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A reminder that significant portions of Britons are so stupid they should be denied the vote and not

2

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  • moonshinemoonshine Posts: 5,737
    The most unselfaware metro thread header there’s ever been on Pb. Has TSE really never sat and watched a graceful bird of prey in the Uk skies?

    Or travelled to and safely returned home from Spain, Greece, Italy, Finland or Croatia, all European countries with wild wolf populations?
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,384
    We certainly already have beavers and birds of prey. There was a breeding pair of red kite in my village a few years ago. Introducing lynx has been proposed for Kielder. It was very controversial.
  • SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 17,559
    Scott_xP said:

    Exclusive:

    Boris Johnson rejected advice from cab sec to change phone number after concerns were raised about extent to which he was being contacted

    Simon Case is said to have recommended move last year amid concern over number of people contacting PM

    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/4250abf8-a2d9-11eb-b457-728758ee7665?shareToken=b1f13e354e880b339d784cd09b90efcc

    Hum. Does THIS remind you of anyone???????
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 49,836
    This thread is lupi
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 42,717
    moonshine said:

    The most unselfaware metro thread header there’s ever been on Pb. Has TSE really never sat and watched a graceful bird of prey in the Uk skies?

    Or travelled to and safely returned home from Spain, Greece, Italy, Finland or Croatia, all European countries with wild wolf populations?

    Just wait till they get so common they're eating dog shite and discarded burgers in Shepherd's Bush and Borough High Street like the good old mediaeval plague-ridden days ...
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 42,717
    Nigelb said:

    ....
    FUCK ME - BEARS!!!!

    That sort of invocation is liable to misinterpretation ....
    Especially in Glasgow.
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830
    algarkirk said:

    What the hardest mammal - i.e. would be certain to beat any other mammal on earth in unarmed combat?

    My money is on the tiger.
    Bull elephant or killer whale.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 42,717

    Scott_xP said:

    Exclusive:

    Boris Johnson rejected advice from cab sec to change phone number after concerns were raised about extent to which he was being contacted

    Simon Case is said to have recommended move last year amid concern over number of people contacting PM

    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/4250abf8-a2d9-11eb-b457-728758ee7665?shareToken=b1f13e354e880b339d784cd09b90efcc

    Hum. Does THIS remind you of anyone???????
    Including the bit re not keeping records of gmt business.
  • bigjohnowlsbigjohnowls Posts: 22,649
    edited April 2021
    IanB2 said:

    This thread is lupi

    Snooker is lupi surely

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BliAPzEsao0
  • FlatlanderFlatlander Posts: 4,635
    Carnyx said:


    SNH as was was doing reafforestation on Rum NNR back in the late 1970s - already a huge improvement when I revisited ca 1990 - so I am a tad sceptical about claims of that ilk (showing the agencies ...). Not least because deer and forest clearance were identified as problems long, long ago (Fraser Darling).

    But good to see it done whoever.

    Rum still has a lot of deer. I can't remember seeing much natural regeneration when I was last there (10 years ago maybe), particularly on the uplands, although there had no doubt been some planting.

    At Glen Feshie they have taken to shooting _all_ the deer - or at least all the deer that they can find - without trying to maintain a 'balance'. NTS have kept much higher numbers on the other side of the Cairngorms on the Mar estate, and you can see large herds in the winter on the Dee. It does make a difference.
  • moonshine said:

    The most unselfaware metro thread header there’s ever been on Pb. Has TSE really never sat and watched a graceful bird of prey in the Uk skies?

    Or travelled to and safely returned home from Spain, Greece, Italy, Finland or Croatia, all European countries with wild wolf populations?

    I am not one of life's great outdoorsmen.

    I blame my hayfever.
  • SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 17,559
    Toms said:

    sarissa said:

    What the hardest mammal - i.e. would be certain to beat any other mammal on earth in unarmed combat?

    Pound for pound, I’ll nominate the honey badger: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_badger
    Decades ago I read a short science fiction story (can't remember by whom) about an alien reconnaissance ship landing somewhere in Canada or Alaska and immediately encountering a Grizzly just out of hibernation whereupon they recommended that Earth be quarantined.

    But I might add that Homo "Sapiens" is by far the most dangerous species on Earth.
    When Lewis & Clark set out on their famous expedition, they recorded in their journals, that the natives told tales of huge, aggressive bears found in the western mountains. Obviously exaggerated they wrote & thought - until they actually encountered one of the critters.

    Upon which one of the explorers fired his gun at it. Which only served to piss the beast off, and come running FAST at his attacker.

    Luckily there was others with guns about (they were armed with single-shot muzzle-loaders) as it took multiple bullets to dispatch the first - but not last - grizzly bear they'd ever laid eyes on.
  • sarissasarissa Posts: 1,985
    IshmaelZ said:

    algarkirk said:

    What the hardest mammal - i.e. would be certain to beat any other mammal on earth in unarmed combat?

    My money is on the tiger.
    Bull elephant or killer whale.
    A tour guide in Tanzania told me the Cape Buffalo were the most dangerous to humans, mainly to people who took them for oversized cattle.
  • justin124justin124 Posts: 11,527
    edited April 2021

    Scott_xP said:

    Exclusive:

    Boris Johnson rejected advice from cab sec to change phone number after concerns were raised about extent to which he was being contacted

    Simon Case is said to have recommended move last year amid concern over number of people contacting PM

    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/4250abf8-a2d9-11eb-b457-728758ee7665?shareToken=b1f13e354e880b339d784cd09b90efcc

    Hum. Does THIS remind you of anyone???????
    'Britain is doing better under the corrupt Sleazebags. Don't let Labour ruin it!'
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 42,717

    Carnyx said:


    SNH as was was doing reafforestation on Rum NNR back in the late 1970s - already a huge improvement when I revisited ca 1990 - so I am a tad sceptical about claims of that ilk (showing the agencies ...). Not least because deer and forest clearance were identified as problems long, long ago (Fraser Darling).

    But good to see it done whoever.

    Rum still has a lot of deer. I can't remember seeing much natural regeneration when I was last there (10 years ago maybe), particularly on the uplands, although there had no doubt been some planting.

    At Glen Feshie they have taken to shooting _all_ the deer - or at least all the deer that they can find - without trying to maintain a 'balance'. NTS have kept much higher numbers on the other side of the Cairngorms on the Mar estate, and you can see large herds in the winter on the Dee. It does make a difference.
    Oh, quite. I can well believe it. I'm not familiar with the case and the plans but to my mind the obvious question is what happens in the longer run if there are no herbivores. You'd end up with a choked climax forest with localised storm clearings. If it were Australia it'd be a frightening fire risk.

    At least when I was on Rum the deer were completely excluded from large areas of the island. Thinking back, and digging it up from memory, the intent was to let the woodland regenerate till the trees could survive with deer around and then see what happened - the Red Deer being primitively a woodland species of old. I must look it up to see how things are going now.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 48,551
    IshmaelZ said:

    Pulpstar said:

    I killed a female pheasant today.

    Not intentionally. But I was going 50mph, it was prevaricating in the middle of the road, I couldn't swerve to avoid it (oncoming traffic) and nor could I do an emergency stop with cars behind me - so I sounded the horn repeatedly hoping it might move.

    It didn't.

