. Don’t shower them with girls, yet
Let the golf commence. Or a lunch and a lecture and some networking. All above board but plenty of booze
In the evening, relax. Luxury food, louche music, some dancing. A very young but very pretty girl takes an interest in you. Why not? You’re a minister, mogul, top Harvard boffin, major journalist. You end up in bed. You are filmed. They show you. They have photos and videos. She, it turns out, is 17 or even 15; you, it turns out, are fucked. Epstein has you by the bollocks, and you must give him what he wants and protect him if is he in endangered by the law. In the meantime, he will supply you with more parties and more fun and more girls
So simple, yet so effective
There are so many questions about where his wealth kept coming from. We know he got paid a load of money from the bloke behind L Brands, which owns Victoria Secrets, there must have been loads more. He for instance granted Epstein full power of attorney over his affairs.
Money laundering.
Mossad
That too. More than a hint of BCCI about him. It probably suited some authorities to have him launder money and have a hold over others.
Jeffrey Epstein sent $30m to Ghislaine Maxwell over an eight year period. That’s some pay rate. The value of her services to the operation must have been immense. There is no way UK intelligence services and law enforcement could not have been aware of the nature of the operation Prince Andrew was tangled up in. They must have “had a word” with the Royal Household, surely?! Did he choose to simply ignore them? His arrogance exceeds his idiocy.
Oh come on Stuart, who hasn't donated $30m (and a helicopter) to someone to procure under age girls?
”Underage girls” is perhaps a poor choice of words.
Many (probable most) people refer to women in their twenties as girls.
That’ll disappear as society get’s less sexist.
It doesn’t work in Sweden, where society is much more equal. It would be impossible to refer to women in their twenties as “flickor”. It just sounds preposterous in the Swedish language: people would genuinely consider you to be not right in the head.
I'm not sure about that. My parents frequently addressed each other like this - "Stupid boy, stop that ! My long-lost girl, you're back !" well into their 70's.
Mrs C, meets, every so often with friends from student days, 60 or so years ago, referring to them as 'the girls'. As do I, when asking her about them/.
My wife's uni friends are referred to in the same way, by her (somewhat younger, but they're all mid-thirties now). I can imagine her referring to my uni friends as 'the lads', but that doesn't really happen as they're much more of a mix (closest group is two men and two women).
Having said that, my wife was not very impressed when, after my parents first met her when she was ~25, they told me that she was "a lovely girl" (and I told her). After our first child was born she commented that perhaps my parents would see her as a woman now.
As with all things, I think we need to consider what we say and react thoughtfully if we are challenged or told we're causing offence and change our language if the request to change seems reasonable. For an older person to refer to a younger adult as 'girl' or 'boy' can show a degree of condescension.
It's about context and manner, isn't it? When there was something in the news about a woman who felt excluded by her boss saying "Hello guys" in the morning, I apologised individually to my (largely female) team because I'd often said "Hi guys" in emails to them. Their responses ranged from who-cares to concern for me that I should be worrying about it. But if only one had been a woman perhaps it would have been different?
"Girls" is in my experience usually used by women about mates - "we're having a girls' night out", that sort of thing. Ultimately, I think it's fairly harmless unless it's part of a pattern of patronising behaviour, but probably best avoided in case someone feels differently.
I don't agree with that. Just because someone feels offence doesn't mean the offence was intended. And intent is what matters.
You are not allowing for the possibility that the "offence" is manufactured by the "offended" or the possibility that the offended are simply incorrect in their interpretation of what has been said. I agree with the "who-cares" response of those in your team. We are not children.
Get your point but if only intent matters it allows a universal defence of "no offence meant". Bit too easy. Also at odds with the law. Eg attempted murder is not deemed as serious as murder. So I think you have to consider both intent and impact.
Yep the chances of Max just taking out Hamilton or them both and claiming the crown I would say are around 1,000=1.
