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Never regretted elbowing Sky either: I have been OK with Freesat but feeling there is a bit more to TV, so I might soon setup the NOW TV box that has sat in a cupboard since Currys gave it me as a freebie to sweeten the original deal.
Thanks for the tip, BL: –
” NowTV is the same as Sky regarding loyalty – if you sign up and keep paying you get nowt – I don’t and get regular offers for a cheap month of Sky Sport… ”
That will be handy to know.
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I'm out.Apart from a short stay in Galveston as a 17 yo deckhand and an excursion into Washington State in 1981 whilst on a Road Trip of British Columbia, I have not visited the US. However, I would expect that Spokane, Seattle and even Vancouver have similar problems to those described above.
I did find the US citizens to be very hospitable at the time, very open and almost too willing to talk! “Oh gee, you guys are from England? Let me buy you a coffee/beer/whatever.” In BC the Canucks were more reserved, but just as hospitable. When my unit joined American forces in Germany on exercise, I discovered the true meaning of real racism, though. I found a good mate in a huge black guy who carried out the same work my fellow Air Techs did: his family accepted us into their home and we became good friends. One uncouth, obviously Southern white guy and his buddies accused me of being ” A N***** loving Limey SOB.”
Nothing you can say or do to change the outlook of people like that, so I laughed in his face and walked away.
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I'm out.Ed your second link blew my mind for a while, until I remembered the history of US involvement supporting Latin-American regimes, in the guise of opposing “Creeping Anti-Communism”. By whatever means judged necessary.
It does demonstrate the power of a misused, controlled media. Today, nothing else is a efficient in changing the minds of its audience.
I found Fermat’s Library fascinating, and have opened a subscription. I can never have too much unbiased information…
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I'm out.That’s a great read Ed, thank you for that, I was fascinated and read the whole article before posting this comment. But it proves that not much changes for engineers throughout history…
” There is no written record naming the engineers for Hezekiah’s tunnel, just as there is none for the pyramids of Egypt, most cathedrals of Europe, or most dams and bridges of the modern world. ”
However, at least one man was recognised and his name lives on:
” Eupalinos was the first hydraulic engineer whose name has been preserved. Armed only with intellectual tools, he pulled off one of the finest engineering achievements of ancient times. No one knows exactly how he did it. ”
Although the Spell checker refuses to acknowledge his name and insists upon ‘Palominos’, until I add to dictionary!
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I'm out.Steve I have been out of it myself yesterday and today: yesterday from about 11 am at Lincoln hospital having Prostate bleeding examined, turned into an all day thing. First had an ultrasound , then a camera inserted into my dangly bit and a large finger into the other orifice. Second time for me in 12 months, not a pleasant procedure for the patient, spent most of last night and today clenching my teeth every time I needed the toilet, my wee has somehow transmuted into acid! Consultant gave me the news that there was nothing nasty down there and he will see me in 6 weeks: I just cannot wait for a repeat performance. NOT! He also said that I will have to get used to the occasional bleed and that my Prostate is one of the biggest he has ever seen, I told him I did not want an award for it.??
Hope things went as well as possible for the Duchess at Wrexham.
Anyway, to inject something different into this Brexit pantomime (Brexit began as a joke, now it’s a bloody pantomime IMO!) here are the thoughts of Jurgen Klopp on lots of things, including Brexit:
His words are echoed by my own German friends, who still hope that Brexit will not happen and that Englischer gesunder Menschenverstand (English commonsense) will change minds and keep us in the EU. I told them not to expect a lot of that from this side of the North Sea, especially our Parliament.
I now have an opinion of the guy as much more than just a damn’ fine football coach.
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I'm out.Ed has it spot on, as Steve says. A masterful summing up, Ed.
The US has never learned from its often disastrous interference in Latin America. From the days of the Alamo, when they stole half of Mexico, through the Spanish-American War when they took the Philippines from Spain. Add Nicaragua, Colombia, etc, etc. As a nation, they castigated Britain for having the temerity to build the world’s biggest Empire and they never have missed an opportunity to criticise what they see as our colonial past: they still do it today. They will never admit to creating the same colonial expansion in their own activities throughout the world, by the using military means supplied to puppet governments, or economic pressures.
