In todays news...

[Screwdriver]

No, I think they were in fact "scribblings on a post-it note". Here they are from a reputable source:





First few seconds tells the story, rest of the video really does make you wonder if justice was served or if a scapegoat was blamed for institutional failings.

[Mussels]

[quote="Mr. Dazzle" post_id=328

As I understand it, quite a few more babies died than the 7 Letby was accused of killing.

Harold Shipman was estimated to have killed 284 patients, but was convicted for 15.

The problem here is Letby couldn't have killed the other babies but the CPS left them off the chart so it looked like she was there for all or most of the deaths.
She might well have done it but statistics should never be evidence, especially ones so biased that they wouldn't even be allowed in adverts.

[Saga Lout]

...

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher, Noam Chomsky, David Attenborough, Frank Lloyd Wright. Old age is no indication of ability. It is entirely down to the individual.

...

I don't think Maggie belongs on that list, even if she was one of the best Prime Ministers we've ever had. Head and shoulders above recent incumbents.

Thatcher's daughter Carol first revealed that her mother had dementia in 2005, saying "Mum doesn't read much any more because of her memory loss". In her 2008 memoir, Carol wrote that her mother "could hardly remember the beginning of a sentence by the time she got to the end".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_ ... Later_life

[Screwdriver]

...

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher, Noam Chomsky, David Attenborough, Frank Lloyd Wright. Old age is no indication of ability. It is entirely down to the individual.

...

I don't think Maggie belongs on that list, even if she was one of the best Prime Ministers we've ever had. Head and shoulders above recent incumbents.

Thatcher's daughter Carol first revealed that her mother had dementia in 2005, saying "Mum doesn't read much any more because of her memory loss". In her 2008 memoir, Carol wrote that her mother "could hardly remember the beginning of a sentence by the time she got to the end".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_ ... Later_life

I was just winging it with a list of world leaders and great thinkers who were still immensely capable into their 70's. I guessed at their approximate ages (hovering around 70) and Thatcher just makes my list being PM in her 60's before joining the House of lords in her 70's i.e. a period around 1985 -1995.

Nobody lasts forever and sadly of course as you say, she did succumb to dementia in her 80's.

It is a surprisingly common way to go. According to the ONS, about 12.5% of us will die from Alzheimers/dementia (inc, comorbidities) with peak rates occurring around 85-90 years of age...

[ZRX61]

I guess none of this happened because it was reported by CCD....

https://climatechangedispatch.com/heat- ... en-energy/

and every news outlet in the State that reported the same thing are all lying?

[Screwdriver]

I guess none of this happened because it was reported by CCD....

https://climatechangedispatch.com/heat- ... en-energy/

and every news outlet in the State that reported the same thing are all lying?

What makes you say that??

[Count Steer]

I guess none of this happened because it was reported by CCD....

https://climatechangedispatch.com/heat- ... en-energy/

and every news outlet in the State that reported the same thing are all lying?

They must be 'going green' in Texas too.

'Number of major blackouts by select state in the United States 2000-2023. Between 2000 and 2023, Texas was the leading U.S. state for major power outages, with almost 264 blackouts in the 23-year period. California followed, with 238 major power outages throughout the period under consideration'.

Maybe yer infrastructure's just crap and can't cope due to under-investment and profit squeezing utilities?

[MyLittleStudPony]

The Unions (TUC and UNITE) have turned on Starmer and I think there is a bit of back bench rebellion over his winter fuel payment cut. Lets see how he responds...

Robustly it turns out.

The toxics will be taxed. Which seems fair to the young.

[Taipan]

The Unions (TUC and UNITE) have turned on Starmer and I think there is a bit of back bench rebellion over his winter fuel payment cut. Lets see how he responds...

Robustly it turns out.

The toxics will be taxed. Which seems fair to the young.

And hit the whinging young too. Tax breaks only for the property owning army of boomers, the cornerstone of every society!

[Mr. Dazzle]

I guess none of this happened because it was reported by CCD....

"Our goal is not to change your mind but to share with you all the studies and papers that consistently contradict the theory of CO2-driven global warming. And to have a little fun when we can".

You can tell that's true because they're posting articles about electricity infrastructure failing and policy decisions. Go with the science

[Mr Moofo]

The Unions (TUC and UNITE) have turned on Starmer and I think there is a bit of back bench rebellion over his winter fuel payment cut. Lets see how he responds...