Not knowing anything about F1 I do appreciate that going very fast and trying a move that has to be *exactly* right to avoid serious injury, perhaps death, and collateral damage is a very high odds play.
He's been trying it for the last month though. It's literally his standard racing appoach. Whether in front or behind, if there is any chance of an exchange of places he offers the other drive the chance to yield, or crash. He thinks that's what racing is.
For a company like Inrix, cars are revenue generating to a much greater extent than bikes. The analytics involved in the motoring setor that flow into insurance, IoT applications (car, signals, traffic alerts), parking, charging, and so on make it very easy for an anti-bike bias to arrive fairly organically. Worth remembering the source of the study when assessing its reliability.
Ironically the biggest reason for cars being so slow in London was demonstrated by TfL to be due to Uber (i.e. cars)
In my part of London, the new bike lanes are hated by the cyclists. Because they have been shoved in without regard for anyone or anything. Including cyclists.
Among other things, the bus stops are extremely... hmmmm. Because the bike lanes are completely segregated, you now have to cross the bike lane to an "island" to board a bus. The geniuses who did this used the zebra marking in the road for a zebra crossing. Except without actually lights. So this had led to a number of entertaining intersections between cyclists and elderly pedestrians.
The buses, since they have nowhere to "pull over" to when stopping, literally stop in the traffic flow. Which stops all the traffic behind them. Strangely, several miles of road are now filled with cars crawling along, stopping every few minutes...
I don't know which part of London you're in, but generally the protected lanes are welcomed by everyone on a bike apart from the small number of roadies who can cycle fast down the carriageway as they've always done.
The main problems I've had with segregated bicycle lanes are, (a) lack of allowance made for wanting to turn right, (b) what happens at the start and end of the segregated section.
As a cyclist who normally pootles along at a relaxed 10mph, I'm normally very thankful for them when I'm on them.
It is remarkable how soon Carlsen recognises some boards, and as for the Harry Potter game...
Chess - I think every chess player knows that a computer could and will beat him.
Go - I love the fact that we still have skin in the game.
New game - Someone needs to invent a game that AI's can't reliably win at.
Identifying pictures of zebra crossings, buses, mountains etc seems to distinguish us from robots. So it seems we might still be able to beat the computer when playing a version of "Snap".
Am I the only one to struggle with those? Is that really a bus, or a large taxi? Is that metal thing in the corner part of a lorry? It usually takes me a couple of goes to satisfy it. Likewise the straggly letters on a squiggly background. Why can't they ask something that we all know, like "Who was the LibDem candidate in last week's parish council by-election?"
That's because you're getting old. Try playing against a seventy year old computer and the playing field would be more even.
Yep the chances of Max just taking out Hamilton or them both and claiming the crown I would say are around 1,000=1.
Not knowing anything about F1 I do appreciate that going very fast and trying a move that has to be *exactly* right to avoid serious injury, perhaps death, and collateral damage is a very high odds play.
F1 cars are pretty safe these days.
Romain Grosjean survived this last year with minor burns to his hands and feet.
I've probably been her harshest critic on this site down the years, but I have to say I agreed with every word I saw Theresa May say on the news last night. She put it very well and very eloquently so credit where credit is due. 👍
Former PM Theresa May warns against further Covid restrictions In the Commons Theresa May, the former prime minister, said it would be a mistake for the government to respond to every new variant by closing down the economy.
The early indications of Omicron are that it is more transmissible but potentially leads to less serious illness than other variants. I understand that would be the normal progress of a virus. Variants will continue to appear year after year.
When is the government going to accept that learning to live with Covid, which we will all have to do, means we will almost certainly have an annual vaccine and that we cannot respond to new variants by stopping and starting sectors of our economy which leads to businesses going under and jobs being lost?
Javid replied:
In terms of the severity of this, I think we shouldn’t jump to any conclusion, we just don’t have enough data.
