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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2023 18:32:53 GMT
Do you think autotext saved isa some embarrassment here? It’d be the new one - autotact. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2023 18:37:09 GMT
When Mercian and I met up and realised how vertically challenged we both were, we consoled ourselves with the thought that you can't change the hobbits of a life time. We then bought each other a half pint Pete told me (as he puzzled over my opening gambit of pawn to a3) that HE paid for both half pints. Given that I paid for coffees, flapjack and cake for both you AND Missis Batty* when we had our rather awkward meeting, I quite believed him. ”Oh dear, oi seem to have left moi purse in Droitwich.” |
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c-a-r-f-r-e-w
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Post by c-a-r-f-r-e-w on Aug 18, 2023 18:56:35 GMT
When Mercian and I met up and realised how vertically challenged we both were, we consoled ourselves with the thought that you can't change the hobbits of a life time. We then bought each other a half pint Pete told me (as he puzzled over my opening gambit of pawn to a3) pawn to a1 would have really puzzled him |
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Post by jib on Aug 18, 2023 19:12:45 GMT
colin - "If you’re under 50, it’s time to jump ship – get out of Britain while you can" How old is Scotland? Eh ? A cursory web search tells me; "Scotland's recorded history begins with the arrival of the Romans around the 1st century, but the Kingdom of Scotland was not officially formed until the 9th century. There's also evidence that Scotland has had people living in it since at least 12,000 BC." |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2023 19:27:37 GMT
A cursory web search tells me; "Scotland's recorded history begins with the arrival of the Romans around the 1st century, but the Kingdom of Scotland was not officially formed until the 9th century. There's also evidence that Scotland has had people living in it since at least 12,000 BC." One of whom is still posting in this very boutique. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2023 19:33:31 GMT
Pete told me (as he puzzled over my opening gambit of pawn to a3) pawn to a1 would have really puzzled him Would be hard to tell Carfs as Pete looks permanently puzzled by this strange, new, woke world which bears so little resemblance to his his favourite decade - the fifties. He is quite actually good at chess - seems to know the names of all the pieces and so on - but I think a lot of it is down to luck. (And cheating of course.) |
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Post by johntel on Aug 18, 2023 19:34:45 GMT
A cursory web search tells me; "Scotland's recorded history begins with the arrival of the Romans around the 1st century, but the Kingdom of Scotland was not officially formed until the 9th century. There's also evidence that Scotland has had people living in it since at least 12,000 BC." One of whom is still posting in this very boutique. I think you're getting your history mixed up. William didn't get to Hastings until 1065. |
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Post by mercian on Aug 18, 2023 19:37:28 GMT
When Mercian and I met up and realised how vertically challenged we both were, we consoled ourselves with the thought that you can't change the hobbits of a life time. We then bought each other a half pint Half true. |
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Post by mercian on Aug 18, 2023 19:39:41 GMT
pawn to a1 would have really puzzled him Would be hard to tell Carfs as Pete looks permanently puzzled by this strange, new, woke world which bears so little resemblance to his his favourite decade - the fifties. He is quite actually good at chess - seems to know the names of all the pieces and so on - but I think a lot of it is down to luck. (And cheating of course.) 's the champ. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2023 19:43:23 GMT
When Mercian and I met up and realised how vertically challenged we both were, we consoled ourselves with the thought that you can't change the hobbits of a life time. We then bought each other a half pint Half true. You bought your own half pints? |
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Post by Danny on Aug 18, 2023 19:47:17 GMT
What I find difficult to understand with this analysis (although I do not necessarily disagree with it as a conclusion) is why observation of the difficulties of their offspring or grandchildren would not impact on this outlook. Certainly in my own case I am very worried about the future stability in my children's finances, particularly as they have migrated towards London and the South East for work, given the volatility of renting that they face and that property purchase is beyond their reach completely at present. Hmm. Some thoughts. The number of children is falling, so actually the number of descendants might be less than the number of grandparents. So maybe the grandparents think when their home gets inherited, it will secure the future of the limited number of descendants. Also the mathematics probably looks better than it maybe is, comparing the value of the former large family house with a small house or flat for the decendants. Easy to overlook how much cheaper a four bed house was when it was originally bought. The pattern of one professional providing the income for a whole family including kids has given way to two professionals wages to afford one smaller house. Leaving no time to have kids, of course. But again, working harder or two instead of one makes the situation not look as bad as it really is, we have accepted the norm of two people's salaries being needed to fund a family. Pensioners have maybe forgotten this was even different in the past. The model of inheriting wealth may look better than it really is. 50 years ago a couple or single person had a good chance of affording that family house from scratch without parental help. I was surprised just how many even teenagers were owner occupiers in the past. So although parents may recognise its tougher for their kids, they also reckon they can and do contribute now from the accumulated value of their own homes and pensions. They see the system as preserving that wealth so they can pass it on. Maybe you cannot accumulate wealth so easily, but you can seek to keep it in the family. |
