Tom Bagatelle

I'm... so sorry

Sounds like he needs to hire some admin staff. Imagine, maybe two more people and he could keep hundreds of jobs and continual work for the farms of the region

And a well-staffed railway/bus/post office/health service means JOBS, which means PEOPLE SPENDING MONEY IN THEIR COMMUNITY

EVERYONE I talk to is currently dealing with EVERYTHING — public service or commercial — being too understaffed to be effective.

Me: "We really need to [restore vital thing that enables people to live]"

Them: "Yes, but who's going to pay for it?"

Me: …

Me (travels back in time and ensures that their parents never meet)

We've been so indoctrinated into public services 'paying their way' and being 'cost effective' that we've forgotten that THEY'RE PUBLIC SERVICES

And so we're losing or have already lost them.

And omg the mid-century whodunits are so proud of their NHS! That everyone can access! And not having to deal with a dangerously old-fashioned doctor anymore! (Another plot point in one mystery)

There was a morning post and an afternoon post. Some places had three mail deliveries a day. In one mystery it was significant that there was only a morning post, because the place was so isolated.

I was ill over the summer and spent weeks reading old whodunits, and the characters are always catching trains to wherever they need to be, like, "There’s an express in 40 minutes, pack an overnight bag"… *and this was a real thing*

(Apropos of the fuel crisis affecting private transport)

Right!? This would be so much more useful.

It would be different if you were able to talk to the subject teachers and actually find out how your kid is doing in maths or whatever

Parent/teacher meetings are kind-of useless, aren't they? You're never going to learn anything vital while your kid's sitting there.

This was worth the sixty seconds it took me.

Maybe I should offer to work my jobs for free and take the full benefit. Maybe that would fit with the system

They were looking at that for us last year but it was turned down at a higher level.

Yes, the staff member I dealt with today actually mentioned that having our income being made up of wages topped up with benefits meant we were being taxed at a higher level! It's a bizarre system.

Oh no, you too?

And I'm following the rules as requested, i.e. declaring my income each week, and it feels like we're being penalised for it.

Anyway, someone was supposed to contact me about this today but nothing yet. We really need it sorted by next Wednesday when the mortgage goes out.

The system isn't set up for casual workers picking up what work they can, which is ridiculous because that's the reality for so many people now. It's not like there's much permanent full-time work around. You scrounge around for what you can get and hope you'll be asked back (as per neoliberalism).

And then two weeks ago I went back to my usual ~27 hours and declared that. And did our benefits start again?

Reader, they did not. They've been shut down and I'll have to make a case for them to start up again.

This week I paid the mortgage and groceries out of our savings but that's them gone.

So I picked up a lot of extra hours three weeks ago, and declared them, and was told that we wouldn't be getting any benefits for that week because I was over the limit. Which is fair, that's how it ought to work!

All of this, just to avoid having 30km driving zones

The safety advantage of biking on the road is visibility, both being clearly visible at a distance to others *and* cyclists having the time and ability to assess crossing places such as intersections.

You don't have either sort of visibility on the footpath because fences, hedges, etc block it.

What the FUCK is this 'put cyclists on the footpath' bullshit!?

This insistance on cramming pedestrians (and prams, scooters, mobility scooters, wheel chairs), cyclists, and e-vehicles — all of which go at very different speeds — into the same narrow space is insane, and more car-centric crap.

Harsh but fair.

See also Mitchell this morning talking about "Those who choose to sleep rough".

Visibly impoverished people, begging for basics like food, are a tangible reminder that this government is failing its people.

I JUST FOUND THE BEER AND WINE THAT I GOT BEFORE CHRISTMAS AND FORGOT ALL ABOUT

(but it's warm)

The ICE agent didnt feel his life was threatened - he felt his authority was. That's the difference. Misogyny kills women. We advocate for reproductive justice. We deserve safe cities. #nzpol #Minnesota #ICE #abortionrightsaotearoa #alranz #ProLifeMyAss #reproductivejustice #nz

(Quickly double-checks that Canada is in NATO)

THIS