The BBC has made 33066 sound effects available: http://bit.ly/38iAVun

I was once a very big Lion ruling the largest territory the world has ever seen, spanning 22.6% of the worlds land area and 20% of the worlds population. I was a very BIG boy indeed.

But Alas, though evolution, circumstances, bad management, self inflicted wounds and other stronger Lions coming onto the scene, I am now a tiny little Mouse. I did have a mighty roar, but now can only mutter a squeak.

Ah well, I can always look back on grand memories of power and Empire, the thin red line, Queen Victoria, Pomp and Circumstance, sing "Rule Britannia" in my North Sea mouse-hole and be careful not upset anybody too much, in case they tread on me.

A Dung Beetle is not only the strongest insect on Earth, but also the strongest animal on the planet compared to body weight.

They can push 1,141 times their own body weight. This is the equivalent of an average person pushing six double-decker buses full of people. Now that’s strong!

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Dear God: Let me give you a list of just some of the things I must remember to be a good dog.

I will not eat the cats' food before they eat it or after they throw it up.
I will not roll on dead seagulls, fish, crabs, etc. just because I like the way they smell.
The litter box is not a cookie jar.
The sofa is not a ”face towel.”
The garbage collector is not stealing our stuff.
I will not play tug-of-war with Dad's underwear when he's on the toilet.
Sticking my nose into someone's crotch is an unacceptable way of saying "hello.
I don't need to suddenly stand straight up when I'm under the coffee table.
I must shake the rainwater out of my fur before entering the house - not after.
I will not come in from outside and immediately drag my butt on the carpet.
I will not sit in the middle of the living room and lick my crotch.
The cat is not a squeaky toy so when I play with him and he makes that noise, it's usually not a good thing.
P.S. Dear God: When I get to Heaven may I have my testicles back?

Merger with Centene Corp covers 500,000 patients fuelling calls for inquiry into ‘NHS privatisation by stealth’
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/feb/26/nhs-gp-practice-operator-with-500000-patients-passes-into-hands-of-us-health-insurer

Age old question -

Why are bees honeycombs comprised of hexagonal cells ?

Clue, whatever the web says, the bees are not super mathematicians and DO NOT physically construct hexagonal cells.

The Earth's rotation is anti-clockwise as viewed from the North Pole.

Water swirls down the plughole anti-clockwise in the Northern hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern hemisphere. Well - does it ?

I am assuming that water swirl is entirely caused by the Earth's rotation and gravity. I see no other parameter. Coriolis effect is not applicable since the volume is far too small.

So why do you think that water goes down the plughole anticlockwise as viewed in the Northern hemisphere and clockwise as viewed in the Southern hemisphere ?

For a very long time now Documentaries have been plagued by irresponsible program producers implanting over-loud noise on all programs where people are talking.

The noise is usually created by abusing musical instruments to such a degree that it is difficult to hear what the people are saying. Incredibly bad manners on the part of the producers.

There is no need for this irresponsible behaviour and complete disregard for viewers pleasure. Sometimes this infernal din is coupled with loud noises on the film clips, it is then utterly impossible to hear what the presenter or person is saying.

Often, the person talking is simply sat in a room and why some idiot should spoil their speaking with some instrument or other noise is beyond comprehension.

The age of silent films where some guy went mad on a piano to create a sense of excitement are long gone. But who needs excitement when the person is sat in a quiet room talking ?

Oddly enough, I have never noticed this infernal row being made when the news is on or when the Queen or Prime Minister are giving a speech.

Where program producers get the idea that when people are talking, their voice must be completely obliterated by some unbelievable racket performed by abusing a variety of musical instruments or some other noise, I will never ever understand.

People who have hearing problems simply cannot hear what is being said. Many battle scenes where the sounds of battle are loud enough, are still inflicted with background noise by the producers.

Do you have this irritating problem ?

Supernatural, Paranormal, Ouija boards, Mediums, Fortune Tellers, Ghosts, Poltergeists, Evil Spirits, God`s, Devil`s and Demon`s, plus things that go bump in the night

The human brain is Schizophrenic, being capable of astonishing and miraculous abilities in creating man-made marvels whilst on the other hand believing passionately in what can only be described as Fairy Stories. It is incredible to see such split intelligence taking place in abundance all around us regardless of extreme educational and scientific progression.

