Early Risers.

[monkeysarefun]

34 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

Happy anniversary to Pupcam!

 

On smoking, Germany and many other European countries are like stepping back 30 years, here in Bonn it's like Britain in the early 90's.  I am in the German federal ministry for digital and transport and there's a cigarette machine in the lobby and a smoking room.

 

Reduced smoking rates are one of the success stories of British public health.

 

 

 

Here smoking is banned pretty much everywhere in public so its pretty much restricted to  your own home ( and probably there too if you have kids - I've not needed to check the law) To top that off the price of cigarettes is quite eye watering, for instance: ( divide by about 2 for the price in pounds shillings and ounces)

 

 

 

Its definitely a tax on the poor, who tend to be caught in the smoking addiction trap. For them a pack of smokes can be almost a third to a half of their weekly income. Tough on the pack-a-day smokers, heroin is probably cheaper. 

 

 

That said, I cant remember the last time I saw someone smoking. 

 

hmm, actually, the  bloke next door is a smoker, what with that and driving a ute like mine - a 6 litre V8 (though his is an auto not a 6 speed manual!!)  but he uses his as a  daily driver rather than just on special occasions, so all his pay must go on cigs and petrol!

 

 

 

 

Edited June 8 by monkeysarefun

[Hroth]

27 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

 

 

 

Here smoking is banned pretty much everywhere in public so its pretty much restricted to  your own home ( and probably there too if you have kids - I've not needed to check the law) To top that off the price of cigarettes is quite eye watering, for instance: ( divide by about 2 for the price in pounds shillings and ounces)

 

 

 

Its definitely a tax on the poor, who tend to be caught in the smoking addiction trap. For them a pack of smokes can be almost a third to a half of their weekly income. Tough on the pack-a-day smokers, heroin is probably cheaper. 

 

 

That said, I cant remember the last time I saw someone smoking. 

 

hmm, actually, the  bloke next door is a smoker, what with that and driving a ute like mine - a 6 litre V8 (though his is an auto not a 6 speed manual!!)  but he uses his as a  daily driver rather than just on special occasions, so all his pay must go on cigs and petrol!

 

 

 

 

 

Until he smokes while filling up....

 

[TheQ]

Dad was a smoker for much of his life, but he didn't get cancer..

 

Just a severe dose of COPD.

 

Cigs AUS, 8 x 25 is 200 = approx £264

Cigs UK , 200/20= 10 packs at £13.00( cheap cigs) per pack so £130

 

 

Afternoon Awl, 

Much writing done.

 

Took Ben for his walk, did about 200 yards, then could hear a roar of rain coming across the fields, then it hit.. Heavily.... Ben said xxx  this I'm going home, I agreed, but we were thoroughly soaked.

 

Strangely it's warmed up since the rain, the house was at 18C now it's 20C.

 

I've often home  made pizza,

 

aka cheese on toast, with tomatoes and any other topping I fancy favourites being bacon and or mushrooms..

 

Edited June 8 by TheQ

[monkeysarefun]

18 minutes ago, Hroth said:

 

Until he smokes while filling up....

 

 

 

Smoking in a servo is especially banned. His ute is black, lesser specced than mine ( no Brembo brakes or competition  stiffened suspension - none of which I have ever needed in anger but it makes my ride much harsher which allows me to feel that I am in a Performance Vehicle!) 

 

 But they do look cool in black, and the value of any Australian V8 ute will only go up because  like Sydney beachside property,they aren't making any more!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 8 by monkeysarefun

[iL Dottore]

Whether or not you get cancer, even though significantly exposed to carcinogens, is all down to having the right parents. Your genome will dictate what will make you ill, what you can shrug off, what you can catch (infections) and what you can develop (cancer, heart disease etc.). The importance of exogenous factors – such as diet and exposure to carcinogens - is recognised, what is the driving factor behind the development of a cancer, a significant exposure to a carcinogen or a poorly functioning immune system (in terms of mopping up counters and precancerous cells) remains mostly unclear.

 

Ultimately, for the average person, I would argue, it’s all about risk. For example: the more you are exposed to cigarette smoke, directly or indirectly, the higher the risk of you developing, lung, throat, or mouth cancer (cigarette smoke is absolutely packed with carcinogens). This, however, doesn’t mean that you absolutely will develop such a cancer if you are a 40 a day smoker; the probability is incredibly high that you will, but there are such 40/day smokers in whom such cancers don’t develop. Likewise, if you only smoke one cigarette a day once a week, your risk of developing a smoking related cancer is very very low. This doesn’t mean that you won’t  develop such a smoking related cancer, but the probability is incredibly low. 