It is not going away ... for many, many years and perhaps it will lead to annual vaccinations, but we have to find ways to continue with life as normal.
For a company like Inrix, cars are revenue generating to a much greater extent than bikes. The analytics involved in the motoring setor that flow into insurance, IoT applications (car, signals, traffic alerts), parking, charging, and so on make it very easy for an anti-bike bias to arrive fairly organically. Worth remembering the source of the study when assessing its reliability.
Ironically the biggest reason for cars being so slow in London was demonstrated by TfL to be due to Uber (i.e. cars)
In my part of London, the new bike lanes are hated by the cyclists. Because they have been shoved in without regard for anyone or anything. Including cyclists.
Among other things, the bus stops are extremely... hmmmm. Because the bike lanes are completely segregated, you now have to cross the bike lane to an "island" to board a bus. The geniuses who did this used the zebra marking in the road for a zebra crossing. Except without actually lights. So this had led to a number of entertaining intersections between cyclists and elderly pedestrians.
The buses, since they have nowhere to "pull over" to when stopping, literally stop in the traffic flow. Which stops all the traffic behind them. Strangely, several miles of road are now filled with cars crawling along, stopping every few minutes...
Absolutely. Most of the stuff going in over the last 1-2 years is panicky tactical stuff; and even the best practice guidelines / designs are about 3 decades out of date because the underlying values are mistaken.
But OTOH, the last serious lot of investment in cycling was probably in the 1920s/1930s or maybe the 1950s, so there's a lot to catch up on.
The usual preference for bus stops aiui is to have the cycleway go behind the bus stop ("floating bus stop"), so people cross the bike lane in dribs and drabs as they arrive, rather than en masse at the time the bus arrives.
A short vid about 10 types of bus stop bypass. The main thing for peds/cyclists is just to be a little patient.
Buses stopping in the traffic lane, if a single lane 'cos the space has gone to people on foot and bike, is a good readjustment of priorities to get people out of their cars. They can wait or get a bike .
The important thing is to separate motor vehicles from vulnerable road users.
Some decent designs there, but it seems to be all wide boulevards. Those designs aren't as available in narrower city streets with more frequent side roads. One criterion that is essential is that a bike on a main road should take priority over traffic on the side street. When you pavementise bike lanes, you end up with the bikes crossing the side road, which leads to lots of start-stop for cyclists. That sort of design is tiring and slows down bike journeys, sometimes quite dramatically. Or it encourages bikes into the motorised traffic so they have the priority, but that annoys car drivers who can't understand why cyclists are not using the bike lanes.
Olaf Scholz confirms his first trip as Chancellor will be Paris. He will then continue to Brussels to meet Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President Charles Michel.
Mr. Eagles, worth noting that while Abu Dhabi has sometimes been tricky as far as overtaking goes, the track has been modified to try and make that easier.
Mr. Eagles, worth noting that while Abu Dhabi has sometimes been tricky as far as overtaking goes, the track has been modified to try and make that easier.
That plays into Hamilton's hands.
I feel fairly confident that if Hamilton tries to overtake Verstappen this weekend then they both crash out.
For a company like Inrix, cars are revenue generating to a much greater extent than bikes. The analytics involved in the motoring setor that flow into insurance, IoT applications (car, signals, traffic alerts), parking, charging, and so on make it very easy for an anti-bike bias to arrive fairly organically. Worth remembering the source of the study when assessing its reliability.
Ironically the biggest reason for cars being so slow in London was demonstrated by TfL to be due to Uber (i.e. cars)
In my part of London, the new bike lanes are hated by the cyclists. Because they have been shoved in without regard for anyone or anything. Including cyclists.
Among other things, the bus stops are extremely... hmmmm. Because the bike lanes are completely segregated, you now have to cross the bike lane to an "island" to board a bus. The geniuses who did this used the zebra marking in the road for a zebra crossing. Except without actually lights. So this had led to a number of entertaining intersections between cyclists and elderly pedestrians.
