Early Risers.

[Winslow Boy]

9 hours ago, PupCam said:

I nipped into the conservatory and there staring down at me was Jupiter.      I couldn't resist pointing the out-of-collimation, hard to focus, looking through the double glazed window (never do that ....) scope at it quickly.

 

A very poor photograph but as you can clearly see, all four of the Galilean moons (Jupiter's largest, it has 80 moons!) are out to play this evening.

 

 

Definitely off to bed now!

 

Hope you told them to get off the conservatory. Cheeky blighters.

[iL Dottore]

39 minutes ago, Barry O said:

Special relationships are supposedly two way.. our with the US is definitely biased one way and always will be..

The special relationship with the US in WWII was based on the chemistry between Roosevelt and Churchill. With Roosevelt dead and Churchill out of power at the end of the war, any “special relationship” with the US evaporated.

 

Britain should be more pragmatic in its diplomatic relationships - basing them on mutual interests and not on some mythical “special relationship”

 

As Kissinger reportedly said in an unguarded moment “America doesn’t have friends, it has interests”  Blunt, but pragmatic.

[jamie92208]

1 hour ago, AndyID said:

 

Indeed, but consider the alternative. A despot holds an athlete hostage for a minor crime that is not a crime anywhere else. Where is the outrage for that? It's easy to take pot-shots at the US (probably because most of them are deserved) while a certain person is determined to subjugate  most, if not all, of Europe. Europe really needs to get a grip.

I'm definitely  not having a go at the US.  It's British authorities who allowed her to leave the UK in the first place.  

 

Jamie

[TheQ]

Disaster.....

 

No bacon,

 

Had to make do with sausages instead..

 

Meanwhile peering out of the windows, the ice cubes have melted. It's chuckinitdarn, Ben took to hiding in his safe place, even though I had food...

 

Pipers? Riffs ?

 

It has to be Red Hot Chilli Pipers

 

 

 

[jjb1970]

I think the Grinder case is a good example that the idea that events divide into good and bad is not necessarily true. 

Russia exploited the case after seeing an opportunity. To use an individual as a pawn in a game to extract release of an arm's dealer is not edifying. However the opportunity was created by the individual concerned breaking Russian law. The opportunity would not have presented itself if she hadn't been carrying cannabis oil. If we travel to a country it's our job to be aware of local laws and to comply. To be aware of the full legal codes of any country is hardly practical, but it's hardly unusual for countries to have strict controls on drugs upto and including capital punishment for carrying drugs. As such it's hardly unreasonable to expect people to check local drug laws if they want to carry substances.

I don't support the way Russia used this case, but they do have every right to uphold their laws on drugs (which are hardly unusual) and I really don't have much sympathy for Griner.

[New Haven Neil]

20 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

The choice of the IoM was for comic improbability*  I didn’t even know the IoM had a distillery - good, bad or indifferent.

 

Anyway, I don’t think the wine and whisky collectors have drinkability in mind when they fork out £££££££££ on a bottle - just its rarity and price (and investment potential)

 

* I was going to put Essex Whisky - but thought that even more improbable than an IoM whisky**

** kinda looses comic effect if it has to be explained

 

Sorry, too early in the morning form my irony gland to have functioned.

 

But your ** point was rather debased by the fact there are whiskys available from here!

[BoD]

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

If you’re interested, I have some bottles of whisky you could invest in which are guaranteed money makers…

Thank you for your kind offer Mr Chancer but as already explained I have tied up my assets in the chocolate coin market.  I may well regret that decision as there appears to have been some reduction in my holdings already.

 

Seriously though, I do have two or three bottles of whisky that were going for well into four figures the last time they were available for auction.  Nothing big league but not bad considering the most expensive was about £20 when I bought it.

[AndyID]

8 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

 don't support the way Russia used this case, but they do have every right to uphold their laws on drugs (which are hardly unusual) and I really don't have much sympathy for Griner.

 

Obviously. And presumably you think it's just OKDOKY  to hold people hostage too?

[jjb1970]

1 minute ago, AndyID said:

 

Obviously. And presumably you think it's just OKDOKY  to hold people hostage too?

 

I clearly stated that I did not like the way Russia used the case. However, she was not held hostage. She was found in possession of drugs, tried and received a custodial sentence. People may think the sentence was excessive and Russia certainly exploited it for political purposes but she would never have been in that position if she hadn't tried to take a prohibited substance into the country.

[AndyID]

26 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

The special relationship with the US in WWII was based on the chemistry between Roosevelt and Churchill. With Roosevelt dead and Churchill out of power at the end of the war, any “special relationship” with the US evaporated.

 

Britain should be more pragmatic in its diplomatic relationships - basing them on mutual interests and not on some mythical “special relationship”

 

As Kissinger reportedly said in an unguarded moment “America doesn’t have friends, it has interests”  Blunt, but pragmatic.

 

Much as you would like to hope it is/was "mythical" it was not. And that, simply, is why the UK/US will continue to protect Europe even it caves in again.

