Big J

Morning folks. I'm in eastern Norway for a few days with my bike. Waiting for the mist to clear then embarking on climbing a mountain called Tron. It's the second highest road in Norway. Gravel throughout, 11.16km long at 10.4% average. It'll be brilliant!

When I was in the UK, an hour was my cut off. After that, I'd take the caravan. If (for example) you're 90 minutes from home (70 miles let's say), every day that you don't drive home, you can work 3hrs more and save £63 in vehicle costs (if we apply the £0.45 per mile value to the journeys). So if you're a wood cutter on £25 an hour, you're a full £138 a day better off if you stay on site. It's lunacy to go home. These days, I try to condense my work into longer shifts (I have flexibility in my work programme) so that I minimise commuting time and maximise days off. And my commute is really short.

I'm 6ft 8" and my best work van was a 2019 Citroen Berlingo. Huge amounts of space in the cab and much more comfortable than any pickup (I had a 2011 Navara for years, and have driven most of the rest of them). The Berlingo was consistently 48-50mpg on the stupid little Devon lanes, and nudging 60mpg on longer journeys. And a lot more storage space in the back for tools too, with doors both sides for easy access. I know they won't go everywhere that a 4x4 will go, but if you're routinely doing very long commutes, the cost savings on a van will outweigh the inconvenience of occasionally having to walk a little further. These days I mostly work at a large sawmill that is 28km from home. It takes 23 minutes in the car (there is never any traffic) or an average of 45-55 minutes if I cycle. I have a 2007 VW T5 Caravelle 4motion that averages 36mpg, but we only have one car now so it needs to be versatile.

This morning I have a whole pile of blueberries and lingonberries to clean. I use a scoop-rake for the picking, which is unbelievably quick (15kg in 40 minutes) but you have to riddle the berries to get the leaves, little twigs and pine needles out of them. And then I also have about 3kg of chanterelles to clean too. They are growing very extensively this year. In terms of actual cooking, I did a moose joint last night, which will be my lunch/dinner at work for the next few days. Bread will be baked next weekend too. With all the cycling I do (12-15hrs a week on average), I have to cook and bake a lot just to eat healthily and affordably. We're very luck though to have the forest on the doorstep for all the berries. About 100kg will do us for the year, and we have the freezer space for that.

But their backgrounds aren't very different from the post-war period though. A fundamental problem for all developed economies is the fertility crisis. People are not having enough children, and if we're hoping to have any kind of quality of life in our retirements, we need younger people. The most extreme example of this is South Korea, which has a fertility rate of less than 0.7 (kids per couple. 2.1 is replacement rate). Their population is forecast to half by 2100.

Well I wasn't going to reference my Only Fans page, but now that you bring it up....... 😄

Totally agree. Too much, too fast is a really bad idea. That was the case in Germany and Sweden in 2015. They ambitiously and selflessly wanted to help, but it wasn't completely successful. We live in the council area in Sweden that took (per capita) the highest number of refugees in 2015. But there are few issues here now, truly. You're just as likely (per capita) to see criminal behaviour from natively Swedish people as any immigrant group. I would estimate that 15-20% of the population of our village is first generation immigrants and it's really helping envigorate the area. In what regard?

The study references people from outside the EU. The irony for the UK being that prior to Brexit, most immigrants were from within the EU and therefor culturally pretty close. Post-Brexit, the loss of freedom of movement has meant that in order to fill vacancies, it has been necessary to recruit from further afield. But I take you point, and do obviously accept that integrating other Europeans is easier.

From a UCL study: "Immigrants from outside the EU countries made a net fiscal contribution of about £5.2 billion, thus paying into the system about 3% more than they took out. In contrast, over the same period, natives made an overall negative fiscal contribution of £616.5 billion" The notion that immigrants are a financial drain on society is demonstrably untrue. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/economics/about-department/fiscal-effects-immigration-uk#:~:text=Immigrants from outside the EU,contribution of £616.5 billion.

