Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.

The Rise (and Fall?) of Cressida Dick – politicalbetting.com

1235»

Comments

  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 54,816
    Charles said:

    I’m out of my depth with fathoms
    That must make you feel like a plum.
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,936
    edited June 2021

    What is the name of this show, it sounds great. Wouldn't be surprised if it follows the Great British Bakeoff over to these shores.
    Great British Sewing Bee.
  • Pro_RataPro_Rata Posts: 5,562

    What is the name of this show, it sounds great. Wouldn't be surprised if it follows the Great British Bakeoff over to these shores.
    Great British Sewing Bee - near identical format to Bake Off.
  • JohnLilburneJohnLilburne Posts: 6,589
    Charles said:

    Or you could subtract 32, divide by 9 and multiple by 5.
    Or divide by 2 and round up where necessary.
  • BigRichBigRich Posts: 3,492
    dixiedean said:

    How tall is he?
    If he is on his side, arms and thumbs extended about 2 yards I would say.

    LOL
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 34,295

    Zoe covid app now has a nice vaccine map....

    https://covid.joinzoe.com/data

    Nice map.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 53,637

    I have a folder full of various bits of paper, booklets, etc. to assist with unit conversion.

    So, for example, if I start with 1 tonne of LNG I can convert to:

    Cubic metres of LNG
    Standard cubic metres of gas
    Normal cubic metres of gas
    Standard cubic feet (scuffs) of gas
    kJ of gas (lower heating value basis)
    kJ of gas (higher heating value basis)
    Therms of gas

    Etc.

    The industry has moved on, and we've had to create the equivalent for hydrogen now.

    Sounds like a load of hot air to me!
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 34,295
    Cookie said:

    I was born in 1975. Yet I still think mostly in imperial. Particularly for food. I can manage metric, sure, but generally only by a quick conversion to imperial.
    It's not onerous. But nor is 8t obvious that displaying imperial rather than metric is inherently confusing to the customer.

    How do you make pancake batter? 1 egg, four ounces of flour, half a pint of milk. How do people who think in metric do it? I'm not saying the metric measurements can't be memorised of course. But I'm surprised that anyone who cooks uses metric measurements instinctively.
    Do you really refer to someone being 1.8 metres tall instead of 6 feet/foot?
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,798
    Watching GB News.
    Dan Wootton keeps looking significantly at the camera rather than his guests (guests? Not sure who these people are.)
    His male guest has very surprising hair.
    Kirsty Gallagher appears to be largely decorative.

    And yet I am watching TV News without shouting at the telly. It is so much less asinine than BBC.
  • SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 17,559

    I don't think I've commented on the Waitrose issue but it seems to me that some people are looking to take offence.
    Or advertisers who want to avoid giving offense to potential & future customers.

    This is an old story in the US. For example, the restaurant chain formerly known as "Sambo's".

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambo's
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 22,661
    Pro_Rata said:

    Great British Sewing Bee - near identical format to Bake Off.
    Hence 'Frock Off'
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 83,465
    Cookie said:

    Watching GB News.
    Dan Wootton keeps looking significantly at the camera rather than his guests (guests? Not sure who these people are.)
    His male guest has very surprising hair.
    Kirsty Gallagher appears to be largely decorative.

    And yet I am watching TV News without shouting at the telly. It is so much less asinine than BBC.

    Why they hired Dan Wooton I have no idea....you only had to see him on Talk Radio for 5 mins to think it wouldn't be a good idea.

    They should have tried to get the likes of Freddie Sayers if they wanted non shouty informed host.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 34,295
    BigRich said:

    most of the names I recognise are Tory (Apart from Ian Paisly )
    6 Labour MPs voted against:

    Bradshaw, rh Mr Ben
    Gwynne, Andrew
    Lewell-Buck, Mrs Emma
    Spellar, rh John
    Stringer, Graham
    Twigg, Derek
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 22,661

    Sounds like a load of hot air to me!
    If the air is hot you would need to correct to either standard temperature or normal temperature.
  • JohnLilburneJohnLilburne Posts: 6,589

    AKA twenty fluid ounces.
    And a gallon weighs ten pounds
  • lloydylloydy Posts: 36
    Charles said:

    The yard is the distance from the tip of adult man’s nose to his outstretched thumb.
    Of king Henry I, I was taught at school.
  • Pro_RataPro_Rata Posts: 5,562
    Andy_JS said:

    My final prediction for the Chesham & Amersham by-election:

    LD 43.3%
    Con 43.2%
    Reform 6.8%
    Lab 3.6%
    Grn 2.2%
    Rejoin 0.4%
    Freedom Alliance 0.3%
    Breakthrough 0.1%

    Turnout 58%

    LD gain from Con

    We'll, if your 0.1% and my B&S within 500 votes (either way) come to pass. it'll be a fun fortnight.
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 19,156

    I'm an engineer.

