Alex P Roe :mastodon:

Resident in #Italy for years - am interested in #politics and #geopolitics plus #technology #photography and a few other things as well. I teach English to business people, often high level managers, hold the odd webinar and did translations from time to time. I like creating ‘paintings’ from photos.
I am behind @newsfromitaly on X/Twitter (not active) and on Mastodon. I sometimes write short scifi stories, some appear on Thoughts from Italy on #Medium: https://medium.com/@thoughtsfromitaly

Header image: San Miniato, Tuscany - watercolour conversion

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Published at

2026-08-09T16:24:19Z

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Last Notes

2026-06-13 07:37:41 UTC

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Yes, fear mongering is to be avoided but, and I may be wrong about this, caution would be wise. Maybe I should stop reading articles about AIs getting close to building themselves.

2026-06-13 07:27:26 UTC

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We jest but with the way things are (Mad King Trump and the power crazed billionaires) the Terminator scenario becomes ever more believable! 😱

2026-06-13 07:19:10 UTC

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This may well be the worst timeline in the history of humanity for the rise of #AI. Indeed, will humanity survive the AI age?!

2026-05-10 08:43:36 UTC

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Perhaps such situations could be avoided if a rule was introduced along the lines that if a patient is not in a condition to leave hospital and no longer require significant care then the initial clinic is responsible for all care and treatment and associated costs. The NHS could then bill private clinics who shove patients on them for incomplete care and treatment costs.

2026-04-26 06:36:02 UTC

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My moderately sarcastic observation appears to have come true! #Met investigates hundreds of officers after using #Palantir #AI tool #crime https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/apr/25/met-police-investigates-hundreds-officers-palantir-ai-tool

2026-04-25 15:22:38 UTC

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Trump is completely and utterly out of his depth, isn’t he? The Iran situation is going to go from bad to worse unless adults take over.

2026-04-24 06:26:41 UTC

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First line typo thing, I think 🙂

2026-04-23 08:18:33 UTC

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Well, the Met might want to rethink this as the #AI might identify those within the force's ranks as lawbreakers! That would be fun, wouldn't it! 😉

2026-04-18 08:04:40 UTC

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It’s something that should perhaps be taught in school and uni and repeated via public service announcements. If I hadn’t studied it, it wouldn’t have been obvious to me.

2026-04-18 07:58:49 UTC

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I guess not all of us have benefited from property or finance industry studies which teach that high yields (returns on investment) indicate a high level of risk. One problem is that it’s not easy to understand just what constitutes a high yield. A rule of thumb is to look at interest rates on deposit/savings accounts. If you are offered an investment with a much higher return, be very careful.

2026-04-16 05:27:51 UTC

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And, let me guess, the profit margins from farming are derisory whereas, somehow, food making firms manage to make substantial profits. I know farming is hard (don’t even mention the hours) but why are farmers so called price takers and not price makers? #economy

2026-04-16 05:25:26 UTC

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This is false economy. Getting people to work is good for everyone - it also helps the pension system, find the NHS and could even boost the birth rate amongst many other benefits. Why are these polices so darned short sighted? Beats me.

2026-04-15 16:21:25 UTC

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“One of their won”? - methinks there may be a wee typo 🙂

2026-04-14 18:00:40 UTC

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Freudian #typo? If I was “loving” in Manchester 🙂

2026-04-14 14:47:51 UTC

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Aren't blockades supposed to, er, blockade? Has Iran being paying a “toll" fee directly into Trumpty's bank account?! 😉

2026-04-14 14:46:02 UTC

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I think they might be avoiding us! 😉

2026-04-13 05:27:41 UTC

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And Orban did concede defeat rather quietly.

2026-04-04 14:35:03 UTC

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A photo to show just how lovely the weather is here in Liguria, half an hour down the road from Genoa heading towards Tuscany. This is most unusual at Easter!
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/346/932/624/950/426/original/95d51f69562bbeb1.jpeg

2026-04-04 09:23:17 UTC

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You might find that one here: https://www.phrases.org.uk/ I love learning about the origins of everyday phrases and idioms even if the origins of many have been lost in the mists of time.

