Why Britain Is Embracing Pounds and Ounces

Fish for sale at a market in London. | David Azia for The New York Times
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Britain is planning a future that relies on greater usage of its imperial system of weights and measurements.

…

Now that Britain has left the E.U., the government is taking steps to return to imperial units, calling it a way to “capitalize on new Brexit freedoms.”

In practice, this will likely mean that shops and market stalls can sell produce labeled in pounds and ounces alone, rather than alongside grams and kilograms.

While some call it a Brexit victory, others question the focus on measurements when Britain is grappling with broader issues, including a fragile economic recovery. » | Jenny Goss, Reporting from London | Monday, September 27, 2021

Verwandter Artikel auf Deutsch:

Zurück zu Pfund und Unze: Grossbritannien sucht die Brexit-Dividende und droht, sich zu verrennen »

This is yet another example of the idiocy of BoJo and his band of merry jesters! – © Mark

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — September 27, 2021

Dimitra's Dishes: Classic Greek Moussaka

Get the recipe here.

Will the UK Have a Winter Crisis?

Sep 27, 2021 • Supply chain chaos, fuel shortages, soaring energy prices, an NHS backlog and the threat of a COVID-19 resurgence - this is the winter the UK is facing.

So, what's going wrong? Who could feel the impact? And how does the government plan to avoid the worst?

Dutch PM Given Extra Security amid Fears of Drug Gang Attack

THE GUARDIAN: ‘Spotters’ were seen scoping out movements of Mark Rutte, who cycles to work in The Hague

Mark Rutte on a bike in The Hague in March. Photograph: Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters
The Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, who cycles to work in The Hague, has reportedly been given extra personal security in response to raised fears of a kidnapping or attack by organised crime.

The decision was made after “spotters” were seen scoping out Rutte’s movements, raising concerns about a possible move by one of the country’s drug gangs.

According to De Telegraaf newspaper, specially trained police officers from the Royal and Diplomatic Security Service (DKDB) have been deployed to shadow Rutte, who has often eschewed close protection during his 10 years as premier.

An ”elite security guard” was visibly in position during a two-day budget debate last week, which the Telegraaf reported was a result of the increased security brief. A government spokesperson declined to comment.

The far-right politician Geert Wilders tweeted: “Terrible. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. Good luck Prime Minister Rutte.” » | Daniel Boffey in Brussels | Monday, September 27, 2021

Germany Election: SPD Wins Narrow Victory as Merkel Era Ends in Near-deadlock

THE GUARDIAN: Social Democrats edge out Christian Democrats, according to preliminary results, but tight finish leaves third-placed Green party as kingmaker

Germany is set for weeks or even months of protracted coalition talks after the race to succeed Angela Merkel after 16 years in power failed to produce a clear winner, with the centre-left Social Democrats just ahead of the centre-right conservative alliance according to official returns.

Preliminary results released on the election commission’s website showed that the Social Democrats (SPD) led by Olaf Scholz had won the largest share of the vote at 25.7%.

The centre-right CDU-CSU bloc led for so long by the outgoing chancellor garnered 24.1%, its worst showing in its seven-decade history.

The Green party, in jubilant mood after winning 14.8% in its best result in a national poll, despite having lost the lead it held early on and dropping about 13 points since April, was confident of becoming a kingmaker in the upcoming coalition talks. With video » | Kate Connolly in Berlin | Monday, September 27, 2021

Merkel’s Party Suffers Sweeping Losses as Germans Spread Vote: The Social Democrats narrowly defeated Angela Merkel’s conservative party on Sunday, setting the stage for tough negotiations to determine who will replace her as chancellor. »

Élections en Allemagne : les sociaux-démocrates remportent les législatives »

Élections allemandes: l’Europe plongée dans l’incertitude »

Der Weg zur Koalition ist mit Konflikten gepflastert. Geht man ihn trotzdem, ist die grösste Gefahr: zu wenig Ehrgeiz: Steuer, Rente, Klima, Bildung, innere Sicherheit – Deutschlands künftiges Regierungsbündnis hat viele Probleme zu lösen. Ein blosser Minimalkonsens reicht da nicht. »

Gay Quote : Abhijit Naskar

Born this way
“Homosexuals are not made, they are born.” ―Abhijit Naskar
In his 2017 book Either Civilized or Phobic: A Treatise on Homosexuality, the neuroscientist, author, and speaker delivers numerous LGBTQ quotes that will stay with you. This one, so simple and direct, is among the most powerful, handily challenging the idea that being gay is a choice or lifestyle. It’s neither. It’s simply being human.