    I use metric for mathematical calculations at my work, as base unit 10 is more efficient for this. It's more scientific and precision is essential.

    However, I use imperial for estimating as I find it more "human" to gauge, especially because units in 12s or 16s are divisible by halfs, thirds, quarters and eights which is often helpful for splitting out ingredients or material quantities.

    Also, it's just more interesting.
    I had a revelation when I worked out that many baking recipes given in metric measurements are simply poorly converted from the imperial, where the quantities make a lot more sense.

    So, for example, in metric, a standard sponge with 4 eggs, would also have 225g each of butter, flour and sugar. However, for recipes where less sponge is called for, using 3 eggs, they would also have 175g each of butter, flour and sugar. The 1 extra egg is only matched with 50g extra of the other ingredients, which is not one-third extra - why the difference?

    It's because, in imperial measurements, a standard sponge is 1 egg, with 2oz each of butter, flour and sugar (and your standard-sized egg weighs about 2oz). 225g is 8oz, and 175g is 6oz rounded to the nearest 25g. So it is revealed that a standard sponge simply has equal amounts of each ingredient (including eggs).

    Metric measurements are certainly easier for computers to handle, and probably make more sense when you are dealing with large amounts of data. Imperial measurements though are simply more convenient for everyday use. That's why there are so many different units, with non-standard increments between them all, because whenever there was a different scale that needed a unit of measurement, a new unit of measurement was created (or at least that's how it seems).

    As it happens, though, I never measure out my pancake ingredients. Since I was taught how to make pancake batter while camping with scouts, where we didn't have a scale, I learnt to gauge the necessary quantities by the feel of the mixture.

    Also, I don't support the proposed change in the law to allow traders not to use metric. My fear is that this would be abused to confuse and rip-off consumers, who should be able to see prices in a standard and consistent set of weights and measures. A free market in weights and measures would be an abdication of one of the oldest functions of the state in supporting commercial activity.
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,798
    Andy_JS said:

    Do you really refer to someone being 1.8 metres tall instead of 6 feet/foot?
    I think we're agreeing? Similarly, who measures their weight in kilograms rather than stone (or pounds, for Americans).

    I instinctively know how much a pint, a yard, an inch, a pound, a mile is. Intellectually I know how much a litre is (about a pint and three quarters), a kilogram (two and a bit pounds) etc. are, but I know them in terms of imperial units.

    Actually the only exception is metres, which with the exception of the height of humans(obviously in feet and inches) is how I instintively measure height (of buildings, mountains, etc.)

    I also don't use feet for distance - I don't know why satnavs talk of '400 feet' when they could give the distance in yards, or indeed metres. (Main advantage of the yard is that it's more satisfying to say.)
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,744
    East Anglia is easily the equal of the Dordogne, in beauty, history, atmosphere, FOOD. In fact I’d say it’s better

    Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk are one of the great historyscapes of the world. So much is packed into such a tiny space. From the luscious hills of Constable Country to the bleak drug lanes of Great Yarmouth. From the lonely seals of north Norfolk to the eerie war machines of Orford Ness to the deeply strange islands of the Blackwater.

    Maldon, Aldeburgh, Southwold. Yet also Basildon and Lowestoft.

    The Broads, the shingle spits, the epic cathedrals and castles. The wool villages, the tat of Southend, the Essex voters, the Leavers of Lavenham. What a place.

    Britain is amazing
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 23,795
    GB News is live from ‘Newscastle’ apparently.

    They really need to work on the quality control.
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,798
    edited June 2021

    Why they hired Dan Wooton I have no idea....you only had to see him on Talk Radio for 5 mins to think it wouldn't be a good idea.

    They should have tried to get the likes of Freddie Sayers if they wanted non shouty informed host.
    To be charitable, many people don't slot naturally into a new role straight away. Let's hope he gets more comfortable over time.
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,936
    edited June 2021
    Rafa seriously dividing my Everton groups.
    It's like Israel Palestine in there.

    Edit. Just noticed this fits with the preceding comment from @Cookie .
    PB serendipity.
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,798

    I had a revelation when I worked out that many baking recipes given in metric measurements are simply poorly converted from the imperial, where the quantities make a lot more sense.

    So, for example, in metric, a standard sponge with 4 eggs, would also have 225g each of butter, flour and sugar. However, for recipes where less sponge is called for, using 3 eggs, they would also have 175g each of butter, flour and sugar. The 1 extra egg is only matched with 50g extra of the other ingredients, which is not one-third extra - why the difference?

    It's because, in imperial measurements, a standard sponge is 1 egg, with 2oz each of butter, flour and sugar (and your standard-sized egg weighs about 2oz). 225g is 8oz, and 175g is 6oz rounded to the nearest 25g. So it is revealed that a standard sponge simply has equal amounts of each ingredient (including eggs).

