Monday Mullings: The World Is Getting Better, The UK Is Not, Mattresses, Kidney Stones

There are many moments when I wish to have a metaphorical soapbox and broadcast precisely what I am seeing or thinking. Thankfully, I have no such reach nor audience. Having recently, by chance, visited Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park it is clear that the relationship between the height of one's box and the quality of the message is invariably negative. This well considered email service gives you 48 hours to consider a message. I could only think to regurgitate the headlines of two dinner parties in the last five days. There is no compatibility of the five points below. *The World Is Only Getting Better* Marketers would have us believe that we are "living increasingly busy lives" and that we "work harder than ever". Nothing could be further from the truth. In what year would you rather be poor or unwell on average than now? Every measurable statistic supports dramatic per capita improvements globally in the last 40 years on infant mortality, health outcomes and time spent working versus leisure. *The UK is Not* Far too readily we criticise actions rather than in-action, be it our own counterparties or those of politicians. The UK no longer builds anything. The world's longest tunnel in Norway has cost <50% of what the UK has spent on planning alone for the incomplete Lower Thames Crossing (£295m). ~£100m has been spent on a bat tunnel along HS2 to protect 300 bats. The UK used to build things, we must start again. *Kidney Stones* Contrary to widely held opinion, you are most likely to get kidney stones under the age of 40. Ask anyone who has had them and you will relish to drink >2 litres of water per day without fail. *Mattresses* You spend ~1/3 of your life in bed. If you spend £2,000 on a good quality mattress that works out to £0.54 per day for eight hours sleep on a 10 year replacement rate. Ask anyone who has had to fix a bad back in their middle-old ages and they will commend this investment highly for both health and cost.

Written by a randomly drawn subscriber, read by a human, then sent to the whole list. Its writer chose to share it here.