Steven P

Are you trying to argue with sime42 and be in agreement with him at the same time? That must be one of the weirdest things ever Sime42 "Musk is a successful business man, and will likely be in the future" JohnsonD "Ludicrous, you know he is the richest man on the planet and by inference a successful business man"

Most of European birth rates are predicted to fall in the next few years enough to lead to population decline (without immigration) I suspect there will be more news stories in the next few years "Italian village offers houses for £1 to young couples" if anyone fancies being an immigrant (and also loosing a few years in age!)

Maybe not pushing but influencing it to make money. Yes a pure business man (he didn't found Tesla, just saw the opportunity to bung in cash and take control)... but linked strongly to EVs now I am not sure he could backtrack too far to petrol vehicles.

Not at all, he is a business man, making a lot of money and actually pushing the green agenda forward with his electric cars and BESS systems. As Mark J says he has bought himself into favour with Trump with cash to his election campaign and dazzling with his business abilities (Trump craves both).. cannot fault him with that, many many others have done the same world over in the past and will do in the future... The corruption charge is levelled more at Trump for allowing himself to be bought so easily. Watch this space though, Trumps oil backers won't be happy if he pushes electric vehicles and battery storage, Musk won't be happy if he punishes electric vehicles. Trump won't be happy if Musk becomes Times Person of the Year, and vice versa. It is an unlikely pairing, be interesting to watch. But Musk, there purely for the money and business opportunities he can buy. Suspect you are assuming too much again.

Likewise, a tub in the garage with all the shoe cleaning things, Sunday night and every few Monday mornings school with polish still around the back of the hand if I was being a tit Sunday night and had to clean them Monday morning. Yup, got a box with polish, selection of brushes and cloths under the shoe rack... The Boys shoes are all cheap fabrics rather than leather, but one day it is on the list of things to teach them. However if I turn up after a shopping trip next week with various oils (where do you get mink oil from by the way?) they will think I am even odder, it will be whatever I can get at the supermarket for them.

There was a story a while ago that the were stopping making or selling in the UK (can't remember which), demand was falling - no one polishes shoes anymore apparently! I tend to use a dubbin on mine in the winter and polish over the summer... but that tin is running down. Army uses beeswax doesn't it to get a good shine? Melted as a base layer to soak in and then top layer is more of a paste to get a shine... though that was a youtube clip a few years ago

Can't burn conifer, pine or Leylandii. I am able to accept both to dispose of, just drop them off.... On a proper note, if it is dry it will all burn in a stove - the rhyme lines about smoke and sparks are a bit less relevant in a stove. Soft woods are less energy dense than hard woods (less wood in the same volume) so you need more for the same heat output (which is why oak is favoured, quite dense)... however soft woods also release the heat quicker generally. You might be filling the stove more often but it might get hotter. Last thing for wood types, nothing beats free dried wood from the garden. Just a thought, considering the forum members, where are you based roughly, someone might be able to PM you to take a look and give a price (however no pressure to do that, the advice here is great as well)

are they like cherries - if all is lost cut them down to 2 or 3' off the ground and they will regrow from there? Never been brave enough with my apples to test that fully though (The Boys was snapped off at ground level, re-growing from there, I suspect will be root stock and not Bramley? I think another year and will be big enough for fruit)

My boy has a cat allergy, shoot them all?

As far as I can tell in the video it isn't blocking the drive? So could be left in place for a week or 2 till the tree officer replies... just in case... Immediately I'd be tempted to take off the couple of m nearest the house just to give you access round the front - a bow saw (DIY warehouse £10 kind of quality if you haven't got one) or a hand saw should get through that (and with all the usual warnings to know what you are doing and anything that is supporting the rest of the tree to assess where the tree will fall, likewise anything you cut off be aware of the potential for things falling on you). Getting rid of the tree... tip is an option. If you are getting someone in to do it be aware they might be busy the next couple of weeks with other windblown trees, they might give you a price to also remove the tree. Firewood, despite what you might think it will never pay for someone to cut it up but you might reduce the cost a little selling it cut up locally.. tree surgeon who cuts it up will be able to advice how much is there... price it yourself depends how quick you want it gone (Free: Next day it's gone, £20 a car boot full might take a couple of weeks, offer to deliver all in one go saves hassle but larger loads gives less in total) Or if you are confident.. and with suitable protective equipment (helmet, gloves, chain resistant trousers, safety boots, ear defenders if using petrol machines) you could deal with it yourself - the cost of the equipment though might be more than getting a professional in (Use bow saw, takes longer, don't need the safety trousers and helmet, cut to 1m lengths - car boot width - it will still go as firewood to someone)

Trying to keep up with this - his family is rumoured to have gone to Russia without him, he'll probably wind up there with them eventually. Just now the rumour is he went to Iran. I'd be guessing that, a plane to Russia with him in would be noticed by the rebels and too much of an opportunity.

