Interesting Links for 13-12-2023

[andrewducker]

1. UK faces food shortages and price rises into 2024 due to Panama Canal drought

(tags:drought SouthAmerica food trade shipping Doom )

2. What's being done about inequality in Scottish schoolchildren?

(tags:inequality children education Scotland )

3. Edinburgh swingers club in desperate bid to stay open after year-long fight with council

(tags:sex business Edinburgh )

Comments

[mountainkiss]

Are you team swingers club or team council?

[andrewducker]

I *think* Team Swingers.

If nobody is getting hurt then I'm generally on the side of "Leave them alone to get on with it."

But I may be missing something that's not just prudery.

[wildeabandon]

Yeah, I feel like there's not nearly enough information in the article to judge whether they're being targeted for being perverts, or they're blithely ignoring legitimate planning regulations.

[channelpenguin]

I think I have maybe been there, many years ago. I have certainly been to similar clubs and they are often on industrial estates.

It is hard/impossible to tell if it is the blatant planning violation or the fetish/swinger thing that is driving the attempted closure. The club certainly seems to have treated the issue with contempt / not worried about it, given the apparent public advertising.

But I am still Team Club.

[mountainkiss]

Oh now that is gripping. Why are they often on industrial estates? Who knew?!

[bens_dad]

1. I wondered about sending the food across Brazil (Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina) but I don't in spite of its size the Amazon (plus the Paraguay and Parana rivers) don't seem set up for international shipping and in many places are far from the shortest route between two points. I imagine that even if it is possible, it isn't going to be as quick as waiting in Panama for a canal slot.
I've read of cases where ocean-going vessels going full-speed can end up burning as much carbon per ton of cargo as air-freight ! Will we be flying in our fruit and veg ?

Will the press admit that this is a price of global warming ?

[andrewducker]

Yeah, I don't think there are any good alternative routes at the moment. And building them would cost tens of billions.

[andrewducker]

Alternative land route across Mexico recently completed/refurbished.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interoceanic_Corridor_of_the_Isthmus_of_Tehuantepec

[channelpenguin]

awesome!