With thanks to Reader's Digest for this excellent quote; and here's another great quote of his, and a photograph.

Le plaisir de l'amour !

The pleasure of love / Das Vergnügen der Liebe
Many thanks to 'Amor Gay' and Pinterest for this delightful and expressive photo.

Spürbare Freude!

Plaisir palpable ! / Palpable pleasure!
With thanks to 'Amor Gay' and Pinterest for this delightful photo.

Happiness and Satisfaction Are Plain to See

Glück und Zufriedenheit sind offensichtlich / Le bonheur et la satisfaction sont évidents
How dare anyone deny such happiness and pleasure to others?
With thanks to 'Amor Gay' and Pinterest for this great photo.

Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto no.2 op.18 - Anna Fedorova - Complete Live Concert - HD

Dimitra’s Dishes: One Pot Lemony Chicken & Potatoes - Ready in under 60 Minutes!

Get the recipe here.

Erfreuliche Nachrichten aus der Schweiz

MARK ALEXANDER: Heute in einer Volksabstimmung haben die Schweizer ein klares „Ja“ gesagt zu „Ehe für alle“. Das ist ein sehr erfreuliches Resultat für die Schweiz und für Europa.

Zu diesem historischen Ereignis möchte ich gerne allen Schweizern herzlichst gratulieren. Von nun an wird es möglich sein für schwule Schweizer das eigene Glück und die eigene Zufriedenheit zu schmieden. Ich freue mich sehr für Sie alle! – © Mark

Swiss Vote Overwhelmingly for Same-sex Marriage in Referendum

THE GUARDIAN: ‘Marriage for All’ proposal backed by 64.1% of voters in nationwide referendum

A couple pose with a slice of wedding cake at an event following the referendum on same-sex marriage, Bern, Switzerland. Photograph: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images
Swiss voters have decided by a clear margin to allow same-sex couples to marry, in a referendum that brings the Alpine nation into line with many others in western Europe.

Official results showed the measure passed with 64.1% of voters in favour and won a majority in all of Switzerland’s 26 cantons.

Switzerland’s parliament and the governing federal council supported the “Marriage for All” measure, and pre-referendum polls showed solid backing. Switzerland has authorised same-sex civil partnerships since 2007.

Supporters said approval would put same-sex partners on an equal legal footing with heterosexual couples by allowing them to adopt children together and facilitating citizenship for same-sex spouses. It would also permit lesbian couples to use regulated sperm donation. » | Associated Press in Geneva | Sunday, September 26, 2021

Les Suisses disent «oui» au mariage pour tous : Pour la première fois, le peuple suisse était invité à se prononcer sur la question du mariage homosexuel. Selon les premiers résultats, le «oui» l'emporte à 64%. »

Schweizer stimmen deutlich für Ehe für alle: Alle Versuche, sich der Ehe für alle noch in den Weg zu stellen, sind gescheitert: Mit deutlicher Mehrheit haben die Schweizer in einem Referendum gegen Bedenken gestimmt. »

Ehe für alle: zwei Buchstaben, ein Ausrufezeichen. Ja! : Die Öffnung der Ehe ist ein historischer Entscheid. Das klare Votum gibt Hoffnung. Die Schweiz kann sich noch erneuern. »

The Chinese Business Tycoon Revealing the Secrets of Beijing's Élite | 60 Minutes Australia

It's no scoop to tell you the Chinese regime is thin-skinned. Anyone criticising Beijing does so at their own peril and can expect immediate – and often, heavy-handed – payback. And it's not just foreigners who face the consequences. Desmond Shum is a Chinese tycoon who used to be feted at the highest levels of the Communist Party. The businessman could do no wrong until four years ago when he and his equally prominent ex-wife, inexplicably tumbled out of favour. Now Desmond is a pariah of the state, so he's decided to fight back by revealing the many secrets of China's elite leaders.

