Happy Friday!

I’m more than slightly horrified by the news and the state of the world. The 1929 crash led to another world war in 1939. We might be doing better than that but I saw some footage of Mussolini the other day and Trump and Johnson didn’t look that much different….

Anyway, here are this week’s links…

The Innisfil experiment: the town that replaced public transit with Uber

Boris Johnson is the epitome of what’s worst about the English ruling class

On the contrary: put simply, here was a man of little principle, amused by everything and not remotely bothered about the consequences of what he wrote or the damage he might be doing

UK’s renting millennials face homelessness crisis when they retire. This headline is wrong. I’m due to retire in 2041, so this isn’t about millennials, this is about Gen X, the trouble for elder millennials is about 10/15 years after that!

A Potential Hidden Factor in Why People Have So Much Trouble Losing Weight

Disruption has come for toilet paper

Generalise, don’t specialise: why focusing too narrowly is bad for us. This is really interesting

Trump’s social media summit was a circus. Its aftermath was even worse. On this evidence, the American Experiment has failed, the lab is on fire…

Why They Fear Ilhan Omar. This is spot on, Trump’s whole appeal is based on the insecurity of white men. Having had it their own way for so many years, to them fairness feels like discrimination.

Because if new immigrants allow themselves to be full citizens with voices, then what would winning the birth lottery do for Trump or Carlson or for their children? They would have to compete with all the talented children of the world, instead of just the ones born here, in the land of the lucky few who control and consume all the earth’s bounty.

Mid-year burnout: does it exist or are we all just permanently tired? I’ve been permanently tired for over a decade, I actually feel better right now because it’s lighter. I think this is right the baseline has changed. I know that I’m really lucky but if my landlord asked me to move, could I afford to rent (I’ll never be able to afford to buy), my job is great and I have the option of working from home, but what if they decided to make me redundant?, how will Brexit help all those things. Right now, I’m fine, but I never feel safe or secure. That has an impact, it’s no wonder that society is anxious, we have reasons to be anxious. What makes it worse, is that the politicians who ask us to trust them, never have to worry because they have money and they don’t seem to understand why everyone else is anxious. The net effect is to make us all feel hopeless…

‘Walkers are middle aged, hikers are cool’ The problem with young people is they think they do everything better…

To Survive in a Wetter World, Raise Ducks, Not Chickens

Apollo astronauts left their poop on the moon. We gotta go back for that shit. Yes, it could answer some fascinating questions but Christ on a bike, 50 years ago, we littered on the Moon. What the hell is wrong with us?

How can I tend my allotment without visiting every day? Lots of fellow allotmenteers here with good advice, set it up as low maintenance, perennials are your friend and while you won’t have to go every day, this time of year you need to go at least twice a week, just to keep up with the courgettes and the watering. I reckon half a day at least over the weekend and an hour or so during the week. It’s a commitment of time, no it doesn’t re

An Epidemic of Disbelief. What’s scary is how completely unsurprised I am by this…