Daily Archives: September 6, 2022

Britain is about to become a member of a club it has avoided joining for six decades that of nations with a 100% debt-to-GDP ratio.

Such is the size and scale of the rescue packages needed to prevent the energy crisis overwhelming millions of families and avoid thousands of businesses going bust, a debt ratio that shot up from 83% to 94% in the first months of the pandemic and touched almost 104% in 2021, is now on course to stay in three figures for the rest of the decade.

Successive Tory chancellors have tried to prevent the national debt from growing to the size of the UKs 2.2tn annual national income (gross domestic product).

This is not how households think about their debts. Most people with a mortgage would have a debt-to-income level in excess of Japans 263% if they measured the size of the outstanding loan against their yearly income. However, debt-to-GDP has become the measure by which international investors judge a governments ability to pay its way. And so international lenders are ever watchful of government spending deficits, because if they exceed economic growth, the debt mountain will increase.

Paul Dales of Oxford Economics says a brief drop in the UKs debt-to-GDP ratio below 100% this year will prove to be temporary: In four or five years time it will seem normal for the UK to have a ratio above 100%.

In his first budgets as chancellor, from 2010, George Osborne worked every trick to prevent the ratio exceeding 100% and then to bring it down. Rishi Sunak was of the same mind until the pandemic forced him to spend an extra 400bn.

Philip Shaw of Investec says investors were concerned more about the governments strategy than the level of debt: I dont take a Micawberish attitude and say 99% good, 101% bad. But the higher the debt, the more you pay in interest and the harder it is to ever bring it down again.

Developed countries in the 100% club are a motley lot: Cyprus, France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Italy, plus Canada, Japan and the US.

But according to Shaw, it is not the level of debt, but what governments do with borrowed money that counts.

Alistair Darling, Labours chancellor during the 2008 financial crash, says investors want to see a coherent plan: When the banks collapsed, I wanted to convey to the markets that while we needed to spend a large amount of money to rescue the economy, equally we had a sensible and coherent plan to bring down the deficit, and one that encouraged growth.

French president Emmanuel Macron has defended his countrys 114% ratio, saying the extra debt since he took office in 2016 has been used to invest in skills, increase tax breaks for investment and help families through the pandemic. This is similar to Gordon Browns golden rule when chancellor: that extra borrowing was allowed only to support investment.

Dales says Liz Trusss plan to boost growth by cutting income and corporation tax is flawed: Ive seen no evidence that tax cuts are self-financing.

Shaw is concerned that months of inaction by the government making investors even more nervous means Britain will suffer a deeper and longer recession than many other industrialised nations.

He says the UKs lack of credibility can be seen in the rising level of interest the government pays on its debts, and the fall in sterling.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the pound has fallen from $1.36 to $1.16 and is heading towards parity. With the UK so dependent on imported raw materials and components, a weak pound increases inflation. High inflation, higher debt, a recession and an energy crisis put the UK in a uniquely difficult position.

Read more:

Now Britain is in the 100% debt-to-GDP club, whats the spending plan? - The Guardian

A cycling workout that you should regularly rotate in is a plain and simple zone 2 aerobic ride.

Endurance rides are very much the bread-and-butter of what training should be. With cycling being an aerobic sport, improving our aerobic capacity is probably the most important element of training. Theres a good reason why the professionals spend the majority of their training time working in Zone 2 out of all of the cycling training zones, and its because it is one of the most effective ways of improving aerobic performance.

This is a simple ride but it forms an essential part of a balanced cycling training plan as it creates a strong aerobic base to build upon through improved fat metabolism, increased muscle capillary density and mitochondrial biogenesis. The focus here is improving oxygen delivery to the working muscles.

Riding harder will not result in improved training benefit, but will increase fatigue, so try and start in the zones as best you can.

To download the session click on the embedded graph above. If youre not already set up on TrainerDay itll ask you to register for an account - its free to do so and its free to download the session

There are many ways that Zone 2 training helps with improving aerobic performance. What they all boil down to simply is improving the amount of oxygen that can be delivered to the muscles and then improving the systems which use that oxygen within the muscles to produce power in the most efficient way.

