Early Risers.

[iL Dottore]

9 hours ago, polybear said:

 

One of my (many) great hates about the media is they can get away with printing stuff like:

 

"It has been alleged that @iL Dottore's legendary triple cooked chips are in fact frozen jobbies from Aldi"

 

Or:

 

"Puppers has been accused of being a closet GWR Muddler"

 

I reckon there are many ways to deal with that sort of allegation made by the media. The first, of course, is not to say anything beyond, perhaps, a terse “no comment“.

or the sarcastic “you may think that, I cannot possibly comment“

 

Perhaps another way is counter information – such as releasing a press release along the lines of “to show solidarity with the striking P4 modellers @iL Dottore is proud to serve his customers frozen Aldi chips at his triple cooked chips prices with the difference going to the P4 modeller fighting fund. Since starting, support from customers has been so great that he is pleased to say that he has sold out his entire stock of frozen chips“

 

Of course, there is going on the offensive: “in a statement made from his office today, a @PupCam spokesman said that due to the severe cutbacks made by the last government, puppers has no choice but to model GWR as all support for LNER, SR, LMS and BR modelling has been removed. Something the @PupCam party pledges to reverse”

[iL Dottore]

Regarding the statins: my GP friend said that when the statins were introduced, they radically changed his practice in the way he was able to manage certain patients. He feels that they were a major step forward in improving patient care and outcomes in selected diseases.

 

Of course, as more and more people are exposed to a treatment, more and more data on efficacy and safety is collected and the risk benefit ratio can change over time. There are quite a few drugs that when introduced were major advances in treatment, but had a very narrow therapeutic index and have been replaced by safer and sometimes more effective drugs (a number of antibiotics fall into this category).

 

The other point to consider is that many drugs need to be prescribed only after a full work up and need to carefully monitored after prescribing. And, quite frankly, unfortunately a 10 minute visit with your GP may not be sufficient.

 

I am quite fortunate inasmuch as the healthcare system in Switzerland is run along the Bismarck system lines. In practical terms this means my GP visits can be anywhere between 5 minutes and 20 minutes face to face (plus whatever waiting time is needed for The in-house x-rays and lab tests to be taken, processed and results given to the doctor)

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

A very blustery night which meant I kept waking up, helped by some neighbours bins blowing over, foxes doing foxy things and cars in the nearby main road racing.  All in all not a good night's sleep. 

It's very breezy but the sky seems clear although it's still a bit darkish out and a mainly dry, windy day with sunny spells and the chance of an isolated shower or two is forecast.  7°C, might reach 10°C.

Three bin lorries and an Amazon parcel due and nothing else on the agenda - yet.  The Boss has just made an appearance so anything could happen now......oh, we "need" to visit Asda.

Have a good one,

Bob.

[polybear]

14 hours ago, grandadbob said:

If you were to look closely at me Tony you might find that I sometimes behave oddly!  🤪

 

Only sometimes?  Must try harder.....🤣

 

Bear here......

Today should see the boxing in of the pipework with plasterboard.  Hopefully.

After that it's MIUABGA day.  Today has also been designated as......Pizza Day.  Yahooooooooooo.

 

In other news.....

It's been announced that Lisa Marie Presley died yesterday, reportedly after a Cardiac Arrest.  VSBT's

 

And finally......

Bear has decided that death due to Malteser poisoning sounds like one of the better ways to depart.....

(For the avoidance of doubt, Bears are rather partial to the odd couple of hundred Maltersers or so)

Bear gone.

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. I just couldn't get to sleep last night, just a series of catnaps so some eye lid inspection is due. No grumbles from Arthur Itis et al so I don't know why I couldn't sleep. 

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl,

Beached whale here.

 

4.5 hours sleep, woken by huge gusts of wind stuff blowing about outside, 4 hours sleep. So a very good total.

Breakfast is a single slice of toast and a muggacoffee.

