Anything !

An open Group where anything can be discussed by anybody, as long as you are polite, respect others opinions, and behave !!!

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    • Sandie08 @Sandie08 Walton-On-Thames - updated 4y

      EURO racist online abuse (Edited)

      Just read around 135 from abroad, as Gareth Southgate had mentioned at press conference, and 34 from UK... these were the severe posts that were found.
      Police have arrested about 11 people here so far, and have passed on the foreign addresses to their respective country’s authorities. Warning now that people can no longer feel they can hide behind social media accounts and “need to think again”.

    • Robert @RobRoy Laindon - updated 4y

      Action fraud being scrapped

      Or just an upgrade

      https://www.policeprofessional.com/news/no-intention-to-scrap-action-fraud-says-city-of-london-police/

      Stories abound about the service not being fit for purpose and it being scrapped. The Police say the truth is that it was always planned!

    • Robert @RobRoy Laindon - updated 4y

      Words

      What starts with a W and ends with a T

      It really does, I swear 😁

    • Tony L @TonyL Epsom - updated 4y

      Uplifting quotes

      Someone on Gumtree is advertising a wardrobe with various uplifting quotes written on it.
      I think the quotes deserve a wider audience................
      (these are copied directly from the ad so I can't guarantee that they're accurate)


      ~Remember the entrance door to the sanctuary is inside you.~ Rumi


      ~Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting.~ Elizabeth Ibesco


      ~Nothing glows brighter than the heart awakened to the light of love within it.~ Guy Finley


      ~Nothing ever goes away until it is taught us what we need to know.~ Pema Chodron


      ~The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.~ Pablo Picasso


      ~If you focus on the hurt you will continue to suffer. If you focus on the lesson, you will continue to grow.~ Buddha


      ~See the light in others and treat them as if that's all you see.~ Wayne Dwyer


      ~Character is how you treat someone who can do nothing for you~


      ~Don't ever save anything for a special occasion. Being alive is the special occasion~


      ~The energy you give is the same energy that will return to you. ~


      ~Everyone you meet is either a blessing or a lesson.~


      ~Not all storms come to disrupt your life. Some come to clear your path.~


      ~The most beautiful people are those who can live without expecting it, who can love without expecting it returned.~


      ~The sun is alone too, but still it shines.~

    • Selsey @Selsey Hayes - updated 4y

      Motorways and wet weather - RAC newletter

      Seven-in-10 drivers would like lower motorway speed limits in wet weather


      31st Jul 2021


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      Nearly three-quarters of drivers (72%) would like to see the standard 70mph speed limit on motorways reduced in wet weather to improve road safety and encourage better driving habits, RAC research has found.1


      Of 2,100 drivers surveyed, a third (33%) said the limit should be reduced to 60mph in the wet, while 7% think it should be cut to 65mph. Seventeen per cent of drivers would like an even lower limit of 55mph or even 50mph, while 14% would like to see the limit cut but aren’t sure by how much.



      The RAC understands France is currently the only country in Europe to have speed limits that are reduced during inclement weather, with the 130km/h (80mph) limit reduced to 110km/h (68mph – a reduction of around 12mph).



      While there are significantly more motorway fatalities in France,2 806 people were still killed or seriously injured on motorways in Great Britain in 2019, with around a 30% of these casualties (246) occurring when the road surface was damp, wet or flooded – a figure higher than four years earlier (208).3



      Official figures also show that wet roads and drivers travelling too fast for the conditions were respectively the cause of some 259 and 242 motorway collisions in 2018.4



      Of the reasons given by drivers who advocate lower motorway speed limits in the wet, 78% said they felt lower limits would encourage some drivers to slow down, while 72% believed it might save lives, so is worth trying.



      Two-thirds (65%) said slower speeds might improve visibility with less spray from moving vehicles, and half (53%) felt it would reduce overall vehicle speeds, even if some people ignored the lower limit.