    They are the dumbest birds out there.
    Not their fault. They are dumped in huge numbers into unknown environments. Indigenous pheasants, where they exist, are as sensible as any other bird.
    I think there are no indigenous pheasants. They were introduced by the Romans.
  • moonshinemoonshine Posts: 5,737

    moonshine said:

    The most unselfaware metro thread header there’s ever been on Pb. Has TSE really never sat and watched a graceful bird of prey in the Uk skies?

    Or travelled to and safely returned home from Spain, Greece, Italy, Finland or Croatia, all European countries with wild wolf populations?

    I am not one of life's great outdoorsmen.

    I blame my hayfever.
    What you complaining for then? Bears can’t open doors too easily if you lock it.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 32,475
    edited April 2021
    "Whitehall chief’s fears over phone lobbying access to Boris Johnson

    PM refuses to change mobile despite lobbying row" {£}

    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/whitehall-chiefs-fears-over-phone-lobbying-access-to-boris-johnson-wrmbptqxq

    "However Johnson, who has had the same phone number for more than a decade, was reluctant to change it and rejected the advice. A Whitehall source said the extent of the contact was a consistent cause for concern among officials."
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 42,717
    moonshine said:

    moonshine said:

    The most unselfaware metro thread header there’s ever been on Pb. Has TSE really never sat and watched a graceful bird of prey in the Uk skies?

    Or travelled to and safely returned home from Spain, Greece, Italy, Finland or Croatia, all European countries with wild wolf populations?

    I am not one of life's great outdoorsmen.

    I blame my hayfever.
    What you complaining for then? Bears can’t open doors too easily if you lock it.
    Depends how strong the door is.

    And they don't always bother going in the front door.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nWCPGjOzMQ
  • SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 17,559
    moonshine said:

    moonshine said:

    The most unselfaware metro thread header there’s ever been on Pb. Has TSE really never sat and watched a graceful bird of prey in the Uk skies?

    Or travelled to and safely returned home from Spain, Greece, Italy, Finland or Croatia, all European countries with wild wolf populations?

    I am not one of life's great outdoorsmen.

    I blame my hayfever.
    What you complaining for then? Bears can’t open doors too easily if you lock it.
    Bears generally do NOT pick locks.

    Instead, they simply chew a hole in the door. Or wall or whatever. IF they want in, that is.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 42,717
    moonshine said:

    moonshine said:

    The most unselfaware metro thread header there’s ever been on Pb. Has TSE really never sat and watched a graceful bird of prey in the Uk skies?

    Or travelled to and safely returned home from Spain, Greece, Italy, Finland or Croatia, all European countries with wild wolf populations?

    I am not one of life's great outdoorsmen.

    I blame my hayfever.
    What you complaining for then? Bears can’t open doors too easily if you lock it.
    PS TSE's a Mancunian gentleman isn't he? Quite right to be worried about Bears.

    https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/never-before-seen-images-one-14667382
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,384
    Anyways.
    Aren't owls birds of prey?
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 48,551
    sarissa said:

    IshmaelZ said:

    algarkirk said:

    What the hardest mammal - i.e. would be certain to beat any other mammal on earth in unarmed combat?

    My money is on the tiger.
    Bull elephant or killer whale.
    A tour guide in Tanzania told me the Cape Buffalo were the most dangerous to humans, mainly to people who took them for oversized cattle.
    I think Hippos are pretty dangerous too. They are always tipping over canoes, and most Africans cannot swim, so drown. Never get between a Hippo and the water either.
  • FlatlanderFlatlander Posts: 4,635
    Carnyx said:

    Carnyx said:


    SNH as was was doing reafforestation on Rum NNR back in the late 1970s - already a huge improvement when I revisited ca 1990 - so I am a tad sceptical about claims of that ilk (showing the agencies ...). Not least because deer and forest clearance were identified as problems long, long ago (Fraser Darling).

    But good to see it done whoever.

    Rum still has a lot of deer. I can't remember seeing much natural regeneration when I was last there (10 years ago maybe), particularly on the uplands, although there had no doubt been some planting.

    At Glen Feshie they have taken to shooting _all_ the deer - or at least all the deer that they can find - without trying to maintain a 'balance'. NTS have kept much higher numbers on the other side of the Cairngorms on the Mar estate, and you can see large herds in the winter on the Dee. It does make a difference.
    Oh, quite. I can well believe it. I'm not familiar with the case and the plans but to my mind the obvious question is what happens in the longer run if there are no herbivores. You'd end up with a choked climax forest with localised storm clearings. If it were Australia it'd be a frightening fire risk.

    At least when I was on Rum the deer were completely excluded from large areas of the island. Thinking back, and digging it up from memory, the intent was to let the woodland regenerate till the trees could survive with deer around and then see what happened - the Red Deer being primitively a woodland species of old. I must look it up to see how things are going now.
    Me too :smile:

    I don't think climax forest is a worry for a loooong time, though.

    I sometimes wonder what would happen if the land was abandoned entirely. We've introduced a lot of Sitka spruce in plantations and the climate is very similar in Scotland to the parts of the US where it grows natively. Left alone it is a spectacular tree. I wonder if it would 'go native' and the western woods would eventually turn into stands of Sitka and Douglas Fir? I once found a Sitka growing at 3000ft in Glencoe and no man had planted it there...
  • moonshine said:

    moonshine said:

    The most unselfaware metro thread header there’s ever been on Pb. Has TSE really never sat and watched a graceful bird of prey in the Uk skies?

    Or travelled to and safely returned home from Spain, Greece, Italy, Finland or Croatia, all European countries with wild wolf populations?

    I am not one of life's great outdoorsmen.

    I blame my hayfever.
    What you complaining for then? Bears can’t open doors too easily if you lock it.
    I'm a patrician Tory, I'm thinking about those less fortunate than me and are living in areas where the bears roam free.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 42,717
    edited April 2021

    Carnyx said:


    SNH as was was doing reafforestation on Rum NNR back in the late 1970s - already a huge improvement when I revisited ca 1990 - so I am a tad sceptical about claims of that ilk (showing the agencies ...). Not least because deer and forest clearance were identified as problems long, long ago (Fraser Darling).

    But good to see it done whoever.

    Rum still has a lot of deer. I can't remember seeing much natural regeneration when I was last there (10 years ago maybe), particularly on the uplands, although there had no doubt been some planting.

    At Glen Feshie they have taken to shooting _all_ the deer - or at least all the deer that they can find - without trying to maintain a 'balance'. NTS have kept much higher numbers on the other side of the Cairngorms on the Mar estate, and you can see large herds in the winter on the Dee. It does make a difference.
    PS You wouldn't get trees on the uplands of Rum, anyway, any more than in the Sahara. In Fraser Darling's memorable words, it's a "wet desert". As I recvall, only good for sundews, flies and geologists, and scenic walks.
  • Johnny Mercer saying what anyone sensible has been saying for months. It's nice to have it confirmed.
  • Carnyx said:

    moonshine said:

    moonshine said:

    The most unselfaware metro thread header there’s ever been on Pb. Has TSE really never sat and watched a graceful bird of prey in the Uk skies?

    Or travelled to and safely returned home from Spain, Greece, Italy, Finland or Croatia, all European countries with wild wolf populations?

