Westministenders: Don't forget to stockpile. Again.

[RedToothBrush]

The government is telling pharmacists and drug manufactures to stockpile drugs ahead of the end of transition on 31st December.

In the middle of a pandemic.

What could go wrong?

@QuestionMarkNow, sorry this is a bit late but as that was directly addressed to me, it sounds like you haven't spent much time in inner cities with large Asian populations. Women particularly are less likely to learn English, or to pick it up only very slowly. It does happen among communities where people are deliberately isolated.

Don't feel that you need to take my word for it. www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/mar/14/sajid-javid-770000-people-in-england-not-able-to-speak-english

Fan stopped at 2am and although it's back on I can't sleep!
Dd has been taken out of French for dyslexia each week. It really gets my goat. She has more RE than French (apparently RE GCSE is now compulsory?) in Primary so misses out vital words and phrases meaning it's hard to catch up. I've ended up paying for a tutor instead and point out vocab as and when. I wish my polyglot mother had spent more time teaching me languages rather than expecting osmosis to occur on her weekends!

Yes I agree women are usually the most isolated in some cultures. I've mentioned the Bangladeshi community on here from a health perspective as those who have least grasp of English and need imagery for health information. They have a rage of specific health needs and communication to educate and inform is a challenge. There are also sections of the African and Indian communities who aren't keen to assimilate - sadly this is where FGM and bride burning often occur and communities can be secretive as they are aware some cultural norms are (rightly) not accepted.

It’s a shame that BJ was brought up with English as his first language, as (in my entirely non-expert opinion) it’s uniquely structured as to allow people to churn out loads of words that sound OK but when you pick them apart they’re utterly meaningless. And of course allows the use of entirely made up words, which can mean whatever you want them to. See also: Donald Trump. See also: wokery in all its forms.
Would a French or German Boris be a better person and a more responsible politician? We will never know.

Oh and RE has been compulsory in KS4 for ages. The GCSE exam, however, isn’t (unless things have changed over the last 7 years), but in the English school system’s obsession with quantity rather than quality, most schools have their pupils do the exam anyway. If I had a pound for each time I heard “I hate RE“, I’d have been able to retire a couple of years earlier than I did.

RE again - in the days when teachers covered for other teachers, I used to love covering RE. The lesson plans were generally rubbish, unintelligible or both so I just used to do anything I could generally relate to the practice of suttee, menorah, Confession, meditation or ritual washing, in the most subversive way possible (yes, childish I know).

My school took me off doing Latin O Level as I was so bad at it, the first pupil ever not to take the exam at the school.
I did RE instead which mainly involved guzzling sherry in the School Chaplains study whilst going through biblical passages.
Can't remember if I passed RE O level, but I did develop a taste for alcohol.
Got expelled in the 1st year 6th form for an escapade also involving alcohol.
And all because I didn't take my Latin O level

Wow Kon that sounds like something an ex-Etonian would say, don't tell Gove either! New policy guidelines titled "The Dangers of Not Learning Latin" would sprout...

I got expelled just before taking my last 3 GCSE's (I had to write a letter of apology to the girl who had snitched on me to be allowed to sit them ). That was a different substance on campus but interestingly the HM did remark "well, we've all smoked some in our time, obviously" which wasn't at all obvious when they decided to turf me out for having it they never caught me smoking it . They did offer me a bursary when they got my results but by that time I had decided my loyalties lay in doing my A'Levels at a school with the added lure of boys.

I have fond memories of my RE time. I was at a tiny boarding school and decided to do the AS level for fun. The school got the local CofE vicar in to "teach" me which involved going over the curriculum and taking potshots at the various philosophies. We got on well and I made wine in the vicarage that got passed on to random teachers and school friends at parties.

I was specifically thinking of Asian communities when I talked upthread of some women not learning the local language.
If you want to learn a language for the sake of it, I would recommend Spanish as a good place to start - very phonetic so easy to spell, it does have genders but they are mostly easy to work out too. At DS school half the year does French in Year 7 and the other half does German but some kids do Spanish instead. Pretty certain its the bottom sets. For GCSEs there are four different pathways and languages are only compulsory in the top two. But Ethics and Philosophy (instead of RE) is compulsory for all.

Borntobe
My kids school allowed them to opt out of RE in KS4 if we signed a form.
In Year 9 they did a topic on creation myths and both my kids requested extensive coverage of Viking beliefs

It’s a shame that BJ was brought up with English as his first language, as (in my entirely non-expert opinion) it’s uniquely structured as to allow people to churn out loads of words that sound OK but when you pick them apart they’re utterly meaningless.

French is remarkably good at this. It is particularly prevalent in academic writing in arts and humanities - I've often been asked to translate abstracts or CFP's and found an intricately woven web of ethereally abstract words whose actual meaning is impossible to ascertain.

