peak4

a free eBook available here Project Gutenberg; if you're really interested

Often when topics like this come up, so does "Charity Begins at home" or something similar. The phrase dates back a few hundred years to an English author Sir Thomas Browne in his work Religio Medici 1642 Wiki link The longer full quote seems to have a little more to it then many folk appreciate. The whole expression, with explanatory notes for those analysing it for course work, follows here; eNotes https://www.enotes.com/topics/religio-medici/quotes "Charity Begins At Home" Context: Charity, says Browne, is much more than mere almsgiving; there are almost as many forms of charity as there are of doing good, and speaking well of others is one of them. How many, he says, offend against charity by characterizing an entire people by a single word: the foolish French or the proud Spanish. With one word we wound thousands. Browne says that he is not distressed to see people in their fits of folly and madness, because we must have vices if we are to have the corresponding virtues. And, indeed, no man can justly censure or condemn another, because no man can know another. His acquaintances think less of him than he himself does, and his friends more. Furthermore, no man can judge another, because no man knows himself. But how, he asks, can we expect charity towards others when we are uncharitable towards ourselves? Every man is his own fate and cuts the thread of his own life as Atropos, the Fate of Greek mythology, is supposed to do. [Wiki link, for Atropos, one of the three fates; not in eNotes] The passage in Browne express it thus: . . . But how shall we expect charity towards others, when we are uncharitable to ourselves? "Charity begins at home," is the voice of the world; yet is every man his greatest enemy, and, as it were, his own executioner.

None of this of course is as simple as it seems. Something in the order of 27% of the Foreign Aid budget is spent on asylum seeker's accommodation & food in the UK whilst they await processing. I wonder who the actual recipients are and how much of their profit goes straight into offshore tax havens. This one happens to be from the Guardian, as it avoids paywalls, though there are plenty of other sources. Spending foreign aid budget on refugees in UK is ‘wreaking havoc’, says watchdog Government’s aid watchdog says Foreign Office taking ‘financial hit’ for Home Office overspending The UK government’s decision to use the overseas aid budget to pay for supporting refugees in Britain is “wreaking havoc” with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s development partnerships, an official government watchdog said on Wednesday after it was revealed that £4.3bn was diverted to support refugees in 2023. The actual documentation is here; The UK aid budget and support for refugees in the UK in 2022/23 House of Commons Library, and has updates for later years Companies providing housing for UK asylum seekers make £113m profit Guardian again Combined profits of Clearsprings Ready Homes and Stay Belvedere Hotels prompt criticism from refugee charities Two private companies supplying accommodation for asylum seekers to the Home Office have made a record combined profit of more than £113m, according to their most recently published accounts. Clearsprings Ready Homes is one of three private companies that has contracts with the Home Office to provide asylum accommodation. It is the company’s sole business. It made £62.5m in profits after tax for the year ending January 2023, more than double its profits of £28m the previous year.

I can remember someone being described as "Dagenham"; it made no sense to me at all, until it was explained as "well beyond Barking" See London tube map

I won a Radio Sheffield goodie bag on that one when we were working nights years ago in Wickersley. Can't remember the clue now, but something to do with a singer and a load of letters, the answer being "designer pogonophobia" For the record, I have shaved a couple of times recently, one would have been autumn 1975 and then again in summer '81 the day before I flew out to Crete for a holiday. 🙂 Predated the days of us all having our own keys at work; my colleague answered me ringing the doorbell and asked for my passcard.

I'm guessing this is the story, but it's all a bit hard to tell with no link. 😉 Huddersfield customers fume after cafe renames Ploughman's lunch 'Ploughperson's' Yorkshire Live One customer said he couldn't believe his eyes when he went for a coffee at Espresso Corner in Huddersfield town centre It did seem to create a bit of a stir by the anti-woke brigade, and was repeated all over the place. I assume none of them read the date of the article.