    I am not one of life's great outdoorsmen.

    I blame my hayfever.
    What you complaining for then? Bears can’t open doors too easily if you lock it.
    PS TSE's a Mancunian gentleman isn't he? Quite right to be worried about Bears.

    https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/never-before-seen-images-one-14667382
    I'm a Yorkshireman who works in Manchester.

    Ok I lived in Manchester for a few years and I still own property there.
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 78,087
    algarkirk said:

    What the hardest mammal - i.e. would be certain to beat any other mammal on earth in unarmed combat?

    My money is on the tiger.
    A big male kodiak would take some beating.
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830
    Foxy said:

    IshmaelZ said:

    Pulpstar said:

    I killed a female pheasant today.

    Not intentionally. But I was going 50mph, it was prevaricating in the middle of the road, I couldn't swerve to avoid it (oncoming traffic) and nor could I do an emergency stop with cars behind me - so I sounded the horn repeatedly hoping it might move.

    It didn't.

    They are the dumbest birds out there.
    Not their fault. They are dumped in huge numbers into unknown environments. Indigenous pheasants, where they exist, are as sensible as any other bird.
    I think there are no indigenous pheasants. They were introduced by the Romans.
    Meaning indigenous to their own area, born and bred wild, not introduced as bought-in poults.
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,384
    Factoid.
    98 people killed by cattle in the past 20 years in UK.
    Should we ban them?
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830
    sarissa said:

    IshmaelZ said:

    algarkirk said:

    What the hardest mammal - i.e. would be certain to beat any other mammal on earth in unarmed combat?

    My money is on the tiger.
    Bull elephant or killer whale.
    A tour guide in Tanzania told me the Cape Buffalo were the most dangerous to humans, mainly to people who took them for oversized cattle.
    Shooting them is high risk as their foreheads are virtually bullet proof. They polished off one of the Lovat Frasers in Tanzania a bit ago,
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 48,551
    Pulpstar said:

    algarkirk said:

    What the hardest mammal - i.e. would be certain to beat any other mammal on earth in unarmed combat?

    My money is on the tiger.
    A big male kodiak would take some beating.
    In the water, a leopard seal is pretty formidable.
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 35,954
    EXCL: Eddie Lister, Boris Johnson's trusted aide and Gulf envoy, told the UAE that Man City's participation in the Super League would damage the country's relations with the UK — effectively escalating the football row into a diplomatic dispute

    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/british-envoy-warned-uae-not-to-let-manchester-city-play-in-european-super-league-v9582d6sm
  • bigjohnowlsbigjohnowls Posts: 22,649
    edited April 2021
    Today the Govt quietly confirmed that England will be the only country in the UK to deny NHS nurses and doctors a much promised COVID-19 thank you bonus.

    Can any PB Tories text BJ to ask him to change his mind
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830

    Johnny Mercer saying what anyone sensible has been saying for months. It's nice to have it confirmed.

    Has Mercer refunded any of the LCF victims yet?
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 42,717
    edited April 2021
    Foxy said:

    Pulpstar said:

    algarkirk said:

    What the hardest mammal - i.e. would be certain to beat any other mammal on earth in unarmed combat?

    My money is on the tiger.
    A big male kodiak would take some beating.
    In the water, a leopard seal is pretty formidable.
    Indeed. Curious thing is they have tricuspid shrimp-sieving molar teeth - obviously a part of the diet (but with all that krill around it's sensible, I imagine).

    PS Yep, here it is - those humomgous canines and fiddly molars.

    http://fossilsandshit.com/feeding-at-both-ends-of-the-food-chain/
  • state_go_awaystate_go_away Posts: 5,808
    Whilst not sure of the seriousness of the header , it is always a point to remember in polls like this that 95% of people surveyed will probably not give a toss either way and therefore not be inclined to think deeply about it but just say yes or no because they are surveyed . For instance being a lover of gothic culture ,i might say (if surveyed) that I think all graveyards should be styled in the gothic style but am not going to "die in a ditch" about it (slight pun intended)
  • FlatlanderFlatlander Posts: 4,635
    edited April 2021
    Carnyx said:

    Carnyx said:


    SNH as was was doing reafforestation on Rum NNR back in the late 1970s - already a huge improvement when I revisited ca 1990 - so I am a tad sceptical about claims of that ilk (showing the agencies ...). Not least because deer and forest clearance were identified as problems long, long ago (Fraser Darling).

    But good to see it done whoever.

    Rum still has a lot of deer. I can't remember seeing much natural regeneration when I was last there (10 years ago maybe), particularly on the uplands, although there had no doubt been some planting.

    At Glen Feshie they have taken to shooting _all_ the deer - or at least all the deer that they can find - without trying to maintain a 'balance'. NTS have kept much higher numbers on the other side of the Cairngorms on the Mar estate, and you can see large herds in the winter on the Dee. It does make a difference.
    PS You wouldn't get trees on the uplands of Rum, anyway, any more than in the Sahara. In Fraser Darling's memorable words, it's a "wet desert". As I recvall, only good for sundews, flies and geologists, and scenic walks.
    You would get trees, but very low ones. Woolly willow, Net-leaved willow, Dwarf birch. Not 'forest' in the normal sense, no, but trees nonetheless.

    The upland willows are currently rare species in Scotland due to overgrazing.

    If you ever try to climb hills in western Norway in the late summer, you'll encounter nightmare thickets of willow scrub in places, and I don't see why Scotland shouldn't be the same.
  • TomsToms Posts: 2,478
    edited April 2021

    Toms said:

    sarissa said:

    What the hardest mammal - i.e. would be certain to beat any other mammal on earth in unarmed combat?

    Pound for pound, I’ll nominate the honey badger: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_badger
    Decades ago I read a short science fiction story (can't remember by whom) about an alien reconnaissance ship landing somewhere in Canada or Alaska and immediately encountering a Grizzly just out of hibernation whereupon they recommended that Earth be quarantined.

    But I might add that Homo "Sapiens" is by far the most dangerous species on Earth.
    When Lewis & Clark set out on their famous expedition, they recorded in their journals, that the natives told tales of huge, aggressive bears found in the western mountains. Obviously exaggerated they wrote & thought - until they actually encountered one of the critters.

    Upon which one of the explorers fired his gun at it. Which only served to piss the beast off, and come running FAST at his attacker.

    Luckily there was others with guns about (they were armed with single-shot muzzle-loaders) as it took multiple bullets to dispatch the first - but not last - grizzly bear they'd ever laid eyes on.
    Brown bears are scary enough.
    In my teens a few of us would travel in late summer to the Quetico area in the Minnesota--Canada region for a couple of weeks canoe camping. There are no roads but many lakes sometimes joined by portaging. You can drink the lake water and fish abound(ed). Watching the occasional Aurora Borealis of an evening lying on a rock slab on a lake's edge is memorable. One year the berry crop (or something) had failed so for our first time we were plagued by brown bears. If we went to an island to avoid them they still turned up looking for food and salt too I think.

    The rule to never have food in one's tent nor did we
    But one of us smoked and had a carton of cigarettes in his pack in the (communal) tent. Bears' claws are razer sharp and one of the critters sniffed it out with a radar nose: It made slit through the canvas on the pack and decided that it was not edible and sauntered off whereupon a chum who was lying on his air mattress in that same tent with a bad stomach exploded out of it ashen faced.
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 35,954
    EXC: Covid passports allowing Brits travelling abroad to prove they’ve been jabbed are coming as early as next month.

