Fourth of 5 Prime Ministers in 8 years
Shortest ever term as PM
PM who oversaw the Queen's funeral
First former PM to lose seat since 1935
Produced biggest ever Tory to Labour swing in an election
I sort of begrudgingly admire Liz Truss's efforts to achieve immortality via pub quiz questions
#FursuitFriday with @TeryxC, because you gotta rep blue dragons (the best dragons, per dragon.best/color)
Photo by Exodus
It's #fursuitfriday and I have a new tune for you! >:D
Barren Rock of Aden! A fun Scottish tune I learned the other day :3 πͺπ¦
So much noise about #Reform todayβ¦it just shows you the nasty right-wing bias of our media.
Labour won by a stonking landslide and have a majority currently of 174 - thatβs more than TWICE Johnsonβs majority in 2019. Itβs huge.
But not only that, Lib Dems got the most seats theyβve had since 1923 - 71.
Green Party quadrupled their number of MPs to 4.
This election was won resoundingly by progressives. Letβs celebrate π
The rightwing media deliberately talked up a potential Labour βsuper-majorityβ. This was to encourage rightwing voters to come out and to make any result look smaller than they expected.
As it was, the Labour landslide was very real.
Did it match public expectation? I think weβd been lulled into thinking even Sunak as PM could lose his seat by the end. That it didnβt happen was perhaps a disappointment to some, but that expectation was driven by rightwing media.
Googleβs emissions are up 48% in 5 years. Microsoftβs are up 30% since 2020. Those soaring figures are being driven by mass investments in data centers to power AI tools.
Generative AI is a climate disaster and data center expansion must be stopped.
https://disconnect.blog/generative-ai-is-a-climate-disaster/
#ai #tech #datacenter #generativeai #climate #climatechange
Tech companies are abandoning emissions pledges to chase AI market shareParis Marx (Disconnect)
how to browse the web in 2024
1. open site
2. close email subscription pop up
3. close push notifications
4. dismiss cookies pop up
5. dismiss the request for your location
6. close the "did you find what your were looking for?" dialog
7. apologize to those around you for the loud swearing
8. try to remember why you opened the site in the first place
I don't even know what's come over me
My new form makes me feel more...saucy >///>
π· @DuskPanda
#FursuitFriday #fursuit #furry @DuskPanda
Back to Anthrocon! Let's ride the AnthroCoaster!! The blue raccoons insisted to seat at the very front.
Paco, Stitches, Bissy and Meisarrg
Digital. Procreate
You can see the time-lapse process video on the first comment on this post of my Telegram channel: https://t.me/panda_paco
Or to see the full video of the process at supporting me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pandapaco
This week on #FursuitFriday: FRICKIN' LASER BEAMS β€
Some amazing shots taken by the Confuzzled team during the Dead Dog party on the last night, who had this great photo setup with the dance floor as the backdrop. Some of my favourite fursuit photos I've ever gotten. ^^
πͺ‘ @selkiesuits
π FursuitGlasses.com
βοΈ Crunchycurl.com
In a result that has left voters wondering if theyβve somehow missed a crucial memo, the Labour Party has secured a record majority in the 2024 UK General Election, despite gaining fewer votes thanβ¦NewsThump
So, the Greens have got as many seats as Reform with a fraction of the media coverage.
Stop platforming the racist gobshites
Happy #DisabilityPrideMonth! π
Invisible disabilities are of course included β€οΈ.
#MastoArt #ComicArt #Illustration
periodic reminder:
the economy is made of people,
and money is something people invented.
neither of these things is a supernatural force, a requirement for life to persist, a deity, or any other immutable-by-mortals facet of reality.
Fantastic news that the #Greens won all 4 of their target seats!
Same number of seats as Reform UK, but only one of those parties achieved that through good old-fashioned grass-roots campaigning, while being largely ignored by the media instead of being bigged up by them at every turn, and without dirty Russian money backing them.
I know which I find more impressive.
That the less evil big party won #ge2024 shouldnβt mask the problem: this result is a democratic scandal. More so than general elections before.