2026-04-04 07:53:08 UTC

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PS There are a couple of we typos - now should be know, for example 🙂

2026-04-01 21:02:39 UTC

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Well, let’s face it, it’s no surprise that a complete disgrace as a human being acts as if he is a complete disgrace as a human being. Problem is, this complete disgrace is wrecking the world, killing people and destroying the lives of the living and nobody appears to be able to stop him.

2026-04-01 09:59:48 UTC

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Nice - don’t think I’d ever heard this before. Slight hint of Frank Zappa vibes, maybe?

2026-03-31 18:27:04 UTC

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Gotta love all this good Christian cheating, haven’t you?! These people have zero morals or principles.

2026-03-28 18:22:17 UTC

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You’re welcome as usual Chris. I do hope the rest of the day gets a little easier 🙂

2026-03-28 18:20:29 UTC

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I like to think more people are aware of what the fascists are up to - hence the resistance. Not helping the far rights case is the fact that many come across as complete lunatics. It’s the ones hiding in the shadows that are far more scary.

2026-03-28 18:18:41 UTC

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You might want to scan for a couple of wee #typos 🙂

2026-03-26 07:37:17 UTC

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I thought prison over crowding was an issue? Arresting people for merely protesting will exacerbate this issue unnecessarily and those who end up with criminal records will find their lives problematic too in various ways. I wish someone had thought this arresting strategy through properly.

2026-03-26 07:32:08 UTC

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Undoubtedly a great track even if Queen, is one of those bands I wouldn’t chose to listen to - I see you feel the same too. I also feel the same about like the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. On the other hand, I’ll listen to The Who and Pink Floyd all day long. I’ve no idea why!

2026-03-23 19:01:46 UTC

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It certainly smells like that.

2026-03-23 19:01:23 UTC

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Didn’t Iranians come back at the Tangerine Twit so say that no such talks had taken place?!

2026-03-23 08:07:06 UTC

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What is odd about the Tangerine Tyrant is the ever increasing signs that he’s #deranged - mentally unstable - his endless dithering on the #Iran war suggests this too. And yet nobody does anything about this literal madman. Very odd indeed.

2026-03-23 08:02:48 UTC

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I did wonder about that even if, despite, the capital letter, it kind of reads like the opposite of wrong 😉

2026-03-22 18:45:10 UTC

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The #press never used to be so rabid. We really need new laws to prevent the use of the press as a smear machine. The way the #Guardian is organised should perhaps be applied to more of the media - on, offline and video. It’s too easy for very rich people to transform the media into #propaganda machines.

2026-03-22 18:41:56 UTC

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Also the “Right press” might be missing “leaning” or “wing” 🙂

2026-03-21 08:55:25 UTC

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If the Tangerine Troublemaker does pull the US out of NATO (which looks likely), I hope the UK starts to charge US bases oodles of cash in return for allowing them to stay in the UK or perhaps it should simply tell the US to remove its bases asap.

2026-03-20 06:53:20 UTC

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One “stark” statistic maybe? #typo 🙂

2026-03-19 07:05:05 UTC

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There are #meningitis flare ups in Italy from time to time - usually affecting teenagers. I imagine the Italian cases have been studied and there might be parallels. Knowing what they are might help.

2026-03-18 22:07:10 UTC

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I quite like “god riddance”! #typo 🙂

2026-03-13 07:00:12 UTC

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Taking it out ON them too - tiny #typo 🙂

2026-03-12 14:04:36 UTC

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The biggest problem is that whenever a business is for profit, it is forced to grow that profit which is something that cannot be done forever. Banks which are for-profit will eventually squeeze their customers to economic death to keep shareholders happy! IMHO we need a mix of for and not for profit organisations.

2026-03-09 22:46:21 UTC

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Soooo….what’s next? Is the conquest of Greenland back on? Or the annexing of Canada? Or is Trumpty about to tango over to Cuba? All while scheming how to fiddle the mid terms.

