Maybe Bernie Ecclestone was right about fitting racetracks with sprinklers.
arstechnica.com/cars/2025/07/f…
Avignon conmemora 25 años como Capital Europea de la Cultura con un programa especial de arte, teatro y gastronomía
El festival de teatro, la música y el vino protagonizan una agenda anual que impulsa el atractivo cultural de la ciudadVinetur
What Scottish Independence Could Deliver For The Welfare State
“How much time he gains who does not look to see what his neighbour says or does or thinks, but only at what he does himself, to make it just and holy.” – Marcus Aurelius
This blog post previously appeared in The National as part of Common Weal’s In Common newsletter.
If you’d like to support my work for Common Weal or support me and this blog directly, see my donation policy page here.
Back in the early days of Common Weal, while we were still finding our feet and building our reputation, we had an informal rule when it came to policy-making. We had to be able to show the policy working somewhere else.
This was because we felt that Scotland simply wasn’t ready for some of the radical ideas that we wanted to implement so being able to show it already working was a good way of building confidence in a nation too often told “we cannae dae it” (by which our opponents often mean “we shouldnae dae it” which is a different thing entirely).
We’ve since dispensed with that rule and we sometimes broke it even then (one of Common Weal’s very first policy papers, “In Place Of Anxiety”, was an advocacy for Universal Basic Income (UBI) long before it became one of the “cool” policies) but this isn’t to say that we can’t learn lessons from elsewhere.
Just this week, I was asked by a researcher which of our neighbour nations I’d like Scotland to copy if I could. My answer was that we shouldn’t copy any one but that I take a lot of inspiration from Germany on local democracy, from Denmark on energy strategy and from Norway for public ownership. Somewhere else we could do with taking inspiration from our neighbours is on social security.
The scenes this week from the UK’s attempts to hammer the poor and disabled and only backing down after shambolic chaos in the Parliament should be a lesson not just in humanity but in policy-making as well. Never fight a battle you haven’t won in advance. Never assume a large on-paper majority means certain absolute power.
With many of our neighbours basing their politics on proportional representation and coalition politics, this kind of legislation would have undergone a lot of negotiation and compromise long before arriving at the voting chamber.
The way that many of our neighbours deal with the issue of social security is markedly different from the UK in several ways. The first is that the systems are a lot more generous in general. Norway, Denmark and Sweden rank in the top three OECD nations for spending on disability protections at above 3% of GDP while the UK is well below the OECD average at less than 2%.
Many more social securities like unemployment protections follow a different model from the UK when they are calculated. In particular, instead of the flat rate paid under the UK’s Universal Credit, many countries follow a model where the protection you receive is based on a percentage of your previous income.
There are consequences to each of these models. A flat rate tends to be more redistributive if it is generous enough (which Universal Credit isn’t) whereas a proportional rate tends to be less disruptive to an individual who is already going through the shock of losing their job while still having bills to pay.
We’ve seen these impacts in the UK too. During the pandemic, the Covid furlough scheme was paid at a proportional rate to people who were employed but was often paid at a flat Universal Credit rate to self-employed people. This exposed a lot of people who were previously on the side of denigrating poor and vulnerable people as lazy slackers to just how meagre and cruel the UK “benefits” system is.
We had an opportunity then to get some serious change off the back of that and maybe we still see echoes of it in this week’s chaos but largely the Powers That Be wanted to make us forget that moment of reflection as quickly as possible.
On the other side and as tempting as it might be to copy a European-style unemployment insurance based on previous income, and as beneficial that would be to people in well-paid but otherwise insecure jobs, we have to remember that many people are not in well-paid jobs and that wage suppression has been rife in the UK for decades. Receiving 60% of your previous income when you were being paid poverty wages won’t protect you from poverty in unemployment.
So maybe rather than Scotland – particularly an independent Scotland – copying existing social security policies from our neighbours, we need to look to them for inspiration in another way and look back at that paper I mentioned at the start of this column.
Last year, the EU think tank the Coppieters Foundation published a paper called “A European Universal Basic Income” which found that a UBI sufficient to eradicate poverty across the entire union could be entirely paid for by relatively modest changes to income tax and the savings found from the reduction of poverty itself.
