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  • AndrewAndrew Posts: 2,900

    As a matter of interest - is it actually possible now to fly to Edinburgh and get a tram straight to the city?

    Yes, that's its entire route, airport > city centre.

    I think the bus is probably quicker most of the time though, because it's direct, whereas the tram route winds around a bit. Maybe not at peak times, because the tram gets the lights automatically and then moves onto dedicated track.


  • Eat, drink and be merry for tommorow we may diet!

    Gastric banding works quite well, as does gastric bypass. There are also drugs that cause fat malabsorption. I have never fancied the consequent dumping syndrome or steatorrhea myself though, but to each their own.

    I've heard the horror stories about the fat absorption blockers - food coming out essentially undigested at a moments notice.
    Not food per se - just fat as a liquid oil. Of course oil is an effective lubricant....

    While being overweight is clearly unhealthy....some of the dietary advice over the last 50 years may not have been as robustly founded as its proponents might have you believe:

    http://thebigfatsurprise.com

    To adapt the old saying about teetotallers, - 'Vegetarians don't live longer - it just feels longer'
    Sunil: Meat? Ugh!

    TSE: It's what Ian Rush drinks!

    :lol:
    Ian Rush?
    Yeah! And he said if I don't drink lots of meat, when I grow up, I only gonna be good enough to play for Accrington Stanley!
    Accrington Stanley, who are they?
    Exactly!
  • New Zealand flag contender chosen, as (quasi-)tipped by me at 5/4.

    Also NB the magnificent photo caption:

    Red Peak, by designer Aaron Dustin, was popular on social media but in the end came in third

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-35059898
  • flightpath01flightpath01 Posts: 4,903
    edited December 2015

    The last deep coal mine in the UK will close next Friday.
    And so 200-250 years of history ends.

    In one sense it is very sad. I come from a long line of colliers.
    In another its a blessing that we do not have to send people down deep holes in the ground to dig for coal. At least the geology and technology means we can extract gas in the future.
    Of course going back those 250 years when coal first fired our industrial revolution it was relatively easy to extract.
    Today however there is an open-cast mine in the US which extracts about 107m tonnes of low sulphur coal annually and has recoverable reserves of some 2.3bn tonnes. Thats 'billion'.
    A mine in Mongolia has just opened at a cost of $1.1bn and has reserves of 1.7bn tonnes.

    Its sometimes worth remembering we are just a small island in the North Sea.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 43,573
    Diets and health:

    I've known a couple of people with eating disorders, including dating an anorexic (although she never classed herself as such). Whilst everybody has an ideal weight, obsession with weight alone is often harmful. Better to have a rounded diet, be a few kilos over, and be happy.

    IMO the mental health of many 'permanent' dieters is possibly harmed more by the dieting than their physical health if they just relaxed a little and were a little overweight.
  • Tissue_PriceTissue_Price Posts: 9,039
    edited December 2015
  • WandererWanderer Posts: 3,838
    They should have gone for the sheep with the ice-cream cone.
  • blackburn63blackburn63 Posts: 4,492

    The last deep coal mine in the UK will close next Friday.
    And so 200-250 years of history ends.

    In one sense it is very sad. I come from a long line of colliers.
    In another its a blessing that we do not have to send people down deep holes in the ground to dig for coal. At least the geology and technology means we can extract gas in the future.
    Of course going back those 250 years when coal first fired our industrial revolution it was relatively easy to extract.
    Today however there is an open-cast mine in the US which extracts about 107m tonnes of low sulphur coal annually and has recoverable reserves of some 2.3bn tonnes. Thats 'billion'.
    A mine in Mongolia has just opened at a cost of $1.1bn and has reserves of 1.7bn tonnes.

    Its sometimes worth remembering we are just a small island in the North Sea.
    Such a contradictory post, men weren't sent down deep holes, if you come from a long line of Colliers you would appreciate the devastation in mining villages.

  • New Zealand flag contender chosen, as (quasi-)tipped by me at 5/4.
    Also NB the magnificent photo caption:
    Red Peak, by designer Aaron Dustin, was popular on social media but in the end came in third
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-35059898

    The design looks OK, but the colours a bit drab.
    Perhaps there should have been a long white cloud option.

    I see, interestingly enough, that new Zealand is in Asia according to the BBC.
  • Plato_SaysPlato_Says Posts: 11,822
    It may seem peculiar - but good body building sites often provide some of the best support to those with eating disorders, once they've decided they need help and are looking for encouragement/nutritional advice.

    Diets and health:

    I've known a couple of people with eating disorders, including dating an anorexic (although she never classed herself as such). Whilst everybody has an ideal weight, obsession with weight alone is often harmful. Better to have a rounded diet, be a few kilos over, and be happy.

    IMO the mental health of many 'permanent' dieters is possibly harmed more by the dieting than their physical health if they just relaxed a little and were a little overweight.

  • ThreeQuidderThreeQuidder Posts: 6,133
    edited December 2015
    Loser wins ;)
  • The last deep coal mine in the UK will close next Friday.
    And so 200-250 years of history ends.