[Hroth]

As Private Frazer would say...

 

 

[DaveF]

Another quiet day as I still feel weary and need to be not too far from a loo, but things are showing signs of settling down.

 

I've done a little bit of shopping, looked at the garden and greenhouse and watered things in pots.  

 

Apart from that I've read, looked a few of my own photos from a few years ago and dozed.

 

David

[polybear]

2 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

 

 

Smoking in a servo is especially banned. His ute is black, lesser specced than mine ( no Brembo brakes or competition  stiffened suspension - none of which I have ever needed in anger but it makes my ride much harsher which allows me to feel that I am in a Performance Vehicle!) 

 

 But they do look cool in black, and the value of any Australian V8 ute will only go up because  like Sydney beachside property,they aren't making any more!

 

 

 

 

 

Bear had a black car.  Once.....

 

Never again.

[Tony_S]

I have been instructed to cook some sort of stir fry this evening as stuff needs eating. I have delivered Aditi to the railway station so she can go to Southend to see a film. It is a French comedy shown as part of the Southend Film Festival. She is meeting a friend in the bar of the hotel where the film is being shown. She was going on the bus but it takes ages to get to Southend unlike the train. 

Tony

[Tony_S]

2 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

Bear had a black car.  Once.....

 

Never again.

My Evoque is black. My first Freelander was black, the second was a metallic grey. I would have liked another metallic grey car but all the used Evoques were black. Mine is now grubby black but not as grubby as Aditi’s white Fiesta which needs moss removing.

[Hroth]

5 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

 

 

Smoking in a servo is especially banned. His ute is black, lesser specced than mine ( no Brembo brakes or competition  stiffened suspension - none of which I have ever needed in anger but it makes my ride much harsher which allows me to feel that I am in a Performance Vehicle!) 

 

 But they do look cool in black, and the value of any Australian V8 ute will only go up because  like Sydney beachside property,they aren't making any more!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well yes, but some people do things even if they're especially banned....

 

Speaking of V8 "utes", if I were to even consider having one, it would be something like this...

 

The colour would be ideal, but I bet it has vacuum windscreen wipers...

 

Funnily enough, the last Ford my father had was a black 1950 Ford V8 Pilot.  Its thirst for petrol was legendary, and the noise it made when the silencers blew out was colossal....

 

Something rather like this, but without the wing mirrors and the out of character white wall tyres. And we didn't have the funny little sticks attached to the front bumper.

 

After that he never had a black car again, although he did have a dark blue Volvo 144 at one point.  The nearest I've got to black was a dark grey Octavia!

 

Edited June 8 by Hroth
A bit more, and an extra pic, then I just noticed a spelin mistak

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Dinner this evening is beef stroganoff thanks to the use by date lottery. The pizza wasn't exactly breakfast, it was more like brunch as it was after 12 that I had it. The microwave has pinged so its time for dinner.

[Ozexpatriate]

7 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

Seriously, do  you not get the promotion there? 

No - I've never seen them offer free burgers for singing the Big Mac song. I suspect it is something that was particularly successful with the original introduction of McDonalds to Australia (1970s I'm guessing).

 

The jingle is well known here but McDonalds does not use it.

 

They have a corporate YouTube channel with a lot of their current advertising, but they don't advertise on what I am watching lately - I haven't seen one of their commercials in a while. (But I haven't been watching the NBA / NHL playoffs or "Idol / Voice" etc "talent" shows where their spend is more likely.

 

There's even a Wikipedia page listing their regional campaigns.

 

The Hamburgler was in heavy rotation for a while. Haven't seen it lately.

 

Edited June 8 by Ozexpatriate

[grandadbob]

Oh dear, I've just been advised that there is still a piece of lemon meringue pie and some cream left in the fridge and that it is my responsibility to dispose of it.  The things that I have to do to maintain peace in this house!  

I suppose I'd best gerronwithit!

[Ozexpatriate]

4 hours ago, TheQ said:

Cigs AUS, 8 x 25 is 200 = approx £264

Cigs UK , 200/20= 10 packs at £13.00( cheap cigs) per pack so £130

I have no idea how much they cost.

