Bloody hell £100 for a mouse. Surely it can't be that good. Or how can I signal to people that I am the kind of guy that rolls with a Logitech MX Master 4 Mouse. If I'm spending £100 on it I must somehow co-opt this fact it in support of my status.
I await her details on this subject which apparently follows a review by David Wolfson who is a barrister
What has become increasingly obvious the powers of the ECHR are seen as a problem, and not just with Farage declaration to leave, and now Badenoch's, but also Starmer is wanting changes
Some on the right have picked the ECHR as a bogeyman. They want to rekindle the Brexit debate and so have picked on something else with European in its name. The actual day-to-day impact of the ECHR on our lives is not great.
The ECHR is not responsible for unaffordable housing, for insecure employment, for all-powerful tech companies creating monopolies. The ECHR is not responsible for cancer or dementia or long COVID. The ECHR does not cause rape or assaults or mobile phone theft. The ECHR is not why it's difficult to see a GP or book a driving test.
Badenoch's announcement is clickbait as politics, not a serious attempt to make our lives better.
Your second paragraph is not the reason why leaving or amending the ECHR is such a hot topic
It relates entirely to our ability to stop the boats and illegal migration and it is clear even Starmer recognisies it and is reviewing parts of it
The status quo on the ECHR is not sustainable
Can you explain the mechanics of why we should join Russia and Belarus in a human rights hinterland?
To make sure Canada and Australia can outvote them?
Since when had Canada and Australia been in Europe. It isn't the Eurovision Song Contest.
What relevance is being in Europe?
We are humans. Australians are humans. Canadians are humans.
We should all have the same fundamental human rights. Or whatever our respective Parliaments democratically vote for.
Geography does bit change our humanity.
We could choose to be part of a European nation, in which case it might be relevant, but we are not.
I agree completely. You misunderstood my post. Someone argued in defence of leaving the ECHR that Australia and Canada weren't in it. Of course they aren't in it. It is a European organisation. It was a nonsense argument.
For goodness sake I'm not arguing elsewhere doesn't have human rights just that Australia isn't in Europe so naturally wouldn't be in the European organisation as someone tried to use as a nonsense justification.
Its not a nonsense argument, we are a democracy just like Australia and Canada.
So what if it is a European organisation? We have no obligation or duty to be in every European organisation. We aren't in the EU.
We can choose whether to be in an organisation or not. If it doesn't suit us, we can choose not to be in it. If we aren't in the ECHR then we will be in the same company as Australia and Canada as a western democracy with our own courts as ultimate courts, not in the same company as Belarus and Russia who aren't democracies.
I agree. I agree. I agree. We don't have to be in the European one. I never said we did.
You are completely missing the point that goes back umpteen posts ago and was simply a logic point.
I will try again (although I feel like banging my head against the wall):
a) Someone said something about Russia/Belarus not being in the ECHR (it doesn't matter what the details are)
b) Someone else said in response that neither are Canada or Australia as some counter argument (to whatever it was)
My point was (and it is my only point and nothing else) Canada and Australia CAN'T be members of the ECHR as it is a European only organisation and therefore this argument is logically flawed
That's it. Nothing else. Nothing about the pros and cons, nothing about human rights elsewhere, nothing about us being in it or not. Nothing about anything else at all. Just the logical flaw in saying 'neither are Canada or Australia in the ECHR'
Sigh.
You were right all along @kjh Canada and Australia are in on the continent of Europe what Russia and Belarus (for the most part are).
That doesn't fit the narrative of the poster who has been banging on about human rights in Canada and Australia all day.
Although Australia are in Eurovision, which might be the root of his confusion.
What continent we or they are on is irrelevant.
God!
Yes it is, but not when some twit a thousand posts ago tried to put Australia and Canada in Europe. Have you read the original post. That is all we are saying. Australia and Canada are not in the ECHR for probably a few reasons, but the overwhelming one is THEY ARE NOT IN EUROPE.
I just bought the Logitech MX Master 4 mouse, replacing my old Logitech mouse from... from... from before I moved to America (so at least 8 years ago).
And it's really good. So if anyone wants a mouse upgrade that will probably last the best part of a decade, I recommend it.
I need to get one instantly. A Smithson tech recommendation is gold standard. You and your father introduced me to both Xiaomi phones and Nothing ear pods (both of which I'm using this minute). So Logitech MX Master 4 Mouse it is. Even if it does sound like a cartoon character.
Everyone in my family uses the Nothing ear buds. It's actually a bit of a hassle because they all look the bloody same, and people (specifically children) tend to pick up whichever ones are nearest (or charged).
I considered getting the yellow ones to avoid this issue... but they're very ugly.
On the name Boris: In the US, Boris is a standard, along with Ivan, for Russian jokes.
Example:
Ivan: "How are you feeling today, Boris?" Boris: "Average." Ivan: What do you mean, 'average'?" Boris: "Worse than yesterday, better than tomorrow, so, average."
And known to many Americans of a certain age from a cartoon character:
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends (commonly referred to as simply Rocky and Bullwinkle) is an American animated television series that originally aired from November 19, 1959, to June 27, 1964, on the ABC and NBC television networks. Produced by Jay Ward Productions, the series is structured as a variety show, with the main feature being the serialized adventures of the two title characters, the anthropomorphic flying squirrel Rocket J. ("Rocky") Squirrel and moose Bullwinkle J. Moose. The main antagonists in most of their adventures are the two Russian-like spies Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale, both working for the Nazi-like dictator Fearless Leader.
Bloody hell £100 for a mouse. Surely it can't be that good. Or how can I signal to people that I am the kind of guy that rolls with a Logitech MX Master 4 Mouse. If I'm spending £100 on it I must somehow co-opt this fact it in support of my status.
Get a stylish wrist strap made for it so you can wear it around town, not only do you get the appreciation of your status from those in the know but the muggers won’t know what it is and leave you unmolested.
Bloody hell £100 for a mouse. Surely it can't be that good. Or how can I signal to people that I am the kind of guy that rolls with a Logitech MX Master 4 Mouse. If I'm spending £100 on it I must somehow co-opt this fact it in support of my status.
I know I get criticised for extravagant spending, but £100 on a mouse is bonkers, what's wrong with using the trackpad on your laptop?
Bloody hell £100 for a mouse. Surely it can't be that good. Or how can I signal to people that I am the kind of guy that rolls with a Logitech MX Master 4 Mouse. If I'm spending £100 on it I must somehow co-opt this fact it in support of my status.
I know I get criticised for extravagant spending, but £100 on a mouse is bonkers, what's wrong with using the trackpad on your laptop?
There needs to be a way to express disgust that doesn't pester the moderators.
I just bought the Logitech MX Master 4 mouse, replacing my old Logitech mouse from... from... from before I moved to America (so at least 8 years ago).
And it's really good. So if anyone wants a mouse upgrade that will probably last the best part of a decade, I recommend it.
I need to get one instantly. A Smithson tech recommendation is gold standard. You and your father introduced me to both Xiaomi phones and Nothing ear pods (both of which I'm using this minute). So Logitech MX Master 4 Mouse it is. Even if it does sound like a cartoon character.
Everyone in my family uses the Nothing ear buds. It's actually a bit of a hassle because they all look the bloody same, and people (specifically children) tend to pick up whichever ones are nearest (or charged).
I considered getting the yellow ones to avoid this issue... but they're very ugly.
Their website is impossible to navigate so won't be buying. I have the same issue with the Fuse energy website so will be sticking with Octopus.
I just bought the Logitech MX Master 4 mouse, replacing my old Logitech mouse from... from... from before I moved to America (so at least 8 years ago).
And it's really good. So if anyone wants a mouse upgrade that will probably last the best part of a decade, I recommend it.
I need to get one instantly. A Smithson tech recommendation is gold standard. You and your father introduced me to both Xiaomi phones and Nothing ear pods (both of which I'm using this minute). So Logitech MX Master 4 Mouse it is. Even if it does sound like a cartoon character.
Everyone in my family uses the Nothing ear buds. It's actually a bit of a hassle because they all look the bloody same, and people (specifically children) tend to pick up whichever ones are nearest (or charged).
I considered getting the yellow ones to avoid this issue... but they're very ugly.
Their website is impossible to navigate so won't be buying. I have the same issue with the Fuse energy website so will be sticking with Octopus.
You're missing out. Persevere. They are a) cheap as chips, and b) the most amazing sound, the bass in particular.
On the name Boris: In the US, Boris is a standard, along with Ivan, for Russian jokes.
Example:
Ivan: "How are you feeling today, Boris?" Boris: "Average." Ivan: What do you mean, 'average'?" Boris: "Worse than yesterday, better than tomorrow, so, average."
And known to many Americans of a certain age from a cartoon character:
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends (commonly referred to as simply Rocky and Bullwinkle) is an American animated television series that originally aired from November 19, 1959, to June 27, 1964, on the ABC and NBC television networks. Produced by Jay Ward Productions, the series is structured as a variety show, with the main feature being the serialized adventures of the two title characters, the anthropomorphic flying squirrel Rocket J. ("Rocky") Squirrel and moose Bullwinkle J. Moose. The main antagonists in most of their adventures are the two Russian-like spies Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale, both working for the Nazi-like dictator Fearless Leaderhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Rocky_and_Bullwinkle_and_Friends
.
We once had a Foreign Secretary called Boris who threw off his minders to attend a party in Italy hosted by a KGB grandee. We also had a Prime Minister called Boris who elevated the son of this KGB guy to the House of Lords. Make of that what you will.
I just bought the Logitech MX Master 4 mouse, replacing my old Logitech mouse from... from... from before I moved to America (so at least 8 years ago).
And it's really good. So if anyone wants a mouse upgrade that will probably last the best part of a decade, I recommend it.
I need to get one instantly. A Smithson tech recommendation is gold standard. You and your father introduced me to both Xiaomi phones and Nothing ear pods (both of which I'm using this minute). So Logitech MX Master 4 Mouse it is. Even if it does sound like a cartoon character.
I have one too, along with the Master keyboard. Both so good that I've got another set in the office.
How long/wide is your hand, if I might ask, please? I have trouble as most mice are too small for my hands. It's really a rat I need.
Average, I'd say. The mouse itself is certainly on the large side (not great for travelling/chucking in a pannier), but I understand there is a lot of complexity around ergonomics so don't take my word for it.
I got an MX Master, years back, specifically because I find small mice cause hand cramps.
Bloody hell £100 for a mouse. Surely it can't be that good. Or how can I signal to people that I am the kind of guy that rolls with a Logitech MX Master 4 Mouse. If I'm spending £100 on it I must somehow co-opt this fact it in support of my status.
I know I get criticised for extravagant spending, but £100 on a mouse is bonkers, what's wrong with using the trackpad on your laptop?
Some of us need to work quicker than an x-per-hour lawyer.
I just bought the Logitech MX Master 4 mouse, replacing my old Logitech mouse from... from... from before I moved to America (so at least 8 years ago).
And it's really good. So if anyone wants a mouse upgrade that will probably last the best part of a decade, I recommend it.
I need to get one instantly. A Smithson tech recommendation is gold standard. You and your father introduced me to both Xiaomi phones and Nothing ear pods (both of which I'm using this minute). So Logitech MX Master 4 Mouse it is. Even if it does sound like a cartoon character.
Everyone in my family uses the Nothing ear buds. It's actually a bit of a hassle because they all look the bloody same, and people (specifically children) tend to pick up whichever ones are nearest (or charged).
I considered getting the yellow ones to avoid this issue... but they're very ugly.
Their website is impossible to navigate so won't be buying. I have the same issue with the Fuse energy website so will be sticking with Octopus.
You're missing out. Persevere. They are a) cheap as chips, and b) the most amazing sound, the bass in particular.