2026-03-08 18:42:55 UTC

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Couple of typos - in first and third paragraphs 🙂

2026-03-06 07:23:55 UTC

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Hmm, Italy is at the bottom of the class. I’d love to see a breakdown of productivity by sector or even by job category. And would removing compliance type work make much difference?

2026-03-04 08:37:29 UTC

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For now it seems that anyone who is selected to be the new supreme leader will become a prime target for Israel and the USA. Sortition by fire?!

2026-03-04 06:54:07 UTC

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It’d be an even bigger surprise is the Tangerine Twit didn’t use Iran as an excuse to decline a state of emergency!

2026-03-02 08:03:30 UTC

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With Iran situation, last straws breaking the backs of camels springs to mind.

2026-02-27 15:25:11 UTC

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Yup, which means Russians hear only one voice: Putin’s.

2026-02-27 09:34:07 UTC

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If only - problem is Putin has successfully brainwashed the Russian population into believing he is a god and that the war in Ukraine is a righteous ‘save mother Russia' necessity. I hope some counter propaganda is happening in some shape or form.

2026-02-22 09:44:10 UTC

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Oops, forgot to mention that Spain and Portugal lowered energy prices by focusing on #renewables. Nuclear might be a solution but it is costly, very slow to implement and requires extensive management once in place.

2026-02-22 08:36:20 UTC

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PS Which of her books would you recommend? Thanks.

2026-02-22 08:28:16 UTC

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I hear Portugal and Spain have given their economies a boost by making employment less precarious and regularising immigrants. Right leaning policies only ever seem to benefit a tiny, already wealthy, minority.

2026-02-18 07:36:42 UTC

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Remember those days of yore? The 1950s, 60s and early 70s? When jobs were for life and the economy hummed along reasonably well? Pay was not great for everyone but people got by. Now we have unstable, poorly paying jobs and stagnant economies. There is a lesson there somewhere 😉

2026-02-13 09:22:54 UTC

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#MAGA has to be one of the biggest #con jobs ever! You have to give it to the wealthy for managing to convince the poor to keep themselves poor while voting to ensure the rich get even richer!

2026-02-13 09:12:46 UTC

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Odd. How come? Is he too mad even for them?!

2026-02-13 07:24:15 UTC

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In other words, an insecure bunch of odd individuals who are terrified of humans being nice to one another met up, again, to work out how to stop this from ever happening. #FarRight Was the clown Farage there?

2026-02-11 09:25:33 UTC

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More here: EV Sales Grew 20% Globally in 2025 https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/international-issues/ev-sales-grew-20-globally-in-2025/

2026-02-11 09:24:30 UTC

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“According to Benchmark, the European EV market grew by 33% compared with 2024, with strong growth in Germany (48%), and the UK (27%). “ but growth in the US was minimal - guess why? 😉

2026-02-10 07:24:16 UTC

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Only the uneducated are stupid enough to vote for the right and the right knows this hence the cuts to the education side of public spending. That people are calling for cuts is a clear sign that past cuts have proven effective. Uh oh.

2026-02-08 10:58:53 UTC

Massive fall. Post-#Brexit sales of #British #farm products to #EU fall by 37% | #Farming | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/feb/07/brexit-farm-products-sales-eu

2026-02-07 09:11:23 UTC

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Whereas some men behave badly, it seems too many super rich man behave abhorrently. Sad. All that money any they still treat others like dirt. The human race is very odd.

2026-02-07 09:04:25 UTC

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But doesn’t the NHS boast zillions of managers?! What exactly do they do all day, aside from managing, that is? Or have budgets been paired to the bone?

2026-02-06 10:07:55 UTC

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Yes, I was aware of that - if that does not ring alarm bells, nothing will. #Palantir is potentially dangerous to democracy.

2026-02-06 07:16:42 UTC

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This could get interesting. Palantir is an odd organisation run by one very odd individual indeed.

2026-02-06 07:14:34 UTC

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Only thing is, and it’s a big thing, is that before playing hardball with the US, EU companies need to be offered solid alternatives - some exist, some do not.