Votation populaire du 26.09.21 - Allocution du Conseil fédéral - Mariage pour tous

Allocution du Conseil fédéral - Mariage pour tous Conseiller fédéral Alain Berset

Mariage pour tous en Suisse : un couple français espère que le référendum l'autorisera

Sep 24, 2021 • Les citoyens suisses sont invités ce dimanche 26 septembre à s’exprimer par référendum sur le principe du mariage pour tous. La Suisse est l’un des rares pays en Europe à n’avoir pas encore autorisé ce dernier. Mariés en France, Eric et Emmanuel espèrent voir enfin leur mariage reconnu de l’autre côté de la frontière, où ils résident. Du côté de LAUSANNE, PAULINE COIFFARD et GUILLAUME SOUDAT ont rencontré des français impatients, Eric et Emmanuel.

Schweiz : Ehe für alle

Volksabstimmung vom 26. September 2021

Ehe für alle | Die EDU und ihre "Argumente" [Volksabstimmung, 26.9.21]

Swiss Vote Overwhelmingly for Same-sex Marriage, According to Poll

THE GUARDIAN: Projection indicates clear backing in Sunday’s referendum for ‘Marriage for All’ proposal

Posters of rival political parties and associations in Perly, near Geneva. Switzerland has authorised same-sex civil partnerships since 2007. Photograph: Salvatore Di Nolfi/EPA
Swiss voters appear to have decided by a clear margin to allow same-sex couples to marry, according to a projection after a national referendum on Sunday.

The projection, by the gfs.bern polling agency for Switzerland’s public broadcasters, showed the measure passing by 64% to 36%.

Switzerland’s parliament and the governing federal council supported the “Marriage for All” measure, and pre-referendum polls showed solid backing. Switzerland has authorised same-sex civil partnerships since 2007.

Supporters said the proposal would put same-sex partners on an equal legal footing with heterosexual couples, by allowing them to adopt children together and facilitating citizenship for same-sex spouses. It would also permit lesbian couples to use regulated sperm donation. » | Associated Press in Geneva | Sunday, September 26, 2021

More on this referendum in both English and French here.

This Is How America’s Richest Families Stay That Way

OPINION: GUEST ESSAY
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Most people have probably never heard of a “stepped up basis,” but it might just be the most important tax loophole in America — one that billionaires use to pass vast sums of wealth down to their heirs by avoiding capital gains taxes.

This supremely obscure and yet wildly consequential rule concerns assets passed from one person to another when they die. If a parent buys a stock for $1 and leaves it to their child (or for that matter, anyone) in their will, the tax code changes — or “steps up” — its base value, from the original price to whatever it was worth when the person died. Say that stock was worth $100 when the person died. If the child sells it later for, say, $150, the child would owe taxes only on the $50 upside, instead of the entire $149 profit the family made off the stock over the course of two generations. In April, former Senator Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota called it “one of the biggest scams in the history of forever.”

For a select few families with vast fortunes amassed over many generations, it means that they can pass down millions or billions of dollars in stock, investments or real estate without having to pay income or capital gains taxes on many decades, or possibly a century or more, of gains. The windfall grows each time the money is transferred, endowing those families with disproportionate power for generations to come.

And for the first time in years, there’s a chance that the loophole could be reformed. » | By Robin Kaiser-Schatzlein | Friday, September 24, 2021

Hungary LGBT: New Law Is 'Shameful, Hateful' - Katalin Cseh

BBC: Lawmakers in Hungary have passed legislation prohibiting the sharing with minors of any content seen as promoting homosexuality and gender change.

Speaking before the legislation was passed Hungary's Momentum Movement MEP Katalin Cseh said the law would make it very hard for LGBTQ people to live in the country.