I just bought the Logitech MX Master 4 mouse, replacing my old Logitech mouse from... from... from before I moved to America (so at least 8 years ago).
And it's really good. So if anyone wants a mouse upgrade that will probably last the best part of a decade, I recommend it.
I need to get one instantly. A Smithson tech recommendation is gold standard. You and your father introduced me to both Xiaomi phones and Nothing ear pods (both of which I'm using this minute). So Logitech MX Master 4 Mouse it is. Even if it does sound like a cartoon character.
I have one too, along with the Master keyboard. Both so good that I've got another set in the office.
How long/wide is your hand, if I might ask, please? I have trouble as most mice are too small for my hands. It's really a rat I need.
Average, I'd say. The mouse itself is certainly on the large side (not great for travelling/chucking in a pannier), but I understand there is a lot of complexity around ergonomics so don't take my word for it.
Bloody hell £100 for a mouse. Surely it can't be that good. Or how can I signal to people that I am the kind of guy that rolls with a Logitech MX Master 4 Mouse. If I'm spending £100 on it I must somehow co-opt this fact it in support of my status.
I know I get criticised for extravagant spending, but £100 on a mouse is bonkers, what's wrong with using the trackpad on your laptop?
There needs to be a way to express disgust that doesn't pester the moderators.
I am sure there's a Radiohead/OK Computer gag to be made to express our disgust.
I just bought the Logitech MX Master 4 mouse, replacing my old Logitech mouse from... from... from before I moved to America (so at least 8 years ago).
And it's really good. So if anyone wants a mouse upgrade that will probably last the best part of a decade, I recommend it.
I need to get one instantly. A Smithson tech recommendation is gold standard. You and your father introduced me to both Xiaomi phones and Nothing ear pods (both of which I'm using this minute). So Logitech MX Master 4 Mouse it is. Even if it does sound like a cartoon character.
Everyone in my family uses the Nothing ear buds. It's actually a bit of a hassle because they all look the bloody same, and people (specifically children) tend to pick up whichever ones are nearest (or charged).
I considered getting the yellow ones to avoid this issue... but they're very ugly.
Their website is impossible to navigate so won't be buying. I have the same issue with the Fuse energy website so will be sticking with Octopus.
You're missing out. Persevere. They are a) cheap as chips, and b) the most amazing sound, the bass in particular.
Can they translate foreign languages?
#AirPodsPro3ForTheWin
They keep you out of the Apple exploitosphere still there is that.
I just bought the Logitech MX Master 4 mouse, replacing my old Logitech mouse from... from... from before I moved to America (so at least 8 years ago).
And it's really good. So if anyone wants a mouse upgrade that will probably last the best part of a decade, I recommend it.
I need to get one instantly. A Smithson tech recommendation is gold standard. You and your father introduced me to both Xiaomi phones and Nothing ear pods (both of which I'm using this minute). So Logitech MX Master 4 Mouse it is. Even if it does sound like a cartoon character.
Everyone in my family uses the Nothing ear buds. It's actually a bit of a hassle because they all look the bloody same, and people (specifically children) tend to pick up whichever ones are nearest (or charged).
I considered getting the yellow ones to avoid this issue... but they're very ugly.
Can't you just put a dot of coloured paint on yours?
Being a distant second to China in manufacturing (eg) batteries is perhaps not a bad place to be.
Here’s one trend you probably don’t know about:
China is now heavily restricting the export of its own companies’ battery manufacturing and LCD display equipment to countries like Vietnam and India.
Beijing is deeply worried that its advanced industrial technologies could leak abroad.
As a result, many Indian and Vietnamese companies have recently been visiting South Korea.
In fact, not long ago, Tata Group, one of India’s largest conglomerates, came to Korea to conduct an on-site inspection to purchase Korean battery manufacturing equipment — reportedly worth several billion dollars.
I expect Korea to benefit from this trend. After all, we’re already the world’s second-largest battery producer, and we were manufacturing LCDs until just a few years ago... https://x.com/Jukanlosreve/status/1974712749168234614
I just bought the Logitech MX Master 4 mouse, replacing my old Logitech mouse from... from... from before I moved to America (so at least 8 years ago).
And it's really good. So if anyone wants a mouse upgrade that will probably last the best part of a decade, I recommend it.
I need to get one instantly. A Smithson tech recommendation is gold standard. You and your father introduced me to both Xiaomi phones and Nothing ear pods (both of which I'm using this minute). So Logitech MX Master 4 Mouse it is. Even if it does sound like a cartoon character.
Everyone in my family uses the Nothing ear buds. It's actually a bit of a hassle because they all look the bloody same, and people (specifically children) tend to pick up whichever ones are nearest (or charged).
I considered getting the yellow ones to avoid this issue... but they're very ugly.
Can't you just put a dot of coloured paint on yours?
Surely Nothing are missing Something there where the younger market sector is concerned, if deaf children - well, teenagers - are anything to go by. Many of them love having a choice of colours for their hearing aids.
My PC runs on Windows 7 and is Advent, the mouse is over 10 years old and is Lenovo.
I use the PC mainly for managing my ITunes and putting stuff onto my iPad before vacations.
Ha! Right now I'm sitting with my pollex uncomfortably positioned while I wait for bloody Windows 11 to download to my laptop. (This desktop is being scrapped and replaced anyway - it's almost a decade old.)
I tried to listen to the Kemi speech, but gave up after 3 words.
"Conservatives love Manchester."
The last time I recall them being there, Rishi Sunk shafted Manchester and the entire North by killing HS2, turning it into a £50bn branch line to Birmingham, then walked away with a smug smile on his face.
Fuck off, Kemi. You need to start by looking in the mirror. Then you might get a hearing.
I tried to listen to the Kemi speech, but gave up after 3 words.
"Conservatives love Manchester."
The last time I recall them being there, Rishi Sunk shafted Manchester and the entire North by killing HS2, turning it into a £50bn branch line to Birmingham, then walked away with a smug smile on his face.
Fuck off, Kemi. You need to start by looking in the mirror. Then you might get a hearing.
This. One of the reasons for the rise of Reform, I suspect, is that the Tories talked about "levelling up" for a decade or more, and did the square root of fuck all about it.
I would be utterly astonished, though, if a future Reform government were to prove any different in that respect.
I tried to listen to the Kemi speech, but gave up after 3 words.
"Conservatives love Manchester."
The last time I recall them being there, Rishi Sunk shafted Manchester and the entire North by killing HS2, turning it into a £50bn branch line to Birmingham, then walked away with a smug smile on his face.
Fuck off, Kemi. You need to start by looking in the mirror. Then you might get a hearing.
She meant 'Conservatives love Manchester United.' As any fool knows all Man Utd live in Southern England the last bastion if conservative voters ..
I tried to listen to the Kemi speech, but gave up after 3 words.
"Conservatives love Manchester."
The last time I recall them being there, Rishi Sunk shafted Manchester and the entire North by killing HS2, turning it into a £50bn branch line to Birmingham, then walked away with a smug smile on his face.
Fuck off, Kemi. You need to start by looking in the mirror. Then you might get a hearing.
This. One of the reasons for the rise of Reform, I suspect, is that the Tories talked about "levelling up" for a decade or more, and did the square root of fuck all about it.
I would be utterly astonished, though, if a future Reform government were to prove any different in that respect.
Of course they wouldn’t. An old boy I worked with many years ago said to me ‘whoever wins, it’s the civil service that gets in’
I’ve been to visit family in the Midlands this weekend, with her magnificence of course.
I’m struck by the investment in transport. Very visible, especially HS2.
Meanwhile in the North East we get very little and dualling the A1 has, once again, been cancelled. That’s more a symbol. Our transport investment is woeful.
I tried to listen to the Kemi speech, but gave up after 3 words.
"Conservatives love Manchester."
The last time I recall them being there, Rishi Sunk shafted Manchester and the entire North by killing HS2, turning it into a £50bn branch line to Birmingham, then walked away with a smug smile on his face.
Fuck off, Kemi. You need to start by looking in the mirror. Then you might get a hearing.
This. One of the reasons for the rise of Reform, I suspect, is that the Tories talked about "levelling up" for a decade or more, and did the square root of fuck all about it.
I would be utterly astonished, though, if a future Reform government were to prove any different in that respect.
In defence of a failure to level up I offer the pandemic, which destroyed every governments plans in March 2020.
I tried to listen to the Kemi speech, but gave up after 3 words.
"Conservatives love Manchester."
The last time I recall them being there, Rishi Sunk shafted Manchester and the entire North by killing HS2, turning it into a £50bn branch line to Birmingham, then walked away with a smug smile on his face.
Fuck off, Kemi. You need to start by looking in the mirror. Then you might get a hearing.
She actually meant 'Conservatives fuck Manchester.'
I tried to listen to the Kemi speech, but gave up after 3 words.
"Conservatives love Manchester."
The last time I recall them being there, Rishi Sunk shafted Manchester and the entire North by killing HS2, turning it into a £50bn branch line to Birmingham, then walked away with a smug smile on his face.
Fuck off, Kemi. You need to start by looking in the mirror. Then you might get a hearing.
This. One of the reasons for the rise of Reform, I suspect, is that the Tories talked about "levelling up" for a decade or more, and did the square root of fuck all about it.
I would be utterly astonished, though, if a future Reform government were to prove any different in that respect.
Labour have let Northern England wither and die during a century of local government corruption. I doubt Reform will prove to be better. In fact I'd suggest that by the time they are over they will have been found to be considerably worse. Burnham appeared to have turned that particular tide in Manchester. It's a shame he then demonstrated he's such a conniving, back-stabbing barsteward.
I tried to listen to the Kemi speech, but gave up after 3 words.
"Conservatives love Manchester."
The last time I recall them being there, Rishi Sunk shafted Manchester and the entire North by killing HS2, turning it into a £50bn branch line to Birmingham, then walked away with a smug smile on his face.
Fuck off, Kemi. You need to start by looking in the mirror. Then you might get a hearing.
This. One of the reasons for the rise of Reform, I suspect, is that the Tories talked about "levelling up" for a decade or more, and did the square root of fuck all about it.
I would be utterly astonished, though, if a future Reform government were to prove any different in that respect.
The problem is a simple one.
All the political parties are reactive. The world is difficult, and they are struggling to make ends meet. Therefore, they look for ways to achieve that, which is inevitably in the short term via raising taxes and cutting back on expensive infrastucture projects.
Which means in turn that economic growth stagnates, and therefore the government struggles further to balance the books.
Rinse and repeat.
What governments need to do is to make their first priority driving sustainable economic growth. The easiest place to do this, as I have said many times before, is in the area of residential construction. It's win-win-win.
More homes. Greater economic growth. More tax revenues.
And here's the thing - when the economy is moving, when economic growth is happening, when the books are moving towards balance - then it becomes easier to do the harder things.
I tried to listen to the Kemi speech, but gave up after 3 words.
"Conservatives love Manchester."
The last time I recall them being there, Rishi Sunk shafted Manchester and the entire North by killing HS2, turning it into a £50bn branch line to Birmingham, then walked away with a smug smile on his face.
Fuck off, Kemi. You need to start by looking in the mirror. Then you might get a hearing.
Seems Manchester doesn't much love the Conservatives. Plenty of blue carpet for the tumbleweed to roll across however
I tried to listen to the Kemi speech, but gave up after 3 words.
"Conservatives love Manchester."
The last time I recall them being there, Rishi Sunk shafted Manchester and the entire North by killing HS2, turning it into a £50bn branch line to Birmingham, then walked away with a smug smile on his face.
Fuck off, Kemi. You need to start by looking in the mirror. Then you might get a hearing.
