46 thoughts on “DON’T THEY MAKE YOU WANT TO VOMIT?”

    1. LOL…

      Interesting.

      I’ve no twins in my family and I’ve never even met twins, so I dunno what they are like from personal experience.

      Anyone else?

      Like

      Reply

      1. We had two sets of twins, male and female, in our primary school class back in the 50’s and I had a secondary school pal who was a twin. In later years I had a workmate whose oldest two were twins. My grandfather was a twin. Some twins are very close in looks and behaviours, others sometimes are quite different, but I think that generally they are always very close. As to their voting habits these days, who knows?

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

        1. Wow…. loads of experience.

          If they are identical and there is a 100% match, I assume that they would like the same things, think the same way, have the same preferences.

          Like

          Reply

        2. I had twins in my school class years ago, they weren’t identical. Janet had beautiful blonde hair, and Graham had nuts. 😅😅.

          My wife is a non identical twin and a teenage girl friend (from many, many years ago) was an identical twin, it was virtually impossible to tell them apart.

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply

    2. Funnily enough, I was listening to a programme on the car radio the other day and it was the man who undertook this study with twins. He was also responsible for quickly setting up an app and a database with other doctors and scientists to help people identify early symptoms of Covid which might have helped to stop the spread, but needless to say the Tory Govt refused to take his advice and his offer of help. They had their own systems and methods, apparently! Johnson knew best.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Well, when you went to Eton and Oxford and can recite chunks of Euripides even when you are drunk (which is most of the time), you don’t want to take advice on epidemics from mere doctors that went to ordinary schools, regional red bricks and who are usually sober…. Stands to reason.

        😦

        Like

        Reply

      2. I caught a bit of that radio programme too…It was Prof Tim Spectre on Desert Island Discs, I think.

        He seemed quite miffed that the Govt refused the App that he and his research team developed during Covid. Maybe it was because it worked and they could have had it for free but they preferred to squander squillions on Test & Trace from their pals.

        He’s a Professor of Genetic Epidemiology and ( amongst other things) heads up one of the longest longitudinal studies of twins in the world. His interest of course is medical and on the contribution of genes to various types of diseases as opposed to environment/life-style choices. This can be teased out by comparing identical twins with non-identical twins and those twin types that have been separated and birth and those brought up together etc. It all threw up the finding that there IS a genetic component to whether someone will vote Tory or Lab. There isn’t a genetic component to whether someone will vote LibDem, nor does genetics influence whether you’ll vote for the SNP.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

        1. It’s an interesting study.

          The track and trace which was horrifically expensive, although not as expensive as some said, was, as far as I could see, not very good. Androids and iPhones didn’t communicate well at least to begin with.

          I didn’t know about the one they could have had for free, but Scotland used a far cheaper version which I think, did work.

          Like

          Reply

    3. There is some exciting research coming through on tracing gene connections through history and movement of peoples. Whilst it is true that identical twins have the same DNA 100%, what has been overlooked, is the Mitochondrial DNA. Mitochondria DNA only comes from the mother and is separate to the shared DNA, even identical twins have differing mitochondria. The influence of the mitochondrion on the living organism has been overlooked, until now.

      Here’s a link, not the best but the first I came across; Mitochondria – Definition, Function & Structure | Biology Dictionary Check out where, it is reckoned, that they came from.

      An O/T, but still connected to mito.

      It has been a common belief that the Picts had a more matriarchal structure, but through some of the mitochondrial research, mapping the female lines, it looks like they may have been as misogynistic as modernity. This was drawn from the dispersal of female DNA, outside of the accepted tribes land.

      I place a caveat with this theory; Did the researchers consider that the children to be trained as warriors, within Pict tribes, would be placed within other tribes for their upbringing. Males and females could become warriors.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

        1. Thanks Jake, I’ll have a watch later tonight.

          And yes, that is one of the papers I had a look at. Where the mitochondria come from is intriguing, having completely different and independent DNA to the host body. I read a suggestion that it was fungi that invaded, got themselves ensconced at cellular level and set up an endosymbiosis relationship. Then evolved to become reliant on the relationship and not able to live outside of the cell. Another suggestion was that it was bacteria of typhoid or rickettsia strain that went through the endosymbiosis transition.

          It keeps me entertained.

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply

          1. Aye, it’s a funny old world isn’t it…without those opportunistic fungi there wouldn’t be animal life on Earth. Me? I’m critically re-evaluating my prejudices about athletes foot.

