The grumpy thread

[Zelandeth]

It's been a couple of months since I last looked at a news outlet, and have generally been avoiding even Twitter aside from making a couple of posts myself on car things.  I've just had to make the decision to do that in the interests of maintaining any vague semblance of control over my mental health.  If there's anything I absolutely need to know, someone in the family will pass the information on.  It's either that or turn into a gibbering heap hiding under my desk.

So running into this nonsense this morning caught me rather off guard.

Crap day anyway as a friend passed away yesterday morning from cancer so we're looking after their other half at the moment.  Another casualty of the pandemic.  They were generally doing okay until their treatment was stopped during lockdown.

[Talbot]

39 minutes ago, omegod said:

Speeding course was ok in the end, tidy blonde who kept putting her camera on her ample assets  , sadly a couple of elderly people on it who really struggled with the tech side of it but the course tutor was very patient with them  

Is it a requirement of the online course that you have a camera for yourself?  Or do you just have to be able to see the presenter?

[omegod]

12 minutes ago, Talbot said:

Is it a requirement of the online course that you have a camera for yourself?  Or do you just have to be able to see the presenter?

Need a camera and mic , this used zoom . had to show ID to camera at the start for obvious reason

[BorniteIdentity]

3 hours ago, Talbot said:

Whilst still technically an offence, that's outside of Police prosecution guidelines.  The current guidelines are prosecution starts at +10% +2 mph, with a speed awareness course offered up to +10% +9 mph.  Above that is a fixed penalty.  At some point that then becomes a mandatory court hearing, but I don't think the cut-off is as defined as for lower speeds.

When I did mine about 5 years ago - the course leaders were brilliant, and spoke very openly about two frustrations they have.

1.  Certain areas not following ACPO "best practice and guidelines" and prosecuting at as low as 32mph.

2.  Insurance companies (I think Admiral) who ask if you've ever been on a speed awareness course and charge you accordingly.

 

On a different note, I found mine really interesting.  The first formal education I'd really had since learning at 17 and would thoroughly recommend.  I was just going to cough the £100 fine because I didn't think I could be arsed - but it was really good stuff.  Other people's experiences vary, but I think you get out what you put in.  Maybe I was lucky...

[Parky]

On 9/23/2020 at 10:16 PM, adw1977 said:

Wow, I didn't realise how generous NS&I were being when they emailed me this morning to tell me they would still pay 0.01% on my savings (down from 1.16%).

Interest rates on Bonus Bonds in New Zealand (same as Premium Bonds) have got so low it is cheaper to liquidate the lot and return the funds to the investors.   I wondered if NS&I would do similar here but the Govt need every penny they can get right now so very very unlikely

[High Jetter]

It's still low, but the new rate on the NS&I direct saver will be 0.15% whereas their £500 bonds will be 0.01%. 

[MikeR]

we have too many tin pot generals and yes people to have some app report me and tell me that I may have been at risk . 

it did make me think about all the mobiles that get pooled into a office drawer at work for safekeeping , by the waiting area as well for visitors , within radio distance of our work area upstairs ...

if they had the app on and one proved positive !  

[andy18s]

2 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

Oh this nonsense again.

Went to drop by Costco to pick up a couple of things...the queue to get into the store is the best part of 3/4 of the way round the car park to the entrance. Tesco is possibly even worse.  Eventually dived into M&S to grab the couple of essentials we couldn't do without and while there wasn't a queue to get in, it was like shopping on the last day before Christmas.  No social distancing going on, elbows were the order of the day it seemed for most people, and there were several vacant shelves.

Oh what fun.

 

[Mally]

1 hour ago, omegod said:

Need a camera and mic , this used zoom . had to show ID to camera at the start for obvious reason

What if I haven't got the required technology, do I just have to take the points? 

[beko1987]

My course was good too, I learned a good few things! The guy running mine wasn't an arse either, which I think helped massively. Openly said feel free to fuck off whenever you like but I'll mark you doen as didn't arrive... 

Wonder what they would do if you were an arse hole and said you didn't have a camera and mic? Guess you'd skip the course and just win 3 points

[Talbot]

42 minutes ago, beko1987 said:

if you were an arse hole and said you didn't have a camera and mic

Not sure you need to be an arsehole for that to be true.

Does Zoom work on a smartphone?  Never tried it.

[New POD]

1 hour ago, BorniteIdentity said:

When I did mine about 5 years ago - the course leaders were brilliant, and spoke very openly about two frustrations they have.

