2015 — 27 October: Tuesday
Since I pay little attention to the doings of our unelected Upper Chamber I was amused to learn, this morning, of their derailing of our fragrant Chancellor's "tough decision" and consequent plans1 to extend the pain of his austerity "deficit recovery" to those least able to withstand it by reducing "tax credits" (whatever they are). Since I'm too thick to understand why our guvmint gives people money while simultaneously taxing them, what do I know? Is it a job creation scheme for Civil Servants, perhaps? (You must forgive me, for the reasons here, if I'm currently, erm, underwhelmed by our Civil Service.)
Mind you, I didn't even know that said Chancellor's boss, the boy Dave, is the first Tory PM not to be assisted by the comfort blanket of a Tory majority in said Chamber. Steve Bell's cartoon fails to clarify matters.
The guvmint's initial response — to review the working of the Lords and the constitutional ramifications of their heinous action — is typical.
More interestingly...
... I was watching a couple of YouTube-hosted "reviews" of the new Ubuntu 15.10 release this morning. I enjoyed the one on Xubuntu and was interested to see the Xfce 4.12 I used to run for a while. But I think it's fair to say that the bearded geek who simply captured his screen session as he laboriously read aloud the summary on Distrowatch won't be on my "Subscribe" list any time soon. <Sigh>
Time for breakfast.
It brought...
... the proverbial tears, but I couldn't agree more with this:
Tears...
... of an entirely different kind. Source and snippet:
Though her yeast-infection story is deeply personal, Numair thinks her strategy — chanting reproductive-health terms that embarrass anti-choice protestors — is replicable for other counter-protesters around the country. "I did look at the preacher-pastor guy and said, 'See you next time!' and I intend on sticking to that," she said. She plans on making a bigger sign, too, and perhaps a few props. "If someone wants to help me make a giant wooden labia, that would be great."
And there's me thinking "labia" was a plural.
I was momentarily impressed...
... to find — after first sitting patiently in my Mazda on the drive (while Mozart's K304 was finishing) on my return from supplies shopping — an envelope from Toyota's "concerned" managing director of their insurance arm. "Urgently" reminding me to renew the insurance I cancelled yesterday. Ant Middle not only sets his rates far too high, but he also has too much slack in the timing of his customer communications processes.
Tea? Good idea!
Among numerous battered photos...
... I salvaged from the care-home (for Big Bro to take home with him to NZ) was this one of our Harpenden home. I'd overlooked this better version that I'd scanned when I first retired:
On a sentimental visit there with Christa in 1974 I actually called in on the neighbours to the left. A then just-retired couple whose company I'd enjoyed for two reasons: they had a lovely cat, and they had no objection to my browsing the copies of "Playboy" magazine that (they claimed) they had been sent a gift subscription to "as a joke". This would have been in 1966 or so.
There are a few more Mounce family memories and photos here.
I really detest...
... the earlier onset of darkness at this time of year. The six o'clock evening "news" has just started and it's already night out there. Last week's weather turned a planned walk into a trip taking surplus PC kit to Jamie's. Let's hope tomorrow is better.
On meeting a hero
Not always a mistake. (Proof.)