Some thoughts

  (Image courtesy of Guido ) Crazy to think has been three years now. Unlike some , I ain't got no Bregrets. Indeed the fact that it still drives leftists and Remoaner twats batter still brings a smile to my face, regardless of how much the Tory party has managed to screw up the implementation.  Despite what the polling on regret may say, I doubt there will be any attempt to reopen the can of worms and discuss rejoining, since that would involve signing up for the Euro, Schengen zone, etc. What does worry me though is the longer term shifts caused by demographic changes, the leave side has done a very poor job of selling it to the younger generations.

I had a pleasant weekend away, Lille is a small city and two days was just about enough time to fit in everything I wanted to do.  The Eurostar from London got me there at about half 11, and my hotel was a short walk away. After checking in a dropping off my stiff I went exploring, visiting the nearby  Musée des Canonniers de Lille, which had some cool artillery pieces outside and passable English descriptions. After a walk around looking for lunch in the afternoon, I visited the Musee de l’hospice comtesse, Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille Cathedral, and Palais des Beaux-Arts, before having dinner. I suspect the restaurant gave me the wrong dish though, I'd ordered a veal escalope but it looked and tasted more like a regular steak. On the way back to the hotel I got some Belgian Kriek and relaced in my room On Sunday morning I went to the modern art gallery and then had a walk around the citadel before having lunch and taking the train home. Here are a few photos I took:

 As another former expat in Japan, I found this an interesting read:  Actually, Japan has changed a lot I'd disagree though that more immigration is what Japan needs, instead they (like the West) should focus on pro-natalist policies.  Also, the part about house devaluation is only partially correct, as I understood it the land retains its value. Houses are very much lightweight structures not designed to last forever, and typically the purchaser of a plot will demolish the existing house and put up what they want (there was a house 'showroom' near where I lived in Yokohama, and the house I lived in was unusual in that it was pretty old, the landlord was basically sweating it until it was no longer livable, then planning to replace it. Update: related in the Spectator:  Is Japan doomed?  The corporate culture mentioned is def a problem, but at least they acknowledge the problem and are trying to do something apart from open the doors to mass imigration.

 For one thing, I'm a man.  Also, crap like this:  Menopause should be ‘protected by law just like race and religion’   Campaigners have called on the Government to amend the Equality Act so women are not restricted by ‘rigid sickness policies’ at work 2nd wave feminists: we are just as good as men and don’t need no special treatment! 3rd/4th wave feminists: we demand special treatment! What we have seen with feminism is another example of the Iron Law , the organizations established to fight genuine injustice succeeded, but rather than say job done they need to find new causes to keep everyone paid and get media attention. So they end up going down the rabbit hole of more and more ludicrous causes to champion (see also anti-racist and LGBT groups) At this point, I am coming to the conclusion that the ideology which did the most long-term damage to the West in the 20th and 21st centuries wasn't fascism, communism, or socialism but feminism, a big part of the demographic collaps

Interesting article:  TikTok is a Chinese Superweapon There is some truth in this part: ' the US’s contradictions stem from one source: nihilism. The country has become severed from its traditions and is so individualistic it can’t make up its mind what it as a nation believe'  I didn't know 'that the Chinese version of TikTok, Douyin, is a “spinach” version where kids don’t see twerkers and toilet-lickers but science experiments and educational videos. Furthermore, Douyin is only accessible to kids for 40 minutes per day, and it cannot be accessed between 10pm and 6am.' Everything is best consumed in small doses and I think restricting children's screen time is a good idea (it is quite sad to see kids glued to their phones all the time)

More thoughts on the Trans debate, originally written as a comment elsewhere: In mammals sex is biological based on chromosomes and gonads- (yes there are a tiny number of intersex individuals, but they are only around 0.05% of the population). You can't change this short, of some sci-fi technology that can rewrite DNA (like the machine in that episode of Red Dwarf ) I accept that there are individuals who think they are the opposite sex, likely due to a combination of physiology (hormones, etc) and psychology. The few individuals I've met and writers like Debbie Hayton who have transitioned present as women, but acknowledge they are not the same as biological women. This is where gender and sex differ. The trans activist's arguments are based on the postmodernist/critical theory mentality that there is no objective truth and reality is what we perceive it to be. They, therefore, take the view that anyone who considers themselves to be a woman is one, regardless of biology

