Steven P

The first picture was along the lines of anger as police officers use holidays to go to Pride marches, which was my comment and amusement. Like any job, if they are required to attend as part of their duties then they should be paid to do so. I suspect that the images before and outrage headlines (Daily Mail and Anglican Times.... both rational publications? No Bias) hide a much wider story, set of issue and the possibility that the police officers photographed were not on duty but attending as a part of their gay sports and social scene. (Appreciating ArbTalkers are often small outfits - in larger organisations often theres organised sports and social activities and funds for all interests, whether it is sporting events (maybe a cycle or running race), or social (such as a bowling night out) - could be that the police in the photos are there as a part of their social scene and wearing their 'social' outfits - companies I have worked for often put their branding on supplied clothes as a part of sports and social funds. Who know without knowing and reading in depth the full story).

No back peddling at all. Refer to my original comment, I suspect that your mind is making me out to be something I am not... again.... And then refer to my third comment, and the fourth, and this, the 5th comment where I will question again what is the problem with police officers using their allocated time off to do as they want? Or, is it just the gay ones doing what they want with their time off that is the problem. Entirely consistent. You are trying to make an argument out of nothing here my friend. Not happening. ('The article was clear right from the get go'... would be really handy if you could post the links to the articles instead of an image, everyone else manages to)

No not ignoring that completely but like you say, Biden is out the race now. Kamala or Trump are their choices. Biden is senile, rightly so is being retired, I like the Thunderbirds analogy. A son who is an addict perhaps indicates parents who failed, perhaps it doesn't, but I don't think there is any suggestions that Joe Biden was his dealer or got him addicted in the first place. Trump is always the bad man... he isn't a good man... given the choices of 4 years ago, I think they made the right one, I don't think Trump is selfless enough to lead a nation - all self serving. Doesn't mean to say that anyone who reaches the top of any large organisation is blameless in everything - there has to be some ruthlessness as they go. So no, Trump isn't the only rotten apple to reach the top in any political arena.

I don't have a strong opinion either way, but the first image posted here was the outrage that police officers were having holidays and using that holiday time to take part in the pride marches. The questions being are police officers allowed to have holidays and can they do what they want with that time off (within the boundaries of societies norms and rules of course). Plenty of police for example will go to a football match in their time off (and in Glasgow, that can get quite political, similarly in cities such as Liverpool or London but not quite so intense), large crowds and with an official police presence, some undercover in the crowd 'enjoying' the game as a part of their duties. You can draw a comparison. In single team cities I'd be betting that some of the official police presence enjoy watching the game, get paid for it. I'd also bet that in the pride marches if there was illegal activity the police on duty would deal with the situation there and then, they are still on duty, still working, same as if they were policing a football game.

Yes, time off... holiday... are you saying that the police shouldn't have time off? Or is it just the gay police officers who shouldn't have time off?

Can I do some Trump bashing? My opinion is he is too old and should be retired, but too self serving to serve a nation (the racism, bigotry, homophobia, sexism, and all the rest can wait till another time). Curious his pal Russel Brand is up there in the photo.... but curious how Trump enjoys the company of those whose sex lives are 'dubious' - the likes of Brand and Epstein (did anyone ever forget the "Grab them" 'locker room talk' where Trump bragged of sexual assaults, or his habit of walking into the Miss Universe changing rooms... some of the girls were as young as 15 at the time). If I get time one day it would be enlightening to plot Trump and his closest pals and which ones have a chequered past (Gulliano - his best lawyer - yup, claims against him, his current lawyer apologised for a sexual assault that he definitely 'didn't commit') Anyway 'friends like these' I suppose is not his base desires, but more a desire to appear competent - more competent than those around him.

So if there was a football match attended by a similar number of people, or perhaps in Glasgow one of the orange walks or a similar parade you'd expect no policing there either? .. or is it just the gays part that is offending you greatly?

I love that "officers have been allowed to take time off"... bring back the Victorian age when Holidays were unknown and time off was a Sunday morning to go to church... ha! Allowed to choose to take time off, what next, women with the vote?

Is there anyone who can do it for you and certify it as clean? Just thinking if you turn up to customs "Yes, I washed it all" is your word against theirs - a bit of paper may or may not help?

It was written along those lines!

I'll have to dig out the link one day but something like this: "I take abc drug to counter the side effects of def drug which I take because of ghi caused by drug jkl for my sore back which is caused by obesity" - something like that. Often doctors don't get chance to solve the root cause and are only reacting to the symptoms - might help if they were allocated more than 10 minute appointments. Yup, fresh air and exercise are perhaps more valuable than we think (though the headlines a few years ago when patients were given free gym passes, if I remember right were on the outrage side of life)

Imagine, a lady President of the US.