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Post by Danny on Aug 18, 2023 20:04:47 GMT
I was one of six children, my mother worked full time from when I went into infants school (May have been before, but can't be sure) When mum wasn't there we would looked after by a mixture of older sister, aunts and neighbours, most of which lived on the same council estate A lot of mothers worked full time on the estate. Sometimes working on the land and in school holidays they took us kids with them (Sometimes in term time as well!) Which might well mean your parents would be liable to prosecution for neglecting their children under modern rules and standards? Hence the greater costs now, and somewhat perversely pricing people out of having children at all. So maybe a few more got run over or molested before, but now they arent being born at all. Have the never born benefitted from these changes? |
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Danny
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Post by Danny on Aug 18, 2023 20:15:27 GMT
And incompetence beyond measure by the hospital management. Particularly given the recommendations and procedures that followed from various previous scandals. There is a human bias against believing that sort of thing can be true which written procedures telling people they should work on the assumption it is until disproved, seem unable to overcome. This is seen in all walks of life, but obviously the consequences in healthcare can be particularity devastating. P.s. - As to an inquiry, they could save time and just reprint the recommendations from all the other ones. Surely its simpler than that? news suggested the hospital tried to return the nurse to active duties with patients instead of administrative work. They were losing the work of a nurse they had no money to replace. I found it significant the paediatrician willing to be interviewd on the media is now retired. All NHS and indeed council care staff are under strict instructions never to speak to media, or indeed anyone outside of formal channels. Presumably this guy thinks his career cannot be harmed by speaking out, because its already over. Whereas we have plenty of examples of whistleblowers losing their jobs and never working again. This must apply all the way from cleaner to chief executive. Never admit fault. Never. Even if it means keeping a probable murderer working in your hospital because you must show complete faith in them. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2023 20:22:59 GMT
Been watching a fair bit of American tv coverage of Humpty Trumpty recently and I do think it’s got to the stage where he is beyond King’s horses, King’s men - or anyone else - to save him.
I also doubt it it will even get remotely close to the fabled civil war once he is toppled and - to shift to a different metaphor - once people stop admiring the Emperor’s new clothes I think that reality is going to dawn very suddenly and completely. Like many others in America and around the world I am really looking forward to his demise.
I wouldn’t vote for any Republican but, given the crappy field standing in the primaries, I think Chris Christie is far and away their best bet.
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Post by mercian on Aug 18, 2023 21:00:02 GMT
@fecklessmiser
The Dems have to come up with someone better (or at least younger!) than Biden, surely?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2023 21:06:10 GMT
@fecklessmiser The Dems have to come up with someone better (or at least younger!) than Biden, surely? Nope. |
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Post by alec on Aug 18, 2023 21:22:24 GMT
johntel - Re Ukraine; not sure. There are conflicting stories today about the balance of progress. Pentagon sources are suggesting the casualty count is around 3/2 Russ/Ukr, which isn't good news for Ukr, but others are pointing to increasing signals that Russia is exhausting reserves and is now moving frontline units from one battlezone to another. On top of this, the river bridgeheads (now two) in the Kherson area are indicative of Russia's increasing failure in counter battery fire. When these bridgeheads were established, they were pounded with artillery, but the Ukr forces successfully deployed counter battery fire which largely neutralised Russian firepower and protected the advances. The rate of loss of Russian artillery along the whole front is noteworthy, and this, allied to deeper strikes on logistics and supplies, which are particularly critical for artillery, is causing Russia real problems. Essentially, Ukr is fighting on the inside of a huge curved front, whereas Russia are on the long side of the bend, with much of their force facing lengthy supply lines and difficulties moving quickly from one hotspot to another. Yes, time is running out this year, but the conditions may be set for some more dramatic movements, and if I were a Russian soldier, I wouldn't be overly keen defending through the winter anyway.