[AndyID]

8 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

 

I clearly stated that I did not like the way Russia used the case. However, she was not held hostage. She was found in possession of drugs, tried and received a custodial sentence. People may think the sentence was excessive and Russia certainly exploited it for political purposes but she would never have been in that position if she hadn't tried to take a prohibited substance into the country.

 

I tried to take bacon from the UK into the US but I did not end up in jail. IMHO you might want to get a grip. She was simply a political hostage. Paint you as you like.

 

 

[jjb1970]

9 minutes ago, AndyID said:

 

I tried to take bacon from the UK into the US but I did not end up in jail. IMHO you might want to get a grip. She was simply a political hostage. Paint you as you like.

 

 

 

I take it you think local laws don't apply to foreign visitors then. I hope there are no foreigners in any US prisons.

[AndyID]

20 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

However, she was not held hostage

 

Hey! There's a bridge across the East River that's come up for sale. Can I sell you a few shares?

[AndyID]

4 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

 

I take it you think local laws don't apply to foreign visitors then. I hope there are no foreigners in any US prisons.

 

Ah yes! The code has been broken.

[Winslow Boy]

 

I think the problem was that the family wasn't prepared to just keep quiet and to be honest who can blame them given they lost a son. I don't think any favours were done when the lady was removed from the country without first being tried. Can you imagine what would have happened if HMG had done that in the US. Personally I wouldn't like to have that ladies conciensce and I can't see her progressing in her career with this on file.

2 hours ago, AndyID said:

 

Indeed, but consider the alternative. A despot holds an athlete hostage for a minor crime that is not a crime anywhere else. Where is the outrage for that? It's easy to take pot-shots at the US (probably because most of them are deserved) while a certain person is determined to subjugate  most, if not all, of Europe. Europe really needs to get a grip.

 

[AndyID]

16 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

 

I take it you think local laws don't apply to foreign visitors then. I hope there are no foreigners in any US prisons.

 

Not at all. I think (and you might want to too) that the punishment should be proportional to the crime.

[New Haven Neil]

Hmm, drugs sentencing here is what you would probably describe as draconian, however we have much less of a drugs problem than the UK.....

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

Frosty here but cloudy, no lovely clear blue skies like yesterday. I know it has snowed in Zurich as my nephew sent a photo as he set off to work. Not a lot happening today! Aditi is expecting a parcel containing new boots. 
As for the Essex whisky mentioned earlier, it is probably too mild a climate here. It is definitely wine country. If you want distilled products you will need to go up the coast a bit to Suffolk where various spirits are produced in Southwold. I don’t think the products of the gin factory that used to be in Basildon were particularly produced as investments. 
 

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Got my energy bill yesterday, I was surprised by the size of the gas bill but when I checked I'd used less gas than I did for the same period last year. Not too worried as the account is nearly £300 in credit.

[PhilJ W]

15 hours ago, polybear said:

 

In other news.....

It seems that "Justice has been done" for Harry Dunn at long last.  Really?  I can't see a certain US Citizen being too concerned about the sentence somehow - most definitely not her finest hour.  Nor the U.S. Government's, for that matter.

 

 

14 hours ago, AndyID said:

 

I doubt very much that the eventual outcome would have been much different for anyone who was used to driving on the right but the intervening shenanigans were not good at all.

I recall a similar incident a few years ago now where two people died. The driver put his hand up and received a similar sentence . A similar thing happened to me when driving in the US. I pulled out of a gas station and looked right instead of left. Fortunately a blast on the horn from the approaching driver avoided any other consequences.

 

Edited December 9, 2022 by PhilJ W

[PhilJ W]

4 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Gold and Silver Chocolate Coins? Nah, they’re a mug’s game, mate.
 

What you need is to invest in Stollen or Panettone (Plum Puddings used to be a good investment - a bit dodgy now).

 

Mind you, I wouldn’t put money in confectionery if I were you. Apart from being very risky for the small investor (it can turn into a Bear Market very quickly), you can’t make much profit from - say - just a few LDC or a bag of Chocolate Coins. You need to think warehouse sized investments…

 

Whisky on the other hand, is a much better investment for the small investor. One of my clients invested in a single bottle of Isle of Man whisky back in 2018 and has just sold it to a Saudi collector for 30’000 times the original bottle price.

 

If you’re interested, I have some bottles of whisky you could invest in which are guaranteed money makers…

 

A Chancer 

Investment Fund Manager

Spiv and Wideboy Hedgefunds

City of London

 

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

The choice of the IoM was for comic improbability*  I didn’t even know the IoM had a distillery - good, bad or indifferent.

 

Anyway, I don’t think the wine and whisky collectors have drinkability in mind when they fork out £££££££££ on a bottle - just its rarity and price (and investment potential)

 

* I was going to put Essex Whisky - but thought that even more improbable than an IoM whisky**

** kinda looses comic effect if it has to be explained

 

14 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Morning all.

Frosty here but cloudy, no lovely clear blue skies like yesterday. I know it has snowed in Zurich as my nephew sent a photo as he set off to work. Not a lot happening today! Aditi is expecting a parcel containing new boots. 
As for the Essex whisky mentioned earlier, it is probably too mild a climate here. It is definitely wine country. If you want distilled products you will need to go up the coast a bit to Suffolk where various spirits are produced in Southwold. I don’t think the products of the gin factory that used to be in Basildon were particularly produced as investments. 
 