1.  Certain areas not following ACPO "best practice and guidelines" and prosecuting at as low as 32mph.

2.  Insurance companies (I think Admiral) who ask if you've ever been on a speed awareness course and charge you accordingly.

 

On a different note, I found mine really interesting.  The first formal education I'd really had since learning at 17 and would thoroughly recommend.  I was just going to cough the £100 fine because I didn't think I could be arsed - but it was really good stuff.  Other people's experiences vary, but I think you get out what you put in.  Maybe I was lucky...

Is there any statistics that show attending a speed awareness course does or doesn't increase or decrease future risk ? 

I am still declaring the 3 points I got in may 2016 when i get car insurance.  It made no difference to the price in 2016 and doesn't now. 

Also is there any statistics that show whether you are more or less likely to get 3 points having attended a speed awareness course?  Which I did in January 2016 at the Holiday Inn in Kirkby next to the m57/east lancs road, and obviously learnt nothing. 

[Royale80]

I went on one about 5 years ago. It was good. Friend was on his way to attend one and got booked speeding half a mile a2ay.

[adw1977]

5 hours ago, Talbot said:

Does Zoom work on a smartphone? 

Yes

[fairkens]

6 hours ago, New POD said:

Is there any statistics that show attending a speed awareness course does or doesn't increase or decrease future risk ? 

 

I dunno but I've done 3 of them, make of that what you will...

[hairnet]

hotel in dusseldorf  I cant get my current phone to get the wifi - but the smashed phone I use for music will

wtf is up with that

also german kezboards ´im annozed and ive onlz been on here 5 minutes - thez have a computer in the fozer

arsch

possible car tat tomorrow 

[paulplom]

A friend has just rang this morning. My last labourer and mate died yesterday of a heart attack. Only 45 ffs.

I only seen him two days ago.

I hope it was quick poor fucker. RIP George mate.

[rainagain]

19 hours ago, omegod said:

 

I honestly don't believe this would be happening if the media weren't driving it, daily fail wrote articles earlier this week purporting the pictures from Costco were current but were from the previous rodeo. I fucking hate the media 

Yep, all the news outlets start going on about it and it self perpetuates. “Quick Doris let’s head to Tesco for 100 toilet rolls, the BBC says the panic buying has started, we don’t want to miss out”. 

[yohan]

19 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

It's been a couple of months since I last looked at a news outlet, and have generally been avoiding even Twitter aside from making a couple of posts myself on car things.  I've just had to make the decision to do that in the interests of maintaining any vague semblance of control over my mental health.  If there's anything I absolutely need to know, someone in the family will pass the information on.  It's either that or turn into a gibbering heap hiding under my desk.

So running into this nonsense this morning caught me rather off guard.

Crap day anyway as a friend passed away yesterday morning from cancer so we're looking after their other half at the moment.  Another casualty of the pandemic.  They were generally doing okay until their treatment was stopped during lockdown.

Im sorry to hear about your friend. Apparently they will be one of the 70,000 who will die because of their treatment being neglected. That may seem like media hyped figures but I can well believe it after nearly loosing my partner because the hospital here held back her apendectomy for several days after being rushed into hospital with a burst appendix. So in the end they had to do 5 hours of open surgery instead of a 1 hour keyhole operation. When she came out the ward, there were people in chairs in the corridor waiting for her bed. So yes the doctors and nurses saved her life but I really want the managers and politicians responsible for their shit policies to do the honourable thing and terminate themselves before screwing everything up even more.

[MikeR]

I got a txt off the docs saying I could have a flu jab as I am now a vulnerable person , please ring to book a slot ...

yeah right , ring up , so was every other paranoid curtain twitcher  , you are number 15 in the q !!!  FFS

then it said on the news  you have to q here , go in here , go out there , dont do this that and the other .

if I am that vulnerable why did they not just book a slot and say turn up ?

sod it ,

still waiting for the blood and scan tests to confirm I am ok after the cancer op .

I see 3 out of 4 options at the moment are not good  , I dont know I  am ok , I dont know I am not ok , I dont know I am ok but Cv  gets me , I dont know I am not ok and CV gets me ...

[New POD]

51 minutes ago, MikeR said:

I got a txt off the docs saying I could have a flu jab as I am now a vulnerable person , please ring to book a slot ...

yeah right , ring up , so was every other paranoid curtain twitcher  , you are number 15 in the q !!!  FFS

still waiting for the blood and scan tests to confirm I am ok after the cancer op .

