Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

Sheffield Mayor Magid Magid 'bans' Donald Trump from city






Sheffield's Lord Mayor has "banned" US President Donald Trump from visiting the city.

Magid Magid made the announcement while chairing a Sheffield City Council meeting and donning a sombrero "in solidarity" with Mexico.

The Green Party councillor tweeted Mr Trump was a "wasteman" and "henceforth banned from the great city of Sheffield".

Elected in May, the 28-year-old is the city's youngest ever mayor.



More fruitcake here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-44714939

Here we go..........

From First Utility, who are my 'Dual Fuel Gas and Electricity supplier:

An update on your smart meter

Unfortunately, we’ve noticed that your gas smart meter has stopped communicating with us (*). As a result, we’re unable to provide you with all of the benefits a smart meter provides. This includes accurate bills and the ability to monitor your energy usage within your online account.

We’ve been trying to fix this problem but regretfully, we’ve been unable to do so. This is likely due to unreliable mobile signal where your meters are located. We’ll need to send you an email each month asking you to submit your gas readings, so that you can continue to benefit from accurate bills.

We understand that this is disappointing. However, as smart meter technology advances, we’ll let you know if there are any alternative solutions that may be suitable for your property.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
.................................
(*) Sort it then!
.................................
Note:

My electricity meter is situated in an outside cupboard and the readout screen is situated to the front in a panel and to its RHS is a number keypad.

I have no instructions on what sequence of numbers to press to obtain a screen display readout but I would hope that small problem can be overcome over the phone with FU.

My gas meter is situated outside the property in a recessed hole in the ground. This is a different story!

The gas meter readout screen is situated to the front at the top of the gas meter and in a panel and to its RHS is a similar number keypad. (Similar comments to the meter above to get a readout display, I would suppose)

If I have to take gas meter readings myself then this would just leave one final problem to overcome.....

Because of how it has been installed and also a rank crude installation bodge, it is an utter physical impossibility for anyone, let alone me, to read the gas meter screen.

And of course, I dare bet a substantial sum of money, that both these meter gadgets are only of any use to obtain First Utility gas and electricity readings and not readings from other utility suppliers.

I'd bet another substantial sum, that First Utility's estimates of my usage are going to be much higher than 'actual', too.

Grrrrrrrrrr! IMHO, Smart Meters are an expensive and utterly useless con, supplied only by utility companies to nail you solely to their services and to no one else. They do nothing to assist you to practice economies with your utility usage, that sheer common sense and a bit of personal responsibility wouldn't provide you with.

THE sporting event of the year starts tomorrow. Tour de France. I'm not sure if reducing the teams from 9 to 8 riders, and allowing more teams in is a good idea. The tour is not for novices and tired riders lead to more accidents that can take out genuine contenders. Great event however. Pity much of it is in France and that Eurosport insists on using one commentator that sounds like Inspector Clouseau even if he was likely born in Barnsley.

I reckon that if they sent a sort of James Bond-Jimmy Saville into the caves : the kids might come out pretty fast without any need for special equipment at all !....seriously......it's a nightmare situation and apparently they can't swim.....how do you train kids for scuba when they can barely paddle....you would have to strap each kid to the back of a diver and then dive into the murky waters.....unbelievably difficult....

81009 - it may well be 1000' below the top of the mountain, but the entrance used, or indeed other entrances, are unlikely to be anything like that far above the cave where these children are now stuck

=========

smart meters
following all sorts of accurate and adverse reports on these, i have declined to have one fitted

C, but unfortunately the place where the children are lodged is about 2 km from the entrance. It is not me but all the reports that are saying there is up to 1km of cover above where they are. There are ample illustrative sections through the cave system that also show the surface terrain.

that is more to the point, and furthermore, much of it is very narrow
it really does beggar belief that any adult should take them that far into such a cave system AND in the rainy season when flooding must surely always be a risk

I assume that they were driven that far into the system by the advancing water. Luckily, the man with them kept them together and above the flood. Whether they should have been there in the first place is up to him to explain.
I know of cases of people being trapped in broad daylight on the flat beaches off the west coast of this country by rapidly advancing tides. Cocklers in Morecambe Bay for example. Nature can surprise and does.

Flash flood.

!3 years since GF started this thread. Some things stay the same while others are different. No Dim Tim or Stella Artois but the Henley Regatta starts this afternoon. I must remember to pack the cucumber sandwiches.

Very sad someone has now lost their life in this underground cave rescue.

I wish the very, very best of good fortune to all the kids and all the rescuers involved.

cynic

Sensible fellow!

The best way to keep abreast of the times is perhaps most probably to look at old pictures of Katie Price (but under the name of 'Jordan'). :-)

Hmmm...any sample-pictures available....I mean this out of scientific research ExecLine...of course....nothing else....

Yes, Sir!

It was there in black and white and so it must be true.

Without rocking the boat...is it a coincidence that the government military facility Portdown is just round the corner from Salisbury !......a double agent gone beserk taking a kidnapped sample from a Russian laboratory ending up in the UK......hollywood gone mad....of course not ….UK 2018.....

So David Davis has done the right thing, it is time that Boris and Gove followed his example. Time the country stood up to the European bulling team, and just packed our bags and left without paying them any blackmail money. Take it on the chin, and move on as quickly as possible.

With you there CT.

Instead of arsing about trying to please them we should just leave.

Dil,

You have it in your nutshell.

You are right.

Up and at "em.

Sorry, let's run like hell.

That will teach them to be beastly!

-=-=-=-

But where exactly are you going to, if the UK leaves the EU?

(In name, but nothing else?)

Fred1 - They need us more than we need them, we never entered the party fully and into the Euro, we never entered into Greman dominance, though that wet PM that took the UK in was clueless what he was signing up too. You can thank your luck stars that we kept of GBP otherwise it would have been a much bigger problem to walk away from the bureurocratic mafia - the UK has its own Mafia, and share of goodfathers.

So walk tall, and deal with the reast of the world as well on a fair and free basis, they will come running in due course.

Perhaps, those who say "They need us more than we need them" should consider the effect of a flea bite on the backside of an Elephant.

Sorely missed comes to mind.