      Among the fifth of drivers (21%) who are against the idea of a lower motorway speed limit in bad weather, a majority said it was because most drivers already adjust their speed to the conditions (54%), or because there would be difficulty in defining when the new limit should apply (60%) – for instance, whether it would apply whenever the road surface was damp, or only while rain was actually falling.



      Four-in-10 (42%) said many drivers choose to ignore existing speed limits anyway and a similar proportion (41%) thought drivers wouldn’t obey a lower motorway limit.



      When asked whether a lower speed limit in the wet should be posted on stretches of motorway that already feature variable speed limit signage, including smart motorways, 73% of drivers were in favour, with 15% against the idea and 11% unsure.




      Advice for driving in heavy rain and floods


      Motorway cameras - what you need to know


      What is aquaplaning and how to avoid it


      RAC data insight spokesman Rod Dennis said: “Statistically, the UK has some of the safest motorways in Europe but it’s also the case that there hasn’t been a reduction in casualties of all severities on these roads since 2012, so perhaps there’s an argument for looking at different measures to help bring the number of casualties down.



      “Overall, our research suggests drivers are broadly supportive of lower motorway speed limits in wet conditions, as is already the case across the Channel in France. And while most drivers already adjust their speed when the weather turns unpleasant, figures show that ‘driving too fast for the conditions’ and ‘slippery roads’ are still among the top 10 reasons for motorway collisions and contribute to significant numbers of serious injuries and even deaths every year.4



      “The overall success of any scheme would of course depend on sufficient numbers of motorists reducing their speed, but even just a proportion reducing their speed in the wet would be likely to improve the safety of the UK’s motorways.



      “There would also be a number of practical hurdles to be overcome such as deciding what that lower limit would be, updating the Highway Code and fitting roadside signage to inform drivers of the new limits.



      “Finally, it’s worth remembering that an increasing number of stretches of motorway no longer have permanent 70mph limits, as all smart motorways feature speed limits which are automatically adjusted to ease congestion based on traffic flow.



      "With digital signs now so commonplace, arguably the means exist to conduct a trial to see whether there are safety benefits of setting different speed limits in inclement weather.”



      Highway Code Rule 227 states that stopping distances in wet weather are at least double those required for stopping on dry roads. This means the typical stopping distance at 70mph in dry conditions of 96 metres (315 feet) is extended to at least 192 metres (630 feet) in the wet, the equivalent of 48 car lengths. For more information, see this page on the RAC website.



      Serious casualties on Great Britain’s motorways – when the road surface is damp, wet or over 3cm flooded


      2016 2017 2018 2019 Average


      Killed 34 18 39 28 30


      Seriously injured 220 185 199 218 206


      Total 254 203 238 246 235


      Snow, frost and ice excluded




      1. Research conducted among 2,100 UK drivers who are members of the RAC Driver Opinion Panel. Figures are weighted to be nationally representative


      2. Source: Office of Rail and Road, ‘Benchmarking Highways England: 2020 Progress Report’, figure 2.16: www.orr.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2021-02/benchmarking-highways-england-2020-progress-report.pdf


      3. Source: Department for Transport, https://roadtraffic.dft.gov.uk/custom-downloads/road-accidents/reports/d3be5751-f829-484b-8bc8-0f858a471c61

    • Selsey @Selsey Hayes - updated 4y

      Highway Code - copied from RAC newsletter

      Pedestrians and cyclists given right of way in new Highway Code


      Pedestrians and cyclists given right of way in new Highway Code


      30th Jul 2021


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      Road users on foot and bike are to gain greater priority over cars at junctions and crossings due to new Highway Code changes, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced.


      Currently, drivers are only required to give way when someone steps onto a crossing, while pedestrians are told they shouldn’t start to cross until vehicles on the road have stopped.



      The new rules – due to be published this autumn – will strengthen right of way for pedestrians on pavements and when crossing, or waiting to cross, the road.



      The updated Code will also give cyclists priority at junctions when travelling straight ahead, as well as issue guidance on safe passing distances and speeds.



      Plus, a “hierarchy of road users” will ensure the more high-risk modes of transport have the greatest responsibility to reduce the danger they pose to others.