    Metric measurements are certainly easier for computers to handle, and probably make more sense when you are dealing with large amounts of data. Imperial measurements though are simply more convenient for everyday use. That's why there are so many different units, with non-standard increments between them all, because whenever there was a different scale that needed a unit of measurement, a new unit of measurement was created (or at least that's how it seems).

    As it happens, though, I never measure out my pancake ingredients. Since I was taught how to make pancake batter while camping with scouts, where we didn't have a scale, I learnt to gauge the necessary quantities by the feel of the mixture.

    Also, I don't support the proposed change in the law to allow traders not to use metric. My fear is that this would be abused to confuse and rip-off consumers, who should be able to see prices in a standard and consistent set of weights and measures. A free market in weights and measures would be an abdication of one of the oldest functions of the state in supporting commercial activity.
    I always weigh the flour, because it's usually easy to do so - though by the age of 46 I hope I'd be competent enough to get it roughly right without a scale. Milk goes in last and is the most 'by eye' quantity.
  • Richard_TyndallRichard_Tyndall Posts: 33,255
    Leon said:

    East Anglia is easily the equal of the Dordogne, in beauty, history, atmosphere, FOOD. In fact I’d say it’s better

    Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk are one of the great historyscapes of the world. So much is packed into such a tiny space. From the luscious hills of Constable Country to the bleak drug lanes of Great Yarmouth. From the lonely seals of north Norfolk to the eerie war machines of Orford Ness to the deeply strange islands of the Blackwater.

    Maldon, Aldeburgh, Southwold. Yet also Basildon and Lowestoft.

    The Broads, the shingle spits, the epic cathedrals and castles. The wool villages, the tat of Southend, the Essex voters, the Leavers of Lavenham. What a place.

    Britain is amazing

    If you are swinging past Ancaster in Lincolnshire let me know and we can provide a cuppa and a break. Or something more incoholic if you prefer.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 34,295
    "Carl Zimmer
    @carlzimmer

    Ouch. CureVac reports an efficacy of just 47 percent against Covid-19 in a preliminary analysis of their Phase 3 trial. Here’s my
    @nytimes story"

    https://twitter.com/carlzimmer/status/1405265461579685890
  • isamisam Posts: 41,297
    Leon said:

    East Anglia is easily the equal of the Dordogne, in beauty, history, atmosphere, FOOD. In fact I’d say it’s better

    Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk are one of the great historyscapes of the world. So much is packed into such a tiny space. From the luscious hills of Constable Country to the bleak drug lanes of Great Yarmouth. From the lonely seals of north Norfolk to the eerie war machines of Orford Ness to the deeply strange islands of the Blackwater.

    Maldon, Aldeburgh, Southwold. Yet also Basildon and Lowestoft.

    The Broads, the shingle spits, the epic cathedrals and castles. The wool villages, the tat of Southend, the Essex voters, the Leavers of Lavenham. What a place.

    Britain is amazing

    Loads of people I know from Havering are talking about moving to the Essex-Suffolk border
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 98,546
    Cookie said:

    But if trader a wants to sell to customer b, what business is it of the state how they measure the goods being traded?
    The state sets all manner of standards, I don't see why this is the hill to die on, to offer a more restrictive service for...what reason?

    Seriously, what am I missing other than more freedom to be a Shittier trader?
  • JohnLilburneJohnLilburne Posts: 6,589
    Charles said:

    The yard is the distance from the tip of adult man’s nose to his outstretched thumb.
    It was also the usual word for penis, until we decided body parts should be in Latin.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,744

    If you are swinging past Ancaster in Lincolnshire let me know and we can provide a cuppa and a break. Or something more incoholic if you prefer.
    Very kind of you! I doubt I’ll get the chance this trip - I have a tight itinerary - but I aim to come back in ten days or do, maybe then….
  • state_go_awaystate_go_away Posts: 5,850
    Andy_JS said:

    My final prediction for the Chesham & Amersham by-election:

    LD 43.3%
    Con 43.2%
    Reform 6.8%
    Lab 3.6%
    Grn 2.2%
    Rejoin 0.4%
    Freedom Alliance 0.3%
    Breakthrough 0.1%

    Turnout 58%

    LD gain from Con

    Reform are a huge 33/1 with Ladbrokes to finish third . Get on!
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,798
    kle4 said:

    The state sets all manner of standards, I don't see why this is the hill to die on, to offer a more restrictive service for...what reason?

    Seriously, what am I missing other than more freedom to be a Shittier trader?
    No, it's no hill to die on, I'll grant you that.
  • Richard_TyndallRichard_Tyndall Posts: 33,255

    I had a revelation when I worked out that many baking recipes given in metric measurements are simply poorly converted from the imperial, where the quantities make a lot more sense.

    So, for example, in metric, a standard sponge with 4 eggs, would also have 225g each of butter, flour and sugar. However, for recipes where less sponge is called for, using 3 eggs, they would also have 175g each of butter, flour and sugar. The 1 extra egg is only matched with 50g extra of the other ingredients, which is not one-third extra - why the difference?

