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[personal profile] history_monk
The former Conservative MP Matt Hancock was the UK's Secretary of State for Health and Social Care 2019-21 and thus responsible for much of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As one would expect, he has been called to give evidence to the enquiry into the handling of the pandemic. Two issues have been quite controversial:
  • One was awarding many valuable contracts for vitally needed supplies and equipment to Conservative Party members with no obvious capability to fulfil them, without and transparency. That piece of corruption will be held against the Conservative Party for a very long time. He wasn't responsible for all of that: the entire Cabinet were involved. 
  • The other was the decision to discharge many hospital patients into care homes for the elderly without testing them for COVID-19. That was his decision, and it resulted in the residents of those care homes being placed at very high risk of infection. And being elderly and frail enough to require care home residence, a great many of them died.       
This week at the enquiry, he was questioned by lawyers for a bereaved families group. It rapidly became clear that his claim of protective measures for the care home residents was pure fiction. He claimed that nobody cared, apart from campaign groups. 

That's a degree of selfishness fully consistent with his decision to use social distancing to undertake an extra-marital affair with one of his senior staff. That forced him to resign as Health Secretary, and he left parliament voluntarily at the last election. However, he's not yet been held to account for his terrible, heartless decisions while in charge of the nations' health.

More details and donations here.

Photo cross-post

Jul. 4th, 2025 02:49 am
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[personal profile] andrewducker


Got halfway to the bus stop to go to the pool and realised I didn't have my shoulder bag. Sprinted home, got it, and made it to the bus.

Got off the bus at the other end, realised Sophia's bag didn't have her swimming costume in it. Got a bus home, grabbed it, now in a taxi.

Fingers crossed that nothing else comes between me and drop-off and work!
Original is here on Pixelfed.scot.

Another Repeat Bundle - The Dark Eye

Jul. 2nd, 2025 07:09 pm
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[personal profile] ffutures
This is a repeat of a 2023 bundle offering material for one of the oldest fantasy RPGs - The Dark Eye, a German system from from Ulisses Spiele, which has been in print since 1984 and has a ton of support material. This offer covers the 2016 English translation of the system, and is aimed at newcomers to the system. Some of it has been in previous bundles:

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/2025DarkEye

 

In 2023 (and on at least one previous occasion) I said "I'm not hugely into fantasy RPGs, I played way too many in the eighties and sort of lost the plot, but this looks pretty good, the art is excellent, and you get a huge amount for your money. And some things look like some actual thought has gone into them - for example, most of the depictions of women show them wearing sensible clothes for adventuring, with the balance of the sexes roughly even. The rules look comprehensible, though a little more complicated than I like, and (I repeat) you get a hell of a lot for your money. Recommended!

I wonder if there has ever been a German version of this offer - it might be interesting for linguists etc. or (of course) for German gamers, but since these bundles are organised by Americans I won't hold my breath waiting...


I don't see any reason to change any of this - it's not a system I particularly want to use, but it's very good value, and well worth a look if you're into fantasy RPGs. My main caveat considering that it has been in bundles several times is that it may be worth checking how much of it you already own, and whether it would be cheaper just to buy the bits you don't have and will actually use. Incidentally, the current offer explicitly states that no German versions are included.

Time marches on

Jul. 2nd, 2025 10:20 am
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[personal profile] andrewducker
As of this morning (2nd of July), we are now closer to 2050 than 2000.

Photo cross-post

Jul. 1st, 2025 01:58 pm
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[personal profile] andrewducker


"Sophia, will you pose with your brother for a photo?"

"I will, but I'm very angry about it!"
Original is here on Pixelfed.scot.

1SE for June 2025

Jun. 30th, 2025 10:04 pm
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[personal profile] nanila


I can't quite believe how much has happened this month. At least 60 days of stuff were packed into June's 30. And now we're halfway through the year. Dear Time, Please slow down, Love, Me.

Rebuilding journal search again

Jun. 30th, 2025 03:18 pm
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[personal profile] alierak posting in [site community profile] dw_maintenance
We're having to rebuild the search server again (previously, previously). It will take a few days to reindex all the content.

Meanwhile search services should be running, but probably returning no results or incomplete results for most queries.

Another Fantasy Bundle - Broken Tales

Jun. 30th, 2025 07:24 pm
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[personal profile] ffutures
This is the  Broken Tales Bundle featuring the "FRPG of grim upside-down fairy tales where villains seek redemption" and unfortunately the good guys aren't necessarily good...

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/BrokenTales

  

I'll be honest, I think that this is one of those ideas that only works well as a one-off scenario or an occasional break from a more normal style of play. Expecting every evil stepmother to be misunderstood and every downtrodden orphan to be a psychopathic killer gets old fast. But it's cheap and should give a few hours of fun if you want to give it a try.


Today in the garden...

Jun. 30th, 2025 10:01 am
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[personal profile] anef
Went out early with the watering can to water the roses and more vulnerable plants.  We are practising "laziness re-wilding", in consequence the lawn is full of ragwort, and the ragwort is covered in yellow and black striped caterpillars (which I believe one day will become cinnabar moths).  Bees are scrambling all over the lavender and the air is full of insects.  Today's butterfly: meadow brown https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/butterflies/meadow-brown

Photo cross-post

Jun. 29th, 2025 04:31 pm
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[personal profile] andrewducker


We had a nice day on the beach in North Berwick. A few of Sophia's old nursery friends, getting back together, with a few siblings thrown in. They got on like it wasn't mostly a year since they last saw each other, and they had a ball digging holes, wading through seaweed and climbing on rocks. The weather was just as fabulous as it looks here.
Original is here on Pixelfed.scot.

A complaint about modern life.

Jun. 28th, 2025 10:49 am
andrewducker: (lesbian tea)
[personal profile] andrewducker
When I am Emperor anyone selling bowls, plates, etc will have to certify whether you can microwave food in them without them getting hotter than the food.

Is microwave transparency really too much to ask?

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