      This move ­– which comes as part of the government’s new £338 million fund to boost cycling and walking ­ – intends to help accommodate and maintain the increase in active travel during the pandemic.



      Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Millions of us have found over the past year how cycling and walking are great ways to stay fit, ease congestion on the roads and do your bit for the environment.



      “As we build back greener from the pandemic, we’re determined to keep that trend going by making active travel easier and safer for everyone.”



      He added that the funding package will enable more people to make “sustainable travel choices” that make our “air cleaner and cities greener”.



      The investment will also be used for infrastructure upgrades, including hundreds of miles of high-quality cycle lanes, as well as walking schemes.



      A guide to overtaking safely on the road


      15 simple things you can do as a driver that could save a life


      Road crossings – what’s the difference between zebra, pelican, puffin and toucan crossings?


      RAC head of roads policy, Nicholas Lyes said: “These proposals should make cycling and walking safer, and this is to be welcomed. A concerted effort must now be made to communicate the changes to drivers because as we know, many do not read the Highway Code for long periods after passing their test.



      “Ultimately, the aim should be to ensure that everyone using the roads understands the new rules, because any confusion is likely to lead to avoidable collisions.”



      The updated Highway Code will affect England, Scotland, and Wales, while Northern Ireland has its own version.




    • Robert @RobRoy Laindon - updated 4y

      Judgemental

      Some people are so judgemental

      I can tell just by looking at them 😂

      This discussion is now closed.

    • Vera @Vera2 Bromley Common - updated 4y

      Roald Dahl's message to antivaccination groups.

      "Olivia, my eldest daughter, caught measles when she was seven years old. As the illness took its usual course I can remember reading to her often in bed and not feeling particularly alarmed about it. Then one morning, when she was well on the road to recovery, I was sitting on her bed showing her how to fashion little animals out of coloured pipe-cleaners, and when it came to her turn to make one herself, I noticed that her fingers and her mind were not working together and she couldn’t do anything.

      'Are you feeling all right?' I asked her.
      'I feel all sleepy,' she said.
      In an hour, she was unconscious. In twelve hours she was dead.

      The measles had turned into a terrible thing called measles encephalitis and there was nothing the doctors could do to save her. That was...in 1962, but even now, if a child with measles happens to develop the same deadly reaction from measles as Olivia did, there would still be nothing the doctors could do to help her. On the other hand, there is today something that parents can do to make sure that this sort of tragedy does not happen to a child of theirs. They can insist that their child is immunised against measles.

      ...I dedicated two of my books to Olivia, the first was ‘James and the Giant Peach’. That was when she was still alive. The second was ‘The BFG’, dedicated to her memory after she had died from measles. You will see her name at the beginning of each of these books. And I know how happy she would be if only she could know that her death had helped to save a good deal of illness and death among other children."

      Roald Dahl, 1986

    • Robert @RobRoy Laindon - updated 4y

      My Doctor

      My Doctor told me I am going deaf

      It was hard for me to hear 😳

    • Lonicera @Lonicera Oxshott - updated 4y
    • Robert @RobRoy Laindon - updated 4y
    • Robert @RobRoy Laindon - updated 4y

      Olympian taken to airport

      What do members think 🤔

      https://www.eurosport.com/athletics/tokyo-2020/2021/tokyo-2020-belarusian-olympic-athlete-tsimanouskaya-taken-to-the-airport-in-tokyo-to-fly-home-agains_sto8464543/story.shtml

      This discussion is now closed.

    • Robert @RobRoy Laindon - updated 4y

      Strong man

      The strong young man at the construction site was bragging that he could out do anyone in a feat of strength. He made a special case of making fun of one of the older workmen. After several minutes, the older worker had had enough. “Why don’t you put your money where your mouth is,” he said.
      “I will bet a week’s wages that I can haul something in a wheelbarrow over to that outbuilding that you won’t be able to wheel back.”
      “You’re on, old man,” the braggart replied. “Let’s see what you got.”
      The old man reached out and grabbed the wheelbarrow by the handles.
      Then, nodding to the young man, he said, “All right, Get in.”
      😁

    • CharlotteB @CharlotteB Crayford - updated 4y

      Alex Scott . Accent

      https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-58040793

      What an awfully pompous man, criticising the way Alex speaks. In my opinion her presenting skills have been impeccable.

