Because All Good Heroes Deserve Kidneys

Haha, I don't have much yet, but:

I mean I know things are much bleaker in Scotland and particularly in poor England and there are certainly caveats to what I'm about to say but lads I personally am fucking delighted

Plaid Cymru have literally never in history done anything close to this well. And this is a big fucking deal, because they were one of the only two parties remaining in Welsh politics that are left of centre, so even if you take the Wales-specific aspect away, this is a staggering development

That is an absolute wipe out for Labour. The Tories had barely clawed in their seats in recent years anyway, not surprised they've lost them, but you cannot imagine the stranglehold Labour has had since Thatcher decided to girlboss our economy into oblivion. This is huge fucking news. All the more so because the First Minister lost her seat, and so is having to resign as party leader, even! I found her outgoing speech to be interesting. She's very party loyal, and she refused to answer any questions about Keir Starmer, but she did say she hopes the national party will correct course; which, from Eluned Morgan, is damning.

Reform, meanwhile, were doing better than this in the polls. Most polls suggested they'd either come out on top or be close to the top, but in the end only Clywd hit the projected numbers; people wanted Reform out, and they united behind Plain to do it, by and large. I was concerned about Greens splitting the vote, but it was actually not too bad in the end.

So, now, Plaid need to enter a coalition. This'll be the first test. They only need 6 extra seats to form a majority, so the logical choice is Labour, since they still have 9, but the historical relationship between Plaid and Labour is, um, Quite Bad, so lol we'll see. I suspect they'll have to, though

All of which means, we have a Plaid-led coalition Senedd, with Reform in opposition. That worries me a bit, because in spite of prevailing opinion, the opposition is actually a vitally important role in politics. I think Keir Starmer is fucking awful, and an absolutely dreadful Prime Minister, but he actually shone in opposition because he's a details -oriented former lawyer who knows how to Cross examine, and that's the opposition leader's job.

Meanwhile, in Wales, for ages that was Notable Clown Andrew RT Davies, former leader of the Welsh Tories. The death of Welsh democracy is on his fucking idiot head. He has been incompetently failing to hold Labour accountable for years. Like... I like Mark Drakeford! I do! I absolutely do not see eye to eye with him on many things, but I think he means well and he was a competent politician who knew how to get the bins collected!

I also think there were many things he needed to be challenged on. Take the NHS, for example. It's on its fucking knees in Wales, and yes, absolutely, that's true across the UK thanks to underspending and understaffing. It's also true that Wales' budget is terrible, but that's true of the Scottish NHS, too. So; why is it that the Welsh NHS is doing so much worse than the others? Even accounting for all those factors, something is different here, and we need to know what.

It's the opposition's job to ask that. Andrew RT Davies tried. But he's such a fucking idiot that rather than asking that normally, he decided to do that stupid Westminster thing of attempting a zinger and trying to say that Labour is shit. He described the Welsh NHS as being "like a third world country". He did so in 2022, at the height of Partygate and the COVID enquiry, when we were still clapping NHS workers.

Drakeford's response has gone down in history, because I cannot stress enough that this kind of chest-thumping slanging match is not actually normal in the Senedd. If you see that video, look at Drakeford's hands. Look how he's so angry that they're vibrating. He was such a mild-mannered man normally. But Davies fucked it so badly that this was the response. Drakeford atomised him. He might as well have just gone "How fucking dare some worthless stray dog bark at me." The speaker had to halt proceedings and calm everyone down; again, normal in Westminster, but very much not in the Senedd, as was the subject of academic study as far back as 2009, a mere 10 years after its creation

And the problem is, every single Reform representative here is a fucking joke. I do not for a second believe they'll be any better than Andrew RT Davies, a guy who once compared the American January 6th riots to people who voted Remain in Brexit, lied to the press that innocent white children were being forced to eat halal food in school, and then made repeated populist lying statements that broke Senedd Code of Conduct until his own party got so sick of him that they held an open vote right to his face to force him to resign. We will not even get THAT standard.

But, on the bright side, Reform IS a joke, and so far nationwide we've seen repeatedly that people lose enthusiasm for them very quickly once they realise what it's like to be ruled by a circus juggler that doesn't know where the balls are kept and keeps trying to fuck a lion. So, if that holds true, it's good for them to get it out of their system now, before the next GE

When I said that the job of opposition is to interrogate the majority party to make sure they are doing what they promised?

When I said that Reform is a pack of fucking clowns who would probably be unable to do this?

LET'S SEE HOW THEY'RE DOING

So may I present my own casting choice for Odysseus:

Absolutely not

You know who would try that shit?

Is this the face of a man who would defy the very gods to get home to his wife?

You know who would defy the gods just to show he could get away with it?

Babe it's been front page news all week. France, India, all of them. Please read the news somewhere other than Tumblr

I've seen ones today including photos, dates of birth, place of birth even!