BJ is quite unusual, I think, in being so pseduo-clever and woolly in his political speech-making. UK politicians are generally either very clear or, like Hancock, Raab, etc., clearly just dim.

As for Gove, I agree that he has the face of a twit. When he opens his mouth he merely confirms that.

I have a book chapter and an article to write, plus a semester's worth of course prep to do, before the DC return on the 25th.
Please kick me off here if I reappear outwith mealtimes.

I have to pop back to correct pseduo, though!!

French is remarkably good at this. It is particularly prevalent in academic writing in arts and humanities - I've often been asked to translate abstracts or CFP's and found an intricately woven web of ethereally abstract words whose actual meaning is impossible to ascertain

Derrida and Julia Kristeva spring to mind.

It’s a shame that BJ was brought up with English as his first language, as (in my entirely non-expert opinion) it’s uniquely structured as to allow people to churn out loads of words that sound OK but when you pick them apart they’re utterly meaningless.

French is remarkably good at this. It is particularly prevalent in academic writing in arts and humanities - I've often been asked to translate abstracts or CFP's and found an intricately woven web of ethereally abstract words whose actual meaning is impossible to ascertain.

first time I visited Paris, there was a French comedy troupe performing Monty Python sketchs in French. Posters all over the Metro and a piece in Pariscope.

The title was "Bouliquement Monty Python". Only nobody French I asked could translate "bouliquement". And boy did it annoy them.

Not Brexit but COVID link - found it interesting as it shows that during lockdown lower SES men were less likely to commit suicide as wellbeing incresed (which I predicted) theconversation.com/wellbeing-levels-fell-during-the-pandemic-but-improved-under-lockdown-data-analysis-shows-143367 but I suspect is now back to similar levels as pre-lockdown.

DD has just finished Y6 and starts secondary school next month.

She was taught French at school. At least, it was timetabled: 1 lesson a fortnight!
Her older brother has taught her more during lockdown than she ever learnt at school.
What the Conservatives have done to state education is unforgivable.

Did anyone pick up on The Times reporting on the Conservative MP & ex Minister arrested on suspicion of rape a few days ago?

The Conservative whips’ office has been aware of concerns relating to the alleged behaviour of the MP arrested last weekend on suspicion of rape dating back to 2010, The Times understands.

Narrows the field a bit, surely can’t be long before the name leaks?

@JeSuisPoulet

Not Brexit but COVID link - found it interesting as it shows that during lockdown lower SES men were less likely to commit suicide as wellbeing incresed (which I predicted) theconversation.com/wellbeing-levels-fell-during-the-pandemic-but-improved-under-lockdown-data-analysis-shows-143367 but I suspect is now back to similar levels as pre-lockdown.

And premature births dropped dramatically.

www.independent.co.uk/health_and_wellbeing/premature-births-coronavirus-lockdown-hospitals-pregnancy-a9634556.html

Sabrina
I believe certain social media sites named him
but until actually charged he has the legal right to anonymity
and after the Cliff case, no MSM will risk it

I don't think he has a right to anonymity but the victim does and by naming the alleged it would identify the victim? I could be wrong as is often the case

Jason
Until charged he has anonymity
as per the Cliff Richard case
arrest and charge are not the same thing

That is very interesting DGR - I suspect it is rest and stress related. With the partner at home and not being on their feet possibly playing a role. When we did drug misuse premature birth was always connected, so perhaps for that group the lack of socialising was a good thing (much as lower SES men, where I suspect drinking culture impacted negatively on feelings of self-worth in a group). Drugs obviously including alcohol and tobacco in this instance as well as cocaine, cannabis etc.

Drugs obviously including alcohol and tobacco in this instance as well as cocaine, cannabis etc.

Anyone who believes alcohol (worst drug in history ever) and tobacco aren't drugs hasn't really been paying attention all their lives. But that's for another thread

It's fascinating all these little hints that the stats are throwing out. I posted months ago about researchers who were taking advantage of no traffic to study air pollution and who had already stumbled on weirdness about ozone generation. As the guy said "If we'd asked the government to shut the roads for months, it would never happen, so we're getting as much data as we can ...."

My understanding is that premature birth can be a significant factor in health outcomes well into adulthood, so this really is a development that could last over 100 years.

(When we went to see Dr. Phil Hammond, a couple of years ago, he opened his show by saying that the baby that would live to 150 had already been born ...)

www.politicshome.com/news/article/government-failure-to-set-out-trade-talk-red-lines-a-recipe-for-disaster-think-tank-warns

Ministers' failure to set out trade talk red lines a ‘recipe for disaster’, think tank warns

The Government's failure to set out red lines on key issues in the post-Brexit trade talks is a “recipe for disaster” and could delay new trade agreements, a leading think tank has warned.

A new report by the Institute for Government (IfG) said ambiguity over the UK’s stance could lead to pressure from potential trading partners to lower standards.

(contd)