I see 3 out of 4 options at the moment are not good  , I dont know I  am ok , I dont know I am not ok , I dont know I am ok but Cv  gets me , I dont know I am not ok and CV gets me ...

I got a blood test 9 days ago. They are supposed to get the results and then get the GP to phone me, to increase the Ramipril dose. Then the pharmacy is supposed to phone me to tell me the new prescription is ready.  Nothing.  I ended up emailing them, on tuesday because I was 20th in the queue on the phone.  A GP emailed back on Wednesday to say they would do the prescription.  Still waiting for a text off pharmacist. 

This has taken from End of June to now to ramp up 1.25 mg steps to 5mg  If they did it as they were told by Liverpool Heart and chest hospital, I'd be at 10 mg by now, but they waste time, by not doing anything without being prompted. And if you push them, they seem to slow down. 

I have a follow up echocardiogram on Monday, and a zoom appointment on Tuesday. Because heart trumps cancer? 

 

[New POD]

3 hours ago, paulplom said:

A friend has just rang this morning. My last labourer and mate died yesterday of a heart attack. Only 45 ffs.

I only seen him two days ago.

I hope it was quick poor fucker. RIP George mate.

I was fucking lucky in June.  Wife spotted it as soon as she took one look at me, and the ambulance was with me in 5 mins, GTN tablet under the tongue 5 mins after that. 

Monitor the paramedic didn't show a problem, but blood tests at A@E showed very high enzymes. 

I probably had one a week before, and if I'd ignored that one, I'd have had a massive one a week later. 

So the moral is, if you have chest pains, get it checked out. Might be indigestion, might be a heart problem. 

[chaseracer]

Liked for damn good advice, not myocardial misadventures...

[Wack]

Some cunt has been trying to phone scam my 95 year old mother in law 

Yeah ,good luck trying to get her to log into her amazon account 🤣

She has at last agreed to let me get her a call blocker that cuts the cunts off though 

 

[yohan]

1 hour ago, New POD said:

I was fucking lucky in June.  Wife spotted it as soon as she took one look at me, and the ambulance was with me in 5 mins, GTN tablet under the tongue 5 mins after that. 

Monitor the paramedic didn't show a problem, but blood tests at A@E showed very high enzymes. 

I probably had one a week before, and if I'd ignored that one, I'd have had a massive one a week later. 

So the moral is, if you have chest pains, get it checked out. Might be indigestion, might be a heart problem. 

I went to a slightly alternative doctor 2 years ago with chest pains and slight breathing difficulties. After half an hour of heart trace scans, listening to chest etc... didnt show anything. So he told me to relax my arm, at which point he whipped my arm round behind me and I felt and heard a big crack from my chest muscles. The relief was instant and he said, „thats it, you have been suffering from stress and its tensed you up!“

That was brilliant! Sadly there would have been no chance of that with the 5 minute appointments given by the local NHS practice at the time.

[MikeR]

8 minutes ago, Wack said:

Some cunt has been trying to phone scam my 95 year old mother in law 

Yeah ,good luck trying to get her to log into her amazon account 🤣

She has at last agreed to let me get her a call blocker that cuts the cunts off though 

 

after getting another run of scam calls last week I engaged the bt call blocker , it has been quiet since .... !

[Wack]

12 minutes ago, MikeR said:

after getting another run of scam calls last week I engaged the bt call blocker , it has been quiet since .... !

Is that something you've bought or a service they offer ?

[MikeR]

Just now, Wack said:

Is that something you've bought or a service they offer ?

it is a free service they offer       ,  BT call protect   , enable it on your  MyBT  page

[New POD]

1 hour ago, MikeR said:

it is a free service they offer       ,  BT call protect   , enable it on your  MyBT  page

My phone and broadband are with Shell.  You know the petrol company. 

[anonymous user]

3 hours ago, Wack said:

Some cunt has been trying to phone scam my 95 year old mother in law 

Yeah ,good luck trying to get her to log into her amazon account 🤣

She has at last agreed to let me get her a call blocker that cuts the cunts off though 

 

Is this the one where you get a recorded message about your Amazon Prime direct debit asking you to press 1? If so I had that one earlier today, did not press 1 as firstly I don't have Amazon Prime and secondly I had answered on an old fashioned phone with a dial. These days if the landline rings I know it is most likely a sales/scam call or a wrong number. Most of the people who would only call me on a landline are now no longer with us.