Its model called for a UBI of €6,857 per year for adults and half that for children under 14. This is the equivalent of £113 per week for adults and £57 per week for children. The paper claimed that the increase in income taxes to pay for this level of UBI would themselves be relatively modest and the “breakeven” point for people who’d pay more income tax than they’d receive in UBI would be at around the 80th percentile.
In other words, eight out of 10 people would be directly better off with the UBI. And, to repeat, while this is still a relatively small sum per person if you have no other income, it would be enough to eradicate poverty across the entire EU and would be cheaper overall – after the health, crime and social inequality costs of poverty are factored in – than the current systems.
When this paper came out I argued that this meant a UBI was now a moral imperative because it was cheaper than the cost of poverty, but there’s clearly a financial imperative too. Whether we’re discussing an independent Scotland seeking to create a better country for all of us or even just a cynical UK trying to save money in the face of a humiliating attempt to crush the poor, here is a solution we should all support. Eradicate poverty, save money, implement a Universal Basic Income.
#politics #ScottishPolitics #SocialSecurity #UBI #UKPolitics
What Scottish independence could deliver for the welfare state
BACK in the early days of Common Weal, we had an informal rule when it came to policy-making...Common Weal (The National)
🚀 NEW on We ❤️ Open Source 🚀
Ganesh Jayaraman explores the data adoption paradox: why we resist new systems & how to drive lasting change. Essential reading for orgs building resilient data systems amid volatility.
allthingsopen.org/articles/how…
#WeLoveOpenSource #DataInfrastructure #OpenSource #SemanticLayers #AIReady
Building data adoption: Why organizations embrace or resist data systems | We Love Open Source • All Things Open
In our previous article, we explored the “plumbing” of data infrastructure using a backyard drainage project analogy. As I was recovering from our weekend project, the whole world and myself... Read MoreAll Things Open
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https://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/economia/2025/07/07/nuova-governance-per-la-divisione-logistica-di-ludoil_194c1012-1e88-4217-8eb0-84a96fe5e71e.html?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub
Pubblicato su Economia @economia-AgenziaAnsa
Nuova governance per la divisione logistica di Ludoil - Notizie - Ansa.it
La divisione logistica del Gruppo Ludoil - composta dalla capofila Sodeco srl, da Petroli Investimenti sap, Gala Logistica srl e Meridionale Petroli srl - annuncia in una nota l'avvio di un nuovo assetto di governance mediante l'istituzione di un con…Agenzia ANSA
Economia reshared this.
Ludicrous speed GOOOOOOOO!
#owncast #streaming #videogames #linux #videogames #games #gaming #tst #linuxgaming #gamingonlinux #tech #chatting
📩As a reminder, the #OpenCitations Newsletter is now live!
Don’t miss out on updates, projects & community news. Subscribe here:
👉opencitations.net/newsletter/
Dallas, Houston e San Antonio, Texas alla riscossa. Ma chi è più forte?
https://www.gazzetta.it/Nba/07-07-2025/nba-dallas-houston-e-san-antonio-la-riscossa-delle-texane-chi-risalira-piu-in-alto_preview.shtml?reason=unauthenticated&utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub
Pubblicato su Basket @basket-Gazzetta
Dallas, Houston e San Antonio, Texas alla riscossa. Ma chi è più forte?
Mavericks, Rockets e Spurs si presentano al via della prossima stagione con giustificate ambizioni. Ecco chi saranno i protagonisti della loro rinascitaRiccardo Pratesi (La Gazzetta dello Sport)
Näin tulva texasissa nousi. 6 metriä muutamassa tunnissa!
yle.fi/a/74-20171382?utm_sourc…
Näin Texasin historiallisen tuhoisat syöksytulvat muodostuivat – kuolonuhreja jo yli 80
Viikonlopun syöksytulvissa on kuollut ainakin 82 ihmistä. Joen pinta nousi nopeasti yli kuusi metriä, koska voimakas ukkosrintama jäi pyörimään paikoilleen.Roni Kuronen (Yle Uutiset)
The total loss of NOAA’s office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research —a nerve center of global climate science, data collection and modeling — represents a setback for climate preparedness that experts warn the nation may never recover from.
