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Westward

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Posts posted by Westward

  1. The utterly unproven theory (which is all it is!), that human CO2 emissions are the cause of climate change is the greatest and most economically destructive hoax in all of known history.

    Whilst we in the west set about destroying our economies and wealth in pursuit of and unachievable and pointless "Nett Zero" wheeze, China, India, Russia and much of the far east are not only licking their lips in anticipation of the good times that lie ahead, but also rapidly increasing their own CO2 emissions.

  2. 2 hours ago, harrycatcat1 said:

    2.65 @ 66 years 😉😉👍👍

    Sounds good. When I was diagnosed in Jan 22 at 75 my PSA was 2,293. By this summer just gone it was 0.8 thanks to the hormone treatment but I still have cancer and they tell me I always will. The cancer will also become resistant to the hormone treatment at 18-24 months and I'm in that zone now.

    Next blood test is this Friday.

  3. On 09/11/2023 at 09:09, harrycatcat1 said:

    Blood test yesterday and a message from the doctor this morning saying " your PSA test was normal"

    So i will be starting some tablets to improve "flow". I have recently changed doctors and these are fantastic, getting a result less than 24 hours from the test is remarkable 👏 

    Ask the GP for the actual PSA number. Depending on your age, anything over 5 or so should be rechecked regularly and 8 or over requires follow up checks with a urologist.

    Do not - I repeat - do not trust your GP's judgement. I made that mistake 10 years ago and my condition is now officially life limiting because of it.

  4. Personally I've never thought that levelling up could be achieved by throwing money at the north or by spending several times the defence budget to build a railway line that saves 20 minutes on the journey time. But I am a London boy and the folks throwing muck should realise that the only 2 regions of the UK that generate more wealth for the nation than they consume are 1) London and 2) the south east. Greater London, with some 10% of the population, generates around 30% of GDP and the figures for the south east are broadly similar. These figures aren't flukes or manipulation of wealth distribution they are a reflection of the simple fact that people in those areas work harder and longer. One of my sons is an example. He leaves the house around 7 am and with travel time of an hour and 10 minutes each way he gets home around 7 pm. He does not get paid overtime but he has a career, not just a job. 

    HS2 north west or not, the only way levelling up will really start is when people's attitudes change to be more like those of the south east. It's not about railways or shopping malls or car battery super factories and it's certainly not about shovelling in huge amounts cash, it's about more and more people having aspirations for further education and making the effort for a better life.

  5. On 01/10/2023 at 09:30, Gordon R said:

    No I didn't. I have to say the 2.5L V6 was a smooth, high revving engine. Way better than the V6 Mondeo on his previous car.

    Would that be the Honda engine on the ZS. The Mondeo V6 was a perfect example of Ford managing to ruin the brilliant and super silky Mazda V6 engine which, still to this day, is the nicest engine I've ever had.

  6. 2 hours ago, Scully said:

    Right… now down to business! 😀
    Personally I will not shoot with ANYONE who relies on a safety to keep them safe. 
    Anyone who relies on a safety, or even worse, BELIEVES they are safer because they do so, shouldn’t be allowed out of the house! 
    I’ve lost count of the times I’ve heard some empty head state…. ‘It’s ok, the safeties on’! 😳 Well if it’s safe, point it at your foot and pull the trigger. 

    Couldn't agree more. I take the exact opposite view to London Best. When I started shooting an old instructor/ground owner told me the only safe shotgun is one that's broken and empty because the safety only disables the trigger. Having seen game shooters in action at a local village annual clay shoot they clearly have a somewhat different view of what constitutes safe handling and muzzle discipline!

  7. Zhang obviously hits very hard and TBH I doubt if Usyk can beat him. It's long been known that Usyk is vulnerable to body shots and Zhang is clearly a thinking boxer.

    Fury v Zhang has to be the fight of the division even though the Usyk fight is apparently mandatory for Zhang.

  8. 17 hours ago, steve_b_wales said:

    Glad the news was good. I've got an enlarged prostate due to my age I was told. I'm on Combodart medication but it's not that good. I still get the sudden urge to need to have a pee. A few weeks ago I was speaking to a Urologist who asked me how much fluids I drink. I told her that it wasn't a lot. She then said that drinking little can make the bladder weak which then informs the brain that you need to pee. I was told to drink more fluids, preferably water to ,'retrain' my bladder to hold more fluids before sending the signal. 

    Your urologist should know if you have BPH ( benign prostatic hyperplasia) which exists in virtually all men over 50. BPH is not considered a risk factor for PC but it does get worse with age as it begins to put pressure on the urethra. This leads to a weakened stream and failing to empty the bladder. BPH can also cause erectile disfunction and meds such as combodart or tamsulosin, whilst improving the stream, also have other sex related side effects.

