Interesting Links for 31-01-2024

[andrewducker]

1. Drag artist called a paedophile by Laurence Fox hails 'liberating' libel victory

(tags:lgbt uk libel GoodNews paedophilia )

2. Nearly 8 years after the Brexit vote, Northern Ireland is still controlling the outcome

(tags:uk europe NorthernIreland )

3. Extreme metal guitar skill: A case of male-male status seeking, mate attraction, or byproduct?

(tags:HeavyMetal guitar music psychology sex )

4. Post-Brexit controls on food and farm imports start

(tags:UK Europe trade )

5. New parents bombarded with MMR misinformation online as measles cases surge

(tags:vaccination uk OhForFucksSake )

Comments

[simont]

#3: I admit I only read the abstract, but ... maybe people who learn to play a technically difficult style of music extremely well might sometimes be doing it because they enjoy that kind of music, enjoy the satisfaction of producing it themselves, enjoy the technical challenge in its own right, or any combination of those?

There doesn't really seem to be any engagement with those possibilities; it's as if the researchers just assumed without question that the only possible reasons you might teach yourself to play extreme metal guitar are for some kind of interpersonal status motive, and the only remaining question is which one.

[andrewducker]

No, no. Everything comes down to how it affects mating potential. Everything.

(I know, I know. But that's why I found it funny.)

[dewline]

Laurence Fox has earned my disrespect and distrust.

[andrewducker]

Same! Quite some time ago!

[rhythmaning]

Both those Brexit stories show how Brexit continues to screw up politics (and economics) in the UK and Northern Ireland. It was all so predictable - and predicted!!!

[andrewducker]

But think of all the lovely self-determination we now have!

[rhythmaning]

You can imagine how angry Leadsom's comments made me...

"UK minister: Brexit checks ‘price you pay for being a sovereign state again’: Andrea Leadsom says businesses experiencing ‘some friction’ should ‘adapt’ to changes in trade rules".

[hairyears]

I would argue that politics in Northern Ireland was screwed-up to start with, and it's no surprise that the complex treaties and screwy politics proved to be *the* intractable problem in our relationship with the EU.

Arguably, something else would've taken that title if the province wasn't so screwed-up: but it's the most 'unworkable' component of the United Kingdom.

[andrewducker]

Oh yes. Northern Ireland has been a mess for a very long time. Brexit has just brought it into focus.