This website uses the cost of a pack of Marlboros as a pseudo cost of living (dying) index.

 

They claim $11.00 in Portland for a pack of 20 so about £87.

 

It is eye-opening how much cheaper they are in Latin America - £15 in Brazil.

[Andy Hayter]

Well what a cr@ppy day.

 

6pm last night the internet went down and is only now restored.  The impacts were bigger than might be expected. 

The vet's computer system was down and they could not find an alternative medication for the one they knew they did not have - and could only take cash or cheque payments. 

The supermarket could only take card payments from a limited number of local banks. 

The petrol station could not take card payments at all - and the next one is 20km away and for all I know was suffering the same problem.   

The cash machines seemed unable to give cash if you banked with someone else.

 

Who said cash and cheques were passé

 

Then the car decided to start flashing up warning lights.  Of course the garage is closed until Monday.  The car is 48 hours on the road.

 

As said what a cr@ppy day.

[tigerburnie]

My maternal grandad smoked 20 Senior Service cigs a day all his adult life, in his retirement he drank a bottle of Famous Grouse whisky a week, can't remember his exact cause of death, but I do remember it was not linked to smoking or drinking, he was 92 when he passed.

[Coombe Barton]

... Got a question today via email - where’s west? This has echoes of the wonder of a student (yes, at university) who did not know that bees pollinated plants and without them we’d starve. ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2024/06/08/covid-cases-by-age-which-way-is-west-domestic-progress/

 

Edited June 8 by Coombe Barton
Typoman

[Hroth]

22 minutes ago, Coombe Barton said:

Got a question today via email - where’s west?

 

Don't give 'em the easy answer "its the direction the sun sets", tell them its on the left when they face North.....

 

Given the original question, the next one would be "Whats left?"

 

 

And a lovely combination of voice and natural trumpet.

 

Edited June 8 by Hroth

[Barry O]

Belated Happy Birthday to @iL Dottore.

 

Managed to do notalot today .. although I did install an electromagnet based uncoupler.

 

Started off dull.. now sunny but still cool.

 

Packing....packed. woooopppppiiiiiddddddooooo!!

 

Baz

[grandadbob]

I think I had my first cigarette aged 10! (nicked it from Mum's packet left on the table.}  When I was 15/16 I was probably smoking 3 or 4 a day but when I started work at 17 that went up as I worked in an office full of smokers. Twenty plus a day in my twenties even though I was a keen rugby player.  By the time I got to my forties I was on 30/40 a day depending on my mood and stress levels.  I eventually had my last one  on June 30th 2007, the day before they brought in the smoking ban in pubs in England.  (I didn't fancy standing outside the bar in the cold and rain just to have a "fix.") Both parents, all grandparents and most relatives smoked back in the 40s,50s and 60s.  I lived in a pub until I was 11 and I can still remember the smoky haze in the bars as almost everyone seemed to smoke in those days.   The only family member to die of lung cancer was my maternal grandfather who smoked foul old roll ups but had also spent many years in the Merchant Navy in the boiler rooms of coal fired ships so that probably didn't help. 

I think it's nothing short of a miracle that (so far) I haven't contracted anything nasty. 

I got into model railways shortly after I packed up smoking as for the first time for years I had plenty of spare tokens to indulge in something other than starting small fires to put in my mouth!

 

P.S. The cigarettes I used to smoke are now about £15 a pack so at that rate I'd be spending about £180 to £200 a week!  I'd have to become a bank robber to afford that!!!

Edited June 8 by grandadbob

[grandadbob]

And apologies from me to iD and PupCam, belated birthday and anniversary greetings to you both.

[grandadbob]

Just heard from Steve and they have landed safely in Washington DC after a very smooth and enjoyable flight with BA.

[BoD]

Many happy returns ID.

Happy anniversary PupCam.

[The White Rabbit]

6 hours ago, Tony_S said:

We were in France in about 2006 staying in a small hotel in La Grand-Motte. There was a table in one corner reserved for smokers. We went down for dinner and were taken to that table. We said we were non smokers. The manager said that was good and smokers would have to go somewhere else away from the restaurant. He then said there would be plenty of room in the cemetery.

Tony

 

I will always remember one of John Cleese's anti-smoking adverts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3lEs-aCAJk 

 

There's also : https://www.reddit.com/r/calvinandhobbes/comments/iurbj1/calvin_tries_smoking/