JohnM

Don't get me wrong, I do think they've done a good job. The money is impressive, The walk is a hard slog.... but the interviews I heard wee over egging things a bit! Sadly I missed the film, I'll have to do IPlayer tonight. I don't think we were any better looked after than any of the other groups that went up, in fact some were better looked after, we were under canvas (well, nylon I expect... so change that to "in tents") whereas many groups sleep in huts. The National Park Commission sets minimum standards in order to ensure that a goodly number of porters get work so I can't see the celebs not having the home comforts. Thanks for the offer of organisations that I could help, we came across a school for orphans near Arusha which we helped a bit and the profit from sales of a video that I made of our trip, were sent to a charity supporting the porters and their families. I'd love to do more in Arusha or Moshi, but due to our wonderful Bankers, that aint gunna happen for a while (unless I win the lottery). Blowing our trumpet.... we paid our own fares & fees and managed to raise nearly £8,000 for our chosen charities.   

But... didn't you think the celebs were milking it a bit? When I went up I was amazed to discover that the porters took tables, chairs, thick mattresses, washing bowls and the like. They erected a mess tent and cooked for us at lunch time as well as the evening, Tea or coffee in bed to wake us up..... warm water in our wash bowl. Yes the final slog to the top is long, hard, boring and for those the altitude got to, not very pleasant... OK, so you couldn't run, I tried (I thought a friend who did have problems with the altitude was going to fall on some sharp rocks) only went about 15ft but spent the next few minutes getting my breath back. Yes, it was cold, but we had hired the right clothes, the only real problem was the drinking water freezing.   Yes, they did well, I'm glad they raised a lot of money due to their "celebrity" status, but either the celebs that went are wimps or they were milking it.

Probably, but not necessarily, true. If the optical centres (O.C's) of the lenses are not right in your line of vision, that can create double image which the eye muscles need to correct, that extra effort can make reading hard work.... the stronger the lens the more prismatic effect you get when you are not looking through the O.C's. I'll have to find my books to tell you how much, (it's a long time ago) but me thinks an error of 3mm on a +2.50 dioptre lens would be enough for headaches. Edited to correct a typo.

A lot of people think that there is a digital aerial, so just to reinforce what has been said earlier, this is how the "Digital Aerial" myth came into existence..   Good old fashion analogue signals are quite forgiving. Even if the signal your receive isn't as strong as "it should be" you can still get a picture. As the signal gets weaker the picture gets worse and it's almost a straight line graph. However, with digital, even as the signal gets weaker, the picture quality will stay about the same until it reaches a certain point, then the picture just breaks up. The signal strength that your aerial receives will vary depending on atmospheric conditions, the amount of leaves on your tree and.... sods law. So for some people, some days they get a good signal, some days they don't, some days it varies. So some days they get a good pic, some days they don't and some days the pic is fine for 2 mins then it goes, then returns and so on..   So..... as digital signals are not at full strength yet, in areas of weaker signal, aerial installers used to recommend and install, a "high gain" aerial. This had more prongs on it to focus and intensify the signal, they also used good cable and connections so that very little of the signal got lost on the way from roof to decoder. The householder would be told "you've got an aerial installed that will be fine for Digital...." which of course became "I've got a digital aerial".   So...... some aerials will pick up digital signals better than others, but as the guys have said, when the wick (power) is turned up on the transmitters, a lot of problems will go away.

First, the disclaimer.... I've been out of the profession for over 20 years, so my old addled brain may not be quite right.   Now, the pedantry time...... the word is spelt O P H T H almic..... is should be said OFFTHalmic. (Sorry, it's a family thing, my father was a Chiropodist and hated it when people said "shropodist"... "yes" he'd say "just like shemist". Now I like people to get the name of my old profession right).   (Belle can now skip a bit......)  All spectacles alter your view of things. It is only when the "optical centre" of the lens is right between the eye and the thing you are looking at, that you get no interference to the image.   The angle that your specs sit on your face at, can alter the affectivity of the lens. If when you were tested, the trail frame (thing that the lenses drop into) was angled at 10 degrees but the specs they sold you are angled at 15 degrees, THEY SHOULD ALTER THE PRESCRIPTION TO SUIT (but very rarely do).   The stronger the lens, the more problems you will get. 8 dioptres is a strong lens, with a cyl as well (that's the astigmatism) I would expect teething problems.   Varilux is the trade name, developed by the French company Essilor in the late 60's early 70's. Varifocal is the generic name in much of the world but I expect the French do called them something different.   To use Varifocals you do need to move your head more and "forget" that you are wearing them. Despite knowing this, it took me a long time to get used to mine, but now I've got used to them, I like them because of the range (although I will still maintain that optically the BEST are the bifocals that look like a D with the flat bit upwards).   So... Specs are a compromise, it is very very important to remember that.   So, to Belle's problem.   As you've had varifocal / professives before, you are used to the format. So, the "getting used to them" line is a "bit" of a lame excuse from the optician (teething troubles permitted). However, if they are thinner than before, that could have an impact, as the curvature of the lenses may be be substantially different. You say he sent them back for checking, but did he check his measurements? I think you need a second opinion to reinforce your view that you are entitled to a refund. Explain your situation to the new chappy, even offer to pay for his time (he may decline it if he thinks that he will win you over). If new chappy says they are spot on, then sorry, you'll need to just take the best offer, but if new chappy says.... well the optical centres are not the same as your pupilary distance, or the vertical positioning is wrong, or the angle of the frame is wrong, or..... . British Standards used to have a list of error tolerance, WE HAD TO STICK WITHIN THESE, it may be that the UE has something similar.   Finally, chains...... An independent optician usually has to rely on a good reputation to keep going so I tend to use them, however, the chains are not bad. As somebody else said, it is the skill of the ophthalmologists / dispensing opticians that count and there are some very good ones in the chains. The problems with the chains is the career path means that the good ones are more likely to move on from your local branch.   Edited to correct a typo.

