Dika
@dikica.bsky.social
Personal opinions and yapping about things I care about (AI in healthcare, the NHS, veganism, progressive metal, Saints FC, London and my cat Jess)
Reposted by Dika
"Air pollution from animal farms is linked to almost eight times more premature deaths than coal-fired power plants."
The animal ag industry gets away with such a massive amount of pollution that doesn't get anywhere near the attention it should.
The animal ag industry gets away with such a massive amount of pollution that doesn't get anywhere near the attention it should.
Meet the new neighbors: 7.5 million chickens and their mountains of manure
A sickening stench and hordes of flies: What it’s like to live near a mega factory farm.
www.vox.com
January 24, 2025 at 2:29 PM
"Air pollution from animal farms is linked to almost eight times more premature deaths than coal-fired power plants."
The animal ag industry gets away with such a massive amount of pollution that doesn't get anywhere near the attention it should.
The animal ag industry gets away with such a massive amount of pollution that doesn't get anywhere near the attention it should.
Reposted by Dika
Would that be the Wes Streeting who is forcing the NHS into bed with Peter Thiel - and who blamed "political correctness" for the grooming gangs in Rotherham - and who aligns with Elon Musk on trans youth and trans women? That Wes Streeting?
January 24, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Would that be the Wes Streeting who is forcing the NHS into bed with Peter Thiel - and who blamed "political correctness" for the grooming gangs in Rotherham - and who aligns with Elon Musk on trans youth and trans women? That Wes Streeting?
Reposted by Dika
As always, excellent reporting by @petergeoghegan.bsky.social and his team...
open.substack.com/pub/democrac...
open.substack.com/pub/democrac...
Starmer’s top AI advisor did not declare role at Hakluyt AI investment fund
Exclusive: Concerns that government’s flagship AI policy “could be directed by vested interests”
open.substack.com
January 25, 2025 at 8:11 AM
As always, excellent reporting by @petergeoghegan.bsky.social and his team...
open.substack.com/pub/democrac...
open.substack.com/pub/democrac...
Reposted by Dika
English NHS also uses Optum (United Health) to manage pharmacy / prescribing, & (gung-ho in house privatisation teams) push Optum systems heavily at local NHS orgs & GPs.
Not a lot of people know this
Might not have exactly same functionality as in US but still worrying. Why learn from these ppl?!
Not a lot of people know this
Might not have exactly same functionality as in US but still worrying. Why learn from these ppl?!
"OptumRx, the group’s pharmacy benefit manager, along with its two main peers, Express Scripts and CVS Caremark Rx, have pocketed an extra $7.3 billion over cost thanks to price gouging, according to the findings of a report by the Federal Trade Commission."
UnitedHealth, employer of slain exec Brian Thompson, found to have overcharged cancer patients for drugs by over 1,000%
The report is the latest indictment of America’s broken healthcare system.
fortune.com
January 16, 2025 at 2:02 PM
English NHS also uses Optum (United Health) to manage pharmacy / prescribing, & (gung-ho in house privatisation teams) push Optum systems heavily at local NHS orgs & GPs.
Not a lot of people know this
Might not have exactly same functionality as in US but still worrying. Why learn from these ppl?!
Not a lot of people know this
Might not have exactly same functionality as in US but still worrying. Why learn from these ppl?!
England's listed water companies pay more in dividends than private ones
United Utilities, Severn Trent Water, Pennon paid £3.6bn dividends since 2020, 61% of the total for water sector.
Dents Ofwat claim that relisting of companies will improve performance
Must nationalize water
archive.ph/FVD4I
United Utilities, Severn Trent Water, Pennon paid £3.6bn dividends since 2020, 61% of the total for water sector.
Dents Ofwat claim that relisting of companies will improve performance
Must nationalize water
archive.ph/FVD4I
Listed UK water utility dividends exceed private peers’ payouts for first time since Thatcher
First-time publicly traded companies pay out more than privately held rivals since privatisation
www.ft.com
January 10, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Reposted by Dika
Unhealthy diets are responsible for "11 MILLION preventable deaths globally per year", "more even than smoking tobacco".
Researchers call for a global shift in #policy to promote vegetables, fruit, nuts and legumes aka #plantbased foods.
#health
www.theguardian.com/society/2019...
