World, Writing, Wealth discussion
World & Current Events
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If you're not in the U.S., what's up in your part of the world?
They claim stero and accelerators are banned since 1950. However, a friend of mine has a theory that a rapid acceleration in height of new generations of people might've resulted from consumption of different stimulators through poultry. Who knows? Maybe you as a chemist can weigh in.
The question is, has anyone bothered to analyse these chickens? Various steroids etc have been banned for athletes for a long time, but they still take them, and there are some that are difficult to detect and wash out of the system in a few weeks. Wh3ere there's big money at stake, I bet they still use them.
It's two part.First, they bred Leghorn Whites (and a few other breeds) to reach mature weight as fast as possible.
Second, it turns out that one of the side effects of certain antibiotics is weight gain. Commercial farms are high density affairs where disease control is a constant endeavor. So, they all get a steady diet of antibiotics with a side effect of weight gain.
And a further side effect of generating bacteria resistant to antibiotics.
Interesting stuff re people getting taller. I've wondered about this for a while.
I am 5'10. Used to be 5'11 but I've shrunk. When I was younger, I was way above average height. I had a commanding bar presence.
On the rare occasion I now go to a pub in town, I'm dwarfed by the youngsters.
Why?
We eat better than them, we exercise more, and we're far tougher.
The chicken info might answer the question. Or is it the dreaded soya milk?
I am 5'10. Used to be 5'11 but I've shrunk. When I was younger, I was way above average height. I had a commanding bar presence.
On the rare occasion I now go to a pub in town, I'm dwarfed by the youngsters.
Why?
We eat better than them, we exercise more, and we're far tougher.
The chicken info might answer the question. Or is it the dreaded soya milk?
Soy is a source of exogenous estrogen, not testosterone.What's driving it is calories and protein.
Whether we eat better than them is irrelevant because we are not growing. (I also have shrunk. It is something to do with the spacing between bones, the thickness of collagen, etc.) The reason the young are bigger is, in my opinion, better nutrition when growing. I was born during WW 2, and food was rationed. That continued for some time after WW2, and of course there were no refrigerators. That meant food was more carefully allocated. This changed towards the end of my growing, but I suspect a lot was set in place right at the beginning.
Beau wrote: "100%, J.The assumption of being ABLE to rejoin is arrogant. I've never assumed it but would now welcome it.
Philip is right that there'll be a price. Possibly Euro and poorer terms.
I can live ..."
If Great Britain rejoins, I suspect they will regret it. It is now closing in on 4 years. The rebuild takes time and it will happen. If GB rejoins, the EU will break them so it cannot happen again and to teach the others what happens. This will only weaken GB in the long run.
GB left for a reason and I do not think they will want to return because the base problem remains and now the EU jams it down their throats and it even gets worse. This is for a country that does not see itself as European.
Tough choices.
Also, just because the UK is not having a great time with its economy right now, the other question is., who is? Unfortunately, things have gone fairly wrong for everyone, including the EU, so rejoining will not be a magic wand.In my opinion, its goal of joining with the Pacific trade partnership is a good move, if somewhat geographically challenged. There are a lot of big economies in the Pacific.
I guess it might be painful for people raised on the notion of formerly great empire to face growing irrelevance in global affairs. russians attempt to reverse it violently.
Brits I guess will keep inspiring us with dignified behavior. Curiously, re-joining might be the best way to keep Scotland onboard. Or am I wrong here?
If the States will continue with its curving inward approach, they might face it too. They already do, if Saudia or Turkey don’t feel they need to answer every call. However, being self-centered, they might take it well.
Nik wrote: "Curiously, re-joining might be the best way to keep Scotland onboard. Or am I wrong here? ..."From what I have read, I think that time has passed. I am no expert and leave to our Brit friends to fill in what I do not understand.
Ian, my reasons for wanting to rejoin aren't really economic. They're to do with the choice of overall direction (political, societal, cultural AND economic) that our country takes.
Nik, a majority of Scots might favour rejoining but Papaphilly is right - Scottish independence died for the next decade with the demise of Sturgeon.
Nik, a majority of Scots might favour rejoining but Papaphilly is right - Scottish independence died for the next decade with the demise of Sturgeon.