The buses, since they have nowhere to "pull over" to when stopping, literally stop in the traffic flow. Which stops all the traffic behind them. Strangely, several miles of road are now filled with cars crawling along, stopping every few minutes...
I don't know which part of London you're in, but generally the protected lanes are welcomed by everyone on a bike apart from the small number of roadies who can cycle fast down the carriageway as they've always done.
The general idea of separation is good. Simply dumping the same solution everywhere is, strangely, not optimal.
The buses are *more* stuffed up as the car users - since they have to stay on route.
It feels as if it was implemented by people who didn't really understand that a road layout needs to be a cohesive system, rather than a random collection of bits.
I don't currently have car, incidentally. Walk/public transport. With a some cycling.
Yep the chances of Max just taking out Hamilton or them both and claiming the crown I would say are around 1,000=1.
Not knowing anything about F1 I do appreciate that going very fast and trying a move that has to be *exactly* right to avoid serious injury, perhaps death, and collateral damage is a very high odds play.
F1 cars are pretty safe these days.
Romain Grosjean survived this last year with minor burns to his hands and feet.
For a company like Inrix, cars are revenue generating to a much greater extent than bikes. The analytics involved in the motoring setor that flow into insurance, IoT applications (car, signals, traffic alerts), parking, charging, and so on make it very easy for an anti-bike bias to arrive fairly organically. Worth remembering the source of the study when assessing its reliability.
Ironically the biggest reason for cars being so slow in London was demonstrated by TfL to be due to Uber (i.e. cars)
In my part of London, the new bike lanes are hated by the cyclists. Because they have been shoved in without regard for anyone or anything. Including cyclists.
Among other things, the bus stops are extremely... hmmmm. Because the bike lanes are completely segregated, you now have to cross the bike lane to an "island" to board a bus. The geniuses who did this used the zebra marking in the road for a zebra crossing. Except without actually lights. So this had led to a number of entertaining intersections between cyclists and elderly pedestrians.
The buses, since they have nowhere to "pull over" to when stopping, literally stop in the traffic flow. Which stops all the traffic behind them. Strangely, several miles of road are now filled with cars crawling along, stopping every few minutes...
I don't know which part of London you're in, but generally the protected lanes are welcomed by everyone on a bike apart from the small number of roadies who can cycle fast down the carriageway as they've always done.
The main problems I've had with segregated bicycle lanes are, (a) lack of allowance made for wanting to turn right, (b) what happens at the start and end of the segregated section.
As a cyclist who normally pootles along at a relaxed 10mph, I'm normally very thankful for them when I'm on them.
The comic phenomenon of the cycle lane that ends in a carefully calculated death trap is alive and well.
The whole thing seems to have been designed by people who don't actual use bikes. As usual.
It is remarkable how soon Carlsen recognises some boards, and as for the Harry Potter game...
Chess - I think every chess player knows that a computer could and will beat him.
Go - I love the fact that we still have skin in the game.
New game - Someone needs to invent a game that AI's can't reliably win at.
Identifying pictures of zebra crossings, buses, mountains etc seems to distinguish us from robots. So it seems we might still be able to beat the computer when playing a version of "Snap".
Am I the only one to struggle with those? Is that really a bus, or a large taxi? Is that metal thing in the corner part of a lorry? It usually takes me a couple of goes to satisfy it. Likewise the straggly letters on a squiggly background. Why can't they ask something that we all know, like "Who was the LibDem candidate in last week's parish council by-election?"
That's because you're getting old. Try playing against a seventy year old computer and the playing field would be more even.
There are advantages in getting old. A 17 year old was asked about passing a milk float on her theory test. She didn't know what a milk float was.
I don't think I've come across anyone who competes in any semi-serious form of (4 wheeled) motorsport who wouldn't if they thought they could get away with it.
I've dished it out and been on the receiving end when I raced in BRSCC. See also: bribing scrutineers and marshals.