Two wrongs do not make a right though. For the record, I despise all religion and genuinely have a problem with islamism. It does, mean that I am sometimes very conflicted about the situation in the Middle East with extremist Zionism on one side and extremist islamism on the other and a whole bunch of defenseless civilians caught in the crossfire. As others have articulated more eloquently than me, the timeline of events directly after the Southport attacks relates fairly precisely to the statements and social media postings of Farage et al. I am not saying that he instructed or indeed directed the riots. They may very well have taken place without his interventions. But I think it is unarguable that his remarks poured petrol on the flames by providing incendiary misinformation.

The riots have been a depressing reaffirmation that the extreme right wing is alive and well in the UK. In recent years (and particularly since Brexit), there has been a certain smugness amongst right leaning polical commentators that the rest of Europe is drifting right but here in the UK, we remain centrist and sensible. I am not sure that that particular narrative sticks anymore. The whole timeline of events is tragic from start to finish. Starting with the truly evil attack in Southport, and the brutal murder of those three little girls. I have two daughters myself, and for any parent, such a crime is the stuff of nightmares. What folowed though, with Farage and his ilk provoking racist extremism through mob mentality is unforgivable. I listened to an interview with him on LBC (amongst several hours of other commentary and analysis) and his rhetoric is one that is deliberately designed to inflame. He shrouds it in the defense of "I'm just asking the questions", but he doesn't ask the questions of the people that could provide him with an answer. He is a serving member of Parliament now, and has a platform from which he could legitimately ask sensible questions of the right people. Instead, he chooses to go onto X/Twitter/Social media and insinuate and suggest, and whether he accepts it or not, is a major factor in the instigation of these riots. And the reprobates involved in the riots are, for want of no other word, scum. They seem to be out there just to have a fight, loot and vandalise stuff. They are opportunistically using the savage murder of three little girls to exercise their violent fantasies and inflict terror on minority communities, as well as (let's be honest) attempt murder (the burning of the hotel housing asylum seekers). I'm pleased to see that the first of the rioters have been convicted and sentenced. I do not want to see the UK return the overtly racist society of 50 years ago, but I'm disappointed that that sentiment still exists. Can we not make good on our investment in Rwanda and send the rioters there? 🤪

Fox 'News' paid our $787.5 million as a result of lying over the Dominion voting machines. That is an excellent example of the right wing media lying. Was it Kelly Ann Conway who coined the phrase "Alternative Facts"? Spokesperson for Donald Trump. Every news organisation has a political bias and to an extent, an agenda. I accept this. I personally find MSNBC pretty tough to watch as they do not remain sufficiently impartial for my liking (even if I agree with them). But the blatant and easily disproved lying of Trump and the media that supports him is horrifying. They simply rely of voters living in echo chambers and being able to bamboozle them into voting against their own interests. I think it would be reasonable to assert that the USA has one of the poorest examples of an advanced democracy in the developed world. Far too much money, far too much lobbying and an antiquated and anti-democratic voting process that fails to adequately represent it's population.

