Also in the news

[leicsmac]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-57386625

 

Not really saying more than is already known, but the question always is what can be done?

 

When there is no possible enforcing authority above the most powerful nation states, that allows for this to happen. (Though an unaccountable authority of that type would just make a whole load of similar new problems.)

[Buce]

 

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jun/11/thousands-gather-in-belfast-to-protest-against-northern-ireland-protocol

 

Loyalist protests over Brexit Protocol:

 

Police estimated that more than 3,000 people took part, in excess of the number allowed to gather in public currently under the coronavirus regulations.

 

In Belfast, Ch Insp Darren Fox said “The numbers were in excess of that permitted under the Public Health Regulations.”

 

West Belfast MP Paul Maskey criticised the gathering, which he said included masked men.

 

*******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Nailed it: man, 82, builds bench for wife in 30 minutes after council plea ignored

Manuel Souto took matters into own hands to provide resting place for wife on daily walks in Spanish town

  Whatever the rustic bench that sits on a street in the north-west Spanish town of A Estrada may lack in finish and elegance, it more than makes up for in the devotion that went into its creation.

The pale wooden seat was cobbled together after Manuel Souto, an 82-year-old retired lathe operator, decided to find somewhere for his wife to sit and rest on their daily walks. María Souto, who is 79 and has osteoarthritis, walks with a stick and finds her morning exercise increasingly difficult.

After efforts to lobby the local council to install benches along their usual route came to nothing, Souto took matters into his own hands and headed to the local DIY shop.

“The bench took me about half an hour,” he told La Voz de Galicia. “I got some wood but I had a saw at home because I still have my workshop. It was just a matter of sawing and nailing and I finished almost straight away.”

Souto admits the finished product could do with a bit more sanding and some varnishing, but says it’s sturdy enough and does the job. A local shop owner gave his permission for Souto to put the bench outside his store, and it was installed overnight last week as a surprise for María.

“When she saw it, she was delighted,” Souto told the online paper Nius. “I got a kiss and a hug.”

The bench is already proving popular with people in A Estrada but Souto is keen for it to be used by those most in need of respite – hence the message, inked in marker pen, along the back: “Respeten. Para mallores” (Be thoughtful. For older people).

Some have pointed out that mallores should be spelled mayores, but Souto isn’t bothered by the mistake.

“I didn’t go to school,” he told Nius. “I started working when I was a child and worked all my life. Just like my wife. The poor thing has never stopped working.”

Souto jokes that his guerrilla seating efforts could have consequences – “If I go to jail, someone’ll need to bring me tobacco” – but so far, the only fallout has been an outpouring of affection and the odd request for a similar bench.

“A few neighbours have been in touch asking me to make another one, but I’ve said no,” he said. “I made just the one and it’s just for my wife.”

 

It's a nice story but it's a bit shit, innit? Ngl.

 

Edited 11 June 2021 by Buce

[Carl the Llama]

Does his wife not have a back?

[leicsmac]

It's nice to have something vaguely approaching a statesman heading up the US delegation to the G7 summit.

 

What would be nicer is if they actually came up with some unified, enforceable action to either slow down the drastic global temperature increase and all the consequences it entails, or come up with a way of dealing with those consequences that doesn't involve pulling up the drawbridge and every nation for itself.

[leicsmac]

From this:

 

 

to this:

 

 

How things change.

[ozleicester]

3 hours ago, leicsmac said:

From this:

 

 

to this:

 

 

 

 

How things change.

It will be amazing how history writes the past 5-8 years

[leicsmac]

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-57456641

 

Lay it out for them, Sir David.

[Innovindil]

7 hours ago, leicsmac said:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-57456641

 

Lay it out for them, Sir David.

Trouble is, it's not enough "them".

 

China has warned the G7 leaders that the days when a "small" group of countries decided the fate of the world were long gone.

The comments, by a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in London, come as the leaders, who are meeting in England, seek a unified position over China.

[leicsmac]

2 minutes ago, Innovindil said:

Trouble is, it's not enough "them".