            Liked by 2 people

            Reply

            1. Why yes, athletes foot might be the start of some new symbiotic adventure. However a cautionary note, appraisal of change is subjective. When the wicked witch turned the prince into a frog, only the frogs thought it a vast improvement.

              Liked by 1 person

              Reply

              1. In evolutionary time one kind of cold blooded creature turning into another isn’t that big a deal.  But, that’s not to deny the influences of witches you understand…

                Liked by 2 people

                Reply

      2. Jeez Alan. That’s some hard reading.

        Mitochondria are thought to have evolved from free-living bacteria that developed into a symbiotic relationship with a prokaryotic cell, providing it energy in return for a safe place to live. It eventually became an organelle, a specialized structure within the cell, the presence of which are used to distinguish eukaryotic cells from prokaryotic cells. This occurred over a long process of millions of years, and now the mitochondria inside the cell cannot live separately from it. The idea that mitochondria evolved this way is called endosymbiotic theory.

        Um yeah… I need my mate, the medical doctor to explain this in easy terms…

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

        1. When I first read that mitochondria have evolved from fungi, it made perfect sense, even though they may have evolved from bacteria. It is what they do (fungi) in the soil, create intimate protective symbiotic associations with plants and trees. In some cases acting as root security guards.

          Couldn’t find the video that I wanted, but this is a short well made vid of the fungi Arthrobotrys; The Fungus That Traps and Kills Nematodes – YouTube

          I oft chuckle at the main fears to hoomins, nuclear, the Russians, the Chinese, aliens and lizards. Nobody mentions fungi as a threat, just hope we don’t upset the delicate equilibrium.

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply

          1. I read somewhere that fungi is what keeps a forest alive because roots are joined by growths.

            That was a scary, but beautifully presented video. I’m subscribed now.

            Liked by 1 person

            Reply

            1. I’m glad you liked it and you’re correct fungi are mesmerising, but scary. Yes, the mycelia are the communication system of the forest, the forest intranet. I saw the farm as a living organism, a unity and trees were an essential element. It was my job to get the component parts, the organs, to work together, not jar. A lot of the stuff I was trying to get over to the farm apprentices was, at that time, not well documented or understood. Is a lot easier now, here is a quite recent abstract paper; Microbiome sustains forest ecosystem functions across hierarchical scales – ScienceDirect

              It is now being discovered (again?) that the human gut flora, the microbiome quality is vital for general health and our mental health. I see no difference when it comes to forests and soil health.

              Why I find fungi scary;

              I remember asking a question when I was at primary school and secondary school. Three times the same question worded, I hoped, better as I got older to get an answer. It was to do with coal; what does young coal look like? Is there new coal being made now? I was fobbed off each time.

              I only found out what, I think, the answer last year. There is no new coal being made, coal as we would recognise it. Back in the Carboniferous, Permian period leading up to the late Palaeozoic period. The Palaeozoic is significant, a period of glaciation. I think the coal deposits were sequestering way too much carbon, the lowering CO2 levels would have triggered glaciation.

              Fungi would have been under threat from the retreating food source. They needed to do something, so they evolved to be able to break down the lignin in wood. No more coal, natural decomposition, that we recognise, takes place and CO2 levels rise. The fungi saved the day, the planet. Stopped it becoming a snowball planet, this can theoretically happen when the CO2 in the atmosphere goes below something like 12ppm.

              Don’t piss the fungi off.

              Like

              Reply

                1. The mother trees, this is another fairly recent discovery. In myths, legends and folklore there have been Queen trees, Fairy trees, Crown trees honoured and revered. Quite recently it was demonstrated that this might not have been, superstition, airy fairy notions. There is in a mature multi species forest something like information hubs around particular trees, mycelia carrying the information from and to the trees.

                  Some of this information can be picked up, converted to audio and listened to, some is a flow of minerals, nutrients that were “called” for. If trees on the periphery get attacked by deer, aphids etc. the call goes out and the trees respond by changing the sap flow to something less palatable.

                  Again, scary fungi alley stuff; there is fungi that invade an insect’s body, live there for a bit, symbiotically, while the fungi matures. Then the nervous system is invaded, the insect is compelled to do something, if not carrying internal fungi, it would never do. It climbs to the top of the tree/bush that it is on and then the spores will burst out and be in a better position to be carried by the wind. Or a bird picks off this easy caught meal and the spores are dispersed.

                  Don’t threaten the fungi. 🙂

                  Liked by 1 person

                  Reply

                  1. That is just amazing. The trees knowing that there is something wrong and taking “steps” to sort it.

                    I’ve certainly never threatened fungi, but I think in future I may drop a bow as I pass them…

                    Infinitely more use than a old king or Mrs Parker Bowles.

