Mailwatch(ed) Forum

There's a referendum in Virginia on redistricting. Democrats are responding to the explicit, Trump ordered gerrymandering in other states, and want to do be able to do the same in Virginia.

It's quite astonishing how the state legislature in lots of states gets to redraw maps to the advantage of their party. Virginia requires a bipartisan commission to set its maps, but can overrule that with a referendum. Hence this.

Same situation happened in California, which voted Yes by a bigger margin that the general political slant of the state. Hopefully that happens in Virginia too.

Virginia’s new map passes. Looks closer than I expected.

I was called a Nazi for asking someone why the Democrats are fascists when there seemed no issue with the Republicans doing it? And why are they planning on putting ICE agents on polling stations.

I wished the Russian bot a very unsuccessful year in war with Ukraine.

What in the fuck... I say, what in the fuck is this late stage capitalism bullshit?

‘Uber for nurses’: gig-work apps lobby to deregulate healthcare, report finds

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... rk-ai-apps

Billion-dollar tech platforms are aggressively pushing for deregulation of the “Uber for nursing” industry in an effort to expand gig work in the healthcare sector, according to a report published on Tuesday.

The report from the AI Now Institute, Uber for Nursing Part II: How Gig Nursing Companies Are Lobbying States to Deregulate Healthcare, examines the use of artificial intelligence to staff hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

The report warns that growing use of the technology comes at the expense of workers’ rights, protections and pay.

As has increasingly become the case with ride-share companies, the “Uber for nurses” model relies on artificial intelligence to set pay rates for work shifts, to surveil performance metrics, and to use that data to determine a worker’s future access to gigs and pay rates. The industry also allows nurses to bid on work shifts, with the lowest pay rate winning the shift.

Only 'murica for now, but don't rule out something similar over here if Reform get a whiff of power.

We already have an alarming proportion of NHS hospital nurses doing agency work.

It's expensive for the NHS.
It diverts NHS resources making last minute staffing reshuffles.

At present the agency nurses are getting paid well.
But the agencies have it in their power to alter that.

I suspect they're employing Star Wars stormtroopers as assassins, these days.

The Americans have really declined in so many ways in recent years. I mean, they used to be really great at assassinating their presidents. And now ?

Colleague of mine was comparing the recent piss-poor attempts with that of Kennedy.

Abernathy wrote: ↑Tue Apr 28, 2026 10:24 pm The Americans have really declined in so many ways in recent years. I mean, they used to be really great at assassinating their presidents. And now ?

Even Mexicans only need to re-fry beans once.

Boiler wrote: ↑Wed Apr 29, 2026 1:24 am Colleague of mine was comparing the recent piss-poor attempts with that of Kennedy.

Just getting the CIA, FBI, Cuban exiles, the Mafia, Castro, the Nation of Islam, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Krushchev, Howard Hughes, several angry husbands of Hollywood actresses, Lee Harvey Oswald, Rafael Trujillo, Nixon, LBJ, Edward "The Comedian" Blake, several CEOs of military equipment manufacturers, Ho Chi Minh, and a pissed off Jckie Kennedy in the same room for the planning meeting was a logistical nightmare, but they managed it!

Boiler wrote: ↑Wed Apr 29, 2026 1:24 am Colleague of mine was comparing the recent piss-poor attempts with that of Kennedy.

I'm thinking they're more akin to Gerald Ford in terms of competence.

Overheard in an Amsterdam Hotel Lobby.


American tourists:

Oh man, this city has more than one Railway station.

Andy McDandy wrote: ↑Wed Apr 29, 2026 10:26 am
Just getting the CIA, FBI, Cuban exiles, the Mafia, Castro, the Nation of Islam, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Krushchev, Howard Hughes, several angry husbands of Hollywood actresses, Lee Harvey Oswald, Rafael Trujillo, Nixon, LBJ, Edward "The Comedian" Blake, several CEOs of military equipment manufacturers, Ho Chi Minh, and a pissed off Jckie Kennedy in the same room for the planning meeting was a logistical nightmare, but they managed it!

That's uncannily like a passage in Reclaiming History by Vincent Bugilosi, which I'm reading. Have you read it? I've just read the bit on the various conspiracy theories (bit? it's about 500 pages). He does a list of all the people put forward, and I think you've covered most of them there.

I can only think of the Corsican Mafia that you haven't listed. They weren't conspirators but were said to have taken out the contract to kill Kennedy. This was alleged in the Central TV programme The Men Who Killed Kennedy, which made a big impression on me and lots of others in 1988.

Sadly, I and lots of others missed what happened next. The French Government got in touch. The 3 suspects weren't in Dallas at all. They were respectively in hospital, in prison and in the French Navy. The IBA made Central make another programme where people who knew what they were talking about could respond. Central were deeply embarrassed but nonetheless managed to offload the series to the History Channel, who took it and ran with it, adding a load more episodes to it.

I haven't, so thanks for the tip.

I've just watched Chas III's speech to the US lawmakers.

It's 30 minutes I don't regret.
His delivery is rather slow, but very deliberate.
The audience are enthusiatstic, almost rapturous.
I'd imagine it would have been a 12 minute speech without all the standing ovations

You can watch it here:

Or maybe not....


There's a quote about Diplomacy

The art of telling somebody to 'go to hell' in a way that they'll request directions

I think Charles served it up.
I wonder how many MAGAs are smart enough to know it.

Heard some anonymous “royal insider” being quoted on the radio earlier as saying that King Charlie has a “visceral dislike” of Trump.

Got to give Chuck full marks for biting his tongue after four days in the company of the orange oaf.

Chuck has pit in a full shift for his benefit handouts, and will probably not be sanctioned. For that, we can all rejoice, rejoice!

From the country that allows open-carry of firearms in many states, comes this:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz72j59znw3o

Pavel Talankin said he had the Academy Award in his carry-on bag for a flight to Germany on Wednesday, but airport security stopped him at John F Kennedy International Airport because they said the award could be used as a weapon.

Boiler wrote: ↑Fri May 01, 2026 2:22 pm From the country that allows open-carry of firearms in many states, comes this:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz72j59znw3o

Pavel Talankin said he had the Academy Award in his carry-on bag for a flight to Germany on Wednesday, but airport security stopped him at John F Kennedy International Airport because they said the award could be used as a weapon.

Wouldn've happend on my recent flight too.
The "forbidden in cabin" stuff was pretty clear about anything that could be used as a bludgeon.

Was the artist permitted to check it in as hold luggage?
I can see the worry about something valuable going through baggage handling.