    In one sense it is very sad. I come from a long line of colliers.
    In another its a blessing that we do not have to send people down deep holes in the ground to dig for coal. At least the geology and technology means we can extract gas in the future.
    Of course going back those 250 years when coal first fired our industrial revolution it was relatively easy to extract.
    Today however there is an open-cast mine in the US which extracts about 107m tonnes of low sulphur coal annually and has recoverable reserves of some 2.3bn tonnes. Thats 'billion'.
    A mine in Mongolia has just opened at a cost of $1.1bn and has reserves of 1.7bn tonnes.

    Its sometimes worth remembering we are just a small island in the North Sea.
    Such a contradictory post, men weren't sent down deep holes, if you come from a long line of Colliers you would appreciate the devastation in mining villages.
    Of course it is a contradictory post - read my first two sentences.
    I come from a mining town, not village. My relatives came from a generation where they dug their own coal. And they dug it down the bottom of what was in effect a deep and dangerous hole in the ground. If they chose not to they went without a job. Our demand for power sent them there.
  • The polls overstated the one that was popular on social media. Has this ever happened before?

    twitter.com/Caleb_T/status/675214346948116480
  • MikeKMikeK Posts: 9,053
    Trump, Trump, Trump.
    We all, are marching. Cheer up, comrades, here we come. And beneath the starry flag, we shall breathe the air again, of the free land in our own beloved homes.

    New words to an old hymn.


  • Eat, drink and be merry for tommorow we may diet!

    Gastric banding works quite well, as does gastric bypass. There are also drugs that cause fat malabsorption. I have never fancied the consequent dumping syndrome or steatorrhea myself though, but to each their own.

    The problem I have with gastric banding/bypass, in addition to the issues associated with invasive surgery, is that it works by making you eat less. I don't want to eat less. I deeply enjoy the experience of eating, and a substantial part of my career is dependent on it.

    I've heard the horror stories about the fat absorption blockers - food coming out essentially undigested at a moments notice. Brutal stuff. It really doesn't feel like 21st century medicine.
    The 21st century solution is to identify the problem and develop ways to fix it. The problem is eating more calories than you burn there are lots of 21st century calorie trackers and exercise trackers you can get.

    What you seem to be suggesting is like saying: I like smoking so I want to be able to smoke and not get cancer. What is medicine doing about it. I like unprotected sex so I want to have lots of unprotected sex and not get STDs.
    When I was a med student in the early days of AIDS I was approached by a graphic designer friend who asked me about the risks as a hetero sexual. I replied that at that time the risk was very low, but may be much more of a problem in a few years. His response: "So you are saying that I screw around as much as I can now, while it is still safe?" A perfectly valid interpretation of my summary!
    He took the advice of a medical student! Wow!
  • MarkHopkinsMarkHopkins Posts: 5,584

    new thread

  • blackburn63blackburn63 Posts: 4,492

    The last deep coal mine in the UK will close next Friday.
    And so 200-250 years of history ends.

    In one sense it is very sad. I come from a long line of colliers.
    In another its a blessing that we do not have to send people down deep holes in the ground to dig for coal. At least the geology and technology means we can extract gas in the future.
    Of course going back those 250 years when coal first fired our industrial revolution it was relatively easy to extract.
    Today however there is an open-cast mine in the US which extracts about 107m tonnes of low sulphur coal annually and has recoverable reserves of some 2.3bn tonnes. Thats 'billion'.
    A mine in Mongolia has just opened at a cost of $1.1bn and has reserves of 1.7bn tonnes.

    Its sometimes worth remembering we are just a small island in the North Sea.
    Such a contradictory post, men weren't sent down deep holes, if you come from a long line of Colliers you would appreciate the devastation in mining villages.
    Of course it is a contradictory post - read my first two sentences.
    I come from a mining town, not village. My relatives came from a generation where they dug their own coal. And they dug it down the bottom of what was in effect a deep and dangerous hole in the ground. If they chose not to they went without a job. Our demand for power sent them there.
    You say

    it's a blessing we do not have to send people down deep holes.

    I'd have enjoyed walking round the mining villages of East Kent in 1984 while you told miners that. I've never heard such patronising and sanctimonious tosh.
  • sladeslade Posts: 2,083

    On TV: saw the last episode of The Last Kingdom last night. Won't spoil it, but overall I've enjoyed the series rather a lot. There are some iffy moments, but I thought the portrayal of Alfred was excellent.

    I have just watched it on iplayer. It was certainly Alfred as we have never seen him before - although they managed to get in the burning cakes story. The shield wall portrayal brought home the brutality of medieval warfare. Do we know if there is to be a further series?
  • richardDoddrichardDodd Posts: 5,472
    bb63..As a former deep seam coal miner I can assure you that most of the miners who worked at my old pit were relieved when it finally closed..the feeling was one of relief that they were released from the tyranny of being born in a mining town and could now pursue a proper,surface,job
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,603
    slade said:

    On TV: saw the last episode of The Last Kingdom last night. Won't spoil it, but overall I've enjoyed the series rather a lot. There are some iffy moments, but I thought the portrayal of Alfred was excellent.

    I have just watched it on iplayer. It was certainly Alfred as we have never seen him before - although they managed to get in the burning cakes story. The shield wall portrayal brought home the brutality of medieval warfare. Do we know if there is to be a further series?
    I hope so. I could take or leave Uthdred, but the guy playing Alfred was exactly as I had pictured from the books. Despite obviously being lower budget than something like Vikings it had some moments of ambition as well, it was pretty good all told.
This discussion has been closed.