There is a Norfolk whisky.

https://www.jpha.co.uk/products/the-english-original?variant=43187383533817&currency=GBP&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gclid=Cj0KCQiA1sucBhDgARIsAFoytUuE73WoMCJrorxS_V_y0yh0blXWE3nePpidETUoXLOyqldn3SMdaQ0aAmywEALw_wcB

[jamie92208]

50 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

 

I recall a similar incident a few years ago now where two people died. The driver put his hand up and received a similar sentence . A similar thing happened to me when driving in the US. I pulled out of a gas station and looked right instead of left. Fortunately a blast on the horn from the approaching driver avoided any other consequences.

 

It is so easy to do and it's almost always pulling out of roadside premises such as petrol stations.  It doesn't happen often after living over here for nearly 5 years but just occasionally.  I still think before pulling out form somewhere but our brains are not infalible.  

 

Anyway just after I wrote my previous entry the garage rang and the car now has two new front boots that are properly  aligned.  Fitting the board over the window will now wzit till this afternoon.  I have sorted out the materials  though.

 

Jamie

[grandadbob]

Good morning all, 

Frosty start here again and cloudy at the moment .  A dry day with some brighter spells later forecast.  Currently 2°C and it probably won't get much warmer than that. 

Central heating definitely on although temp has been reduced along with the hours of use but...we ain't going to be cold!

I still haven't had my energy bill sorted out and it's still showing over £1300 in credit but I know that's wrong.  Strong words were had yesterday with my "Advanced complaints resolution specialist" but she was unable to give me a firm answer.  I haven't resorted to contacting Ofgem or the Energy Ombudsman yet but that time is approaching.  However whilst voicing my displeasure and disgust at the situation there was mention of further compensation that will be discussed when the problem is resolved.  Hmmm , we'll see.

When in Norfolk in the summer I saw the "English Whisky" on sale in a farm shop but I think it was £45 a bottle and I didn't want to take a chance on an unknown item.   I've since been told by a friend it's "a very nice drink but I haven't got any left for you to try!"  ☹️

Today The Boss is just finishing wrapping the last of umpteen Christmas presents for family and friends.  After that I've got some to wrap for her.

Also on the agenda is my fortnightly(ish) ear lowering appointment.  That won't use up much of my remaining lifespan.

Have a good one,

Tufty of Sutton.

Edited December 9, 2022 by grandadbob

[PupCam]

Morning All!

 

2 hours ago, AndyID said:

 

I tried to take bacon from the UK into the US but I did not end up in jail. IMHO you might want to get a grip. She was simply a political hostage. Paint you as you like.

 

 

 

I don't recall bacon ever being classed as a drug even though some of us might be addicted to it.

 

 

2 hours ago, AndyID said:

 

Not at all. I think (and you might want to too) that the punishment should be proportional to the crime.

 

Indeed they should which is why, IMVHO, and I suspect @polybear and many other UK based ERs and the Police get very frustrated at some, again IMVHO, ridiculously lenient sentences handed out sometimes by the courts for trivial misdemeanours like murder, manslaughter, GBH, aggravated robbery etc etc.

 

There is no doubt that many (all?) countries use individuals as pawns in the diplomatic game for their own means which is highly unfortunate but individuals must behave on the basis of abiding by the local laws whether they agree with them or not and however ridiculous they may or may not be.   If they don't like it they shouldn't go in the first place!

 

 

1 hour ago, New Haven Neil said:

Hmm, drugs sentencing here is what you would probably describe as draconian, however we have much less of a drugs problem than the UK.....

 

And it's still way too bad here irrespective of where we may lay in the league tables of drug abuse.

 

In Other News

 

Been in the loft to put the decoration boxes back after extracting the contents, remove a load of old TV and monitor boxes saved "in case we need to send them back" (unlikely now some of them are 10 years old 🤣) and checkout some scratching noises.   I could not see any evidence of current internal activity but could hear the starlings faffing about in the gutter and on the roof tiles outside but as we have had problems before a close eye will be kept on the situation.   Another good reason to start clearing the carp out of the loft!

 

Whilst there I did notice my small stash of plastic aircraft kits.   Hmmm, lovely 1/32 Hawker Hunter kit lurking there.   That needs to get built!

 

Now, to put up the Christmas lights up outside.     I may be back once I've thawed out.

 

TTFNQ

 

Edited December 9, 2022 by PupCam

[iL Dottore]

5 hours ago, AndyID said:

 

Much as you would like to hope it is/was "mythical" it was not. And that, simply, is why the UK/US will continue to protect Europe even it caves in again.

You misunderstood me Andy. There definitely was a special relationship between the UK and the US in WWII and that was attributable to the close relationship (and friendship) between Roosevelt and Churchill (something Truman and Attlee I don't think had).

 

The UK and the US have always been close allies - especially during and after WWII, but I don't think the US - UK relationship today is anything more "special" than that the US has with other, reliable, Western Allies.

Edited December 9, 2022 by iL Dottore
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