She told BBC World News: "I think it's a total disgrace, really, that such a vote is taking place in the 21st Century in Europe under the disguise of making a law against paedophilia."

Ms Cseh said her Momentum Movement party, which was part of Renew Europe group in the European Parliament would be looking to see what action they could take.

The Viktor Orban's right-wing government does not recognise gay marriage and has a law restricting gay adoption. Watch the video » | BBC | Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Switzerland Holding Referendum on Same-sex Marriage

BBC: People in Switzerland are voting to decide whether to allow same-sex marriage. Switzerland is one of the last countries in western Europe not to recognise same-sex marriage, and supporters say the change in the law is long overdue.

But there is opposition from some church groups and right wing political parties, who claim it would undermine the traditional family.

Producer: Imogen Foulkes


À LIRE AUSSI :

Mariage pour tous : les Suisses appelés à voter ce dimanche »

Gay Men’s Wedding Rings

With many thanks to Mirror for this image, which is to be found on this web page. The article is a gay rights timeline; it looks back at the milestones bringing us to the point of the legalisation of gay marriage in the United Kingdom and acceptance of homosexuality and gay marriage elsewhere.

"Kiss"

A big thank you to BLOoDyPaRaDiZe and Deviant Art, where this great image is to be found. About Deviant Art, a company which helps artists.

Zwei schöne Männer; ein schöner Kuß

Deux beaux hommes ; un beau baiser / Two beautiful men; one beautiful kiss
Many thanks to El Chulo Dominicano and Pinterest ffor this great photo.

James Taylor : Shower the People | Remastered 2019

Provided to YouTube by Rhino/Warner Records

Mariage pour tous : les Suisses appelés à voter ce dimanche

«Enfant sur commande ? Non au don de sperme et au mariage pour tous», peut-on lire sur cette affiche en Suisse. ARND WIEGMANN / REUTERS
LE FIGARO : Adoptée en décembre dernier par le parlement, l'inscription du mariage entre conjoints du même sexe est soumise au vote populaire. Le texte prévoit également un élargissement de la PMA, de l'adoption et l'accès au don de sperme pour tous.

Elle figure parmi les derniers pays d'Europe occidentale à ne pas avoir légalisé le mariage homosexuel. Dimanche 26 septembre, un référendum appelle tous les cantons à voter pour ou contre l'inscription dans la Constitution du mariage civil entre conjoints du même sexe. Depuis 2004, les personnes homosexuelles avaient la possibilité de s'unir par un «partenariat enregistré». Dans ce cadre, elles pouvaient avoir un nom commun, toucher une part de l'héritage du conjoint ou, depuis 2018, adopter l'enfant de leur partenaire. Mais les défenseurs du mariage pour tous regrettaient une «inégalité de droits».

Le référendum de ce dimanche vise à donner aux couples homosexuels l'accès à l'adoption, et aux couples de lesbiennes la procréation médicalement assistée (PMA). En cas de «oui», la loi instaurera également la double filiation, soit la reconnaissance des deux femmes comme mères, ainsi que l'accès au don de sperme. » | Par Le Figaro | samedi 25 septembre 2021

European Lorry Drivers ‘Will Not Want to Come to UK’, Warn Haulage Chiefs

THE OBSERVER: Emergency visa plan will not resolve Britain’s road transport crisis, says industry as majority blame Brexit in poll

Cars queue for petrol in Harleston, Norfolk, as food and fuel supply chains are hit by the HGV driver shortage.Photograph: Nils Jorgensen/Rex/Shutterstock
The government’s emergency programme to issue temporary visas to thousands of lorry drivers is far too little to resolve Britain’s supply-chain crisis and is unlikely to attract them to the UK, haulage chiefs have warned.

Downing Street on Saturday night confirmed hastily compiled plans to add 5,000 HGV drivers and 5,500 poultry workers to a visa scheme until Christmas, to help the food and fuel industries with shortages.

