BRFR Cake Stop 'breaking news' miscellany

[midlandsgrimpeur]

Oh, I've got none at all either. But the broader point remains that this kind of gross distortion isn't a good advert for capitalism as it's working in 2026. In contrast, the Industrial Revolution often managed it far better, with the rich businesses investing in schemes that not only made their businesses more profitable, but (in the better examples) did that by improving the lot of the workers, with social housing, libraries, brass bands and choral societies etc. 'Late stage capitalism' seems to be predicated on utterly screwing everyone else for every $ (e.g. Amazon workers having to claim all sorts of benefits just to survive).

I say this all the time (and as someone who relies on capitalism as I run a business!), but is is nearly impossible to make mega money without exploiting everything and everyone around you. You just can't make obscene amounts of money ethically IMO. We exalt huge corporations but essentially they only really put money in senior leaders and shareholder pockets. 95% of the private sector is SME's, those are the businesses that actually employ the majority of people and keep the lights on, so to speak, the Amazon's of this world do not. What really annoys me is when you see one of them threaten to pull production or services from a place or country unless the govt gives them x millions of investment, it is just blackmail.

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

You could compare the Gates' war on malaria with Victorian workhouses.

I was actually just going to edit my above post to say that Bill Gates is arguably the only excpetion to the rule!

 

[C R]

I was actually just going to edit my above post to say that Bill Gates is arguably the only excpetion to the rule!

Not quite, a lot of the beneficence of the gates foundation was conditioned on the receiving countries introducing "proper ip protection".

https://accuracy.org/release/how-bi...l-property-more-important-than-public-health/

 

[Pross]

OK, obviously my History O-level didn't go back prior to WW1. Actually, that's true, it didn't.

But dates aside (like 100 years out), I'll stand by my assertion that the current crop of ultra-capitalists won't leave any cultural legacy, other than very bad AI graphics.

The industrialists in this part of the world had the forethought to built some very nice houses and gardens for 21st century National Trust members. I'm not sure that the late 18th / early 19th century industrialists did much more for cultural legacy and basically exploited the workforce and natural resources of the area for their own gain in much the same way as Musk et al are doing now. Many were also politicians and so laws tended to favour them at the cost of workers. They certainly weren't popular and spawned various uprisings such as The Chartists.

Lots of choirs and bands formed around mining or textile businesses but I think that was more recent e.g. my own choir, based in and iron and coal town, originated in the early 20th century and I think many of the others were around then too. In addition to the industrial link they are also heavily linked to Nonconformist religions. As far as I'm aware, brass bands started out of soldiers returning from the Napoleonic Wars but many did then get sponsored by Victorian Reformist industrialists again, heavily influenced by Quakerism in particular and also the temperance movement (I think there are still a few around with temperance in the name that I'd never really thought about before).

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

Not quite, a lot of the beneficence of the gates foundation was conditioned on the receiving countries introducing "proper ip protection".

https://accuracy.org/release/how-bi...l-property-more-important-than-public-health/

Ah well, I must be right then, impossible to be an ethical billionaire 😉

 

[AuroraSaab]

But look at Bourneville, Fry's etc, and then show me the modern day equivalents. Sure, they weren't doing it for completely altruistic reasons, rather to keep the workers productive (and sober), but show me a modern-day equivalent of those sorts of efforts (obviously an immediate cost to the shareholders), and maybe I'll be less harsh on today's capitalism.

They were, famously, doing it out of Christian charity because they were Quakers. See also Friends Provident, Huntley and Palmer, Rowntree. Timpsons would be the nearest modern day equivalent. There are fewer companies doing it these days because when companies get to a certain size they end up being run by boards not individuals, who are beholden to shareholders and the market, not to a founder.

 

[Mr Celine]

Musk has based his entire projects on future innovation but let's break that down:

1. We were supposed to be on Mars this year.

2. There has been no new Tesla model for... I forget (including the MK2 sportscar that was after the 1st one which was 4 years late and this one is about the same). Other manufacturers have caught up and superseded the Tesla in whatever form representing far better range and VFM. Tesla profits are so sh*t he's propping up the company by merging Tesla into the more profitable ventures.

3. The self drive software that was supposed to be spinning us around in utopia has failed and no one wants it as yet. Even a republican backed judiciary refuse to sign it off.

4. The Cyber truck was so bad, the US army still refused to purchase hundred of thousands of them despite huge backhanders and incentives to do so. In terms of car production, it is by far the biggest flop of the 21st century and if you take R&D cand marketing costs, probably the biggest flop ever.
Even more than the entire sum of heaps that BL pushed out (pun intended) in the 70's.
Tesla is facing multiple law suits from families who died in fires when driving a Cyber truck. That alone would normally wreck a car companies reputation but in typical Trumpian USA, the main stream media turn a blind eye and the law courts deliberately drag their feet as the (inevitable negative) outcomes are bad for PR.

