2026
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Tough But Fair? Britain’s Cost of Living Reality

Britain is being sold a story about “tough but fair” governance while millions watch their living standards collapse in real time. Inflation may have technically cooled, but food, energy and housing costs have locked in at punishing levels that feel permanent. Meanwhile, a government focused on climate targets, migration policy and centralised control appears tone-deaf…
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Another YouTube Trust Problem – Fake LIVE Badges

Slapping LIVE on a channel avatar when nothing is live is pure theatre. It exploits the same reflex as red notification dots and fake urgency banners. Your brain sees “live”, assumes scarcity or relevance, and your thumb pauses. That’s the entire game. What makes it worse is that it trains people to distrust the signal…
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The Incredible Power of Just Being Accepted

I’ve just put the phone down from a conversation that’s left me feeling, well, a bit lighter. And that doesn’t happen often. This man, someone who’s been through the absolute wringer with his own mental health, worse than mine in some ways, similar in others, completely different in others still, said something that I needed…
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When Your Tools Only Work 99% of the Time

What if the tool you use, and your ability to use it, is all down to somebody else? What you think you hold in your hand, that you’ve bought and paid for, can only be used if and when other systems are in place and up and running. What if you bought a thing –…
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Who Actually Controls Your Information?

Quick Summary The AI race isn’t about who builds the cleverest chatbot – it’s about who controls the data, the infrastructure and default settings that billions of people never question. Google and OpenAI are locked in a battle that’s being marketed like a tech thriller, complete with heroes and villains. Strip away the noise and…
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The Blood Pressure Fix that Turns You Into a Zombie

A couple of months ago, my GP put me on 5mg of Amlodipine for “slightly” high blood pressure. I use the word “slightly” because, well, a few years ago before the recommended warning levels changed, I would have been considered absolutely fine. The impact has been a total disaster. I’m 62, I run a business,…