I guess that it is due to a genetic inheritance situation, going back to when Homo Sapiens split off from the Apes in the evolutionary family tree and developed a separate intelligence.

In those prehistoric times, humans believed that all of life`s events were due to Gods and Goblins. So entered the idols and other effigies of earthly worship to provide a focal point for this homage.

It was and still is today, thought that humans are somehow special creatures and could never really die. So the concept of eternally surviving Spirits and Souls was introduced, destined to be transported to some divine paradise of infinite pleasure where all ills are banned.

Consequently, any tendency of humans to sense that Ghosts or Spirits were about, although being due to our natural inbred inclination to get the spooks at times was attributed to restless Spirits or some evil presence. So was born the fictional mind-conceived idea of Ghosts, Supernatural and the Paranormal. Subjects which a vast army of gullible humans still solidly believe today and even devote their entire working lives to with total commitment.

Everything that happens in a terrestrial or extra-terrestrial sense has a perfectly logical scientific explanation. Many of these events are currently not understood, in which case they are simply "unexplained" and must NOT put down to some Alien or Supernatural activity as was the practise of our pre-historic ancestors.

I have given my views and now await your views. Hopefully we will each respect the others.

Supernatural or Super Fictional ? What is your opinion ?

Had an invitation in the post this morning inviting me to join a parish nextdoor group via a website address with a code which expires in 7 days. Wasn't nextdoor the group that took over streelife and wasn't particularly careful with data? The note says 100% free and private and just for neighbours in the parish. I must admit, am tempted, as though I appreciate Scooplloop very much, a very local group with local business, lost pets, relevant local parish info, would be very useful. How do I find out if this doesn't have strings attached? Any thoughts?

I'm in a support bubble with my sister who is unable to go out without assistance. I go and see her every week at least once but, apart from a few Sundays last summer, she hasn't left her flat since March. Am I allowed at this time to bring her to my house for lunch or am I only permitted to go to her?

Just been looking at light bulbs on Amazon - there are 4 different ones there all claiming to be the equivalent of 60 watts. they are 5,6,7 and 8 watts - how does that work out ?

I'm not sure which group to post this is so I'm hoping someone here can help.

Someone gave my two old iPhones - an iPhone 4 and an iPhone 5c.

Both are in very good condition and appear to be working.

The iPhone 5c has a passcode but the iPhone 4 doesn't.

I'd like to be able to do factory resets on them so that I can put them back into use but the iPhone 5c won't let me do this without the passcode and both phones won't let me do this without the original owner's Apple ID.

Unfortunately she can't remember the passcode or her Apple ID so at the moment they're effectively dead.

Is there any way to to a factory reset on these phones without the codes?

Due to the COVID situation, the NHS have sent a circular round offering home eye and hearing tests for those people who cannot attend an Eye or Hearing Clinic. It is an impressive letter stating the extreme precautions that the visiting Optician or hearing specialist will take.
They give a phone number - 0800 954 9091 and a website - outsideclinic.co.uk

Anyone watch it last night ? - I thought it was an excellent programme and told a lot of truths we had not known before.

Taken (with permission to share) from the RAC newletter - dated 5.5.21

So-called ‘smart’ motorways could soon be due a name change after the Transport Secretary branded the roads a misnomer.

During an announcement in which he brought forward the deadline for new Stopped Vehicle Detection (SVD) technology, Grant Shapps shared his frustrations with the expansion scheme.

He said: “I don't want to carry on with what we've seen of smart motorways, the system I've inherited... I wouldn't have gone about it like this, and I don't approve of the fact that emergency areas were being spaced way too far apart.

“I've said they have to be ideally three-quarters of a mile apart, no more than a mile, and I've ordered Highways England to get on with it.”

Despite the Transport Secretary’s request, nine projects with refuge areas between 1.04 and 1.39 miles apart were confirmed in November last year.

44 people have died on smart motorways over the last five years, and calls to reverse their construction are growing.

Meera Naran, who has campaigned for safer smart motorways described the projects as ‘‘absolutely unacceptable’’.