This. One of the reasons for the rise of Reform, I suspect, is that the Tories talked about "levelling up" for a decade or more, and did the square root of fuck all about it.
I would be utterly astonished, though, if a future Reform government were to prove any different in that respect.
Of course they wouldn’t. An old boy I worked with many years ago said to me ‘whoever wins, it’s the civil service that gets in’
I’ve been to visit family in the Midlands this weekend, with her magnificence of course.
I’m struck by the investment in transport. Very visible, especially HS2.
Meanwhile in the North East we get very little and dualling the A1 has, once again, been cancelled. That’s more a symbol. Our transport investment is woeful.
Starmer should really have made one of his party's manifesto promises "Build, baby, build!" and then gone full-throttle for it once he got power.
I tried to listen to the Kemi speech, but gave up after 3 words.
"Conservatives love Manchester."
The last time I recall them being there, Rishi Sunk shafted Manchester and the entire North by killing HS2, turning it into a £50bn branch line to Birmingham, then walked away with a smug smile on his face.
Fuck off, Kemi. You need to start by looking in the mirror. Then you might get a hearing.
This. One of the reasons for the rise of Reform, I suspect, is that the Tories talked about "levelling up" for a decade or more, and did the square root of fuck all about it.
I would be utterly astonished, though, if a future Reform government were to prove any different in that respect.
Of course they wouldn’t. An old boy I worked with many years ago said to me ‘whoever wins, it’s the civil service that gets in’
I’ve been to visit family in the Midlands this weekend, with her magnificence of course.
I’m struck by the investment in transport. Very visible, especially HS2.
Meanwhile in the North East we get very little and dualling the A1 has, once again, been cancelled. That’s more a symbol. Our transport investment is woeful.
Was flying over Oxfordshire a week or two back. The earthworks for the Oxford to Cambridge line were very apparent at altitude cutting across from Bicester etc towards Fenland.
I tried to listen to the Kemi speech, but gave up after 3 words.
"Conservatives love Manchester."
The last time I recall them being there, Rishi Sunk shafted Manchester and the entire North by killing HS2, turning it into a £50bn branch line to Birmingham, then walked away with a smug smile on his face.
Fuck off, Kemi. You need to start by looking in the mirror. Then you might get a hearing.
This. One of the reasons for the rise of Reform, I suspect, is that the Tories talked about "levelling up" for a decade or more, and did the square root of fuck all about it.
I would be utterly astonished, though, if a future Reform government were to prove any different in that respect.
Of course they wouldn’t. An old boy I worked with many years ago said to me ‘whoever wins, it’s the civil service that gets in’
I’ve been to visit family in the Midlands this weekend, with her magnificence of course.
I’m struck by the investment in transport. Very visible, especially HS2.
Meanwhile in the North East we get very little and dualling the A1 has, once again, been cancelled. That’s more a symbol. Our transport investment is woeful.
See also the A303 at Stonehenge. Cancelled yet again. Fecking labour gobshites.
I tried to listen to the Kemi speech, but gave up after 3 words.
"Conservatives love Manchester."
The last time I recall them being there, Rishi Sunk shafted Manchester and the entire North by killing HS2, turning it into a £50bn branch line to Birmingham, then walked away with a smug smile on his face.
Fuck off, Kemi. You need to start by looking in the mirror. Then you might get a hearing.
This. One of the reasons for the rise of Reform, I suspect, is that the Tories talked about "levelling up" for a decade or more, and did the square root of fuck all about it.
I would be utterly astonished, though, if a future Reform government were to prove any different in that respect.
Of course they wouldn’t. An old boy I worked with many years ago said to me ‘whoever wins, it’s the civil service that gets in’
I’ve been to visit family in the Midlands this weekend, with her magnificence of course.
I’m struck by the investment in transport. Very visible, especially HS2.
Meanwhile in the North East we get very little and dualling the A1 has, once again, been cancelled. That’s more a symbol. Our transport investment is woeful.
Starmer should really have made one of his party's manifesto promises "Build, baby, build!" and then gone full-throttle for it once he got power.
I suspect that was the basis for Blair's success. I remember going to a funeral in Solihull in late 2004 with my mum and dad. As we had come from Wales for just the day I took them all around where they had lived and worked for many years. Having shown my mother Tidbury Green School where she had started her teaching career we headed off to Shirley, and f*** me someone had only built a big f*** off New Town called Dickens Heath in the middle of the green belt.
Big f*** off New Towns in the middle of the green belt could be the answer.
I tried to listen to the Kemi speech, but gave up after 3 words.
"Conservatives love Manchester."
The last time I recall them being there, Rishi Sunk shafted Manchester and the entire North by killing HS2, turning it into a £50bn branch line to Birmingham, then walked away with a smug smile on his face.
Fuck off, Kemi. You need to start by looking in the mirror. Then you might get a hearing.
She meant 'Conservatives love Manchester United.' As any fool knows all Man Utd live in Southern England the last bastion if conservative voters ..
Manchester has not had one Tory MP or even a Tory councillor for decades so it is certainly not reciprocated. Even Greater Manchester is now a Tory MP free zone.
At least when the Conservatives were in Bournemouth or Blackpool for conferences they had had a Tory MP in living memory. The hotel rooms and bed and breakfasts were cheaper too and you could get some bracing sea air
I tried to listen to the Kemi speech, but gave up after 3 words.
"Conservatives love Manchester."
The last time I recall them being there, Rishi Sunk shafted Manchester and the entire North by killing HS2, turning it into a £50bn branch line to Birmingham, then walked away with a smug smile on his face.
Fuck off, Kemi. You need to start by looking in the mirror. Then you might get a hearing.
She meant 'Conservatives love Manchester United.' As any fool knows all Man Utd live in Southern England the last bastion if conservative voters ..
Manchester has not had one Tory MP or even a Tory councillor for decades so it is certainly not reciprocated. Even Greater Manchester is now a Tory MP free zone.
At least when the Conservatives were in Bournemouth or Blackpool for conferences they had had a Tory MP in living memory. The hotel rooms and bed and breakfasts were cheaper too and you could get some bracing sea air
Manchester is pretty bracing if, as a Southerner you don't own a "big coat".
I'm back home, I've done thirteen and a half thousand steps and I'm not in too much pain
I think I might be ready for work in ten days
Nice one.
You’ll be in Devils End in no time.
Do you mean Devil's Den?
I might just do that walk again next week now you might have mentioned it
Devils end is a fictional village in Dr Who - The daemons. Filmed in Aldbourne. Probably the best Pertwee and Unit story.
I won't be walking to Aldbourne just yet. Maybe if I didn't have to walk back
I still might walk to the real Devil's Den. I think it's the opposite way
At Fyfield?
BTW did you get your walk down to Dorset last year? I do hope so. I don't recall seeing any reports on here.
Yes, at Fyfield
I did report here that I quit my walk to Dorset on day one. I got extremely wet, extremely lost, and extremely without phone signal after Avebury
A local Caleb came past in a tractor and offered me a lift. When I declined because je marche partout he directed me through the neighbouring meadow to save about a mile of walking
I took his advice and ended up walking through very wet shoulder high grass. A few miles after that I reached a road, and sat down in a layby
A lovely Irish lady stopped to check on me, and then drove me home
I tried to listen to the Kemi speech, but gave up after 3 words.
"Conservatives love Manchester."
The last time I recall them being there, Rishi Sunk shafted Manchester and the entire North by killing HS2, turning it into a £50bn branch line to Birmingham, then walked away with a smug smile on his face.
Fuck off, Kemi. You need to start by looking in the mirror. Then you might get a hearing.
This. One of the reasons for the rise of Reform, I suspect, is that the Tories talked about "levelling up" for a decade or more, and did the square root of fuck all about it.
I would be utterly astonished, though, if a future Reform government were to prove any different in that respect.
Of course they wouldn’t. An old boy I worked with many years ago said to me ‘whoever wins, it’s the civil service that gets in’
I’ve been to visit family in the Midlands this weekend, with her magnificence of course.
I’m struck by the investment in transport. Very visible, especially HS2.
Meanwhile in the North East we get very little and dualling the A1 has, once again, been cancelled. That’s more a symbol. Our transport investment is woeful.
Was flying over Oxfordshire a week or two back. The earthworks for the Oxford to Cambridge line were very apparent at altitude cutting across from Bicester etc towards Fenland.
Bedford to Cambridge is the proposed bit. Bicester to Bedford is largely extant.
I just bought the Logitech MX Master 4 mouse, replacing my old Logitech mouse from... from... from before I moved to America (so at least 8 years ago).
And it's really good. So if anyone wants a mouse upgrade that will probably last the best part of a decade, I recommend it.
I need to get one instantly. A Smithson tech recommendation is gold standard. You and your father introduced me to both Xiaomi phones and Nothing ear pods (both of which I'm using this minute). So Logitech MX Master 4 Mouse it is. Even if it does sound like a cartoon character.
Everyone in my family uses the Nothing ear buds. It's actually a bit of a hassle because they all look the bloody same, and people (specifically children) tend to pick up whichever ones are nearest (or charged).
I considered getting the yellow ones to avoid this issue... but they're very ugly.
Can't you just put a dot of coloured paint on yours?
Prof. Eliot Jacobson @EliotJacobson · Oct 4 How fast is the planet warming right now?
By looking at daily decadal differences in temperature we get a rate of about 0.35°C per decade. However, the rate of warming itself is increasing and is forecast to reach 0.40°C per decade by the early 2030's.
Prof. Eliot Jacobson @EliotJacobson · Oct 4 How fast is the planet warming right now?
By looking at daily decadal differences in temperature we get a rate of about 0.35°C per decade. However, the rate of warming itself is increasing and is forecast to reach 0.40°C per decade by the early 2030's.
Prof. Eliot Jacobson @EliotJacobson · Oct 4 How fast is the planet warming right now?
By looking at daily decadal differences in temperature we get a rate of about 0.35°C per decade. However, the rate of warming itself is increasing and is forecast to reach 0.40°C per decade by the early 2030's.
I'm back home, I've done thirteen and a half thousand steps and I'm not in too much pain
I think I might be ready for work in ten days
Nice one.
You’ll be in Devils End in no time.
Do you mean Devil's Den?
I might just do that walk again next week now you might have mentioned it
Devils end is a fictional village in Dr Who - The daemons. Filmed in Aldbourne. Probably the best Pertwee and Unit story.
I won't be walking to Aldbourne just yet. Maybe if I didn't have to walk back
I still might walk to the real Devil's Den. I think it's the opposite way
At Fyfield?
BTW did you get your walk down to Dorset last year? I do hope so. I don't recall seeing any reports on here.
Yes, at Fyfield
I did report here that I quit my walk to Dorset on day one. I got extremely wet, extremely lost, and extremely without phone signal after Avebury
A local Caleb came past in a tractor and offered me a lift. When I declined because je marche partout he directed me through the neighbouring meadow to save about a mile of walking
I took his advice and ended up walking through very wet shoulder high grass. A few miles after that I reached a road, and sat down in a layby
A lovely Irish lady stopped to check on me, and then drove me home
BTW and apologies if I have missed this, but what happened in your accident?
I tried to listen to the Kemi speech, but gave up after 3 words.
"Conservatives love Manchester."
The last time I recall them being there, Rishi Sunk shafted Manchester and the entire North by killing HS2, turning it into a £50bn branch line to Birmingham, then walked away with a smug smile on his face.
Fuck off, Kemi. You need to start by looking in the mirror. Then you might get a hearing.
This. One of the reasons for the rise of Reform, I suspect, is that the Tories talked about "levelling up" for a decade or more, and did the square root of fuck all about it.
I would be utterly astonished, though, if a future Reform government were to prove any different in that respect.