I found this whole story quite bizarre; the tale of Chloe Lopez is broadly true, I think she was even warned to leave Spain after one of her stunts. Daily Mail 'Outraging Public Decency': UK’s Sanford Police On Lookout For British Influencer After Videos Of Her Removing Underwear In Public Places Go Viral [Free Press Journal-some sort of Indian publication] The UK police are on the lookout for a British influencer after her videos of removing her underwear and keeping them in public places went viral on social media It's more that they are quoting Sandford Police, who were also recently re-tweeted by Elon Musk. 🙂 Twitter link

That would appear to be a Penalty Charge Notice, not a Parking Charge Notice. Looks like it's probably a council car park/warden/CEO I'd seek advice at one of these, though MoneySavingExpert might be another https://www.ftla.uk/civil-penalty-charge-notices-(councils-tfl-and-so-on)/ or https://www.facebook.com/groups/590815702229179/ be very wary of other Facebook groups, some OK, others iffy and at least one likely to land you in court.

Not wishing to get into another Southport Riots thread, there seems to be a decent explanation here; Marc Owen Jones @marcowenjones [yes I know it came from Twitter originally, but he's viewed as an expert on analysing this sort of stuff and does appear on MSM. No idea personally of the accuracy] https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1826649969555898818.html

German Police not released much info last time I looked, but folk should beware what they read on social media; I've already seen 3 names promoted, complete with photos, all from prior incidents.

Call me cynical but; Sunak and Hunt plot pre-election spending trap for Labour iNews via Archive.ph Tory Government may set out amount of money available for next spending review before the election - but hold back from allocating it in detail Ministers to time UK blood scandal payouts to avoid jeopardising pre-election tax cuts FT via archive.ph Delay of inquiry’s final report means the compensation scheme would not be ‘scored’ in chancellor’s next Budget The Tories did seem to try to recover from Trussonomics to a certain extent, but this article refers mainly to the economy, rather than the effect of previous austerity on the actual citizens; Tories did not lay waste the economy, but the myth suits Labour’s campaign message Larry Elliott Grauniad Labour will win by a mile but is coming to power at the worst possible moment. The economy has been laid waste by the Conservatives, who have deployed a scorched earth policy that will ensure the incoming government has the inheritance from hell. That, at least, is the conventional wisdom, a view that Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves have done nothing to counter. There is a reason for that. It suits Labour’s campaign message to paint the blackest possible picture so that it can blame the Tories for any tough decisions they have to make. Even so, the conventional wisdom is wrong. Without in any way minimising the challenges Starmer and Reeves face, this is actually not a bad time to be arriving in office.

Very much so by the looks of it.

New report out; I've not read it yet Navigating the Long Haul: Understanding Long Covid in Northern England Health Equity North

Quite a lot of folk accross social media if you checkout #farageriots See also; note not that he helped organise or co-ordinate, but responsible for motivating others Half of voters think Reform leader Nigel Farage is responsible for riots, poll reveals Indy The Reform UK leader ranks just behind Tommy Robinson in voters’ attribution of blame for the far-right riots

Sadly there was a lot of easily influenced folk who got sucked into it, and are now rightly suffering the consequences of their actions, but I wonder if the real people behind it will ever be brought fully to justice. I was amused to see the police collected CCTV footage of those who bought balaclavas in Rotherham shops on their way to Manvers, and still worth the same distinctive clothing from when they purchased them. I suspect the fake name, put out by a woman on Twitter, was just the spark/excuse that others were already awaiting; when the police/security services analyse her digital history, I wonder if it will provide any direct connections to the alleged organisers. It seems she's currently being defended by The Free Speech Union. Twitter link Here's a couple of links to read, though they are quite long articles, and perhaps better suited for reading on a tablet or monitor, rather than a mobile; maybe our unnamed forum member can try on a smart TV 🙂 . Exposing the Real UK Race Riot Instigators: Bylines Nafeez Ahmed 8 August 2024 Robinson has been blamed for stoking the unrest, but the tentacles of disinformation are global. Nafeez Ahmed uncovers a worrying nexus of tech platforms and far-right conspiracy – with links to Europe, Russia and the January 6 insurrection Subsequent to that article being published, this came out; I have linked to it previously, but perhaps it's still of interest to some [he looks to have been involved in the "Southport Wake Up" group]. Mr.AG: The Mixed Race Finnish Neo-Nazi Behind the UK’s Race Riots Red Flare • 16.08.2024

Pre-Print article published yesterday, available for download or opening in your browser Rae @Sunny_Rae1 (Twitter - Bio Dr Rae Duncan MBChB,BSc(HONS), MSc,MD,FRCP, SCMR3,BSE TTE/TOE Accr. Consultant Cardiologist & Long Covid Researcher.) It’s finished!! Enclosing the PrePrint ahead of publication of our new manuscript. Delighted to have been part of the team overseeing this modified DELPHI Global consensus document on Long Covid: International consensus from 179 experts across 28 countries Long COVID Clinical Evaluation, Research and Impact on Society: A Global Expert Consensus

