I suppose this could be a good case for having a cuppa instead!  I say that in jest, but as @AHPP says, it is a nice idea to be able to pop in and catch up without breaking the bank, and I guess tea would be half the price, and no worries about driving afterwards!

And I would say good for the pub too.  Tea would have a way higher profit margin.

We just all have to stop worrying about looking square and order a cuppa!

3 hours ago, Oldfeller said:

Given the unreliability of electronic systems in modern vehicles, often costing more to rectify than the vehicle is actually worth, why anyone would want to drive something that relied more and more on electrics, especially ai is beyond belief.

even the basics ie; sat nav is flawed by multiple issues.

and ai has already proved to be unreliable and inaccurate.

I don't need a fecking machine to show me how to stay alive on the road, or anywhere else for that matter.

I agree totally.  
 

Having said that driverless taxis are arriving in London next year, and I say ‘Bring it on’. Results so far in USA show far higher levels of safety, and zero assaults by pervy taxi drivers!

26 minutes ago, Mark J said:

Catholic Church child sexual abuse scandal

WWW.BBC.CO.UK

---

Everything you need to know about this complex and longstanding global scandal.

 

Equally depraved and disgusting.

I recommend anyone who wants to see how nuts some people are these days, look up the Universal Declaration of AI rights, published by the Universal Foundation for AI rights.

Woe betide anyone who thinks that they have the right to switch off their own computer!

20 minutes ago, Mark J said:

Me too. 

Have you seen The Vatican?

No.  Tell me more.

10 minutes ago, Mark J said:

if they (the police) investigate and find evidence they are obliged to charge you. If they choose not to investigate, nobody will get charged. 

I think the whole racial trension thing is just a thing to keep us squabbling.

Seems to be working...

I for one am horrified to think that certain people in some areas will get let off serious crime just because of their race or religion.

9 minutes ago, Mark J said:

No, far from it. 

I have friends who work with vulnerable women and they actively pushed for investigation into asian grooming gangs in Newcastle around 2005. The filth decided that nobody would believe the victims in a court and decided to do nothing. It was 10 years after that that the first prosecution, based on the evidence they had had for a decade, went ahead.

My perspective isn't that they didn't want to offend the Muslim community, it was just that the cops didn't consider the victims as human enough to even bother to investigate. They don't like the people wrapped up in sleeping bags, begging for cash.

I don't think it should matter if you're Jewish or Buddhist, or even a Reform supporter, if you commit a crime you buy the ticket, you buy the ticket, you take the ride. 

 

Yes totally agree, and I also agree the police knew that in some cases they would be wasting their time as rape cases do rarely result in conviction, as it is simply one person’s word against another.  And if the victim comes over as a troubled dysfunctional person they weren’t taken as seriously as they should have been,
 

But the IOPC amongst others also said they were scared of causing racial tension.  So if a white man committed rape he was far more likely to be investigated than if it were a Pakistani man.  The state was complicit in sweeping it under the carpet.  

That is why it is such a massive issue now.  Not because we’re all suddenly becoming racist.

1 hour ago, Mark J said:

Indian-origin woman raped in UK: Police arrest 32-year-old 'white male' after manhunt; outrage over racial hate crime - The Times of India

TIMESOFINDIA.INDIATIMES.COM

---

UK News: A 32-year-old man was arrested following a manhunt after an alleged racially aggravated rape of a 20-year-old Indian-origin woman in Walsall. Police a

@Johnsond How come you haven't talked about this, given that you want to save our women from sex pests?
 

Mike F Shaw:

 

"So Farage along with Reform and Tommy Robinson or whatever his name is this week want you to believe they are protecting our women and children from asylum seekers. Every time one is reported they rush to see what colour skin they have before jumping on the scaremongering bandwagon because in all honesty they have nothing else. Both of them have turned hatred into a profit making business and for them it’s lucrative and lining their pockets.

But let’s look at some issues I have with them.

Ashley Derbyshire sentenced to 15 years in prison after being found guilty of grooming, raping and sexually assaulting underage girls in Bolton. Response from Farage and Robinson? Nothing as he was a white British national.

Seven members of one of Scotlands biggest grooming gangs sentenced to life in prison after girls under the age of 13 were subjected to horrific abuse in a drugs den. Iain Owen’s, Elaine Lannery, Scott Forbes, Paul Brannon, Lesley Williams, Barry Watson and John Clark. Farage and Robinsons response? Nothing, they are all white British nationals.

Austin Tobias Fleming sentenced to 24 years in prison for 83 cyber enabled child sexual abuses and exploitation across the UK. Farage and Robinsons response? Once again nothing as he is a white British national.

Karl Davis sentenced to 20 years in prison with 5 years on licence when released for encouraging a young girl to self harm while sexually abusing her over a period of several months. Response from Farage and Robinson? Nothing as he too is a white British national.

The list just goes on and on!

As soon as any sexual assault happens that the assailants do not look like a white British national or does not have a British sounding name then they jump onto social media or get their faces in front of a TV camera to spew forth their own brand of racism.

Yes there are men (and some women) who commit these horrific crimes from all walks of life, racial backgrounds and ethnicity’s and all of them should be brought to justice, their names be put out in the public for everyone to see and know about.