    I’ve been leaked details of industry-gov call today. Aim is for official docs proving jab status to be ready for May 17.
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/04/21/covid-passports-proving-vaccine-status-released-summer-holidays/
  • Beibheirli_CBeibheirli_C Posts: 8,163
    Forriners and UK businesses are still not seeing the advantages of the Johnson Wonder Project. Perhaps that makes them smart enough to vote?

    https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/12/business/brexit-trade-100-days/index.html
  • SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 17,559
    IshmaelZ said:

    Johnny Mercer saying what anyone sensible has been saying for months. It's nice to have it confirmed.

    Has Mercer refunded any of the LCF victims yet?
    Is the LCF scandal the real reason for Mercer's defenstration?

    https://www.cityam.com/treasury-minister-sorry-for-lcf-minibond-scandal-and-plans-crackdown-on-online-fraud/
  • Philip_ThompsonPhilip_Thompson Posts: 65,826

    Forriners and UK businesses are still not seeing the advantages of the Johnson Wonder Project. Perhaps that makes them smart enough to vote?

    https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/12/business/brexit-trade-100-days/index.html

    CNN. 🤷‍♂️
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 42,717

    Whilst not sure of the seriousness of the header , it is always a point to remember in polls like this that 95% of people surveyed will probably not give a toss either way and therefore not be inclined to think deeply about it but just say yes or no because they are surveyed . For instance being a lover of gothic culture ,i might say (if surveyed) that I think all graveyards should be styled in the gothic style but am not going to "die in a ditch" about it (slight pun intended)

    I was so puzzled by those 'birds of prey' and 'waders' that I checked.

    https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/6xo8tuoxu4/Rewilding survey.pdf

    The question does qualify with 'extinct in the UK', specimen species quoted, etc but I saw white-tailed sea eagles in Scotland on Rum and Eigg decades ago so why ask? Same with the beavers etc. They're either extinct or not. 'Continuing their reintroduction' yes, but ...
  • state_go_awaystate_go_away Posts: 5,808
    In some Natural History section of a museum (might be Liverpool) i remember being intrigued by a handle to pull to reveal the worlds most dangerous animal only for it to reveal a mirror. Thought it a bit wanky tbh !!
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830

    IshmaelZ said:

    Johnny Mercer saying what anyone sensible has been saying for months. It's nice to have it confirmed.

    Has Mercer refunded any of the LCF victims yet?
    Is the LCF scandal the real reason for Mercer's defenstration?

    https://www.cityam.com/treasury-minister-sorry-for-lcf-minibond-scandal-and-plans-crackdown-on-online-fraud/

    IshmaelZ said:

    Johnny Mercer saying what anyone sensible has been saying for months. It's nice to have it confirmed.

    Has Mercer refunded any of the LCF victims yet?
    Is the LCF scandal the real reason for Mercer's defenstration?

    https://www.cityam.com/treasury-minister-sorry-for-lcf-minibond-scandal-and-plans-crackdown-on-online-fraud/
    I was going to say no, that's ancient history, till I saw the date of that report.
  • FlatlanderFlatlander Posts: 4,635
    edited April 2021
    Carnyx said:

    Whilst not sure of the seriousness of the header , it is always a point to remember in polls like this that 95% of people surveyed will probably not give a toss either way and therefore not be inclined to think deeply about it but just say yes or no because they are surveyed . For instance being a lover of gothic culture ,i might say (if surveyed) that I think all graveyards should be styled in the gothic style but am not going to "die in a ditch" about it (slight pun intended)

    I was so puzzled by those 'birds of prey' and 'waders' that I checked.

    https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/6xo8tuoxu4/Rewilding survey.pdf

    The question does qualify with 'extinct in the UK', specimen species quoted, etc but I saw white-tailed sea eagles in Scotland on Rum and Eigg decades ago so why ask? Same with the beavers etc. They're either extinct or not. 'Continuing their reintroduction' yes, but ...
    Yes, I didn't quite understand 'waders' or 'birds of prey' either. I suppose Red kites have been reintroduced albeit that they never quite died out.

    Mind you, there was a wild Lammergeier not very far from TSE last summer. Quite a sight it was, too...
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 32,475
    Excess deaths, updated:

    Peru
    Bulgaria
    Mexico
    Russia
    Lithuania
    North Macedonia
    Ecuador
    Serbia
    Czech Republic
    Bosnia and Herzegovina
    South Africa
    Moldova
    Romania
    Slovakia
    Poland
    Portugal
    Albania
    Bolivia
    Kazakhstan
    Italy

    https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/coronavirus-excess-deaths-tracker
  • SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 17,559
    What a fascinating and varied discussion, sparked by a wonky TSE post! So typical of PB.

    Must say I'm impressed by number of PBers with personal acquaintance with wilder parts of North America, not to mention Europe and its obscure off-shore islands.

    Heck, even TSE has ventured to some of the wilder parts of WA State! Like the lawn below the Space Needle?
  • Beibheirli_CBeibheirli_C Posts: 8,163
    Foxy said:

    sarissa said:

    IshmaelZ said:

    algarkirk said:

    What the hardest mammal - i.e. would be certain to beat any other mammal on earth in unarmed combat?

    My money is on the tiger.
    Bull elephant or killer whale.
    A tour guide in Tanzania told me the Cape Buffalo were the most dangerous to humans, mainly to people who took them for oversized cattle.
    I think Hippos are pretty dangerous too. They are always tipping over canoes, and most Africans cannot swim, so drown. Never get between a Hippo and the water either.
    IIRC, more tourists in Africa are killed by Hippos than by crocdiles. People know that crocs are dangerous and stay away from them. Hippos, OTOH are just an African water-cow...
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 42,717

    Carnyx said:

    Whilst not sure of the seriousness of the header , it is always a point to remember in polls like this that 95% of people surveyed will probably not give a toss either way and therefore not be inclined to think deeply about it but just say yes or no because they are surveyed . For instance being a lover of gothic culture ,i might say (if surveyed) that I think all graveyards should be styled in the gothic style but am not going to "die in a ditch" about it (slight pun intended)

    I was so puzzled by those 'birds of prey' and 'waders' that I checked.

    https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/6xo8tuoxu4/Rewilding survey.pdf

    The question does qualify with 'extinct in the UK', specimen species quoted, etc but I saw white-tailed sea eagles in Scotland on Rum and Eigg decades ago so why ask? Same with the beavers etc. They're either extinct or not. 'Continuing their reintroduction' yes, but ...
    Yes, I didn't quite understand 'waders' or 'birds of prey' either. I suppose Red kites have been reintroduced albeit that they never quite died out.

    Mind you, there was a wild Lammergeier not very far from TSE last summer. Quite a sight it was, too...
    A zoologist friend and I once went up to Muckle Flugga (north end of Shetland, for those who don't know) to see if the resident Wandering Albatross (which had rather lost his way in equatorial waters) was At Home. He wasn't, alas, but lots of gannets and puffins!
  • moonshinemoonshine Posts: 5,737

    What a fascinating and varied discussion, sparked by a wonky TSE post! So typical of PB.

