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#31

Off the Record / Re: Dead Pool 2024

Last post by Sheilbh - Today at 02:52:59 PM

A few corrections.  All civil trials are decided on the same evidentiary basis whether heard by jury or judge alone.

Yeah my point was more  judge and a jury might come to a different conclusion, perhaps especially in this type of case. Also in part because of how ongoing trials are reported which is different.

In the US and Canada Newspapers (and news outlets) don't have to establish the truth of what they are reporting.  But malice will defeat their defence.

You don't need to establish truth. There are several defences in English law like honest opinion, public interest, various types of privilege.

Truth is one of those defences. And it's a complete defence. But it is the most difficult to prove because you have to show that what was said was "substantially true". I think media companies would always argue it but winning on the defence of truth is tough.

#32

Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...

Last post by Sheilbh - Today at 02:45:07 PM

Maybe. But at the same time we've we're rapidly toppling over the pit into a trades black hole. The last people to qualify over the apprenticeship system are hitting retirement age right now. Over the 80s we were training basically nobody and then when we realised this and started it again the numbers just weren't enough.

We need to increase the numbers of apprenticeships for sure. Although, again, the lines are blurrier now - for example when I was in a lawfirm I was a mentor for a solicitor apprentice, they will get a law degree but came straight out of school on an apprenticeship route. There's similar schemes in IT, accountancy, education etc.

I think we are at about 10-20% of the government's target for number of apprentices.

But with trades I also slightly wonder about perhaps sector specific issues. I've said before but the UK has an incredibly fragmented construction and trades sector with well over 50% being micro-enterprises (low turnover and 10 or fewer employees). I feel like consolidation would possibly increase the number of apprenticeships - I also feel like there could be a role for something like a UCAS for apprenticeships with a single space advertising them all.

I also have read that they have a real problem attracting women and minority applicants and again I wonder if there's possibly something for that industry/sector to look at. I think there's been good work on increasing diversity in, say, IT or engineering - and I feel like something similar might be worth looking at (but again really difficult with lots of very small businesses).

Fair enough to say we're a services economy so lots of people with humanities degrees is exactly what we need... but we also need builders.
And when many of these degree educated people are earning 30k a year in call centres vs. 70k a year for a decent plumber....It is in the best interest of many of them for this to be more of an even choice.

But again you've immediately slipped into Sir Gavin Williamson territory

My point was that 75% of university students are studying degrees that I think are vocational in a service based economy: law, medical professions, accountancy, business (this doesn't include creative arts courses either). And you've straight away read that as "not really vocational" and basically humanities.

Our biggest export sector is unidentified professional services which the FT did some digging in and worked out was largely consultancy. Those business degrees aren't loads of "humanities" students - they're our equivalent of highly skilled workers in the Mittelstand.

Honestly I'd go further than domestic students and have spots for local students. The town and gown divide you see in places like Durham is just insane.
I loved that in Uppsala going to one of the top universities in Scandinavia was something locals would just casually decide to do without much stress over it.

No Maybe if we had regional universities like a US state system - I feel like the University of London is probably the closest to that?

Incidentally another place I think the UK system sucks and needs smashing- the way you broadly decide what you're going to study at 16 and then are really railroaded into it at 18 and then after you've left uni going back and doing any education is a really weird and special thing to do.
We should have things a lot more open to do a course here and there and cobble together degrees.

Speak for England. It's not a thing in Scotland where you do more highers and there is more openness to changing degrees or doing a major/minor thing. I agree, I know Gove has supported it but I think moving to something like the IB would be better - and I think there should be more flexibility once you're in university, possibly like in the US.

And I don't know about not doing any education again. I know loads of people who are older and going back to study - and it's something I want to do at some point although it's time and money depending so probably never

#33

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by Tamas - Today at 02:44:22 PM

So, we had a work event and one of my bosses brought her husband.

