๐ฌ President Vladimir Putin: Russia will always be a reliable partner to those who are looking for beneficial, predictable #cooperation, but we will not act against our own interests in relations with those who adopted an unfriendly stance towards us.
In my experience, the patients who donโt attend doctor appointments are the ones struggling the most; with complex social problems, or difficulties getting transport, or caring responsibilities, or mental health problems. We should not be charging patients for non-attendances.
— Dr Julia Grace Patterson๐ (@JujuliaGrace) August 1, 2022
Even a stopped clock is right once or twice a day (depending on whether analogue or digital).
— V PALESTINE ๐ต๐ธ (@V_Palestine20) July 31, 2022
Why isn't Jeremy Corbyn allowed to say that antisemitism was overstated and weaponised as a front to attack Labour, but Margaret Hodge is? Anyone know?https://t.co/5XZ9nWvid8
If you're cancelling your @guardian subscription because of Owen Jones, you might be surprised to hear that they're continuing to employ Nick Cohen, who has been accused of sexual harassment by multiple women.
It's long been suspected, but very difficult to prove, that Google algorithmically manipulates its search results to favor the content and creators it wants the public to consume while hiding that which it does not. This ruling can unveil that proof.https://t.co/J9iuCPa1Pe
Yet another example of what is now almost ubiquitous— a defendant being given a pathetically weak sentence (in this case, a suspended term of imprisonment plus a fine and a couple of add-ons) despite having deliberately pushed a glass into a woman’s face, leaving her traumatized and with permanent scars.
The courts have to get a lot tougher on crimes of violence.
More tweets
A team of researchers at MIT have created a portable unit that transforms saltwater into fresh drinking water ๐โก๏ธ๐ฅค
The device could revolutionise access to fresh water – particularly in developing nations ๐ https://t.co/H8WxXCWuho
There are no filters or high-pressure pumps required to treat the water, as it uses a process called Ion Concentration Polarization (ICP) that was conceived almost a decade ago โ๐ pic.twitter.com/xalTezm4N7
To test the device, the MIT researchers said the took it to a beach and, on the first go, it was able to successfully turn seawater into drinking water ๐โก๏ธ๐ฅค
BP made a ยฃ6.9bn profit in the three months to June. That's more than triple last year's equivalent and the second highest in their history. BP's half-year profit is ยฃ12.3bn. Still think the #FuelPrices are being driven by Russia-Ukraine? We are being robbed blind.#CostofLiving
Clearly the high #fuelprices have never been down to Russia. Oil prices were at the same level 10 years ago but fuel prices have never been as high as they are today. Purely greed as BPโs record profits show
This stinks so bad. And it's the Tory Government that has allowed these companies to profit wildly while the rest of us worry about making ends meet. Disgraceful. #FuelPriceshttps://t.co/7nn3XgeXLX
The foreign secretary outlined proposals yesterday to introduce regional pay awards and end the national setting of salaries for civil servants, which her campaign said would save the taxpayer ยฃ8.8 billion a year https://t.co/4nqANmr7NT
The policy was also criticised by the Institute for Government, an independent think tank. โThe whole civil service pay bill is only about ยฃ9 billion,โ Alex Thomas, told the BBC. โYouโre not going to reduce the civil service pay bill unless you pretty radically reshape the state
This episode shows (confirms) that Liz Truss is completely idiotic, has no real idea even now how the British state is run, and has no serious ideas, ideas that are thought out properly.
I doubt that her evident incompetence will much affect her chances of taking over the Conservative Party leadership, though. After all, the same people (Conservative Party members) elected Boris-idiot as their leader a few years ago; he also was incompetent and had no serious ideas.
Late tweets
Johnson: "We're not going to do lockdowns here." Johnson a matter of days later: "We have to lockdown."
Hancock: "This vaccine should not be given to children." Hancock a few weeks later: "Get all your children vaccinated."
The UK is in the same position, more or less. Only a small minority of the “blacks and browns” are really of any use whatever. Many, perhaps a majority, while not being very criminal or dangerous, are basically useless, and are a dead weight, a millstone round the neck of the British people. Another minority are actively criminal and/or terroristic.
Teach your children the facts of real life. Their very survival depends on it. https://t.co/tAI86JpxHU
Looks like a reasonably good neighbourhood. Surely children should not be selling drinks on the street? I suppose it is part of the mercantile ethos ingrained in many Americans.
With an extra 1500 deaths more than average happening now per week its not looking so good for the vaccinated according to yet another professor#JeremyVinepic.twitter.com/xfXPDdmWKC
The cleansing power of death in human society. The great equalizer…
The first 5 speakers have now been announced for the September 25th Memorial Meeting. More will be announced closer to the day of the meeting, so keep checking our website – https://t.co/8YOD0QcSBDpic.twitter.com/v1HOyjMQby
— Heritage and Destiny (@h_d_magazine) July 29, 2022
Late music
[aerial view of Akademgorodok, near Novosibirsk, in summer]
The nonsense of huge transnational tax-avoiders has to be addressed now: Amazon, Google, Facebook, to name just three.
Amazon is one of the world's richest corporations. It paid very little in tax last year. Now it's offering unpaid time off for workers who are sick and only two weeks' paid leave for workers who test positive for the Corona virus.