2026-02-06 06:43:36 UTC

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So, the time has come to end the generous tax treatment of US big tech, hasn’t it? Seems too that the EU is waking up to the fact that it’s at the mercy of toxic Trumpty whose antics may well end the dominance of US big tech.

2026-02-04 21:49:50 UTC

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In this day and age, Barry White needs to be channeled much more! 🙂

2026-02-04 21:32:26 UTC

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Keynes was right - the cost of loving crisis counts! We need more love! 😉 #typo

2026-02-02 06:37:50 UTC

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Wow, Switzerland surprises me more than Italy comes as no surprise at all.

2026-02-01 12:26:55 UTC

Day 2 - Grace, our new rescue #dog, is still getting used to the noise of Milan. Tail between legs when outside. Tail fine indoors. She’s got a lovely face. And she does love her food! #dogsofmastodon
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/115/995/365/517/699/703/original/788c4c8377540f8c.jpeg

2026-02-01 12:10:18 UTC

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Italy also had (still has, really) lots of dialects but the dialect spoken in Florence - not Latium where Rome is - was chosen to become the basis of standardised Italian, thanks effectively to a writer from Milan who decided to write a book using Florence’s dialect!

2026-02-01 08:46:13 UTC

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Don’t think Italy treats Rome as the centre of the Italian universe. Not sure about France, or Germany, Spain etc, etc

2026-02-01 08:42:00 UTC

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Another key difference is that the USA is, or has become, inherently short termist whereas China is, very, long termist.

2026-01-31 10:00:26 UTC

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Well, I’m sure there are plenty of public works which could be funded with a nice wealth tax 😉 These people will spend if they have some cash.

2026-01-31 09:48:19 UTC

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Lift these people out of poverty and see the economy grow significantly 🙂

2026-01-30 14:18:45 UTC

Yeah! Another great reason to stick with this browser! Latest #Vivaldi release surfs a wave of anti-#AI sentiment • The Register https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/29/vivaldi_release_ai/

2026-01-26 22:25:05 UTC

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Well, seeing as Europe is now expected to foot its own defence bill, it will need to find ways to raise some cash. Sounds as if the time to end the generous tax treatment of a few businesses from the other side of the Atlantic has come, doesn’t it?

2026-01-26 18:57:48 UTC

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I quite like RefromUK - should be the official name! 😉 Freudian #typo?!

2026-01-26 08:40:39 UTC

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I shall repeat myself: Suspect we need to rethink how politics is done. Urgently.

2026-01-26 08:17:12 UTC

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Ha! It’s a great pity Europe has not focused on Africa - it’s geographically close and has enormous development potential and could (have?) become a massive market for Europe. Might be too late now.

2026-01-26 08:14:15 UTC

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It’s a wee bit surprising that our generously paid politicians and political leaders did not see this coming. More, perhaps, could have been done after Trump 1 - especially when it became clear Trump was facing zero consequences for his actions.

2026-01-23 10:04:42 UTC

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Ha! My musical listening road is a twisty one with one or two hairpins for good measure. I listened to some doom metal yesterday, out of curiosity…after some mellow jazz vocals. I probably like more musical genres than is healthy! Eclectic is my middle name 😉

2026-01-23 09:02:44 UTC

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More music to (re-) listen to! Thanks Chris - once I've exited my Chris May induced mellow jazz singers phase, I'll give it a play 🙂🎼 🎶

2026-01-22 19:17:22 UTC

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So, wind turbines are bad but oil rigs are Ok?

2026-01-22 17:48:42 UTC

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Curiously enough, politicians - those elected and sitting in a parliament - tend to be able say whatever they want because they are protected by the law. Enforcement for everyone else tends to depend on which faction is in power and what it will accept (and interpret) as free speech. Laws do need to be framed very carefully. As for power to the state - depends which state is in power and whether you are for or against it. (1/2)

2026-01-22 17:48:42 UTC

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Perhaps laws should have if the left is in power or if the right is in power conditions! But if you end up with a mad lunatic in power, the law will not matter as the US is finding out - the hard way. (2/2)

2026-01-22 17:31:29 UTC

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Not sure it's a question of left or right political leanings. True freedom of speech does not exist - if it did, slander laws would not exist and the injunction granted to the FSU also confirms that the Free Speech Union, despite its name, knows full well free speech does not exist! Generally, you can say what you like but, depending where you live, there may well be consequences.