                    Liked by 1 person

                    Reply

  3. Heartbreaking, but frankly I’m not too concerned about the Tories nowadays. They are a busted flush, and if you believe opinion polls, about to have their worst election result ever. No, it’s the red Tories I’m worried about. Promoted, well beyond their ability, especially by B.B.C Scotland, they could take some seats off the S.N.P. And of course, if that happens, it will be the death of Independence, according to the corrupt M.S.M.

    Like

    Reply

    1. A YouGov poll puts them winning big time in Scotland 26 seats to 19 SNP.

      If that were repeated in the Scottish elections, we’d have a minority Labour government… and goodbye to all the good things for the less well off…

      Kiss goodbye to the health service as we know it. The private companies haven’t forked out million to Labour for nothing.

      Ruled directly from London, through Sarwar the servant… like it was with Blair/Brown with everyone except Donald Dewar.

      Like

      Reply

  4. Was that really promoted by the TUC? You know, that lot that support the red Tories? The ones who won’t change any of the blue Tories policies?

    Ha ha ha haaaaaaaaaaargh!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. It seems to have been.

      I’ve no idea why the TUC still promote Labour (although to be fair that ad didn’t do that… but what is the only alternative to the Tories?)

      Labour doesn’t seem to reciprocate.

      Like

      Reply

      1. I do not know if the TUC does, formally, support Labour any more. Each individual member trade union has its own political fund and each decides which party, if any, it will support. Usually, those which vote to support a party, support Labour and, historically, unions have played a major role in funding Labour. In fact, in the party’s voting system, the affiliated unions can outvote the membership. For example, the membership is broadly in favour of electoral reform, but the trade union vote is for retention of FPTP and so Labour policy is not for electoral reform.However, to return to the TUC, whether it decides to support Labour will depend on the majority of trade union votes.The problem for me – a lifelong trade union member – is not the (small ‘c’) conservatism of some trade unions, especially on social issues, but the increasing influence of wealthy donors on the Labour Party. Tony Blair was very keen to reduce the influence of trade unions on Labour by seeking other sources of funding than trade unions. As Open Democracy has shown these wealthy individuals are having an increasing influence on Labour, especially via seconding staff to act as ‘advisers’ and SPADS.

        Liked by 2 people

        Reply

        1. Not sticking up for Blair, but he had no choice. He, though probably the smarter Brown, saw the path being laid by Thatcher and had to change where the party money came from. For Thatcher and co. no change needed.

          The country should have accepted the true cost of democracy, make political donations illegal and pay each party from the public purse. Political donations is a misnomer, it is a transaction of goods sold or bought. A route map/direction sold and in the case of Labour the donations have bought the party ideology.

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply

        2. Exactly. They seem to be funded to an extent by big business, including private medical care companies.

          These people don’t fund for nothing. They expect a return.

          Starmer appears not to support strikes.

          I seem to remember him disciplining MPs who did support strikes.

          Like

          Reply

  5. By chance I came across this story just out about the Tories and their proposed ‘blue app’.

    https://www.aol.co.uk/news/tories-planned-millions-members-data-100038847.html

    It’s worth just having a quick read to see who the players were to be and much other stuff, The Guardian has a story, so search ‘Tories blue app’ and ‘read all about it’. It rather proves just how dodgy a system we’re currently living in and I doubt it’s ever going to get better.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. That is super dodgy.

      Obviously I’m not a Tory so they won’t be selling my information, but it is very worrying… Not sure that it should even be legal. And what happens if you decide to leave the party and this company still has your details.

      Must read more about it.

      Thanks, JH

      Like

      Reply

      1. The plan seems to have been scrapped but it rather proves just how willing some Conservatives are to get into this sort of manipulation and skullduggery and you’ll maybe have noticed that one of the ‘perks’ on offer to members would be an ID card for voting. I reckon there may be several million potential voters who currently don’t have photo ID and will not therefore bother to get one in order to register to vote. It has to be done digitally, so I suppose you need the right tech which could be impossible for a lot of people. Was voter fraud really a major issue? I doubt it.

        Also note that the businessmen involved were dubious characters. The world is full of them these days and we all suffer because no one seems able to control them.

        The selling of data pertaining to any of us without our express permission – not just some dodgy check box hidden in a 20 page list of terms and conditions – should be made a criminal offence in my opinion. Whatever happened to Data Protection Laws?Neither should our personal data be handed out to data processing centres in other countries for whatever reason – usually cheap labour. 