So many women feel the need to mention their young children in their cover letters and CVs. Some young people slip in that they can't drive, a sort of pre-emptive "but it's okay I have a bus pass". So many people go and shove their mental health issues with anxiety and depression in there.

I remember one girl had clearly been told that she needed to explain any gaps in employment in the cover letter (terrible blanket advice), and so had described how she had developed depression after a traumatic miscarriage and spent a year in a terrible spiral getting worse and worse before getting on a new medication that, and I quote, "seemed to be finally starting to work." There are ways she could have written that information if she was desperately wanting to include it (I cannot stress enough that she should not have included a word of it), but the way it was written was almost literally a description of how she would be a horrendously unreliable employee who could dip out at a moment's notice and would never be seen again, while also demonstrating that she cannot determine appropriate professional communication.

(And for the record, the latter is the actual issue. I have no problems at all hiring employees with mental health issues, and did several times hire people in recovery to help them get back on their feet. Only once did that not work out; all others were amazing, and two became some of our best employees - one is now a manager there, in fact. But if an employee can't be trusted not to over share personal information with customers or colleagues, particularly triggering topics... That's a different issue. She did herself no favours at all there, and nor did whoever told her employers will always need employment gaps explaining in a cover letter).

Another guy once wrote in his cover letter "I want this job because after years of messing about I now have a little girl, so I need to sort my life out for her, and if I can't do it even for her then more fool me." Which, like, I admire the drive and passion. But again. Why are you telling an employer that you're a flight risk. Why are you telling us this.

One 18 year old volunteered, unforced, that he was gay. Just right in the cover letter. That he sent to a future employer.

And then, of course, the thousands that send in CVs and cover letters that are horrendously mis-spelled. Again, as an employer, I care dick-all if you're dyslexic or what have you; but I do care that you didn't think it was important to get someone to proofread a professional document for you before submission. That tells me quite a big thing about the level of professionalism I can expect from you in the role. It wasn't massively relevant for the job I was hiring for (escape room game master), but if we'd had slightly different job duties (e.g. writing official soc med posts), that would be the difference between getting an interview or not.

Also I can't find an article to confirm, but the Tesla seems to have been driving on the left (against traffic).

*local action, campaigning, planting trees, targeted politician lobbying, whatever: something CONCRETE and achievable with measurable results

The examples the IHRA provides as guidance, which do mention Israel, are even less binding (and they are just that—examples), and explicitly state that criticisms comparable to reasonable criticisms of other states cannot be considered antisemitic.

The definition does not “chill free speech”; it is a criticism of certain kinds of speech, which is itself free speech, and should be protected in any country where “free speech” means anything.

When people claim this “chills their speech”, they are not describing any rights of theirs that are actually being abridged; they are simply telling you the kinds of speech they wish to be able to engage in without being criticized.

What a red flag actually means: something here is an indicator of a potential problem (but might be fine with a reasonable explanation)

What people have now decided it means: abuse

I've lost count of the number of times I've now had to read variants of "My partner takes all my money and gives me back an allowance because he says it's a man's job to control finances, but he's racking up gambling debts" being met with "Wow this man is a walking red flag" no Becky that is abuse. That is not an indicator. He is an abuser. Call the police. We have lost the concept of a proxy: a thing that indicates a more important thing. And it's relevant to this conversation because I'm actually going to go out on a limb here:

With the obvious exception of paedophilia, age gaps themselves aren't a problem at all - they are a proxy for the actual harmful phenomenon. Hea me out, let me explain

The reason we don't like age gaps is because of the implied power dynamic. If one partner, usually male, is older than other - particularly if the other is still quite young - the risk is that what we're seeing is a worldly wise predator who is exploiting the lack of life experience of a young beautiful woman by mentally abusing her until she's no longer young and pretty enough to satisfy, at which point he'll move on to the next. There have been enough examples of this in human history. It's unfortunately not an uncommon pattern. Genders can also be diverse in this scenario

We can't necessarily see that dynamic from the outside. But we CAN see an inherent element of it: the ages of the people involved. So age becomes a proxy for the abuse. And, hey, it's often correct.

But here's the thing: the ages themselves are not causing harm.

The power dynamic is. The abuse is.

Plenty of age gap relationships are loving, healthy and steadfast. Two people met and genuinely fell in love regardless of the outer packaging, and have a relationship with all the highs and lows and challenges and rewards as any more traditional pairing. This happens all the time

Is the age gap a red flag? Sure! It indicates a potential issue.

Is it inherently abusive? Absolutely fucking not.

OP is right - we need to stop focusing just on the numbers and twisting the facts to fit by infantilising the younger partners, and start focusing on the actual harms. The DiCaprio Pattern of only dating under 24s repeatedly is itself a proxy, too, actually - but a much stronger one than the simple presence of an age gap.

