'Owt else or Any Other Business

[Tripps]

Been feeling a bit guilty lately for being self indulgent and going off topic. How did the Ride to Samarra end up in Coronavirus corner for instance? Eric Knowles of the Antiques Road Show has described his category as 'Owt else'. I thought perhaps we need such on here. Give it a try and we'll see if it survives. No harm done if it doesn't.

[Gloria]

Good idea

[PanBiker]

Nice to have a new topic David.

[Stanley]

In all the committees I ever sat on AOB was often the biggest topic in the minutes.....
(PS I note that my Somerset Maugham quotation sank without trace in the Covid topic. There's an item for this thread. Why?)

[Tripps]

There's an item for this thread.

Yes indeed. I was unaware that Somerset Maugham had written that - or rather adapted that 'Mesopotamian folk story' for his own use. Some might even say plagiarised. I changed Death to Covid for topicality, and good taste.

The tale brought back memories of early reading - in Standard One with Sister Dominic. They had a stock of 'readers' which had red cloth covers, and I loved them. The novelty of being now able to read almost anything was wonderful (literally). It still is. It was a bit confusing as there was no means of knowing that Ali Baba and Sinbad the Sailor and Robin Hood and Aesops Fables weren't all British.

Sister Dominic was young and Irish and occasionally joined in at football. She was brilliant.

She died suddenly from Meningitis near the end of the school year. There was no fuss - things carried on. No explanation to the children, no assembly, no counselling. I did though, see the head - Sister Theresa shed a tear, which was quite out of character. Imagine that today.

Strange how one thing connects to another. We start at Mesopotamia and end at St Margaret Mary's.

[Stanley]

I chanced on a report that the Boy Scouts (and other associated organisations) are banning the use of gender associated phrases like 'man made' and even 'Down Under' (But how convoluted your mind has to be to associate that with gender beats me....) Further reading revealed was that this is due to application of the Overton Window concept. Never heard of it so here you are.... LINK.
I think you can guess what's coming next.... What the hell's going on?! Isn't puberty enough of a minefield without complicating it with prohibitions on what would normally be acceptable language. Surely this is a bit too far?
(Incidentally, did you know that a printer's slang for ?! is 'interrobang'?)

[Stanley]

Later. I have just heard the phrase 'Down Blousing'. I knew about the offence of Up Skirting but this new crime is new to me.
Good Grief.... what next?

[plaques]

(But how convoluted your mind has to be to associate that with gender beats me....)

The word 'gender' only replaced the proper word 'sex' to placate those of a sensitive nature who couldn't understand that being of the opposite sex meant being of the opposite sex.

[Tripps]

My virus protection software has just popped up to warn me that my location is freely visible. They even show me a pop up map which clearly shows I am currently in Weybridge. That's interesting they usually say I'm in Bolton le Sands. All quietly satisfying.

[Stanley]

I know the feeling David but unfortunately not many applications give that satisfaction.
However, breathe it not but I think I have finally got British Gas to bill me for energy used since February. (That's right February!)
I will not clap hands until I see it go out of my account!

[Cathy]

I’m getting more and more irritated about people who when they move to another home, leave their junk on the pavement and don’t call the council for it to be collected (for free). In my complex of units and townhouse‘s (17), it happens every so often. The junk has been on the footpath for 5weeks now. Bloody Ferals!

[Stanley]

Oh dear! Don't let them put your BP up Cathy.....

[Tizer]

I see a news item saying that `Nearly half a million more adults in England are now taking antidepressants compared with the previous year, according to NHS figures'. Most people will probably take that to mean a lot more people are now suffering from depression. In fact the latter doesn't follow from the former - antidepressant drugs are also prescribed for insomnia, so just looking at the number of antidepressants prescribed doesn't tell you anything definite about the numbers of people suffering depression.

It's known as `off-label prescribing', when a drug is found to be effective for a different condition from the one for which it was first developed and licensed.

[Tripps]

Did you ever see a film called "Make Me An Offer"? One of my all time favourites. Peter Finch , wheeling and dealing, period detail, Jewish Humour from Wolf Mankowitz, . and a QUEST to find a long desired item.

Well - I've just been notified - and after a bit of clever detective work - have found the sale website - that one such item is up for sale in a Paris auction house next Tuesday. It's a picture, and I've been searching for the artist for several years. The estimated price is in the right range. Monday may be quite a busy day. Undecided as whether I need the hassle though. Might phone them on Monday and see what the vibes are like.

Get the flavour of the chase here -

[Stanley]

Peter, didn't I hear them say that a lot of children were on anti-depressants as well? Even if they are prescribed for a different ailment, they will still have the same side effects. Wasn't a higher suicide rate one of them?
David, I could be dragged into watching that.... I've never seen it, 1954 when it was made was when I went into the army and finished up in Berlin so English films from that period are a closed book to me.

[Wendyf]

My big brother Steve (2nd from left) completed a charity cycling challenge from Bristol to Bordeaux this morning. Not bad going for a 73 year old!

snapshot_m.facebook.com_1657435103845.png

[Big Kev]

that's a long way on a bicycle.

[Stanley]

Did they have floats on the bikes? Getting on a bike would be an achievement for me, never mind riding one that far!

[Wendyf]

Did they have floats on the bikes? Getting on a bike would be an achievement for me, never mind riding one that far!

[Tripps]

I came across the word Ontology this morning - so of course had to check it out.

I rather wish I hadn't.

**************************************

[Tripps]

that's a long way on a bicycle.

My big lad is a cyclist, and despite a very busy life, managed to do an all night 100km circuit event in London recently. What is it with people called Steve, and bicycles? He said Brixton on a bike at 2.00 am is somewhere you don't want to linger.

[Cathy]

Tripps
Ontology... Let’s simplify it with “I am.”

[Gloria]

I love reading the many posts from everyone, but I realised the other day nothing has been added for a while from Chinatyke, does anyone know why?

[Tripps]

I'm afraid he passed away last year Gloria.

I miss him a lot too.

[Gloria]

I'm afraid he passed away last year Gloria.

I miss him a lot too.

Sorry to hear that, I didn’t know.