However, even as the plans were formally announced, Marco Digioia, the head of the European Road Haulers Association which represents more than 200,000 trucking companies across the continent, told the Observer that “much more would be needed” than a temporary relaxation of immigration rules. “There is a driver shortage across Europe,” he said. “I am not sure how many would want to go to the UK.” » | Jon Henley, Michael Savage and James Tapper | Saturday, September 25, 2021

Of course they won't want to come back to this country after the shabby way we've treated them! We Brits have behaved appallingly! Were I to be in their shoes, I certainly wouldn't want to come back to this xenophobic hellhole either! Brexiteers deserve all they get. Unfortunately, we Remainers will also have to suffer because of their ridiculous decision to vote in favour of Brexit! – © Mark

John Major on Afghanistan, 'Global Britain', and the Tory Party | FT

Sep 6, 2021 • The former prime minister tells the FT Weekend Festival it was 'wrong to leave Afghanistan', discusses Britain's place in the world, and says nationalism in Boris Johnson's Conservative party needs 'rooting out'. John Major attacks ‘strategically stupid’ decision to leave Afghanistan

Arthur Rubinstein - Chopin Nocturne Op. 55, No. 1 in F Minor

Emotional Same-sex Wedding at Rosewood Sandhill

…The emotional wedding of Justin and Jo took place in Menlo Park and was a day filled with lots of emotion, family, traditions new and old and one hell of party.

Phil Collins : Everyday | 2016 Remastered

Provided to YouTube by Laika Network | Views on YouTube: 2,573,503

Secret Histories: LGBTQ Life in Pre-Revolutionary Russia

THE CALVERT JOURNAL: Where can we turn to uncover the pre-history of LGBTQ rights in modern Russia?

It’s difficult to learn about LGBTQ history in a country where the community still struggles with homophobia at all levels of society. Most of the current research on the topic is still carried out by foreign scholars, and most of the [the] historical Russian texts on homosexuality, even when written by prominent scholars and writers, are disregarded. So where can we turn to learn about the phantom queer cultures that laid the ground for LGBTQ life in Soviet and post-communist Russia?

Historian Dan Healey, whose 2001 book Homosexual Desire in Revolutionary Russia was translated into Russian in 2008, argues that despite several prohibitive laws sexuality was considerably less regulated in pre-revolutionary Russia than elsewhere in Europe at that time. Several researchers claim that historical accounts show that before the 18th century, Russian society held rather lenient views toward homosexuality, and that homophobia was at least in part “imported” from Europe by Peter the Great — along with European traditions in food, architecture and fashion. Some argue that it was Peter’s father, Tsar Alexis, who first started persecuting gay people, but the first law that made homosexuality illegal (initially only for men in the army and navy) was signed by Peter in 1716. For civilians homosexuality was made illegal in 1835 — again for men only. However, not only there few recorded cases of these laws were actually applied, but the rapid urbanisation that followed the abolition of serfdom in 1861 allowed for LGBTQ communities to form in the capital, St Petersburg, as well as Moscow and other large cities. » | Text: Tasha Raspopina | Monday, June 3, 2019

ROMANCE OF THE ROMANOVS »

La marche impériale du grand-duc Georges Romanov

Le grand-duc Georges Romanov et sa fiancée, Rebecca Virginia Bettarini, le 15 septembre, dans leur appartement à Moscou. Maria Turchenkova pour Le figaro
Correspondant à Moscou
LE FIGARO : RÉCIT - Le tsarévitch, prétendant au trône impérial russe, épousera le 1er octobre à Saint-Pétersbourg la fille d’un diplomate italien. Des centaines d’invités, dont Vladimir Poutine, sont conviés à l’événement qui remet en lumière la gloire tragique et les querelles dynastiques des Romanov.

Cela fait des siècles qu’un tel événement ne s’était pas produit en ce lieu symbolique. Le 1er octobre, le grand-duc Georges Romanov, 40 ans, prétendant au trône impérial de Russie, épousera religieusement Rebecca Virginia Bettarini, 39 ans, d’origine italienne - Victoria Romanovna, selon son nom de baptême orthodoxe —, en la cathédrale Saint-Isaac de Saint-Pétersbourg. C’est au même endroit, en 1712, dans l’église de bois qui se tenait alors à la place de l’imposante basilique, que Pierre le Grand, «empereur de toutes les Russies», s’était uni officiellement à Catherine Ire.

