We’ll be doing fine this coming Christmas and next year

welve years ago I began covering EPO corruption. The coverage was exclusive. The following year (yes, within a year) I was receiving SLAPPs from the EPO and someone stepped in to help me handle this, on a pro bono basis. I’ve since then learned a lot – to the point where I can handle legal processes without expending much money (that I do not have).

That later led to my introduction to another solicitor, who I was told (several times) was the best in the country (in the area of media and communication). He taught me how to be a “little lawyer” because this way, for years to come, I’d be able to fearlessly handle almost anything thrown our way.

I think this approach goes a long way. A little bit of legal experience (and skills) can help people become self-sufficient and aware of their legal rights.

That’s not to say I can handle every legal process or area; not even lawyers can do everything, not even if they went to law school.

Specialisation means that one excels at particular area; with experience (longevity) comes greater strength.

It hurts it

his year I think it’s my 32^nd year in IRC. I love IRC, but I’m not very “good at it”. I don’t know many of the functionalities (I collaborate with people who do), I make a ton of typos in IRC (it’s very informal anyway; maybe it ought to be that way), and I’ve only dealt with one ircd in my entire lifetime: ergo.

This morning someone told me IRC was dying; I pushed back and showed data that suggested otherwise.

I was told the users are “bots”; but that is hardly new.

IRC will be around for many years to come. Too many people still love it. ‘Too many’ people who use it are my age or younger. They won’t die any time soon.

No simple fix

ough people – typically men – like to make noise to get noticed when they work out. They can groan, they can dump heavy equipment, they can even play loud music (many “modern” phones can do this without external boosters). Any of those things can get them attention from people nearby. It might even give them a thrill or a power (motivational) boost if people look at them while they exercise.

Many people, however, keep it to themselves. I’m one of these people. I’m very quiet in gyms.

Older people tend to want a quiet gym. I’m not that old. Yet I’ve always liked calm atmosphere.

Gyms are typically shared (it’s too expensive to maintain and repair one at home, especially with very advanced equipment). The gym is rented, at least the bits and pieces in it (a company is contracted to provide and update the contents). It wasn’t always like that, but times have changed. It’s the same with movies and music.

One last resort when gyms get loud is to get headphones and self-isolate, but that tends to interfere with intense exercise (wires everywhere, lack of spatial awareness) and isn’t necessarily good on the eardrum. A health hazard.

Perhaps some people manage to find noise-free gyms. Even the ones that ban the use of a mobile phone (out of concern for the peace of others) have no policy on groaning and loud weight-dropping.

Birds are incredible animals

he other week I wrote about an awkward bird that had green eyes. It didn’t seem healthy. Indeed, it’s a sign of a health problem. The good news is, this bird came back and is coming every day (going to the kitchen to ask for seeds) and the eyes are now mostly brown, as the bird in general has gotten more healthy. The same goes for “The Sick Bird”. We’d like to think that ill birds treat us like some sort of hospital, or a place to go to when their health severely deteriorates.

This past Sunday I hauled another sack of seeds for them. They should be “covered” until the end of the year, maybe even longer.

Birds are good companions. If they trust you, they will become like pet parrots. Durian, who is very young, already lets me carry him on my palm while I feed him. Of course I wash with soap and sanitise (a need for alcohol) afterwards.

This morning Rianne managed to feed about 120 birds all at the same time. It’s an incredible number and probably a new record for her (except in Piccadilly Gardens). She even doubled the jarful because there were so many (after soaking rain).

At this very moment the Bot Couple are cleaning one another. They are in excellent shape (perfect fur coverage) and ready for winter.

“Give me a country where I can be free”

oday I published Part II of the series about swatting my wife and I. We never forgot. We took notes. In Part I I added a similar case, as it had been handled by the same solicitor as ours (at the time).

The UK must not become a “police state” like the US. It needs to resist the temptation.

The US is fast becoming another Russia. Maybe they should rename. “United Federation”?

Finally.

oday it’s time to heat up the fish tanks, as it has been getting cold lately, especially overnight, and it’ll be getting colder in weeks to come. Some fish cannot tolerate room temperature in October. Since we’re one heater short we’ll need to separate tropical ones from cold water ones.

The task isn’t hard, as no water change is needed, but catching the fish (to transfer) can traumatise them somewhat. We have no other choice.

Other than that, I’ve managed to finish Daily Links by 9AM. I think that’s the first time ever. This will free up time for other tasks.

The more they talk, the worse it gets

oday I checked CR-2026-007405. I looked at it very quickly just to ensure that Daniel Pocock’s fight against Reform UK Party Limited is progressing, with another update issued yesterday.

From what I can gather, CR-2026-007405 is running ahead and Reform UK Party Limited finds itself in a state of panic. It lied to the public, now it lies to the Court (legally actionable), it sometimes lies to both. It cannot keep its false narrative straight and consistent.

The inevitable outcome is some negative press for Reform UK Party Limited, which basically robbed the taxpayers after it had taken money illegally (from rich foreigners).

Reform UK Party Limited is an instrument of hostile powers abroad.