tenebrisnox

@tenebrisnox@feddit.uk

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Librarians in UK increasingly asked to remove books, as influence of US pressure groups spreads⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago⁩:

  I’d not heard of this before. Most appropriate.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Librarians in UK increasingly asked to remove books, as influence of US pressure groups spreads⁩ ⁨⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago⁩:

  Help me out here? Aren’t these the same groups calling for freedom of speech and against cancel culture. It’s all so confusing.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Millions of Britons brace for across-the-board bill rises in ‘awful April’⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  It’s interesting that terms like “Awful April” and “Cost of Living Crisis” are so rapidly adopted. I’m convinced they are thought up in something like a Civil Service or lobby group PR panel and then given to media. Both terms assure us that these things are short-lived and not usual when we know that “Austerity” (a less reassuring one) is now a permanent state of affairs. This is the way it’s going to be forever. Unless we go for the pitchforks and torches.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨UK economy grows by 0.1% in unexpected boost for Rachel Reeves⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  I struggle to understand economics. How is it that almost all the major big businesses in UK have been reporting strong if not record profits recently? And yet hardly any growth… hmmm…

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Too many young people find doing a day's work 'stressful', says Liz Kendall⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  “Ban work before it kills you!”

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Thames Water seeks court approval for emergency cash⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  This. Exactly.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Water bills in England and Wales to rise by £123 a year in April⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Why am I not surprised?

  (More and more I have an absolute feeling that I’m being fucked over by already wealthy people - and there’s nothing I can do about it in any way!)

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Wimbledon school crash: Woman rearrested over deaths of two girls⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  You are right. Is a hitherto episode of epilepsy a good defence for dangerous driving in general?

  I guess it could come down to whether or not the person has previous incidents of dangerous driving or they have footage or other evidence to suggest she wasn’t epileptic. If there’s no physical evidence or subsequent seizures. (I know I’m speculating and - you are right - we should assume innocence and that her account is right until shown not to be).

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Wimbledon school crash: Woman rearrested over deaths of two girls⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Is there a way checking whether an epileptic seizure has taken place? (MRI scan showing trace evidence in the brain?) If the driver has not experienced subsequent seizures, it would be difficult to accept this one without evidence.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Water bills in England and Wales to rise by £123 a year in April⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  What strikes me is how a so-called “independent regulator” seems to collaborate with these water companies and make HUGE pay rises seem normal and inevitble.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨UK warns Putin after Russian spy ship seen near British waters⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Non story for sabre-rattling attempt.

  Navy rear-admiral on LBC this morning said that Russian subs go up the Channel daily to noin their Northern fleet and that if the UK scrambled a response every time it would exhaust the country’s resources. He said that Russian vessels are legally allowed in the area as long as they don’t interfere with any UK underwater resources.

  Distraction from the Harry vs The Sun story and calls for criminal prosecutions?

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨NatWest to hike chief's pay as bank returns to full private ownership⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  While the UK spirals the economic waste bin, Nat West makes 18.3% profit this year (£1172 million).

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Thames Water boss defends bonuses as sewage spills soar⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  £770,000 in bonuses. Laughing their heads off as they swill champagne and chomp down caviar.

  After nearly 30 years of work I’ve become convinced that ANY company or organisation would be better run without executive/senior management and letting the staff make decisions and work collectively would be more effective (or at worse… no worse than this disease of mangerialist greed that’s clearly adding to the ruin of this country).

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Vegan drink Oatly can’t call itself ‘milk’, judges rule⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  I’m not sure (but happy to be corrected) that there is a legal standard definition of what constitutes milk. There was a documentary on Radio 4 a few years ago that asked “What is milk?” and found that - in UK and Europe - it couldn’t be answered (other than it had some cow involvement somewhere). Some pateurised “milks” had barely any actual milk. From what I remember it was the lobbying of the dairy industry that prevented a standard definition.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨‘It went nuts’: Thousands join UK parents calling for smartphone-free childhood⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  You could be right. I listened to a Tory minister on the radio today talking about ending anonymity on the internet and - more interestingly - about silo-ing parts of the internet so that certain groups, such as children, could only access certain “versions” of the internet. I wonder whether that’s the longer-term agenda.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨‘It went nuts’: Thousands join UK parents calling for smartphone-free childhood⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  This apparently “spontaneous” group of “ordinary mothers” looks surprisingly media-trained. I’d be interested in knowing more about the founders. When the “keep our schools open during covid” group were examined they turned out to be a puppet of a right-wing thinktank.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨HMRC has seen a 50% drop in investigations into wealthy tax evaders⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  HMRC claim that only 5% of UK don’t pay their taxes.

