CC Hogan

Except:

People are NOT against national borders but against the hate that drives the calls.

The BBC has celebrated Britain better than any over decades, like with the proms. But the current flag wavers only want to spit at so-called "lefties."

The hate we see now has nowt to do with common sense.

I have been grumbling about this for years. The solution is simple - they should run their ads service like a UK broadcaster does, and clear the ad BEFORE it goes live rather than rely on users to report it. But that would cost them money and they don't give a dam.

But it is fun. As the Guardian said, belief suspension is advisable; just enjoy the roller coaster ride, as it dances from one jack-in-a-box plot twist to another.

I am partway into season two and will rest for a bit till I carry on. It is quite bingeable, but also exhausting,

3 stars.

It is beautifully written, with the wit and punch that one remembers from The West Wing or All the President's Men.

Is it realistic? No, not at all. It is most definitely a parody and shows its true colours by straying into Yes Minister territory at times. Just a little.

Watching The Diplomat on Netflix. A fun little tale of a accident prone and idiotic Ambassador for the US to the UK and her husband, a former Ambassador, and her little entourage of even more idiotic advisors.

I have a suspicion that the description was intended to be something else.

This article spells out why pepper spray is illegal (and why police can use it).

It also offers an alternative. This is from a company selling something, but useful detail nonetheless.

www.police-supplies.co.uk/is-pepper-sp...

And I have a big thick cloud right above us.

You should listen to people like Rory Sutherland, who really knows what he is talking about.

The entire issue of protest and how it works has changed in the last 40 or more years. People are bored with them. One little talk by David Atenborough will get 100x the effect than Stone Henge stunts

Your message keeps getting lost behind the style of your protests. Worse, you often alienate the public. That is a PR disaster! The public are the ones you want on your side - not those who support you anyway, but the general public.

Find a proper old-style PR Guru to advise you!

I will always back your right to public protest, and I am glad you didn't get a criminal record. (I think it would have been fair if you guys had coughed up for the cost of the clean up!)

BUT

Once again, you have made the issue about you and not oil.

Sarah Pochin remarks could be seen as racist, says Steve Rotheram Liverpool City Region mayor Steve Rotheram urges MPs to be

www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

www.bbc.com/news/article...

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

If an agency uses a couple with one North European and another Indian Asian, it is because their research shows it will hit the the right market with the right message.

Complaining about that is anti-business, which is interesting since the complaints come from people who claim to be pro-business!

I am not a Rory Sutherland, but I worked with advertising agencies for 40 years. Woke or PC is not something that comes naturally to them.

Targeted markets, however, are top of the list. Also, not missing out on demographics who might buy the product.

Typhoon Jet banking

Typhoon jet fly past

Got buzzed by a Typhoon yesterday

It has come out as a real "Star" shape. Nice.

A picture of a fed-up Michael Parkinson, stared at by Rod Hull's puppet Emu.

It could be worse....

Why is "Patriotism" bad?

Simple. If you vote against a leader who demands your loyalty, demands you are patriotic to them, the father figure, then they will say you are disloyal, unpatriotic.

They will say you are a traitor.

That is NOT democracy. A true democracy demands nothing.

Down Cemetery Road.

So far, so bloody good! Real edge of the seat stuff. And the two leads, Ruth Wilson and Emma Thompson shine.

From the producers of Slow Horses, this sits with the best of British Thrillers like Tinker Tailer and Edge of Darkness.

Loving it!

It also appears that the more so-called "patriotic" people claim to be, the more they try to undermine even sabotage the country. Behaviour which one could almost see as UN patriotic.

Big Paul Randall on the right there. All 2.16 meters of him.

Here's a memory. When we went to Indian restaurants when I was young (60s and 70s) they served cups of tea with milk and the teabag still in the cup. So you could take it out when you wished.

I asked my mother if it was like that in India when she was young, forgetting that they didn't use teabags!

Mistaken releases have happened since the idea of big prisons began. But let's look at how it is reported:

Headline 1 - mistakenly released prisoners rise 128% from previous year.

Headline 2 - mistakenly released prisoners rise from 0.13 to 0.29% of prison population.

Not if it ended up inaccurate. And who is to say it will take many years?

The verb gets a little more love (though still marked as rare)
To bask in the sun, to expose to sunlight.

1691, 1697, 1704, 1851, 1858

Usage: Susie apricates daily after work while supping her G&T.

An excert from the OED: nationalism (ˈnæʃənəlɪz(ə)m) [f. national a. + -ism.] 1.1 Theol. The doctrine that certain nations (as contrasted with individuals) are the object of divine election.    1836 G. S. Faber Prim. Doctr. Election (1842) 189 The several doctrinal systems, usually denominated Arminianism and Nationalism and Calvinism. 2.2 Devotion to one's nation; national aspiration; a policy of national independence.    1844 Fraser's Mag. XXX. 418/1 Nationalism is another word for egotism.    1853 J. H. Newman Hist. Sk. (1873) II. i. iv. 203 Mahometanism is essentially a consecration of the principle of nationalism.    1880 F. G. Lee Ch. under Q. Eliz. I. 164 It was only by persecution‥that the new system of nationalism in religion could be maintained. b.2.b spec. The political programme of the Irish Nationalist party.    1885 Sat. Rev. 11 Apr. 463/1 It is to them that the portentous development of American-Irish Nationalism is due.    1899 Daily News 25 Jan. 4/6 Each of these Councils will become a centre of Nationalism. 3.3 A form of socialism, based on the nationalizing of all industry.    1892 E. Bellamy in N. Amer. Rev. CLIV. 749 The full programme of Nationalism, involving the entire substitution of public for private conduct of all business, for the equal benefit of all, is not indeed advocated by any considerable number of economists. 4.4 ‘A national idiom or phrase’.    1846 Worcester (citing Hamilton).

"Nationalism."

Never was a word more misused and abused, its meaning confused. For most "nationalists" I see on here, it is a way of supporting their "race" or "culture" within their country - which is not what nationalism is at all.

Screenshot of Affinity Designer used on a Huion Tablet with a drawing of a fantasy beast

I am not an artist, but I bought the 27@ Huion Kamvas Pro thing. I use it as a touch screen for mixing music too. But I am really enjoying drawing on it. Loads of fun!

Parkinson's - the diagnosis crisis UK's neurologist shortage continues to bite, says biggest PD audit

open.substack.com/pub/rorycell... Biggest ever audit of Parkinson’s in the UK says there’s a diagnosis crisis with a shortage of neurologists leaving thousands waiting up to 5 years to see a specialist

Fun quiz, children!

Now, what kind of building needs a ballroom, sometimes called a great hall.

Yes, Donald? That's right, dear. A palace.

#whitehouse #ballrom #trump

Thanks, David! I will rename the image and look it up.

I am right on the coast - I mean, the rocks are just 40 meters from my window. The downside are the winds. They make my tripod vibrate. And the waves vibrate through the rock. I can feel them through my floor! Nearest major light is Dounreay which is 15 miles away. You'd love it.