@WWE@NatbyNature@maxxinedupri Poor @maxxinedupri. Out like a light. She must be hearing little birdies chirping inside her head. She is such a loser. This sort of thing could only happen to her
@RySte Well done on getting to the semifinal but, unfortunately, that is the end of the event when you lose.
Steve will know Edinburgh but I can recommend the National Portrait Gallery (free, open till 5pm).
@MartinSLewis@ofgem 1) is not necessarily true. The consultation says
"Suppliers must ensure these tariffs are priced reasonably.[..] However, we would reserve the right to ask for the rationale and methodology behind their unit rate if a tariff’s unit rate appears to be excessive."
Energy Standing Charges news... how disappointing!
@Ofgem will today launch a final consultation that from January firms will be forced to offer a low Standing Charge tariff. Here’s my press quote on it.
How disappointing! There was a chance to see a proper mandated low Standing Charge option to benefit many, and while I hope I’m wrong, it looks like Ofgem may be about to somewhat smother it with the pillow of bureaucracy.
I get more complaints about Standing Charges than anything else in energy bills. It’s like a poll tax where people must pay £300+ a year just for the facility of having gas & electricity even if they don’t use it. This moral hazard disincentivises people from cutting their usage, and punishes especially older people who only use their gas during the winter.
Having campaigned for years to get the Price Cap’s Standing Charges lowered, once it became obvious that had failed, I proposed a dual Price Cap. One as it is, and another option with no or a low Standing Charge, and proposed that vulnerable users should be defaulted to whichever was best for them (lower users are the ones who benefit from no Standing Charges). Ofgem was warm to this at first, and agreed to ask for wide input on the basis of this idea.
Now, at the next stage of consultation, it seems to have substantially watered that down. While a low or no Standing Charge tariff option is an improvement, and will benefit some users, the core problem is it doesn’t look like it’ll be under the Price Cap mechanism. That leads to two big possible problems:
1) There is no limit to what firms can charge, so they could wipe the Standing Charge, but increase the unit rate far above what is needed to compensate for it.
2) Those most in need of this option - vulnerable low users - tend not to switch tariffs. While the Price Cap has unfortunately become a default price for many, the reason it was set up was as a backstop tariff for those who don’t or can’t engage in the market. Mandating a low Standing Charge switchers tariff outside the Cap won’t help them.
Add to that the fact it is proposing a minimum usage level to try and cut out second home owners, which could wrongly capture many very low users and overall I worry Ofgem has picked an easy route to appease suppliers’ concerns, that doesn’t help the most vulnerable.
I suspect if it goes ahead like this, not enough people will switch and they’ll say ‘it wasn’t worth it’. We will robustly be pushing back in response in the consultation.
Nani gets Knocked Out
In the movie, Nani gets smacked in the face by the fridge door. Wanted to recreate that scene with a little twist🤭
Characters' Source: Lilo & Stitch (2025)
A really cool edit one of my followers did for me 😆 .. one of the most embarrassing KO poses to be in 🤦🏻♀️ you can watch the full video on my patreon of my failed self defense class 😵💫🥊patreon.com/Sleepyhannahxx…#knockout
I mean, some of these suckers even have that new magazine smell because their pages haven't been opened for decades and the ink has never had the chance to fully dry out! 😃
While moving, my parents found a big stack of ZZAP!s in a box. They're absolutely mint - unread, and because they've literally not seen the light of day for almost four decades, their pages are brilliant shiny white and sharp-edged, not dogeared and brown. Pretty cool!
Not counting Midnight Train to Georgia, what is the top railway song, please?
I'll start: The Train I'm On, Tony Joe White.
Extra kudos for UK rather than US songs.