The problem is a simple one.
All the political parties are reactive. The world is difficult, and they are struggling to make ends meet. Therefore, they look for ways to achieve that, which is inevitably in the short term via raising taxes and cutting back on expensive infrastucture projects.
Which means in turn that economic growth stagnates, and therefore the government struggles further to balance the books.
Rinse and repeat.
What governments need to do is to make their first priority driving sustainable economic growth. The easiest place to do this, as I have said many times before, is in the area of residential construction. It's win-win-win.
More homes. Greater economic growth. More tax revenues.
And here's the thing - when the economy is moving, when economic growth is happening, when the books are moving towards balance - then it becomes easier to do the harder things.
Andy Burnham is running on this. A £50b reboot of council housing .
I'm back home, I've done thirteen and a half thousand steps and I'm not in too much pain
I think I might be ready for work in ten days
Nice one.
You’ll be in Devils End in no time.
Do you mean Devil's Den?
I might just do that walk again next week now you might have mentioned it
Devils end is a fictional village in Dr Who - The daemons. Filmed in Aldbourne. Probably the best Pertwee and Unit story.
I won't be walking to Aldbourne just yet. Maybe if I didn't have to walk back
I still might walk to the real Devil's Den. I think it's the opposite way
At Fyfield?
BTW did you get your walk down to Dorset last year? I do hope so. I don't recall seeing any reports on here.
Yes, at Fyfield
I did report here that I quit my walk to Dorset on day one. I got extremely wet, extremely lost, and extremely without phone signal after Avebury
A local Caleb came past in a tractor and offered me a lift. When I declined because je marche partout he directed me through the neighbouring meadow to save about a mile of walking
I took his advice and ended up walking through very wet shoulder high grass. A few miles after that I reached a road, and sat down in a layby
A lovely Irish lady stopped to check on me, and then drove me home
BTW and apologies if I have missed this, but what happened in your accident?
I got knocked out so don't remember the important details, but I got hit by a car while crossing the road at work
The driver claims I walked out in front of him and he was only going 25mph. But MRDA
I got thrown about ten foot in the air with a broken ankle and seven broken ribs
I'm back home, I've done thirteen and a half thousand steps and I'm not in too much pain
I think I might be ready for work in ten days
Nice one.
You’ll be in Devils End in no time.
Do you mean Devil's Den?
I might just do that walk again next week now you might have mentioned it
Devils end is a fictional village in Dr Who - The daemons. Filmed in Aldbourne. Probably the best Pertwee and Unit story.
I won't be walking to Aldbourne just yet. Maybe if I didn't have to walk back
I still might walk to the real Devil's Den. I think it's the opposite way
At Fyfield?
BTW did you get your walk down to Dorset last year? I do hope so. I don't recall seeing any reports on here.
Yes, at Fyfield
I did report here that I quit my walk to Dorset on day one. I got extremely wet, extremely lost, and extremely without phone signal after Avebury
A local Caleb came past in a tractor and offered me a lift. When I declined because je marche partout he directed me through the neighbouring meadow to save about a mile of walking
I took his advice and ended up walking through very wet shoulder high grass. A few miles after that I reached a road, and sat down in a layby
A lovely Irish lady stopped to check on me, and then drove me home
BTW and apologies if I have missed this, but what happened in your accident?
I got knocked out so don't remember the important details, but I got hit by a car while crossing the road at work
The driver claims I walked out in front of him and he was only going 25mph. But MRDA
I got thrown about ten foot in the air with a broken ankle and seven broken ribs
I tried to listen to the Kemi speech, but gave up after 3 words.
"Conservatives love Manchester."
The last time I recall them being there, Rishi Sunk shafted Manchester and the entire North by killing HS2, turning it into a £50bn branch line to Birmingham, then walked away with a smug smile on his face.
Fuck off, Kemi. You need to start by looking in the mirror. Then you might get a hearing.
This. One of the reasons for the rise of Reform, I suspect, is that the Tories talked about "levelling up" for a decade or more, and did the square root of fuck all about it.
I would be utterly astonished, though, if a future Reform government were to prove any different in that respect.
The problem is a simple one.
All the political parties are reactive. The world is difficult, and they are struggling to make ends meet. Therefore, they look for ways to achieve that, which is inevitably in the short term via raising taxes and cutting back on expensive infrastucture projects.
Which means in turn that economic growth stagnates, and therefore the government struggles further to balance the books.
Rinse and repeat.
What governments need to do is to make their first priority driving sustainable economic growth. The easiest place to do this, as I have said many times before, is in the area of residential construction. It's win-win-win.
More homes. Greater economic growth. More tax revenues.
And here's the thing - when the economy is moving, when economic growth is happening, when the books are moving towards balance - then it becomes easier to do the harder things.
Andy Burnham is running on this. A £50b reboot of council housing .
When you say Burnham is running.... he's not doing anything of the sort. He's egging on whoever will wear a T-shirt saying 'vaguely said I like Burnham once'.
No I don’t want to choose my blend, roast, origin, style, size, heat level, terroir, gluten levels and milk fat content of my coffee
Especially when at the end it tastes like very fucking average coffee
I miss Naples
I hear that when ordering a coffee in America you can have as many refills as you want for no extra charge. Although it sounds like you wouldn't want a refill.
No I don’t want to choose my blend, roast, origin, style, size, heat level, terroir, gluten levels and milk fat content of my coffee
Especially when at the end it tastes like very fucking average coffee
I miss Naples
Clearly the best tea is in London (although you'd be excused in not thinking so in that good tea in establishments of all sorts is very rare), but now perhaps the best coffee to be had too.
I tried to listen to the Kemi speech, but gave up after 3 words.
"Conservatives love Manchester."
The last time I recall them being there, Rishi Sunk shafted Manchester and the entire North by killing HS2, turning it into a £50bn branch line to Birmingham, then walked away with a smug smile on his face.
Fuck off, Kemi. You need to start by looking in the mirror. Then you might get a hearing.
This. One of the reasons for the rise of Reform, I suspect, is that the Tories talked about "levelling up" for a decade or more, and did the square root of fuck all about it.
I would be utterly astonished, though, if a future Reform government were to prove any different in that respect.
The problem is a simple one.
All the political parties are reactive. The world is difficult, and they are struggling to make ends meet. Therefore, they look for ways to achieve that, which is inevitably in the short term via raising taxes and cutting back on expensive infrastucture projects.
Which means in turn that economic growth stagnates, and therefore the government struggles further to balance the books.
Rinse and repeat.
What governments need to do is to make their first priority driving sustainable economic growth. The easiest place to do this, as I have said many times before, is in the area of residential construction. It's win-win-win.
More homes. Greater economic growth. More tax revenues.
And here's the thing - when the economy is moving, when economic growth is happening, when the books are moving towards balance - then it becomes easier to do the harder things.
Andy Burnham is running on this. A £50b reboot of council housing .
When you say Burnham is running.... he's not doing anything of the sort. He's egging on whoever will wear a T-shirt saying 'vaguely said I like Burnham once'.
Well he was running. For 48 hours he was. Not sure how I'd describe his situation now.
No I don’t want to choose my blend, roast, origin, style, size, heat level, terroir, gluten levels and milk fat content of my coffee
Especially when at the end it tastes like very fucking average coffee
I miss Naples
I've been drinking mine with crud in the bottom, Bosnian style. Very nice, poky but better for lingering over than an espresso which you should knock back standing and walk out (or have as a stiffener between rounds of beer). Even learnt to make it.
Yesterday I was in the Genocide museum in Mostar. Sickening and chilling, really well-chosen exhibits that bring it home. It's not very big, no matter, I couldn't stay any longer.
One guy had his throat cut by Chetniks in 1943 and thrown off the bridge at Višegrad. They didn't do a very good job,he swum to the bank and survived. Fifty years later they did it again, tied his hands and feet this time.
Another guy had his wife and 10 kids killed by Chetniks in WW2. He remarried after the war and had 5 more. In 1993 they killed four of them.
Did this evil really pass us by? Why were we fucking around for several years before doing anything?
I await her details on this subject which apparently follows a review by David Wolfson who is a barrister
What has become increasingly obvious the powers of the ECHR are seen as a problem, and not just with Farage declaration to leave, and now Badenoch's, but also Starmer is wanting changes
Some on the right have picked the ECHR as a bogeyman. They want to rekindle the Brexit debate and so have picked on something else with European in its name. The actual day-to-day impact of the ECHR on our lives is not great.
The ECHR is not responsible for unaffordable housing, for insecure employment, for all-powerful tech companies creating monopolies. The ECHR is not responsible for cancer or dementia or long COVID. The ECHR does not cause rape or assaults or mobile phone theft. The ECHR is not why it's difficult to see a GP or book a driving test.
Badenoch's announcement is clickbait as politics, not a serious attempt to make our lives better.
Your second paragraph is not the reason why leaving or amending the ECHR is such a hot topic
It relates entirely to our ability to stop the boats and illegal migration and it is clear even Starmer recognisies it and is reviewing parts of it
The status quo on the ECHR is not sustainable
Can you explain the mechanics of why we should join Russia and Belarus in a human rights hinterland?
To make sure Canada and Australia can outvote them?
Since when had Canada and Australia been in Europe. It isn't the Eurovision Song Contest.
Since when were human rights supposed to be restricted to a particular region ?
They are not, but it is a European organisation, whose members are solely European so you wouldn't expect a non European country to be a member, so when someone says we will be alone with Russia and Belarus (a very good response) a reply to that of Australia and Canada are also not members is disingenuous to say the least.
Do you realise how farcically dated your argument is. "Oooh, we will LOOK BAD on the WORLD STAGE." - when these laws are preventing the deportation of child abusers, drug dealers and violent criminals. That sort of 'legitimacy' we can do without seeking.
I never said anything of the sort @Luckyguy1983 . Maybe you should try reading what I said first before going into rant mode. I didn't even put forward a pro or anti argument.
I simply pointed out that someone arguing that Australia and Canada aren't part of the ECHR which is a European organisation is a bonkers argument. Do you disagree with that?
You did say something like it, in your previous post. You decried the 'human rights hinterland' occupied by Russia and Belarus. Are you telling me that was not an attempt to make an argument based on bad optics?
I certainly did not say anything of the sort. Someone else did and then someone responded with Canada/Australia and I pointed out that was ridiculous.
No more ridiculous than comparing the UK’s human rights policy (irrespective of the ECHR) to Belarus and Russia
No I don’t want to choose my blend, roast, origin, style, size, heat level, terroir, gluten levels and milk fat content of my coffee
Especially when at the end it tastes like very fucking average coffee
I miss Naples
I hear that when ordering a coffee in America you can have as many refills as you want for no extra charge. Although it sounds like you wouldn't want a refill.
So much of American retail-consumer society is like this. They provide the illusion of incredible variety - to an extent it becomes stressful - I’ve just gotten up. I just want coffee. And then at the end the product is mediocre. This tastes like tired filter coffee
And the bagel which took 15 minutes to prepare fresh is dull, chewy and the cream cheese is all wrong
Fuck these red states. Bet breakfasts in Alabama are better
Compare with Naples. You go to a cafe. You ask for a cappuccino and a pastry. That’s it. No choice
It arrives in 2 minutes and the cappuccino is superb and the pastry is delicious
I tried to listen to the Kemi speech, but gave up after 3 words.
"Conservatives love Manchester."
The last time I recall them being there, Rishi Sunk shafted Manchester and the entire North by killing HS2, turning it into a £50bn branch line to Birmingham, then walked away with a smug smile on his face.
Fuck off, Kemi. You need to start by looking in the mirror. Then you might get a hearing.
This. One of the reasons for the rise of Reform, I suspect, is that the Tories talked about "levelling up" for a decade or more, and did the square root of fuck all about it.