Also as Steve says, any Socialist government, however centre of Left, is always seen as communist by the USA. That is why no Left wing Labour government has ever managed to hold on to government for long. Ask the ghosts of Keir Hardie, Clement Attlee, Harold Wilson, Michael Foot, Jim Callaghan. Read Tony Benn’s memoirs. The only way Blair could establish a Labour government and hold it in power for so long, was by renaming it “New Labour” and turn it into a political nonsense: a right wing Labour Party. After which he sucked up to America and became the Bush’s BF.
The US and the UK are, as someone once said, “Two nations divided by a common language.” They will never understand what they see as British liberal attitudes towards the rest of the world. In fact, most of the American population could not point to the UK on a map, or to any other countries. It should come as no surprise that Trump was able to appeal to the xenophobes and isolationists within the population of the USA. He is after all, ‘making America great again’. Someone should inform him that only one nation has “Great” in its name, even though we have been made almost ashamed to use it.
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I'm out.Steve – Roy and Leslie Adkins, husband and wife writing team.
We have a couple of friends living in Barnet, North London, whole family are Gooner Loonies. They are our BF’s, used to live in the bungalow backing on to ours here. I have been sending email messages of sympathy to them for about 2 seasons now, lol. When Forest beat them 4-2 in the FA Cup last season I was especially sympathetic. Well, sort of sympathetic…??
We go down there occasionally and they come up here, but they only asked me to go to Arsenal with them once. When I stopped grinning I said ‘Thanks, but no thanks.’
Martin O’Neill had his first win as a Forest manager today: 3-1. City Ground has been sold out almost every home game, even after losses. Hope this is just the start, we are 4 points behind the play offs, with a better goal difference than most of them above us.
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I'm out.I am about to do something similar starting Monday. (hopefully, if I get a day-release from SWMBO) In my case, it’s a transfer of my Win7 64 HP system from a 1TB Spinner, to a 480 GB SSD. I have the SSD set up in an enclosure and my desktop has recognised it. I have a Macrium Reflect Trial copy and will buy the Pro version before the trial period runs out. I can clone or image to my Zyxel NSA 310 NAS and I also have an external 3.5″ case with a new 2TB spinner that is destined for backups to backups.
I will watch this topic with interest guys, but please deal with Dwynne’s problem first, I have hijacked his Thread, sorry Dwynne!
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I'm out.When you tell people a truth that they see as unforgivable:
Something new, an intelligent politician speaking the truth.
“I was trying to put the debate within a wider context of modern British history and tried to explain where I think Britain’s position is in the world and the possible mistakes people can make by looking back into history and misinterpreting what they see.”
Wise words, that totally escape those with rose coloured glasses.
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I'm out.Dear Bob We are NOT a tiny weeny little country. That is just what the EU would have you believe. Two fingers up to them.
But we are a small country Graham, in terms of population and area. The problem is that too many of that population, are living in the past. look at your “two fingers” gesture, did you know where that comes from? Check out the battles of Crécy, Poitiers and Agincourt, all English victories and all won mainly by the efforts of English and Welsh bowmen. The French vowed to cut off the two ‘draw’ fingers of the bowmen, who promptly began flashing those two fingers at the French at every opportunity. The problem with the gesture is that it is based upon events in the 13th and 14th Centuries – living in the past again.
I once heard a well to do English toff telling a French guy in a Larzac bar, that “…we once owned all this area you know.” I was with a mate and we were on exercise with the French. The mate had a French mother: he walked over to the toff with his ½ Liter of beer and poured its contents over the toff’s head. That toff is symptomatic of many Brits’ attitude to people from other countries.
” The EU are robbers. They cannot bully us by threatening to withdrawal funding cos we pay them. ”
If you mean we contribute whilst we are still members of the EU, of course we do, in common with all other EU member nations, and we do not contribute as much as France or Germany. What you fail to mention is the huge amount of benefits we have received in EU grants since we have been members. But that’s typical Brexiteer tactics: talk about mythical disadvantages of EU membership, but never investigate the advantages.
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I'm out.Graham, you are still sticking to your Brexit faith, despite the very clear signs that major companies and organisations, large employers, are either moving or planning to move, from the UK. I don’t understand Brexiteers, it is very plain that this whole mess is going to damage the country, possibly for many decades, maybe into the next century even. Leaving aside the fact of Cameron’s responsibility and the current incompetence and division in Parliament, it should be obvious that the result of Leaving, in whatever shape it takes, will be a disaster for the nation.