Robustly it turns out.

The toxics will be taxed. Which seems fair to the young.

MAybe they could turn their attaention to the idle, anxiety ridden young, who's uneployment is rocketing. Wonder who will pay for the NHS, mental health support, train drivers , public sector workers and their pensions?

[MyLittleStudPony]

The Unions (TUC and UNITE) have turned on Starmer and I think there is a bit of back bench rebellion over his winter fuel payment cut. Lets see how he responds...

Robustly it turns out.

The toxics will be taxed. Which seems fair to the young.

MAybe they could turn their attaention to the idle, anxiety ridden young, who's uneployment is rocketing. Wonder who will pay for the NHS, mental health support, train drivers , public sector workers and their pensions?

Certainly not the old. It's down to the young to pay for all those things now. And support the grasping old racists who took what they could and left a broken and socially rotten planet for future generations to sort out.

It's neither here nor there for me; I am middle aged. But I do feel sorry for the young. At least the tide may be turning in their favour to some degree.

[Cousin Jack]

The tide IS turning. For way to long the UK has overpaid itself in benefits (including Pension Credit and Winter Fuel). The next 5 years will need to be hard, if they aren't, and the bleeding heart brigade get their way, the following decades will be absolutely brutal.

I was taught, and I taught my daughter, to save for the future, and only borrow as much as you can deal with in Plan B. Most people seem to assume that they can live for today, and if it all goes tits up the state will provide.

[Mr. Dazzle]

I'd be anxious too if I were a young(er ) person just joining the world of work these days!

Said it loads of times, but I'm saving in my pension etc. on teh assumption I'll get nothing from the state. I probably will get something, but the figures we have now are totally unsustainable. I also save a load extra in long term for Baby D because I suspect she's gonna be in the shit when she wants to buy a house etc. in ~20 years time.

Most people seem to assume that they can live for today, and if it all goes tits up the state will provide.

That's mostly 'cause it's true

There have been changes though, workplace pensions are now the default for example. Retirement age is creeping up, as is the age at which you can draw from your private pension.

[Taipan]

The tide IS turning. For way to long the UK has overpaid itself in benefits (including Pension Credit and Winter Fuel). The next 5 years will need to be hard, if they aren't, and the bleeding heart brigade get their way, the following decades will be absolutely brutal.

I was taught, and I taught my daughter, to save for the future, and only borrow as much as you can deal with in Plan B. Most people seem to assume that they can live for today, and if it all goes tits up the state will provide.

I kinda get that for todays pensioners. They came from an era when we had industries and many were factory workers working for a modest wage and living in council houses with reasonable rents and in the main, the state pension supported that, at least for the most of the working classes.

But things have changed dramatically and I will always thank Thatcher for encouraging home buying. Incredible to think I was mortgage free in my 50s and will never be beholding to private landlords and their vicious rents. It's why we've made sure our kids get on the property ladder too and focus on private pensions for their retirement, as like Dazzle says, i'm not sure the state pension will be anything much, if at all, in later years..

[Count Steer]

The tide IS turning. For way to long the UK has overpaid itself in benefits (including Pension Credit and Winter Fuel). The next 5 years will need to be hard, if they aren't, and the bleeding heart brigade get their way, the following decades will be absolutely brutal.

I was taught, and I taught my daughter, to save for the future, and only borrow as much as you can deal with in Plan B. Most people seem to assume that they can live for today, and if it all goes tits up the state will provide.

I kinda get that for todays pensioners. They came from an era when we had industries and many were factory workers working for a modest wage and living in council houses with reasonable rents and in the main, the state pension supported that, at least for the most of the working classes.

It wasn't just council houses. There was a relatively healthy rental sector - with rents that actually allowed you to live and save a deposit on your first purchased house. Some countries still have a functioning rental market inc some of the larger European ones. Our economy seems to have been based on driving up property prices and making homes into just investment opportunities.

The genie is out of the bottle now though, it'll take something catastrophic to change things.

[Mr. Dazzle]

S'this little beauty, innit.

In a roundabout sort of way, this is why I save loads of money for Baby D's nominal first house. I've been fortunate with how house prices fell and how the value of my home has grown and therefore allowed me to get better LTV on my mortgage. I can't really repay anyone for that luck, but I can pay it forward to my Daughter.