If you think of your body as a car, then what this training is doing is making it more fuel- efficient (with oxygen being the fuel) and also more powerful (as more oxygen can be delivered to be used as fuel).

(Image credit: Future)

In terms of oxygen being delivered to the muscles, this improves via a process called angiogenesis, which is the creation of new muscle capillaries which enable more oxygen to be transported to the muscles via the blood. It has been found that Zone 2 training is very effective when it comes to improving angiogenesis and that an increase in intensity to maybe Zone 3 can actually reduce the level of angiogenesis.

Then we need to consider the muscles ability to utilise that oxygen once its been delivered and this occurs thanks to mitochondria - youve probably heard of them as the powerhouse of the cell, but theyre more than just that. The more mitochondria we have, the more organelles (specialised structure within a cell) we have which can process oxygen alongside fatty acids, carbohydrates and lactate to produce ATP - which is what we use to produce power on the bike (along with powering every other bodily function).

The way in which Zone 2 training helps with this is called the Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator (PGC-1alpha) activation via calcium signalling. Essentially, because the muscles are regularly contracting for a long period of time, they release calcium with every muscle contraction. This, in turn, activates the gene expression PGC-1alpha, which stimulates the production of more mitochondria referred to as mitochondrial biogenesis.

More oxygen means more fuel to assist in greater fat burning or rate of carbohydrate oxidation for high intensity, and more mitochondria means greater ability to break down fuel sources to create ATP and produce power.

The golden rule for Zone 2 training is to ensure that you do not go too hard. These sessions are the epitome of long-duration-low intensity training. However, they are often conducted at too high an intensity, which wont elicit any additional benefits and could actually reduce some of the benefits whilst also increasing fatigue

This cycling workout is ideally a session that you will be doing outdoors because its easy and straightforward to do as part of a club group ride or just an easy solo ride outdoors.

However, lets consider how youd approach having to do the cycling workout indoors. Lets say your coach has set you three hours of Zone 2 but the weather is absolutely horrendous (and to be honest I would much rather do it indoors if thats the case!).

If youre doing this ride indoors, a good rule of thumb I use is to reduce the duration by one third. Therefore, three hours becomes two hours and you can watch a film or a couple of episodes of a Netflix series as you do the session. The advantage of doing this on the turbo trainer is that it is very easy to control the intensity and keep it low enough.

Looking for another? How about...

- Cycling workout of the week #1: 20/40s [50 mins]

- Cycling workout of the week #5: Unders/Overs [59 mins]

- Cycling workout of the week #6: 1 min on, 1 min off [45 mins]

- Cycling workout of the week #8: Tempo [1hr 15mins]

Read more:

Cycling workout of the week #9: Zone 2 Endurance - focus on the foundations of your fitness [2 hours] - CyclingWeekly

We finally caught a break. For us Trumpers, conservatives, and other outliers, its our lucky day; we finally have a campaign issue that can break through and stop the Democrat momentum after the Roe v. Wade decision. Biden has made a serious misstep in forgiving $10,000 of student debt. There are so many really angry people that it has already had an effect. Those who have struggled with college debt and have paid it over the years with great effort are so angry that someone else is getting the help they didnt, it could swing the electorate to us.

The rationale for this is obvious and something we have always understood: you cant help some people without making everyone else angry. That is the way it works and it behooves us to remember it. Help as few people as possible. And if you do help your friends and political allies, make sure that it is as under the table as possible. This should be the unwritten rule of our party. If everyone feels that the government is treating everybody badly, then we are all in the same boat, and we can accept that as the way it is and the way it will always be. If you are going to help some people and leave others out, you are doomed to electoral defeat.

Now if your first impulse is that this isnt the golden rule or this isnt very Christian like, let that pass without further thought. This isnt about the golden rule or Christian values, its about getting elected and reaping the benefits thereof. After all we live in a capitalist society and there is nothing in the rule book that says it cant apply to politics. What we need to do is scrounge up some more of these issues and put them on the front page. It always works.

