WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[Big Kev]

I didn't really take a lot of notice of the accent, I was under the impression it was the 'text-to-speech' app on my phone that read the message out loud. I could be wrong but, if that's the case, mine should have been a Chinese accent

[Stanley]

I must have been out of the room, I never heard it.

[Julie in Norfolk]

Never heard it in Norfolk either, nor did I get the message. Is that because of the American Airforce Bases we have locally, will there be no need for an alarm as we will all be dead? I do hope not!

[Stanley]

They will probably be a prime target for the Russians Juile.
I suppose the same applies to Menwith Hill.....

[Big Kev]

Never heard it in Norfolk either, nor did I get the message. Is that because of the American Airforce Bases we have locally, will there be no need for an alarm as we will all be dead? I do hope not!

What type of mobile phone do you have? Are the emergency alerts switched on? Could be any number of things.

The service has been used four times, in the past couple of years, to warn of extreme weather conditions.

https://www.gov.uk/alerts

[Julie in Norfolk]

I have an Apple iphone and as far as I know all the appropriate settings were correct.

[Big Kev]

I have an Apple iphone and as far as I know all the appropriate settings were correct.

Strange. Does it use 4G or 5G?

[Stanley]

My right eye hurts.... unusual. Not debilitating yet!

[Julie in Norfolk]

I have an Apple iphone and as far as I know all the appropriate settings were correct.

Strange. Does it use 4G or 5G?

That's a question too far Kev! In fact it is beyond our Kev!

[Cathy]

Julie it will be on your Desktop Pages, very top left hand corner.
Eg

IMG_1657.png

[Stanley]

The arrival of my new microwave at 17:00 just when I was giving up on the courier.



It's smaller than the Panasonic Inverter which it replaces and is manual, only two controls, Power and Timer. Nothing digital, even the warning bell is mechanical. Exactly what I wanted.... And it only cost £59.99.
The slogan on the box was 'British Icon since 1952'. And in small print at the bottom, 'made in China'.
How do they manufacture it and get it across the world into my kitchen for less than £60?

[Julie in Norfolk]

Julie it will be on your Desktop Pages, very top left hand corner.
Eg IMG_1657.png

Not on my phone unfortunately. It doesn't matter, not urgent.

[Stanley]

The convenience of having a working microwave oven again. The new Russell Hobbs performs well.

Further afield THIS got my attention.
5 hours ago
Video shows conservative activist Charlie Kirk speaking to a crowd of hundreds on the campus of Utah Valley University on Wednesday. Then a single shot rang out, and students fled in every direction. The 31-year-old influencer and Trump ally was rushed to hospital but pronounced dead later.

[Tizer]

I saw this in a BBC article about the Kirk killing...
Trump, in a video address from the Oval Office posted on his Truth Social website on Wednesday night, called the killing a "dark moment for America". But he wasted little time in blaming the "radical left" for Kirk's murder. He ticked through some of the recent instances of political violence - those that targeted conservatives - and said his administration would find "each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence". Those comments are sure to be welcomed by those on the right who in the hours after the shooting called for a crackdown on left-wing groups. LINK

...and it made me think how this other story in yesterday's news shows how some attention needs to be given to the right wing in the US. Even if you don't read the article at least skim through it and see how these guys just want to kill people and are doing it on behalf of Netanyahu's government and presumably with his and Trump's knowledge...
`Anti-Islamic US biker gang members run security at deadly Gaza aid sites' LINK
...The firm guarding sites where aid is distributed in Gaza has been using members of a US biker gang with a history of hostility to Islam to run its armed security, a BBC investigation has found. BBC News has confirmed the identities of 10 members of the Infidels Motorcycle Club working in Gaza for UG Solutions - a private contractor providing security at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites, where hundreds of civilians seeking food have been killed in scenes of chaos and gunfire. We can reveal that seven members of the gang are in senior positions overseeing sites at the controversial aid operation backed by Israel and US President Donald Trump....
The gang's leader, Johnny "Taz" Mulford, is a former sergeant in the US Army who was punished for conspiracy to commit bribery, theft and making false statements to military authorities. He is now the "country team leader" running UG Solutions' contract in Gaza....Social media posts show that in May, just two weeks before travelling to Gaza, Mr Mulford sought to recruit US military veterans who follow him on Facebook, inviting anyone who "can still shoot, move and communicate" to apply....

[Stanley]

Thanks for digging tat out Peter. I wasn't aware of it but I'm not surprised, if anybody has contributed to the violent nature of life in present day US it's Trump, tha far Right and the NRA.

[Tripps]

A chap called Charlie Kirk was asassinated by a long distance rifle shot in America yesterday. Some say it was by a professional sniper.

I take quite an interest in current affairs and politics - but can honestly say I'd never heard of him. The reaction of people to the event shows I seem to be the only one in that situation. To remedy the situation - I've just watched some of his debate at Cambridge University with students.

Result - I don't think I've missed much. I disliked him, a little bit more than I do most politicians (which is quite a lot). I didn't care for his attitude, or his opinions on most topics. (I didn't like the students either ) - but strangely - I felt no inclination at all to shoot him.


PS A further look shows that the reason I've never heard of him is that I never look at Tik Tok. - where he has an audience of millions. I wonder what else I'm missing.

[Stanley]

I'd guess not a lot David. I had never heard of him either.... (And I have never knowingly watched TikTok)

I watched THIS live feed from Utah
Police in Utah have released new photos of a "person of interest". No suspect is in custody, but sources say police have got the name of that "person of interest" - the FBI has offered a $100,000 reward for information. A high-powered rifle was found in woods near the shooting. Kirk, an ally of President Trump, was shot at a Utah university - officials said the suspect "appears to be of college age" and fled by jumping from the roof down to a grassy area, then out through a car park. We now have police audio shortly after the shooting - while our Verify team has looked for clues in the pictures released by the FBI
The images I saw were quite good and close-up. I wouldn't give much for the assassin's chances of getting away....

[Tizer]

I imagine all of us on OG had never heard of him. Besides Tiktok he spent most of his time at US universities spreading the right-wing message `so that Donald Trump doesn't have to go to the universities himself'. I'd call it `grooming' the students on behalf of Trump.

[Stanley]

Morning Peter..... Good point and I think you are right. Too chancy a venue for Trump, he wouldn't be able to rely on his MAGA core supporters.
I don't know if you have noticed but I have heard reports of him being booed at some events.....

[Big Kev]

I certainly wasn't aware of him until he was shot...