 

China has warned the G7 leaders that the days when a "small" group of countries decided the fate of the world were long gone.

The comments, by a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in London, come as the leaders, who are meeting in England, seek a unified position over China.

...and there is the elephant in the room, yes.

 

That being said, I would posit that a collaboration on environmental/climate change matters between the G7 and other parties including the Chinese might come easier than on other matters, because they see the writing on the wall as starkly as any other nation and given parts of China are directly vulnerable to the effects of climate change it's their arses on the line too. Self-preservation is a powerful motivator, even, and especially, for authoritarians.

[doverfox]

So GB News has launched time will tell if a comercial 24hr news channel can survive. I would like a different perpestive on news stories.a but more balance and some proper journalism the bb have gotten lazy near the start of the pandemic cnbc marketplace a consumer affairs programme into which masks were the most effective. This is the sort of stuff i would like the bbc to do.

[Footballwipe]

11 hours ago, doverfox said:

So GB News has launched time will tell if a comercial 24hr news channel can survive. I would like a different perpestive on news stories.a but more balance and some proper journalism the bb have gotten lazy near the start of the pandemic cnbc marketplace a consumer affairs programme into which masks were the most effective. This is the sort of stuff i would like the bbc to do.

I'm afraid based on the first 12 hours, that is not what you'll be getting.

 

What you'll get is a channel that is trying to cash in on the right-wing honey pot. There's so much money to be made by stirring fear in middle aged white people who fear WOKENESS. It's already been banging on about BLM and taking a knee, anti-lockdown and conspiracies and has the budget less than the cost of Youri Tielemans transfer fee.

 

Remember, the people behind this channel are not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts, they're not offering a real new voice. They've seen how much can be made and want to make a profit on the back of controversy and a lovely little echo chamber.

 

We'll see how long Ofcom stand for their nonsense, although one suspects baiting Ofcom is exactly what they want. Controversy and accusing Ofcom of being Woke. All part of the culture war tbh.

 

Still, at least GB News, whose major backers are all based outside of the UK, and VOICE OF THE NORMAL MAN Andrew Neil, have the backs of proper British folk. Andrew Neil, of course, who presented last night's show from his Villa in the south of France, and has been part of the "establishment" for about four decades.

Edited 14 June 2021 by Footballwipe

[Finnaldo]

It was always known to be a ‘FOX News inspired channel’ wasn’t it? 
 

Basically, a channel where one viewpoint will be reinforced and ‘Britain won’t be bashed’ (read: criticised in any way) for folk who have spent the last 7 years laughing at safe spaces and calling people snowflakes. 
 

I imagine it’s the same folks claiming the BBC is ‘leftist’ despite the government appointing the majority of the 13-man board.

[Dunge]

I was a big fan of Andrew Neil on the BBC; I felt he provided some excellent balance to the corporation and its political reporting. Plus I suspect that GB News will have a lot of opinions that I’ll agree with. And despite that - or perhaps because of that - I hope it fails.

 

Our terrestrial channels are generally pretty good at providing balanced opinion and content, with perhaps the exception of Channel 4 in recent times. I like it like that. When I see a news program or discussion, I like to hear a range of views (albeit without the far left or far right). We should at least hear opposing arguments to find out if they make sense to us. The way GB News is described, it seems to lack those opposing views by its very definition. It’s bad enough that we have to put up with echo chambers forming on the internet; I can’t see it being good for society that one is generated deliberately on television, whether I’d broadly agree with the content or not.

 

So initial impressions: Not for me, thanks.

[Carl the Llama]

3 hours ago, Footballwipe said:

I'm afraid based on the first 12 hours, that is not what you'll be getting.

 

What you'll get is a channel that is trying to cash in on the right-wing honey pot. There's so much money to be made by stirring fear in middle aged white people who fear WOKENESS. It's already been banging on about BLM and taking a knee, anti-lockdown and conspiracies and has the budget less than the cost of Youri Tielemans transfer fee.

 

Remember, the people behind this channel are not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts, they're not offering a real new voice. They've seen how much can be made and want to make a profit on the back of controversy and a lovely little echo chamber.