2026-01-22 15:10:15 UTC

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Ha, I always thought weak point of belt drive turntables was the belt which stretches over time. Generally easy enough to replace though. Direct drive can probably be better regulated electronically anyway - especially with today's tech with added (but probably wholly unnecessary) #AI!

2026-01-22 15:06:04 UTC

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Typical example of #farright free speech for me but not for thee hypocrisy. When will people wake up to these charlatans?

2026-01-22 15:04:09 UTC

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If you disregard the clickbaity title: The 10 Most Enchanting Female Jazz Singers to Watch https://www.ourmusicworld.com/archives/49813 - I think there are some pretty good contemporary #jazz singers in this list. #musicians

2026-01-22 14:57:46 UTC

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Is that an updated version of an older deck? Belt or direct drive? I was told belt was better… I was going to ask about cartridges - thought they might have become hard to find but DJing has probably helped maintain demand to an extent.

2026-01-22 14:53:19 UTC

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This article covers a number of issues: How Social Media Can Negatively Affect Your Child https://health.clevelandclinic.org/dangers-of-social-media-for-youth - banning social media might reduce some of them, changing social media could do more; I feel. Moderation would be good but, of course, costly. AI might be able to help…if it does not worsen the problems.

2026-01-22 12:38:53 UTC

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Do you use a record deck that can still be found today? Still plenty of good speakers around, not so sure about amplifiers, though. Years ago, I had a Technics 85 watts per channel amp and a couple of AR8s (?) on stands but used cassettes. Was happy with the sound and the volume was unsocial. I had very tolerant neighbours!

2026-01-22 10:36:41 UTC

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One of the smoothest, sultriest singers ever! (PS While the chances of my ever buying vinyl are below zero, this series is allowing me to discover or rediscover music I either hadn't heard or hadn't listened to for a long while. Please keep ‘em coming!)

2026-01-22 10:20:47 UTC

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Totally agree that we need to sit back and see how the Australian ban pans out - this will take a while, six months to a year? Still doesn't tackle the source of the problem!

2026-01-18 08:36:32 UTC

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Thanks for the reply. So it seems from what you are saying that printed books, like vinyl, are another case of experience beating convenience. Interesting that the UK appears to be similar to Italy in this repect. Re your use of printed books, your past may play a part in this but not necessarily. Have a lovely Sunday.

2026-01-18 08:11:19 UTC

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Have been meaning to ask you, and I may have asked this before: do you mainly ready printed on paper books or e-books? Am asking because over here in Italy, there’s still a market for traditional printed on paper books and I wondered what the situation was in the UK and elsewhere.

2026-01-17 19:50:53 UTC

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Yes, that he exploits his pet #SCOTUS in some way is a possibility - they may be able to find some obscure law or case and twist a decision in Trump’s favor. Trump and his evil cohorts will no doubt be scheming as we discuss this.

2026-01-17 19:20:18 UTC

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He can’t pause elections lawfully. US has held elections during all wars including the Civil War. He can prevent people from voting by scaring them enough to stay home but even this may not be enough to end voting as courts can extend voting to counter certain issues. Trump wants you to worry.

2026-01-15 18:25:03 UTC

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Not a question of if it will be used as an excuse to cancel the mid-terms! It’s the perfect excuse. Only thing is that Trump appears to have to invoke the insurrection act on a state by state basis - one state may not be enough so he’ll provoke protests in other democratic voting states until he can justify calling off the elections, would be my guess.

2026-01-15 14:09:21 UTC

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It's quite a musical-arty family! As for autotune, seems to be the “go to voice” effect of the moment - except the 'moment’ appears to be a rather long one! Not sure Cher is to blame - don't think she started the craze way back in 1998! Otherwise, the ‘moment' is decades long!