I would be utterly astonished, though, if a future Reform government were to prove any different in that respect.
The problem is a simple one.
All the political parties are reactive. The world is difficult, and they are struggling to make ends meet. Therefore, they look for ways to achieve that, which is inevitably in the short term via raising taxes and cutting back on expensive infrastucture projects.
Which means in turn that economic growth stagnates, and therefore the government struggles further to balance the books.
Rinse and repeat.
What governments need to do is to make their first priority driving sustainable economic growth. The easiest place to do this, as I have said many times before, is in the area of residential construction. It's win-win-win.
More homes. Greater economic growth. More tax revenues.
And here's the thing - when the economy is moving, when economic growth is happening, when the books are moving towards balance - then it becomes easier to do the harder things.
It is, of course, entirely possible that investment in northern cities would show a greater return than an equivalent incremental investment in the part of the south which gets a greatly disproportionate share of government spending.
The problem is every bit as much civil service dogma which doesn't allow for that possibility.
I tried to listen to the Kemi speech, but gave up after 3 words.
"Conservatives love Manchester."
The last time I recall them being there, Rishi Sunk shafted Manchester and the entire North by killing HS2, turning it into a £50bn branch line to Birmingham, then walked away with a smug smile on his face.
Fuck off, Kemi. You need to start by looking in the mirror. Then you might get a hearing.
This. One of the reasons for the rise of Reform, I suspect, is that the Tories talked about "levelling up" for a decade or more, and did the square root of fuck all about it.
I would be utterly astonished, though, if a future Reform government were to prove any different in that respect.
The problem is a simple one.
All the political parties are reactive. The world is difficult, and they are struggling to make ends meet. Therefore, they look for ways to achieve that, which is inevitably in the short term via raising taxes and cutting back on expensive infrastucture projects.
Which means in turn that economic growth stagnates, and therefore the government struggles further to balance the books.
Rinse and repeat.
What governments need to do is to make their first priority driving sustainable economic growth. The easiest place to do this, as I have said many times before, is in the area of residential construction. It's win-win-win.
More homes. Greater economic growth. More tax revenues.
And here's the thing - when the economy is moving, when economic growth is happening, when the books are moving towards balance - then it becomes easier to do the harder things.
Andy Burnham is running on this. A £50b reboot of council housing .
When you say Burnham is running.... he's not doing anything of the sort. He's egging on whoever will wear a T-shirt saying 'vaguely said I like Burnham once'.
Well he was running. For 48 hours he was. Not sure how I'd describe his situation now.
Feel free to steal. The AIs of the world have been stealing my stuff for ages now. That's why they're all blithering idiots to a robot.
No I don’t want to choose my blend, roast, origin, style, size, heat level, terroir, gluten levels and milk fat content of my coffee
Especially when at the end it tastes like very fucking average coffee
I miss Naples
I've been drinking mine with crud in the bottom, Bosnian style. Very nice, poky but better for lingering over than an espresso which you should knock back standing and walk out (or have as a stiffener between rounds of beer). Even learnt to make it.
Yesterday I was in the Genocide museum in Mostar. Sickening and chilling, really well-chosen exhibits that bring it home. It's not very big, no matter, I couldn't stay any longer.
One guy had his throat cut by Chetniks in 1943 and thrown off the bridge at Višegrad. They didn't do a very good job,he swum to the bank and survived. Fifty years later they did it again, tied his hands and feet this time.
Another guy had his wife and 10 kids killed by Chetniks in WW2. He remarried after the war and had 5 more. In 1993 they killed four of them.
Did this evil really pass us by? Why were we fucking around for several years before doing anything?
I holidayed in Yugoslavia as a teenager in the eighties. I distinctly remember a tour to some caves where the guide on the coach pointed out the various villages as belonging to the various peoples. Never did I imagine they would be murdering each other in a few years.
I'm back home, I've done thirteen and a half thousand steps and I'm not in too much pain
I think I might be ready for work in ten days
Nice one.
You’ll be in Devils End in no time.
Do you mean Devil's Den?
I might just do that walk again next week now you might have mentioned it
Devils end is a fictional village in Dr Who - The daemons. Filmed in Aldbourne. Probably the best Pertwee and Unit story.
I won't be walking to Aldbourne just yet. Maybe if I didn't have to walk back
I still might walk to the real Devil's Den. I think it's the opposite way
At Fyfield?
BTW did you get your walk down to Dorset last year? I do hope so. I don't recall seeing any reports on here.
Yes, at Fyfield
I did report here that I quit my walk to Dorset on day one. I got extremely wet, extremely lost, and extremely without phone signal after Avebury
A local Caleb came past in a tractor and offered me a lift. When I declined because je marche partout he directed me through the neighbouring meadow to save about a mile of walking
I took his advice and ended up walking through very wet shoulder high grass. A few miles after that I reached a road, and sat down in a layby
A lovely Irish lady stopped to check on me, and then drove me home
BTW and apologies if I have missed this, but what happened in your accident?
I got knocked out so don't remember the important details, but I got hit by a car while crossing the road at work
The driver claims I walked out in front of him and he was only going 25mph. But MRDA
I got thrown about ten foot in the air with a broken ankle and seven broken ribs
Any video around to corroborate/show them up for the liar they are?
Bloody hell £100 for a mouse. Surely it can't be that good. Or how can I signal to people that I am the kind of guy that rolls with a Logitech MX Master 4 Mouse. If I'm spending £100 on it I must somehow co-opt this fact it in support of my status.
I know I get criticised for extravagant spending, but £100 on a mouse is bonkers, what's wrong with using the trackpad on your laptop?
There needs to be a way to express disgust that doesn't pester the moderators.
I am sure there's a Radiohead/OK Computer gag to be made to express our disgust.
I’m watching Heretic at the moment (the first time that Hugh Grant has actually been interesting in a movie).
No I don’t want to choose my blend, roast, origin, style, size, heat level, terroir, gluten levels and milk fat content of my coffee
Especially when at the end it tastes like very fucking average coffee
I miss Naples
Clearly the best tea is in London (although you'd be excused in not thinking so in that good tea in establishments of all sorts is very rare), but now perhaps the best coffee to be had too.
No. Italy has the best coffee, southern Italy has the best coffee in Italy, and Naples has the best coffee in southern Italy
I love the espresso. No fucking nonsense. Slammed down with a little cup of water and it’s a dose of black liquid crack. For one euro
No I don’t want to choose my blend, roast, origin, style, size, heat level, terroir, gluten levels and milk fat content of my coffee
Especially when at the end it tastes like very fucking average coffee
I miss Naples
I hear that when ordering a coffee in America you can have as many refills as you want for no extra charge. Although it sounds like you wouldn't want a refill.
So much of American retail-consumer society is like this. They provide the illusion of incredible variety - to an extent it becomes stressful - I’ve just gotten up. I just want coffee. And then at the end the product is mediocre. This tastes like tired filter coffee
And the bagel which took 15 minutes to prepare fresh is dull, chewy and the cream cheese is all wrong
Fuck these red states. Bet breakfasts in Alabama are better
Compare with Naples. You go to a cafe. You ask for a cappuccino and a pastry. That’s it. No choice
It arrives in 2 minutes and the cappuccino is superb and the pastry is delicious
It's a bit like drinking the house wine in a trattoria in Italy, your host chooses it personally and orders it in bulk from the vineyard. It won't be the best wine you ever had but will be great, drinkable wine and good value. You only order bottled if you are willy-waving
I just bought the Logitech MX Master 4 mouse, replacing my old Logitech mouse from... from... from before I moved to America (so at least 8 years ago).
And it's really good. So if anyone wants a mouse upgrade that will probably last the best part of a decade, I recommend it.
I need to get one instantly. A Smithson tech recommendation is gold standard. You and your father introduced me to both Xiaomi phones and Nothing ear pods (both of which I'm using this minute). So Logitech MX Master 4 Mouse it is. Even if it does sound like a cartoon character.
Everyone in my family uses the Nothing ear buds. It's actually a bit of a hassle because they all look the bloody same, and people (specifically children) tend to pick up whichever ones are nearest (or charged).
I considered getting the yellow ones to avoid this issue... but they're very ugly.
Can't you just put a dot of coloured paint on yours?
I put stickers on it. But they keep peeling off.
Paint has certain advantages .
Try gloss or the stuff you use on an Airfix Model.
Being a distant second to China in manufacturing (eg) batteries is perhaps not a bad place to be.
Here’s one trend you probably don’t know about:
China is now heavily restricting the export of its own companies’ battery manufacturing and LCD display equipment to countries like Vietnam and India.
Beijing is deeply worried that its advanced industrial technologies could leak abroad.
As a result, many Indian and Vietnamese companies have recently been visiting South Korea.
In fact, not long ago, Tata Group, one of India’s largest conglomerates, came to Korea to conduct an on-site inspection to purchase Korean battery manufacturing equipment — reportedly worth several billion dollars.
I expect Korea to benefit from this trend. After all, we’re already the world’s second-largest battery producer, and we were manufacturing LCDs until just a few years ago... https://x.com/Jukanlosreve/status/1974712749168234614
BIB: China has just remembered how it caught up with Western technology.
I tried to listen to the Kemi speech, but gave up after 3 words.
"Conservatives love Manchester."
The last time I recall them being there, Rishi Sunk shafted Manchester and the entire North by killing HS2, turning it into a £50bn branch line to Birmingham, then walked away with a smug smile on his face.
Fuck off, Kemi. You need to start by looking in the mirror. Then you might get a hearing.
She meant 'Conservatives love Manchester United.' As any fool knows all Man Utd live in Southern England the last bastion if conservative voters ..
Manchester has not had one Tory MP or even a Tory councillor for decades so it is certainly not reciprocated. Even Greater Manchester is now a Tory MP free zone.
At least when the Conservatives were in Bournemouth or Blackpool for conferences they had had a Tory MP in living memory. The hotel rooms and bed and breakfasts were cheaper too and you could get some bracing sea air
That's a great line. Better than 'Never Kissed a Tory'. Manchester hasn't had a tory MP or even a Councillor for ever...
The City that gave you Rolls and Royce and Marks and Engels And Marks and Spencer and ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
I heard one today at a Dali Exhibition. One taken up by the Surrealists 'Beautiful as the chance encounter of a sewing machine and an umbrella on an operating table'
No I don’t want to choose my blend, roast, origin, style, size, heat level, terroir, gluten levels and milk fat content of my coffee
Especially when at the end it tastes like very fucking average coffee
I miss Naples
I hear that when ordering a coffee in America you can have as many refills as you want for no extra charge. Although it sounds like you wouldn't want a refill.
So much of American retail-consumer society is like this. They provide the illusion of incredible variety - to an extent it becomes stressful - I’ve just gotten up. I just want coffee. And then at the end the product is mediocre. This tastes like tired filter coffee
And the bagel which took 15 minutes to prepare fresh is dull, chewy and the cream cheese is all wrong
Fuck these red states. Bet breakfasts in Alabama are better
Compare with Naples. You go to a cafe. You ask for a cappuccino and a pastry. That’s it. No choice
It arrives in 2 minutes and the cappuccino is superb and the pastry is delicious
It's a bit like drinking the house wine in a trattoria in Italy, your host chooses it personally and orders it in bulk from the vineyard. It won't be the best wine you ever had but will be great, drinkable wine and good value. You only order bottled if you are willy-waving
Yes. And likewise with the coffee all the staff drink it. That’s the coffee. It will be good. Probably very good
And the absence of choice is such a relief especially before noon
No I don’t want to choose my blend, roast, origin, style, size, heat level, terroir, gluten levels and milk fat content of my coffee
Especially when at the end it tastes like very fucking average coffee
I miss Naples
I've been drinking mine with crud in the bottom, Bosnian style. Very nice, poky but better for lingering over than an espresso which you should knock back standing and walk out (or have as a stiffener between rounds of beer). Even learnt to make it.
