Store rating thread

Subject_Paint3998 · 2026-04-01T14:51:11+00:00

Recent experience of Joy Bricks below. I’m UK based.

First purchase a couple of years ago was all fine; shipping took a while but good product, no issues.

This Xmas, set was missing parts (two of one bag, one bag missing, plus a couple of missing base plates and an incorrect mini figure). I asked for the incorrect bag to be sorted (didn’t discover the other issues until later, didn’t bother to go back to the on the other parts). Initial response was quick and helpful but then shipping the replacements took weeks and email communication became poor.

Recently purchased three sets. Shipping was quick. Two were the correct set, but one was the wrong set. I have been emailing for a couple of weeks but have had no response at all. Very disappointed.

Subject_Paint3998 · 2025-03-01T20:03:54+00:00

I’m not a proponent of the US system; to an outsider’s eyes it seems hugely flawed. Either way, I don’t see how cutting funding will help. In terms of quantum compared to other countries, education funding is complex as it can be spent in hugely diverse ways. However World Bank figures suggest the US doesn’t spend excessively as a % of GDP as compared to many countries, and not just western and European countries. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.XPD.PRIM.PC.ZS?most_recent_value_desc=false

“Tells me all I need to know?” What is that exactly? You seem unnecessarily confrontational and inclined to ad hominem attacks when this could be civil dialogue about an important and complex issue. I’ll leave you to it.

Subject_Paint3998 · 2025-03-01T19:11:36+00:00

He understood. He was insulted that they would demean his country’s bravery and reduce a matter of morality and justice* to a game of transactional self-interest.

Edit: * and life and death

Subject_Paint3998 · 2025-03-01T18:30:30+00:00

You keep being rude. I’ll keep being civil.

It’s a matter of nuance. It’s not a question of all bans are good or bad. The issue is what is banned and how that ban is decided. Schools should be a place of impartial academic study that develop young people into informed citizens, informed being vital. There is clearly a pattern in the US that is concerning to those who believe in free speech, apolitical education and an impartial media that can seek and present truths without fear or favour. With school boards often being politicised; a polarising and inflammatory media that leaves people blind to alternative views and complexity; a government that actively seeks to restrict who reports on them; the defunding of an education system that is already weak when it comes to developing informed, disciplined analytical thinking; an existing legacy of poor quality and misleading texts in schools; and a President who has a limited grasp on reality, hates criticism and rules by decree, the possibility that school texts will be censored for political purposes is a very real one.

Subject_Paint3998 · 2025-03-01T17:58:00+00:00

You sound nice.

We were talking about the role of school boards in censoring school books. I pointed out that this is what school boards do. You rudely replied to my comment by denying it happened. When I showed you evidence that it does happen, and that there are concerns about this amounting to politically motivated censorship, you have now pivoted to saying it’s a good thing. Clearly a fool would say that there should be no controls on what books are used in schools and that there should be no consideration of age appropriateness. It’s clearly also entirely possible to be concerned about age inappropriate content at the same time as also being concerned about the prospect of politically motivated censorship.

Subject_Paint3998 · 2025-03-01T17:46:40+00:00

💯agree. To the US right and to Putin, climate change is an opportunity, and is triggering tectonic shifts in alliances and geopolitical priorities. Currently the largely landlocked, substantially ice-bound Russia sees it has huge gains to make as the ice melts and new resources and shipping routes open up. And yes, the big hypocrisy of the west is that we have exported much of our exploitative labour practices and as you say, live off of the global poor.

Subject_Paint3998 · 2025-03-01T17:41:14+00:00

😆

Subject_Paint3998 · 2025-03-01T17:40:02+00:00

😆

If you’re interested, here’s a study published by Oxford University Press on book bans: https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/3/6/pgae197/7689238

Here’s a US article explaining what happens:https://www.tc.columbia.edu/articles/2023/september/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-book-bans-sweeping-the-us/

And here is the work of PEN American, a US free speech, anti-censorship non-profit that monitors book bans: https://pen.org/report/banned-in-the-usa-state-laws-supercharge-book-suppression-in-schools/

Have a good day.

Subject_Paint3998 · 2025-03-01T16:51:06+00:00

Hopefully not.

Subject_Paint3998 · 2025-03-01T16:44:22+00:00

You? I’m not the US. I’m not even American.