Looks like Assad time is up, Iran is beginning to close their embassies and withdraw military.. interesting times ahead in that region

So happy you brought that insight into the conversation. Well done.

Could have been - read that when I was still at school, a while ago...

I forget the book - think it was one of the Red Dwarf spin offs - Humans have colonised space, and need a garbage dump planet, Earth lost because of the damage done to it, might as well complete the job and kill it off. Trash it and move on.

Too slow, was about to say "big log blown away" (reminds me, going out to do some goblin later, just a small ash today, couple of barrows full, 1/2 mile walking tops in total but it keeps me active (tricky vehicle access), a days firewood)

A couple of educated guesses: Syria isn't going to go well, sorry, it is going to continue to be bad. A lot of asylum seekers / refugees from all the other conflicts in the area and a handy route into Turkey are going to see a lot of displaced people fleeing for their lives, probably arn't going to go back south into Iraq / Lebanon... So the EU might to step in to calm things down (politically asylum seekers are 'bad' in Europe politics)... but the potential for Russia and The Ukraine to ramp up again in the spring might make them reluctant to commit resources (how convenient for Russia... a friend of Syria... divide and conquer). US... that is a bit of a wildcard, Trump doesn't like wars, tricky to save face with (and he doesn't have any business interests there), not sure if Biden will step in this side of Christmas and send troops out there - that never sounds good. So without big outside influence, the current regime is likely to fall quite quickly and will be sorted out within the country rather than the west meddling. Just my guess, but it is a an unstable region of the world.

Remind me one day to post a link on internet security, how much and relevance of personal information you should consider posting online. Quiet enlightening when I dig it out. Surprised you haven't been trained to death on these things. You've certainly done the being a bore training.

Likewise, but a bit more to the right than you (still that quarter though). Interesting quiz thing

Yup, your right - had to check, it is IOS 15 or earlier not iphone 15 or earlier (phones don't excite me as they used to, yet to be sold on any app that would make my life better apart from maybe satnav, so might be forgiven for getting it wrong a little)

All in my head... perhaps you should look over your posts you make here and in POTUS thread, perhaps sort them into 4 piles "Positive posts about the left of centre politics (essentially Labour, SNP)" "Positive Posts about the right of centre politics (Conservative, Reform, UKIP)" "Negative posts about left of centre" and "Negative posts about right of centre". Perhaps include US politics as well since they interest you. If you don't think your political posts are trying to sell an agenda these piles might help you understand how we see you. Knowing you won't and your reply is likely to be a 'distraction' ie off the current topic and probably cheap digs / insults I could give you a hint. +ve posts about the left and -ve posts about the right are in short supply from you.

the narrative you are trying to push that only the very right wing of UK (and world) politics has anything worthy of government (pretty much Farage and Trump), anyone else is not to be trusted. Your original wording had a hint of gloating "wahoo, Farage might get some funding from an overseas billionaire".... but now, this is not a good thing? Which is it? (Noting that last nights Question Time Farage has denied that this £100 million is a possibility) "You are gonna need some big buckets to catch the tears of the left if he does it. Not like labour wanting to move the goalposts 🤷‍♂️bit rich quite frankly seeing how much old spendy Ali paid out. All those cosy nights playing dress up with 2TK in his penthouse." Also to note the 'Cheap Dig' you replied to me with.... again....

You're not going to get an answer to that, such a thing would go against the narrative he is trying to sell.

My take on US conspiracy things is "what did the Russians say".... effectively gave up on that part of the space race and said "Well done"... so either they believed the US or they had a lot of telescopes pointed at the moon to have a look see what was happening. Moon was over Australia when they landed, so am sure they would have mentioned it too if they weren't getting the radio messages back. So far all the conspiracies have never answered why the Russians accepted that there was a moon landing. Why they never went back? (google failed me for a couple of lines here...) Florida's horrider than Whitley Bay No McEwan's Export in the USA The bars are packed tighter than tins of sardines (image: our heroes boarding a space shuttle) No room for barmaids with all these machines This is Geordies calling Houston, can you send us up some drinks? (image: our heroes have landed on the Moon) There's no McEwan's Export and the local beer stinks (something), (something) no atmosphere The States? Nice place, shame about the beer

If I was closer I would give it a go just to amuse you that it went!