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

        1. Yes, quite so.

          Voter fraud was not a big issue in the UK.

          https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/38405/html/

          Even Jacob Rees Mogg called the government’s scheme, gerrymandering.

          https://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/voter-id-is-a-gerrymandering-scheme-admits-jacob-rees-mogg/

          Older people, though, usually do have some form of identification. A bus pass, passport, etc.

          Younger people often do not. I’m told that the young bus pass in Scotland won’t be accepted for UK elections, although the pensioner one will. (No voter id is required for Scottish only elections).

          The idea seems to have been that younger people, far less likely to vote Tory, would not be able to vote. It’s possibly something that Labour has failed to take into account in their projections of massive victories.

          I wonder what HAS happened to data protection laws. If they still exist would the Tories have just ignored them, as they seem to think they are able to do.

          Like

          Reply

  6. I am not as convinced as you of Blair’s motives.
    However I agree with regard to funding of political parties. ‘Donations ‘ should be made illegal and parties funded via the public purse. Donations are, indeed, one side of a contract. The politicians’ law making powers are being bought. An £1100 handbag for Rachel Reeves is not easily categorised as a ‘gift’.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. The system seem to be corrupt right now and I absolutely agree that it needs changed.

      What I wonder is … Who would decide how much parties got, and on what basis would they decide it?

      Like

      Reply

  7. The narrative being promoted by the Tories, and some other ‘suspect’ media outlets, is that people on Benefits are all abusing the system, refusing to work (take the jobs formerly EU peeps did before Brexit), are able to still afford drink and cigarettes and buy mobile phones, Laptops & Plasma TV’s ( the suggestion being they should perhaps have nothing as way of a release/respite or indeed in today’s society items that are a necessity e.g. applying for jobs one needs Laptops & too mobiles are also considered essential items ), they are lazy , cannot budget (on an already extremely limited budget), cannot cook proper meals (like ones for example that cost 30p….to be found in Narnia not on Earth BTW) and thus as such they all should be condemned and considered unworthy as citizens of a Brexit Great Britain/UK…..

    Gammons, many working class ones, who are fortunate to have a life where nothing has impacted them to the extent that they have found themselves, as yet, in need of state help…..some may be on Private Pension schemes as well having a State pension, or may be fortunate to still have jobs that are well paid and they look down on others who they assume to be lower and less worthy than them….as the Gammons they truly are….but none of their anger and hatred is directed at the real elites who make millions or billions trying to avoid tax or those who have financial sources outwith their own careers…like say MP’s (Tory ones employed at GB News for instance)

    Selfish society….we had it with Thatcher…..where only the strongest would thrive……and where others, less strong and able , would be left behind on a Tory scrap heap a La UK never Okay society…..and it still exists…..but Labour, via Rachel Reeves, the Shadow Chancellor, intends to sustain this ‘blame culture’ against the weakest in society as she proclaimed “Labour would be “tougher” than the Conservative Party in cutting the benefits bill” and “”We [Labour] don’t want to be seen as, and we’re not, the party to represent those who are out of work”…..which I am sure she, and Labour, hoped would resonate with the Gammons in her UK…..and perhaps hope to entice these gammons into voting Labour in the next GE…..when she, in 2013, was appointed as Shadow Secretary of State for work & Pensions (Under ED Milligan as Labour leader) she ” proposed that anyone unemployed for two years, or one year if under 25 years old, would be required to take a guaranteed job or lose access to benefits”….funnily enough last year in November 2023 the Tory party , as UK government, made work placements mandatory as it was reported that…

    “Benefit claimants who fail to find work for more than 18 months will have to undertake work experience placements, under rules planned for late next year.

    If they refuse they will lose access to their benefits for a period“

    So really here is another uncanny example that for Labour and Tories there really is, in talk and actions, more that unites them than divides them as political parties….as ones who, as a UK government, will clamp down on the weakest….while giving (tax etc) benefits to the wealthy.

    Also via Rachel Reeves……

    Labour would not reintroduce a cap on bankers’ bonuses

    Reeves announced that Labour would not raise corporation tax in the next parliament if it got into power

    Upon scrapping the £28 billion pledge to a far lesser amount it was then revealed that Reeves had accepted a £10,100 donation from a climate sceptic Labour peer days before Labour abandoned its flagship £28 billion green energy spending pledge.