    It's because, in imperial measurements, a standard sponge is 1 egg, with 2oz each of butter, flour and sugar (and your standard-sized egg weighs about 2oz). 225g is 8oz, and 175g is 6oz rounded to the nearest 25g. So it is revealed that a standard sponge simply has equal amounts of each ingredient (including eggs).

    Metric measurements are certainly easier for computers to handle, and probably make more sense when you are dealing with large amounts of data. Imperial measurements though are simply more convenient for everyday use. That's why there are so many different units, with non-standard increments between them all, because whenever there was a different scale that needed a unit of measurement, a new unit of measurement was created (or at least that's how it seems).

    As it happens, though, I never measure out my pancake ingredients. Since I was taught how to make pancake batter while camping with scouts, where we didn't have a scale, I learnt to gauge the necessary quantities by the feel of the mixture.

    Also, I don't support the proposed change in the law to allow traders not to use metric. My fear is that this would be abused to confuse and rip-off consumers, who should be able to see prices in a standard and consistent set of weights and measures. A free market in weights and measures would be an abdication of one of the oldest functions of the state in supporting commercial activity.
    My industry uses imperial (actually API) because that is what the existing infrastructure is already built in from the pre-metric days. To change what is already in the ground is impossible and moving to mm or cm as they have tried to do in places like Norway just leads to more confusion and really stupid numbers. It is rather like the issues with having metric fittings for houses that were built to imperial standards. You end up with really stupid numbers for things like standard doors and windows.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,744
    isam said:

    Loads of people I know from Havering are talking about moving to the Essex-Suffolk border
    It is becoming highly fashionable. It’s a great place to live with a high quality of life. It reminds me of the best of Devon or Dorset but much more convenient
  • Richard_TyndallRichard_Tyndall Posts: 33,255
    edited June 2021
    Leon said:

    Very kind of you! I doubt I’ll get the chance this trip - I have a tight itinerary - but I aim to come back in ten days or do, maybe then….
    Just give me the nod. Not like I am going anywhere :)
  • Pro_RataPro_Rata Posts: 5,562
    Leon said:

    East Anglia is easily the equal of the Dordogne, in beauty, history, atmosphere, FOOD. In fact I’d say it’s better

    Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk are one of the great historyscapes of the world. So much is packed into such a tiny space. From the luscious hills of Constable Country to the bleak drug lanes of Great Yarmouth. From the lonely seals of north Norfolk to the eerie war machines of Orford Ness to the deeply strange islands of the Blackwater.

    Maldon, Aldeburgh, Southwold. Yet also Basildon and Lowestoft.

    The Broads, the shingle spits, the epic cathedrals and castles. The wool villages, the tat of Southend, the Essex voters, the Leavers of Lavenham. What a place.

    Britain is amazing

    And that's all after you've excised Cambridgeshire from it - endless Fens, 90mph on the straight followed by a 90° dead square bend else it's the drainage ditch for you, King John's treasure (perhaps), Ely, some place with a Uni.
  • isamisam Posts: 41,297
    edited June 2021
    Leon said:

    It is becoming highly fashionable. It’s a great place to live with a high quality of life. It reminds me of the best of Devon or Dorset but much more convenient
    Sounds great. The real Essex, not the cliche. The show detectorists was filmed up there somewhere (Framlingham, Suffolk)

    Our new house is 45 mins on the train from Manningtree, so I hope to nip up there quite a bit. We have two nights booked in Mistley next month. My parents have been going to Aldeburgh and Southwold for ages but I’ve never really been
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,744

    Just give me the nod. Not like I am going anywhere :)
    Noted with gratitude!

    I had an epiphany about half an hour ago. I’m reading the latest Rough Guide to Norfolk and Suffolk.

    It is, no kidding, 670 pages long. When I opened it I thought it must be mainly padding… yet it isn’t. Every page has a wonderful church or forest or beach or battlefield or festival or gallery or story-about-a-famous-local

    I can now see why a genius outsider like W G Sebald was completely entranced by this region. It is wholly compelling
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,936
    Leon said:

    It is becoming highly fashionable. It’s a great place to live with a high quality of life. It reminds me of the best of Devon or Dorset but much more convenient
    Not for Yeovil.
    Reminds me of the Guardian review of the football museum in Preston. "The only drawback is the lengthy drive up the M6."
    It's only 10 miles I thought.
  • state_go_awaystate_go_away Posts: 5,850
    Leon said:

    Noted with gratitude!

    I had an epiphany about half an hour ago. I’m reading the latest Rough Guide to Norfolk and Suffolk.