[Taipan]

The tide IS turning. For way to long the UK has overpaid itself in benefits (including Pension Credit and Winter Fuel). The next 5 years will need to be hard, if they aren't, and the bleeding heart brigade get their way, the following decades will be absolutely brutal.

I was taught, and I taught my daughter, to save for the future, and only borrow as much as you can deal with in Plan B. Most people seem to assume that they can live for today, and if it all goes tits up the state will provide.

I kinda get that for todays pensioners. They came from an era when we had industries and many were factory workers working for a modest wage and living in council houses with reasonable rents and in the main, the state pension supported that, at least for the most of the working classes.

It wasn't just council houses. There was a relatively healthy rental sector - with rents that actually allowed you to live and save a deposit on your first purchased house. Some countries still have a functioning rental market inc some of the larger European ones. Our economy seems to have been based on driving up property prices and making homes into just investment opportunities.

The genie is out of the bottle now though, it'll take something catastrophic to change things.

Absolutely and the building societies and banks were the architects of this. Back when I was first buying, BSs & banks lent 1 or 1.5 times your salary and if there was a second person, .5 of theirs. This just grew and grew to fit the lending needed to drive prices up and up. With all the self cert mortgages back then it didn't take a genius to realise we were pretty much building on sand.

My daughter has just bought a £360k house with her other half and my son a £175k flat on his own. The amount of money they spend on mortgages and household bills is a massively high proportion of their wages compared to back when I was first buying. I really do feel sorry youngsters today when want to try and crack on in life. At least they'll get some rewards from our estate when we go, assuming we haven't had to cash it all in for failing health and private health care...

[Taipan]

More than a little awkward....

https://notrickszone.com/2024/09/10/sat ... ion-trend/

Is it right that TN passed a law to ban all that and they now have clear blue skies?

They did!

Tennessee lawmakers have passed a bill banning the release of airborne chemicals that critics say is inspired by "chemtrails" conspiracy theories.

The bill forbids "intentional injection, release, or dispersion" of chemicals into the air.

It doesn't explicitly mention chemtrails, which conspiracy theorists believe are poisons spread by planes.

Instead it broadly prohibits "affecting temperature, weather, or the intensity of the sunlight".

The Republican-sponsored bill passed along party lines on Monday. If it is signed by Tennessee's governor, Republican Bill Lee, it will go into effect on 1 July.

The bill's backers were spurred on by a government report released last year on solar geoengineering, which is the idea of cooling the planet by reflecting sunlight back into space. The White House, though, has said that there are no plans "to establish a comprehensive research programme focused on solar radiation modification."

Several witnesses who testified before the Tennessee legislature cited debunked conspiracy theories or speculated about secret government geoengineering programmes, according to Scott Banbury, conservation director of the state's branch of the Sierra Club, an environmental organisation.

Their claims were troubling, he said.

"As a serious environmental organisation, if what was in the bill was actually going on we would be calling for a stop to it," he said. "It's not happening."

Geoengineering, weather modification and 'chemtrails'
The legislation focuses on geoengineering, a very broad category which includes mostly theoretical large-scale action to mitigate climate change.

Geoengineering is controversial even among legitimate climate scientists, because of uncertainty around its usefulness and the possibility of unintended outcomes.

Planet-wide climate engineering is distinct from more routine weather modification, such as cloud seeding, which increases rainfall over specific areas and is used in several US states.

"Chemtrails", meanwhile, is a separate, pseudoscientific idea that governments or corporations are spraying chemicals from planes to kill, control or poison people.

Conspiracy theorists point to white plumes of water vapour trailing behind passenger aeroplanes, commonly called contrails, as proof of sinister and secret plots, but lack evidence for their claims.

The most common claim of proof is "simply that aircraft contrails look 'different', without any comparative analysis," according to a report from a Harvard geoengineering group.

"This as convincing as saying that alien beings walk among us in disguise as people because some people act very strangely," it said.

In recent decades speculation about chemtrails has risen as the number of airline flights - and thus the number of contrails - has surged.

In the debate over the Tennessee bill, lawmakers and witnesses cited a range of both reliable and debunked facts about geoengineering and weather modification, and at least one witness said she believed the White House was engaged in climate experiments but could not provide definitive proof.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68716894

[Yorick]

I'm all for equality and live and let live. But this is bonkers. A bloke in charge of women's race centre.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2edeyzz0xmo