About time. Politically though he should have done it weeks ago, without speculation happening, would have thrown Trumps team. 4 years time Trump will be the same age, perhaps he should also consider the same but he won't

I'd suspect that there isn't one single cause that you can pinpoint and say "That it is" but are more likely to be many small things that add up to cause cancers. I'd also suspect that genetics plays a role here (in that for example, some people in a family might have allergies, some might not). Third thing I'd suspect is that combine the 2 together, genetics and your diet / make up / lifestyle might make you a risk of cancer but not someone else living apparently similar lives. Might look up e-numbers too - I had a list once online and their suspected links (website was mostly redundant / duplicated years ago so I took it down) - a lot to do with childhood hyperactivity but cancers and diabetes links appeared regularly (not all e-numbers are bad, some are just a number for food (example E162 is beetroot juice). Peds has a point I think - what we add to crops could have an effect if your body is built that way - and if you can... go for the more organic (example here, broccoli or organic broccoli in Lidl was about 10p different, best chicken to second best chicken again about 15p a kg different, in a big shop we don't notice that). On meat free days we'll go organic chickpeas and so on, difference in price for that meal to a meat meal makes up for going to organic veggies quite often

Anything can be done inside with the above. Not a great crocs fan, I'll rarely wear socks in the house and garden unless garden work needs toe caps - the shed though, always footwear - too many splinters on the floor (wood, metal, glass, tile, screws, nails...) - brush as often as I like they jump back to place as soon as the back is turned. In the street I'll often go to Vibram 5 fingers - almost bare feet but with a sole. Probably freaking some of you out on a Sunday morning, sorry!

Vietnamese are generally Bhuddists - not sure of the variety apart from god bothering. Mostly slaves to 'pay off' their transit fees, yes.

You'll be OK with the weed - mostly Buddhists doing the care taking, wrong religion, but also the 'wrong' colour of 'wrong' coloured skin, weed will be OK. (as an aside, spotted the discards of a 'factory' on my travels today, someone made a tidy profit a few weeks ago)

similar vein, I'd always encourage colleagues in the office (or specially working from home) to take a lunchbreak away from the desk, outside even if it is just to eat an ice pop or moan about the winter weather. That small amount of sun, small amount away from the work is very important

They don't make 2 pieces of kit, one for the 'civilised' world and one for the rest - if it is the same model, same kit - parts from anywhere

I guess in a working life there are a lot of people we wouldn't socialise with, agree with their views but if the job demands we work with them then professionalism kicks in. Very possible to dislike someones views and work with them.

Just off the top of my head - figures might need adjusting to suit you, your expenses, overheads (also includes location) £20 an hour as wages (starting figure, adjust up or down) - we all have the minimum we want to take home before tax - each worker. +50% (£10 an hour) overheads 'office work' - making quotes, all the paper work, tea bags, overheads. + 75p / mile travel to and from site (should cover the cost of the van in that too?) + £1 / hour for each chainsaw / trimmer / blower - cover repairs and replacements, fuels + £0.50 / hour PPE etc, teabags for the van + local tip fees Would put a day rate close to £300 I'll put that up there, we can argue what else to include perhaps, and if my off the top of my head figures are too far off the mark

Well done, you have been trained to react when something goes wrong. I think we all have. Subtle different between reacting and being proactive, flagging issues that might be a problem if they evolve further. Your comments, which I am guessing are a direct link brain to fingers, are not suggesting you give credit to being proactive in flagging issues. Preferring to make a joke.

Look back at your recent posts before you edit them and I think that will show your attitude. When I say Health, safety and safeguarding are important issues, you send back a quip. When I say that calling out any unsafe behaviours is important, I am told to climb down from my moral soap box. That is showing your attitude to very clearly. I am thankful I don't ever have to work with you professionally if that is how your mind works with reporting any safety issue.

So is that your attitude? It isn't important enough to be an issue? We shouldn't report and confront when we see it happening? 'Climb down'?

Sorry, but it is not a matter for joking here, I have been to fatalities on site, to the aftermath of them, lived through the consequences because people were being careful what they reported, didn't want to upset things, walking away was the easiest option at the time. If something is not right, it needs reporting, to prevent further occurrences. Whether this is someone being unsafe with machinery or whether this is the public enabling an abuser. It needs noting. It needs stopping. Trump has a chequered past and has had dubious friends, if no one reports widely what he has done he will keep doing the same, keep getting away with it, pardon himself. This is the same with any health, safety or safeguarding issue. The attitude that 'be careful what you post' because of your work is plain wrong. Not something to be dropped with a quip.