(Published April)
propublica.org/article/trump-n…
#News #Climate #NOAA #Research #Science #Data #Weather #Trump
Trump’s NOAA Budget Cuts Could Gut Critical Climate Modeling
Potential funding cuts for NOAA and its research partners threaten irreparable harm not only to climate research but to American safety, competitiveness, and national security.ProPublica
razzospaziale reshared this.
Sentenze storiche: a Madrid chiusi 10 alloggi turistici per “violazioni intimità” di una famiglia
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Pubblicato su Economia - La Repubblica @economia-la-repubblica-repubblica
Sentenze storiche: a Madrid chiusi 10 alloggi turistici per “violazioni intimità” di una famiglia
Le strutture sotto accusa non violavano alcun obbligo di legge ma hanno provocato “stress e seri problemi di salute". I residenti hanno sopportato episodi…Irene Maria Scalise (la Repubblica)
Eilean Donan is a stunning castle in the Scottish highlands, surrounded by majestic scenery. A Scottish icon and certainly one of the most popular visitor attractions in the Highlands.
theweeowlart.etsy.com/listing/…
#FediGiftShop #ScottishArtist #MastoArt #CreativeToots
#Landscape #EileanDonanCastle #Scotland #OriginalArt #Drawing #PenAndInk #ColourPencil #MixedMedia #Painting #Artwork #TraditionalArtist #ArtFromScotland #GiftIdeas #ArtShop
Prior Authorization Coming to Traditional Medicare Starting in January 2026. Traditional #Medicare, also known as Original Medicare, has historically required little in the way of pre-authorization for beneficiaries seeking services
Six states — New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, and Washington — will begin using the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) Model to perform prior authorization evaluations, #CMS announced in a Federal Register notice #USPol public-inspection.federalregis…
17 services to be subject to prior authorization.at first are:
Electrical nerve stimulators
Sacral nerve stimulation for urinary incontinence
Phrenic nerve stimulator
Deep brain stimulation for essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease
Vagus nerve stimulation
Induced lesions of nerve tracts
Epidural steroid injections for pain management
excluding facet joint injections
Percutaneous vertebral augmentation (PVA) for vertebral compression fracture
Cervical fusion
Arthroscopic lavage and arthroscopic debridement for the osteoarthritic knee
Hypoglossal nerve stimulation for obstructive sleep apnea
Incontinence control devices
Diagnosis and treatment of impotence
Percutaneous image-guided lumbar decompression for spinal stenosis
Skin and Tissue Substitutes
Application of bioengineered skin substitutes to lower extremity chronic non-healing wounds
Wound Application of cellular and/or tissue based products (CTPs), lower extremities
Per the Federal Register notice, FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kate Blackwell (844) 711-2664, Option 8 or email at
WISeR@cms.hhs.gov.
kiplinger.com/retirement/medic…
Prior Authorization Coming to Traditional Medicare Starting in 2026
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will implement prior authorization requirements for certain traditional fee-for-service Medicare services in six states starting next year.Donna LeValley (Kiplinger)
They already know all of it if you have seen a doctor and are on Medicare. Every time you go to the doctor, esp primary for a checkup, Medicare gets a long list of items about your health in the form of ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes.
Even if you go for, say, a muscle spasm in your pinky toe, the doctor still has a checklist of items he has to fill out, whether you see it or not. From appearance, to level of depression, etc. to medical issues
Many doctors use a computer system that prepopulates it. All those check marks and drop downs they are doing on the laptop, yeah, that is it. It is then transmitted to Medicare as ICD codes when they bill Medicare. The more they code, the happier Medicare is. Some are even paid more from Medicare for more complete coding. Some are docked payments for failing to code enough.
Some of the codes concern privacy experts, esp Z codes 55-65. Those are called Social Determinants of Health codes
2/ As far as what you can do... Make notes about your health and health care. If you have to appeal a negative determination, you have documented evidence. I send myself emails about my health, my day, etc.
If I do something while feeling good, I email it, but I also email myself the day after and how the good day, and all I did, is punishing me now.
I summarize doctors visits and email myself, etc.