    Must say I'm impressed by number of PBers with personal acquaintance with wilder parts of North America, not to mention Europe and its obscure off-shore islands.

    Heck, even TSE has ventured to some of the wilder parts of WA State! Like the lawn below the Space Needle?

    Blue River BC has a great brown bear water safari, where you can fairly safely watch them fishing from a little speedboat.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 42,717
    edited April 2021

    What a fascinating and varied discussion, sparked by a wonky TSE post! So typical of PB.

    Must say I'm impressed by number of PBers with personal acquaintance with wilder parts of North America, not to mention Europe and its obscure off-shore islands.

    Heck, even TSE has ventured to some of the wilder parts of WA State! Like the lawn below the Space Needle?

    Aah. Complete with Naked Mole Rat colony [edit: in the building next door, admittedly]. Happy memories of skiving off from a conference.
  • another_richardanother_richard Posts: 26,556
    There seems to be a lot of deer about.

    Don't know if that's because their numbers are increasing or somehow covid related.

    Alpacas are becoming quite common as well.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 42,717
    moonshine said:

    What a fascinating and varied discussion, sparked by a wonky TSE post! So typical of PB.

    Must say I'm impressed by number of PBers with personal acquaintance with wilder parts of North America, not to mention Europe and its obscure off-shore islands.

    Heck, even TSE has ventured to some of the wilder parts of WA State! Like the lawn below the Space Needle?

    Blue River BC has a great brown bear water safari, where you can fairly safely watch them fishing from a little speedboat.
    I'm very impressed that they can hold the little fiddly toggle to start the Evinrude outboard. What wuith their claws tending to cut the cord too.
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830

    Foxy said:

    sarissa said:

    IshmaelZ said:

    algarkirk said:

    What the hardest mammal - i.e. would be certain to beat any other mammal on earth in unarmed combat?

    My money is on the tiger.
    Bull elephant or killer whale.
    A tour guide in Tanzania told me the Cape Buffalo were the most dangerous to humans, mainly to people who took them for oversized cattle.
    I think Hippos are pretty dangerous too. They are always tipping over canoes, and most Africans cannot swim, so drown. Never get between a Hippo and the water either.
    IIRC, more tourists in Africa are killed by Hippos than by crocdiles. People know that crocs are dangerous and stay away from them. Hippos, OTOH are just an African water-cow...
    I have sailed a dinghy on Lake Naivasha and was a bit shaken to realise that the large brown water lilies were actually the tops of hippo heads. An incentive not to capsize.
  • SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 17,559
    IshmaelZ said:

    IshmaelZ said:

    Johnny Mercer saying what anyone sensible has been saying for months. It's nice to have it confirmed.

    Has Mercer refunded any of the LCF victims yet?
    Is the LCF scandal the real reason for Mercer's defenstration?

    https://www.cityam.com/treasury-minister-sorry-for-lcf-minibond-scandal-and-plans-crackdown-on-online-fraud/

    IshmaelZ said:

    Johnny Mercer saying what anyone sensible has been saying for months. It's nice to have it confirmed.

    Has Mercer refunded any of the LCF victims yet?
    Is the LCF scandal the real reason for Mercer's defenstration?

    https://www.cityam.com/treasury-minister-sorry-for-lcf-minibond-scandal-and-plans-crackdown-on-online-fraud/
    I was going to say no, that's ancient history, till I saw the date of that report.
    Yes, just happened to be published today.

    Coincidence? Conspiracy? Kismet?
  • Philip_ThompsonPhilip_Thompson Posts: 65,826
    Andy_JS said:

    Excess deaths, updated:

    Peru
    Bulgaria
    Mexico
    Russia
    Lithuania
    North Macedonia
    Ecuador
    Serbia
    Czech Republic
    Bosnia and Herzegovina
    South Africa
    Moldova
    Romania
    Slovakia
    Poland
    Portugal
    Albania
    Bolivia
    Kazakhstan
    Italy

    https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/coronavirus-excess-deaths-tracker

    Sad Premier League that nobody wants to be in there.

    The bad thing too is that most of those countries only have data until January and February too. None of them get up to April like the UK's does.

    The UK, USA and Brazil are tied for 21st under there essentially but with the UK's data a month later - given the scenes coming out of Brazil its likely only a matter of time until they go further up the list unfortunately.
  • Andy_CookeAndy_Cooke Posts: 5,001

    I killed a female pheasant today.

    Not intentionally. But I was going 50mph, it was prevaricating in the middle of the road, I couldn't swerve to avoid it (oncoming traffic) and nor could I do an emergency stop with cars behind me - so I sounded the horn repeatedly hoping it might move.

    It didn't.

    Misread that at first, glossing over the letter “h” in the penultimate word of your first sentence.

    My eyebrows did rise rather precipitously.
  • moonshinemoonshine Posts: 5,737
    Carnyx said:

    Whilst not sure of the seriousness of the header , it is always a point to remember in polls like this that 95% of people surveyed will probably not give a toss either way and therefore not be inclined to think deeply about it but just say yes or no because they are surveyed . For instance being a lover of gothic culture ,i might say (if surveyed) that I think all graveyards should be styled in the gothic style but am not going to "die in a ditch" about it (slight pun intended)

    I was so puzzled by those 'birds of prey' and 'waders' that I checked.

    https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/6xo8tuoxu4/Rewilding survey.pdf

    The question does qualify with 'extinct in the UK', specimen species quoted, etc but I saw white-tailed sea eagles in Scotland on Rum and Eigg decades ago so why ask? Same with the beavers etc. They're either extinct or not. 'Continuing their reintroduction' yes, but ...
    I mean if we're gonna do it properly, I'd go all the way and build an ice age version of Jurassic Park on the Isle of Man. Sabre tooth cat, wooly mammoth and rhino, have a few neanderthal walking about selling donuts. I'd pay to go there.
  • What a fascinating and varied discussion, sparked by a wonky TSE post! So typical of PB.

    Must say I'm impressed by number of PBers with personal acquaintance with wilder parts of North America, not to mention Europe and its obscure off-shore islands.

    Heck, even TSE has ventured to some of the wilder parts of WA State! Like the lawn below the Space Needle?

    I spent ages at the Space Needle trying to work out where Frasier Crane's apartment building was.

    Turns out it doesn't exist.
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 17,316

    What a fascinating and varied discussion, sparked by a wonky TSE post! So typical of PB.

    Must say I'm impressed by number of PBers with personal acquaintance with wilder parts of North America, not to mention Europe and its obscure off-shore islands.

    Heck, even TSE has ventured to some of the wilder parts of WA State! Like the lawn below the Space Needle?

    I spent ages at the Space Needle trying to work out where Frasier Crane's apartment building was.

