Cass Macdonald

Anyway, I’m still very fatigued by all this and now the cleaner is in, I’m exhausted by social interaction. I’m off for a nap!

My neighbours are otherwise excellent. Most of us are in a group chat & talk about things tho I do have to write to the remaining neighbours about what happened. We are all agreed that we will tighten up on letting strangers in which is all we can do.

I don’t need permission from my neighbours to put one up. There are no privacy concerns, as I’m the only flat on my floor. Police say they’re a good deterrent. I’m otherwise fine. It was a bit of a shock but I’m ok. It’s just everything to sort out that’s a nuisance & draining.

My suspicion - police & local council agree - is that someone mistook my flat for another locally where there has been substance abuse & dealing. That’s based on local info, previous incidents in our building & my experience. If I’d had a camera doorbell, they’d have been seen.

In case you’re wondering, access was likely gained by someone pretending they’d come to see a vulnerable relative. No further info was given, no name, flat number, nothing. It’s possible that was genuine and someone slipped in at the same time. We don’t have CCTV.

…video doorbell and internal cameras, meaning it could easily be linked to a hub, which coincidentally is supplied with the video doorbell! They even do automated lighting solutions - very helpful for disabled people and improve safety.

A basic, fairly well-rated smart lock is at least £80, not including installation, but I’m better going with one that’s more expensive, which range from about £150-250. I have to plan my choice now, as some are for deadbolt locks, some for night latch. I am leaning toward the same brand as my…

Then there’s the added complication of my ever-increasing care needs to balance with security needs. I really need a lock that’s going to be compatible with a smart lock to facilitate carer/emergency services access as well as being more secure than the old night latch style.

Bearing in mind that I’m disabled & medically retired, this was a very unpleasant surprise. So far I’ve bought a video doorbell (on sale, thankfully, but still nearly £80) & a decent replacement night latch will be at least £55-60, if not more. My income is about £1k a month plus benefits.

To be fair, they’re losing MPs at a much faster rate.

Nigel Farage is wrong about the European Convention on Human Rights | Good Law Project The Reform leader is unveiling legislation to leave the ECHR. His arguments are wrong – and that move would be a disaster.

Nigel Farage is wrong about the European Convention on Human Rights.

He thinks we should leave the ECHR to reduce migration.

But not only do just a tiny number of immigration cases rely on human rights, leaving the ECHR would be an unmitigated disaster ⬇️
https://goodlaw.social/ngjm

Last week my front door was kicked in. As in not the building main door. I’m ok, cats are ok, but there’s quite a bit of damage to fix which has to wait until low cost repairs can come out. I can’t claim on insurance until I know the full costs, as far as I know (I still need to check).

Dammit it’s a game. I cannot play the things. My brain dislikes anything other than Duck Hunt…

These captchas are getting harder and harder

I need to find and watch this. It’s almost as bad as that time you banned me from quoting Galaxy Quest in debate chat when conference was online… then corrected me 🤣🤣🤣

😁😂

UK needs 'ambitious' EU youth migration deal, says Rachel Reeves The chancellor believes allowing young people to live and work in Britain would boost the economy and reduce the need for tax rises in the budget

Fab idea, I’m on board - but it’s worth adding that fully rejoining the EU would do that, friction free access to the world’s largest single market and give that same right to people who are over 30.

Something to think about, no?

Reeves pushes for EU youth migration scheme ahead of Budget The chancellor calls for an 'ambitious' deal as she looks to boost growth ahead of the 26 November Budget.

It's 10 months since I introduced a Bill into parliament for a youth mobility scheme with EU countries.

Since then we've had warm words but no action. Again we're short of detail.

I hope this isn't another damp squib because our young people deserve better.

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

A majority of people who voted Labour last year believe the UK is heading in the wrong direction.

A new YouGov poll, commissioned by B4B, finds that the electoral coalition that brought Labour to power blames Brexit for where it's gone wrong.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4mv524J

Biographies of J.R.R. Tolkien and Agatha Christie

Mordor on the Orient Express

Photo of Leo, a trans man of East Asian descent, with short black hair. He wears a grey jumper and a badge with the trans flag on. Text: "Through my own identity as a trans man, and one of a race other than white, I really wanted to share my own experiences to show that everyone's on a different path. It's not an easy journey and I don't think it's ever really over. It can be emotionally draining, but it can also be really rewarding." Leo Sheng

"Through my own identity as a trans man, and one of a race other than white, I really wanted to share my own experiences to show that everyone's on a different path. It's not an easy journey... It can be emotionally draining, but it can also be really rewarding." Leo Sheng
#Trans #Transgender

Why has an intelligent and articulate woman wearing a mask and speaking at the UN provoked an aggressive response from some media outlets?

Because her mask and her words have profoundly perturbed people at a deeply subconscious level. The nature of that perturbation is fear.

Reform UK's ex-Wales leader Nathan Gill admits pro-Russia bribery Nathan Gill admits eight charges of bribery while being a Member of the European Parliament.

Senior Reform politician took bribes to spread Russian propoganda in European Parliament. This is shocking and should be front page news. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Reform UK's ex-Wales leader Nathan Gill admits pro-Russia bribery Nathan Gill admits eight charges of bribery while being a Member of the European Parliament.

Nathan Gill is no fringe politician.

He was the leader of the Reform Party and before that UKIP in Wales.

A Brexit Party MEP.

A friend and ally of Nigel Farage, who in 2016 called him:

"terrific," and "as honest as the day is long."

This is a MASSIVE story

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

The DOJ's "demand for voters’ personal information, including driver’s license numbers and Social Security numbers, is unprecedented and unlawful, and we will vigorously fight the federal government’s overreach in court."

The current war on science, and who’s behind it A vaccine developer and a climate scientist walk into a bar write a book.

The current war on science, and who’s behind it arstechnica.com/science/2025...

The Justice Department is ramping up Trump’s election-rigging efforts DOJ officials have sued six more states to demand sensitive voter data.

The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division sued six states—California, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania—for failing to hand over their full, unredacted voter registration lists.

The new legal actions signify a ramping up of the Trump administration’s voter-suppression agenda.

This deserted Scottish island littered with WWII relics is a spooky site

Did you know that Scotland is home to an abandoned island littered with relics from the Second World War?

Image of a nativity scene drawn by a child in a school prayer book. "Jesus" is labeled in the manger and "mar" next to him. The donkey and kings are outside, and there are 2 stars in the sky. "Wensday 8 december 2021 dear god, Please let my family survive covid. We hope we could make it thruot through covidand Bring peace to every one." [sic]

💙💜💗 If you believe in our work, we urgently need your support 💙💜💗

🌬 We have been fighting for #CleanAir since we were founded in 2020.

👪 We want to raise the voices of children facing extreme challenges.

1/2 🙏 PLS RT 🙏

A few days out from #UNGA80, I wanted to reflect on the session we took part in and the media responses since. Mount Sinai was one of the 150 organizations that signed the global pledge to advocate for healthy indoor air. The event itself featured four panels of speakers who
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