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c-a-r-f-r-e-w
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Post by c-a-r-f-r-e-w on Aug 18, 2023 21:41:25 GMT
Ukraine: Interesting take from the ISW, who suggest that progress by Ukr in Robotyne and Urozhaine (now retaken) probably shows significant degradation of Russian forces, as they had devoted a lot of effort in holding these, yet are being pushed back. It’s partly weakening, owing to the destruction of logistics you mentioned, and command centres, the doubling of the rate of taking out artillery, but it’s also increased Ukrainian capability, the new weapons, new tactics mentioned earlier… (another example of which is how they used control of the flank to attack Robotyne: it let them observe when the troops were being rotated and they could attack at this awkward moment). Additionally, increasing the pressure further, Ukraine committed a couple of the better brigades which they had been holding back, including I think the 82nd, which has the Challenger tanks. |
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Post by c-a-r-f-r-e-w on Aug 18, 2023 21:45:40 GMT
johntel - Re Ukraine; not sure. There are conflicting stories today about the balance of progress. Pentagon sources are suggesting the casualty count is around 3/2 Russ/Ukr, which isn't good news for Ukr, but others are pointing to increasing signals that Russia is exhausting reserves and is now moving frontline units from one battlezone to another. On top of this, the river bridgeheads (now two) in the Kherson area are indicative of Russia's increasing failure in counter battery fire. When these bridgeheads were established, they were pounded with artillery, but the Ukr forces successfully deployed counter battery fire which largely neutralised Russian firepower and protected the advances. The rate of loss of Russian artillery along the whole front is noteworthy, and this, allied to deeper strikes on logistics and supplies, which are particularly critical for artillery, is causing Russia real problems. Essentially, Ukr is fighting on the inside of a huge curved front, whereas Russia are on the long side of the bend, with much of their force facing lengthy supply lines and difficulties moving quickly from one hotspot to another. Yes, time is running out this year, but the conditions may be set for some more dramatic movements, and if I were a Russian soldier, I wouldn't be overly keen defending through the winter anyway. In addition to better counter-battery radar they’ve received, they also had another delivery of Himars to help take out artillery. (An analyst reckoned that if they were to give the Ukrainians 2000 himars of the cluster variant, it would be a game changer as it could be used to take out both artillery and minefields). |
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Post by ptarmigan on Aug 18, 2023 22:54:16 GMT
From The Guardian article on this: The changes, first reported by the Financial Times, are supported by a number of trade unions and their organising body, the TUC.It's Unite who are objecting. Just because they are Labour's biggest donors, they think the Party should kowtow to them. Alternatively, Unite are looking out for their members' interests. As a Unite member, I find Sharon Graham to be a highly effective operator in that regard. To be honest, regardless of where the truth lies with this particular story, it would be eminently sensible for the unions to be wary of Labour backsliding on workers' rights given the party's embrace of big business under Starmer and err... all their other u-turns. |
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Post by ptarmigan on Aug 18, 2023 23:00:58 GMT
Also in the Telegraph If you’re under 50, it’s time to jump ship – get out of Britain while you canThe UK seems incapable of solving its own issues, and things are set to get worse “ If young British people knew what was good for them, they’d be on the next plane out of the country. Emigration is, after all, the time-honoured path to prosperity for those trapped in stagnating countries.
And the UK is not so much stagnating as it is fossilising. Fifteen years of anaemic growth mean that real wages are still below their 2008 peak – there are 30 year olds who have seen their entire working career go by without seeing meaningful growth in wages. The result is that countries we are used to thinking of as our peers are surging ahead.