If it were determined to be done deliberately what might the punishment be? Points deduction would be the only telling one.
First written warning: licence suspension for 30 minutes (ie you have to DNS one race). Two written warnings: licence suspended for the remainder of the season.
I've had a few verbal warnings over 'driving standards' but never graduated to a written. I have a Race National A licence but only complete in Hill Climb and Time Attack now so it's me and the car against the track not mixing it with other hooligans.
Yep the chances of Max just taking out Hamilton or them both and claiming the crown I would say are around 1,000=1.
Not knowing anything about F1 I do appreciate that going very fast and trying a move that has to be *exactly* right to avoid serious injury, perhaps death, and collateral damage is a very high odds play.
F1 cars are pretty safe these days.
Romain Grosjean survived this last year with minor burns to his hands and feet.
The Dutch shunt (sic) has been trying to crash into/murder Hamilton for the last few races.
Qualifying is the most important thing this weekend. Hamilton gets P1 (and leads on the first lap) then he should win it.
Honestly think this is a bit overblown. Both drivers their teams and their most hyper-partisan fans need to calm down. There is nothing black and white about this season with both drivers and teams pushing the envelope at different times.
What we need is good honest hard racing. I have no problem with racers going for gaps even if its a full send - as long as they aren't Bottarse trying to demolish people its fine. Where we cross the line is straight up cheating like they all do in wqualifying trundling round dangerously, or Hamilton / Bottas on the go slow on formation laps or Hamilton and Verstappen both dicking around with the DRS line. Verstappen should not have been on the racing line and shouldn't have developed those twitches in right foot and left shoulder, but Hamilton should have just swept past.
He was not trying to "murder" Hamilton, just as Hamilton was not trying to "murder" Vettel when he brake tested him in Baku that time. Everyone needs to calm down.
As for Abu Dhabi, if Hamilton's car is genuinely faster these last few races then stick it on pole and drive away. No need to worry about on purpose crashes.
The comic phenomenon of the cycle lane that ends in a carefully calculated death trap is alive and well.
The whole thing seems to have been designed by people who don't actual use bikes. As usual.
LTN 1/20 is very much written by people who use bikes, and all new designs should be LTN 1/20-compliant. Unfortunately here in Oxford the council is putting in some 90s-style painted-lanes nonsense which is about as far from LTN 1/20 as it's possible to be. If you don't want your London lanes, can we have them?
For a company like Inrix, cars are revenue generating to a much greater extent than bikes. The analytics involved in the motoring setor that flow into insurance, IoT applications (car, signals, traffic alerts), parking, charging, and so on make it very easy for an anti-bike bias to arrive fairly organically. Worth remembering the source of the study when assessing its reliability.
Ironically the biggest reason for cars being so slow in London was demonstrated by TfL to be due to Uber (i.e. cars)
In my part of London, the new bike lanes are hated by the cyclists. Because they have been shoved in without regard for anyone or anything. Including cyclists.
Among other things, the bus stops are extremely... hmmmm. Because the bike lanes are completely segregated, you now have to cross the bike lane to an "island" to board a bus. The geniuses who did this used the zebra marking in the road for a zebra crossing. Except without actually lights. So this had led to a number of entertaining intersections between cyclists and elderly pedestrians.
The buses, since they have nowhere to "pull over" to when stopping, literally stop in the traffic flow. Which stops all the traffic behind them. Strangely, several miles of road are now filled with cars crawling along, stopping every few minutes...
I don't know which part of London you're in, but generally the protected lanes are welcomed by everyone on a bike apart from the small number of roadies who can cycle fast down the carriageway as they've always done.
The main problems I've had with segregated bicycle lanes are, (a) lack of allowance made for wanting to turn right, (b) what happens at the start and end of the segregated section.
As a cyclist who normally pootles along at a relaxed 10mph, I'm normally very thankful for them when I'm on them.