    Reeves also said that “a Labour government would not introduce annual wealth and land taxes; raise income tax; equalise capital gains rates and income tax; re-join the European single market and customs union; change the Bank of England’s inflation target and reform its rigid mandate; or take private utilities into public ownership, except for the railways” (Except Railways….as the privatisation of these in England has been a disaster and the public are not happy….)

    Close your eyes and listen to her….would be hard not to assume you were listening to a Tory Chancellor.

    Labour are NOT for the working man….and one could argue, with Reeves on board, they will also never be for those less fortunate ones in their Great British society…..Labour are the new Tory party….to gain power in their UK one cannot be seen to have any principles, empathy, compassion or have room for the weak and vulnerable….only the fat cats will thrive and survive…under Labour.

    If Labour gain seats in Scotland at the next GE it will not be through virtue but through the incessant #SNPBAD media propaganda, the utter incompetence of the UK Tory party and also the media in Scotland protecting Labour & Anas Sarwar from both scrutiny and bad publicity that, as scrutiny and bad publicity, they, Scottish media, save only for the SNP as a political party…

    Before you vote in the next GE…remember…..tis…..

    #LabourBad as per all of the above I have noted connected to his, Sarwar’s Labour HQ……simples.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. The problem with all this “people must accept jobs” rhetoric is that, companies need to wish to employ the people. And too often, for perfectly good reasons they don’t

      I’ve worked in the past with unemployed people, trying to get them jobs.

      There are so many reasons that the jobs available to them are jobs for which they are not suited. If I tried to give examples, I could be here all night.

      But the whole thing started when Mrs Thatcher closed factories, mills, foundries, mines, blast furnaces, etc etc, and proclaimed that call centres were the new expanding industry.

      The trouble was that the people whom she threw out of work weren’t necessarily best suited to call centre work. I interviewed for a call centre 10 years ago, and whilst there were some reasonable applicants, many were unsuitable because of lack of keyboard skill, very strong local accents that someone from outwith the area wouldn’t understand, an inability to get through a whole sentence without using the F word, or incessantly sniffing, punctuating every sentence with “you know” or “like”.

      There are so many other examples. Mostly politically incorrect, of course, but… hey, that’s life.

      Just one example of getting the right people for the job was this> Getting people jobs in some retail, many of the shops selling fashion, make-up, etc, wanted (without saying so) people who fitted the profile of the business, not unreasonably, I suppose. So older, less attractive people were nos.

      To be able to work in the care sector, you have to be capable of “caring” and not everyone is.

      It’s not a good idea to force people into work they are unhappy with. They will not do a good job and they may cause damage.

      Employment is the art of getting the right person for the right job.

      Recently some of the staff in shops around here have been absolutely hopeless, disinterested and frankly rude because they are having to employ the people who are looking for the low paid jobs.

      Another problem I always had was trying to get jobs for people in their 50’s 60s.

      In the days where people worked all their days in the same place, their roles changed as they got older. Maybe they did less lifting or running around, and concentrated on teaching younger people the job. People in the past rarely had to go for a new job when they were 59. Now with short term contracts there comes a time for everyone when they will find being a now job more difficult to get.

      The government doesn’t seem to get that, having 50 vacancies and 50 unemployed people doesn’t necessarily work out the way they want it to.

      Still, the irony is that most of them are totally unsuited the THEIR jobs.

      Like

      Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Talking-up Scotland / Scottish media fact checking is like shooting fish in a barrel

I cost nothing to run so donate to https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/

The Dunglishman

The bilingual blog about all things British

STAGE LEFT

Love, theatre and ideas

Scotty Grant

Wildonline.blog

British Wildlife & Photography

scotlandisdifferent

Why Scotland should be an independent country

BrawBlether

Thoughts about Scotland & the world, from a new Scot

Divided We Fall

Bipartisan dialogue for the politically engaged

Insightful Geopolitics

Impartial Everytime Always

maxspilleroftea.wordpress.com/

universalcreditsufferer.wordpress.com/

The Broad Spectrum Life

Exploring Rhymes, Reasons, and Nuances of Our World

Musical Matters...

Mark Doran's Music Blog

Zoolon

Songwriter / Guitarist

Best in Australia

This site supports Scottish Independence

thehistorytwins

A comic about history and stuff by FT

For Scotland

My Life as Graham

The embittered mumblings of a serial malcontent.

Jamie Maxwell

Raptor Persecution UK

Pride's Purge

an irreverent look at UK politics

ScienceSwitch

Exploring the Depths of Curiosity

Mark All My Words

Nature + Health

netbij.com

http://netbij.com

Chris Hallam's World View

Movies, politics, comedy and more...