I find myself thinking more and more of  Pournelle's Iron Law of Bureaucracy .  This states that in any bureaucratic organization there will be two kinds of people: First, there will be those who are devoted to the goals of the organization. Examples are dedicated classroom teachers in an educational bureaucracy, many of the engineers and launch technicians and scientists at NASA, even some agricultural scientists and advisors in the former Soviet Union collective farming administration. Secondly, there will be those dedicated to the organization itself. Examples are many of the administrators in the education system, many professors of education, many teachers union officials, much of the NASA headquarters staff, etc. The Iron Law states that in every case the second group will gain and keep control of the organization. It will write the rules, and control promotions within the organization. I was just reading Dominic Cummins's latest substack post-  People, ideas, machines VI

I'm going to a concert in London this evening ( Tan Dun’s Buddha Passion ), so an posting this weeks roundup earlier than usual. There probably won't be a quick links next week as I'm going to Lille Saturday and Sunday. That said, here are article that caught my eye this past 7 days. Planes: F-15EX Breaks The Right Records At The Right Time . The benefit of continuous production is that you can updte effective designs and replace worn out inventory with out breaking the bugjet developing new designs. Repleated, plane/chopper hybrids:  Batshit exciting combat aircraft concepts of the Cold War As a former expat in Japan, I'd agree:  The Benefits of Cultural Appropriation Why indeed?  Why would anyone envy the NHS?  Burn it down, salt the ashes and burn them again. Releated,  The forgotten Tory blueprint for the NHS  Everyone forgets that Beveridge was a Liberal and his report recommened a very different nmodel to the Bennite one introduced (He wouldn't have nationalis

A couple of good posts at the Critic on the SNP's legal hand grenade:  Britain’s vanishing constitution  and  Sectioning the SNP Based on the experience of the 2014 and 2016 referendums, I suggest throwing down the gauntlet and offering a second indy ref with the following provisions: 1) the detailed arrangements, and timescale to be negotiated in advance, with provisions that in the event of a yes vote, the RN sub base on the Clyde becomes a Sovereign base territory similar to the Cyprus bases, and any territories that wish to remain in the UK such as Shetland can do so 2) The options on the ballot are for independence or abolition of the Scottish Parliament. So would the SNP be willing to go all in, double or nothing on this? Answers on a postcard...

Yesterday I left the following comment on F211 : As for of the future of the Met, I'd suggest putting all the Specialist Operations (royal protection, counter terrorism, etc) under the national crime agency, and breaking up the rest into separate forces for each of London's 32 boroughs. It looks like I'm not the only one to suggest this:  Is it time to break up the Met? It would involve a structural overhaul of policing in London, to create a new service with a fresh identity, ethos and mission, focused on the capital, and a separate body responsible for national counter-terrorism and security. To expand on my comment from yesterday, one of my guiding principles is that individuals are the best equipped to make decisions about their lives, so power should be exercised at the lowest level possible and flow up from the bottom, not from the top. Additionally, it is easier to hold officials to account locally and has more influence when there are fewer voices clamoring for thei

On unconservative tories who want to be liked by Guardianistas: 'these people aren’t going to vote for you. Never, ever. They despise you simply because you are a Tory; you can literally hand them billions of pounds to stay home and do nothing and they will say you are the sisters of Pol Pot. Waving a trans flag isn’t going to cut much mustard.'   Gareth Roberts in the Spectator,  The great Tory delusion  RTWT Updated: similar topic here:  Why do the Tories love to promote their enemies?

The decline of the scientific method: How  Ideological Capture of Our Scientific Institutions Kills Innovation . Releated:  The climate is in great shape  If Dsciencew wan't been corrupted the CAGW narrative woudn't exist Children of Men is looking more and more prpheticL  The Global Fertility Collapse  related,  Car Seats as Contraception . Makese sense as a contributory factor. Not unexpected:  U.S. defeats China in simulated war over Taiwan, but costs are high, says new study on risks Hollywood's New Rules Jerry Pournelle's Iron law of bureaucracy in action:  More Employees Than Students at Stanford Space:  Last year marked the end of an era in spaceflight—here’s what we’re watching next Declining standards:  Kiwi shoe polish and civilization Yes:  Why the West should go nuclear The Post-Human Economy  Need to try out thid chatGPT at some point Ideed, with depohrapghc shifts they won't be back in power ever again:  Tories Should be Dreading Defeat Ed West on Paul

