Search found 1134 matches

by toontra
19 Mar 2024, 9:27am
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Just how long will it take to turn this ship around?
Replies: 37
Views: 871

Re: Just how long will it take to turn this ship around?

All the signs are that a Starmer gov, even with a large majority, is going to disappoint those hoping for a major change in UK politics. There are clear signs of a shift away from radical policies (e.g. green agenda) towards the right, and Rachel Reeves is already buttering up and accepting large donations from the usual lobby groups - e.g. gambling.

Combined with the dire financial state that will be inherited, I'm afraid the best that can be hoped for is a change in morality - i.e. fewer dodgy Tory MP's - but not much else.
by toontra
16 Mar 2024, 9:12pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Should the BBC be privatised?
Replies: 114
Views: 4350

Re: Should the BBC be privatised?

I'm not sure you can consider BBC radio in isolation. Without BBC TV the BBC radio stations wouldn't exist.

Personally I don't begrudge the license fee. I'm in the fortunate position of being able to afford it, and I can't ABIDE commercials. I find them insulting to the intelligence to the point I won't watch live commercial TV. I "record" anything I want to watch so I can FF through the ads.

I've enjoyed and learnt so much from BBC radio over the years that I suffer the promos without too much bother. They are in a totally different league to the utter dross you're subjected to on commercial radio.
by toontra
16 Mar 2024, 12:20pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Should the BBC be privatised?
Replies: 114
Views: 4350

Re: Should the BBC be privatised?

Psamathe wrote: 16 Mar 2024, 12:09pm Ads (of any type) are of no interest to me so makes no different if those ads are for perfume, washing powder or other completely different genre broadcast programs.
True - and annoying. But with commercial broadcasters you get all this self-promotion stuff plus the paid ads.

On ITV the average length of a programme occupying a half-hour TV slot seems to be around 23/4 minutes. That's a lot of rubbish to have to sit through. The BBC fares a lot better in this respect - just a couple of promos at the start and then unbroken viewing.
by toontra
16 Mar 2024, 12:09pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Witnessing the end of the NHS
Replies: 213
Views: 18497

Re: Witnessing the end of the NHS

Same here (London). Was told a painful growth on the underside of my big toe is probably a large verruca - go and see a private chiropodist. It's been there for 8 months now and I've tried every kind of DIY remedy. From what I can establish this is likely to require several treatments and cost several hundred pounds.

This is on the back of paying for private surgery for an inguinal hernia which was growing at an alarming rate and causing significant pain and preventing me from doing any kind of exercise or manual work. NHS waiting list? - 12-18 months.
Cost - £4,300

I've been paying for all dental work for many years.

I'm of pension age yet seem to be paying for all my recent medical requirements myself.

What NHS?
by toontra
15 Mar 2024, 2:34pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Noisy freehub - quieten with grease?
Replies: 21
Views: 812

Re: Noisy freehub - quieten with grease?

Took the springs & pawls out and gave everything a good clean. I was right in that they looked never to have been serviced since new - horrible dark gritty stuff. Reassembled using a moderate quantity of Superlube grease as recommended above and happy to report a vast improvement. I'd say the noise is reduced by 30%, to the point where it's tolerable. Engagement still seems instant. A few road tests at freezing and below temperatures should confirm there is no risk of sticking.

Thanks for all the advice!
by toontra
15 Mar 2024, 9:34am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Non-standard Bikes on Trains
Replies: 32
Views: 1256

Re: Non-standard Bikes on Trains

It really beggars belief that they introduced these carriages which will be with us on many inter-city services for decades hence.

Useless for non-standard / wide-tired / wide handlebar and carbon-rim wheel bikes. If you're lucky enough to have a bike that actually fits over the hook you then have the physical task of getting it up there, which will also rule out many people.

Not to mention the distinct possibility of the locker being full of luggage or another bike already there that takes up too much space, or bikes without reservations taking in your slot.

Then the problem I often face of a bike being already on the "inner" space but no ticket showing where they're getting off. What do you do? Put yours on the outside and hope you get off before them or risk someone man-handling your bike so they can get theirs out?

One can only assume that the system was designed either to:

1) Take up the absolute minimum possible space for economic reasons

2) Positively deter people taking bikes on trains

Or most likely a combination of the two..
by toontra
14 Mar 2024, 7:51pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: The "Royals" Thread
Replies: 1350
Views: 54542

Re: The "Royals" Thread

Pebble wrote: 14 Mar 2024, 6:23pm If you want to pick on someone, have a pop at Katie here, could this be the 345th time she has been caught without a licence?
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/a ... rance.html
No one seems to be complaining that her appearance and photos may have been altered, a lot
Forgive me for not wanting to click on a link to the (Kate-worshiping, Megan-demonising) Daily Mail, but I assume you're referring to Katie Price. Not sure how that relates to what we're talking about.
by toontra
14 Mar 2024, 6:02pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: The "Royals" Thread
Replies: 1350
Views: 54542

Re: The "Royals" Thread

thirdcrank wrote: 14 Mar 2024, 5:59pm Just to show I'm paying attention, I'll mention that I think you meant to write "veracity."
Indeed :lol:
by toontra
14 Mar 2024, 5:52pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: The "Royals" Thread
Replies: 1350
Views: 54542

Re: The "Royals" Thread

This stuff matters. We need to have faith in the veracity of information we are fed by those in positions of authority (I include the royals in that category).

