Early Risers.

[Ozexpatriate]

12 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

Wait til the Olympics starts.

7 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

At least in Australia the time difference means that most of it will be shown in the early hours of the morning, Paris time is only one hour ahead of us.

The good news here is that it is confined to just one broadcast channel and their cable / streaming services. Normal service will continue for everyone else. It will be in prime time on tape-delay.

 

Unlike the UK semi-government broadcaster with their "N" channels.

 

The problem with watching the Olympics here (for that particular demographic) you only get to watch events with Americans in them - and even then mostly swimming and women's gymnastics - ad nauseum, with a little women's beach volleyball thrown in. They will no doubt broadcast the touch football experiment.

 

Edited July 5 by Ozexpatriate

[Ozexpatriate]

Lord it's hot. It was already around 25°C at 10:00am when I completed my walk. The temperature is rocketing north towards the century mark in l/s/d° and is around 35°C at 3:00pm according to my telephone. Indoors, the air conditioning will probably kick in at any moment. It is set to 78°F / 26°C - which is what the thermostat says the temperature is indoors.

 

A couple of hours ago image on the television froze and my laptop went offline. Apparently there was an outage with my cable/internet provider. Evidently (as I am now posting again) service was resumed - about 30 minutes ago.

 

We get so used to having 100% reliability of services. I was most of my way through ERs and would have shortly shut the laptop down, but it still felt weird not having internet access or television. I moved on to some modeling-adjacent hobby activity with the radio on. All 'normal' now.

[monkeysarefun]

2 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

 

 

The big difference with the US system of policing is the crazy quilt of jurisdictions.  Besides 'the Feds' (like the FBI) many Federal departments have their own police (like National Park Service Park Police, or the Post Office Police) and there are police for all levels of government like States, Counties and Cities.

 

 

That becomes especially evident at televised scenes of incidents like the Uvalde school shooting. There were a whole host of heavily armed "responders" milling around with various TLA's on their backs - FBI, DEA, DHS and so on as well as the actual police.

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

Well today’s BIG clean has been completed, the whole job took about 2 hours altogether. There are 5 landings and 3 long flights of stairs, plus 2 short flights. We both worked at it, I cleaned the doors, door frames, dado rails, side skirts of the stairs, stair panelling and pipe work panelling. Altogether there are 11 and 1/2 doors, the 1/2 door, which is about 30in by 40in, is the access door to the roof space above the bathroom and back bedroom and is also where the boiler is situated and is on the next to top landing, so very easy to get into and out over, no ladders required. As I was doing that lot, Sheila was cleaning the skirting boards, banisters and spindles, there are 32 stairs, each one has 2 spindles, plus the spindles along side the landings. After that lot was done, she then vacuumed the stair and landing carpets. I must admit, it does look a lot cleaner now. 

 

Whilst I was making tea, a basket ball landed in the garden, when I looked a few minutes later, it had gone. Obviously, one of our sons had climbed over the garden fence and retrieved it. So after tea, I went and had a word with one of next doors sons, saying in no uncertain terms, he was not to climb over the fence again and ‘IF’ a ball does come over, which I’ve asked him to try not to do, as he’s damaging plants etc, to knock on and ask for it. 

 

Once I’d finished my evening muggertea, I went to the Trafford Centre to pick up a ‘click and collect’ package for Sheila. I could have left this until tomorrow, but I thought I’d just get it done today. 

 

The HR department of my old employer were very good. But to be fair, when I ask for early retirement, I gave them a specific date, which was 14 months away. It took them about 3 weeks to get everything sorted. The reason for putting in my request so early, was that the company gave retirees an extra 24 days holiday, to be taken 2 every month, so I didn’t want to miss that! 

Edited July 5 by BSW01

[monkeysarefun]

42 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

The problem with watching the Olympics here (for that particular demographic) you only get to watch events with Americans in them

 

 

Same here, if there isn't an Australian in it then it won't get put on.

 

Add to that some drama-filled beat up that fills up way too much time up until the actual event, whether its "Will Cathy Freeman win the 200m?" at the Sydney Olympics or the "Duel In The Pool" between the US and Australian female swimmers  at the last one, theres not a lot of time to show much else.