Durant quatre siècles, la dynastie fastueuse et tragique des Romanov a incarné l’Empire et sa «monarchie absolue tempérée par l’assassinat», selon le mot acerbe du marquis de Custine. La révolution d’Octobre et son cortège d’atrocités, les décennies d’exil, puis les retrouvailles avec la Russie «nouvelle» après la chute du communisme n’ont pas anéanti la longue marche des Romanov. Ils seront des centaines d’invités, avec les représentants des principales familles royales et princières d’Europe, pour assister au mariage sur les bords de la Neva, comme l’explique le grand-duc Georges. » | Par Alain Barluet | vendredi 24 septembre 2021

Réservé aux abonnés

GBT Seniors Tell Their Stories | LA LGBT Center

An Oral History is an ongoing project of the Los Angeles LGBT Center's Senior Services Department. This short film captures the perspective of eleven LGBT seniors in Los Angeles who came of age during a time in which imprisonment, daily discrimination, physical violence and abuse were commonplace. Exemplifying elegant survival, the individuals you will meet in ‘An Oral History’, made the community we have today possible. From the "Daughters of Bilitis" and "Mattachine Society" to the marches led by Frank Kameny and Barbara Gittings, the history of the LGBT movement has often been forgotten, overlooked or ignored. This is an attempt to give voice to and shine the light on the stories and lives of these individuals.

The National Security State Is Devouring Our Democracy with Lawrence Wilkerson

Oct 16, 2020 • Co-sponsored with the Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency and the International Scene Lecture Series

WIKIPEDIA: Lawrence Wilkerson.

Merkel Departs: Political Genius or World-class Pragmatist? | To the Point

Sep 23, 2021 • From a token woman in East Germany to the leader of the free world. After four terms, or sixteen years, in office, that same Angela Merkel is stepping aside as German chancellor. So, what will her legacy be? Does she leave behind a Germany more united, or more divided? What are her greatest achievements? And her biggest mistakes? Above all, perhaps: who is the real Angela Merkel and how has she survived so long? Our guests: the Merkel biographers Ursula Weidenfeld, Ralph Bollmann and Andreas Rinke.

Russia Tightens Its Grip on the Internet

BLOOMBERG: Google’s decision to pull a protest election app from Russia before the election is significant in some surprising ways

No nation asks Google to scrub more from the internet than Russia. Over the past decade, Russian officials have requested the removal of nearly 1 million web pages, documents, apps and videos, mostly for reasons Google categorizes as "copyright" or "national security."

Last week, Russia made another request. Russian officials demanded Alphabet Inc.'s Google and Apple Inc. pull a voting app from Alexey Navalny, a jailed politician, that recommends a slate of candidates opposing President Vladimir Putin. A Russian court had ruled Navalny's app was "extremist" and requested its removal from app stores in the country. The companies complied.

It was an unprecedented intervention, and an alarming one for those who see Russia as a growing threat to internet freedoms. Armed men reportedlyspent "several hours" inside Google's Moscow office last week to enforce the order, which came with a threat to arrest Russian staff if the company didn't comply. Some Google employees protested the decision. Historically, Google officials have often spoken out about attacks on the open web—and the company's position as its defender—but Google has said nothing officially about the recent Russian incident.

Also quiet is the person from Google’s history who once had strong opinions on the topic: Sergey Brin. » | Mark Bergen | Thursday, September 23, 2021

Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake – Kladdkaka

Get the recipe here.

WIKIPEDIA: Kladdkaka.