      This discussion is now closed.

    • Robert @RobRoy Laindon - 4y

      Accident

      I just heard about a man who had an accident playing peek a boo

      He is currently in ICU 😉

    • CharlotteB @CharlotteB Crayford - updated 4y

      The Olympics - part 3

      Max Whitlock

      https://news.sky.com/story/tokyo-olympics-gymnast-max-whitlock-wins-gold-in-mens-pommel-horse-for-team-gb-12369752

      This discussion is now closed.

    • Lonicera @Lonicera Oxshott - updated 4y

      Update good news (Edited)

      Thank you for signing the petition to support President Biden’s proposal to stop global tax dodging.

      Together we have made history. At the G7 in June finance ministers agreed to a groundbreaking deal to tackle global corporate tax dodging. Over 130 countries are now on board with this approach.

      But the current deal does not go far enough. The minimum corporate tax rate agreed is only 15%. We need to see 25%. And the deal doesn’t do much for lower income countries. Most of the extra money will go to the richest countries. We now need to campaign for a better deal.

      Sign the petition:

      https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/support-president-biden-s-proposal-to-stop-global-tax-dodging

    • Derek R @DerekR Iver Heath - updated 4y
    • Robert @RobRoy Laindon - updated 4y

      Here we go again

      Yet another baby for Boris

      https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jul/31/boris-and-carrie-johnson-expecting-their-second-child

      This discussion is now closed.

    • Robert @RobRoy Laindon - updated 4y
    • Robert @RobRoy Laindon - updated 4y

      Divorce

      Bill and Melinda Gates got divorced.

      Melinda got the house
      But Bill kept the Windows 😬

    • Derek R @DerekR Iver Heath - 4y

      A Devil of a choice.

      A gentleman died and arrived in hell. He was met by the Devil and was told that in the new kinder gentler hell, each person is offered three choices of torture. The Devil explained that these tortures run in 1,000-year cycles and you could pick which cycle to begin with.



      The Devil took the man to the first room where a man was hung up by his feet and was being whipped with chains. The man said he did not think that was where he wanted to start.



      They proceeded to the next room where a man was hung up by his arms and was being whipped by a Cat-O-Nine Tails. The man also declined this form of torture.



      The third room had a man strapped to the wall naked and a very beautiful young blonde woman was using her mouth to perform a sex act upon him. The man told the Devil this is more like it, and this was the one he wanted.



      The Devil said "Are you sure? It lasts for a thousand years!" The man assured him that this was the punishment he wanted.



      So the Devil walked over to the young woman and said, "You can go now, I've found your replacement."

    • Selsey @Selsey Hayes - updated 4y

      Any ideas on flooring, please

      I'm trying to remove all the walked-in emulsion that has been on the wood flooring under carpets. One room and hall already been done by a plumber who has gone on to pastures new and I've been trying without success. So far I've used steel wool with white spirit, sandpaper and white spirit, sander, very hot flannel and scraper and achieved nothing. I've tried oiling to see if it will darken but not happening. Sanding has driven the emulsion into the cracks, I think. Every room covered by carpet is the same, how anyone can be so idle as to walk paint through the whole ground floor is beyond me. Believe the woodblock is original l960s. Not looking for perfection but would rather not put another carpet over it.

      This discussion is now closed.

    • Robert @RobRoy Laindon - updated 4y

      Electrics

      People are usually shocked when they find out I am not a very good electrician 💥

    • Sandie08 @Sandie08 Walton-On-Thames - updated 4y
    • Sheila A @Ange Bromley Common - updated 4y

      Ban Lavender??

      https://www.fr24news.com/a/2021/07/eu-decision-to-ban-lavender-sparks-frexit-call-in-france-hands-off-our-lavender-world.html

    • Joss @Joss Malden - updated 4y

      Covid - the data was wrong?