 

Ben the I'm getting desperate Collie, eventually got me up. We had a good patrol, the wind is still strong but not as bad as overnight, not much rain either, scattered clouds, blue welkin.

 

One thing that I discovered last night is one of my ex companies competitors / customers is closing down its local branch, this is where the original planned person to replace me went.  No wonder he's getting desperate to come back. Unofficially, the second replacement post for me will open at the end of the month and he'll get it..

 

During yesterday's meal my right ankle got increasingly painful, must be something to do with the position I was sat.

 

Plans for today, 

Build a section of shelving with a kit of parts I've already made.

Make, two more small shelves and their supports.

Inspect the centre console, decide what to do next on it hopefully the glue will have dried..

 

Time for muggacoffee number 2.

[New Haven Neil]

Morning, from a rather windblown and bedraggled rock, 7c dry and howlin' wind, but not as much as last night.  UK cut off again, it was a really wild night, not a lot of sleep as a result.  

 

Rant mode - Yes I can click the little box to get rid of the Digitrains (Pecketts today) box, but 1. it is irritating to have to do so on every page I visit, and 2. I pay £ to Warners to not have to do so.  Also it appears that it is very easy for my cursor position to line up with the totally unnecessary go to top button, just the way my screen falls I suppose but again intensely irritating - it just did it when I typed a return for the paragraph above.  I'm with @PupCam. /Rant mode.

[jjb1970]

To return to more serious matters, I had a hokkaido baked cheese tart for lunch, I'm not sure whether these have reached Britain or America but they're terrific, there's a recipe here:

 

https://zhangcatherine.com/hokkaido-cheese-tarts/

 

I was going to try making them but it seems a lot of effort when I can buy tip top examples for not a lot at the local mall (I take being idle seriously).

 

These are very different to cheese cake, the cheese is soft and gooey, like a very thick, viscous fluid. And like with many Asian deserts they're not that sweet, they have a sweet and salty taste which is very different to cheese cake. I love them, well worth trying if you've never had one.

[jjb1970]

5 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

This gets more and more difficult all the time in an increasingly polarized media landscape but editorial slant has always canted the fourth estate for as long as there have been "news" outlets.

 

It was always true that there were unreliable sources of news that people considered "reputable". The term "yellow journalism" was coined for US newspapers in the late 19th century. The hyperbolic reporting that was part of newspaper "circulation wars" then may even have led to the very real Spanish-American War.

 

Competition remains fierce. Reputable brands still want to scoop their competitors. Meanwhile 'free' access to news online is destroying print journalism - in particular the news rooms of local newspapers. (One paper in Southern Oregon is shutting down this week.) In the meantime, online disinformation in alternative online sources in social media feeds is rampant - often fueled by partisan politics and even state actors.

 

And all that is before we begin to talk about a major multinational English-speaking media company with Australian roots - which I won't go into here.

 

Then there's AI. It's only a matter of time before we see totally synthetic (algorithm generated) news, particularly online in social media.

 

 

I think things are getting worse. There has always been an issue with confirmation bias and people gravitating towards news outlets which provide opinions they agree with. At one time I read the Grauniad and the Torygraph on the basis that if I read a left and a right wing paper and compensated for the inherent biases of each I should end up with something reasonably balanced. Now people are fed confirmation bias without even realising it because of search engine algorithms.

 

I also think the press has changed. At one time papers tended to be left leaning or right leaning, but these differences in slant were pretty clear. What I find now is that behind a façade of differing over emotive trigger issues (invariably social issues) it's amazing how the press is now largely conforming to a common position on economic, foreign affairs, security matters etc. For all I used to laugh at the bonkersness of many Grauniad and Torygraph articles I actually enjoyed reading different perspectives and being challenged to think differently.

[grandadbob]

Still forgetting to check whether cursor ( actually perhaps that should be curser) is in line with bl##dy back to top arrow so keep scrolling to the top. B######s.

