Some thoughts

I had a bit more time for his week roundup, hence more quotes and comments. 'Scientists building lucrative careers on a foundation of dodgy research, while the people that clean up their mess — the fraud-busters and data sleuths — go largely unsung'. -  Never trust a scientist . Good advice DoesJordan Peterson believe in God?  I find that I flit between Agnosticism and Gnosticism.  Douglas Murray asks  Will Europe survive another migrant crisis?  I suspect not Another thing that will doom the West:  What will Net Zero cost?  I predict a lot more originally claimed. Probably true:  How Illegal Immigrants Are Intended To Be Perpetual Source Of Underclass Definitely true:  Ministers should take the fight to Extinction Rebellion – and not just by stopping their protests . I suspect Queen Nut-nut is the reason Boris won't. I'm shocked, shocked-  Another Cost-Benefit Analysis Finds That Lockdowns Weren’t Worth It Yeap:  It’s time to stone...

A day late this week, for reasons to be explained later. A very heavy US focus this week, for obvious reasons. China:  What China Wants and Why   USA:  The Vanishing Legacy of Barack Obama Immigration:  How Illegal Immigrants Are Intended To Be Perpetual Source Of Underclass Afghanistan: Byron York's Daily Memo: Humiliation in Afghanistan This is worse than Saigon Still Don't Think Biden Is Too Old to Be President? On Point: Biden's Afghanistan Disaster Didn't Have To Happen A cause: Western decline: Farewell to Bourgeois Kings The West has lost its virtue Another contributing factor to the West's fall-  Fifty Years Without Gold Also related:  The History of the Decline and Fall of Conservatism Dominic cummings links all these together, along with systemic issues in government, in his usual way:   Afghanistan SNAFU (situation normal all fucked up): 'normal' politics,'normal' results An escape route?  Getting Ready for the End of the World rel...

 Am writing this in my new room in my shared house. It has been a busy weekend; yesterday my car had its MOT as well. I dropped it off just after 9, by 10 I'd been informed that it needed two new tyres to pass., which the garage didn't have in stock. After quickly phoning round I took it to quik-fit, only to hit another problem. Turned out the locking wheel nut key was missing, so they had to cut them off and get a replacement set driven over. I really can't fault their service, I was done in about an hour and a half and was able to get back to the original garage to get my MOT certificate issued before they closed at 1.  The only downside was the cost, £380 for the types, wheel nut and service!  After a spot of lunch, I drove up to the house to meet the landlord and get the keys. I brought up a load of bedding and kitchenware, leaving around half 4.  This morning I had 4 online lessons, of which only 2 showed up, spend the rest of the time sorting out clothes and ot...

  With a single photo, SpaceX sent a not-so-subtle message to FAA regulators Why the Left can’t meme How Hungary became the American Dream Chinese censorship is coming Major Lapse Fifty years of easy money The Rage Orchestrating the Transformation of America The failure of the right Poles apart: The EU will never understand Poland Why incels aren't terrorists Videos: The end of England; where did my country go? 70’s Feminists Admit They Lied to Women

Another super manic week! Monday to Thursday was working, am getting used to the early starts but still very tiring. The workweek culminated in a two-hour drive home, then after changing quickly I drove down my brother's prior to the wedding on Friday. I made the foolish mistake of forgetting to turn my alarm off so I was woken up at 4:50 in the morning! Despite this, I managed to get a few more hours of kip before the wedding. The wedding went very well, my speech was well received and I performed all my other tasks competenlty. It was a very long day, after getting home on Saturday I then had to drive the bride's flowers to a place where they will be preserved. Had an early night then a lie-in today, had a good 12 hours in bed before spending most of today sorting the garage out. Just one more week until I move, and I won't be spending so much time travelling or have such early starts. Hopefully, this will be the last shorter weekly roundup. Space: Bad news- Launch of Boe...

 After my first full week at my new job I feel I've settled in well, and have been enjoying getting involved in various random things (such as recording voicemail greetings, proofreading websites, and shooting promo videos). The early starts have been a killer though, as has the driving (quickest has been an hour and 20 mins, longest was 2 1/2 hours!). Thankfully my room has been all agreed and only have two more weeks of this before moving, after which I'll be much closer so can have more of a lie-in. As a result of all this driving, I've not had much time for reading, so this week's links list is a bit shorter than usual. Imagine If They Hadn’t Lied to Us for the Last 18 Months Thou Shalt Not Dam The Yangtze River Treating public sector workers like saints does us all a disservice Time to turn the tide of the Brexit PR battle What Simone Biles can learn from Jordan Peterson Turning the tide: how to deal with Britain’s new migrant crisis

Today marks a year since I came back to the UK. Since then I've worked for 3 different teaching agencies, as well as an online EFL school, and even did a few shifts at a Royal Mail sorting office over Christmas. I also completed a part-time graduate certificate in History of Art, which I got a merit in, while sorting out my long-term plans. Having now secured a permanent role of the type I was looking for, I have also now found a place to live in London, which I'll be moving to in two weeks' time. Therefore I am updating the handle I use for commentating on blogs and other websites. I had previously used Andy in Taiwan, Andy Ex-Japan, and Andy in Japan depending on my situation. Currently, I use Andy Ex-Taiwan but henceforth will use Andy in London.