Yesterday I was in the Genocide museum in Mostar. Sickening and chilling, really well-chosen exhibits that bring it home. It's not very big, no matter, I couldn't stay any longer.
One guy had his throat cut by Chetniks in 1943 and thrown off the bridge at Višegrad. They didn't do a very good job,he swum to the bank and survived. Fifty years later they did it again, tied his hands and feet this time.
Another guy had his wife and 10 kids killed by Chetniks in WW2. He remarried after the war and had 5 more. In 1993 they killed four of them.
Did this evil really pass us by? Why were we fucking around for several years before doing anything?
Tony Blair is still feted in some parts of the world.
No I don’t want to choose my blend, roast, origin, style, size, heat level, terroir, gluten levels and milk fat content of my coffee
Especially when at the end it tastes like very fucking average coffee
I miss Naples
Clearly the best tea is in London (although you'd be excused in not thinking so in that good tea in establishments of all sorts is very rare), but now perhaps the best coffee to be had too.
No. Italy has the best coffee, southern Italy has the best coffee in Italy, and Naples has the best coffee in southern Italy
I love the espresso. No fucking nonsense. Slammed down with a little cup of water and it’s a dose of black liquid crack. For one euro
I'd not wish to quibble. I think the best coffee I've ever had was in a gastro place in the suburbs of Istanbul, and the worst was 'Mustang' coffee in the foothills of Annapurna, Nepal. You can't really tell with just one cup of course but I think there was a clue with the rancid butter taste of the latter to avoid at all costs.
I tried to listen to the Kemi speech, but gave up after 3 words.
"Conservatives love Manchester."
The last time I recall them being there, Rishi Sunk shafted Manchester and the entire North by killing HS2, turning it into a £50bn branch line to Birmingham, then walked away with a smug smile on his face.
Fuck off, Kemi. You need to start by looking in the mirror. Then you might get a hearing.
This. One of the reasons for the rise of Reform, I suspect, is that the Tories talked about "levelling up" for a decade or more, and did the square root of fuck all about it.
I would be utterly astonished, though, if a future Reform government were to prove any different in that respect.
Of course they wouldn’t. An old boy I worked with many years ago said to me ‘whoever wins, it’s the civil service that gets in’
I’ve been to visit family in the Midlands this weekend, with her magnificence of course.
I’m struck by the investment in transport. Very visible, especially HS2.
Meanwhile in the North East we get very little and dualling the A1 has, once again, been cancelled. That’s more a symbol. Our transport investment is woeful.
That's how I see it - there was an opportunity to build a voting coalition including a new version of "working class Tories" (aka Red Wall), but they pissed it away.
(I would prefer "blew it" but I think "pissed it away" is more representative.)
No I don’t want to choose my blend, roast, origin, style, size, heat level, terroir, gluten levels and milk fat content of my coffee
Especially when at the end it tastes like very fucking average coffee
I miss Naples
Clearly the best tea is in London (although you'd be excused in not thinking so in that good tea in establishments of all sorts is very rare), but now perhaps the best coffee to be had too.
No. Italy has the best coffee, southern Italy has the best coffee in Italy, and Naples has the best coffee in southern Italy
I love the espresso. No fucking nonsense. Slammed down with a little cup of water and it’s a dose of black liquid crack. For one euro
Espresso is an Italian invention which the Americans have really fucked up. Ditto pizza. Probably lots more.
Albania is great for coffee. There's actually quite a few Vergnano 1888 places. Superb coffee. In the south they somehow make Turkish with the steam wand. (They actually call it Turkish, unlike most places where they call it Bosnian, Cypriot, Greek, domača etc)
No I don’t want to choose my blend, roast, origin, style, size, heat level, terroir, gluten levels and milk fat content of my coffee
Especially when at the end it tastes like very fucking average coffee
I miss Naples
I hear that when ordering a coffee in America you can have as many refills as you want for no extra charge. Although it sounds like you wouldn't want a refill.
So much of American retail-consumer society is like this. They provide the illusion of incredible variety - to an extent it becomes stressful - I’ve just gotten up. I just want coffee. And then at the end the product is mediocre. This tastes like tired filter coffee
And the bagel which took 15 minutes to prepare fresh is dull, chewy and the cream cheese is all wrong
Fuck these red states. Bet breakfasts in Alabama are better
Compare with Naples. You go to a cafe. You ask for a cappuccino and a pastry. That’s it. No choice
It arrives in 2 minutes and the cappuccino is superb and the pastry is delicious
Yes, I'm not a great fan of choice and complexity in catering matters. Eg the casserole I'm cooking tonight. Chicken thighs, onions, carrots. Serve with boiled rice. Simple, authentic, tasty.
I just bought the Logitech MX Master 4 mouse, replacing my old Logitech mouse from... from... from before I moved to America (so at least 8 years ago).
And it's really good. So if anyone wants a mouse upgrade that will probably last the best part of a decade, I recommend it.
I need to get one instantly. A Smithson tech recommendation is gold standard. You and your father introduced me to both Xiaomi phones and Nothing ear pods (both of which I'm using this minute). So Logitech MX Master 4 Mouse it is. Even if it does sound like a cartoon character.
Everyone in my family uses the Nothing ear buds. It's actually a bit of a hassle because they all look the bloody same, and people (specifically children) tend to pick up whichever ones are nearest (or charged).
I considered getting the yellow ones to avoid this issue... but they're very ugly.
Can't you just put a dot of coloured paint on yours?
I put stickers on it. But they keep peeling off.
Paint has certain advantages .
Try gloss or the stuff you use on an Airfix Model.
You'd need to de-grease the relevant bits of the buds first, though, e.g. with isopropyl alcohol or a dab of thinners. All that ear wax and oily sebum in the sweat will otherwise make the paint just slide off when dry, or not dry at all. (And a few plastics won't hold paint even then.)
No I don’t want to choose my blend, roast, origin, style, size, heat level, terroir, gluten levels and milk fat content of my coffee
Especially when at the end it tastes like very fucking average coffee
I miss Naples
I've been drinking mine with crud in the bottom, Bosnian style. Very nice, poky but better for lingering over than an espresso which you should knock back standing and walk out (or have as a stiffener between rounds of beer). Even learnt to make it.
Yesterday I was in the Genocide museum in Mostar. Sickening and chilling, really well-chosen exhibits that bring it home. It's not very big, no matter, I couldn't stay any longer.
One guy had his throat cut by Chetniks in 1943 and thrown off the bridge at Višegrad. They didn't do a very good job,he swum to the bank and survived. Fifty years later they did it again, tied his hands and feet this time.
Another guy had his wife and 10 kids killed by Chetniks in WW2. He remarried after the war and had 5 more. In 1993 they killed four of them.
Did this evil really pass us by? Why were we fucking around for several years before doing anything?
Tony Blair is still feted in some parts of the world.
There's a statue of Bill Clinton in Prishtina, and a monument to NATO
Being a distant second to China in manufacturing (eg) batteries is perhaps not a bad place to be.
Here’s one trend you probably don’t know about:
China is now heavily restricting the export of its own companies’ battery manufacturing and LCD display equipment to countries like Vietnam and India.
Beijing is deeply worried that its advanced industrial technologies could leak abroad.
As a result, many Indian and Vietnamese companies have recently been visiting South Korea.
In fact, not long ago, Tata Group, one of India’s largest conglomerates, came to Korea to conduct an on-site inspection to purchase Korean battery manufacturing equipment — reportedly worth several billion dollars.
I expect Korea to benefit from this trend. After all, we’re already the world’s second-largest battery producer, and we were manufacturing LCDs until just a few years ago... https://x.com/Jukanlosreve/status/1974712749168234614
BIB: China has just remembered how it caught up with Western technology.
No I don’t want to choose my blend, roast, origin, style, size, heat level, terroir, gluten levels and milk fat content of my coffee
Especially when at the end it tastes like very fucking average coffee
I miss Naples
Clearly the best tea is in London (although you'd be excused in not thinking so in that good tea in establishments of all sorts is very rare), but now perhaps the best coffee to be had too.
No. Italy has the best coffee, southern Italy has the best coffee in Italy, and Naples has the best coffee in southern Italy
I love the espresso. No fucking nonsense. Slammed down with a little cup of water and it’s a dose of black liquid crack. For one euro
I'd not wish to quibble. I think the best coffee I've ever had was in a gastro place in the suburbs of Istanbul, and the worst was 'Mustang' coffee in the foothills of Annapurna, Nepal. You can't really tell with just one cup of course but I think there was a clue with the rancid butter taste of the latter to avoid at all costs.
Ethiopian coffee can be sensational. As it is the fons et origo of coffee. It’s where coffee comes from
You get these little old ladies sitting on dusty cushions on pavements with rusty coffee making sets, in central Addis Ababa, and you think Ugh this will be bad
No I don’t want to choose my blend, roast, origin, style, size, heat level, terroir, gluten levels and milk fat content of my coffee
Especially when at the end it tastes like very fucking average coffee
I miss Naples
I hear that when ordering a coffee in America you can have as many refills as you want for no extra charge. Although it sounds like you wouldn't want a refill.
So much of American retail-consumer society is like this. They provide the illusion of incredible variety - to an extent it becomes stressful - I’ve just gotten up. I just want coffee. And then at the end the product is mediocre. This tastes like tired filter coffee
And the bagel which took 15 minutes to prepare fresh is dull, chewy and the cream cheese is all wrong
Fuck these red states. Bet breakfasts in Alabama are better
Compare with Naples. You go to a cafe. You ask for a cappuccino and a pastry. That’s it. No choice
It arrives in 2 minutes and the cappuccino is superb and the pastry is delicious
Re Alabama:
Birmingham is decent for food, but once you leave that, it's all Denny's and not great.
No I don’t want to choose my blend, roast, origin, style, size, heat level, terroir, gluten levels and milk fat content of my coffee
Especially when at the end it tastes like very fucking average coffee
I miss Naples
Clearly the best tea is in London (although you'd be excused in not thinking so in that good tea in establishments of all sorts is very rare), but now perhaps the best coffee to be had too.
No. Italy has the best coffee, southern Italy has the best coffee in Italy, and Naples has the best coffee in southern Italy
I love the espresso. No fucking nonsense. Slammed down with a little cup of water and it’s a dose of black liquid crack. For one euro
I'd not wish to quibble. I think the best coffee I've ever had was in a gastro place in the suburbs of Istanbul, and the worst was 'Mustang' coffee in the foothills of Annapurna, Nepal. You can't really tell with just one cup of course but I think there was a clue with the rancid butter taste of the latter to avoid at all costs.
Ethiopian coffee can be sensational. As it is the fons et origo of coffee. It’s where coffee comes from
You get these little old ladies sitting on dusty cushions on pavements with rusty coffee making sets, in central Addis Ababa, and you think Ugh this will be bad
It’s usually very very good
I've never quite managed to make decent Ethiopian. Too many floral, herby etc flavours. Makes bad espresso and weak drip. Must find out how they do it. Maybe that's an idea for a trip...
I tried to listen to the Kemi speech, but gave up after 3 words.
"Conservatives love Manchester."
The last time I recall them being there, Rishi Sunk shafted Manchester and the entire North by killing HS2, turning it into a £50bn branch line to Birmingham, then walked away with a smug smile on his face.
Fuck off, Kemi. You need to start by looking in the mirror. Then you might get a hearing.
This. One of the reasons for the rise of Reform, I suspect, is that the Tories talked about "levelling up" for a decade or more, and did the square root of fuck all about it.