Pretty much my position:  Vaccinating the elderly saved lives The evidence was clear from early on that only the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions were vulnerable so they it was worth jabbing them. The rest of us, less so and compulsory vaccination, and the rhetoric against those who didn't want the jab was totally unjustified,. Lots of charts and data, key takeaway: The evidence suggests that vaccinating the elderly saved lives. Unlike lockdowns and mask mandates – which had little discernible impact while imposing huge costs on society – elderly vaccination appears to have made a tangible difference. (There is no correlation between lockdowns and excess mortality across European countries or U.S. states.) Focussed protection culminating in voluntary vaccination of high-risk groups was the right strategy all along – just as the Great Barrington authors argued. Indeed. RTWT

 Have been browsing the websites of the major car manufacturers this evening and it seems hardly anyone makes small 2-seater sports anymore. The Mazda MX-5 is the only soft top that costs less than £40,000 and the Toyota GR-86  is the only coupe. I remember when there used to be dozens of small fun cars, from Fiat, Honda, GM, Ford, VW, etc. Now the only budget, performance cars are hot hatches. No doubt they have been discontinued in the run-up to the banning of ICE cars in 2030 (if that happens). I was thinking of buying a new car before that which would hopefully last me 20 years or so, but at this rate, there won't be any worth choosing from.

 While at work today I can across this piece of Research on the DfE website:  The impact of COVID-19 on 2020 to 2021 assessment arrangements . This paragraph stood out: 'however good the remote provision, it did not measure up to face-to-face learning. Students missed the interactions with their teachers and the ability to ask for clarification about topics in real time. They also missed interactions with their peers, citing group work, debates and projects as features that could not be captured as well online – even when the lessons were live – as in the classroom.'  Indeed. My experience working in an online school was that while better than nothing it is not a good substitute for being in a school. The socialization role of schooling is of equal importance to the skills and knowledge acquired. It is becoming more and more apparent that the lockdowns had a hugely damaging effect on children, (who the data is clear were not at risk of covid), and were a massive overreaction wh

I stayed up to watch the live stream last night (the comments on the stream were truly cursed) but switched off once the coast phase had begun. This meant I missed the announcement that the launch had failed. Shame, hope they have better luck next time.

 Reading this article today, I was reminded of the classic scene from Monty Python's Life of Brian: At 0.57, Judith asks the armor-piercing question: 'But why do you want to be Loretta Stan?', to which (s)he responds 'I want to have babies'. This to me is the heart of the matter with those who wish to change their body to the appearance of the opposite sex- if it was possible to do so, would a transwoman want to go through periods, pregnancy, childbirth, menopause, etc- the full female experience? If not, they are just high-level cosplaying as a woman, or as the Critic article puts it'A Pantomime of Womanhood'. 

Over the past year or so I have been getting into Classical music, this began on a long drive to Suffolk where I couldn't pick up Radio X, and found myself enjoying Classic FM. Since then I've also started going to classical concerts, most recently on Saturday when I went to see the  City of Rochester Symphony Orchestra Rochester Symphony Orchestra  New Year Concert of Viennese music. Here was the program: Mozart- Marriage of Figaro (Overture and Three Soprano Arias) Beethoven- Symphony Number 5 Johann Strauss II- Overture to Die Fledermaus and  Walz: Wiener Blut Franz Lehar- Soprano Aria Vilja from The Merry Widow Johann Strauss II- Pizzicato Polka Johann Strauss I- Radetsky March Carl Zeller- Sei Nicht Bös Johann Strauss II- Blue Danube It was a good evening out.  I have a few more concerts planned for the coming months

 Brilliant post by Lionel Shriver at Unherd today:  How we created a self-hating generation . Intro: 'Once upon a time, a fully realised person was something one became. Entailing education, observation, experimentation, and sometimes humiliation, “coming of age” was hard work. When the project succeeded, we developed a gradually richer understanding of what it means to be human and what constitutes a fruitful life. This ongoing project was halted only by death. Maturity was the result of accumulated experience (some of it dire) and much trial and error (both comical and tragic), helping explain why wisdom, as opposed to intelligence, was mostly the preserve of the old.' Changing from this to the modern ideas of identity is a lot of what has gone wrong with the world. 100% agree with this part too: 'Nihilism, an oxymoronic belief in the impossibility of believing anything, can prove literally lethal. Young men who feel no personal sense of purpose are inclined to perceive t