 

. Although anything that keeps the horses off the telly is alright by me. Thats a scandal that no one does anything about, just look at those "dressage" horses  staggering around -  forwards, backwards,  sideways , doing silly walks -  they are  all over the shop. They've obviously doped themselves up to their eyeballs   on that Horse Tranq    or something.

 

If the 100m finals lineup wandered around like that they'd be sent  straight off to the medical tent to wee in a test tube.  But does the IOC ever do anything about the horses?  No.

 

Wasting  any  time watching an event that has been taken over by drug peddling Horses that the IOC refuses to crack down on - 0 stars.

 

 

 

Edited July 5 by monkeysarefun

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. It's now feeling very muggy and it's persisting down outside. That puts paid to anything to do with the G word.

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[BSW01]

Goodnight all 

[Ozexpatriate]

2 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

There were a whole host of heavily armed "responders" milling around with various TLA's on their backs - FBI, DEA, DHS

Many of the Uvalde responders were Customs and Border Protection (CBP). These are one of the policing arms of the DHS. They have an office not too far away. The "border patrol" is CBP.

 

After 9/11 DHS was created and has several policing units, including the Secret Service (who used to be part of Treasury). 

[jjb1970]

The fractured jurisdiction thing in the US is a nightmare for shipping, and makes it very difficult for negotiation internationally. Depending on what is under discussion the competent body could be the USCG, EPA, CBP, NOA or BOEM, and that's without going down to State level or worrying about the State Department. That's an issue in most countries  but most have the equivalent of an alpha male for the segment and sort out things internally.  With the US it's not that unusual for negotiations to reach an advanced stage and then hit a wall because another Department gives an 'over my dead body' reaction when they find out what the Coastguard or EPA are negotiating.

 

And that's without Capitol Hill politics who are the ultimate decision makers as anything negotiated at IMO, UNFCCC etc is meaningless unless and until enacted into national law. Which may not help much if an agreement relates to states level authority. 

 

That said the much bigger problem these days is trust. Agreements can only happen if there's mutual confidence that all sides will honour whatever is agreed, and at the moment there's a lack of such confidence. 

Edited July 6 by jjb1970

[Ozexpatriate]

1 minute ago, jjb1970 said:

NOA

NOAA?

 

(Alphabet soup.)

[Ozexpatriate]

1 hour ago, monkeysarefun said:

just look at those "dressage" horses

The last bastion of 'sports' for the very rich. (At least polo* is not an Olympic sport.) 

 

* the equine, not the water version

 

The 'traditional' sports for the rich (golf and tennis, sailing, etc) are *somewhat* more accessible these days, though it certainly helps to have a silver spoon.

[BR60103]

A little question from over the pond.

 

What are the various BBC stations?  that is, what sort of programming do they broadcast?  I can probably get some on my internet but I'd like a bit of direction.

Our music tastes are classical and traditional.  Are there any panel shows or comic shows left?

 

[TheQ]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/reception/help-guides/fmmwlw-radio/fm-and-am-radio-frequencies

 

Music radio on Radio 1 pop aimed at, children, teenagers and 20s Radio 1Xtra,

Radio 2, aimed at 30s upwards

6 Music and Asian Network

Speech, drama, analysis and the arts on Radio 4

Classical music and jazz on Radio 3

News and sport on 5 live and 5 live sports extra

Local programming from 40 stations in England

6 dedicated radio services in the nations (Radio Scotland, Radio nan Gàidheal, Radio Ulster, Radio Foyle, Radio Wales, Radio Cymru)

Comedy, drama and children's programming on Radio 4 Extra

 

[TheQ]

2 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

The last bastion of 'sports' for the very rich. (At least polo* is not an Olympic sport.) 

 

* the equine, not the water version

 

The 'traditional' sports for the rich (golf and tennis, sailing, etc) are *somewhat* more accessible these days, though it certainly helps to have a silver spoon.