    The little blue pill is very popular among men with BPH who don't want to take tamsulosin or similar drugs.

  9. No 3 son is moving from a pleasant upmarket suburb in Surrey to the countryside near Maldon with his pregnant wife, daughter and cocker. I know... Why?

    Wifey and I live 100 miles west of London and haven't lived in London for 50 years. Every time I look at the M25 traffic it seems there's a problem somewhere causing delays and stuff, so if we follow the sat nav it means 40-ish risky miles on M25 unless we leave home at around 5 am or 8 pm. However it seems that at certain times the North Circular looks like a reasonable option to get from Hanger Lane to Romford, something I did many times in the 70s. It's a lot shorter distance and my car is ULEZ compliant.

    Does the PW Massif have any advice on this?

  10. Just to explain a bit more, wholesale rates are going very low today between 1pm and 4pm with the best half hour slot at 1.30 to 2.00 when my price will be 0.03p/KWh.

    I understand the reluctance about smart meters and I certainly dithered for ages, but with the right supplier - and Octopus isn't the only one - the savings can be significant if you can be flexible about when you use the big devices.

  11. 19 hours ago, samboy said:

    A chap did come round to read the meters a couple of months ago. He said if the company don't get any replies from you they send me round.

    Well they can send him round all the time then. Because as said i don't work for them.

    Prior to smart meters I always sent in the readings because the on line paperless tariff was cheaper.

  12. We had smart meters installed last November when we were with Shell Energy. We then switched to Octopus which had the huge advantage that the phone is actually answered and - even better than that - it's by someone who has English as their 1st language. They also have an excellent website.

    Our bills have gone down significantly, particularly now as we've switched to their Agile tariff for which you have to have modern smart meters. I can check my electricity pricing every day and pick when to run the washing machine or dishwasher etc because it displays the exact rate in half hour slots up till late at night.

    A few weeks ago over that windy weekend, I was contacted by Octopus as they were running what they call plunge pricing at certain times on both days. This meant that we were getting negative pricing during those times, in other words the grid was paying us to use electricity. On the Sunday we had negative pricing from 10am till 4pm so a lot of baking and washing was done that day.

    Pick the right energy supplier and smart meters are a real benefit.

  13. There are still a few CG haters around who refer to issues such as shooting loose with the very early ones. Unlike a certain other well known Italian shotgun maker, CG engineers resolved such issues quickly, and any CG made since about 2008 will be at least as durable and reliable as any other mid range O/U. The Invictus has a couple of new features but is still basically the same as every other CG regardless of the model name.

  14. 21 hours ago, Ultrastu said:

    My goodness .you think  the 2.0 ltr diesel transit  engine .is bomb proof ?.

    The faults start around 40 k . Unfortunately  it's the same engine as in the ranger . The 1 ltr petrol  ecoboost  is another ford disaster  .

    Good luck with that .

    And then, when you get past that lot the suspension issues start kicking in. Ask me how I know!

     

  15. I've yet to find a gun/choke combo where finger tightened chokes would stay put. Grease or not they always come loose unless they're nipped up with the key. There's a clue in the fact that there's always a key supplied with the gun!

    Beretta will simply tell you to use the key - as will every other maker.

    Forget the rocket science and put a trace of grease on the threads before tightening with the key. Any grease will do but, although I've never personally used it on guns, copper grease has the advantage of being heatproof (Messy stuff though)

  16. 16 hours ago, 12gauge82 said:

     the vast majority of people with great wealth and land belong to the same familys from history who also had great wealth.

    The only way of 'leveling up' would be to remove vast wealth at death and make it impossible to pass on to family. The ethics of that I'm not going to go into as it a very devisive subject and is all a bit communistic.

    Perhaps, but it's not really levelling up. I firmly believe that you don't strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.

  17. On 18/06/2023 at 18:20, 12gauge82 said:

    I would strongly disagree with that.

    We all have opinions. Mine is that higher education is the only reliable foundation stone for self improvement but, sadly, a very large percentage of the population in "disadvantaged" areas think further education is a waste of time and money.

    I know plenty of very capable working class locals who have good brains and a good work ethic but who were never encouraged or supported by their parents to aspire to anything more than unskilled or semi skilled work. Building shopping malls, toddlers playgrounds, multiplex cinemas, sports centres and skateboard parks isn't going to change that.

  18. It's all nonsense anyway. Levelling can't be applied from above no matter how much money they waste trying. It has to come from the hearts and minds of the people who live in those areas and no one's ever worked out how to fix the problem of those who think education is a waste of time.

    You can't build a house from the top down. It's that simple.

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