 

We'll see how long Ofcom stand for their nonsense, although one suspects baiting Ofcom is exactly what they want. Controversy and accusing Ofcom of being Woke. All part of the culture war tbh.

 

Still, at least GB News, whose major backers are all based outside of the UK, and VOICE OF THE NORMAL MAN Andrew Neil, have the backs of proper British folk. Andrew Neil, of course, who presented last night's show from his Villa in the south of France, and has been part of the "establishment" for about four decades.

Absolutely spot on.  It's fox news UK.  A lovely little cash grab with the added bonus of entrenching political power by further misinforming the gullible and hate-filled.

[FerrisBueller]

Hopefully the BBC will stop banging Farage on every Question Time possible now, he'll be doing the graveyard shift on Yer Da TV.

[Bellend Sebastian]

I'm going to watch GB News in a minute. I've already fought the urge for too long.

 

Meanwhile, there's a certain poetry to this bit of fun:

 

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/bare-chested-hooligans-public-urinator-5529882

[leicsmac]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57542812

 

What is it about two consenting adults being in love with each other that riles religious fundies so much?

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57540611

 

Speaking of religious fundies, Pence getting heckled because he didn't adopt fundie Trumpism in place of his fundie Christianity.

Edited 20 June 2021 by leicsmac

[Mike Oxlong]

On 14/06/2021 at 15:31, FerrisBueller said:

Hopefully the BBC will stop banging Farage on every Question Time possible now, he'll be doing the graveyard shift on Yer Da TV.

Crikey ! The political coverage of the BBC really has plumbed new depths 

[Facecloth]

2 hours ago, Mike Oxlong said:

Crikey ! The political coverage of the BBC really has plumbed new depths 

So that's why it's on so late at night.

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

Donald Trump has undergone surgery for a suspected tumour in his bowel. However, after it's removal it was found to be his brain. 

[twoleftfeet]

Not in the main stream  news but pickup some traction on you tube  

He is a left political comintator from Australia (i Believe ) and they are useing the police and anti terrorist laws to try and silence him. I know some of my post are for right wing than some see as centre but taking a way the right for free speech or policital satire is wrong from either side. 

[leicsmac]

https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-57520169

 

A fascinating look at how North Korea have turned to cyber attacks as a means of making bank, sometimes successful, sometimes not.

[yorkie1999]

5 hours ago, twoleftfeet said:

Not in the main stream  news but pickup some traction on you tube  

He is a left political comintator from Australia (i Believe ) and they are useing the police and anti terrorist laws to try and silence him. I know some of my post are for right wing than some see as centre but taking a way the right for free speech or policital satire is wrong from either side. 

Sounds to me like a lot of truth twisting, on his way to a uni class and just happened to have the lawsuit on him as he was photographing it to give to potential lawyers and then noticed john (whatever his name is) getting into a car, come on.

[Innovindil]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57562152

 

Under-18s who want nude pictures or videos of themselves removed from the internet can now report the images through an online tool.

 

The service - from the Internet Watch Foundation and Childline - aims to help children who have been groomed, or whose partners have posted photos of them online.

 

The IWF will examine the images and try and remove them if they break the law.

 

It says the tool is a "world first" and could help many worried children.

 

Outstanding work. 

 

[leicsmac]

36 minutes ago, Innovindil said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57562152

 

Under-18s who want nude pictures or videos of themselves removed from the internet can now report the images through an online tool.

 

The service - from the Internet Watch Foundation and Childline - aims to help children who have been groomed, or whose partners have posted photos of them online.

 

The IWF will examine the images and try and remove them if they break the law.

 

It says the tool is a "world first" and could help many worried children.

 

Outstanding work. 

 

Good.

 

Hopefully such tools might also make it easier for the scumbags who post such images to be held accountable, too.

 

In fact I'd like to see similar measures taken for all such incidents regardless of age. Perhaps if there was a bit more accountability for publishing and distributing such pics without consent some folks might take it more seriously, rather than thinking it's all a big laugh ala the ridiculous "Fappening".