    Turns out it doesn't exist.
    I’ll be honest that it took me quite a while to realise it was filmed in a studio, so good was the view.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 42,717
    moonshine said:

    Carnyx said:

    Whilst not sure of the seriousness of the header , it is always a point to remember in polls like this that 95% of people surveyed will probably not give a toss either way and therefore not be inclined to think deeply about it but just say yes or no because they are surveyed . For instance being a lover of gothic culture ,i might say (if surveyed) that I think all graveyards should be styled in the gothic style but am not going to "die in a ditch" about it (slight pun intended)

    I was so puzzled by those 'birds of prey' and 'waders' that I checked.

    https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/6xo8tuoxu4/Rewilding survey.pdf

    The question does qualify with 'extinct in the UK', specimen species quoted, etc but I saw white-tailed sea eagles in Scotland on Rum and Eigg decades ago so why ask? Same with the beavers etc. They're either extinct or not. 'Continuing their reintroduction' yes, but ...
    I mean if we're gonna do it properly, I'd go all the way and build an ice age version of Jurassic Park on the Isle of Man. Sabre tooth cat, wooly mammoth and rhino, have a few neanderthal walking about selling donuts. I'd pay to go there.
    Makes me think of the creationist Jurassic Park in 'Night Sessions' by Ken Macleod with a Presbyterian robotic Australopithecine ...
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 42,717

    There seems to be a lot of deer about.

    Don't know if that's because their numbers are increasing or somehow covid related.

    Alpacas are becoming quite common as well.

    Where, the Andean altiplano? One has to ask.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 48,551
    edited April 2021
    IshmaelZ said:

    Foxy said:

    sarissa said:

    IshmaelZ said:

    algarkirk said:

    What the hardest mammal - i.e. would be certain to beat any other mammal on earth in unarmed combat?

    My money is on the tiger.
    Bull elephant or killer whale.
    A tour guide in Tanzania told me the Cape Buffalo were the most dangerous to humans, mainly to people who took them for oversized cattle.
    I think Hippos are pretty dangerous too. They are always tipping over canoes, and most Africans cannot swim, so drown. Never get between a Hippo and the water either.
    IIRC, more tourists in Africa are killed by Hippos than by crocdiles. People know that crocs are dangerous and stay away from them. Hippos, OTOH are just an African water-cow...
    I have sailed a dinghy on Lake Naivasha and was a bit shaken to realise that the large brown water lilies were actually the tops of hippo heads. An incentive not to capsize.
    A bit further up the rift valley at lake Bogoria I was in a motor canoe with half a dozen other tourists. The skipper took us a bit too close to a hippo with young. It leapt out of the water, sufficiently that we could see the lowest part of the belly. The splash was awesome, and it was hard to keep the canoe upright. We decided that we had got enough photos, so gingerly backed away.

    Very few animals anywhere kill humans deliberately, it being mostly accidental. It is humans that kill humans deliberately.
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 22,005
    dixiedean said:

    Factoid.
    98 people killed by cattle in the past 20 years in UK.
    Should we ban them?

    Ban people? Yes.
  • moonshinemoonshine Posts: 5,737
    Carnyx said:

    moonshine said:

    Carnyx said:

    Whilst not sure of the seriousness of the header , it is always a point to remember in polls like this that 95% of people surveyed will probably not give a toss either way and therefore not be inclined to think deeply about it but just say yes or no because they are surveyed . For instance being a lover of gothic culture ,i might say (if surveyed) that I think all graveyards should be styled in the gothic style but am not going to "die in a ditch" about it (slight pun intended)

    I was so puzzled by those 'birds of prey' and 'waders' that I checked.

    https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/6xo8tuoxu4/Rewilding survey.pdf

    The question does qualify with 'extinct in the UK', specimen species quoted, etc but I saw white-tailed sea eagles in Scotland on Rum and Eigg decades ago so why ask? Same with the beavers etc. They're either extinct or not. 'Continuing their reintroduction' yes, but ...
    I mean if we're gonna do it properly, I'd go all the way and build an ice age version of Jurassic Park on the Isle of Man. Sabre tooth cat, wooly mammoth and rhino, have a few neanderthal walking about selling donuts. I'd pay to go there.
    Makes me think of the creationist Jurassic Park in 'Night Sessions' by Ken Macleod with a Presbyterian robotic Australopithecine ...
    Sounds like the start of 2001. Was a real shock watching that movie for the first time. All I really knew going in was about Hal 9000 and the spaceships with the Blue Danube Waltz. And there we were watching a bunch of people in very fake monkey costumes bugger about for what felt like an hour.
  • moonshinemoonshine Posts: 5,737

    dixiedean said:

    Factoid.
    98 people killed by cattle in the past 20 years in UK.
    Should we ban them?

    Ban people? Yes.
    Does this include people who choked on a well done sirloin at the Angus Steakhouse?
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 60,278

    What a fascinating and varied discussion, sparked by a wonky TSE post! So typical of PB.

    Must say I'm impressed by number of PBers with personal acquaintance with wilder parts of North America, not to mention Europe and its obscure off-shore islands.

    Heck, even TSE has ventured to some of the wilder parts of WA State! Like the lawn below the Space Needle?

    I spent ages at the Space Needle trying to work out where Frasier Crane's apartment building was.

    Turns out it doesn't exist.
    Seattle is a hole.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 42,058
    I like baby elephants. Nothing cuter in this world.
  • Philip_ThompsonPhilip_Thompson Posts: 65,826
    moonshine said:

    dixiedean said:

    Factoid.
    98 people killed by cattle in the past 20 years in UK.
    Should we ban them?

    Ban people? Yes.
    Does this include people who choked on a well done sirloin at the Angus Steakhouse?
    If you order your steak well done then that's just natural selection.
  • FossFoss Posts: 1,013
    kinabalu said:

    I like baby elephants. Nothing cuter in this world.

    Red Pandas?
  • Philip_ThompsonPhilip_Thompson Posts: 65,826

    I killed a female pheasant today.

    Not intentionally. But I was going 50mph, it was prevaricating in the middle of the road, I couldn't swerve to avoid it (oncoming traffic) and nor could I do an emergency stop with cars behind me - so I sounded the horn repeatedly hoping it might move.

    It didn't.

    Misread that at first, glossing over the letter “h” in the penultimate word of your first sentence.

    My eyebrows did rise rather precipitously.
    Reminds me of my favourite tongue twister:

    I'm not a pheasant plucker
    I'm the pheasant pluckers mate
    I'm busy plucking pheasants
    Because the pheasant pluckers late

    Say it out loud three times fast (probably best to do while not reading it)
  • CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    dixiedean said:

    Factoid.
    98 people killed by cattle in the past 20 years in UK.
    Should we ban them?

    Banning people from the UK would be an extreme measure I think
  • SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 17,559

    What a fascinating and varied discussion, sparked by a wonky TSE post! So typical of PB.

    Must say I'm impressed by number of PBers with personal acquaintance with wilder parts of North America, not to mention Europe and its obscure off-shore islands.

    Heck, even TSE has ventured to some of the wilder parts of WA State! Like the lawn below the Space Needle?

    I spent ages at the Space Needle trying to work out where Frasier Crane's apartment building was.

    Turns out it doesn't exist.
    I’ll be honest that it took me quite a while to realise it was filmed in a studio, so good was the view.
    Ironic, in that the view from Frasier Crane's apartment was the most authentically "Seattle" part of the whole show.

    Which otherwise was NY TV producer stereotypical view of city they knew nothing about and cared less.

    Just like American sitcom allegedly about any city west of the Hudson or east of Pasadena.

    For example, has ANYONE ever been to a Seattle coffeeshop where they bring your coffee to your table? NO!