My Remain vote was a clear and simple choice for me. I have grandchildren and I believed that their future employment, financial and life prospects would be best served if their country was a member state of the EU. I believe that even more strongly now and I do not understand why Brexiteers do not realise the truth. Yes, I hate the fact that ultimately every EU state is subject to governance by unelected bureaucrats. I dislike some of the “Directives” handed to us. But the alternative is that we will be alone as a small nation with no real support from anyone, no significant resources, a GDP affected by the fact that we import more than we export. As a member state of the EU, we had a loud voice, as one of the 3 largest economies we were able to have a say, despite what the super-patriots say about ‘Sovereignty.’ Now we are going to be outside of that support and subject to anyone who wants to take a piece of us.
The British empire died long ago and most of the Commonwealth resents us. We can only expect support from the US, Australia, NZ or Canada if it suits them economically. The moment that we are seen to be a drain on their resources, we will be dropped. That is reality and Brexiteers struggle with reality.
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I'm out.Thanks Steve, didn’t know Larry Niven had passed. I will look into the Expeditionary Force books when I can: currently have 5 library books and 3 more on the Kindle, one of which I am reading atm. “Gibraltar: the Greatest Siege In British History”. A part of Brit history I have never read about before, but under the current EU – UK conditions, I got interested. Anyone who wants to know what life was like for a squaddie then (includes Booties!) should read it. Library books are one thing that annoys me: I read the blurb on the cover or inside, take them home and find that at least one is garbage. That’s why I take out so many at a time, to get one or two that are OK. Plus I get to go to Mablethorpe Lidl and pick up the cheese bread I love, and their Clementines are juicier than anyone else’s. (I eat at least a dozen a week)
Spain tried everything to take back The Rock, including a lot of French help and starving the Garrison through blockade. They failed, but as usual the British government did not do a great deal to help. (Nothing changes!)
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I'm out.You’re probably right about that Dave, but my fear is that some terrorist bunch (or a loner) get hold of a larger drone and use it to attack at a smaller airport.
I read the Airbus declaration with despair. More and more companies and organisations moving from the UK: how do the Brexiteers square the fact that their misplaced patriotism and head in the sand attitude is going to bring our country to ruin?
It looks like the West of the UK is going to suffer more than the East. All the Humber work by EU based companies is still going ahead. However, one company, the Danish group Ørsted, has now packed up the massive works they had just off the A16, albeit only because the project is finished.
Nearest to me: http://tinyurl.com/y7d7vwqd
Scroll down to the map, click on 14, see No.2 on the East Coast.
That No.2 windfarm was cabled through to the A16 facility, about halfway between Louth and Grimsby. The power was then fed to the National Grid and powers a large number of Lincolnshire homes. It was massive, but now the work is finished, all that is left is a large tarmacked area. Happened overnight: I drove up to Grimsby one morning, there was a Highways warning about overnight road closure. I drove up again next afternoon and it was completely gone. Apparently the workers were offered jobs in another Ørsted facility on the Humber, and most went. Workers around Lincolnshire are well used to traveling for work.
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I'm out.I agree with most of your summation regarding the smaller, lighter drones Ed, but there is always the chance of even a small drone entering a turbofan intake, with disastrous consequences.
Steve I had a similar experience with someone local, who at the time of the referendum vote asked me which way I voted, to be told that my vote was between myself and the ballot box. In a bitter, vitriolic reply, he then said “That will stop all the (obscenity) Muzzies coming here!”
I pointed out that would only apply to followers of Islam who were born in an EU country, and perhaps not even those, not the vast numbers who were born in a British Commonwealth country, or a British Dependency. I think I hurt his brain, he walked away shaking his head to ease the pain.
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I'm out.I have been an SF reader almost since I could read, which is a long history of SF books. First SF I ever read that got me hooked on the genre, was Arthur C. Clarke’s “The City And The Stars” the original title being “Against the Fall of Night” first published in 1948, probably read by me around 1953*. “The City And The Stars” was an expanded, much improved edition of “Against the Fall of Night” and is a better read than the original. It is ageless, just as current a read as it was when first published. The “Rama” series is wonderful. He was a prolific writer with a brilliant imagination, check his Wiki bibliography:
If you like ‘Hard SF’, these are my favourite writers – Peter F. Hamilton, Alastair Reynolds, Stephen Baxter, Ken McLeod,Gareth L. Powell, Gregory Benford. Steve mentions Larry Niven, another prolific writer. He wrote many books with another guy called Jerry Pournelle: the first collaboration I read from them was “Lucifer’s Hammer” followed by “The Mote In God’s Eye”. Both great, imaginative stories. The “Ringworld” Series of 4 books, is a great read, written by Niven alone.