Most of that is just propaganda nonsense Dave. To address a few points: Biden had an aggressive border policy lined up with strong bipartisan support. Trump intervened and killed it because he wanted to run on the border issue. Inflation in the US is amongst the lowest in the developed world and was the first to come down post covid. This is a global issue, not a US issue. Gas prices are tied to global markets, not national markets. They still pay very little for their fuel. The next two are very vague. Consumer debt? That's everyone in the western world, surely? Terrorists into the community? Any justice system will inevitably release people who go on to reoffend. The US has one of the harshest judicial and penal systems in the world, with incarceration rates that are frightening (20% of the world's prisoners for 4.2% of the population). Russia's invasion of Ukraine is entirely Putin's responsibility. I will agree that America has a lot to answer for in Israel/Gaza. This predates Biden, but I don't think he has acquitted himself very well. Remember though that Trump inflamed tensions when he moved the US Embassy to Jerusalem. The withdrawal from Afghanistan was agreed by Trump. The timeline was set by Trump, which Biden delayed by four months so as to try to avoid a catastrophe. Trump had gutted front line services and refugee services within Afghanistan, which contributed significantly to the botched pull-out. I would chalk this one up to a combined cockup by both administrations, rather that laying the blame solely on Biden. Violent crime numbers seem to be fairly static. It's obviously not helped by the USA's ridiculous gun laws: (sourced from Wikipedia) The trying to jail a political rival thing is utter b0llocks. Trump has always felt that the law didn't apply to him and it's finally catching up with him. About time too. And it's patently obvious to anyone that the justice system in the US doesn't treat rich white folk like it does everyone else. The question of Biden's health is a complicated one. It's obviously failing, which is distressing to all involved. Should the Democrats have addressed this sooner? Yes, probably. But given the choice between an old man in the beginnings of cognitive and physical decline who has a 50 year record of good public service, against a piece of sh!t narcissist who as well as demonstrating much evidence of cognitive decline as well, will only act in the interest of himself, the choice is very clear. I am of course glad that Biden has pulled out of the race and has been replaced by Harris. He has not declared war on American energy. The US is decades behind the rest of the world when it comes to renewable energy uptake. The environmental footprint of Americans is horrendous and needs to be addressed. Eliminating coal mining and reducing reliance on oil is just common sense. I know nothing about the test scores so can't comment. Popularity is largely irrelevent. Doing what is right and what is popular are not necessarily the same thing.

In what regard? Because your anecdotal experiences are somehow more valuable than large scale surveys? If you want anecdotal evidence, in our part of Sweden (economically not especially affluent), people seem genuinely happier and more secure that in Devon. Quality of life is irrefutably better and services are of a much better standard. People still moan and grumble, but they honestly don't know how much worse it could be (when compared to the UK, for example).

Again, singling out just a couple of examples from literally thousands, I'd say that such behaviour should automatically disqualify anyone from leading a nation. And then there are the multiple convictions for fraud, sexual assault and a long, long history of scamming just about everyone he's ever met. Perhaps I'm just idealistic, but I would like to think that the head of state elected to represent me would exude the sorts of values and principles that I and my nearest and dearest consider important. Trump is an olympic level assh0le, who views all interactions transactionally in terms of how they benefit him. The US has wonderful people, kind people, virtuous people, intelligent people. Trump is none of these things.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/rankings/quality-of-life Happiest Countries in the World 2024 WORLDPOPULATIONREVIEW.COM The world's most gender-equal countries WWW.BBC.COM BBC Travel talks to residents in four of the best-rated nations to find out what it's really like to live there. I would say that's fairly unambiguous.

Trump's remarks at the cemetary were widely reported from multiple sources. But OK, no video. Defend Trump for mocking the disabled reporter. What possible defense is there?

Gives a good timeline of events leading up to the Afghan withdrawal and the antecedent events: reuters.com WWW.REUTERS.COM

Biden's withdrawal from Afghanistan was planned and put into motion by Trump. As you request: Biden visits WWI cemetery that Trump skipped in France - The Washington Post WWW.WASHINGTONPOST.COM Former president Donald Trump notably bypassed the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in 2018 after reportedly calling troops buried there “suckers” and “losers.”

That as the case may be, it still compares massively favourably to almost any other developed nation. Just because a nation tops a list such as this, doesn't mean it's perfect. I'm just back from a week in Norway. Spectacular place, stunning mountain cycling, hideous main road traffic and very expensive. I'm grateful that it's close for me to get to, but also that I don't live there. I wouldn't fancy the idea of spending all my time hanging off the side of a mountain! 😄

You failed to answer my questions. Scandinavia is far more liberal than any iteration of any major political party in either the UK or US. It is of course capitalist, but it is also collectivist. Scandinavians understand that society functions better when no one is left behind. There are no gated communities here (as per the US) as there is no need. People feel that they can trust their government and that their politicians have their best interests at heart. Yes (as is the case in much of the world at the moment), there is a rightward swing of the political pendulum. A right leaning Sweden is still a good way left of Labour though. The tax rate is higher than 25%, for your information, and people don't generally mind that because it's obvious that it's being spent (for the most part) wisely and for our benefit. Now please answer my questions as regards Trump's heinous remarks/actions.

