bovril

I went to Aleppo in 2010, about 9 months before the civil war started. Absolutely beautiful place, great people, incredible history and culture. It's been incredibly difficult watching the destruction and bloodshed in the country for a whole 14 years but at least now there is a little hope with the end of of Assadism.

#WhenTaken #285 (08.12.2024) I scored 888/1000 (💡x1) 🏆 1️⃣📍425 m - 🗓️11 yrs - 🥇182/200 2️⃣📍769 m - 🗓️6 yrs - 🥇193/200 3️⃣📍64.8 km - 🗓️6 yrs - 🥇190/200 4️⃣📍1.1 km - 🗓️6 yrs - 🥇193/200 5️⃣📍💡1.7K km - 🗓️14 yrs - 🥈130/200 https://whentaken.com

The group of 'bubbly' women with strong Lincolnshire accents shouting on the train to London I took today. Letting everyone know just what an amazing time they were having and how they were off to "The Harrods". I doubt I'll ever have to hear those particular four again but the next time I take the Ely-London line there will inevitably be another gaggle of loud forty something females calling their imbecile husbands on loud speaker and downing cans of G&T.

RP

Copied and pasted from a Romanian friend's social media: "The ruling came after classified intelligence reports from multiple security agencies were declassified, revealing widespread manipulation of the electoral process through digital technologies and artificial intelligence. The far-right candidate's aggressive promotional campaign was found to have violated electoral laws by exploiting social media algorithms and failing to properly label electoral advertising materials. The Court found this created an unfair advantage and distorted voter choice. Additionally, this candidate reported zero campaign spending to electoral authorities despite evidence of significant promotional activities, raising serious concerns about illegal campaign financing. The full ruling can be read here: https://www.ccr.ro/wp.../uploads/2024/12/HCC-32-2024.pdf Below is a summary of the key violations cited by the Court: 1. Campaign Finance Violations - The candidate reported 0 lei in campaign spending while conducting extensive promotional activities - This violates transparency requirements and campaign finance laws - The discrepancy between reported spending and actual campaign scale raised serious legal concerns 2. Digital Manipulation Issues - Contrary to some oversimplification, it was not just „messaging on TikTok” but systematic exploitation of social media algorithms - Failure to properly label electoral advertising materials as required by law - Abuse of digital targeting technologies to manipulate voter behaviour - Non-transparent use of artificial intelligence in campaign operations 3. Equal Opportunity Violations - Created demonstrable inequality between candidates - One candidate received preferential treatment on social media platforms - Other candidates' online exposure was directly and proportionally reduced - Violated constitutional principle of equal opportunity in elections 4. Transparency Failures - Campaign materials lacked required electoral publicity markings - Hidden sponsorship of political advertising - Undisclosed funding sources for online campaign activities - Non-transparent use of targeting techniques 5. Legal Framework Violations - Multiple breaches of electoral legislation - Violation of Law 370/2004 requirements - Non-compliance with campaign transparency regulations - Circumvention of electoral advertising rules The Court said that these systematic violations of electoral law, campaign finance regulations, and constitutional principles together undermined the fairness and legality of the entire electoral process. The fundamental nature of free and fair elections was affected by these violations, explains the Court, through several means: - Distorting voters' ability to make informed choices - Creating unequal conditions for candidates - Violating basic principles of electoral transparency - Undermining campaign finance regulations - Compromising the integrity of the democratic process"

Surprised myself with the last one. Thought I'd put it somewhere central in that region and it ended up correct. #WhenTaken #284 (07.12.2024) I scored 932/1000 (💡x1) 👑 1️⃣📍5.4 km - 🗓️10 yrs - 🥇185/200 2️⃣📍2.1 km - 🗓️5 yrs - 🥇195/200 3️⃣📍1.6K km - 🗓️4 yrs - 🥈155/200 4️⃣📍16.2 km - 🗓️2 yrs - 🥇197/200 5️⃣📍1.7 km - 🗓️💡0 yrs - 🥇200/200 https://whentaken.com

Total crimes have increased in London from 2016, Johnson's final year, to 2024. Violent crime too. I would imagine now there are also more crimes that go unreported to the police. https://www.statista.com/statistics/380963/london-crime-rate/ (I know statista is crap but reliable here I think). So it is factually correct to say "crime has increased in London under Sadiq Khan", although it's not totally his fault obviously. Anecdotally, it feels like everyone I know has had a phone or a bike stolen. Everyone's local supermarkets seems to be experiencing more shoplifting. Our university sent an email to international students telling them to be careful walking round with their phones out, because so many have been the victim of phone snatching. I doubt you'll find a single Londoner who doesn't think things have got worse, and who has much trust left in the police: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/met-police-neighbourhood-crime-dispatches-b2580025.html That London is not the worst place in England doesn't really make me feel any better about the situation.

At least aesthetically London's really declined in the last few years. Rubbish everywhere. As bad now as some poor neighbourhoods in Balkan cities I used to go to.

#WhenTaken #283 (06.12.2024) I scored 895/1000 (💡x1) 🏆 1️⃣📍557 km - 🗓️2 yrs - 🥇181/200 2️⃣📍638 km - 🗓️2 yrs - 🥇179/200 3️⃣📍4.7 km - 🗓️💡2 yrs - 🥇198/200 4️⃣📍1.6 km - 🗓️11 yrs - 🥇182/200 5️⃣📍1.6K km - 🗓️3 yrs - 🥈155/200 https://whentaken.com

Spurs really poor

Sounds like a train station in Wales

Categorically never been a member of the IRA

He's still like 6 seasons worth of goals ahead of Vardy.

Crazy really that his last England goal was nearly 7 years ago. What could have been....

#WhenTaken #282 (05.12.2024) I scored 927/1000 (💡x1) 👑 1️⃣📍1.3 km - 🗓️5 yrs - 🥇195/200 2️⃣📍286 km - 🗓️11 yrs - 🥈172/200 3️⃣📍767 m - 🗓️2 yrs - 🥇198/200 4️⃣📍504 km - 🗓️2 yrs - 🥇183/200 5️⃣📍652 km - 🗓️💡1 yrs - 🥇179/200 https://whentaken.com/

They will never go down. We need to accept this.

He wants revenge on Martin for having a lot of hair

Enzo getting it ****ing done.

I guess it's better because you didn't block anyone's view. Judging by your profile pic you're quite a large guy.

Michael Owen is the man who claimed Liverpool were "still the team to beat" after they had been....beaten in the Champions League final. So I don't think he's the type to update his priors.

I know this has been done to death but these people are the worst. Why pay good money to go and watch a football game and then miss 10-15 minutes of it because you want to have a crap pie and crap beer.

Because it can be done without making generalisations about religion and the religious, or about people from certain regions of the globe. Britain is a country that provides us with plenty of evidence that non-religious North-West Europeans can be extremely racist, homophobic, etc.

I like what I've seen so far but honestly he benefits massively from not being Steve Cooper

My girlfriend being Orthodox and me Anglican it's quite nice I get to celebrate religious festivals twice. Apart from Christmas as she's from one of the very few Orthodox countries that celebrates it on the 25th.

Pretty expensive pair of wheels so I would expect them to last