A walk to Asda in the sunshine and wind has been undertaken for a couple of "necessary" purchases, to whit magazines for Her Bossness.   Usual complaints are being made by the Knee and Hip departments.

Now sat back in the warm and there are noises and a nice aroma coming from the catering department.  The Boss is making a cheese and bacon quiche and I'm looking forward to sampling that later.

When she's finished doing that I've asked her to spare me a couple of minutes to remove some surplus hair from my head.  That won't take long.

Before that however a muggatea seems like a good idea.

Edited January 13, 2023 by grandadbob

[Tony_S]

50 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

many Asian deserts they're not that sweet,

I generally avoid Indian sweets and desserts, they are fro me either very sweet or excessively nutty. 

[The White Rabbit]

13 hours ago, polybear said:

One of my (many) great hates about the media is they can get away with printing stuff like:

 

"It has been alleged that @iL Dottore's legendary triple cooked chips are in fact frozen jobbies from Aldi"....

 

This phrase always makes me wonder 'alleged by who'? The journalist, just now, muttering into their coffee? Or - in this example, let's say, the work experience student from the local college who also shelf-stacks at Aldi? Or a famous and reputable Michelin starred chef who has actually tasted them? Or il D's housemaid who has seen him take them from the freezer and tip them out of the bag onto the oven tray...  I know journalists are supposed to protect sources but without any indication as to the credibility of the allegation then we never know how seriously to take the suggestion. And (as @Ozexpatriate has mentioned) because of the pressure on the media personnel, it's so often a quick fix to say 'alleged' that it becomes overused and devalued. 

 

9 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

The thing that worries me is that I, like I guess most people, rely on the news media to try and maintain an awareness of what is happening in the world, yet when I look at my own experiences (I have seen some proper howlers) I ask myself is anything in the news reliable? ...

 

... but very often someone would demand a 'yes' or 'no' answer. I found it rather disheartening. 

 

It was an eye opener doing PR and press work for a certain red and cream self-propelled carriage - despite spending time and effort with journalists explaining things in (what I thought were) simple terms, very often there were major and multiple errors in the finished article/clip which made me wince. 

 

A possible solution to situations where a questioner is demanding yes or no is to look them straight in the eye and say clearly and calmly that some questions can not be answered properly with a yes or no. When they ask you for an example, one which makes you unpopular with the * in question but raises a laugh or even cheer from others present, is "Do you still beat your wife"? Other alternatives are available but best not quoted on RMW!  

 

 

12 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

Well that has made the clouds roll in!

 

And 'oop North, I did something similar yesterday by saying, "Shall we go for a walk"? It was only slightly cloudy at the time but two minutes later, heavy rain .... 🙄 

 

It's been a very windy night here too, gales howling round the chimneystacks, rain lashing the windows, things blowing over or off roofs. What sounded suspiciously like next door's greenhouse getting something solid through at least a couple of panes. Not much sleep had. Plenty of rainbows this morning, with sunshine and showers alternating like a toddler playing with a switch. If the myth about pots of gold was true, UK gold reserves could double this morning. If I don't leave the house today, it's more down to the weather than any paraskevidekatriaphobia... 

 

 

[DaveF]

Friday 13th has started dry and bright, the wind is slowly dropping following gusts of 80mph in the area over night - I wonder why there was no Met Office warning?  Nothing has blown away in my garden and the fence remains upright.

 

Yesterday I spent the first part of the day sorting out books I no longer "need" to take to a m***l r*****y group at Longhirst on Sunday afternoon to give away to anyone who wants them.  They are just two boxes of books I've have accumulated over the years, mainly second hand or remaindered and which I am unlikely to need again.  Hopefully they will go to good homes. 

 

Then I was able to start tidying up the rest of the bookshelves around the house but that task will be ongoing for some time.  I had a good look in the loft and have worked out where some of the things will go - some to the tip, some into the garage and some into the spare room so items can be used for modelmaking purposes.