And he's an Orbán doppleganger. Uncannily so. Wondered about posting this in the Hungary thread, maybe we can use him to replace Orbán?

Is he Romanian? :p

#34

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by Sheilbh - Today at 02:15:22 PM

What'd the Dutch guy do?

From the Dutch side who are backing Joost:


There's lots of other commentary.

Personally I feel it's a bit "my 'Joost did not touch the camera woman' t-shirt is raising a lot of questions already answered by my t-shirt".

#35

Off the Record / Re: [Canada] Canadian Politics...

Last post by HVC - Today at 02:13:40 PM

Just crossed a sad little anti Trudeau rally downtown. 10 people and a megaphone. At least the yeller seemed enthused.

#36

Gaming HQ / Re: News from the lovely world...

Last post by Jacob - Today at 01:03:11 PM

Depends on what you believe constitutes "unreasonable." For my part, I was talking about it being "terrible," which is a subjective assessment (in this case, my subjective assessment).

In the end it comes down to execution and whether EA can implement additional advertising in a way that doesn't drive away customers in significant numbers. Neither "terrible" nor "unreasonable" really matters. It's whether they can get away with it in the marketplace.

#37

Gaming HQ / Re: Baldur's Gate 3 announced

Last post by Zanza - Today at 12:06:06 PM

Congrats on finishing it.

I guess if I ever play it again, I will play an evil group also trying to corrupt all the companions.

#38

Gaming HQ / Re: News from the lovely world...

Last post by crazy canuck - Today at 11:47:44 AM

There are lots of examples of sponsors not just being on the sidelines.  Players wear sponsor's names, equipment is branded, fields of play are branded etc.

Yeah... though I think that stuff is already covered by the licensing? I don't know if EA could get away with showing - say - a Manchester City jersey with "United Airlines" or "Languish.org" on it instead of Etihad, and collect a fee from United or Languish for that.

Right, but my point was that advertising is already more intrusive in the real world and so it might be an unreasonable standard to say it should be less intrusive in a gaming world.

#39

Off the Record / Re: NHL Hockey thread

Last post by crazy canuck - Today at 11:44:09 AM

The Athletic has a piece on whether Winnipeg can keep its team.  The article identifies the issues I thought, wrongly, would mean it would have a quick exit.  But goes on to say that the excitement of fans who can't really afford NHL priced tickets can only get the team so far.


Here is an excerpt

As a market, Winnipeg falls short in almost every key component. The population is too small, the per capita income is too low, and there are a dwindling number of corporations with a head office in Canada's windy city.

"But then you get to the intangibles, like passion," Hodgson said. "And Manitoba is off the chart."

Hodgson knows the psyche of the city's sports fans well. He grew up in Winnipeg and was a devoted follower of the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the other franchise that holds a deeply rooted place in the region's culture and identity.

For many, like Burnett, the NHL's return in 2011 was a miracle, faithfully prayed for.

Nostalgia and pride alone were enough to sell the team to local fans. For more than a decade, True North was viewed as a savior.

The franchise was able to operate in an "if you build it, they will come" mode, Hodgson said.

But after the pandemic, amid a wavering Canadian economy, high inflation, and growing dissatisfaction with rising prices, stringent policies and a perceived lack of appreciation from the organization, many fans decided to stay home. The magic faded. The season-ticket waiting list disappeared. And the franchise entered a new, critical era.

#40

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by HVC - Today at 11:17:13 AM

White flight has evolved. Instead of moving, whites just split off and create a new city

New City created in Louisiana

The American definition of city continues to enrage.
When you've two substantial settlements that have grown to butt into each other fair enough. But when you've a urbanised modern area isolated from all else  then that's the same city.

This is a legal definition and in any case Louisiana has a weird set of laws based on the Code Civil anyway. You shouldn't take anything that happens there as some kind of indicator of how things are done in the rest of the country.

I actually think Josq would take comfort in the fact that he can blame the French