Itβs going to be the lowest vote share for a single party government ever.
Turnout overall likely down as well.
Greens + Reform that together will be 20% of votes will have just 1.2% of seats.
STATE OF THE PARTIES AT 07:30:
Labour has won an overall majority with the lowest vote share ever recorded in the UK.
#ukpol #UKElection #Election2024 #StateOfTheParties
#Democracy won in the UK! ... ?
... "Democracy won" is generally code for "our side won", or even "we replaced something bad with something somewhat better"
The third ranked party, with 14% of the votes got 1% of the seats, green, with their 7% got 1%, while libdems with 12%, got 11% of the seats.
Insane...
"So, would you prefer that Reform UK go<interrupt here>" - no but democracy isn't about my preference. Nor do we even know WHAT the percentage could be if people were not given the "we better vote labor, or else..." gun to their head.
There really should be massive demonstrations...
Based on the % votes, I assume a labour / libdem / green coalition government. Many peeps worry "this would give green too much power" but that would be all up to labour. Pushed too far, they could say "nah, you insist that, we'll step down and you rule try to rule with conservatives instead". Small parties "unfair power positions" is generally nothing more than blocker for "abusive changes from larger parties".
@yesterzine I learned about the FPTP setup in the UK several years back, the fact that "other parties are represented" had made me assume it had to be PR, so it was a tad surprising to learn (unlike where for the US, where it is out in the open obvious). So these things come as no surprise, but we NEED to keep addressing them.
UK/US pol matters outside their borders, so their peoples voices matter to us outside.
"What can we do to increase voter turnout", they ask - WELL WHAT DO YOU THINK????
Scandinavian countries keep topping all sorta "good indexes" and people point and say "that is because of... and... and..."
And you look at democracy index scores and no one even match scandinavian countries, but no one stop to think "hey, maybe there is a connection?"
The best way to fight fascism is to make everyone feel like they are included and their voice matters.
I dread to think what Reform UK can get next election if labour keep making people feel they don't really matter because "well, only safe vote"...
Bernard is convinced of the need for local government reform. Thankfully Sir Humphrey is on hand to spell out what happens when democracy works as it ought t...YouTube
It's great that we Brits have had a change of government, and that our new one is likely to be a lot better for people at the bottom of the pile.
But the Labour party are still institutionally captured by transphobes, and we're still being excluded from healthcare. As far as I am concerned then, they're just the same as the Conservatives.
This is the best news to wake up to!
4 Green Party MPs electedβ¦including Adrian Ramsay and Carla Denyer who are the party!s co-leaders.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjr48kpjpk9o.amp
Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsey win in Bristol Central and Waveney Valley with big swings to their party.Kate Whannel (BBC News)
Well what a night. I am exhausted.
For most of my adult life the Conservatives have been disappointing me. I look forward to Labour finally being given the opportunity to disappoint me instead.
Content warning: TikTok and Twitter Rant
oh I just dislike tiktok because it's a bigger crack cocaine for a lot of ADHD than most things x3 Short-form video like that is a lot easier to get stuck on than longer form and I've burnt hours on shorts on YT which is basically the same thing, until I blocked access to shorts on it.
But I don't use Twitter anymore and haven't in quite a while other than click through, just here x3 but I get the sentiment entirely!
Hell, I've been trying to make a strong effort to disconnect that thought process with regards to Chinese-made goods, electronics or otherwise. People can be cheap and shitty anywhere, regardless of societal pressures in a given culture or region.
Content warning: Sinophobia and electronics
On a related note to that last bit, it feels like it makes discussing "no-name brands", "keysmash brands", and "ama brands" difficult because even if they are equally garbage, 90%+ of those brands are being made in a Chinese prefecture(?) and so inevitably that gets taped on even if it's irrelevant to the shadow company behavior and slapdash manufacturing involved, and I find myself struggling to be better there when talking about them, primarily in regards to home automation or other consumer electronics. Not saying that Chinese brands are bad in the slightest, loads are great, but all of them I can think of have rememberable and predictable names (NIUI, Cosori, Treatlife, aukey, just to name a few). Hell, the same manufacturers are often pumping out for brand name and Amabrands!