Pick any Scandinavian country. Always top the lists for quality of life, equality and happiness. I don't post here as much as I used to, but I'm always a little surprised and saddened by how right leaning some members are, and how callously heartless they come across online. Trump represents the very worst of American culture. Uneducated, cruel, self-serving and greedy. Those that vote for him wish to emulate him. They've been mislead into thinking that he has their interests at heart when he couldn't give a sh!t about them. I'll ask for a response on a few specific points: how would you defend Trump when he refused to visit WW1 war graves in Europe for fear of his hair becoming disheveled and stated "why would I go to that (American) cemetary? It's filled with losers" And Trump mocking a disabled reporter whilst on stage. These are but two of literally thousands of examples of him acting like a total piece of sh!t, but I'd ask that you defend him on these two specific counts.

There are a whole host of issues with democracy, but particularly the US democracy. It's systemic and I don't think we'll ever see significant change in our lifetimes. I'll run through a few points: The electoral college is anti-democratic. It allows for and encourages minority rule. The Republicans haven't won the popular vote since 2004. The state system, and the number of senators allocated to each state is also antidemocratic. Wyoming has 1 senator for every 290k population. California near as makes no difference 1 for every million population. The nature of the electoral college means that almost all votes in almost all states are irrelevent. It comes down to about 100,000 votes in a handful of swing states. Money plays far to massive a role in American politics. Allowing such collosal sums to be spent means that the truth is always bent, obfuscated or even hidden. There are 12,500 registered lobbyists in Washington - that's more than 20 for every senator or congressman. Gerrymandering - a practice normally undertaken by Republicans involving boundary changes to make it easier for them to retain or create electoral majorities in their districts. Political appointment of judges. There is no separation of political and judicial power in the US. Take the supreme court as an example. The extremely partisan nature of public broadcasting. People tune into the news network that they feel most comfortable in and consequently find an echo chamber reinforcing their world view. Obviously, that's true across the developed world, but the US is especially bad. I make a point of watching both MSNBC and Fox and find both to be pretty awful. I do not claim that the Democratic Party is anywhere near perfect. There is a great deal that they do that I find to be at best lacking (standing up for women's reproductive rights) or worst objectionable (continuing to support Israel), but under Biden they have had a productive and progressive administration (especially on the domestic front). It's right that Biden is not standing again. Would I have liked a contested primary? Yes, of course. But there isn't time. Harris will be fine, and certainly a million times better than Trump. The issue with Trumpism (which is what it is) is that it is so far from Republicanism that the only thing you can say it is now is an anti-democratic, authoritarianistic cult of personality. Trump's only interest is Trump. He has demostrated countless times that he will only act in his own interest, or aligned with his own prejudices. Many of the people from the fringes of the GOP that he chooses to surround himself with are frankly terrifying. His continual lying against overwhelming proof is shocking, and worse still that his loyalist MAGA devotees take it, hook, line and sinker. I sincerely hope that common sense prevails and that Trump is given the boot in November. Perhaps then all his legal issues will finally catch up with him (the legal system in the US is clearly two tier, depending on your net worth) and he does some time. He's an absolute disgrace.

You and I am in complete agreement. MA teach a form of discipline and respect that is largely lacking in society (not just kids). I did Taekwondo for a few years from 16-19. I was an absolute beanpole at that age (6ft 6 growing to 6ft 8 in that time) having cycled competitively, and self esteem wasn't very high as a result of bullying. But I had always been very athletic, and my height and speed meant that I was extremely good at sparring. I trained and competed in a semi contact federation, so power was not as important as speed. I eventually moved on from Taekwondo into weight training, but that discipline and self control is something that's stuck with me ever since. Great that your children have embraced it so fully and so astutely.

I would say that Hunter Biden's addiction struggles are perhaps resultant of surviving a car crash that killed his mother and sister. Any rational or reasonable person would have deep trauma from something like that. Though I stress, I'm not defending his actions. Just offering a possible explanation.