    It is, no kidding, 670 pages long. When I opened it I thought it must be mainly padding… yet it isn’t. Every page has a wonderful church or forest or beach or battlefield or festival or gallery or story-about-a-famous-local

    I can now see why a genius outsider like W G Sebald was completely entranced by this region. It is wholly compelling
    Hopefully covid-19 has not put paid to Rough Guides as they are the best travel guides imho. Love their maps
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,744
    edited June 2021
    isam said:

    Sounds great. The real Essex, not the cliche. The show detectorists was filmed up there somewhere (Framlingham, Suffolk)

    Our new house is 45 mins on the train from Manningtree, so I hope to nip up there quite a bit. We have two nights booked in Mistley next month. My parents have been going to Aldeburgh and Southwold for ages but I’ve never really been
    They are both great, but I warn you, they are also Primrose-Hill-by-Sea. You might bump into ME

    Have the two-sauce Harwich crab at the Mistley. It’s excellent
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 34,295
    isam said:

    Loads of people I know from Havering are talking about moving to the Essex-Suffolk border
    Interesting, although I thought that had been going on for many years.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,744
    Cookie said:




    Purely inspired by your final sentence, here is my favourite photo of Britain I've seen all year - Blackpool, from Southport, with the Lake District behind it:
    image...

    (From the Visit Blackpool Twitter page)
    That’s fabulous. That’s Britain
  • Pro_RataPro_Rata Posts: 5,562
    Cookie said:




    Purely inspired by your final sentence, here is my favourite photo of Britain I've seen all year - Blackpool, from Southport, with the Lake District behind it:
    image...

    (From the Visit Blackpool Twitter page)
    I could be wrong, but is that photo reversed? Big One should be to the right of the Tower, shouldn't it?
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,798
    dixiedean said:

    Not for Yeovil.
    Reminds me of the Guardian review of the football museum in Preston. "The only drawback is the lengthy drive up the M6."
    It's only 10 miles I thought.
    Ha - I remember a similar piece in one of the broadsheets about Grimsby - 'you only have to go on three roads to get there - the M1, the M18 and the M180*.' Without really thinking about it, they do assume their entire readership - indeed, everybody - lives in Greater London or perhaps the innner home counties.
    Oh, and another one about the Yorkshire accent - 'so distinctive, because Yorkshire is so far from everywhere else.'


    *They even got this wrong. What about the A180, eh?
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,798
    Pro_Rata said:

    I could be wrong, but is that photo reversed? Big One should be to the right of the Tower, shouldn't it?
    I don't think so. It's from Southport, looking north (actually probably North by North West or thereabouts) - Big One is directly south of the Tower - Southport is actually slightly east of a line drawn north/south down the front in Blackpool, so you'd expect the Big One to be on the left.
  • isamisam Posts: 41,297
    Leon said:

    They are both great, but I warn you, they are also Primrose-Hill-by-Sea. You might bump into ME

    Have the two-sauce Harwich crab at the Mistley. It’s excellent
    I see the owner also has the Italian in Manningtree.

    I could probably do with bumping into someone, as my other half will be 6 months gone by then and in bed by half nine!
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,798
    Leon said:

    That’s fabulous. That’s Britain
    :smile:

    Made me swell with regional pride, that one.

    And while there's a bit of clever camerawork involved - an extremely long lens, for one - go to Blackpool on a clear day and the Lake District feels almost tangible to the north. Blackpool itself might be a bit rough and ready, but the whole coastline from there up around Morecambe Bay has moments of the absolute sublime.
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,936
    Cookie said:

    I don't think so. It's from Southport, looking north (actually probably North by North West or thereabouts) - Big One is directly south of the Tower - Southport is actually slightly east of a line drawn north/south down the front in Blackpool, so you'd expect the Big One to be on the left.
    Just been on Google maps. Would need to.be taken from the very North end of Southport to get the angle I reckon. Fits with the Ribble estuary too.
  • isamisam Posts: 41,297
    Andy_JS said:

    Interesting, although I thought that had been going on for many years.
    Maybe it’s just that I’m approaching the age now that people do it. We are moving, but not as far as that, just to a village between Chelmsford & Brentwood
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 23,795
    isam said:

    Sounds great. The real Essex, not the cliche. The show detectorists was filmed up there somewhere (Framlingham, Suffolk)

    Our new house is 45 mins on the train from Manningtree, so I hope to nip up there quite a bit. We have two nights booked in Mistley next month. My parents have been going to Aldeburgh and Southwold for ages but I’ve never really been
    You can walk through Dedham Vale from Manningtree. Dedham itself is incredibly lovely. The Sun Inn is the place to eat. Much of Essex is beautiful.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 34,295
    "WHO accused of sexism after saying women of childbearing age should not drink alcohol

    Draft global alcohol action plan 2022-2030 urges countries to pay ‘appropriate attention to prevention’ of consumption in certain groups" (£)

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/06/16/accused-sexism-saying-women-childbearing-age-should-not-drink/
  • FishingFishing Posts: 5,502