Is Jesus Christ Just a Myth? | Pagan Christ | Timeline

Jul 25, 2020 • There are 2.1 billion Christians on the planet—roughly one third of the entire human population. At the heart of their religion is the New Testament and the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. To Christianity, the written word is the glue that binds the faith of its followers. So, what if it could be proven that Jesus never existed? What if there was evidence that every word of the New Testament—the cornerstone of Christianity—is based on myth and metaphor? The Pagan Christ investigates these very questions. | Views on YouTube: 1,045,052

La Palma Volcano: Firefighters Retreat as Eruption Intensifies | DW News

Sep 25, 2021 • Volcanic activity on the Spanish island of La Palma has been intensifying again, prompting authorities to step up evacuations. And with ash clouds rising up to four kilometres high, flights have been cancelled for the first time since the volcano began erupting last weekend. With hundreds of homes already destroyed, the Spanish government is promising help for those affected.

La Palma residents warned of ‘evolution of volcanic emergency’: People evacuated from three towns are told they cannot return as volcano has entered new explosive phase »

Boris Johnson Is Finished - and He Knows It

Sep 25, 2021 • Boris Johnson led the Brexit campaign because he saw it as a way of advancing his own career. He expected the referendum to result in a vote to remain. Hence the look of shock on his and Michael Gove's faces the day after the referendum. But he saw an opportunity to become prime minister and pursued this.

Since then, it has become clear that he is incompetent, dishonest and a worldwide laughing stock. His incompetence has led the UK to a desperate place where prices are out of control, shortages of labour are seriously affecting many industries and there is no prospect of a return to prosperity for the UK.

The pandemic together with the sudden hike in gas prices have served to show how weak and vulnerable the UK economy is post-Brexit. The sudden increase of gas prices has gone to show how foolish it has been to allow foreign enterprises and states to buy up our utilities.

Four of the big six power companies in the UK are owned by European governments and other funds, 71% of our water companies are foreign-owned as are more than 70% of our railways.

During Johnson's ill-fated trip to New York and Washington it became clear that he is finished. He is now a loser and the whole world, and increasingly the British population, can see this. He has defeat in his eyes and he realises it is all over. The time for jokes and wisecracks is over. It is only a matter of time before backbench Tory MP's rebel and he will be soon gone.

In Britain, Rising Prices and Shortages Evoke 1970s-Style Jitters

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The nation’s economy is very different from the bleak days of the 70s, but certain parallels are unnerving Britons and loom as a potential headache for Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Motorists lining up for fuel at a gas station in London on Friday. | Daniel Leal-Olivas/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
LONDON — Long lines at gas stations, rising fuel prices, empty shelves in supermarkets and worries about runaway inflation.

Britons have emerged from 18 months of pandemic-imposed hibernation to find their country has many of the same afflictions it had during the 1970s. There is nothing Austin Powers-like about this time machine: Unlike the swinging Sixties, the Seventies were, by all accounts, some of the bleakest days in postwar Britain; even contemplating a return to them is enough to make leaders of the current government shiver.

The sudden burst of doomsaying in Britain is rooted at least as much in psychology as economics. While there is no question the country faces a confluence of problems — some caused by the pandemic, others by Brexit — experts said it was far too soon to predict that Britain was headed for the kind of economic malaise and political upheaval that characterized that decade.

“It’s a combination of things that could, in principle, lead to that, but are quite survivable on their own,” said Jonathan Portes, a professor of economics at Kings College London. “We always talk about the 1970s, but it’s half a century later, and all sorts of things are different.” » | By Mark Landler, Eshe Nelson and Jenny Gross | Friday, September 24, 2021

U.K. Economic Headaches Pile Up From Inflation to Energy Crisis: Gas crisis, Brexit, the pandemic and furlough weigh on growth / Inflation surge adds to pressure on BOE to remove stimulus »

…petrol bosses limit drivers to £30 fuel each while panic-buyers gridlock forecourts and tempers flare at the pumps »

Humorous Gay Quote

Source : Dear Straight People. With thanks.

Leaving Your Partner in No Doubt!

A great expression of love.
Very many thanks to Alex Salgues, Google Images, and Pinterest for this very expressive photo.

Liebe bedeutet…

L'amour veut dire... / Love means…
Many thanks to Andrew Grey, the author of Love Means... No Boundaries on Good Reads, and to Google Images for this expressive image.