To play devil's advocate (for absolutely no reason other than what other kind of answer were you looking for here), I think America's only problem is trust in its fellow man, and this is largely exacerbated by the media who over-report on violent acts.

Not that they shouldn't, of course, but you look at the crime statistics in the 70s on anywhere in the planet and the murder and kidnapping rate was way waay up, yet hope/community seemed to reign supreme in the streets because no one paid attention to the minor violent occurences happening out of sight around them.

Not saying that ignorance is necessarily better, but I think fear is the main enemy of the people and the media knows it and wields it to the absolute delight of the government and their corporate sponsors.

That fear culture is definitely creeping into the UK via what I'd call US interference (no doubt with plenty of helpful spoonfuls from Russia and/or China), and people are definitely turning on each other... but you don't see it too much in the cities

Sorry for your loss mate. The gap between them passing and the funeral feels stressful and it's only after where you feel like you can truly process things. At least that's been my experience anyway.

Last week was slightly a blur, my wife is out of work and watching our kid during summer break, but my mother's coming later this week to do some of that. It's also kind of a blur because we started daily exercise again and it always kicks my arse to get back in the saddle with strength training. If I had a gym nickname it'd be "Newbie Gains" because I keep quitting, going sedentary, and starting again from scratch.

They've got me taking on more accountancy tasks at work, sounds like I might be headed in that direction instead of claims adjusting. Fine by me, better than trying to learn maritime claims adjusting while working remotely.

glad i dont live in that capitalist, gun ridden hellscape

Nothing beats freshly sharpened chef knives. If you let it go a while, the feeling of not having to work so hard really makes cooking feel fun again.

My condolences for you and your family. We lost my father in law almost a year ago to the day, and we still aren't really sure how to process it emotionally. It was so sudden, and we never got to say goodbye. It's like I can't even access the grief in a real way, no idea what to do about it.

...Times like this I regret the silly username, I'm being sincere right now.

So sorry for your loss. My parents are getting to a really advanced age now and I can't stop worrying about the day when they pass away. Even though I don't see them much, just knowing that they're there if I need them is such a big source of comfort.

We had my dad's funeral on Thursday. There's been so much stress and tension leading up to it, and now it's done none of us really known what to do with ourselves.

It was a lovely seeing everyone, but I barely remember a second of it. Funny how the brain works.

Ooh I have a fancy bike too, and it's fast but I just don't like riding it because it's got no mass! I need something with heft so that when I'm not on the up or down stroke the bike isn't seemingly pausing between strokes due to lack of inertia

(All in my head btw, the bike is faster than my old steel frame, but I just like the feel of the steeler more)

Work week was quiet as several colleagues are on holiday. Somehow the week flew by, though, and I feel like I got quite a lot done. Weekend has been chores I’ve been actively avoiding. Result is a fixed shower and sharp kitchen knives, which is nice.

Managed to lose my glasses at Chester Zoo last week, so I've been wearing contacts all week.

Bought myself a new standing desk so I'm looking forward to that arriving. Hoping to get a new chair and walking pad too and get some steps in.

Also my new bike arrived (Trek FX 2 Hybrid), it's the first non-mountain bike that I've owned and can't believe how quick it is! I've only ridden it twice though so far as I'm really struggling to find the time to do anything lately.

Ahh fucking lowlife scum bags! Sorry to hear that mate.

Motorbike was stolen and set on fire.

This week can get in the bin.

Solkiki have some great stuff, they buy beans directly from all kinds of small producers growing non standard chocolate plants.

Their website is hot garbage though.

(Good chocolate, not fancy chocolate)

https://www.solkiki.co.uk/

There’s an unfair distribution of value and power in the chocolate industry. Its supply chain starts with the millions of farmers who produce cocoa and ends with the billions of consumers who enjoy chocolate. But what about the bit in the middle? This in-between part is dominated by a group of chocolate giants that profit from keeping the cocoa purchasing price as low as possible. As a result, farmers are forced to live in poverty.. leading to child labour and forced labour.

what?! forced labour?
Yep. Right now there is forced labour on cocoa farms in West Africa. This is a direct result of the unequally divided cocoa chain. Tony’s Chocolonely exists to change that. Child labour and forced labour are against the law – it’s an illegal practice that needs to stop.

Tony’s route to end exploitation in cocoa
Together, we’ll end all forms of exploitation in the cocoa industry. How? Well, it won’t be easy as it’s a complex issue, but we know we’ll accomplish it with the help of Tony’s road map. This map points us in the direction of fairer chocolate on the basis of our 3 pillars of action.

https://uk.tonyschocolonely.com/pages/our-promise

They even have a personalised chocolate option so you can have a custom designed wrapper (or choose one of their templates) with a message written on it for your recipient.

Not all the books, no. I read them more years ago than I care to remember, but I got bogged down in (I think) Children of Dune and never finished... (probably about the time I got my first serious girlfriend...) must get around to re-reading the books.

Like @filcuk@feddit.uk I'm waiting for the next film... but, after seeing a trailer recently, I just have this feeling it's not... quite...as good as I hope it will be... dunno, I'll still go watch it though 🍿

Fuck hadn't thought!! Nice one thanks

You might want to be mindful where in the UK it's going, as chocolate might not survive the journey due to the heat!

I thought of that i need to get them delivered with another item in the next few days. Sadly it's not a runner

I'd not heard of Leonidas they look perfect!

Oooooh they look good

How are you finding it? How did you find out out Lemmy / feddit.uk if you don't mind me asking? :)

I read the first book and loved it. Same for the rest, found that they're not necessarily better and don't follow the same characters or even a timeline, so I never bothered.
I'm so looking forward to the last movie though. I don't know if I've liked any as much since the LotR movies.

I've not had them in a few years since they got expensive, but I used to enjoy Prestat chocolates.

You can't do wrong with Hotel Chocolat or Fortnum and Mason. Melt Chocolates are also great.