  That 5% is worth £36 billion a year!

  I’ve got my suspicions about who that 5% are. Damn you you single-parent, new trainer-wearing, work-shy benefit claimants! Damn you!

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Ukrainians who have moved to the UK have highlighted the lack of dentists as among the most astonishing aspects of British life⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  Do dentists in other countries have the same sense of prestige as British ones? I used to work with a guy whose wife was a dentist and he constantly talked about being a dentist as being on the same level as a doctor. Said that entry requirements for dentistry at university is the same as medical doctors.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Gordon Brown calls for overhaul of benefits system as study reveals ‘crisis’⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  Image

  This table was in an article discussing benefits including pensions from across Europe. I’ll see if I can locate it. I think the data comes from this calculator: www.oecd.org/els/…/tax-benefit-web-calculator/#d.…

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Gordon Brown calls for overhaul of benefits system as study reveals ‘crisis’⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  Britain’s benefits system is rated as the meanest in Western world, according to OECD. And yet there’s a misconception in UK that those on benefits live the life of Riley.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Keir Starmer announces plan for supervised toothbrushing in schools⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  I’m happy with having a “nanny state” if it means my sons can get dental treatment. The only NHS dentist in our area won’t take appointments (unless you go private) and say that if children are in pain to call 111. As a child I went for a check up every 6 months. That’s now not possible since Tory austerity.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨UK workers ‘should get day off’ if workplace is hotter than 30C⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  Lack of air conditioners in UK state schools makes them unbearable places in the Summer.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Energy bills in Great Britain to rise by 5% from January as cap hits £1,928⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  Great timing. The (supposed) tax cuts will pay for the electricity bosses’ new porsches.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨There Is Zero Evidence of a Shoplifting ‘Epidemic’⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  I’ve just read that and can’t see anything badly written. Where was the bad writing? (Or is it just their views you don’t agree with?)

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Boris Johnson asked experts if you could kill Covid by blowing hairdryer up nose⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  “The Riddle of Genius.” Ho ho ho.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Teach primary pupils real-world maths - Labour⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  Sorry, I posted a reply to your comment in the main feed rather than to you. Back to school for me!

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Teach primary pupils real-world maths - Labour⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  so crushingly dull that it destroys any natural curiosity that kids have

  You are right. Children have a much earlier start to school in the UK compared to other countries. This cuts short the time of their “play-based” development. By Year 1 (about 5-6) children in UK primary schools are sat at desks and taught in quite bizarre ways. From Reception (ages 4-5) they are tested continuously to a point where UK children are the most tested children in the Western World. Other, more successful countries (educationally and economically) don’t do this. We have a weird, damaging obsession with testing children and placing them into hierarchies in this country. When testing becomes the purpose and goal of an education system it is, as you say “so crushingly dull”.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Thames Water: Is this the worst company in Britain?⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  Perhaps more people need to know who owns these companies and how ownership affects their operations.

  My local company is 40% owned by JP Morgan and other hedge funds are involved in ownership. My understanding is that this is similar across many utility companies. Instead of service being their primary concern, it is the generation of revenue.

  The catastrophic role of hedge funds in the UK cannot be overstated.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Thames Water: Is this the worst company in Britain?⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  Is there a neighbouring utility that isn’t also in similar trouble, though?

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Russell Brand: Woman says star exposed himself to her then laughed about it on Radio 2 show⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  Who is Olivia? Was Olivia’s complaint that she heard the two men discussing this? Not that it was done to her?