    Hopefully covid-19 has not put paid to Rough Guides as they are the best travel guides imho. Love their maps
    They have about 3x as much info as any other. It's just too bad they don't cover nearly as many destinations as Lonely Planet or Let's Go.
  • Pro_RataPro_Rata Posts: 5,562
    Cookie said:

    I don't think so. It's from Southport, looking north (actually probably North by North West or thereabouts) - Big One is directly south of the Tower - Southport is actually slightly east of a line drawn north/south down the front in Blackpool, so you'd expect the Big One to be on the left.
    Ah. yes, the view is overland , with Blackpool Beach unseen behind the landmarks.and the visible cross Ribble beach somewhere near Lytham. Got it!
  • FishingFishing Posts: 5,502
    Finally:

    Fully vaccinted don't have to quarantine for yellow list destinations:

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/06/16/return-holidays-abroad-people-fully-vaccinated/
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 79,222
    edited June 2021
    Leon said:

    Noted with gratitude!

    I had an epiphany about half an hour ago. I’m reading the latest Rough Guide to Norfolk and Suffolk.

    It is, no kidding, 670 pages long. When I opened it I thought it must be mainly padding… yet it isn’t. Every page has a wonderful church or forest or beach or battlefield or festival or gallery or story-about-a-famous-local

    I can now see why a genius outsider like W G Sebald was completely entranced by this region. It is wholly compelling
    I dated a girl who lived in Nayland about 16 years ago, it's a very pleasent area of the world.
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,936
    Cookie said:

    :smile:

    Made me swell with regional pride, that one.

    And while there's a bit of clever camerawork involved - an extremely long lens, for one - go to Blackpool on a clear day and the Lake District feels almost tangible to the north. Blackpool itself might be a bit rough and ready, but the whole coastline from there up around Morecambe Bay has moments of the absolute sublime.
    You're spot on there.
    And Blackpool does have the Tower, the ballroom, illuminations and the Big One (amongst other rides). So worth a day if you've never been.
    In fact, from Crosby northwards there is mile after mile after mile of beaches.
  • Pro_RataPro_Rata Posts: 5,562
    dixiedean said:

    You're spot on there.
    And Blackpool does have the Tower, the ballroom, illuminations and the Big One (amongst other rides). So worth a day if you've never been.
    In fact, from Crosby northwards there is mile after mile after mile of beaches.
    We used to day trip to Ainsdale and set up our sunbathing spot next to the beach parked car. For me, Bob Willis's fourth innings turn at Headingley 81 on TMS happened there.
  • CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,651
    edited June 2021
    Cookie said:

    :smile:

    Made me swell with regional pride, that one.

    And while there's a bit of clever camerawork involved - an extremely long lens, for one - go to Blackpool on a clear day and the Lake District feels almost tangible to the north. Blackpool itself might be a bit rough and ready, but the whole coastline from there up around Morecambe Bay has moments of the absolute sublime.
    And for most of last year I was living in a barn halfway up one of those mountains and could see Blackpool Tower from my living

    https://imgur.com/a/1bwfDQx

    The coastline around here is sublime. Miles and miles of sandy beaches - as per my avatar.
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 79,222
    Two Tory wins, Labour finishing worse than third in C&A and being further behind than the Lib Dems in the respective by-elections.
  • FlatlanderFlatlander Posts: 4,915
    edited June 2021
    Cookie said:

    I don't think so. It's from Southport, looking north (actually probably North by North West or thereabouts) - Big One is directly south of the Tower - Southport is actually slightly east of a line drawn north/south down the front in Blackpool, so you'd expect the Big One to be on the left.
    The hills are in the right order too.

    Scafell (and Ill Crags) on the left, Bow Fell, Dow Crag behind the tower, Swirl How on the right.

  • kjhkjh Posts: 12,509
    Leon said:

    East Anglia is easily the equal of the Dordogne, in beauty, history, atmosphere, FOOD. In fact I’d say it’s better

    Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk are one of the great historyscapes of the world. So much is packed into such a tiny space. From the luscious hills of Constable Country to the bleak drug lanes of Great Yarmouth. From the lonely seals of north Norfolk to the eerie war machines of Orford Ness to the deeply strange islands of the Blackwater.

    Maldon, Aldeburgh, Southwold. Yet also Basildon and Lowestoft.

    The Broads, the shingle spits, the epic cathedrals and castles. The wool villages, the tat of Southend, the Essex voters, the Leavers of Lavenham. What a place.