(Even so, in DiCaprio's case, until any of his former partners come forward and describe him as abusive, actually, even that is up in the air - my personal interpretation, given how strong a pattern it is, is that he's a loser who views women as trophies (consciously or not). If any have come forward and I don't know about it, of course, fair enough. But those women were adults capable of making their own decisions, even if they might later come to regret it. And regretting poor decisions is part of life! That's how it goes, particularly with relationships. As long as they weren't abused, there's no biggie. And just as he was looking for young-and-beautiful, there's no way they weren't, on some level, looking for rich-and-famous; it goes both ways.)

Also, another element of this: I think a lot of modern extreme puritan discourse on this is actually ironically down to the age of those taking part. Up until your late 20s, ten years is actually a huge span of time to you, because in your own life you were in a completely different developmental phase ten years ago (teenager), and a completely different phase again ten years before that (child). That skews your sense of what a ten-year gap means. Whereas once you're in your 30s and beyond, ten years is like. Yeah I was an adult ten years ago, and I still am now. That's two adults. Who cares.

In 2021, Swarovski (the company that makes the very sparkly crystals you see in certain jewelry, on figure-skaters' twinkliest outfits, on red carpet dresses), decided they didn't want the grubby fingers of small-time jewelers, clothing designers and costumers and crafters on their shiny beads and rhinestones anymore. They decided to limit their sales to "luxury" and couture creators, not girls who sell stuff on Etsy. The tenor of their press release on the subject was snide and insulting. Resellers (like your favorite bead shop) would no longer be allowed to carry their product; the average Jane on the street would not be able to purchase them. You could only get them if you had an authorized business agreement that bound you to very strict brand behavior. And those of us who still had good stock of the crystals would no longer be "permitted" to use the brand's name in our listings for sale.

Every bead shop and craft supply place and many, many small clothing makers--wedding shops, prom and dancing dress suppliers, the sort of salt of the Earth mom and pop time machines of shops that are the backbone of the field--scrambled to find something that could replace them. The last of the stock dwindled quickly, all of us grabbing what we could get while there was any chance of it, and then it was gone and we no longer had any access.

I was Big Pissed about it at the time. It was just so goddamn stuck-up, when wholesalers and indie jewelers had made them so much money, when some people I knew--when *I!*--had been brand-loyal for decades. But with no recourse, everyone pivoted fairly quickly, most of us to Preciosa Crystals. Those are Czech, quite sparkly, and considerably less expensive than Swarovski. The faceting method they use is different, but not worse; any differences are hardly noticeable when you're seeing them as a hundred pinpoints of light.

Well, out of nowhere, Swarovski just dropped this: https://www.harmanbeads.com/swarovski-brand-policy-update

"Effective June 1, 2026, Swarovski updated the distribution and brand usage policies introduced in 2021. Businesses may now purchase Swarovski Crystals without signing a Brand Control Agreement, and Authorized Distribution Partners may once again sell Swarovski Crystals to resellers, including bead stores and online retailers. Businesses may also use the Swarovski brand name when following Swarovski’s Proper Use Guidelines. Designers, manufacturers, artists, brands, retailers, and resellers are now eligible to purchase Swarovski Crystals through authorized distribution channels."

They want us back. A lot of the companies who could have kept a brand relationship with them also have swapped to Preciosa, over the last half-decade, in solidarity with indie creators and out of a sour awareness that it could be them, next. And it doesn't hurt that Preciosa was able to expand their line quite a bit now that everyone who wanted sparkle had no choice but to go to them.

And I'm not seeing nearly anyone who intends to return. The feeling is, "Y'all told us to fuck off! Off we fucked! And now, that's what you can do, too!" I'm seeing a lot of "How many of us did you stab in the back?" comments from the people whose money they're hoping to attract.

If you are a socially anxious person, you have to socialize. Your panic/anxiety attacks will only get worse and trigger more frequently if you constantly avoid contact with The Public. Not saying that you need to be a social butterfly- but there is a genuine problem with not being able to order your own meal at a restaurant. And it cannot be solved by always having someone else do it for you.

I made a new flyer for my research project 📋

LINK TO THE SURVEY

The survey will be open until at least the end of 2026 if not beyond. Only these 14 measurements are required, all the others are optional:

If you have been on HRT for at least 3 years, have half an hour and a measuring tape, consider taking the survey!

If you don't qualify or don't feel up to participating feel free to share it :)

If you really believe harm is bad, and eliminating harm is a worthy goal, you have to start with small steps: eliminate a small harm, not all harms all at once. Reduce a great harm a little, perhaps by helping one individual impacted by that harm, and then another individual, and another... You cannot tackle all harm at once; you must take smaller bites. Set this reality against your need to feel right & correct & pure & perfect. Reducing some harm instead of all harm is not failure! You are not a failure! You may fail now and again, but failing once or twice or ten thousand times doesn't change the fact that you can still try again and succeed! You are not a failure even when you fail to reach your impossible goal of perfection.