Maybe the same reason some people like to call Emily Thornberry Lady Nugee?? Many folk still think a woman should take her husband's name and know their place. https://www.indy100.com/celebrities/boris-johnson-comment-emily-thornberry-house-of-commons-lady-nugee-8277806 The vast majority of women still take their husband's name, though alternatives are growing foothold, according to YouGov research. Yet tradition of women taking their husband's name has been under increasingly fervent debate in recent decades: for many women, losing their name makes them first and foremost a wife, while their husband remains himself. Most feminists maintain that protecting whatever women happen to choose – whether that's sticking to her own surname or taking her husband's – should be the priority, as is honouring that choice.

A sensible non-sensationalist story from Al Jazeera Mpox not the new COVID, says WHO World Health Organization official says regardless of strain, mpox is not the new COVID, as authorities know how to control its spread.

A recent pre-emptive recall here Tesco recalls 'melt in middle' vegan burgers for getting too hot BBC

As with many of these cases, I think there was a bit more to it than first meets the eye https://www.poolelg.com/blog/the-truth-behind-the-mcdonald-s-hot-coffee-case-.cfm

Subsequent to the 2011 riots, the sentencing council reviewed the guidelines for all public order offences to ensure consistency with the various charges accross the country. About the Sentencing Council The Sentencing Council is an independent, non-departmental public body. We are part of the Ministry of Justice family of arm’s-length bodies. From what I can make out, courts stick fairly rigidly to those guidelines, barring exceptional circumstances, to lessen chances of sentence appeal post conviction; appeals can be both too lenient, or too severe of course. New sentencing guidelines for public order offences published Sentencing Council A comprehensive package of guidelines to be used by all courts in England and Wales when sentencing offenders convicted of public order offences, ranging from low level disorderly behaviour to widespread public disorder, has been published today by the independent Sentencing Council, following consultation. The new guidelines, which come into effect on 1 January 2020, provide sentencing guidance for existing offences under the Public Order Act 1986. For the first time, all courts will have a clear framework to help ensure a consistent approach is taken to sentencing these offences. The guidelines will apply to offenders aged 18 years or over. They have been development in accordance with the Council’s usual procedures which include a public consultation and an analysis of current sentencing practice.

If you follow that BristolLive link, there is a bit of explanation about how the judge decided on the sentence imposed. I did have a brief look at the other link you showed, but couldn't immediately find the judges sentencing remarks for Dakota Henton, the driver. I'm not sure which ones get published and which don't, there might be something on Bailii; I'm guessing since it was a drug issue, as well as having kids taken into care, so the judge decided that treatment may be better offered outside prison, but it was a suspended sentence, so can be recalled to court if she defaults on the drug rehab program.

Sorry, scrub the previous sentencing guidelines, it seems the charge was Violent Disorder now I've re-read the article properly https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/offences/magistrates-court/item/violent-disorder-2/

I'd suggest that the BBC report is a bit too brief to get the full picture. Here's a more detailed one; don't forget he also pleaded guilty having seen the evidence against him. He had already been arrested once, escorted away, de-arrested and went back to join the fray https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/man-released-police-went-back-9496337 If the charge was affray, the sentencing guidelines are here; courts do seem to stick fairly rigidly to them https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/offences/magistrates-court/item/affray-2/

Assure your friend it's very real with some people, though I obviously can't speak for them. e.g. I'm someone who has always gone out walking, normally with a camera, on nature type walks. Due to various other commitments , I was a bit unfit back in Jan2000, but still quite happy with a 12mile walk. I had a dabble with Covid before it became popular in Jan of that year, and even when largely recovered, after maybe 3 months, I was only comfortable going 6/7 miles, which I did continue quite regularly, until I picked Covid up again in March last year; I'm now down to about 4 miles in comfort, though I could rest for a bit and do another 4 OK. previously I wouldn't have needed to take a break. A really noticeable thing the first time around was hearing loss; I know what number the TV was set to, in order to hear well enough to follow dialogue; During, and still post, Covid, I needed about 3 points higher. This was before vaccinations of course.