Our GDP per capita, adjusted for actual purchasing power, is closer to Slovenia’s than it is to Denmark’s or Australia’s. American levels of prosperity are so far out of reach that we would need an economic Apollo mission to bridge the gap between us; the general manager of a Buc-ee’s petrol station in Texas is paid more than our Prime Minister.
With a tricky election looming, Rishi Sunak may come to regret giving up his US green card.
Economists think of migration as being driven by a combination of push and pull factors, things which drive you away from your home country and things which draw you to your destination. We’ve grown used to the stories of doctors trading soul-sapping shifts on NHS wards for higher pay and fewer hours in Australia, or finance professionals heading to Dubai.
The risk for Britain is that this trend now becomes widespread as a toxic combination of economic stagnation and surging growth elsewhere lure young people away.
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It’s not as if the push factors are lacking. The housing market has passed beyond dysfunction and into catastrophe. Record numbers of adults still live with their parents, trapped by surging rents and unaffordable house prices. Those who do strike out can expect to spend well over 20 per cent of their incomes on housing costs, double the proportion that baby boomers spent when they were young. The average deposit on a family home would take that family around 19 years to save, compared to three years in the 1980s.
Young people wanting to start families are finding things previous generations took for granted to be effectively out of reach. It’s hard not to connect this dysfunction with the birth rate reaching record lows. Fertility intentions – the number of children women want to have – have been pretty much at replacement level in Britain even as the number of children they actually have has fallen.
To the extent that it is no longer possible for many to have the family lives they dream of in Britain, that’s a pretty convincing reason to leave...” (Et Cetera, with more on the population demographic becoming more elderly and so on) Of course, it was rather easier to jump ship pre-Brexit, which the Telegraph was an enthusiastic advocate for. This is really quite bizarre stuff from the Torygraph. I suppose cleansing the country of under-50s might please their paymasters in some respects (Cons might even be able to form a government in the near future!) but if the paper is capable of recognising this parlous state of affairs, why exactly has it been an enthusiastic cheerleader for a party and economic model that has left the country in its present state? Why will it continue to be so when the next election is called? What an absurd organ. |
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Post by domjg on Aug 18, 2023 23:10:49 GMT
ptarmigan The tories and their nativist revolution along with their other ideologically driven, evidence free pathology for cutting spending on anything they can have done such obvious grave damage to this country at every level that if not tried for treason (I'm almost not joking) they should be out of power for decades. I wonder if someone at the Telegraph honestly thinks it's actually a good idea to encourage the young and educated to leave as those who remain would be more pliable, dependent on the govt. and accepting of tory bs. A bit like what's been happening in Russia. I wouldn't put that level of desperation past them
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pjw1961
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Post by pjw1961 on Aug 18, 2023 23:27:06 GMT
Particularly given the recommendations and procedures that followed from various previous scandals. There is a human bias against believing that sort of thing can be true which written procedures telling people they should work on the assumption it is until disproved, seem unable to overcome. This is seen in all walks of life, but obviously the consequences in healthcare can be particularity devastating. P.s. - As to an inquiry, they could save time and just reprint the recommendations from all the other ones. Surely its simpler than that? news suggested the hospital tried to return the nurse to active duties with patients instead of administrative work. They were losing the work of a nurse they had no money to replace. I found it significant the paediatrician willing to be interviewd on the media is now retired. All NHS and indeed council care staff are under strict instructions never to speak to media, or indeed anyone outside of formal channels. Presumably this guy thinks his career cannot be harmed by speaking out, because its already over. Whereas we have plenty of examples of whistleblowers losing their jobs and never working again. This must apply all the way from cleaner to chief executive. Never admit fault. Never. Even if it means keeping a probable murderer working in your hospital because you must show complete faith in them. No to the first paragraph - no one would knowingly employ someone who they believed was killing patients; the problem was they didn't believe it. Sadly, your second paragraph is still broadly true, despite innumerable polices and statements to the contrary,whistle-blowers are generally not believed and subject to persecution. This is not unique to the NHS or to the public sector, but seems to be a general feature of humanity. Subservience to authority and 'not rocking the boat' are highly prized values - dissidence and non-conformity frowned upon. |
