leicsmac

How incredibly sad that such a reply is even necessary. Such purveyors of misinformation have a lot to answer for.

In this specific case, I'd agree. I was more addressing the generalisations floated in the thread earlier. That's why IMO a two pronged approach is needed - more social opportunities to decrease the level of general crime, and harsh punishments when someone is clearly doing it just to abuse the power they have.

It's a pain in the arse to be sure, but I also think it's probably a necessary one. Also, the banks know they're on the hook for any money lost through fraud, so they're going to do stuff like this to minimise it, I guess.

Social deprivation and poverty is the biggest motivator for crime, and next to no one in such environments carries out criminal acts purely for their own sake - that's much more the reserve of the already powerful looking to abuse their power. Offer those disadvantaged more social opportunities and crime will drop, and I'm pretty sure there's evidence for that. Purely out of interest, what is your take?

If there is a more plausible reason for such horrible acts, let's hear it.

The past rather clearly shows harsh punishments by themselves do not deter crime. There needs to be better support structures to address the root causes, unless one wants to write off large swathes of the population as inherently criminal and lock them all up.

On the topic of the fallen tree, I'm reminded of the last part of the Lord of the Rings - the "Scouring of the Shire" - where agents of Saruman cut down trees and spoil the land in the Shire, not for any real gain in the long run, but purely out of spite. This sounds very much like that - just spite.

Do hope Japan can do it.

No sicker that what has preceded it. People just like to romanticise the past.

Fair, though I think the Ryder Cup has its own uniqueness in that regard too. But it's always nice to do so, especially when they can be as egotistical as the American golfers.

Something about the Ryder Cup really brings out the parochialism in folks that really don't like European identity practically everywhere else. But that's great! Bring it on, especially when we're tanning the arrogant Americans...

That would imply whoever did it had some smarts, which makes it worse.

That is a massive insult to the fungal population.

Or a horrible fungus or virus freshly removed from permafrost that we melted. Take your pick. We're the biggest reality TV hit in twelve different colonised systems - they'll want to keep us rolling.

One of those situations where science is solving a problem that science itself - along with the human propensity for general short-sightedness - created. Not a fantastic way to go about things but considering the alternatives I think it's the least worst option.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-66923930 Numbers of the UK's most precious animals and plants are still falling, as a countrywide nature-loss crisis continues. Loss of nature is outpacing investment and effort to tackle it, conservation organisations say. Their State of the Nature report found 16% of 10,000 mammals, plants, insects, birds and amphibians assessed were threatened. And this loss of biodiversity isn't just limited to the UK, either.

Rather insane match between Nepal and Mongolia at the Asian Games. Nepal make 314 off their 20 overs, with one of their players making a hundred off 34 balls and another making a fifty off 9(!) balls (the fastest fifty theoretically possible). Then they bowl out Mongolia for 41 and win by 273 runs. Records broken all over the place.

Oh yeah, I forgot it was a Christmas election last time round.

Well, I guess we'll find out if such "legitimate concerns" regarding the matter will be enough for people to vote a particular way. Right now polling suggests not, but there's a long way between now and May 2024.

Fair to say. As per above though, here's hoping there aren't enough to be statistically significant.

Quite. So not brilliant for a few reasons tbh.

...and all contributing to an overall situation where sooner rather than later hundreds of millions of people (at the least) will die , suffer and/or be displaced. Winning indeed.

And now it seems like the backlash has had an effect, GB News have suspended him.

Looking at the comments on that thread, even Jayda Fransen thinks Fox went too far. How far have you gone when you get called out by someone like her for being a bit much?

If I were him, I'd have a face like thunder at the hypocrisy more than anything, given that Gervais is at least as egotistical and lacking in self awareness as the Hollywood luvvies he ripped the piss out of IMO.