Those are matters of getting the design right.
The basic is that cycleways need to be bidirectional usually, and wide enough with space to overtake - ideally for 2 pairs of people to pass in each direction. Width should be 4m for major routes, and never less than 2.4m for a unidirectional path and say 3.4m for a bidirectional.
It is remarkable how soon Carlsen recognises some boards, and as for the Harry Potter game...
Chess - I think every chess player knows that a computer could and will beat him.
Go - I love the fact that we still have skin in the game.
New game - Someone needs to invent a game that AI's can't reliably win at.
Identifying pictures of zebra crossings, buses, mountains etc seems to distinguish us from robots. So it seems we might still be able to beat the computer when playing a version of "Snap".
Am I the only one to struggle with those? Is that really a bus, or a large taxi? Is that metal thing in the corner part of a lorry? It usually takes me a couple of goes to satisfy it. Likewise the straggly letters on a squiggly background. Why can't they ask something that we all know, like "Who was the LibDem candidate in last week's parish council by-election?"
That's because you're getting old. Try playing against a seventy year old computer and the playing field would be more even.
There are advantages in getting old. A 17 year old was asked about passing a milk float on her theory test. She didn't know what a milk float was.
Are there any nowadays? If so, is that a fair question? I think we discussed this not long ago, didn't we. There was one on a Facebook site about electric vehicles and I know I've a discussion somewhere else.
Pecresse seems to have momentum. I've just backed to be next French President. £53 at 6.8 on Betfair.
Précresse chances depend on Zemmour neither building nor losing support, under France's arbitrary electoral system. In the first case Zemmour, not Précresse nor Le Pen, will make the run-off to meet Macron. In the second, Zemmour's votes will largely go to Le Pen and she will go to the run-off.
If however Précresse does make the run-off she is the most likely of anyone to beat Macron
7 to 1 are decent odds, I think.
The other possibility is that Macron loses enough support from his centre-right flank to Pecresse and from the liberal left to Melenchon or even Hidalgo that he is squeezed into 3rd, with a Pecresse-Le Pen runoff. In which case Pecresse would win easily by luring some of the softer rightwingers.
Comments
I've worked for the clock watching managers. They get exactly what they want - a bunch of people who sit in the office for long hours. Other managers get more of the.... work stuff done.
That being said, the Afghan government imploding is one of those occasions when it wasn't assholic to say "everyone in - working 7 days on this one".
I can predict (say) that the SpaceX launch will go well and gets its payload into orbit. I can say that's a fairly firm prediction, based on their track record. Making a prediction about Omicron a week ago - based on the massively contradictory information we had then (or now) - is just pure guesswork. Unless you has some inside information or greater knowledge.
It's like betting on the party you want to win at an election: is the desire for the outcome you want overwhelming your judgement?
You are not allowing for the possibility that the "offence" is manufactured by the "offended" or the possibility that the offended are simply incorrect in their interpretation of what has been said. I agree with the "who-cares" response of those in your team. We are not children.
I hope Private Eye puts on the cover when he dies.
So farewell then, Andrew Neil.
You thought GB News was a good idea.
But it wasn't, was it?
E.J. Thribb (aged 17 ½)
I still prefer the ones were you have to tick a box to say you're not a robot mind.
(er... not a robot, mind.)
We met in 1959, got engaged in 1960, married in '62 and we've been together since, so it seems to work.
In my circles it is entirely usual for women from their 20s to their 70s to refer to themselves as girls. Rather than trying to ban words, the meaning has evolved. To me the '"girls" is sexist' thing is a broken down outrage bus from decades ago - rather like opening doors for people is just being polite to another human being.
BTW (Small Point of Order), BCCI was Pak, not Indian.
The news from South Africa about Covid admissions in the under-fives gives me pause.
