Plastic is usable on surface, but doesn't scale well.
If you've ever looked at what Plastic does when you use its git fast-export compatible feature, the results for merge commits are horrible to behold, e.g. delete of a directory followed by add of a file into same dir, then delete of it then rename.
WSJ: https://archive.is/IB7H2
Missed Funerals and Blocked Toilets: Iran Deployment Takes a Toll on U.S. Sailors
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford’s lengthy mission is causing strains for crew members and their families
Overtaxed crews can be a problem across the Navy’s fleet, beyond just the Ford. In April and May 2025, near the end of an eight-month deployment, the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman lost several jet fighters while countering Houthi rebel attacks in the Red Sea. A Navy investigation blamed the high operational tempo of the mission.
One sailor on board the Ford told the Journal that many crew members are angry and upset, with some saying they want to leave the Navy at the end of the deployment.
I realised a step up with going to lunch with Japanese friends where the stream of sounds started to become comprehensible as discrete words. When I understood some of them I at least grasped the topic of the conversation, though not the details. It takes time and patience...
My aunt lived to 94 and was in a retiremement community outside Boston. She never married (had some long term relationships) but was always interested in people. I used to visit regularly from the UK, and she was always introducing me to people around the community, nurses, helpers, gardeners, whatever. She would invariably give me a potted life history of these people, who she might only have known a few months.
No need for crosswords or other activities to keep her brain active - talking to people and remembering their stories is what kept her going!
Before moving to the community, she had a house in Cambridge (Boston) and let out the upper floor to students, post grads etc - and kept up with many of them long after they had left. Connection was definitly a skill of hers.
This is certainly relevant to aikido, and in particular the somewhat nebulous concept of "aiki". Unnecessary tension in a technique creates a reaction in your partner which tends to block things. Skilled practitioners make things look effortless, and use much less tension - they are more relaxed. It's a fascinating study - and lots of fun.
Very different sport - but check Shane Benzies and his books and videos on running and technique - how technique makes a huge difference, with less effort.
Conducting an examination
34. The examining officer must explain their role to the person and that Schedule 7 is a
part of counter-terrorism policing at the port/UK border, but that this does not mean that
they are suspected of being involved in terrorism. The purpose of the examination is to
determine whether the person appears to be someone who is or who has been concerned
in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. If requested, the
examining officer must provide sufficient information, such as an identification number
and location, to the person or his or her representative to enable the officer to be
identified in the event of any query or complaint.
35. The examining officer will explain how the examination will be conducted and must
offer a Schedule 7 Public Information Leaflet. The Public Information Leaflet is
available in multiple languages, and outlines the purpose and provisions of Schedule 7,
duties under Schedule 7, key points of the code of practice, including an individual’s
rights, and relevant contact details (including those needed to provide feedback or make a
complaint).
39. Where an officer decides it is necessary to examine a person for longer than an
hour, then questioning under paragraph 2 and 3 of Schedule 7 may only continue beyond
the hour point if the person has been detained under paragraph 6 of Schedule 7. Any
period of examination, including detention, must not exceed six hours from the
commencement of the examination.