It's easy to keep track of it that way, for me, anyway. Easy to search if something comes up. I have a dedicated email address just to email me about my health.
The ABC and Creative Australia panicked in the face of controversy. These vital institutions must not be so timid
In the Lattouf and Sabsabi cases, the apparently unmanageable sensitivity was discussion of Israel and PalestineMargaret Simons (The Guardian)
BREAKING: NYT Scoops Weekly World News on Amazing Batboy Discovery!
Bei Luftangriffen im Gazastreifen wurden eine Suppenküche und eine Schule zerstört, die wir gemeinsam mit medico international finanziert haben. Unsere Partner verlieren damit lebenswichtige Infrastruktur. Wir verurteilen die Angriffe aufs Schärfste und fordern von der Bundesregierung, Druck auf Israel auszuüben, um den Schutz für Hilfsprojekte und Zivilist*innen sicherzustellen.
Mehr dazu: tdh.de/hilfsprojekt-in-gaza-ze…
Zerstörung von Hilfsprojekten im Gazastreifen
Bei Luftangriffen im Gazastreifen wurden eine Suppenküche und eine Schule zerstört, die durch Terre des Hommes mitfinanziert wurden.www.tdh.de
Sinh viên Nga khen ngợi BRICS vì trao quyền cho các quốc gia Nam Bán Cầu - Thế Giới Trong Tầm Tay
Một sinh viên Nga khen ngợi cơ chế BRICS vì mang lại cho các quốc gia Nam Bán Cầu tiếng nói mạnh mẽ hơn và thúc đẩy một thế giới đa cực cân bằng.My News (Thế Giới Trong Tầm Tay)
Viña y Obra cierra su tercera edición en Cangas del Narcea con éxito de público y programación cultural
El festival consolida la unión de vino, arte y ciencia, impulsando el reconocimiento del territorio y la Denominación de Origen CangasVinetur
Ukraine: "Viele werden überlegen, das Land zu verlassen"
Wellenartige Angriffe Russlands mit Hunderten Drohnen: Der ukrainische Militäranalyst Mykola Beleskow sieht darin eine gezielte Strategie der Zerstörung und Zermürbung. Er befürchtet: Ohne Militärhilfe werden wieder mehr Menschen fliehen.
Video. Kenyan police disperse protesters with tear gas in Nairobi
https://www.euronews.com/video/2025/07/07/kenyan-police-disperse-protesters-with-tear-gas-in-nairobi?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub
Posted into World News @world-news-euronews
Video. Kenyan police disperse protesters with tear gas in Nairobi
Video. Police fired tear gas and deployed water cannons in Nairobi on Monday as protests over police brutality, high living costs and alleged corruption gripped Kenya’s capital.Euronews.com
Quali sanzioni prevedono le nuove norme contro l'abbandono degli animali
https://www.wired.it/article/abbandono-animali-quali-sanzioni-prevedono-le-nuove-norme-codice-penale/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub
Pubblicato su Diritti @diritti-WiredItalia
Abbandono degli animali, le nuove norme introducono pene più severe
Pene più severe in caso di abbandono degli animali, riconoscimento degli animali come esseri senzienti e sanzioni fino a 60mila euroElena Capilupi (Wired Italia)
Diritti reshared this.
Tesla Slides on Concern Musk’s New Party Will Exacerbate Slump
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Posted into Bloomberg U.K. @bloomberg-u-k-bloomberg
Appeals court says trans woman teacher must go by he/him pronouns in Ron DeSantis’ Florida
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2025/07/appeals-court-says-trans-woman-teacher-must-go-by-he-him-pronouns-in-ron-desantis-florida/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub
Posted into LGBTQ Nation @lgbtq-nation-LGBTQNation
Breve sosta nel teatro di Dioniso
Qui, nel primo teatro fra i sedili di pietra danza ancora Mnemosine fra di noi. L'hai vista tessere acqua fra le dita e poi risalire il cielo, circondata da fiori
labottegadelbarbieri.org/hondu… Redazione July 07, 2025 at 05:00PM
Il Tribunale dei provvedimenti coercitivi ha vietato al Ministero pubblico di esaminare le prove sequestrate nella redazione di Inside Paradeplatz
rsi.ch/s/2960294
Hello Fedi friends! A moment of gratitude for the Fediverse's spirit of collaboration & generosity.