Has anyone been following what's happening in Germany?
There is talk of banning the country's 2nd most popular party (which polls above 20% nationally and 40% in some areas):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023...
The AfD appear to have some very reasonable policies but there's no denying their link to Germany's not so reasonable past. Are they just a wolf in sheep's clothing or an above board, modern party?
It's a conundrum but surely banning what is now a mainstream party isn't the answer?
Interestingly, AfD candidates' private addresses have fallen into the hands of German ANTIFA. Did this information come from the German Government?
In the words of the great man, this bears watching.
There is talk of banning the country's 2nd most popular party (which polls above 20% nationally and 40% in some areas):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023...
The AfD appear to have some very reasonable policies but there's no denying their link to Germany's not so reasonable past. Are they just a wolf in sheep's clothing or an above board, modern party?
It's a conundrum but surely banning what is now a mainstream party isn't the answer?
Interestingly, AfD candidates' private addresses have fallen into the hands of German ANTIFA. Did this information come from the German Government?
In the words of the great man, this bears watching.
Any representative form of government is supposed to accept what the people want, not what a bunch of self-appointed "prominent people" want.If x % of the people want fascism, or communism, then that % of the representatives should be in the government, provided they achieve the necessary threshold. Banning a party merely means the incumbents can['t persuade the people their policies are better, and it achieves nothing.
What I can't understand about the traditional parties is their unwillingness to address some of the issues popularised by the AfD. It only takes a bit of compromise and common sense on their behalf to send the AfD back to the political wilderness and yet they all blunder on, tone deaf, in Bidenesque fashion, towards their warped woke utopia.
Anyone would think the traditional mainstream are positively trying to engineer their own demise. Or is it simply pig ignorant arrogance that prevents them from seeing this?
Anyone would think the traditional mainstream are positively trying to engineer their own demise. Or is it simply pig ignorant arrogance that prevents them from seeing this?
Beau wrote: "What I can't understand about the traditional parties is their unwillingness to address some of the issues popularised by the AfD. It only takes a bit of compromise and common sense on their behalf..."You're overthinking it. Ask yourself one simple question.
"With whom are they going to parties?"
It's that simple. They focus on the issues and ideas that they hear about from their peer groups. So, how many chat about Climate Change at their dinner parties? How many talk about how equity institutes a racist policy of lowered expectations?
The whole point of the representative Republic form of government is the politicians are supposed to represent all, or perhaps to a lesser degree all who vote for them. If they can't get past the opinions they hear at their Friday booze-up, the system failsOne of the premises of my novels is that when a political system starts, most people try to make it work, and it does. After a while personal interests, greed for power, or sheer laziness will cause any system to fail.
So, decades of mismanagement have damaged the public's faith in the state so much that a right-wing party has quickly gained the votes of a fifth of the German electorate. Sounds familiar...Die Mannschaften in Berlin have reacted to this by threatening to use the power of the state to squash these new political opponents...
Time to play my favorite horrific game, "Who's the von Papen?" It's easy to play. Just take a long look at the bureaucrats and place your bets on which one of them will be so afraid that (s)he'll use the levers of power to undermine the electorate and install an actual antichrist into power.
New Zealand intelligence report accuses China of ‘foreign interference’https://www.theguardian.com/world/202...
And we are about six weeks out from an election. Why was that not surprising?
UK news- Conservative Party wrangling
- Crime and police failures
- Flooding in Liverpool kills 2 in a car.
- Music festivals
- Lots of overseas coverage - weather in Spain, French plans on religious dress in schools, world athletics, US politics
- Almost zero coverage of NZ election Ian
UK Parliament and regional parliaments in recess so news is light mostly.
That does not surprise me, Philip. Currently, not very newsworthy. We have MMP, and suddenly we have a whole lot of leaders yelling about who they will not work with if they don't get a majority. The rest tends to be just plain odd. As an example, today the opposition stated that the government's projected tax take will be a few hundred million short. Then we had the minister of Finance saying, no worries, we have found $4 billion that should have been sent but wasn't.Other news:
. a whole lot of houses STILL don't know whether the regulations will let them live in their houses after cyclone Gabrielle,
. Someone has found that corporate profits have soared - and account of about half the inflation, if not more,
. News has images of forest fires, etc, while we have our coldest August for some time.