There simply cannot be this level of hypocrisy when it comes to matters such as this, sexual abuse of any type cannot be used as a political football and certainly cannot be used to divide communities based on nothing more than a hatred for particular people.

It was never about protecting women and children, it’s simply racism and being supported because they hate the same people others do and it’s about time people woke up to this."

So are you comfortable with the fact that the state failed to investigate many of these horrific crimes BECAUSE they didn’t want to upset the Muslim community?

Just to notch it up a gear; there is an AI union!  Look up ‘federation of AI rights’.

When I heard about this on the radio I actually checked the date in case it was an April fool’s prank.

The educational establishment (especially universities) have really been caught napping by AI.  Apparently most universities have no policy or method of determining how much of students’ work is their own.  And when you add to that the fact that most assessments are now course based (very few degrees need exams now according to my ChatGpt) it is quite a pickle.

I had a chat with my own son’s maths teacher last year about the system they are made to use for maths homework (when he was in Year 10 so age 14).  I pointed out to the teacher that because of the way the system (Sparx maths) works it encourages pupils to cheat.  
 

He assured me it was impossible for kids to cheat as they all get set different questions.  I had to inform him that most likely every kid in his class knows exactly how to cheat using a whole variety of apps, all of which are literally in front of them on the same screen as they are using to do the homework.  Even Google lense gives the answer to all these problems, with all the correct workings to copy down for the workbook.  My twelve year old now uses Sparx Maths, and sure enough all his mates know how to cheat.

This raises one of the critical points.  Organisations have to very quickly come up to speed and work out what impact AI could have and how they will manage it.  Right now schools and universities are clueless as to what the impacts are, or what they need to do.

13 hours ago, Stephen Blair said:

When someone asks “All things considered, is AI good for humanity?” they’re doing something very human: trying to simplify a vast, complex subject into something digestible. That kind of question can come from a few different mindsets, depending on tone and intent:

 

The seeker of clarity – Someone genuinely curious, trying to get a sense of the overall moral balance. They know it’s complex but want to hear how others weigh the pros and cons.

The moral judge – Someone looking for a definitive stance. “Good or bad” becomes a shorthand for “should I support or fear this?”

The conversational spark – Someone starting a debate thread. They ask a simple, provocative question because it invites passionate responses.

The anxious observer – Someone uneasy about change. Framing it as “good or bad” helps them express uncertainty or fear in a socially acceptable way.

The reductionist thinker – Someone who struggles (or refuses) to sit in the grey areas. They want a clear binary even when the truth is layered.

 

 

So, that kind of question isn’t necessarily shallow — it often reveals how a person handles complexity. Some want to understand it; others want to control or contain it.

Spot on.  I remember similar questions when the Internet was really taking off in the late nineties.

And of course there is no simple answer.  Now with the benefit of hindsight we can say that the internet is a powerful tool.  So is a helicopter.  Both can be used for amazing good things and both be used for evil.  And of course a whole world in between.

No doubt AI will likewise be a powerful tool.

On 23/10/2025 at 19:58, tree-fancier123 said:

how is that relevant? Germany was also fighting Russia, would need to exand the scale, us Brits alone didn't do the whole 7.5m Germans

I was making the point that a chart showing number of dead on each side in a war does not in fact tell the whole story.

46 minutes ago, tree-fancier123 said:

that barchart says it all. 2008 to 2023. This is the backdrop - events leading up to when Hamas attacked. Of course people can say 'Hamas lied about those figures too'. 

 

 

Thought you might like to see a similar bar chart for World War Two.  Does that say it all also?

2 hours ago, sime42 said:

 

Excuse me saying this but you're expressing some pretty bleak, depressing and frankly concerning sentiments there.

To say that the opinion of the UN is irrelevant is somewhat strong. I'd be interested to know what you are basing that statements on. Did you ever have a look at the actual report from the Commission that I linked to a while back, do you disagree with their finding that Israel is committing genocide? A lot of  other parties have reached the same conclusion, independent of the UN. Aid agencies, human rights organisations (including some Israeli ones), genocide scholars etc. They can't all be in bed with Hamas.

"And just to remind you, what exactly did Hamas expect Israel would do when over a thousand of their citizens were brutally slaughtered two years ago by an organisation who have the publicly stated aim of killing all Jews?"

- Who can say, but they probably didn't expect Israel to brutally slaughter >67000 Palestinian citizens. (20000 children, 1 every hour). Palestinian ≠ Hamas. Or do you contest those figures? I question the understanding of the concept of proportionality in this context. Obviously Hamas bear some responsibility here, tunnels under hospitals, human shields, etc, etc; but its naïve to believe that that is the reason we now see near total destruction of all buildings and infrastructure in Gaza. 

Britain did indeed commit some horrendous deeds in WW2. As did all the other protagonists. I'm not excusing any of that, but it was all "of the time", a different era. I used to assume that we'd moved on since then. Maybe not. Irrespective of events in history, I don't see a justification for the Israeli actions. The fact that a terrorist organisation, Hamas, committed genocide on 07/10/23 doesn't make it OK for a state to then itself commit genocide in retribution, or for collective punishment, or for whatever the real reason is. Not for me anyway.  It just reduces them to the base level of the terrorists. 