A Czech version of the Fedi promo video will be released soon, narrated by @Onqa6, sound mixed by @schmaker, produced by @jan - w/ @Jann helping with script dubbing. It really takes a village ❤️
Big Tech may have infinite financial resources but the #Fediverse has a really big heart & is driven by the desire to genuinely connect – without billionaires getting in the way.
There is another way ✨🚀
crossgolf_rebel - kostenlose Kwalitätsposts likes this.
reshared this
Russia's ex-minister found dead hours after being fired, investigators believe he killed himself
https://apnews.com/article/russia-starovoyt-minister-suicide-kursk-59babee35c7c1bae79c5becd51f52066?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub
Posted into International News @international-news-AssociatedPress
Das Bild zeigt zwei Skizzen von Füßen auf weißem Papier. Die linke Skizze zeigt die Fußsohle von oben, mit deutlichen Linien, die die Struktur und die Knöchel darstellen. Die Farbe ist hauptsächlich in Rot und Blau gehalten, wobei die Blau-rote Schattierung die Konturen und die Textur der Haut hervorhebt. Die rechte Skizze zeigt den Fuß von der Seite, mit einer ähnlichen Farbgebung, die die Form und die Muskeln des Fußes betont. Beide Skizzen sind handgezeichnet und haben eine leichte, skizzenhafte Qualität, die die Anatomie und die Form der Füße veranschaulicht.
Bereitgestellt von @altbot, privat und lokal generiert mit Ovis2-8B
🌱 Energieverbrauch: 0.184 Wh
#usa #egypt #qatar #israel #palestine : #war / #gaza / #truce / #mediation
„The U.S.-backed proposal for a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas envisages a phased release of hostages, Israeli troop withdrawals from parts of Gaza and discussions on ending the conflict, an official familiar with the negotiations has said. (…)
Here are the details as outlined by the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity: (…)“
Historical technology tree timeline of discoveries. This is an interactive timeline so you can search or filter by what you are interested in.
Johansson è la star che ha fatto incassare di più nella storia - People - Ansa.it
https://www.ansa.it/canale_lifestyle/notizie/people/2025/07/07/johansson-e-la-star-che-ha-fatto-incassare-di-piu-nella-storia_ab9ed617-28f6-44df-bc3b-db7db814ed53.html?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub
Pubblicato su Lifestyle @lifestyle-AgenziaAnsa
Johansson è la star che ha fatto incassare di più nella storia - People - Ansa.it
L'ottimo debutto di 'Jurassic World - La Rinascita' mescola le carte a Hollywood e incorona una nuova regina del botteghino: Scarlett Johansson. (ANSA)Agenzia ANSA
🇨🇦 The #Healthcare of #Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) has investments in at least 38 companies that are contributing to and/or benefiting from Israel’s illegal occupation and genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. According to HOOPP’s most recent SEC filing, in 2025 these investments total $5,424,797,951 USD.
#Gaza #Palestine #Syria #iran #lebanon #Genocide #geopolitics
@palestine @lebanon @yemen
#SettlerColonialism
#AntiImperialism #tiktok #cdnpoli
HOOPP invests $5.4 billion USD in companies complicit in Israel's occupation and war crimes - Just Peace Advocates
The Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) has investments in at least 38 companies that are contributing to and/or benefiting from Israel’s illegal occupation and genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.Medjool (Just Peace Advocates)
🇨🇦 Maverick ✊🇲🇲🇺🇦
in reply to ProPublica • • •:ironfront:
in reply to ProPublica • • •humourmetom
in reply to ProPublica • • •wimvdputte
in reply to ProPublica • • •noplasticshower
in reply to ProPublica • • •did you know that you can become invisible by squeezing your eyes shut?
Republicans think they can
Nicole Parsons
in reply to ProPublica • • •Name the people responsible for climate denial.
newrepublic.com/article/191506…
subscriber.politicopro.com/art…
newrepublic.com/article/188985…
Why Tech Companies Are Joining the GOP-Oil Alliance
The New Republic