Among other things, the bus stops are extremely... hmmmm. Because the bike lanes are completely segregated, you now have to cross the bike lane to an "island" to board a bus. The geniuses who did this used the zebra marking in the road for a zebra crossing. Except without actually lights. So this had led to a number of entertaining intersections between cyclists and elderly pedestrians.
The buses, since they have nowhere to "pull over" to when stopping, literally stop in the traffic flow. Which stops all the traffic behind them. Strangely, several miles of road are now filled with cars crawling along, stopping every few minutes...
I worry the government is going to feel bounced into keeping masks and any other bullshit it introduces at the moment through the winter now, rather than stick to the three week timeline and remove restrictions if they're not really required.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/dec/07/whistleblower-condemns-foreign-office-over-kabul-evacuation
Until the evidence is fully heard, it's hard to judge exactly what happened, but it's clear that the "tirelessly" spin is nonsense.
(Actually about how there will always be new Covid variants and we have to live with it, mitigating through vaccines etc as required, but we can't destroy the hospitality sector etc with cycling restrictions)
Max 13/8
Verstappen 2.68
Where is the value?
Former PM Theresa May warns against further Covid restrictions
In the Commons Theresa May, the former prime minister, said it would be a mistake for the government to respond to every new variant by closing down the economy.
The early indications of Omicron are that it is more transmissible but potentially leads to less serious illness than other variants. I understand that would be the normal progress of a virus. Variants will continue to appear year after year.
When is the government going to accept that learning to live with Covid, which we will all have to do, means we will almost certainly have an annual vaccine and that we cannot respond to new variants by stopping and starting sectors of our economy which leads to businesses going under and jobs being lost?
Javid replied:
In terms of the severity of this, I think we shouldn’t jump to any conclusion, we just don’t have enough data.
It is not going away ... for many, many years and perhaps it will lead to annual vaccinations, but we have to find ways to continue with life as normal.
She is entirely and 100% correct.
Scary the first time; I can still remember mine - at a very low speed the car swapped ends before I could even react.
Max 2.68
Given it s a high street, quite a lot of times the traffic coming the other way is.... buses.
A road layout which stops all traffic when someone stops is stupid.
Thanks to the new layout, the other day, a lorry stopped to deliver to a shop, somewhat awkwardly. Due to the road layout, no buses could enter or leave.... the bus depot.
Le Pen and Zemmour splitting the far right vote and Melenchon and Hamon splitting the leftwing vote gives her a chance of making the runoff v Macron now
I backed Lewis at odds-against earlier in the season, but also have a bet on him for SPoTY (actually a lay of Emma, waves at @Philip_Thompson ) that I am thinking of inventive ways to hedge.
Zarah Sultana MP
@zarahsultana
16h
When Boris Johnson ramps up the failed "War on Drugs", remember it's not people like him, Michael Gove, or other Conservative MPs who have admitted to taking Class A drugs that will be worst affected by it.
It will be working class black and brown people.
The consensus - yes.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=228&t=1961163&i=0
Maybe that’s the point. Make car driving in those areas such a chore that people don’t bother. Thus reducing cars from the road
SPotY nominations should be out soon. In the overseas betting, Rachael Blackmore is favourite which I am mildly sceptical about. I suspect this may be due to most punters being racing fans.
My gut instinct (based on Sods law) is that if Max does pull such a trick the next 4 years will see Red Bull having an advantage - if however he plays fair - Mercedes will enter 2022 with an advantage similar to the last few years.
Max however would only be getting the championship based on unfair play and the race that shouldn't have been.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/07/us-russia-sanctions-joe-biden-vladimir-putin
How painful would these economic sanctions be for Russia? The article suggests cutting them out of Swift would be very damaging to their economy.
Enough of a deterence?
I've dished it out and been on the receiving end when I raced in BRSCC. See also: bribing scrutineers and marshals.
But OTOH, the last serious lot of investment in cycling was probably in the 1920s/1930s or maybe the 1950s, so there's a lot to catch up on.
