StringJunky

If an area is repetitively rubbed, as playing an instrument, no lacquer will survive. Look at any well played guitar. It's the price of playing. Does a person want a musical instrument or a museum piece? You can't have it both ways. The best instruments have the thinnest and most brittle finishes. How long can that last? I've looked into acoustic guitar making for some years and the issues are the same. I've also had one made and insisted on the thinnest finish and bracing. Both are anathema to durability, but are conducive to good tone, as in expressing the higher frequencies and harmonics. Brittleness of the wood and finish determine how clear and resonant the notes are.

Russia still has communist factions that align well with the FR Russian politicians. Putin reveres Stalin and latter Marxist-Leninist as far as I understand. Putin ain't no practicing Communist.

AFAIK, from my interest in photography, acidity is the bane of archiving. Acid-free paper and other substrates are used in museum quality work. UV is another one.

Go too far left or right, one ends up basically the same as the other.

The US is not unique in its attitude; it's what happens when one side is holding too much of the rope. It's human nature to get cocky and pushy when one is standing on the top of the hill.

I know there are decent people in the US, I talk to you guys everyday, but one has to look at the sum total of effects of your political establishment on the world... wankers included. I'm looking more at the forest that is each country rather than the individual trees within each forest.

Of course. The EU needs to let go of their fiscal dependence militarily. I no longer see the US as a reliable partner moving forward. Does that make me part of the "extreme radical Left"? The UK is bound to them at the hip, so it will have to be outside of them. I'm deliberately not considering loyalties here, but an attempt at a more dispassionate view that is more inclusive of different political philosophies where fiscal and geopolitical compromise is a keyword. As it happens, the EU and Ukraine appear to be actively stepping up to the plate in terms of their defence industrial base to meet the needs of Ukraine. Hopefully, this is a precursor to military independence from the US and to democratize the power base more equitably. The road to peaceful existence is a stable equivalence of political and military power... not this totally asymmetric situation that we have here. That, I feel, is the solution to removing the hubris of the OP title.

Says an American One has to consider the US bounces from right of centre to far right intermittently over a long period, so, on balance, it's too far to the right. It doesn't need to be an overnight revolution. It means Europe having more of the rope to balance things out. Just look at the supply issues happening for Ukraine now. Time to move away. From your use of 'liberals' means that I can safely ignore your opinion.

Does anyone think that the geopolitical centre of gravity needs to move away from the US and towards more collectively level-headed democracies? At 62, I'm starting to think that American influence and dominance is too toxic for the world. Even on the 'left' of the American political spectrum, the likes of Biden are merely paying lip-service to world peace as long as no one takes a slice of their pie. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. The extent to which we are now seeing the worst elements of British politicians embracing the worst elements of US politics is disturbing. The UK has the most far right government I've seen in my lifetime here... and getting worse. Couple those with the FR Israeli administration justifying each others actions, we have a perfect storm of conspiring instigators for the issues we have today.

It means only a short-sighted idiot could conceive of such an idea.

I understand your ADX prisons are pretty hardcore on security. Concrete beds, windows that you can only see the sky. Just the ticket.

Good point. I forgot per capita.

LOL! When I put the title up, it reminded me of that film. For those not familiar, Heston in science fiction film Soylent Green says the food they are eating is made from people.

"Specifically, Black people represent 8% of total millionaires in the U.S., 76% are white, 8% are Asian, and the Hispanic community captures 7% of the total millionaire population across the country" - Forbes That is not the whole population, but it is indicative of the potential of each group reaching millionaire status. There is a yawning gap.

Outrageous! Out with the pitch forks. Good point with it probably being noise. The one time statistics show ethnic minorities have a (slight) statistical advantage, a white person kicks off.

Those numbers would be within my definition of equal pay. You can't expect it to be exactly the same.

I agree chaps. The topic deserves nothing but derision. Like is often said: you can't make this up.

We can hope.

All the time Hayley is in the news dilutes and delays Trump's desire to just focus on everything else and, of course, himself. Her best shot is to be a persistent arsefly until she really is out. She should look at this as training and building credibility for 2028.

But building glorified sheds in forests... Not Too Swiftie or what?

Pfft, he's no Navalny. People like that are as rare as rocking horse droppings.

Your houses look very combustible relative to UK and much of Europe. The last time we had an inferno rip through a large bullt up area was 1666 when houses had a composition like yours today. Why are they not all brick/masonry in dense tree areas? Doesn't the US like bricks in general? IKEA-concept houses are not a good idea there by the looks of it. One of my uncles lives in Texas. My mum told me he bought a house, knocked it down and built another one... just like that.

@Endy0816 Thanks very much. I shall have a look. As an aside: it appears that my MP is a god-bothering homophobe, since he exhorts the Bible as a moral guide in his denial of votes for gay marriage.

I just found a site called They Work For You , which records MP's voting actions on the Commons floor and what they've said there. Is there a US equivalent? The (clean) link is a page for my MP, to give you an idea what I'm looking for.