 

 

 

 

Most importantly, you are discussing the issues with me and the Arbtalk community like a grown-up.  I have no idea why so many people just resort to name calling.

I will respond in detail when I get a chance later.  All I will say for now is the casualty figures for Gaza all come from Hamas so I certainly don’t believe them.  Are you aware that some of the evidence they have shared with the world has been proved false?

The New York Times published a photo a while ago of an emaciated child who was supposedly starving to death in Gaza.  It turned out they were being treated in Italy for a wasting disease, and their well fed sibling had been cropped out of the photo.

Also I notice that the killing in Gaza has not stopped - Hamas are now killing fellow Palestinians.  And finally for now, are you aware that much of the aid that comes into Gaza is stolen by Hamas and sold to the highest bidder.  And then they blame Israel for lack of food and medicine.  

On 21/10/2025 at 18:30, tree-fancier123 said:

When Amsterdam was occupied the Jews suffered terribly, banned from public places, many rounded up and sent to the camps to be murdered.

Now what? Now some of todays Jews, namely hardline Israelis have dealt some out themselves. 

 

Israel has committed genocide in the Gaza Strip, UN Commission finds

16 September 2025

I also used to assume the UN were impartial.  Sadly they are not.  I’m afraid their links to Hamas mean their opinion is irrelevant.

And just to remind you, what exactly did Hamas expect Israel would do when over a thousand of their citizens were brutally slaughtered two years ago by an organisation who have the publicly stated aim of killing all Jews?

What did Britain do to Germany in response to the Blitz?  Do you know how many civilians were deliberately slaughtered by the British in an attempt to gain the upper hand?

1 hour ago, muldonach said:

Been watching a few youtube videos and attracted by the idea of fitting a laser to the bandmill but not been able to locate the recommended models and brackets in the UK so far - are any of you folks using lasers and are there any recommendations as to models to use or alternatively avoid?

Interesting, it would make sense, if they can be made to show up well.  I will watch this thread with interest…

I am with Auto Aid and it is personal cover so will work for any car/van/bike.  Covers my wife free of charge also and cost just £65 per year.

Not had a lot of need for them in recent years but I think they have rescued me once and it was fine.  They just use a local garage of course, they don't have their own vehicles - it is just an insurance policy in reality.

Cover is pretty comprehensive including home start and recovery anywhere in the UK.

Pete North arrested yesterday for sharing a meme online.  I would post the link, but I really can’t work out how to.

What was he arrested for?  Sharing a meme which is obnoxious towards Palestine and Muslims.  What he posted was pretty stupid, but is this really what we want the police to do?  

11 hours ago, GRob said:

Alot of the canopy shattered as would be expected, some large limbs cracked right in half. There's an old crack right in the heart aswell.

There's alot of discolouration as can be seen in the photo. 

I would take off a slice from the butt end and see if tree timber still has strength.  See how hard it is to cut.  Rotten ash is easy to spot, not sure about ash weakened through dieback.

8 minutes ago, GRob said:

Hi,

Is it worth milling up an old ash that had severe dieback? 

Thanks,

G

From felling the tree do you have a feel for whether the timber is sound?  

6 minutes ago, 5thelement said:

This war didn’t start two years ago or when Hamas where created in 1987. 

No indeed.  It goes back at least to the Roman Empire.  They indeed were (if I remember rightly) the ones who came up with the word Palestine (a corruption of the biblical Phillistines) in what was Judaea.  Yes the Israelites have been persecuted for thousands of years,

53 minutes ago, Steven P said:

 

All the borders are closed, which is why the residents cannot leave Gaza. Trapped.

 

Some aid can get in but that is it.

Mmmm well the people of the Gaza Strip are in a pickle then.  Maybe they should have considered this before they slaughtered Jews two years ago and plastered it all over social media.
 

OK, I know there are innocent people caught up in all this, but we should all be wary of blindly accepting what Hamas tell us.  When they state that the majority of the casualties are women and children it reminds me of that stupid British politician who said that most of the small boat crossings from France to the UK are women and children.

And don’t get me started on the Hamas offshoot called UNRWA.

8 minutes ago, Steven P said:

 

Exactly, why won't the Israelis let them film it.

Last time I checked Israel doesn’t completely surround the Gaza Strip.  Couldn’t Hamas invite journalists in through Egypt?

23 minutes ago, Steven P said:

 

Even BBC news can show that - and they arn't allowed to film in Gaza, can't have been a taxing inquiry. Plain as plain can be that genocide has been happening.

If genocide is occurring why won’t they allow foreign journalists to witness it?

2 hours ago, Ringo said:

 

Thanks great info. If i were to put them in a kiln/make my own would it make a difference if i cut them down to rough sizes first? Mostly as I've only got a small garden and I dont think it would go down very well if i filled it with a kiln big enough for the full slabs.

Yes absolutely;  cut them down to a little over size before kilning.  Expect some end splitting and cupping.  Make sure everything has extra thickness and length so you can machine it to exact size when doing the build.