I would be utterly astonished, though, if a future Reform government were to prove any different in that respect.
Of course they wouldn’t. An old boy I worked with many years ago said to me ‘whoever wins, it’s the civil service that gets in’
I’ve been to visit family in the Midlands this weekend, with her magnificence of course.
I’m struck by the investment in transport. Very visible, especially HS2.
Meanwhile in the North East we get very little and dualling the A1 has, once again, been cancelled. That’s more a symbol. Our transport investment is woeful.
That's how I see it - there was an opportunity to build a voting coalition including a new version of "working class Tories" (aka Red Wall), but they pissed it away.
(I would prefer "blew it" but I think "pissed it away" is more representative.)
Boris Johnson all over unfortunately. Slogans were where he started and finished.
I await her details on this subject which apparently follows a review by David Wolfson who is a barrister
What has become increasingly obvious the powers of the ECHR are seen as a problem, and not just with Farage declaration to leave, and now Badenoch's, but also Starmer is wanting changes
Some on the right have picked the ECHR as a bogeyman. They want to rekindle the Brexit debate and so have picked on something else with European in its name. The actual day-to-day impact of the ECHR on our lives is not great.
The ECHR is not responsible for unaffordable housing, for insecure employment, for all-powerful tech companies creating monopolies. The ECHR is not responsible for cancer or dementia or long COVID. The ECHR does not cause rape or assaults or mobile phone theft. The ECHR is not why it's difficult to see a GP or book a driving test.
Badenoch's announcement is clickbait as politics, not a serious attempt to make our lives better.
Your second paragraph is not the reason why leaving or amending the ECHR is such a hot topic
It relates entirely to our ability to stop the boats and illegal migration and it is clear even Starmer recognisies it and is reviewing parts of it
The status quo on the ECHR is not sustainable
Can you explain the mechanics of why we should join Russia and Belarus in a human rights hinterland?
To make sure Canada and Australia can outvote them?
Since when had Canada and Australia been in Europe. It isn't the Eurovision Song Contest.
Since when were human rights supposed to be restricted to a particular region ?
They are not, but it is a European organisation, whose members are solely European so you wouldn't expect a non European country to be a member, so when someone says we will be alone with Russia and Belarus (a very good response) a reply to that of Australia and Canada are also not members is disingenuous to say the least.
Do you realise how farcically dated your argument is. "Oooh, we will LOOK BAD on the WORLD STAGE." - when these laws are preventing the deportation of child abusers, drug dealers and violent criminals. That sort of 'legitimacy' we can do without seeking.
I never said anything of the sort @Luckyguy1983 . Maybe you should try reading what I said first before going into rant mode. I didn't even put forward a pro or anti argument.
I simply pointed out that someone arguing that Australia and Canada aren't part of the ECHR which is a European organisation is a bonkers argument. Do you disagree with that?
You did say something like it, in your previous post. You decried the 'human rights hinterland' occupied by Russia and Belarus. Are you telling me that was not an attempt to make an argument based on bad optics?
I certainly did not say anything of the sort. Someone else did and then someone responded with Canada/Australia and I pointed out that was ridiculous.
No more ridiculous than comparing the UK’s human rights policy (irrespective of the ECHR) to Belarus and Russia
Yes but I didn't and just because someone says something ridiculous doesn't mean anyone should respond with something else ridiculous. That makes no sense. Argue with facts and logic.
No I don’t want to choose my blend, roast, origin, style, size, heat level, terroir, gluten levels and milk fat content of my coffee
Especially when at the end it tastes like very fucking average coffee
I miss Naples
I hear that when ordering a coffee in America you can have as many refills as you want for no extra charge. Although it sounds like you wouldn't want a refill.
So much of American retail-consumer society is like this. They provide the illusion of incredible variety - to an extent it becomes stressful - I’ve just gotten up. I just want coffee. And then at the end the product is mediocre. This tastes like tired filter coffee
And the bagel which took 15 minutes to prepare fresh is dull, chewy and the cream cheese is all wrong
Fuck these red states. Bet breakfasts in Alabama are better
Compare with Naples. You go to a cafe. You ask for a cappuccino and a pastry. That’s it. No choice
It arrives in 2 minutes and the cappuccino is superb and the pastry is delicious
Yes, I'm not a great fan of choice and complexity in catering matters. Eg the casserole I'm cooking tonight. Chicken thighs, onions, carrots. Serve with boiled rice. Simple, authentic, tasty.
This discussion gives me an excuse to post my daily picture, from dinner last night at a place called Da Vinci in Earlsdon, a suburb of Coventry.
It’s a restaurant deliberately preserved in aspic over decades. Not cheap but a proper experience.
The starched white tablecloths and folded napkins, the slick-haired elderly proprietor in his tie and silk scarf with the stature of Danny De Vito and a look of the mob, each member of waiting staff with a different designated role, and a menu of all the classics. I had chicken livers then a veal cutlet.
Plus, presumably because it was always so, two classic French dishes prepared at the table: Steak Diane, and Crepe Suzette.
Here’s my sister’s Steak Diane being flamed by the Steak Diane waitress:
I just bought the Logitech MX Master 4 mouse, replacing my old Logitech mouse from... from... from before I moved to America (so at least 8 years ago).
And it's really good. So if anyone wants a mouse upgrade that will probably last the best part of a decade, I recommend it.
I need to get one instantly. A Smithson tech recommendation is gold standard. You and your father introduced me to both Xiaomi phones and Nothing ear pods (both of which I'm using this minute). So Logitech MX Master 4 Mouse it is. Even if it does sound like a cartoon character.
Everyone in my family uses the Nothing ear buds. It's actually a bit of a hassle because they all look the bloody same, and people (specifically children) tend to pick up whichever ones are nearest (or charged).
I considered getting the yellow ones to avoid this issue... but they're very ugly.
Can't you just put a dot of coloured paint on yours?
I put stickers on it. But they keep peeling off.
Paint has certain advantages .
Try gloss or the stuff you use on an Airfix Model.
You'd need to de-grease the relevant bits of the buds first, though, e.g. with isopropyl alcohol or a dab of thinners. All that ear wax and oily sebum in the sweat will otherwise make the paint just slide off when dry, or not dry at all. (And a few plastics won't hold paint even then.)
I really can't do earbuds. They fall out, and if running my earholes get sweaty and really itchy.
Shokz behind-the-head bone conductors are, however, awesome
No I don’t want to choose my blend, roast, origin, style, size, heat level, terroir, gluten levels and milk fat content of my coffee
Especially when at the end it tastes like very fucking average coffee
I miss Naples
Clearly the best tea is in London (although you'd be excused in not thinking so in that good tea in establishments of all sorts is very rare), but now perhaps the best coffee to be had too.
No. Italy has the best coffee, southern Italy has the best coffee in Italy, and Naples has the best coffee in southern Italy
I love the espresso. No fucking nonsense. Slammed down with a little cup of water and it’s a dose of black liquid crack. For one euro
Espresso is an Italian invention which the Americans have really fucked up. Ditto pizza. Probably lots more.
Albania is great for coffee. There's actually quite a few Vergnano 1888 places. Superb coffee. In the south they somehow make Turkish with the steam wand. (They actually call it Turkish, unlike most places where they call it Bosnian, Cypriot, Greek, domača etc)
Didn’t we invent a PB word for when a destination satisfyingly fulfils your clicheed expectations?
Naples did all of that for me last week. It was noisy filthy exciting noomy hectic chaotic tumbledown amusing beautiful and best of all the pizzas were as good as ever. The best pizzas in the world
How do they do it? The dough? The tomatoes?
You have this moment when you bring your takeaway pizza back to your Spanish quarters gaff and you open the box and take a bite and then you pause - and think - wait, this is different, this is ultra pizza. The platonic ideal of pizza
And again the simplest is the best. At most have a diavolo
No I don’t want to choose my blend, roast, origin, style, size, heat level, terroir, gluten levels and milk fat content of my coffee
Especially when at the end it tastes like very fucking average coffee
I miss Naples
Clearly the best tea is in London (although you'd be excused in not thinking so in that good tea in establishments of all sorts is very rare), but now perhaps the best coffee to be had too.
No. Italy has the best coffee, southern Italy has the best coffee in Italy, and Naples has the best coffee in southern Italy
I love the espresso. No fucking nonsense. Slammed down with a little cup of water and it’s a dose of black liquid crack. For one euro
Espresso is an Italian invention which the Americans have really fucked up. Ditto pizza. Probably lots more.
Albania is great for coffee. There's actually quite a few Vergnano 1888 places. Superb coffee. In the south they somehow make Turkish with the steam wand. (They actually call it Turkish, unlike most places where they call it Bosnian, Cypriot, Greek, domača etc)
Didn’t we invent a PB word for when a destination satisfyingly fulfils your clicheed expectations?
Naples did all of that for me last week. It was noisy filthy exciting noomy hectic chaotic tumbledown amusing beautiful and best of all the pizzas were as good as ever. The best pizzas in the world
How do they do it? The dough? The tomatoes?
You have this moment when you bring your takeaway pizza back to your Spanish quarters gaff and you open the box and take a bite and then you pause - and think - wait, this is different, this is ultra pizza. The platonic ideal of pizza
And again the simplest is the best. At most have a diavolo
No I don’t want to choose my blend, roast, origin, style, size, heat level, terroir, gluten levels and milk fat content of my coffee
Especially when at the end it tastes like very fucking average coffee
I miss Naples
Clearly the best tea is in London (although you'd be excused in not thinking so in that good tea in establishments of all sorts is very rare), but now perhaps the best coffee to be had too.
No. Italy has the best coffee, southern Italy has the best coffee in Italy, and Naples has the best coffee in southern Italy
I love the espresso. No fucking nonsense. Slammed down with a little cup of water and it’s a dose of black liquid crack. For one euro
You know, you have a great ability to paint vivid pictures with few words. Have you ever thought of doing this professionally?
I tried to listen to the Kemi speech, but gave up after 3 words.
"Conservatives love Manchester."
The last time I recall them being there, Rishi Sunk shafted Manchester and the entire North by killing HS2, turning it into a £50bn branch line to Birmingham, then walked away with a smug smile on his face.
Fuck off, Kemi. You need to start by looking in the mirror. Then you might get a hearing.
This. One of the reasons for the rise of Reform, I suspect, is that the Tories talked about "levelling up" for a decade or more, and did the square root of fuck all about it.
I would be utterly astonished, though, if a future Reform government were to prove any different in that respect.
Of course they wouldn’t. An old boy I worked with many years ago said to me ‘whoever wins, it’s the civil service that gets in’
I’ve been to visit family in the Midlands this weekend, with her magnificence of course.
I’m struck by the investment in transport. Very visible, especially HS2.
Meanwhile in the North East we get very little and dualling the A1 has, once again, been cancelled. That’s more a symbol. Our transport investment is woeful.
Was flying over Oxfordshire a week or two back. The earthworks for the Oxford to Cambridge line were very apparent at altitude cutting across from Bicester etc towards Fenland.
Bedford to Cambridge is the proposed bit. Bicester to Bedford is largely extant.
If the planners were sensible, they would connect it to Luton Airport.
I tried to listen to the Kemi speech, but gave up after 3 words.
"Conservatives love Manchester."
The last time I recall them being there, Rishi Sunk shafted Manchester and the entire North by killing HS2, turning it into a £50bn branch line to Birmingham, then walked away with a smug smile on his face.
Fuck off, Kemi. You need to start by looking in the mirror. Then you might get a hearing.
This. One of the reasons for the rise of Reform, I suspect, is that the Tories talked about "levelling up" for a decade or more, and did the square root of fuck all about it.