Researchers call for a global shift in #policy to promote vegetables, fruit, nuts and legumes aka #plantbased foods.
#health
www.theguardian.com/society/2019...
Bad diets killing more people globally than tobacco, study finds
Eating and drinking better could prevent one in five early deaths, researchers say
www.theguardian.com
January 3, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Unhealthy diets are responsible for "11 MILLION preventable deaths globally per year", "more even than smoking tobacco".
Researchers call for a global shift in #policy to promote vegetables, fruit, nuts and legumes aka #plantbased foods.
#health
www.theguardian.com/society/2019...
Researchers call for a global shift in #policy to promote vegetables, fruit, nuts and legumes aka #plantbased foods.
#health
www.theguardian.com/society/2019...
Reposted by Dika
Uk hypocrisy to the core. Such is immorality by deceit. Perfection of the UK Govts
Fur farming is banned in the UK, yet we import cruelty from abroad. Animals endure cages, gassing, electrocution, and toxic chemicals. Let’s close this loophole and align our laws with compassion and responsibility. Sign to ban fur imports 👇
petition.parliament....
petition.parliament....
Petition: Ban Fur Imports into the UK
We ask the Government to ban the import and sale of all fur products in the UK. Fur farming is banned here due to cruelty, yet imports support suffering abroad. We believe that this ban would align UK laws with ethical and environmental responsibility, closing the loophole that fuels the fur trade.
petition.parliament.uk
January 3, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Uk hypocrisy to the core. Such is immorality by deceit. Perfection of the UK Govts
Reposted by Dika
UK's regressive tax system.
Poorest 10% of households paid 48% of income in tax; richest 10% paid 39%.
Poorest 10% paying 12% of income in VAT; richest 10% pay 3%.
Council tax: Poorest 10% paying 7%; richest 10% pay 1.2%.
No govt plans to end inequity.
equalitytrust.org.uk/news/press-r...
Poorest 10% of households paid 48% of income in tax; richest 10% paid 39%.
Poorest 10% paying 12% of income in VAT; richest 10% pay 3%.
Council tax: Poorest 10% paying 7%; richest 10% pay 1.2%.
No govt plans to end inequity.
equalitytrust.org.uk/news/press-r...
UK Still Taxes the Poorest More Than the Richest - Equality Trust
New data from the Office for National Statistics shows that the poorest 10% of households in the UK are still paying a higher proportion of their income in tax than the richest.
equalitytrust.org.uk
December 29, 2024 at 10:56 AM
UK's regressive tax system.
Poorest 10% of households paid 48% of income in tax; richest 10% paid 39%.
Poorest 10% paying 12% of income in VAT; richest 10% pay 3%.
Council tax: Poorest 10% paying 7%; richest 10% pay 1.2%.
No govt plans to end inequity.
equalitytrust.org.uk/news/press-r...
Poorest 10% of households paid 48% of income in tax; richest 10% paid 39%.
Poorest 10% paying 12% of income in VAT; richest 10% pay 3%.
Council tax: Poorest 10% paying 7%; richest 10% pay 1.2%.
No govt plans to end inequity.
equalitytrust.org.uk/news/press-r...
Reposted by Dika
England's water companies fined just £2 since 2021 for breaching regulations.
OFWAT says it agreed compensation and investment in lieu of fines.
So no penalties for dumping sewage, causing health hazards, destroying marine life & biodiversity; to boost profits, exec pay, dividends
archive.ph/iIugA
OFWAT says it agreed compensation and investment in lieu of fines.
So no penalties for dumping sewage, causing health hazards, destroying marine life & biodiversity; to boost profits, exec pay, dividends
archive.ph/iIugA
Water companies fined just £2 for rule breaking despite record sewage
Ofwat has been accused of not acting quickly enough to issue fines against water companies for sewage dumping
inews.co.uk
December 28, 2024 at 10:24 AM
England's water companies fined just £2 since 2021 for breaching regulations.
OFWAT says it agreed compensation and investment in lieu of fines.
So no penalties for dumping sewage, causing health hazards, destroying marine life & biodiversity; to boost profits, exec pay, dividends
archive.ph/iIugA
OFWAT says it agreed compensation and investment in lieu of fines.