    AND is it ALWAYS raining in Seattle? No again. (though we keep THAT to ourselves, as it helps discourage the riff-raff).

    AND does everyone in Seattle carry an umbrella? NOOOOO. In fact, that is a sign that you are either a tourist OR just got off the bus.

    Still remember the local hoots of derision, when someone on the show referred to a week-end get-away to Lake Chelan. Because THEY pronounced last syllable to rhyme with "lawn" whereas WE say it to rhyme with "Anne".

    Nevertheless, folks in the Emerald City loved the show in its prime (the final years were dreck) just like everyone else. And more so, because it was (allegedly) about Our Fair City.

  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 51,753
    kinabalu said:

    I like baby elephants. Nothing cuter in this world.

    Um, some vegetarian baby elephant-substitute for me, please!
  • SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 17,559

    What a fascinating and varied discussion, sparked by a wonky TSE post! So typical of PB.

    Must say I'm impressed by number of PBers with personal acquaintance with wilder parts of North America, not to mention Europe and its obscure off-shore islands.

    Heck, even TSE has ventured to some of the wilder parts of WA State! Like the lawn below the Space Needle?

    I spent ages at the Space Needle trying to work out where Frasier Crane's apartment building was.

    Turns out it doesn't exist.
    Seattle is a hole.
    Is that negative OR positive comment?
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 51,753
    Why might a bird of prey try to steal your food, TSE?

    Unless you were eating a rat or lemming or summat :lol:
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,384

    There seems to be a lot of deer about.

    Don't know if that's because their numbers are increasing or somehow covid related.

    Alpacas are becoming quite common as well.

    A couple of young ones crossed the road in front of me last week, following a culvert. It was a B road in the middle of the day.
    They are being culled. So venison is not deer.
  • Philip_ThompsonPhilip_Thompson Posts: 65,826

    What a fascinating and varied discussion, sparked by a wonky TSE post! So typical of PB.

    Must say I'm impressed by number of PBers with personal acquaintance with wilder parts of North America, not to mention Europe and its obscure off-shore islands.

    Heck, even TSE has ventured to some of the wilder parts of WA State! Like the lawn below the Space Needle?

    I spent ages at the Space Needle trying to work out where Frasier Crane's apartment building was.

    Turns out it doesn't exist.
    I’ll be honest that it took me quite a while to realise it was filmed in a studio, so good was the view.
    Ironic, in that the view from Frasier Crane's apartment was the most authentically "Seattle" part of the whole show.

    Which otherwise was NY TV producer stereotypical view of city they knew nothing about and cared less.

    Just like American sitcom allegedly about any city west of the Hudson or east of Pasadena.

    For example, has ANYONE ever been to a Seattle coffeeshop where they bring your coffee to your table? NO!

    AND is it ALWAYS raining in Seattle? No again. (though we keep THAT to ourselves, as it helps discourage the riff-raff).

    AND does everyone in Seattle carry an umbrella? NOOOOO. In fact, that is a sign that you are either a tourist OR just got off the bus.

    Still remember the local hoots of derision, when someone on the show referred to a week-end get-away to Lake Chelan. Because THEY pronounced last syllable to rhyme with "lawn" whereas WE say it to rhyme with "Anne".

    Nevertheless, folks in the Emerald City loved the show in its prime (the final years were dreck) just like everyone else. And more so, because it was (allegedly) about Our Fair City.

    My view of Seattle is from Grey's Anatomy: A nice enough city but not one I'd love to live in as its struck by some form of disaster every year - plane crashes, ferry boats crashing, gunmen rampaging etc

    Actually the last one seems representative of every city in America.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 51,753
    Carnyx said:

    Carnyx said:


    SNH as was was doing reafforestation on Rum NNR back in the late 1970s - already a huge improvement when I revisited ca 1990 - so I am a tad sceptical about claims of that ilk (showing the agencies ...). Not least because deer and forest clearance were identified as problems long, long ago (Fraser Darling).

    But good to see it done whoever.

    Rum still has a lot of deer. I can't remember seeing much natural regeneration when I was last there (10 years ago maybe), particularly on the uplands, although there had no doubt been some planting.

    At Glen Feshie they have taken to shooting _all_ the deer - or at least all the deer that they can find - without trying to maintain a 'balance'. NTS have kept much higher numbers on the other side of the Cairngorms on the Mar estate, and you can see large herds in the winter on the Dee. It does make a difference.
    PS You wouldn't get trees on the uplands of Rum, anyway, any more than in the Sahara. In Fraser Darling's memorable words, it's a "wet desert". As I recvall, only good for sundews, flies and geologists, and scenic walks.
    You'd think an island called "Rum" would also be good for, er, rum?
  • Beibheirli_CBeibheirli_C Posts: 8,163
    dixiedean said:

    There seems to be a lot of deer about.

    Don't know if that's because their numbers are increasing or somehow covid related.

    Alpacas are becoming quite common as well.

    A couple of young ones crossed the road in front of me last week, following a culvert. It was a B road in the middle of the day.
    They are being culled. So venison is not deer.
    Venison might not be deer, but if you want cheep then stick to birds...

    Hat. Coat.
  • CatManCatMan Posts: 3,056

    What a fascinating and varied discussion, sparked by a wonky TSE post! So typical of PB.

    Must say I'm impressed by number of PBers with personal acquaintance with wilder parts of North America, not to mention Europe and its obscure off-shore islands.

    Heck, even TSE has ventured to some of the wilder parts of WA State! Like the lawn below the Space Needle?

    I spent ages at the Space Needle trying to work out where Frasier Crane's apartment building was.

    Turns out it doesn't exist.
    That's just what Sideshow Bob would want you to think
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 51,753

    I killed a female pheasant today.

    Not intentionally. But I was going 50mph, it was prevaricating in the middle of the road, I couldn't swerve to avoid it (oncoming traffic) and nor could I do an emergency stop with cars behind me - so I sounded the horn repeatedly hoping it might move.

    It didn't.

    Misread that at first, glossing over the letter “h” in the penultimate word of your first sentence.

    My eyebrows did rise rather precipitously.
    "Impudent peasant!"
  • SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 17,559

    What a fascinating and varied discussion, sparked by a wonky TSE post! So typical of PB.

    Must say I'm impressed by number of PBers with personal acquaintance with wilder parts of North America, not to mention Europe and its obscure off-shore islands.

    Heck, even TSE has ventured to some of the wilder parts of WA State! Like the lawn below the Space Needle?

    I spent ages at the Space Needle trying to work out where Frasier Crane's apartment building was.

    Turns out it doesn't exist.
    I’ll be honest that it took me quite a while to realise it was filmed in a studio, so good was the view.
    Ironic, in that the view from Frasier Crane's apartment was the most authentically "Seattle" part of the whole show.

    Which otherwise was NY TV producer stereotypical view of city they knew nothing about and cared less.

    Just like American sitcom allegedly about any city west of the Hudson or east of Pasadena.

    For example, has ANYONE ever been to a Seattle coffeeshop where they bring your coffee to your table? NO!

    AND is it ALWAYS raining in Seattle? No again. (though we keep THAT to ourselves, as it helps discourage the riff-raff).

    AND does everyone in Seattle carry an umbrella? NOOOOO. In fact, that is a sign that you are either a tourist OR just got off the bus.