 

A relative sent me a "coffee table" type railway book she no longer wanted, it will be worth a quick look through before it goes to a charity shop.

 

I had a phone call from the local NHS appointments people to say I will receive a phone call around 10.15 on Saturday morning to discuss the next step in investigating my IBS - it is likely to involve a camera somewhere uncomfortable.  Since the GP only referred me on Monday it is very good service.

 

Then it was evening, yet again peaceful, watching an old Allo 'Allo on DVD, Madame Blanc and reading a bit more of a Poldark Novel - I've only one and a half books left to finish the series.  I thought about going to the camera club but too many members turn up with bad colds at this time of year, I don't think I'll bother much in future.

 

David

[BSW01]

Good afternoon everyone 

 

Very late on parade today, mainly due to getting up later than planned, which of course meant that everything else was done later than planned. Anyway, the rain is still falling, just not as heavy as it was earlier this morning. The butchers has been visited and a pork pie procured for my dinner. The Trafford Centre was also visited and WE came home laden with birthday cards for practically the whole year! We had a quick look in Waterstones but I didn’t see anything that took my fancy and neither did Sheila, so we left empty handed. 

 

Im not sure what is planned for after dinner, hopefully I’ll get to sit and have a read! 

 

It would seem that I'm not the only one who’s getting p!ssed off with the bl00dy adverts and quick leap to the top of the page! The sooner it’s FIXED the better! 

 

Back later. 

 

Brian. 

[polybear]

3 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

To return to more serious matters, I had a hokkaido baked cheese tart for lunch, I'm not sure whether these have reached Britain or America but they're terrific, there's a recipe here:

 

https://zhangcatherine.com/hokkaido-cheese-tarts/

 

 

Looks remarkably like a Custard Tart to this Bear.

[jjb1970]

25 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

Looks remarkably like a Custard Tart to this Bear.

 

You need to try a Hokkaido cheese tart, the taste is quite unique. I found them to be one of those things I wasn't sure about initially, they're not savoury but they're not that sweet either. Once I made up my mind they're very more-ish.

[BoD]

2 hours ago, The White Rabbit said:

It's been a very windy night here too, gales howling round the chimneystacks, rain lashing the windows, things blowing over or off roofs. What sounded suspiciously like next door's greenhouse getting something solid through at least a couple of panes.

 

Damn you weather.  I know you are only trying to warn us about climate change but really, this rebellion, this blocking roads and disrupting people's lives,  it's not going to endear the majority to your cause.

[TheQ]

Afternoon Awl,

I've just eaten a pork pie. Unfortunately only a mini one.

 

Last shelves built,  also i discovered that the old vertical planking from the under stairs cupboard is the same width as the skirting board, so various sections with some shaping, will extend the skirting around the new cupboards and shelves.

 

Filleting, as in filling in the corners of the centre console with a bonding agent. This will strengthen the unit as well as making is easier to glass fibre as glass fibre doesn't like going round corners.

As I had some left over, the rudder was smoothed off on the glass fibred side.

Some Sanding will be required tomorrow.

 

Just as I finished the above the Marie Celeste woke up, and phoned me to make an appointment for my annual diabetic tests. 1.5 months late,  Being of not a wage slave, it was easy, Monday.. When I'd in the past been working, I'll combine the trip with going to an orange shed as a decision was made on more cupboard doors, so more framing wood is needed. 

 

Still windy out there, gusting 37mph, no rain today the rain tomorrow should sweep through before we venture outside.

 

 

[jamie92208]

Bon apres midi from the Charente.  Ver very late today.  Got up late then we headed for a shop called Gateaux and believe it or not had some cake and coffee.  Then onto a cheapo shop called action.  Think B & M.  Bought a lot more than we intended so then headed home and ended up stopping at a pizza and burger shop and having a superb freshly made burger and chips for lunch.  Now back home chilling.