The usual preference for bus stops aiui is to have the cycleway go behind the bus stop ("floating bus stop"), so people cross the bike lane in dribs and drabs as they arrive, rather than en masse at the time the bus arrives.
Sometimes events make one feel old.
But I think Hamilton is a bit too smart to let it happen.
Or it could evolve into a flu type virus, in which case annual vaccinations are only logical.
Time will tell. But vaccinations are the best line of defence for now.
Of course, given the stewarding over the last month, we know they will do no such thing. Fake 10s no impact penalty for a deliberate crash being the latest belter.
How Corbyn get's re-nominated is going to be fun to watch (given that he currently isn't an Labour MP).
Should be an entertaining end to the Formula Bumper Kart season though.
Buses stopping in the traffic lane, if a single lane 'cos the space has gone to people on foot and bike, is a good readjustment of priorities to get people out of their cars. They can wait or get a bike
The important thing is to separate motor vehicles from vulnerable road users.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ0lT7KeRls
Not knowing anything about F1 I do appreciate that going very fast and trying a move that has to be *exactly* right to avoid serious injury, perhaps death, and collateral damage is a very high odds play.
If however Précresse does make the run-off she is the most likely of anyone to beat Macron
7 to 1 are decent odds, I think.
As a cyclist who normally pootles along at a relaxed 10mph, I'm normally very thankful for them when I'm on them.
Romain Grosjean survived this last year with minor burns to his hands and feet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToxQAn5iM7Q
The Dutch shunt (sic) has been trying to crash into/murder Hamilton for the last few races.
Qualifying is the most important thing this weekend. Hamilton gets P1 (and leads on the first lap) then he should win it.
One criterion that is essential is that a bike on a main road should take priority over traffic on the side street. When you pavementise bike lanes, you end up with the bikes crossing the side road, which leads to lots of start-stop for cyclists. That sort of design is tiring and slows down bike journeys, sometimes quite dramatically. Or it encourages bikes into the motorised traffic so they have the priority, but that annoys car drivers who can't understand why cyclists are not using the bike lanes.
Timing likely end of this week, following Joe Biden's (virtual) democracy summit on Thursday
https://twitter.com/vonderburchard/status/1468157821749497857?s=20
That plays into Hamilton's hands.
The buses are *more* stuffed up as the car users - since they have to stay on route.
It feels as if it was implemented by people who didn't really understand that a road layout needs to be a cohesive system, rather than a random collection of bits.
I don't currently have car, incidentally. Walk/public transport. With a some cycling.
The whole thing seems to have been designed by people who don't actual use bikes. As usual.
I've had a few verbal warnings over 'driving standards' but never graduated to a written. I have a Race National A licence but only complete in Hill Climb and Time Attack now so it's me and the car against the track not mixing it with other hooligans.
What we need is good honest hard racing. I have no problem with racers going for gaps even if its a full send - as long as they aren't Bottarse trying to demolish people its fine. Where we cross the line is straight up cheating like they all do in wqualifying trundling round dangerously, or Hamilton / Bottas on the go slow on formation laps or Hamilton and Verstappen both dicking around with the DRS line. Verstappen should not have been on the racing line and shouldn't have developed those twitches in right foot and left shoulder, but Hamilton should have just swept past.
He was not trying to "murder" Hamilton, just as Hamilton was not trying to "murder" Vettel when he brake tested him in Baku that time. Everyone needs to calm down.
As for Abu Dhabi, if Hamilton's car is genuinely faster these last few races then stick it on pole and drive away. No need to worry about on purpose crashes.
The basic is that cycleways need to be bidirectional usually, and wide enough with space to overtake - ideally for 2 pairs of people to pass in each direction. Width should be 4m for major routes, and never less than 2.4m for a unidirectional path and say 3.4m for a bidirectional.
I think we discussed this not long ago, didn't we. There was one on a Facebook site about electric vehicles and I know I've a discussion somewhere else.