Friday Ephemeraren’t
Thanks to various chores and social obligations, I haven’t had time to compile the usual batch of findings for the weekend. But by all means throw together your own pile of links and oddities in the comments. I’ll set the ball rolling with a reinvented wheel; an island in a lake on an island in a lake on an island; some black and white sea life; our betters at work; and a chap doing this better than you.
Oh, and via Dicentra, a perennial parenting dilemma.
The “tampon tax” – charging VAT on sanitary products – has been a bit of a talking point among feminists who are desperate to find something that proves they’re oppressed. In the UK, VAT on tampons and sanitary towels is charged at 5%, the lowest rate allowed under EU law – most products are 20%. According to the BBC, the average woman uses 22 tampons per period and has 13 periods a year, and tampons cost 13p each. That works out at £37.18 a year. Add 5% VAT on that, the average woman pays a whopping £1.86 a year tampon tax, which probably costs the government more to administer than it costs the consumer. This is an unutterably trivial issue, but it’s women’s things, so we’re all just supposed to say “yes dear” and acquiesce for a quiet life.
That’s because that estimate include snacks. And entertainment.
Wow. Well, I was going to concede pain relief till I saw that Tesco does indeed give away OTC pain relievers – even ibuprofen at £0.35/16, taken at the max OTC dose (prescription is higher) adds only about £0.50/month.
However – “…but not gin?”
You should take a bow for that one.
“… discovered a new angle on white supremacy, or privilege, or something.”
So, non-white people are indifferent to fecal matter in the streets? How, exactly, is this not glaringly racist?
A question being asked in parallel; Do you know this hipster?
This is an unutterably trivial issue, but it’s women’s things, so we’re all just supposed to say “yes dear” and acquiesce for a quiet life.
Which is kinda how we got here in many, many other ways in the first place.
“…Nooo! Nonononono. You know the one. The one…”la-da-da-deee, la-da-da-da-da-deee… True patriot love, unto our sons command”…”
Oh, right. This one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kD1AiaVpyZI
Don’t call the henchlesbians, I’ll show myself out…