I would be utterly astonished, though, if a future Reform government were to prove any different in that respect.
Of course they wouldn’t. An old boy I worked with many years ago said to me ‘whoever wins, it’s the civil service that gets in’
I’ve been to visit family in the Midlands this weekend, with her magnificence of course.
I’m struck by the investment in transport. Very visible, especially HS2.
Meanwhile in the North East we get very little and dualling the A1 has, once again, been cancelled. That’s more a symbol. Our transport investment is woeful.
Was flying over Oxfordshire a week or two back. The earthworks for the Oxford to Cambridge line were very apparent at altitude cutting across from Bicester etc towards Fenland.
Bedford to Cambridge is the proposed bit. Bicester to Bedford is largely extant.
If the planners were sensible, they would connect it to Luton Airport.
Cambridge has direct trains to Stansted, Gatwick and Birmingham, plus Harwich for the ferry to Hook of Holland. Adding Luton too would make it unusually well-connected.
No I don’t want to choose my blend, roast, origin, style, size, heat level, terroir, gluten levels and milk fat content of my coffee
Especially when at the end it tastes like very fucking average coffee
I miss Naples
Clearly the best tea is in London (although you'd be excused in not thinking so in that good tea in establishments of all sorts is very rare), but now perhaps the best coffee to be had too.
No. Italy has the best coffee, southern Italy has the best coffee in Italy, and Naples has the best coffee in southern Italy
I love the espresso. No fucking nonsense. Slammed down with a little cup of water and it’s a dose of black liquid crack. For one euro
Espresso is an Italian invention which the Americans have really fucked up. Ditto pizza. Probably lots more.
Albania is great for coffee. There's actually quite a few Vergnano 1888 places. Superb coffee. In the south they somehow make Turkish with the steam wand. (They actually call it Turkish, unlike most places where they call it Bosnian, Cypriot, Greek, domača etc)
Didn’t we invent a PB word for when a destination satisfyingly fulfils your clicheed expectations?
Naples did all of that for me last week. It was noisy filthy exciting noomy hectic chaotic tumbledown amusing beautiful and best of all the pizzas were as good as ever. The best pizzas in the world
How do they do it? The dough? The tomatoes?
You have this moment when you bring your takeaway pizza back to your Spanish quarters gaff and you open the box and take a bite and then you pause - and think - wait, this is different, this is ultra pizza. The platonic ideal of pizza
And again the simplest is the best. At most have a diavolo
No I don’t want to choose my blend, roast, origin, style, size, heat level, terroir, gluten levels and milk fat content of my coffee
Especially when at the end it tastes like very fucking average coffee
I miss Naples
I hear that when ordering a coffee in America you can have as many refills as you want for no extra charge. Although it sounds like you wouldn't want a refill.
So much of American retail-consumer society is like this. They provide the illusion of incredible variety - to an extent it becomes stressful - I’ve just gotten up. I just want coffee. And then at the end the product is mediocre. This tastes like tired filter coffee
And the bagel which took 15 minutes to prepare fresh is dull, chewy and the cream cheese is all wrong
Fuck these red states. Bet breakfasts in Alabama are better
Compare with Naples. You go to a cafe. You ask for a cappuccino and a pastry. That’s it. No choice
It arrives in 2 minutes and the cappuccino is superb and the pastry is delicious
Yes, I'm not a great fan of choice and complexity in catering matters. Eg the casserole I'm cooking tonight. Chicken thighs, onions, carrots. Serve with boiled rice. Simple, authentic, tasty.
Imagine how wonderful it could be if you threw the rice in the bin and had potatoes, pasta, or bread
Comments
Yes it is, but not when some twit a thousand posts ago tried to put Australia and Canada in Europe. Have you read the original post. That is all we are saying. Australia and Canada are not in the ECHR for probably a few reasons, but the overwhelming one is THEY ARE NOT IN EUROPE.
Someone tried to argue otherwise.
There is no more to it than this.
I considered getting the yellow ones to avoid this issue... but they're very ugly.
Example:
Ivan: "How are you feeling today, Boris?"
Boris: "Average."
Ivan: What do you mean, 'average'?"
Boris: "Worse than yesterday, better than tomorrow, so, average."
And known to many Americans of a certain age from a cartoon character: (Links omitted.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Rocky_and_Bullwinkle_and_Friends
We once had a Foreign Secretary called Boris who threw off his minders to attend a party in Italy hosted by a KGB grandee. We also had a Prime Minister called Boris who elevated the son of this KGB guy to the House of Lords. Make of that what you will.
And more precisely.
#AirPodsPro3ForTheWin
I think I might be ready for work in ten days
I use the PC mainly for managing my ITunes and putting stuff onto my iPad before vacations.
You’ll be in Devils End in no time.
Here’s one trend you probably don’t know about:
China is now heavily restricting the export of its own companies’ battery manufacturing and LCD display equipment to countries like Vietnam and India.
Beijing is deeply worried that its advanced industrial technologies could leak abroad.
As a result, many Indian and Vietnamese companies have recently been visiting South Korea.
In fact, not long ago, Tata Group, one of India’s largest conglomerates, came to Korea to conduct an on-site inspection to purchase Korean battery manufacturing equipment — reportedly worth several billion dollars.
I expect Korea to benefit from this trend. After all, we’re already the world’s second-largest battery producer, and we were manufacturing LCDs until just a few years ago...
https://x.com/Jukanlosreve/status/1974712749168234614
"Conservatives love Manchester."
The last time I recall them being there, Rishi Sunk shafted Manchester and the entire North by killing HS2, turning it into a £50bn branch line to Birmingham, then walked away with a smug smile on his face.
Fuck off, Kemi. You need to start by looking in the mirror. Then you might get a hearing.
One of the reasons for the rise of Reform, I suspect, is that the Tories talked about "levelling up" for a decade or more, and did the square root of fuck all about it.
I would be utterly astonished, though, if a future Reform government were to prove any different in that respect.
I might just do that walk again next week now you might have mentioned it
I’ve been to visit family in the Midlands this weekend, with her magnificence of course.
I’m struck by the investment in transport. Very visible, especially HS2.
Meanwhile in the North East we get very little and dualling the A1 has, once again, been cancelled. That’s more a symbol. Our transport investment is woeful.
All the political parties are reactive. The world is difficult, and they are struggling to make ends meet. Therefore, they look for ways to achieve that, which is inevitably in the short term via raising taxes and cutting back on expensive infrastucture projects.
Which means in turn that economic growth stagnates, and therefore the government struggles further to balance the books.
Rinse and repeat.
What governments need to do is to make their first priority driving sustainable economic growth. The easiest place to do this, as I have said many times before, is in the area of residential construction. It's win-win-win.
More homes.
Greater economic growth.
More tax revenues.
And here's the thing - when the economy is moving, when economic growth is happening, when the books are moving towards balance - then it becomes easier to do the harder things.
I still might walk to the real Devil's Den. I think it's the opposite way
BTW did you get your walk down to Dorset last year? I do hope so. I don't recall seeing any reports on here.
Big f*** off New Towns in the middle of the green belt could be the answer.
At least when the Conservatives were in Bournemouth or Blackpool for conferences they had had a Tory MP in living memory. The hotel rooms and bed and breakfasts were cheaper too and you could get some bracing sea air
I did report here that I quit my walk to Dorset on day one. I got extremely wet, extremely lost, and extremely without phone signal after Avebury
A local Caleb came past in a tractor and offered me a lift. When I declined because je marche partout he directed me through the neighbouring meadow to save about a mile of walking
I took his advice and ended up walking through very wet shoulder high grass. A few miles after that I reached a road, and sat down in a layby
A lovely Irish lady stopped to check on me, and then drove me home
Prof. Eliot Jacobson
@EliotJacobson
·
Oct 4
How fast is the planet warming right now?
By looking at daily decadal differences in temperature we get a rate of about 0.35°C per decade. However, the rate of warming itself is increasing and is forecast to reach 0.40°C per decade by the early 2030's.
https://x.com/EliotJacobson/status/1974469021828514286
Yet the Green party has spent the weekend seemingly talking about landlords and Gaza.
No I don’t want to choose my blend, roast, origin, style, size, heat level, terroir, gluten levels and milk fat content of my coffee
Especially when at the end it tastes like very fucking average coffee
I miss Naples
The driver claims I walked out in front of him and he was only going 25mph. But MRDA
I got thrown about ten foot in the air with a broken ankle and seven broken ribs
This gent?
Yesterday I was in the Genocide museum in Mostar. Sickening and chilling, really well-chosen exhibits that bring it home. It's not very big, no matter, I couldn't stay any longer.
One guy had his throat cut by Chetniks in 1943 and thrown off the bridge at Višegrad. They didn't do a very good job,he swum to the bank and survived. Fifty years later they did it again, tied his hands and feet this time.
Another guy had his wife and 10 kids killed by Chetniks in WW2. He remarried after the war and had 5 more. In 1993 they killed four of them.
Did this evil really pass us by? Why were we fucking around for several years before doing anything?
And the bagel which took 15 minutes to prepare fresh is dull, chewy and the cream cheese is all wrong
Fuck these red states. Bet breakfasts in Alabama are better
Compare with Naples. You go to a cafe. You ask for a cappuccino and a pastry. That’s it. No choice
It arrives in 2 minutes and the cappuccino is superb and the pastry is delicious
The problem is every bit as much civil service dogma which doesn't allow for that possibility.
Radiohead’s music is a plot point…
I love the espresso. No fucking nonsense. Slammed down with a little cup of water and it’s a dose of black liquid crack. For one euro
Try gloss or the stuff you use on an Airfix Model.
Gives you an excuse for building a 1:200 model of the HMS Hood.
https://www.emodels.co.uk/brands/trumpeter-1-200-hms-hood-british-battlecruiser-kit-03710-plastic-model-kit.html
The City that gave you Rolls and Royce and Marks and Engels And Marks and Spencer and ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
I heard one today at a Dali Exhibition. One taken up by the Surrealists 'Beautiful as the chance encounter of a sewing machine and an umbrella on an operating table'
And the absence of choice is such a relief especially before noon
(I would prefer "blew it" but I think "pissed it away" is more representative.)
Albania is great for coffee. There's actually quite a few Vergnano 1888 places. Superb coffee. In the south they somehow make Turkish with the steam wand. (They actually call it Turkish, unlike most places where they call it Bosnian, Cypriot, Greek, domača etc)
You get these little old ladies sitting on dusty cushions on pavements with rusty coffee making sets, in central Addis Ababa, and you think Ugh this will be bad
It’s usually very very good
Birmingham is decent for food, but once you leave that, it's all Denny's and not great.
If you can get it, Yemeni is awesome.
It’s a restaurant deliberately preserved in aspic over decades. Not cheap but a proper experience.
The starched white tablecloths and folded napkins, the slick-haired elderly proprietor in his tie and silk scarf with the stature of Danny De Vito and a look of the mob, each member of waiting staff with a different designated role, and a menu of all the classics. I had chicken livers then a veal cutlet.
Plus, presumably because it was always so, two classic French dishes prepared at the table: Steak Diane, and Crepe Suzette.
Here’s my sister’s Steak Diane being flamed by the Steak Diane waitress:
Shokz behind-the-head bone conductors are, however, awesome
Naples did all of that for me last week. It was noisy filthy exciting noomy hectic chaotic tumbledown amusing beautiful and best of all the pizzas were as good as ever. The best pizzas in the world
How do they do it? The dough? The tomatoes?
You have this moment when you bring your takeaway pizza back to your Spanish quarters gaff and you open the box and take a bite and then you pause - and think - wait, this is different, this is ultra pizza. The platonic ideal of pizza
And again the simplest is the best. At most have a diavolo
No fucking around beyond that