Paul Brownjohn @Paulos_the_fog@qoto.org
Retired software engineer & woodworker.
Anglo-francophone.
Detest tories. Subscribe to green, leftish radical politics but not to any particular political party!.
Love the EU and all it stands for, moreover, I spent the last 10 years of my career working at an EU agency.
Enthusiastic photographer, especially wildlife and most especially butterflies.
Slightly knowledgeable gardener.
Atheist; loathe almost all religions and pity the people deluded enough to follow them. I make exceptions for Buddhism as it isn't really a religion in the strictest sense of the word as it doesn't postulate the existence of any god, and Jainism which is the epitome of peace.
For anyone who is interested, my header photo is of the most stupendous sunset I have ever seen. On the right is the waterfront of Vientiane, the capital of Laos, on the left is Thailand and in the middle, acting as the border between the two countries is the mighty Mekong river.
Joined Nov 2022
Paul Brownjohn
boosted
Palestine
Either
1. Palestine is a separate country, according to some mandated division such as the 1967 or 1948 borders, in which case Israel is waging unjust and genocidal war and illegally occupying land
or
2. Israel is the de-facto state in control of the whole area between the Jordan river and the Mediterranean, and it's enacting horriffic and illegal apartheid
In either case, it's a state of affairs that's been going on for years.
In either case, Palestinians are subject to genocide.
Paul Brownjohn
boosted
There is a CURIOUS OMISSION in the coverage of the murder of Brianna Ghey, in both the NYT and Washington Post.
Neither paper's story included any of the transphobic messages Brianna's teenage killers, obscuring the way her trans identity allowed them to dehumanize her and made her more vulnerable than other young people who encountered the pair.
These messages were central to most other stories about this murder, and their omission is glaring. #trans #news
https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/nyt-wapo-transphobia-brianna-ghey
Ironically, the fastest broadband I had ever experienced until recently was in a house I rented in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. Fibre optic cable right to the router on my desk and a potential speed of 1 Gbit/sec although I only paid to have the 200Mbit/sec service. The service was delivered from somewhere in the middle of this lot:
It's the only reason I remember having a trimphone is because that silly twat could figure out which end of the handset to speak into!
I had a contentious planning application in for an extension to my cottage back in the 1980s and the local council's chief planning officer came round to see the situation for himself. Back in those days I had a trimphone (frightfully modern back then) and when the CPO needed to phone the council planning dept. to clarify something, he asked if he could use my phone - then which end of the handset he should talk into!
Paul Brownjohn
boosted
The President of Ireland's Christmas message is well worth listening to. It includes:
"..may I express my gratitude to the migrants who now call Ireland their home. Their presence enriches our culture, contributes to our society, bringing as they do experiences, traditions, and perspectives that make us stronger as a nation."
https://president.ie/en/diary/details/christmas-message-from-president-michael-d-higgins23/video
I really, REALLY don't understand why Britain always has to be 10 or 20 years behind every civilized country!
Voluntary, medical euthanasia is legal and practiced in:
The Netherlands
Belgium
Luxembourg
Switzerland
Australia
Canada
New Zealand
Some US States
France is an outlier in that assisted suicide is not currently permitted but patients in intolerable pain with terminal illnesses may ask to be placed in an induced coma until natural death intervenes!
Paul Brownjohn
boosted
An Israeli real estate company Harey Zahav, that specializes in developing settlements, posted this pic of destroyed #Gaza with homes and the title 'Wake up, a beach house is not a dream!" (Circulating) @israel @palestine
Paul Brownjohn
boosted
That's almost as revolutionary as suggesting that the US should have very low cost universal healthcare
Paul Brownjohn
boosted
"If politicians want to ‘stop the boats’ , the solution is simple; re-open the legal and safe routes for asylum seekers to come to our shore"
https://northeastbylines.co.uk/another-life-lost-in-the-channel-safe-routes-are-needed/
Paul Brownjohn
boosted
I don't think I'd be in least bit unfair if I said that I can see no evidence whatsoever that the IDF or indeed the Israeli govt. in general, give a flying fuck how many innocent women and children they murder in the course of their operations - collateral damage and the more the merrier!
This is not a war; this is a punishment beating pure and simple!
If you keep a dog and you kick it and beat it every day, you should not be too surprised if one day it turns on you and rips your face off. The Palestinians have been the underdog; beaten and kicked every day for over 70 years so why is everyone so surprised that the worm has turned.
I think what Hamas did was horrific and disgusting but am I surprised, not in the least, nor should anyone else be who pays any attention to what the IDF and jewish settlers have done, day in and day out, to the Palestinians for 75 years!
Paul Brownjohn
boosted
🤦♂️ December 12, 2023- “Life insurers have been consistently sounding the alarm over these unexpected or, “excess,” deaths, which claimed 158,000 more Americans in the first nine months of 2023 than in the same period in 2019. That exceeds America’s combined losses from every war since Vietnam. Congress should urgently work with insurance experts to investigate this troubling trend. “ - https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/4354004-this-is-bigger-than-covid-why-are-so-many-americans-dying-early/
Retired software engineer & woodworker.
Anglo-francophone.
Detest tories. Subscribe to green, leftish radical politics but not to any particular political party!.
Love the EU and all it stands for, moreover, I spent the last 10 years of my career working at an EU agency.
Enthusiastic photographer, especially wildlife and most especially butterflies.
Slightly knowledgeable gardener.
Atheist; loathe almost all religions and pity the people deluded enough to follow them. I make exceptions for Buddhism as it isn't really a religion in the strictest sense of the word as it doesn't postulate the existence of any god, and Jainism which is the epitome of peace.
For anyone who is interested, my header photo is of the most stupendous sunset I have ever seen. On the right is the waterfront of Vientiane, the capital of Laos, on the left is Thailand and in the middle, acting as the border between the two countries is the mighty Mekong river.
Joined Nov 2022