Ian wrote: "That does not surprise me, Philip. Currently, not very newsworthy. We have MMP, and suddenly we have a whole lot of leaders yelling about who they will not work with if they don't get a majority. T..."The similarities between government accountants and mob accountants is amazing.
J. wrote: "The similarities between government accountants and mob accountants is amazing. ..."Where do you think the mob learned?...8^)
UKCrumbling schools - add in Sunak as Head of Treasury blocking needed spend
Main opposition reshuffles its deck chairs for maiden voyage of good ship Starmer
More allegations of corruption
BBC focuses on crime
Head of NI Police resigns after data loss scandal. Details of all NI police and admin leaked and in hands of dissident Republican terrorists
Fuel price rises (I'm not laughing)
Formal opening of election campaigns. Junk mail increases.Some places with temperatures 7 degrees C above average
Crime suddenly becomes on the media's mind.
Fuel prices rise. (I am not laughing either.)
Big blow for the high st, as potential buyers disappear and Wilko set to close:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-6...
Real shame as whenever I went in there, it was always busy and staff were both knowledgeable and helpful. Have spoken to an ex employee who cited gross mismanagement as the primary cause.
With a few exceptions, UK towns and cities are increasingly becoming devoid of shops, both big retailers and small independents. Those premises that aren't vacant consist of nail bars, hairdressers and coffee shops, and the numbers of homeless and drug/ alcohol users wandering around will soon be greater than the number of shoppers.
Why is this being allowed to happen? Local authorities and central Government should be providing incentives for businesses to locate in town, not hiking rents and introducing congestion charges.
Yet another example of regression in a failing system.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-6...
Real shame as whenever I went in there, it was always busy and staff were both knowledgeable and helpful. Have spoken to an ex employee who cited gross mismanagement as the primary cause.
With a few exceptions, UK towns and cities are increasingly becoming devoid of shops, both big retailers and small independents. Those premises that aren't vacant consist of nail bars, hairdressers and coffee shops, and the numbers of homeless and drug/ alcohol users wandering around will soon be greater than the number of shoppers.
Why is this being allowed to happen? Local authorities and central Government should be providing incentives for businesses to locate in town, not hiking rents and introducing congestion charges.
Yet another example of regression in a failing system.
For department stores the single greatest threat is Amazon. How much have you bought from this year?
Amazon is my shop of last resort, J, apart from Kindle books for obvious reasons.
The Internet obviously can't be uninvented but it would be good to see politicians intervene to make life easier for bricks and mortar stores, as well as for business owners/ shareholders to start recognising the wider importance to society of physical premises.
It's a crying shame to see once thriving hubs, where people met up, reduced to bleak, desolate landscapes.
How can this be called progress?
The Internet obviously can't be uninvented but it would be good to see politicians intervene to make life easier for bricks and mortar stores, as well as for business owners/ shareholders to start recognising the wider importance to society of physical premises.
It's a crying shame to see once thriving hubs, where people met up, reduced to bleak, desolate landscapes.
How can this be called progress?
It may interest Beau to hear there is one city in NZ that is bucking that trend and that is Christchurch. What happened was it was flattened by a serious earthquake (OK, partially by the bulldozers that had to remove highly damaged buildings) and the City Council decided it wanted to rebuild the centre, including with plenty of small businesses. It then did what it could to bring as much as it could to the new centre and put up temporary buildings for small businesses. These are now replaced, but from what i gather, the help really has had a good effect.We also do not have simple Amazon deliveries. Amazon does deliver, but from ship, and delivery charges can exceed the value of the item.
Good luck with your book, Eva. I wouldn't worry about the royalty rate at this stage. The important thing is to maximise your number of readers to make a name for yourself. Some group members might be able to advise on this.
Ian, apart from the Ardern era, I've always admired Kiwis. A humble people, exuding substance not spin. A bit like your neighbours in...ahem...maybe not.
Great news about Christchurch. Sensible council. Clearly a model for other cities. The Amazon situation is a blessing in disguise.