The senior lecturer lost her eight-year-old son Dev when an HGV collided with his grandfather’s car, which was stopped on a hard shoulder that was being used as a live lane on the M6 near Solihull.

Reports show that there was a two-and-a-half-mile gap between emergency refuge areas at the scene of the accident.

Mr Shapps told MPs that reversing work on smart motorways would mean acquiring land the equivalent of 700 Wembley stadium-sized football pitches, destroying swathes of Green Belt and buying up people's homes.

When scrolling down various threads the above message keeps comming up. What is this all about? ?

No I haven't got a new cat but I've spotted one in the garden which I've not seen before, not in the garden or anywhere else. It's a very pale gold colour all over and quite short hair. I've looked at cat breeds on line but can't see anything quite like it. Any ideas what it might be?

I recently wanted to add a new payee to my bank account, but even though I knew for sure that my security code was correct, it would reject it. I called the help line and held on for 30 mins. I then remembered the advice that I give to others, which is to use a different browser. So, I tried Edge, and it worked okay. Here is my secure message to them, and their reply!'I have just spent ages trying to get my passcode accepted by the dropdown list when adding a new payee. I have discovered that the problem is that the dropdown list does not work in Firefox. Are you aware of this? Edge worked okay.' .
Their reply: .'Thanks for your message. I am sorry to hear this. Our IT team are aware of an issue with security codes.The system will default to putting a '0' into any box that does not contain a number but this will not use the '0' in its place it will show as incorrect.If your code has a 0 in it please make sure to select another number first and then re select the number 0 and this will allow the system to recognise that you have entered the correct information.
Could you also try another browser to rule out this causing an issue as we are aware of a reported problem that Firefox is causing a mismatch for example.'

https://commodity.com/data/uk/debt-clock/
Marching on to £2 trillion on the short scale and we still give up to £15 billion in Overseas Aid. We borrow billions just to give away.

Our economy must be in ruins with the COVID crisis, Brexit and all the world's economies in tatters.

Hello everyone, I have recently joined this site with the hope of documenting my journey buying a van to convert to a campervan. I was hoping some of you may follow my new page https://www.scooploop.com/pages/campervan please.

I could really use all the advice I can get and would love some of your expertise to help me decide on some of the aspects. I am very inexperienced when it comes to vehicles and have created a poll I would really appreciate you taking part in
Thank you everyone, K

"The law locks up the man or woman

Who steals the goose from off the common

But leaves the greater villain loose

Who steals the common from off the goose."

Are we better off in the UK with an elite class ruling us, or has Russia got a much simpler but similar manifesto?

I'm thinking of changing to a hybrid car and wondered if anyone has one? If so, would you recommend one or have you found any unforeseen issues - and am I likely to lose boot space due to the need to house both a combustion engine and bigger battery. Any comments would be helpful.

,

I heard Elvis McGonagall on the radio this morning and found this 'poem' (it doesn't rhyme).

What Did You Do In The Plague Daddy?

I did not bake sourdough bread

I did not learn Greek or read “Bleak House”

I did not feel the burn doing “bouncing bunnies” with Joe
“The Body Coach” Wicks

I did not sing Bobby McFerrin’s 1988 hit “Don’t Worry Be
Happy” in an a cappella zoom choir

I did not crochet my own crockery while watching Kirstie
Allsopp’s “Keep Crafting and Carry On”

I did not clear out the under-stairs cupboard or the
Augean stables

I did not bake banana bread #nomnom

I did not take up calligraphy

I did not tattoo a rainbow on my forehead

I did not Zumba in the street

I did not put on a puppet show of Marcel Proust’s “A La
Recherche du Temps Perdu”

I did not play be-bop jazz on my mediaeval crumhorn

I did not increase my emotional bandwidth

I did not knit Greek sourdough bread

I did not livestream myself Riverdancing with a sourdough
baguette stuck up my arse in front of my beautiful bookshelf
crammed with important, contemporary literature secretly
chosen for the colour of the books’ spines which when
arranged alphabetically form an exact reproduction of a
Mondrian painting

I did not embark on a journey of self-discovery to un-map my
life and acquire the tools to optimise my spiritual development,
sharing my enhanced consciousness with the world by talking
in an upward inflection

I did not podcast

I drank gin in the garden. In my pyjamas. With the cats

by elvis mcgonagall, june 2020

Anyone got one and would you recommend one?

