Th3 Core

In other UK news down our Lane, there was a swarm on the lawn (no idea of the type of bee) a couple of weeks ago, and my neighbours bees swarmed yesterday.  He had a hive ready for them and hopefully they will settle.

I have just had my chimney replaced, because masonry bees had destroyed it.  You could see right through it, and the builder said it was like a block of flats for them as it was taken down. We then spotted them all over the rest of the house, digging into soft mortar.

Advice from An Old Farmer (Facebook)
Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.
Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.
Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
Words that soak into your ears are whispered… not yelled.
Meanness don’t jes’ happen overnight.
Forgive your enemies; it messes up their heads.
Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
It don’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.
You cannot unsay a cruel word.
Every path has a few puddles.
When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
The best sermons are lived, not preached.
Most of the stuff people worry about ain’t never gonna happen anyway.
Don’t judge folks by their relatives.
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
Live a good, honorable life… Then when you get older and think back, you’ll enjoy it a second time.
Don ‘t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t bothering you none.
Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a Rain dance.
If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin’.
Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
The biggest troublemaker you’ll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin’.
Always drink upstream from the herd.
Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin’ it back in.
If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around..
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.
Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.
Most times, it just gets down to common sense.

And a huge plus:
New superbug-killing antibiotic discovered using AI
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-65709834

It seems only yesterday that I was reading about how the River Po in Italy had dropped to dangerous levels, and how the Grape harvest (amongst others) was being destroyed through a lack of water.  (2 months ago)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/17/italy-faces-another-year-severe-drought-little-winter-rain-snow-po-river

now Northern Italy is being deluged with water.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/18/italy-worst-flooding-in-100-years-emilia-romagna

But still :
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/151324/a-deluge-in-italy

The Emilia-Romagna region has been undergoing severe drought. Last summer brought low rainfall, higher-than-average temperatures, and critical water shortages. The level of the nearby Po River, which dropped to concerning levels in the summer of 2022, swelled by 1.5 meters (5 feet) in this rain event. However, for the second year in a row, the amount of water available from snowpack in the Po basin is well below average.

Its not enough yet.

I believe the notion of UBI will become much more popular in the next five years

That discussion has gone away a bit recently, I guess with the economic straits the world is in. The French have stepped away from it in a way, increasing the retirement age by a couple of years.

I guess the real issue is cost, and if we add an expense on welfare, then who pays? Will it make those who adopt it less competitive on the world stage? does that matter once AI gets a hold of jobs anyway?

I am trying to balance the number of people in my head to the GDP, and keep coming back to the idea that people are just plain expensive, so the successful ecomomy will be the one without people.

is that too extreme and dystopian?

When we were over in the States last year, there was a message left in a place we stayed (a non contact visit, a house with rooms) .
It said " Please tip our staff generously, they are not paid much".

These staff we never even met. 

 I found it a bit unusual.

UK is one of the least densely forested countries in Europe

Probably as we are also one of the most densely populated.

wow, thanks LM.