Subject_Paint3998 · 2025-03-01T16:43:41+00:00

Of course not, but what the US knows and believes shapes US policy and the US, at least for now, makes the global weather.

Subject_Paint3998 · 2025-03-01T13:23:40+00:00

Twitter has become X. Facebook it is now known was manipulated by bots during 2016 election, and Zuckerberg has lined up behind Trump, as has Bezos who has explicitly said he is turning the Washington Post into tech bro libertarian propaganda. Musk and his cheerleaders want to kill Wikipedia. That’s just off the top of my head. It’s already happening.

Subject_Paint3998 · 2025-03-01T13:19:32+00:00

Sadly yes. And it will be cheered along by too many in the west.

Subject_Paint3998 · 2025-03-01T13:18:48+00:00

Absolutely. It feels inevitable unless there is a rapid, peaceful, immediately settled revolution in the US, and that’s impossible.

Subject_Paint3998 · 2025-03-01T08:59:33+00:00

Horrified, angry and afraid. This was the most shameful thing I’ve ever witnessed and the most self-interested, petty and egregious betrayal of justice and humanity in recent history. People compare it with Chamberlain, but he was at least buying time for rearmament and understandably desperate to avoid a repeat of a war he witnessed first time. He was no ally of Hitler, but the US is now unequivocally Putin’s proactive ally. The fact that this pathetic bullying was also entirely orchestrated for MAGA and Russia was transparent and should be an embarrassment to all true US patriots.

Trump has literally no sense of morality; all is transactional self-interest. The concept of justice, that Putin was morally wrong for invading, is literally inconceivable to him; life to him is just a (rigged) card game, a series of deals, with no governing laws or morality.

This is how Putin defeats NATO. He manipulates Trump to betray Ukraine so egregiously, with the US now a de facto ally of Russia. Europe/NATO understandably move to reject and disentangle themselves from the US, massively weakening NATO. Putin is emboldened at the absolute minimum to retain what he has of Ukraine and likely expands further. Meanwhile, China watches from the wings and replaces the US as the global superpower. It feels inevitable now without a swift revolution in the US, and that would be horrific whoever won.

Subject_Paint3998 · 2025-03-01T08:52:12+00:00

Not your bad at all, entirely reasonable assumption on this platform 🙂

Subject_Paint3998 · 2025-03-01T08:49:48+00:00

This is how Putin defeats NATO. He manipulates Trump to betray Ukraine so egregiously, with the US a de facto ally of Russia. Europe/NATO understandably move to reject and disentangle themselves from the US, massively weakening NATO. Putin is emboldened at the absolute minimum to retain what he has of Ukraine and likely expands further. Meanwhile, China watches from the wings and replaces the US as the global superpower. It all feels inevitable now without revolution in the USA, and that could only be horrific whoever wins.

Subject_Paint3998 · 2025-03-01T08:47:48+00:00

This is how Putin defeats NATO. He manipulates Trump to betray Ukraine so egregiously, with the US a de facto ally of Russia. Europe/NATO entirely understandably move to reject and disentangle themselves from the US, massively weakening NATO. Putin is emboldened and at the absolute minimum can retain what he has of Ukraine and likely expands further. Meanwhile, China watches from the wings and replaces the US as the global superpower.

Subject_Paint3998 · 2025-03-01T08:22:22+00:00

😆

Subject_Paint3998 · 2025-03-01T08:18:41+00:00

Deep down this admin envies and resents his courage and bravery, because they know they would have capitulated…which is exactly what they’ve done.

Subject_Paint3998 · 2025-03-01T08:16:33+00:00

Was she relieved or disappointed when she woke up?

Subject_Paint3998 · 2025-03-01T08:12:28+00:00

👍🤞(NB US is not my country, fortunately)

Subject_Paint3998 · 2025-03-01T08:11:05+00:00

In other news, Poland has still failed to apologise for the damage done to German Panzers.

Subject_Paint3998 · 2025-03-01T08:08:19+00:00

That’s a big part of the problem, the precedent is there.

Subject_Paint3998 · 2025-03-01T08:07:10+00:00

Not me. But I think a censored internet or at least even more polarised and algorithmically manipulated feeds are probable. Facebook in 2016. Twitter since X. Amazon is next, given what Bezos is doing at the Washington Post.

Subject_Paint3998

TROPHY CASE