 

Ttfn.

 

Jamie

Edited January 14, 2023 by jamie92208

[polybear]

Bear here.....

A day of plasterboarding - the C/H pipes in the Hall are now boxed in and ready for plastering.  Big Tick.  All the plasterboard used was either from a skip or left-overs from the kitchen/lounge refurbs; I've now cleared the shed of p/board off-cuts and those in the left are significantly diminished too (and may well also disappear as soon as the H/S/L job is completed.  Next mission will be to text my tame Plasterer to see if he can come and spread some plaster over the job - hopefully sooner rather than later; he's very local and as it's probably only 2-3 hours work that should help.

 

In other news.....

NNND has just returned from a very brief trip to Holland - she brought back a wedge of Dutch Cheese for Bear in return for putting her bins out.  Result.

[Ian Abel]

Arrrgghhh...

 

AWOL from posting yesterday too panicked.

Been crazy busy with large amounts of "panic additions" to client reports due to end-of-year and the need for departments to suddenly add all kinds of new accounting data, resulting in new lines, to be added to myriad reports!

That was my Thursday "work time". BIN men didn't come again, no clue as to WHY, they showed up before sunrise TODAY!

Also, schola rehearsal last evening, with the "pre" happy hour, fist of the year.

 

Today still in busy/panic mode with reports. Later, who knows, nothing planned but some relaxation post work. 

 

Tomorrow we're taking Trevor and Meagan out to dinner at a very good/authentic Korean restaurant. Celebrating his "arrival day" as we do every year.

We get to remind him that we were almost snowed in at the airport waiting for his arrival that year as it was mid-blizzard! 🤪

 

Sunday the schola singing at the MLK services so up early for me.

 

-10c first thing a lot of very slippery roads as it thawed some yesterday. -5 expected high, the weekend will be "warmer" the dizzying heights of as much as +3c!! WOW.

 

Tally ho.

 

[zarniwhoop]

Finally caught up. Scrolling to the top seems to happen a lot for me. Just did it when I tried to start this reply. Often happens when I click on NEXT at the end of a page, and sometimes when I try to rate a page. For me, the up arrow is at bottom left.

 

Anyway, had a most helpful phone conversation with a diabetes nurse - apparently everyone gets overwhelmed by the amount of information when switching to this sensor, so I've stopped my "why is this only affecting me?" worrying after the video workshop made it seem so easy. And apparently having to use a lot more glucose/dextrose to stave off the hypo warnings is a common side-effect: I've got suggestions for changing my amounts and ratios, so hoping that helps.

 

Back to trying to work out how to build and test a piece of software (for those to whom it is not TMI, the latest rust compiler, building from source). About 3 days ago I thought I'd cracked it, then 'colleagues' in USA and France asked questions and looked at the test results. Since then a *lot* has changed, still trying to put it all together.

 

Edit: took two attempts to post this!

Edited January 13, 2023 by zarniwhoop

[Tony_S]

23 minutes ago, polybear said:

NNND has just returned from a very brief trip to Holland - she brought back a wedge of Dutch Cheese for Bear

Did you ask if it was made backwards ?

[The Lurker]

Well this is a day that qualifies as a bit of an arse.

 

I discovered that someone had made two errors in one of the company's year end workings, understating taxable profits by $77m.  One my team should have spotted. That adds $10m to the tax charge - although I might be able to manage that one

 

Then the auditors out of the blue have decided that something they have accepted for a number of years was no longer acceptable and could we just write off an asset by $20,. I wouldn't mind but they have had the workings for over a month before just dropping it on me. I suspect some of my weekend will be taken up dealing with that, now that I have "shared" the news with the CFO.

 

And HMRC have decided our risk rating needs to be upped because they can't trace some of our processes; but they have not asked us at all about those processes. So all in all, not good.

[Gwiwer]

Friday the 13th.

 

One under at work.

 

That is all.