    Britain is amazing

    I'm sorry but this is bollocks. I actually have a second home in Southwold so appreciate it and the area but it is not a patch on Sarlat and the surrounding area on any of the headings you gave. I know both very well indeed.
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,936
    edited June 2021
    Pro_Rata said:

    We used to day trip to Ainsdale and set up our sunbathing spot next to the beach parked car. For me, Bob Willis's fourth innings turn at Headingley 81 on TMS happened there.
    For me it happened in London. First holiday in the UK outside the NW.
    Gorgeous England. But very different.
  • stjohnstjohn Posts: 1,897
    isam said:

    Loads of people I know from Havering are talking about moving to the Essex-Suffolk border
    Yes - but will they ever make a decision to do so?
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,936
    Thinking about it. The North of England would be one of the world's greatest tourist destinations.
    Apart from the bloody weather.
  • NickPalmerNickPalmer Posts: 21,674
    Cookie said:



    I think we're agreeing? Similarly, who measures their weight in kilograms rather than stone (or pounds, for Americans).

    I instinctively know how much a pint, a yard, an inch, a pound, a mile is. Intellectually I know how much a litre is (about a pint and three quarters), a kilogram (two and a bit pounds) etc. are, but I know them in terms of imperial units.

    Actually the only exception is metres, which with the exception of the height of humans(obviously in feet and inches) is how I instintively measure height (of buildings, mountains, etc.)

    I also don't use feet for distance - I don't know why satnavs talk of '400 feet' when they could give the distance in yards, or indeed metres. (Main advantage of the yard is that it's more satisfying to say.)

    You can reset most satnavs nowadays to talk your kind of numbers :). A product of foreign upbringing, I've always measured my weight in kilos, but thought most kids do too nowdays, no?
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,798
    dixiedean said:

    For me it happened in London. First holiday in the UK outside the NW.
    Gorgeous England. But very different.
    I was on holiday too, in Croyde, Devon. I was 6.
  • FlatlanderFlatlander Posts: 4,915
    edited June 2021
    Cyclefree said:

    And for most of last year I was living in a barn halfway up one of those mountains and could see Blackpool Tower from my living

    https://imgur.com/a/1bwfDQx

    The coastline around here is sublime. Miles and miles of sandy beaches - as per my avatar.
    Sandscale Haws is my favourite in that part of the world. Natterjack Toads with a background of hills.

    The only bit of the Lakes which really meets the sea (although I like the limestone around Morecambe Bay too, it isn't really the Lakes as such).
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 53,637
    Cookie said:

    Ha - I remember a similar piece in one of the broadsheets about Grimsby - 'you only have to go on three roads to get there - the M1, the M18 and the M180*.' Without really thinking about it, they do assume their entire readership - indeed, everybody - lives in Greater London or perhaps the innner home counties.
    Oh, and another one about the Yorkshire accent - 'so distinctive, because Yorkshire is so far from everywhere else.'


    *They even got this wrong. What about the A180, eh?
    Might be of interest:

    https://www.roads.org.uk/motorway/a1077m
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 43,320

    It's been taboo here my whole life. I've never heard anyone use it amongst my friends and family.

    The only exception I can think of is the dog in the original Dambusters.
    Prolific in the Flashman books which is one reason why they've never been televised I think. It's so long since I saw the film Royal Flash I can't remember how they dealt with it, but it involved European shenanigans so it may not have been such an issue.
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,798
    dixiedean said:

    You're spot on there.
    And Blackpool does have the Tower, the ballroom, illuminations and the Big One (amongst other rides). So worth a day if you've never been.
    In fact, from Crosby northwards there is mile after mile after mile of beaches.
    Yes - I do like Blackpool, actually. You could divert yourself for days there.
    My favroute piece of public art is in Blackpool, outside the tower. If you're ever wondering what it means to be British - what distinguishes us from the Swedes, or the Canadians, or the Malawians - this is it. The most British thing in Britain. British culture distilled into a quarter of an acre of pavement.
    https://www.visitblackpool.com/detail/comedy-carpet-blackpool-651130/
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,798

    You can reset most satnavs nowadays to talk your kind of numbers :). A product of foreign upbringing, I've always measured my weight in kilos, but thought most kids do too nowdays, no?
    Maybe the kids do! I'm distinctly middle aged by now. But my daughters refer to heights of humans in feet and inches and weights of humans in stone and pounds.Which they presumably inherit from their parents, who have in turn inherited it from their (pre-decimalisation) parents).

    It's just what you grow up with, I suppose. And school is only ever a very small part of that.
  • Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 10,794

    And a gallon weighs ten pounds
    Depends on what its a gallon of....I doubt a gallon of molten lead weights ten pounds
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,936
    Cookie said:

    Yes - I do like Blackpool, actually. You could divert yourself for days there.
    My favroute piece of public art is in Blackpool, outside the tower. If you're ever wondering what it means to be British - what distinguishes us from the Swedes, or the Canadians, or the Malawians - this is it. The most British thing in Britain. British culture distilled into a quarter of an acre of pavement.
    https://www.visitblackpool.com/detail/comedy-carpet-blackpool-651130/
    Not ideal if you like fine dining, £40 bottles of wine, or getting completely pissed and not having a fight.
    But, yeah, diversions. Blackpool ain't boring. Or exclusionary.
    There is a point about political re-alignment in there.
    But I am too pissed to make it.
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 79,222
    501 sample - not a subsample

    Voting intention amongst ethnic minority voters (+/- since 25 Jan-1 Feb):

    LAB: 51% (-7)
    CON: 28% (+6)
    GRN: 9% (+1)
    LD: 7% (+1)
    SNP: 3% (+1)
    REF: 2% (-1)

    Labour won *64%* amongst BAME voters in 2019.