#shamblesstayathome Johnson……prepare to lose loved ones, herd immunisation then no herd immunisation, no testing then testing, don't go to pubs or cafes but keep them open, don't go out but go out to exercise. Not exactly inspiring confidence.
I have been writing for some time in my blog pages about the creeping infantilization of Britain, which affects people of all ages, but mainly those under 50 and especially those under 40.
The woman in the tweet above is merely one egregious example. According to her own words, she is a mother —which makes one tremble to think of what monster(s) she is bringing up— and “works in financial services”, which, again in her own words “is…like…investment banking, basically”! I presume that she is somewhere near the bottom of the pile, but even so…
What strikes me in that clip is the sheer “Me Me Me, Want Want Want” rage. She is more like a 2 year old than a (?) 20-something. This goes beyond one young woman’s lack of class. It has political implications. Still, “always look on the bright side of life”…maybe there is some way of utilizing these factors.
[update, 26 March 2020:sadly, the video clip to which I referred has been deleted now; the message too. It was shocking]
Seemingly taken in the North East of England. It makes me wonder whether I myself am being too cautious, not going out, not socializing, not going anywhere inessential, driving out only after dark and to shop in places which are almost deserted, obsessively applying my small stock of travel hand-sanitizing gel even after pumping fuel or touching a shopping trolley at Waitrose.
Maybe I am being a bit of a fool at that (too cautious), but I prefer to be my kind of fool than that of those in the bus photo above, who may well be dead in a month’s time. It can come to any of us at any time, but we can at least play the odds and try to bias them in our favour.
Reality v. Government and msm fantasy
The Daily Mirror report, below, shows the reality of what is happening, not the fantasy of a multikulti, “caring, sharing” “community” where people all care for and help each other, a kind of large-scale Deal Or No Deal, complete with waves of ersatz and completely meaningless emotionalism. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/coronavirus-gran-says-sick-husband-21740261
Another thing. We are told that the UK will be put into “lockdown”. Only essential trips out of the home will be permitted. The Army will, we are told, keep “1.5 million vulnerable people” on some list supplied with food and medicine.
So the police, who seem unable to do much about burgeoning crime (except the invented “crimes” on social media), will enforce “lockdown”? Pretty hard task, when many towns, at night, actually have not one policeman or car patrolling.
As for the Army, it is a pretty depleted body these days. About 70,000 personnel, of which by no means all are fit for even limited duty. Will all of the 70,000 be delivering food? No. 50,000? I doubt even that. One and a half million “vulnerable” people (officially), serviced by even 50,000 soldiers works out at 30 “customers” per soldier. Maybe far more. It sounds to me more like fantasy than reality, but we shall see.
Well, I needed bread, the staff of life, so went on a little ratissage after darkness had fallen. The little village shop a couple of miles away now closes at 1800, so I was too late there. A few miles of driving brought me to a Waitrose. No loaves of bread (of any type), but I was able to get a couple of packs of pitta bread. The pasta aisle was empty bar a couple of packs of unwanted odd-shaped pasta (tiny short tubes). No pasta sauce. A few eggs still available. Milk available. Mineral water too. I don’t eat meat, so the completely stripped shelves of lamb, pork and chicken did not concern me. Plenty of steak for those willing to pay; same for smoked salmon etc. I did not see whether there was loo paper on sale. Probably not.
Still hoping to get some brown bread, drove 6 miles to the nearest Tesco. No bread available there either (I’m convinced that the guilty parties are affluent milfs and pensioners, with large freezers). Still, managed to get the last few bottles of pilsner beer. Beer? Why is beer in short supply? This really is madness. Bottles of Inspector Morse-type beer, however, with names such as Catweazle and Monk’s Nose (I made those up…similar ones were there though) were plentiful. Even fine-ground sea salt was gone!
I see that, overall, the panic-buying is slackening slightly. Eggs, milk, kitchen roll were all on sale at both Waitrose and Tesco. I was able to buy my usual shower gel (“Sea Moss”) for the first time in weeks. If I run out of hand-sanitizer for the car and cannot get rubbing alcohol anywhere, I shall have to use cheap vodka, though some is as low in alcohol as 37.5%, and hand sanitizer should be 60% or more. Still, better than nothing. No ordinary vodka is 60%. Even Krepkaya, which in any case is almost impossible to buy in the UK now, is only 50%.
China
The fact is that, conspiracy theories about the virus notwithstanding, the Chinese do and should have a burden of guilt about this. It is their behaviour toward animals which created the conditions for the existence and the flourishing of the virus. In many ways, the Chinese are socially and psychologically backward.
“Out of touch? Moi?…“
Fiona Bruce, who is said to be paid about ยฃ600,000 a year by the BBC, was apparently surprised by the anger many of the audience of Question Time feel. That is a good part of the UK’s problem, that so many in System politics and the System mass media simply do not understand why the British people are angry.
After all, Fiona Bruce has no reason to feel angey and aggrieved: she joined the BBC after meeting a BBC producer at a wedding; he got her a job. She is now said to be paid as much as ยฃ600,000 per year. Why should she feel angry?! Gratitude would surely be more appropriate… It does raise questions about her understanding of the society in which she lives, though.
Ian Robert Millard 