    Still remember the local hoots of derision, when someone on the show referred to a week-end get-away to Lake Chelan. Because THEY pronounced last syllable to rhyme with "lawn" whereas WE say it to rhyme with "Anne".

    Nevertheless, folks in the Emerald City loved the show in its prime (the final years were dreck) just like everyone else. And more so, because it was (allegedly) about Our Fair City.

    My view of Seattle is from Grey's Anatomy: A nice enough city but not one I'd love to live in as its struck by some form of disaster every year - plane crashes, ferry boats crashing, gunmen rampaging etc

    Actually the last one seems representative of every city in America.
    The most beautiful city in the world. Not for its architecture but rather the natural setting.

    Walking through most residential areas (such as my hood) is like walking though a garden, thanks to all the trees, flowers, etc., etc. Truly amazing on a day like today (Sunny Temp mid 70s F).

    Mountains, or rather two mountain ranges - Cascades to east, Olympics to the west - and two volcanoes (Mt Rainier to south, Mt Baker to north).

    Plus Puget Sound, a saltwater fjord, and glacial freshwater Lake Washington. And that just (some) of the waters within city limits.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 42,717

    Carnyx said:

    Carnyx said:


    SNH as was was doing reafforestation on Rum NNR back in the late 1970s - already a huge improvement when I revisited ca 1990 - so I am a tad sceptical about claims of that ilk (showing the agencies ...). Not least because deer and forest clearance were identified as problems long, long ago (Fraser Darling).

    But good to see it done whoever.

    Rum still has a lot of deer. I can't remember seeing much natural regeneration when I was last there (10 years ago maybe), particularly on the uplands, although there had no doubt been some planting.

    At Glen Feshie they have taken to shooting _all_ the deer - or at least all the deer that they can find - without trying to maintain a 'balance'. NTS have kept much higher numbers on the other side of the Cairngorms on the Mar estate, and you can see large herds in the winter on the Dee. It does make a difference.
    PS You wouldn't get trees on the uplands of Rum, anyway, any more than in the Sahara. In Fraser Darling's memorable words, it's a "wet desert". As I recvall, only good for sundews, flies and geologists, and scenic walks.
    You'd think an island called "Rum" would also be good for, er, rum?
    Rùm as a name is actually either Gaelic or (like most of its hills) Norse (which is common for sea-marks in that part of the world). Nobody seens very sure. So nothing to do with the English word for the drink. Butt durting the late C19 it actually had its name changed to Rhum by an incomer Lancashire cottonmill machinery manufacturer who bought it but didn't want to be called "Laird of Rum".

  • kle4kle4 Posts: 95,994
    edited April 2021

    moonshine said:

    The most unselfaware metro thread header there’s ever been on Pb. Has TSE really never sat and watched a graceful bird of prey in the Uk skies?

    Or travelled to and safely returned home from Spain, Greece, Italy, Finland or Croatia, all European countries with wild wolf populations?

    I am not one of life's great outdoorsmen.

    I blame my hayfever.
    If the outdoors is so great why did we invent civilization - fire and buildings - to get away from its harshness?
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,437
    kle4 said:

    moonshine said:

    The most unselfaware metro thread header there’s ever been on Pb. Has TSE really never sat and watched a graceful bird of prey in the Uk skies?

    Or travelled to and safely returned home from Spain, Greece, Italy, Finland or Croatia, all European countries with wild wolf populations?

    I am not one of life's great outdoorsmen.

    I blame my hayfever.
    If the outdoors is so great why did we invent civilization - fire and buildings - to get away from its harshness?
    COVID-19 beer garden rules have reminded me how good 'indoors' is.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 95,994
    edited April 2021
    kinabalu said:

    I like baby elephants. Nothing cuter in this world.

    There's a big enough problem with lockdown puppies people cannot take care of without introducing baby elephants into the mix.

    Meat's a bit tough to sink your teeth into too I bet.
  • SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 17,559
    Carnyx said:

    Carnyx said:

    Carnyx said:


    SNH as was was doing reafforestation on Rum NNR back in the late 1970s - already a huge improvement when I revisited ca 1990 - so I am a tad sceptical about claims of that ilk (showing the agencies ...). Not least because deer and forest clearance were identified as problems long, long ago (Fraser Darling).

    But good to see it done whoever.

    Rum still has a lot of deer. I can't remember seeing much natural regeneration when I was last there (10 years ago maybe), particularly on the uplands, although there had no doubt been some planting.

    At Glen Feshie they have taken to shooting _all_ the deer - or at least all the deer that they can find - without trying to maintain a 'balance'. NTS have kept much higher numbers on the other side of the Cairngorms on the Mar estate, and you can see large herds in the winter on the Dee. It does make a difference.
    PS You wouldn't get trees on the uplands of Rum, anyway, any more than in the Sahara. In Fraser Darling's memorable words, it's a "wet desert". As I recvall, only good for sundews, flies and geologists, and scenic walks.
    You'd think an island called "Rum" would also be good for, er, rum?
    Rùm as a name is actually either Gaelic or (like most of its hills) Norse (which is common for sea-marks in that part of the world). Nobody seens very sure. So nothing to do with the English word for the drink. Butt durting the late C19 it actually had its name changed to Rhum by an incomer Lancashire cottonmill machinery manufacturer who bought it but didn't want to be called "Laird of Rum".

    Appears the locals have a bad reputation? As in, "he's a rum one"?
  • another_richardanother_richard Posts: 26,556
    Carnyx said:

    There seems to be a lot of deer about.

    Don't know if that's because their numbers are increasing or somehow covid related.

    Alpacas are becoming quite common as well.

    Where, the Andean altiplano? One has to ask.
    Quite a few Alpaca farms in southern Yorkshire and the north midlands and no doubt some people keeping them as pets.

    From what I've heard some are now semi-feral.

    They're certainly a shock when you see them the first time.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 51,753

    I killed a female pheasant today.

    Not intentionally. But I was going 50mph, it was prevaricating in the middle of the road, I couldn't swerve to avoid it (oncoming traffic) and nor could I do an emergency stop with cars behind me - so I sounded the horn repeatedly hoping it might move.

    It didn't.

    "I forgive you! I only hope my neurologist will feel the same!"
  • tlg86tlg86 Posts: 26,152

    Carnyx said:

    There seems to be a lot of deer about.

    Don't know if that's because their numbers are increasing or somehow covid related.

    Alpacas are becoming quite common as well.

    Where, the Andean altiplano? One has to ask.
    Quite a few Alpaca farms in southern Yorkshire and the north midlands and no doubt some people keeping them as pets.

    From what I've heard some are now semi-feral.

    They're certainly a shock when you see them the first time.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEIY_aaTVI8
  • Richard_NabaviRichard_Nabavi Posts: 30,821
    I hadn't realised that the traditional English love of bear-baiting was still so much in evidence.
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,437
    Anyone know if shops are letting you try on clothes yet?
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 95,994
    Was probably there but just spending time on political websites

    A hospital employee in Italy has been accused of skipping work on full pay for 15 years, local media report.

    The man is alleged to have stopped turning up to work at the Ciaccio hospital in the southern city of Catanzaro in 2005.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-56822571
This discussion has been closed.