So no penalties for dumping sewage, causing health hazards, destroying marine life & biodiversity; to boost profits, exec pay, dividends
archive.ph/iIugA
Reposted by Dika
Shocking to see such ministerial complacency in the face of risk that our fragile democracy is further undermined. The issue of reforming party funding was in Labour’s manifesto & they should act now, before what little trust is left is totally destroyed
Ministers resist calls to block Musk donations to Farage’s Reform UK
Ministers resist calls to block Musk donations to Farage’s Reform UK
Government fears moves to curb any potential cash from the tech titan could backfire and play into Reform UK’s hands
Ministers are resisting demands to rush through measures to block Elon Musk from handing millions to Nigel Farage, amid a growing clamour…
www.theguardian.com
December 22, 2024 at 12:48 PM
Shocking to see such ministerial complacency in the face of risk that our fragile democracy is further undermined. The issue of reforming party funding was in Labour’s manifesto & they should act now, before what little trust is left is totally destroyed
Reposted by Dika
Reposted by Dika
#Privatisation in our NHS - as always, a few profit and the rest of us, particularly the most vulnerable, pay
www.independent.co.uk/news/health/...
www.independent.co.uk/news/health/...
Revealed: NHS spent more than £2bn on private mental health hospitals
‘The NHS has seen its own bed capacity dwindle over decades with significant re-investment unlikely,’ report warns
www.independent.co.uk
December 21, 2024 at 8:07 AM
#Privatisation in our NHS - as always, a few profit and the rest of us, particularly the most vulnerable, pay
www.independent.co.uk/news/health/...
www.independent.co.uk/news/health/...
I stopped my donations a while back.
The RSPCA was the first of its kind, the oldest animal welfare institution in the world. The notion of animal rights embedded itself into the British psyche, deepening our respect for animals & our identity as 'animal lovers'.
Yet the RSCPA legitimises cruelty.
The RSPCA was the first of its kind, the oldest animal welfare institution in the world. The notion of animal rights embedded itself into the British psyche, deepening our respect for animals & our identity as 'animal lovers'.
Yet the RSCPA legitimises cruelty.
Chris Packham and Caroline Lucas accuse RSPCA of ‘legitimising cruelty’
December 21, 2024 at 10:24 PM
Most Brits will look at the US reaction to the assassination of United Health’s CEO & think “thank god we don’t have that system, where insurance firms try every trick to deny care even to ppl theoretically covered”…& have no idea that United Health is already “helping” NHS manage access & provision
United Health have hefty UK government contracts to run a whole bunch of NHS decision making trees, influencing treatment decisions & population healthcare planning, they also just recently bought the company that holds England’s GP records…& Wes Streeting shows no sign of seeing this as a problem.
December 11, 2024 at 1:33 AM
Reposted by Dika
This is apparently a way more controversial opinion than it should be, but guilt is the appropriate response to causing harm when it is within your capacity to stop. Advocating that people change their behaviour in order to facilitate the liberation of an oppressed group is not ‘shaming’ people.
December 1, 2024 at 8:56 PM
This is apparently a way more controversial opinion than it should be, but guilt is the appropriate response to causing harm when it is within your capacity to stop. Advocating that people change their behaviour in order to facilitate the liberation of an oppressed group is not ‘shaming’ people.
3. Instead, he is fixated on “market mechanisms”: trimming the public budget while relying on the private sector to deliver. If only we’d had 45 years of experience to show us what happens when you rely on the private sector. Then we might have an idea of how this is likely to pan out ….
November 29, 2024 at 8:47 AM
Reposted by Dika
This is so mistaken and perverse. We need a BAN on driven grouse shooting. Not licensing, which gives a stamp of approval to an activity that will always be destructive and cruel.
What is the RSPB for?
What is the RSPB for?
We need grouse moor licensing in England now.
It's time for new legislation to make it happen.
It's time for new legislation to make it happen.
It is a Time for Change in places like the Dark Peak. Grouse moor licensing can be a win-win solution to what so many are calling for - sustainable land management and more nature in our uplands.
👉 Watch our new film to find out why: youtu.be/risNQF5E9r0
👉 Watch our new film to find out why: youtu.be/risNQF5E9r0
November 27, 2024 at 12:34 PM
This is so mistaken and perverse. We need a BAN on driven grouse shooting. Not licensing, which gives a stamp of approval to an activity that will always be destructive and cruel.