I dunno, it just feels like a weird spot cause I struggle to discuss any of it without feeling like I'm gonna overstep into sinophobia when in reality my thoughts are "this same thing could be from England or Italy or the US and it'd be equally garbage". X3
Content warning: re: Sinophobia and electronics
@KayOhtie Chinese-made goods are such an oddity because there's not a lot of limitations on what they can manufacture. Patents and IP go right out the window, and the regulation of what they can sell in international markets is pretty poor compared to what they're allowed to sell at home. On the one hand it's cool because that lack of limitations leads to a lot of cool, innovative products, but it also leads to a lot of cheap crap, or products that are the same exact thing just in different shells (like how every microwave is literally the same microwave, just in a different shell with a different logic board).
Chinese products, just like anywhere, are a mixed bag. I fault Chinese manufacturers probably less than I should because, frankly, our laws on imported goods are garbage. It seems like it should be on our legislation to catch and prevent a lot of the scam products.
Content warning: re: Sinophobia and electronics
sometimes that's a good thing, like Midea making so many of the dehumidifiers and portable AC units that their own brand is now well-recognized and liked! Or microwaves like you said.
I'm still not sure with air fryers. Sometimes it's very different, but a lot of basic brands look nigh identical and sound it often too - Cosori, the Insignia one I used to have, my Bella one I have now (whee recall). I feel like there is a common manufacturer for those, but I haven't figured it out yet. Or maybe there's two common manufacturers, one for housings and one for controller boards, and then various assembly houses that sometimes do shittier job than others, like the case of the Insignia one having a recall.
Content warning: re: Sinophobia and electronics
Content warning: re: seemingly single-purpose electronics
okay so legitimately, I shit on air fryers for a really long time. Like, years. I just said they were glorified convection ovens, because on some technical level, they are.
What I failed to recognize was that the ratio of the heating element size to the cook space is dramatically different than that of an oven, and that the air is forced around way faster because of it. And that it really does make a pretty fucking big difference. X3
I really like my air fryer now, I use it somewhat regularly, sometimes even for things where it's more roasting than frying. I don't usually think of you as the type of bab who has picky eating issues, But if you struggle with greens, toss a bag of frozen broccoli florets with olive oil (NOT extra virgin) or canola/vegetable oil as well as a big pinch of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Dump it in, set from 15 mins @ 400Β°F to 20 mins @ 365Β°F. The result is deeply crispy edged broccoli that is downright addictive. I can easily house an entire pound of broccoli cooked that way >.>
Content warning: re: seemingly single-purpose electronics
@KayOhtie Oooh I'm a picky eater with condiments but not really much else, but I also heckin' love broccoli so I'd definitely be into that. Would it work okay with frozen broccoli? We have some bags of it that I've been trying to figure out what to do with since 9/10 I prefer fresh produce.
Also yeah, made fun of air fryers for a long time, but it's nice having a machine that can crisp things up easily or double as a little toaster oven. The big oven takes too long to preheat for small stuff, so toaster oven mode is nice.
Content warning: re: seemingly single-purpose electronics
airhead dog; I said frozen, silly x3 it might work for fresh but for much less cook time! Probably frozen cauli too, would be great with Cajun seasoning all over it!
Don't sleep on frozen veg though, it's just as nutritious as fresh, just used differently, and harder to roast but entirely roastable! Just needs help like the air fryer hehe ^^ For Brussels I've oven roasted frozen but required thawing and par-cooking though the result isn't the same as with fresh for sure. Definitely prefer fresh for bruss!
Content warning: re: seemingly single-purpose electronics
@KayOhtie Yeah I am an airhead ;^; Somehow missed that. I have a habit of skimming in a really weird order where I miss words a lot.
I don't mind frozen veggies, the problem is they just live in the freezer too long and get freezer burnt by the time I get to em