 Another revival, this series of posts both bookmarks and shares stories and articles from the past week that caught my eye. Remember that they're the anti-racists:  'Whiteness is going to have an end date' says Rutgers professor of gender and Africana studies  (its always the useless parts of academic pushing this). Related, wokism in the US Military . The UK military probably isn't far behind, and neither is NASA .  More on Diversity training:  What the Feds Are Teaching in Diversity Training A stake through the heart and a bulb of garlic in its mouth should do it:  MMT Is Dead. It Must Now Be Buried for Good Canada goes full Maoist:  Peterson Ordered to Report to Reeducation Camp for Criticizing Trudeau .  Remember Regan's most dangerous 5 words:  How government makes everything worse Misanthropic anti-human expansionism refuted:  Mars . I agree a worthwhile goal for our civilization should be 'to locally reduce the entropy of the universe.' Also on space

 Just once I'd like to visit a museum in the UK that hasn't fallen to the woke crowd. This past year it seemed wherever I went there were little plaques apologizing for the sins of our forebearers. My recent trip to Cardiff was no exception, on the first day I went to the National Museum Cardiff . This is a nice mix with geological/natural history galleries on the ground floor, and artwork upstairs. When wandering through the collection of paintings I found this exhibition:  Reframing Picton – from idea to exhibition .  Apparently having a portrait of a former colonial governor is now unthinkable. While the exhibition makes clear his conduct as governor has some issues, they also admit this caused outcry back home and a trial, which is not something that would have happened in other contemporary colonial powers.  Here is the painting as currently displayed, they have at least kept it,  even if it is partly obscured by the packing crate:  What really annoyed me about this museum

 Reviving this series in a timely manner, following of from today's announcement on making maths compulsory until 18. Working in schools I've thought about this topic a lot. I have to agree with this assessment in the speccie: 'What is the point of making these students sit through two more frustrating, futile years, especially when there is such a huge gap between our current curriculum and its applications for most people? It would be one thing to request students to undertake some sort of qualification in financial literacy or the basics of economics and business. But why submit students who are far more suited to a vocational education to polynomials and logarithms?' Part of the problem with the current system is that it was designed for when the school leaving age was 16, now it's 18 (I do find it amusing that it is often those who argue for keeping youngsters in full-time education until 18 are also the same who argue for lowering the voting age to 16, but I

I've written previously on higher education , glad to see more youngers are realizing the poor value of a degree:  The decline of traditional university study is no bad thing

 Via Tim Worstall, this story caught my eye: Porsche’s synthetic gasoline factory comes online today in Chile I Am reminded of a line from a Larry Niven story, something along the lines of 'the chemistry was complicated, but any reaction can be reversed with sufficient energy'. Using nukes, solar, geothermal, and hydroelectric to synthesize fuel makes more sense than replacing all our global infrastructure and devleoping follies like electric planes. Faster, please!

 I only listen to the radio when driving, so often hear advertisements repeatedly that get on my nerves. The latest one was yesterday, which mentioned 'vegan-friendly mattresses'. This begs two questions: 1) What is in a mattress that vegans can object to? (could understand pillows and duvets might contain feathers, but a mattress?) 2) Who eats a mattress?

A good summary of the past 12 months in popular culture. I didn't watch much western media due to the constant woke nonsense. Hopefully, as the Drinker suggests, we are finally turning a corner.    

 How has it really been a year since I last posted here? This past year was a mixed bag, work was hell but I changed jobs to one much less stressful in November that has given me much more free time. With this in mind, my new year's resolution is to resume) writing and blogging.  Apart from work I didn't do much this year, I only went on holiday abroad once, to Antwerp in August. I also explored more of the UK, going to Manchester (April), the Isle of Wight (June), and Portsmouth (July), plus I just go back from a few days in Cardiff. I also started learning to play the piano.  Looking ahead I have trips planned to Barcelona and Croatia, carrying on with the piano and trying to get a book written this year (yeah I know that's been on the cards for a while...