Sailing UK has never really been for the super rich, although many try to portray it that way. Only when kings, aristocracy , and celebrities take part does it make the big time press.

Here in Norfolk the earliest regatta recorded ( then called water frolics) is in 1577, mostly then between people who worked on the rivers and sea.

My club was founded originally in 1910, though our regatta week dates from 1903, with recorded racing on the river twenty years before that.

Many of the club members back then worked on the rivers and some still do, from sail makers, to boat yard workers to broads authority workers.

Annual membership for a family? £150.

My total must pay costs for racing sailing averaged out? around about, £700 per year.. I currently sail race about 70 days a year, but if I had more time available, I could double that for little increase in costs.

 

 

 

[monkeysarefun]

The local town is  currently trying to look like where @Ozexpatriate lives.

 

[Ozexpatriate]

54 minutes ago, TheQ said:

Sailing UK has never really been for the super rich

I understand that - I was trying to be careful with the distinction. (I didn't include sailing in the "super" rich bracket like polo.)

 

Where I grew up small boat sailing was accessible to the less affluent through groups like the "sea scouts". They sailed boats like sabots on Moreton Bay and boat ownership was not a prerequisite to sail.

 

It does usually require living in a coastal location or a very large lake to have access. 

 

Blue water sailing (not an Olympic sport) remains the purview of the rich. It has been compared with tearing up $100 bills in the shower. It's not a coincidence that the "Americas Cup" yacht race was centred on Newport, Rhode Island for many years.

 

Newport (and the nearby Connecticut coast) was the domain of the East Coast super rich.

 

In post-war Australia, tennis was very egalitarian - less so in the US at that time, but that has since changed. Tennis is much more accessible here now.

 

Edited July 6 by Ozexpatriate

[monkeysarefun]

Just now, Ozexpatriate said:

They sailed boats like sabots on Moreton Bay and boat ownership was not a prerequisite to sail.

 

 

Hobie cats were popular here to let the kiddies loose on.

[polybear]

Bear here.....

 

I've just been reading who's got what jobs in The New Team (how sad is that??)

Well it seems that our new Foreign Secretary (some bloke called David Lammy) once called the Orange One a "neo-Nazi sympathising sociopath".

I like him already....

 

Today?  Er, dunno......

I might have a search thru' various cupboards in the muddlin' room to see what I'm unlikely to need/use and bung it on the 'bay.  That's one maybe.

Another maybe is to restart work on something started at the last Missenden Abbey weekend......

 

And finally.....

Bear's magic number (as of this morning) is now 66.5Kg.  Whoopeesh1t - that's gotta be Bear's lightest for dozens of years**, literally.  Sadly I don't have any CF's to celebrate with.......

 

** And 1Kg lighter than before I went on hols - during which time the odd Pastel de Nata and Cornetto may have been sacrificed; I did walk something like 45 miles during the week though - and there's one or two hills (and a fair few steps) in Lisbon.  I call that a Tick.

BG

Edited July 6 by polybear

[jamie92208]

9 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Same reason no one will get rid of the arcane Electoral College in the US.

 

I always wondered how that came about.  I speculated that it was to allow States to have their votes then a posse of people would have time to travel to DC to say how their state had voted. This of course was in the pre telegraph days. 

 

9 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

At least in Australia the time difference means that most of it will be shown in the early hours of the morning, Paris time is only one hour ahead of us.

 

Sadly we are on Paris, err Berlin time. 

 

8 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

 

 

That becomes especially evident at televised scenes of incidents like the Uvalde school shooting. There were a whole host of heavily armed "responders" milling around with various TLA's on their backs - FBI, DEA, DHS and so on as well as the actual police.

Back in 78 whilst on my travels in the US I was out with a Laramie County Sherrif's deputy and we attended the scene of a fatal on I80.  Three agencies were measuring the scene due to it's location,  Laramie County, Cheyenne City and Wyoming State. 

 

Good moaning from a cloudy  Charente.  The hens are settling in and I think that I've now got the automatic door on the poullallée (hen house) adhusted correctly.  Some hedge to cut and some other minor tasks then a farmers market to attend tonight. 