      More than half of Covid hospitalisations are patients who only tested positive after admission, leaked data reveal....
      The newspapers are full of headlines to distrust data...over a year late.
      What do you think, and who do you believe? Journalists or politicians?

      This discussion is now closed.

    • Ryan T @RyanT St Albans - updated 4y

      Little Boy - Hiroshima 6 August 1945 (Edited)

      This was the name given to the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on 6 August 1945.



      It was originally intended for Berlin, but the European war ended in May 1945 and the bomb was not ready at that time.
      The Germans should be thankful the Russians got there first.

    • Sandie08 @Sandie08 Walton-On-Thames - 4y
    • Robert @RobRoy Laindon - 4y

      Passwords

      Did you know you can’t use
      Beefsoup as a password!

      It’s not Stroganoff
      😳

    • Sandie08 @Sandie08 Walton-On-Thames - updated 4y
    • Robert @RobRoy Laindon - 4y

      A burglar

      A burglar broke in and stole my coffee, my lamp and my parrot 🦜

      I don’t know how they sleep at night 😂

    • Tony L @TonyL Epsom - updated 4y

      Variable sized herbs

      Hi
      I grow various herbs from seed in flowerpots on my kitchen window ledge.
      I grew some basil a while ago using a variety called Picolino.
      Only two plants grew in the pot even though I sowed a lot more seeds.
      The picture on the seed packet showed normal sized basil leaves but the two plants were like bonsai basil, with a very large number of very tiny leaves, which looked very attractive as a pot plant.
      I eventually harvested these and sowed another pot.
      The pot is the same size and type, with the same type of compost, in the same location and I sowed seeds from the same packet as before. They're watered the same amount as before with the same frequency.
      BUT
      This time the plants are normal sized.
      Do any of you know why there's a difference between the two sowings?

    • Derek R @DerekR Iver Heath - updated 4y
    • Lonicera @Lonicera Oxshott - updated 4y

      Did you know?

      Pot boiler stones are still found in Norfolk. Are there any reports of finding some in your area?

    • CharlotteB @CharlotteB Crayford - updated 4y

      This discussion is now closed.

    • Derek R @DerekR Iver Heath - 4y
    • Ryan T @RyanT St Albans - updated 4y

      Adolf Hitler had a Son

      In all the masses of information I have seen since WW2, I have never heard or seen this fact in my entire life and only discovered it on the web today.



      Hitler was a very accomplished painter and the proof that this story is factual to me, is that two of Hitler's signed paintings were found in the Mother's attic after her death.



      You can Google for Hitler's son on the web and you will find many amazing links. I give these two just as an example -



      https://tinyurl.com/422pksp5


      https://tinyurl.com/ysjxuvhf

    • Lonicera @Lonicera Oxshott - updated 4y

      The plague village (Edited)

      Interesting report how to do it. How times have changed the outlook and actions of people.

      https://www.eyamvillage.org.uk/plague

    • Ray P @RayPro Norwich - updated 4y

      Confession

      A man goes to confession. "Forgive me father for I have sinned." He begins.
      "Go on my son." says the priest.
      "I swore the other day, in the most profane way." says the man.
      "Continue." says the priest.
      "I was on the golf course and I hit my drive, it was looking perfect, heading dead straight. About 200 yards down my ball hit a power line crossing the fairway." "And this is when you swore?" asked the priest.
      "No father, my ball then ricocheted of the power lines and flew off into the deep rough." said the man. "Ah, so this must have been when you swore." Said the priest.
      "No father, not yet. As I was walking over to the rough to hit my second shot a hawk flew down from the trees, picked my ball up in his beak and proceeded to fly off with it." continued the man. "Ahhh I see." says the priest "This MUST have been the point where you swore."
      "You'd thinks so but no, because as the bird flew over the green the ball fell from its mouth and landed just two feet from the hole."


      They both remain quiet for a few seconds, then the priest says: "You missed the bloody putt, didn't you?"

    • CharlotteB @CharlotteB Crayford - updated 4y

      The Olympics - part 2

      Continuing

      Another Gold in the 4 x 200m freestyle swimming.