Ian, apart from the Ardern era, I've always admired Kiwis. A humble people, exuding substance not spin. A bit like your neighbours in...ahem...maybe not.
Great news about Christchurch. Sensible council. Clearly a model for other cities. The Amazon situation is a blessing in disguise.
Beau, as for the Ardern era, you may be interested to know that Hipkins has thrown out as much of that as he could and he is still almost certain to lose the election in another four weeks, unless the opposition puts a monumental foot in their mouths, which i suppose is always possible.
Ian, are there any similarities between Ardern and the opposition or are the opposition vastly different to both Hipkins AND Ardern?
Big debate in the UK about whether to maintain the pension triple lock:
https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.amppr...
Pensioners who've enjoyed the golden era vs youngsters who never will.
A system that pits generations against each other is a system that isn't working.
https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.amppr...
Pensioners who've enjoyed the golden era vs youngsters who never will.
A system that pits generations against each other is a system that isn't working.
Beau wrote: "Big debate in the UK about whether to maintain the pension triple lock:https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.amppr......"
Problem was pensioners vote many younger persons do not
No need to upset either group, Philip. Put a few pence on the top rate of income tax to keep the pension triple lock and maybe give selected youngsters a university grant too.
Everybody's happier, nobody's hurt.
Everybody's happier, nobody's hurt.
No disagreement from me. If you want social care to support health care then Government needs the money. If you want schools and prisons repaired or new then Gov needs money. We also need to stop borrowing it like some casino bound gambling addict.Propose even basic rate should go to 25% - protect poorer by increasing tax start rate. Adjust same accordingly i.e. if rate goes up the move boundary up to.
Biggest thing though is get rid of avoidance measures. Gove should either ditch NI completely (increase income tax) or remove cut off. Advantage of ditch is significant reduction in gov spending collecting and checking. Companies should still pay NI contribute though.
Excellent ideas, Philip. I support them, although basic rate increase would require big sell to public. You'd have to offer something concrete in return.
Beau wrote: "Ian, are there any similarities between Ardern and the opposition or are the opposition vastly different to both Hipkins AND Ardern?"Arden was out on her own limb. Most people only now about the the gun restrictions following then ChCh shooting, and the Covid response, which worked for a while. What they do not realize was in both cases she made up the policy on the hoof without much, if any, in the way of consultation. That became a more general procedure, and it was overall bad. I could tell you of my personal tw hatreds, but they would take too long and bore people, but they were similar arm-waving "grand gestures" that would annoy many and create huge economic costs.
'Empty shelves with absolutely no books': Students, parents question school board's library weeding processhttps://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toront...
To argue that there was nothing worthwhile published prior to 2008 seems bizarre. Shakespeare may not have fitted into current woke feelings, but surely students are supposed to learn from the best available literature.
Ian wrote: "To argue that there was nothing worthwhile published prior to 2008 seems bizarre. Shakespeare may not have fitted into current woke feelings, but surely students are supposed to learn from the best..."How counter-revolutionary of you to say.
I don't know. The wokeness is running sufficiently strongly that i might end up being labelled revolutionary :-)
Tensions rise on Italy's Lampedusa island amid migrant influx, posing headache for Meloni’s governmenthttps://abcnews.go.com/International/....
Ian wrote: "To argue that there was nothing worthwhile published prior to 2008 seems bizarre. Shakespeare may not have fitted into current woke feelings, but surely students are supposed to learn from the best..."Silly boy, confusing education and school policy....
Yep, that's me. Thinking schools are supposed to educate. I know, I should know better.
Japan says one in 10 residents are aged 80 or above as nation turns grayhttps://www.cnn.com/2023/09/18/asia/j...
Well, aged 66, their PM is positively a spring chicken by US standards ;)
World, Writing, Wealth
Books mentioned in this topic
1984 (other topics)Common Sense (other topics)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (other topics)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (other topics)
Lolita (other topics)
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Mel Brooks (other topics)Victor Davis Hanson (other topics)
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I think it is more they have filled them up with steroids or growth accelerators. I think a lot of city folk have forgotten what a chicken is supposed to taste like, or4 what its texture is supposed to be.