    Via @NCPoliticsUK
    , 7-14 June
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 79,222
    Cookie said:

    I was on holiday too, in Croyde, Devon. I was 6.
    I expect I was in my cot, being a month old at the time.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 83,465
    edited June 2021
    Keir Starmer has picked the election slogan of US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, “Stronger Together”, to badge the wide-ranging policy review that will lay the groundwork for Labour’s next manifesto.

    As well as being widely used by Clinton in 2016, the “Stronger Together” strapline is reminiscent of both the “Better Together” slogan used by the no campaign in the 2014 Scottish referendum, and “Stronger In”, the name of the failed anti-Brexit campaign two years later.

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jun/16/keir-starmer-picks-stonger-together-slogan-used-by-hillary-clinton-to-rebrand

    1 out of 3 worked....so works about as well as the old Chinese vaccine in Chile....
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,744
    kjh said:

    I'm sorry but this is bollocks. I actually have a second home in Southwold so appreciate it and the area but it is not a patch on Sarlat and the surrounding area on any of the headings you gave. I know both very well indeed.
    I know the world. Sarlat is ticky-tacky three musketeer tourism tat. Slightly prettier than Ipswich, I grant, but laughably trivial compared to, say, Cambridge?
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 83,465
    Pulpstar said:

    501 sample - not a subsample

    Voting intention amongst ethnic minority voters (+/- since 25 Jan-1 Feb):

    LAB: 51% (-7)
    CON: 28% (+6)
    GRN: 9% (+1)
    LD: 7% (+1)
    SNP: 3% (+1)
    REF: 2% (-1)

    Labour won *64%* amongst BAME voters in 2019.

    Via @NCPoliticsUK
    , 7-14 June

    But Starmer took the knee....
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 34,295
    Pulpstar said:

    501 sample - not a subsample

    Voting intention amongst ethnic minority voters (+/- since 25 Jan-1 Feb):

    LAB: 51% (-7)
    CON: 28% (+6)
    GRN: 9% (+1)
    LD: 7% (+1)
    SNP: 3% (+1)
    REF: 2% (-1)

    Labour won *64%* amongst BAME voters in 2019.

    Via @NCPoliticsUK
    , 7-14 June

    Explains the London mayoral election result to an extent. Bailey did well in traditionally Labour areas like Newham and Edmonton, and Labour did better than before in middle-class white areas like Wimbledon and Twickenham.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 59,368

    Can’t win em all:

    The 3rd mRNA vaccine by CureVac reports a disappointing 47% efficacy in interim results. However, 13 variants caused cases of #COVID19 in the trial, with only a single case of original strain. More than half of the cases were variants of concern in trial

    https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1405280590618763264?s=20

    That's pretty shitty for emerging markets: CureVac was by far the most distributable of the mRNA vaccines.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 59,368
    Andy_JS said:

    My final prediction for the Chesham & Amersham by-election:

    LD 43.3%
    Con 43.2%
    Reform 6.8%
    Lab 3.6%
    Grn 2.2%
    Rejoin 0.4%
    Freedom Alliance 0.3%
    Breakthrough 0.1%

    Turnout 58%

    LD gain from Con

    I think your turnout number is high: I think it'll be in the 40s. I also think that Con will be in the 46-48% range.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 59,368
    Andy_JS said:

    "WHO accused of sexism after saying women of childbearing age should not drink alcohol

    Draft global alcohol action plan 2022-2030 urges countries to pay ‘appropriate attention to prevention’ of consumption in certain groups" (£)

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/06/16/accused-sexism-saying-women-childbearing-age-should-not-drink/

    There won't be many babies born if women of childbearing age aren't drinking alcohol.
  • Cookie said:

    Yes - I do like Blackpool, actually. You could divert yourself for days there.
    My favroute piece of public art is in Blackpool, outside the tower. If you're ever wondering what it means to be British - what distinguishes us from the Swedes, or the Canadians, or the Malawians - this is it. The most British thing in Britain. British culture distilled into a quarter of an acre of pavement.
    https://www.visitblackpool.com/detail/comedy-carpet-blackpool-651130/
    I love Blackpool. Spent Sunday-Tuesday there with my wife. Lovely beach, friendly pubs, fun piers. Viva Blackpool is a great cabaret lounge. Only an hour from Liverpool. Other distances may vary.
This discussion has been closed.