I'm looking to change cleaner as I'm finding it far to heavy to lug upstairs these days. Can anyone recommend a good rechargeable one. I'm not keen on these that are just a stick with a motor but if I thought one was really good then I might reconsider.

Edward can bear-ly contain his love for pretty NHS Nurse, Edwina.
Pip keeps singing "And they call it Teddy loooove" at him, lol

Click on to enlarge

The next wave of vaccinations will include the over-50s but surely all of the Emergency Services and Key Workers should be next to have the vaccine.
On the 2nd January 1,300 Metropolitan Police officers off work due to Covid plus the kids will be back in schools from 8 March but HMG is refusing to vaccinate teachers.
I just don't understand why. It makes no sense.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-56031794

https://www.bbowt.org.uk/blog/matthew-stanton/hs2-one-year

Can anyone recommend a free garden planning website. It must be Easy to Use!

Hope you have a great day

I have posted this issue on the two computer Groups I am a member of.

It is not really a technical issue, but of interest to all PC users of Windows, hence my repeating the post on this Group. -

I am posting this essentially as a general non-tech notification of interest rather than a technical issue. Many users think that Restart and Shutdown are the same thing - they are not.

A desktop PC can be left on Sleep for long periods perfectly satisfactorily. A Restart should be done every 4 -5+ days to clear out accumulated clag. Shutdown is best for laptops to conserve battery life if absent for long periods, otherwise Sleep.

In Windows 10, Shutdown and Restart are very different processes.

Shutdown -

Takes a quick image snapshot of your preferences and settings. On the next boot it will load them exactly as they were. Any problems that you were having, will still be there when you switch the PC back on.

Restart -

Does a whole lot more than Shutdown. Restart will clear the memory, refresh the Kernel and reset the cache. It will complete pending updates. It will fix 1001 problems, whereas Shutdown simply copies them to a piece of memory, so that your problems load quickly back the next time you switch on.

Restart is your friend.

It's really strange here in Redbridge. Some local people have had their jabs but much older folk are still waiting. There doesn't seem to be one cohesive system that works.

The way I understand it (so far) is that those with health concerns get a text from their GP and book. Those who are fit and well get a letter (or text?) from NHS England.

The online booking system says to wait until you get your 'invite' - yet neighbours have just booked without one and have been accepted - according to date of birth.

There's a local hall where people get their jabs and, apparently, if you 'just turn up' late in the day, you're often successful in getting vaccinated as they have some left over.

It must be easier if you have a car to sit and wait in - but I'm tempted to try that when the snow thaws - if I still haven't heard.

Is it like this everywhere?

Beautiful photos. Some don’t look real.
https://matadornetwork.com/trips/21-beautiful-trees-forests/

Has anyone done baking with almond flour? If so, was it ok and what brand did you use?

Any era, any country, let's hear!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/escape/article-9210707/Book-Scotland-Rewilding-Journey-contains-amazing-images-argues-wilder-Scotland.html

Is anyone else having problems with the way Notifications display?
If I click on Notifications I now see 8 notifications instead of 5. I cannot see the buttons at the bottom of the list and I cannot scroll down.
It looks as though Scooploop are changing things. I have asked if they would change it back.

I can't seem to see much information re what you should do if you feel you might not be able to have the Pfizer vaccine. I'm a bit concerned about one of my sons having it because when he was younger he had some very bad reactions to different foods and had to go an on a strict exclusion diet. These days he avoids certain foods in case he has a reaction and, even then, still regularly needs piriton because he comes out in spots/hives.

I'm thinking he should really be contacting the Drs and seeing what they advise. Has anyone read anything more specific?

,

Your comments invited.

this Thursday 4th Feb, 1:15pm

Im hearing that Covid has mutated again in the UK?! https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55900625

Just got an email telling me my supplier [Green energy network] has stopped trading and i have been moved to EDF.

Just spent a nice, useful hour tidying up in the garden. It's made me feel like a new woman. On the other hand, a new man is rather tempting 😂😂

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Been watching a programme - It's a Sin, about the gay scene in the 80's with them refusing to accept the warnings about AIDs, until. they started getting it.