Prince Andrew would never have been held to account were it not for the picture showing him in a compromising position, which contradicted his story of never having met Virginia Giuffre. BTW experts have determined that particular image wasn't edited. So history would have played out entirely differently - on the basis of a single image.

And that's why reputable press organisations won't touch "dodgy" pictures (despite what mattheus thinks :wink: )
by toontra
14 Mar 2024, 4:39pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: The "Royals" Thread
Replies: 1350
Views: 54542

Re: The "Royals" Thread

thirdcrank wrote: 14 Mar 2024, 4:30pm In what way is anyone really being intentionally deceived?
That's the whole point - we don't know. We don't know what the "original" photo was like because the palace won't release it. That would clear the whole thing up at a stroke.

We don't know to what extent this image was manipulated and why, but experts say the manipulation is extensive.

And I for one can't understand why they would need to lie about Middleton's involvement. To what end? As they saying goes, it's often not the initial incident that's the problem - it's the subsequent cover-up.
by toontra
14 Mar 2024, 4:10pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: The "Royals" Thread
Replies: 1350
Views: 54542

Re: The "Royals" Thread

mattheus wrote: 14 Mar 2024, 3:59pm90% of pictures published by the national press are processed in some way, often to give some bias to the story - this one seems very harmless.
Are you sure? This is what the internet throws up:
Photojournalists and major news organizations follow standards and ethics codes around photos. These organizations typically place an absolute premium on image authenticity and reject photographs that have been altered in any way.
For example here are the Associated Press guidelines on what is/isn't acceptable -
No element should be digitally altered except as described below.
and goes on to detail minor permissible edits - e.g. colour tint, cropping, greyscale, etc

https://www.ap.org/about/news-values-an ... the-story/

That is precisely why this photo was pulled by press organisations - which would seem to contradict your assumption.

Glad you're happy about being misled on this issue. I wonder what else you tolerate being lied to about?
by toontra
14 Mar 2024, 1:33pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: The "Royals" Thread
Replies: 1350
Views: 54542

Re: The "Royals" Thread

Psamathe wrote: 14 Mar 2024, 1:21pm Recent outcry over William and Kate released photo being removed from agencies because of extensive doctoring (fake), royals then admitting it was "fake" and refusing to release the real image to me highlights a major problem. I could not care about an image they chose to release to public for their PR purposes. What concerns me is that they feel it quite acceptable to deceive the public for their own PR purposes, that they cannot be honest and straight with us. Not good.

Ian
Indeed. It's really playing the public for fools. Middleton is saying she edited the photo herself. I would suggest that's a lie. There isn't just one edit - there are numerous, some relatively sophisticated and some clumsy, either done manually or by AI. I simply don't believe she had the time, knowledge-base or inclination to have done this.

As you say that raises a whole host of issues - all varyingly grades of bad for the royal's standing. No-one likes being lied to.
by toontra
14 Mar 2024, 11:10am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Gore Windstopper Fabric(s)
Replies: 3
Views: 250

Re: Gore Windstopper Fabric(s)

I bought a Mavic-branded jacked made with Gore "Shakedry" fabric. It's ridiculously light but reckoned to be waterproof yet very breathable (the holy grail). It came with a warning not to use with rucksacks or other contact equipment as there is no outer protective layer.

I haven't dared use it yet :lol: but will be useful for multi-day events where weight and space is at a premium (and I certainly won't have a rucksack with me!).
by toontra
13 Mar 2024, 5:52pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: LTN politics
Replies: 52
Views: 3137

Re: LTN politics

ratherbeintobago wrote: 13 Mar 2024, 5:28pm @mjr I wouldn’t say the system is broken as such, but it’s important that councillors hear a range of views and that means those in favour of traffic restriction as well as those against.
My experience of public consultation meetings on proposed LTN's in my borough (Islington) is that the anti brigade shouted down everyone who dared disagree with them, including councillors, officers and others there who might have been in support or yet to decide. At one meeting the police had to be called as things turned potentially violent and the meeting was cancelled.

It's a classic case of a vocal minority, often organised on social media and supported by some rather shady "democracy" campaigns (not surprisingly often also anti-vax and peddling other conspiracy theories), hoping to influence the democratic process by shouting loudest.

It has to be said that Tories are often in the background agitating and hoping to gain a few votes (e.g.local elections in Bath).
by toontra
13 Mar 2024, 8:13am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Noisy freehub - quieten with grease?
Replies: 21
Views: 812

Re: Noisy freehub - quieten with grease?

pliptrot wrote: 13 Mar 2024, 8:02am The Superlube grease recommended above will do the trick. I've used it for years to keep freehubs quiet (and everything else on a bike).It does not dry out and is tenacious enough to do the job for some time. Those suggesting grease should not be used are talking about mineral grease, which is not really ideal for any of the applications on a bicycle.
Sounds perfect. I think this will be my first trial.