      A Silver in the rowing

      And two Bronzes . One for the women’s gymnastics team and the other in the Dressage.

      This discussion is now closed.

    • Derek R @DerekR Iver Heath - updated 4y

      These men saved the lives of thousands of British Soldiers...

      ... Surely there should be no problem letting them live in the UK safely!

      https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57990020.amp

    • CharlotteB @CharlotteB Crayford - updated 4y
    • Derek R @DerekR Iver Heath - updated 4y

      S. O. S.

      An Airbus 380 is on it's way across the Atlantic. It flies consistently at 800 km/h at 30,000 feet, when suddenly a Eurofighter with Tempo Mach 2 appears.

      The pilot of the fighter jet slows down, flies alongside the Airbus and greets the pilot of the passenger plane by radio: "Airbus, boring flight isn’t it?"

      "Now have a look here !"

      He rolls his jet on its back, accelerates, breaks through the sound barrier, rises rapidly to a dizzying height, then swoops down almost to sea level in a breathtaking dive. He loops back next to the Airbus and asks, "Well, how was that?"

      The Airbus pilot answers: "Very impressive, but now you look !"

      The jet pilot watches the Airbus, but nothing happens. It continues to fly stubbornly straight, with the same speed. After 15 minutes, the Airbus pilot radios, "Well, how was that?"

      Confused, the jet pilot asks, "What did you do?" The AirBus pilot laughs and says, "I got up, stretched my legs, walked to the back of the aircraft to use the bathroom, then got a cup of coffee and a chocolate fudge pastry.

      The moral of the story is:

      When you are young, speed and adrenaline seems to be great.

      But as you get older and wiser you learn that comfort and peace are more important.

      This is called S.O.S.: Slower, Older, but Smarter.

      Dedicated to 'All My Friends' who are like me, now realising that it is time to slow down and enjoy the rest of the trip.
      😊🤓

    • Ray P @RayPro Norwich - 4y

      Red Indian emigrated to Ireland.

      An Indian named Brown Elk walked into the Irish Bar.
      He was a giant of a man with a six-shooter tucked into his belt, so no one dared ask why he was carrying a pail of manure in one hand and a small cat in the other:
      "I'll have a whiskey." He told the bartender and after downing the shot, Brown Elk, ordered another.
      Then another.
      Finally, after his fourth drink, the Indian pulled out his revolver, fired several shots into the bucket, released the cat, then ran after it. When he caught it, he returned to the bar.
      "E-excuse me." Said the alarmed bartender, serving him a drink on the house. "But would you mind telling me what that was all about?"
      "My father told me to try and be more like white man." He answered.
      "So, I came here to have a few drinks, shoot the shit and chase a little pussy." 🤣😂🤣😂

    • Robert @RobRoy Laindon - updated 4y
    • ShirleyM @ShirleyM Camberley - 4y
    • Dawn @Dawns Stoke Poges - updated 4y

      Lambeth council abuse cover up

      This really made me sad. Those poor children treated like they were worthless.
      https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57984924

    • Sheila A @Ange Bromley Common - updated 4y

      Pandemic to be over

      I hope this is accurate

      https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/uk-coronavirus-pandemic-over-september-vaccines-neil-ferguson-b947801.html

    • Derek R @DerekR Iver Heath - 4y

      After a night out

      Two married buddies are out drinking one night when one turns to the other and says, "You know, I don't know what else to do. Whenever I go home after we've been out drinking, I turn the headlights off before I get to the driveway. I shut off the engine and coast into the garage. I take my shoes off before I go into the house, I sneak up the stairs, get undressed in the bathroom. I ease into bed and my wife STILL wakes up and yells at me for staying out so late!"



      His buddy looks at him and says, "Well, you're obviously taking the wrong approach. I screech into the driveway, slam the door, storm up the steps, throw my shoes into the closet, jump into bed, gently caress my wife as she lays there and whisper, 'Fancy a cuddle luv?'


      ...and she's always sound asleep.

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