5. Neuralink and The Boring Company: Both ventures have faced consistent technical delays, regulatory hurdles, and disagreements among founding members, frequently pushing back targeted release dates.

Put the kettle on, I'm coming to visit by Hyperloop.

 

[icowden]

2. There has been no new Tesla model for... I forget (including the MK2 sportscar that was after the 1st one which was 4 years late and this one is about the same). Other manufacturers have caught up and superseded the Tesla in whatever form representing far better range and VFM. Tesla profits are so sh*t he's propping up the company by merging Tesla into the more profitable ventures.

That one is a bit debateable. Tesla is still the benchmark for range per pound. It's still pretty close on value for money - China is trying to undercut. Arguably a second hand Tesla is exceptional value for money as no-one wants to buy one, thus suppressing the prices.

3. The self drive software that was supposed to be spinning us around in utopia has failed and no one wants it as yet. Even a republican backed judiciary refuse to sign it off.

It hasn't failed but it has been mis-marketed. It's still very very good.

Agree with the other points.

 

[The Crofted Crest]

I had a test drive in a full self-drive Tesla last month. Bit jittery in town, especially with all the cyclists in Holland. Defensive on the motorway, missed two exits, but overtook and returned to lane without flaw.

 

[Pinno718]

That one is a bit debateable. Tesla is still the benchmark for range per pound. It's still pretty close on value for money - China is trying to undercut. Arguably a second hand Tesla is exceptional value for money as no-one wants to buy one, thus suppressing the prices.


It hasn't failed but it has been mis-marketed. It's still very very good.

Agree with the other points.

Growth by year:
Sales peaked in 2023, now on a downward trend and with no new models on the horizon, where is it heading? Interesting article here: https://electrek.co/2026/03/26/tesla-tsla-q1-2026-delivery-consensus-365000-analyst-estimates/

2021	930,422	83%
2022	1,369,611	47%
2023	1,845,985	35%
2024	1,773,443	-4%
2025	1,654,667	-7%

 

[Pblakeney]

Musk has based his entire projects on future innovation but let's break that down:

1. We were supposed to be on Mars this year.

2. There has been no new Tesla model for... I forget (including the MK2 sportscar that was after the 1st one which was 4 years late and this one is about the same). Other manufacturers have caught up and superseded the Tesla in whatever form representing far better range and VFM. Tesla profits are so sh*t he's propping up the company by merging Tesla into the more profitable ventures.

3. The self drive software that was supposed to be spinning us around in utopia has failed and no one wants it as yet. Even a republican backed judiciary refuse to sign it off.

4. The Cyber truck was so bad, the US army still refused to purchase hundred of thousands of them despite huge backhanders and incentives to do so. In terms of car production, it is by far the biggest flop of the 21st century and if you take R&D cand marketing costs, probably the biggest flop ever.
Even more than the entire sum of heaps that BL pushed out (pun intended) in the 70's.
Tesla is facing multiple law suits from families who died in fires when driving a Cyber truck. That alone would normally wreck a car companies reputation but in typical Trumpian USA, the main stream media turn a blind eye and the law courts deliberately drag their feet as the (inevitable negative) outcomes are bad for PR.

5. Neuralink and The Boring Company: Both ventures have faced consistent technical delays, regulatory hurdles, and disagreements among founding members, frequently pushing back targeted release dates.

Musky has already announced he has lost interest in Tesla. It will be consigned to history in a couple of years.

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

Musky has already announced he has lost interest in Tesla. It will be consigned to history in a couple of years.

BiL owns a Tesla, it takes every ounce of my willpower not to mention it each time I see him.

 

[briantrumpet]

Could go in the Good News thread

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...-st-george-flags-oxfordshire-court-injunction

Leaders of the nationalist group Raise the Colours have agreed to stop hoisting England flags on lamp-posts in Oxfordshire after the local authority secured a high court injunction against the campaign. Ryan Bridge, Ben Cullen and Trudy Wells told the high court on Tuesday they would not raise St George’s flags from Oxfordshire county council property, encourage others to do so or impede council workers from taking them down. Cullen told the court that a fourth leader of the group, Kevin Good, who was not present in court, had also agreed to have “nothing more to do with flags” in Oxfordshire. Mr Justice Dias granted the council’s application for an injunction against unauthorised flag raising by the four defendants as well as “persons unknown”.

 

[C R]

Could go in the Good News thread

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...-st-george-flags-oxfordshire-court-injunction

Enemies of the people headlines and rants incoming.

 

[briantrumpet]

Isn't that a symptom of the hot weather - people jump into colder than expected water to cool down and go into Respiratory shock, can't breath and drown

It's up to 40 drowned in France as of now, mostly young people.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/23/heatwave-france-spain-italy-europe

France has registered its hottest day on record as 40 people across the country were confirmed to have drowned while swimming in unsupervised areas over the last few days. “There is a tragic scourge of drownings,” prime minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Tuesday. “The latest figures we’ve received are 40 deaths since 18 June. Most of the victims are young people.”