 

Jamie

[Barry O]

Ey up!

Managed to book 9ne of my appointments at the Marie Celeste.. suggested blood removal isn't required but the very helpful receptionist said she couldn't do that. Follow up phone call will be arranged after my initial visit.

 

With the runway at LBA closed yesterday afternoon planes were diverted to all sorts of places including one from Turkey which ended up at an old RAF station in Germany.. bizarre!

 

Still not back to normal but it means all sorts of planes are due today. @Ian Abel a Jet2 757 arrived this morning.. its third visit this week.. due to be scraped at the end of the holiday season.

 

i am avoiding the kickball later so may get a bit more muddling done.

 

have a good day!

Baz

 

[monkeysarefun]

I got the first two parts of a new subscription that has been released here, O scale Australian cars. Given the dearth of Australian models out there I have high hopes for it since they claim that all 80 cars will be Australian prototypes, or at least cars that were manufactured here such as the Toyota Landcruiser, so we'll see.

 

They are made in Bangladesh of all places but the detail level is high and they look impressively accurate.

 

 

The first part was the HK Monaro which was a bargain at $6.99, the rest are around $24.00 which is still cheap for a diecast car.

 

Given the price of the Monaro it sold out at Newsagents all over the country, and as a result a bunch of O gauge Arfur Daly's are now flogging them on ebay to the gullible

 

Edited July 6 by monkeysarefun

[Hroth]

 

Grey, raining.

After the excitement of the last few days, I may sink back into torpor...

 

[iL Dottore]

Well now the dust has settled and the red team is back in the saddle, I wonder what awaits the UK. Probably not much as Red Leader still has entrenched incompetence and vested interests to deal with - and they are everywhere.

 

FPTP certainly is now showing its imperfections (as can be seen in seats won vs votes received), unfortunately the only alternative suggested was the ill-fated “Alternative Vote” proposal, turned down in a referendum in 2011.

 

I think PR would definitely change the political landscape. It would marginalise  the extremists and ideologues - as they would go and form their own “ideologically pure” parties, whilst the more mainstream would forced to reach across party lines and engage in discussion, negotiation and eventually collaboration across the board. In such a system there won’t be any outright winners, but equally no one “loses” either.

 

One final thought: I wonder what would happen if various political parties put their individual manifesto policies to the vote? If people could say “I’ll have No.2 and No.4 from the Blue Menu, Number 3, 5 and 9 from the Red Menu, a Number 6 from the Yellow Menu and a Number 6 from the Purple Menu” and the choices selected by the most people put into the Government’s final manifesto, I think people inside the Westminster bubble would get a BIG surprise….

[TheQ]

Selection from menu wouldn't work unless you want included a cost..

One of the problems at the moment is parties have to promise everything to get elected while hiding the real costs.

 

Mooring Awl,

3.5 hours sleep, long awake, 2 hours sleep, wake up and turn over, 1 hours sleep.

 

A peer out of the window, thought that's odd, so was followed by a wander out side

 Weird weather, just a few hundred yards to the north just the other side of Ben's lane, there is a wall of grey going east west, floor to ceiling, in very stormy places it looks like one of the big storms coming across a plain. Above us and to the south thin high cloud. Ah it's suddenly getting dark, the trees are beginning to wave around.

 

I remember a railway carriage kit being sold on the front of a mulitipart magazine, the magazines as such weren't worth the paper they were written on, and following magazine with one tiny part of something were not worth buying.

I bought half a dozen of the original carriages, they can be kit bashed into something useful.

 

Chucking it down, it is now.

 

The scaffolding tower is on its way. Arrives by 20:00 it says.

 

Today's batch of Ben's beds is in the washering machine, just a couple left to do, it's getting to be a big stack of washed and dried, quite where they'll be stored I don't know, toys,  bowls etc will be put in one of the wooden equipment boxes I brought back from work a couple of years back. But not today as I'd have to pull the mower out into the soggyness.

 

Plans for today,

A little bit of computering, 

Some workshop time mostly sorting out.

 

A half hour has gone,

Time to get something to eat...