What is the RSPB for?
What is the RSPB for?
Reposted by Dika
So that's now two (at least) big Labour figures - Tom Watson and Peter Mandelson - taking money from Palantir to help it sink its teeth further into the NHS.
November 26, 2024 at 8:47 AM
So that's now two (at least) big Labour figures - Tom Watson and Peter Mandelson - taking money from Palantir to help it sink its teeth further into the NHS.
www.theguardian.com/environment/... please stop eating animals and funding these people. They’re quite literally, quite deliberately, destroying the Earth.
Hundreds of lobbyists for industrial farming attend Cop29 climate summit
Nearly 40% of food sector lobbyists have travelled to Baku as part of countries’ delegations
www.theguardian.com
November 20, 2024 at 12:00 AM
www.theguardian.com/environment/... please stop eating animals and funding these people. They’re quite literally, quite deliberately, destroying the Earth.
Reposted by Dika
What gets to me most is that the UK government enabled foreign states to loot our essential infrastructure, milking it for profit and leaving it in ruins. Those states must think we're insane.
The Chinese government would never let us walk in and seize its assets. But we've let it do just that.
The Chinese government would never let us walk in and seize its assets. But we've let it do just that.
How privatisation works (and Thames Water is just the latest example).
1. A government takes a national asset built up with taxpayers' money and the work of public servants over many years, and hands it, for a fraction of its value, to a private company.
2. In doing so, it creates a monopoly.
🧵
1. A government takes a national asset built up with taxpayers' money and the work of public servants over many years, and hands it, for a fraction of its value, to a private company.
2. In doing so, it creates a monopoly.
🧵
November 19, 2024 at 10:22 AM
What gets to me most is that the UK government enabled foreign states to loot our essential infrastructure, milking it for profit and leaving it in ruins. Those states must think we're insane.
The Chinese government would never let us walk in and seize its assets. But we've let it do just that.
The Chinese government would never let us walk in and seize its assets. But we've let it do just that.
Reposted by Dika
#EXCLUSIVE: At least 24 previously impossible heatwaves have struck communities across the planet, a new assessment has shown, providing stark evidence of how human-caused #globalheating is supercharging extreme #weather beyond anything ever experienced by humanity
Climate crisis to blame for dozens of ‘impossible’ heatwaves, studies reveal
Exclusive: Analyses are stark evidence of how global heating is already supercharging deadly weather beyond anything ever experienced by humanity
www.theguardian.com
November 18, 2024 at 11:47 AM
#EXCLUSIVE: At least 24 previously impossible heatwaves have struck communities across the planet, a new assessment has shown, providing stark evidence of how human-caused #globalheating is supercharging extreme #weather beyond anything ever experienced by humanity
Reposted by Dika
“Senior officials at the environment department met with water companies nine times between July and September. But no minutes were taken.”
What’s happening at these off-the-record meetings? Are they getting in the way of action on the sewage scandal?
goodlaw.social/60kj
What’s happening at these off-the-record meetings? Are they getting in the way of action on the sewage scandal?
goodlaw.social/60kj
Are off-the-record meetings softening Labour policy on water companies? - Good Law Project
While ministers who talked tough on water companies have rowed back on tough action, there’s been a steady drip of meetings but no minutes.
By Max Colbert
goodlaw.social
November 18, 2024 at 4:49 PM
“Senior officials at the environment department met with water companies nine times between July and September. But no minutes were taken.”
What’s happening at these off-the-record meetings? Are they getting in the way of action on the sewage scandal?
goodlaw.social/60kj
What’s happening at these off-the-record meetings? Are they getting in the way of action on the sewage scandal?
goodlaw.social/60kj
Reposted by Dika
9. So eventually the company is taken back into public ownership, as a shell of its former self, beset by crumbling infrastructure, a decades-long backlog of investment and a mountain of debt. Oh whoops, sorry chaps, not sure how that happened. Toodle-pip!
November 18, 2024 at 12:06 PM
9. So eventually the company is taken back into public ownership, as a shell of its former self, beset by crumbling infrastructure, a decades-long backlog of investment and a mountain of debt. Oh whoops, sorry chaps, not sure how that happened. Toodle-pip!