“Being a citizen means having the benefits of being one but also the responsibilities: such as paying taxes, and looking out for others. Wearing masks, getting vaccinated (if you can, which is the case for the vast majority) is part of that. There is a limit on how selfish you can be in a society.” …
“It has been said that a pretty face is a passport. But it’s not. It’s a visa and it runs out fast.” (Writer julie Burchill, quoted in Psychology Today)
The reason why President Biden’s Build Back Better Act has failed to pass is because it raises taxes on the rich. Other budget bills like the CARES Act, the American Rescue Plan, and the bipartisan infrastructure bill all passed with support from all 50 Senate Democrats. The difference between these bills and the Build Back …
Continue reading ‘Millionaires: the other side of the coin’ »
This week’s biggest Brexit news is firmly in the ‘beyond satire’ category. Jacob Rees-Mogg is now UK Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency (Rees-Mog is not regarded as serious by some). Response of pro-EU activists was very short, though probably still longer than Mr Rees-Mogg’s list of opportunities. Former top civil servant Jill Rutter …
The influence of public personalities in the US is not a modern phenomenon, in case you thought it was. A little incident, bordering legality, from my youth: I hitch-hiked to most corners of the US in my early twenties, In the course of this adventure I visited good friends of my parents, the Nivens, who …
I am starting to think that common sense really is not that common after all – we live in exceedingly stupid times. Exhibit 874: US anti-vaxxers are now urging people to drink their own urine to fight coronavirus. Recently, Christopher Key, the leader of an anti-Covid-19 vaccine group called the “Vaccine Police”, posted videos online …
A heavily redacted letter from Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M) revealed Thursday that the CIA has been doing some sort of bulk collection of Americans’ data. We don’t really know the details — those parts are blacked out in the redactions, natch — but it was enough to alarm the senators, who …
Continue reading ‘Your government is spying on you — again.’ »
A survey of 2,000 married Brits has found that the recipe for a happy marriage includes six meaningful conversations, three long walks and two massive rows every month. The Times reported that the most contented couples claimed to have sex five times a week and say “I love you” up to 20 times a fortnight. …
Continue reading ‘Two rows a month equals a happy marriage’ »
Following the disaster that was Jan. 6, an already-partisan Congress has grown almost entirely untenable as working Republican and Democratic partnerships — particularly in the House — crumble in the face of the most serious attack on the U.S. Capitol since 1812. In interviews with more than four dozen lawmakers and congressional staffers, “people of …
Continue reading ‘Is the American democratic system breaking down?’ »
There’s good news for those of us who love a lie-in: an extra hour’s sleep a night can shave 270 calories off a person’s daily diet – the equivalent of around three chocolate digestive biscuits. Over three years, this could lead to a weight loss of 1.8 stone, according to researchers at the University of …
Back last September France suspended 3,000 health workers without pay for refusing the Covid vaccine. Some staff at hospitals, retirement and care homes had refused Covid jabs despite warning by Macron. The health minister said “several dozen” had resigned rather than have the vaccine. The French health authority, Santé Publique, estimated that fewer than 12% …
“It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like “What about lunch?”. (A.A. Milne, quoted in The Economist). My comment: Amen to that! I remember at school my English teacher firmly telling us that long words don’t necessarily denote a brainy fellow, more likely …
Extreme heat in the world’s oceans passed the “point of no return” in 2014 and has become the new normal, according to research. Scientists analysed sea surface temperatures over the last 150 years, which have risen because of global heating. They found that extreme temperatures occurring just 2% of the time a century ago have …
“It has been two and a half years since the publication of parliament’s “Russia report”, which laid bare the extent of links between the Kremlin and Russian-backed financial interests – and the resulting flows of illicit cash through the City of London. The UK’s allies are beginning to take note of the intractability of the …
“Following the disaster that was Jan. 6, an already-partisan Congress has grown almost entirely untenable, as working Republican and Democratic partnerships — particularly in the House — crumble in the face of the most serious attack on the U.S. Capitol since 1812. “In interviews with more than four dozen lawmakers and congressional staffers, “people of …