“Ringworld” – “The Ringworld Engineers” – “The Ringworld Throne” – “Ringworld’s Children”.
*I was a very early reader, taught to read and write by my big brother, 17 years older than myself, at the age of 3. RIP Eric John Williams, gone too soon at 59, still miss you bro.
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I'm out.Thanks for the G6 & G7 tips Steve, keeping my eyes on that as it develops.
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I'm out.Steve wrote:
” But the current is covered but I’m not sure who with. I should really find that out. It’s a motability car, In wife’s name. ”
That would be RSA Steve: all Motability leases are covered by them. I have had to claim 3 times since 1995, and never had a problem with them. They have actually improved their service over the years. When I made my last claim, it was for a rear nearside light lens, victim of my son’s trailer hook, didn’t see it parked in his layby in the dark returning my gson home: their village is pitch black at night. Sorted in 3 days, with a neat little Kia Picanto Auto loan car. Took it up to Nationwide* Grimsby and it was returned to my house on the Friday, loan car taken away. BTW, the lens assembly would have cost me £350 from Hyundai!
Making a claim under older Motability rules, used to mean losing the “Good Condition” payment when exchanging for another car after 3 years. They changed that a few years ago: now, if you return the car in good nick, there is a £250 payment. I use this to put with a bit more for a deposit to get a better model, choosing the one I want and going up the model range or buying extras with it.
*Nationwide has massive body shops across the UK and all claims are directed by Motability/RSA to the one nearest your location. Up to a few years ago, I could take mine to a mate’s local body shop, or any which carried out insurance repairs. Then Motability made a deal with Nationwide, lots of other body shops joined Nationwide and expanded their business.
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I'm out.I will have to make a decision about phones soon. My Wileyfox Swift (original Swift) is failing: keeps powering off and the battery* is not holding charge well: dead after a day’s use and I don’t do anything heavy with it. My 8″ Lenovo Tablet lasts much longer, even though I do much more with that: emails, reading Kindle, news sites, FB etc. Checking after charging yesterday, phone lost 5% whilst screen was switched off, in about 15 minutes! Our Gert’s (original) Spark is suffering same problem and is also having Storage issues. STK was the company that bought up the remains of WF:
-but they are not interested in the older phones, could not provide me with a battery. I will be looking at a G6 or waiting to see what the G7 comes out at.
*Sourced a battery from China for a ridiculous sum, less than a fiver. It is a genuine original Swift battery, looks exactly like the original that came with the phone. The Chinese company must have bought them up when WF went TU. When I ordered it, I asked for another for our Gert’s Spark, they emailed to say ‘unavailable’ then sent me one included in the price. Gert switches her Spark off at night, I don’t and her battery lasts a bit longer (in the phone, that is. Lol.)
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I'm out.That SAAB was fast becoming a Classic and probably worth more than £1,500 to someone who wanted one. I can see what the insurance assessor was basing his report upon: cost of repair against value. The problem here is that many assessors have never worked in the Trade, which was just as true in my working days. However, I suspect that the information from the car’s owner that he wanted to buy back the car, was not transmitted to the assessor. Lack of communication in the organisation?
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I'm out.Ah yes, Polls, Projections and Surveys. Always turn out to have been correct, don’t they? Very rarely, all taken from a tiny minority of the British people. Many choices change at the ballot box.
As for Tolerance: I have to be, I am a Remainer married to a Leaver. (applicable to Brexit only, but you never know…) We often debate the latest rubbish uttered by Talking Heads on both sides, but we have never argued about the issues. We respect each other’s opinions and choices, we always have given each other space. I also respect the opinions and views of the Leavers here on Forumite, even if I disagree with them.
That’s democracy and as a Remainer I believe that the original Referendum decision should be respected. I just wish we had some real government who would be strong enough to get the decision implemented ASAP.
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