Our objective is clear; We do not want to stop our progress now. We have been really successful these past couple of years in getting our agenda through state legislatures. It would be terrible if we were stopped now. There is much left to do such as prohibiting same sex marriage, starving the public schools of funds, reducing tenure in our public universities to those of our own political persuasion, privatizing Title XIX, reducing unemployment benefits again to half, etc. As you can see, we have much left to do and this is the time to jump on it. So once again, be thankful we have this opportunity when such a large number of people are angry at the president for helping only some of us and not everyone.

Richard E H Phelps II

Mingo

See the article here:

Letter: We're in luck Newton Daily News - Newton Daily News

The mogwai's out of the box. Kind of.

MultiVersus is taking the gaming world by storm. With its first season recently getting underway and the addition of new characters Rick and Morty going down a treat, the game is enjoying a lot of success. Now though, the teams at Warner Bros. and Player First Games are teasing the arrival of a new character.

The game dropped two new teaser tweets earlier today, both inferring that the newest addition to MultiVersus will be a character from the iconic Gremlins franchise. While some fans have been expecting the arrival of Gremlins antihero Stripe since he has been previously confirmed as coming soon, it appears that a different member of the Mogwai family could also be en route. The first tweet dropped by the official MultiVersus account was a little vague on the identity of the potential Gremlin character, sharing only that the little fluffy surprise would be making its way into the game next Tuesday.

While this created a flurry of initial speculation, the team then followed this up with a reminder of the three golden rules for looking after a very specific gremlin, taken from the original Gremlins movie from 1984.

Rule #1: Don't expose them to sunlight. They hate it.Rule #2: Don't get them wet.Rule #3: Whatever you do, NEVER feed him after midnight.

This has caused even more members of the MultiVersus community to believe that Gizmo, the titular and frankly adorable gremlin from the franchise will be heading into the roster on September 6. Whether or not this is the case, well just have to wait and see. It would be a nice twist for fans, who are already eagerly awaiting the arrival of Gizmos number one nemesis Spike, the aggressive and fairly hilarious antagonist from the Gremlins movie who sprouts from Gizmos back after he accidentally comes into contact with water.

It may be the case that Gizmo and Stripe arrive together as something of a two-for-one bundle, but at this point, well just have to wait and see. MultiVersus may yet add an official confirmation, so itd be a good idea to keep an eye on their Twitter feed for the latest updates on all things Gremlins-based.

MultiVersus players are also currently waiting for the arrival of DC character Black Adam, who is the only other additional character confirmed as heading to the game so far. He and Stripe will join the ranks alongside fellow newcomers Rick and Morty, plus the current playable roster of Arya Stark, LeBron James, Batman and Steven Universe, for those playing on the free character rotation. In other MultiVersus news, the games creative director has also been talking about future updates for the sleeper hit fighting title. Taking to Twitter recently, Tony Huynh has hinted that the next patch for MultiVersus will bring a whole host of cool things, claiming that the upcoming patch will, in fact, be the biggest one yet.

Its clearly an exciting time to be a MultiVersus player. Well be keeping an eye on exactly which of the Gremlins makes it into the game next Tuesday, although well secretly be keeping our fingers crossed that both Stripe and Gizmo make their debuts.

Source

Excerpt from:

Is Gizmo Headed To MultiVersus Next Week? - Gameranx

A few days ago, while speaking to Observer, Ozzy Osbourne made it known that he was returning to the United Kingdom from his current home in Los Angeles because of his exhaustion with gun violence.

Im fed up with people getting killed every day. God knows how many people have been shot in school shootings. And there was that mass shooting in Vegas at that concert its fucking crazy.

He also noted that he simply doesnt want to die in the United States because hes English. Apparentlymuch like abortion, trans people and liberalsTed Nugent has an issue with Ozzys desires and with the state of Los Angeles in general. Specifically, The Nuge has an issue with the homeless population of Los Angeles. On his YouTube show, The Nightly Nuge, the musician was asked about a proposed policy to house homeless people in Los Angeles hotels.