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pjw1961
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Post by pjw1961 on Aug 18, 2023 23:30:04 GMT
From The Guardian article on this: The changes, first reported by the Financial Times, are supported by a number of trade unions and their organising body, the TUC.It's Unite who are objecting. Just because they are Labour's biggest donors, they think the Party should kowtow to them. Alternatively, Unite are looking out for their members' interests. As a Unite member, I find Sharon Graham to be a highly effective operator in that regard. To be honest, regardless of where the truth lies with this particular story, it would be eminently sensible for the unions to be wary of Labour backsliding on workers' rights given the party's embrace of big business under Starmer and err... all their other u-turns. I respectfully beg to differ, and think that Graham's pronouncements have far more to do with Unite's internal politics than anything else. But then I'm a member of Unison.  |
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Post by c-a-r-f-r-e-w on Aug 19, 2023 4:01:19 GMT
Also in the Telegraph If you’re under 50, it’s time to jump ship – get out of Britain while you canThe UK seems incapable of solving its own issues, and things are set to get worse Of course, it was rather easier to jump ship pre-Brexit, which the Telegraph was an enthusiastic advocate for. This is really quite bizarre stuff from the Torygraph. Yes it was a bit surprising, which is why I thought I’d post it. You can get quite a few curveballs to get you pondering. Mind you, you do get some stuff that’s a bit more to the left in the paper than you might think, particularly in terms of economics. (E.g. Some of them are very concerned about the right-wing anti-state globalism that has left our industry vulnerable and wish we had been pushing to secure our own supplies of resources for batteries etc. ages ago. Economically it can be more to the left than the Guardian at times, though maybe not than Larry Elliot. It’s interesting to compare). |
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Post by steve on Aug 19, 2023 5:18:30 GMT
 Thought for the day. |
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Post by steve on Aug 19, 2023 6:32:31 GMT
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Post by steve on Aug 19, 2023 6:43:35 GMT
Interesting from election maps
Aggregate totals for local election by elections since May.
Aggregate Result of the 37 Council By-Elections Since LE2023:
LAB: 12 (-4)
LDM: 9 (+3)
GRN: 6 (+4)
CON: 5 (-5)
IND: 4 (+4)
LOC: 1 (=)
SNP: 0 (-2)
Again it doesn't reflect the gains that might be expected by Labour given the huge polling leads.With both largest parties losing.
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Post by alec on Aug 19, 2023 6:52:16 GMT
The Lucy Letby case is tragic, but another insight into the institutional inertia within the medical establishment. In this case, clinicians knew something was deeply wrong, but their hospital administrators closed their eyes and ears and failed to heed the warnings, with terrible consequences.
We see a very similar dynamic with hospital acquired covid infections, but this time managers and clinicians are aligned. I'm struck by the deafening silence I get on here when I point these failing out. In other areas, the common response is 'it's not a problem for the fit and healthy', but hospitals are full of the vulnerable - the people most in need of care. More figures came out yesterday, this time from Australia, where FoI requests have revealed 600 deaths from HAI covid cases, at a fatality rate of 10%.
Hospitals have basically given up on infection control. Bizarrely, in many NHS trusts, infection controls are less stringent than they were pre-covid. Work that one out. The evidence is clear, the data is there, the deaths are obvious. Yet no one - absolutely no one - in the medical establishment is listening. But it's worth reminding ourselves of just how many times the medical establishment has got management, policy and treatment decisions just so completely and utterly wrong, as in the Letby case.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2023 7:09:34 GMT
The Lucy Letby case is tragic, but another insight into the institutional inertia within the medical establishment. In this case, clinicians knew something was deeply wrong, but their hospital administrators closed their eyes and ears and failed to heed the warnings, with terrible consequences. I watched the BBC program last evening. As far as I could see the earliest opportunity to spot what the interviewer called a " smoking gun" was the routine blood test showing elevated insulin levels. This was later unearthed in the search for evidence, but the interviewed paedeatrician admitted that at the time of that test result, neither the Lab nor the reviewing Junior Doctor raised concern at it. |
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