Nugents response (via Blabbermouth) was just as shitty and predictable as youd expect from a guy whos traded musical talent for hot takes.

Even my friendOzzy Osbourneis getting the hell out of Los Angeles because hed rather live in a tyrant England than in a shooting zone that is orchestrated a shooting zone, a murder capital that is orchestrated by the court system, the district attorney, the prosecuting attorneys of L.A. county.

The Nuge clarifies that he really likes Los Angeleshe just feels so strongly about the homeless population and violence that he doesnt go anymore.

[My wife]Shemaneand I, we have the time of our lives when we go to Los Angeles. I havent been there in a number of years because I just dont go to hellholes. I just dont go to high-crime murder zones where you have to sidestep feces and needles in the streets and you see people defecating right there on the sidewalk. And I dont mean rarely I mean its becoming standard operating procedure.

Instead of offering any solutions to the homelessness crisis or even just shutting his mouth, Nugent continued his rant and involved God, the Constitution and the Democratic party, blaming socialism and conveniently forgetting about the Republican Party.

So its another manifestation of a cultural abandonment, cultural deprivation that is orchestrated glaringly obviously by the Democrat party and all their cronies. This is a left-wing, socialist, mindless Satanic agenda that celebrates indecency, cruelty, crime, dangerous conditions. They celebrate dangerous conditions while the best of the best are now abandoning California and New York and Illinois and New Jersey. Good hard-working, conscientious, moral families that are in the asset column of those jurisdictions, theyre leaving. People are moving to Texas and to South Dakota under the great [governor]Kristi Noem. The good families of conscience, God, family, country, Constitution, Bill Of Rights, Ten Commandments, Golden Rule, work ethic, law and order, that quality of life mantra is guiding conscientious families to get the hell out of the feces, needles, exploding violent crime rates and now where their tax dollars are gonna be torched even further and theyre gonna house homeless, dangerous, most of them paroled, dangerous criminals into hotel rooms at our expense. Just like the insanity of me having to pay for some guy that smokes dope and snorts cocaine and drinks Starbucks and has piercings and tattoos, Ive gotta pay for his student loan? ItsPlanet of the Apes out there.

Two takeaways here: Nugent doesnt know what socialism is (big surprise) and Ozzy needs better friends.

Read this article:

Ted Nugent Hates on Ozzys Return to UK: Hed Rather Live in Tyrant England Than in a Shooting Zone - MetalSucks

The buzzing of a fly that has made its way into your home can be bothersome, but chasing them around with a fly swat is not the solution according to Kim Woodburn. The home hygiene guru shot to fame on Channel 4's How Clean is Your House? where she travelled the UK helping households restore their former shine.

Speaking to Express.co.uk, she revealed a simple way to get rid of flies from your home using a kitchen cupboard ingredient.

Kim explained: "If you do have a fly infestation, get some parcel tape sticky side out and put a thin layer of honey on it and stick it to your window. They will get drunk on the honey.

"Within an hour they will all be stuck to it.

"Or use a fly swatter and wait until they have settled.

READ MORE:Golden rule for removing toilet limescale with just 2 ingredients

"Dont chase them around when they are flying as you will never get them."

Speaking previously to Express.co.uk, Jordan Foster, a pest control expert from Fantastic Pest Control, said: "A homemade fly trap is an excellent alternative to store-bought ones.

"You'll need something sweet and something sticky or tricky for most traps.

Kim also urged Britons not to turn to dedicated pest sprays, even when things seem desperate.

Making a fly trap using honey is a rather straightforward method. All you need for this hack is some honey, paper, water and tape.

To begin, warm a quarter cup of honey and water together in a pan.

While the honey is warming, cut your paper into strips. Next, coat one side of the paper with the mixture of honey and water.

You can either lie the strips on the sills near an open window or stick them around the frame using tape.

Flies tend to be attracted to the honey due to its sweetness, however, the sticky texture of the honey is their downfall.

Go here to see the original:

'They will get drunk' Simple ingredient to get rid of household flies 'within an hour' - Express