The "legend" is that the DJ's (I want to say that it was Blackburn but I can't remember properly) disk was never put to air, so no cross fade was needed, his studio monitor was "off air" which, of course was from the SM's player rather than his own.

Ahhhh.... yes you would have to do as you were told... Shame. As an SM I gather you must have been in the hallowed halls of Network...Can you confirm or deny the urban legend that has circulated the sub culture that we know as Local, that one day (in the time of vinyl) a Network Jock Chappy started a disk and the SM next door started an identical disk - which he put to air..... SM then walked in to the studio and said "This is great, what is it?", picked the arm up off the 45, removed the record from the turntable and read the label..... said jock then went ballistic thinking that he'd just ruined the programme, then realised that the tune was still playing and looked confused....

I say, playing what you were given.... you were well behaved... most of the Jocks that I know will pull every trick in the book to play something other that what has been chosen for them!

My guess is that they have some of the labels jazz catalogue and they think that they'd like it all..... but don't want to have to buy any CD's!!!!!!!! (or just want to get on the list so that they get a copy of all new discs, if it's a small label the plugger may not get to France).

Which seems like a pretty good reason to me! Thanks. Are the big ones the norm or the exception? How about roofing at a reasonable height and sending the big ones on a ferry?

[quote user="chrisb"] when it seems that's what rather more alarming is the propensity for lorries to catch fire. [/quote] A friend in the haulage business (sorry, it's logistics these days isn't it) has told me that fires in poorly maintained trucks are far too common (fast movement in long tunnels exasperates the problem). I want to know why the truck wagons are not sealed and fire protected like those for cars and buses. Surely the cost would be less than the cost of 2 major fires (although I suppose that "our" share of the fire costs, as people paying insurance companies, is less than would be added to the cost of tickets to cover the cost of constructing fire proof wagons).

So, is he destined to spend the rest of his life travelling from airport to airport, with perhaps a night in a hotel or immigration lounge between flights? As long as countries are given the tip off as he is deprted from one place, I can't see anyone letting him in.  

I guess it is because he had to change planes. The local police are not really bothered as long as he gets out of their hair, the airlines would just be happy to take his money, they wouldn't say "Yes, he flew with us to.....". He could have disappeared (sadly, not for real).

The facts as I see them are.... Speed limits are an arbitrary attempt to reduce carnage on the roads. They are (probably) set after considering average conditions and average drivers.  Because they need to consider the average conditions, there will be times when they are too low and times when they are too high. Because they need to consider the average driver, there will be people who could drive faster safely and vice versa. The problem is that a lot of people have driven at unsuitable speeds, some have caused accidents. They are. The arrogant drivers who "think" that they are better than average but aren't. The rich and arrogant drivers who don't care. The insecure "nobody tells me what to do" drivers who think they have to contest every law. The stupid drivers. The below average drivers.   I tend to think that speed limits are the best compromise we have for our desire to keep roads safe. I don't always stick to them and am aware that if I decide that roads conditions and my ability, dictate that I can drive faster safely, I must also decide to pay the fine if applicable. I've tried, but I can't think of a better system that will: Allow good drivers to drive at the speed that they deem suitable and no accidents will occur. Ensure that bad drivers drive at a suitable speed so that no accidents will occur. I suggest that everyone who critisises speed limits and the enforcement thereof, should come up with a better solution. Oh, before anyone trots out the old "Speed doesn't kill" chestnut. I agree, it's stopping quickly whilst out of control that can be the killer.... but usually that's only when the initial speed is high. Stopping quickly and out of control at 5mph and you will probably still have whole eggs in your box, do the same at 70mph and it's probably an omlette in the making. Looks rather as if speed is a major contributory factor doesn't it.

If only it was that difficult. At Christmas I experienced great difficulty with my Wanadoo / Orange broadband. I plucked up the courage to call the help line. In the end, I think I had about 6 phone calls with them. Only on one occasion did I get somebody who was prepared to speak slowly and clearly, but even she couldn't solve it, so she made an apoointment for an expert to call me. Now, considering the difficulty we had had, I'd hoped that they would have found somebody with a bit of English, but no, I think they deliberately picked on the person with the mumbliest voice in all of France. We got nowhere. So I went to the FT shop to ask if I coule have a dial up number so that I could send an email. So they set up the dial up and set a cancelation date for the broadband. I got back and the haute debit worked. So used it, but of course, next time I went it didn't so had along protracted email conversation with idiots who just kept saying "give us a ring", to which I would reply "No, it's a waste of time, we don't understand each other". Eventually I got somebody with a brain who said, but it's been cancelled. Like a fool I reinstated it, but the contact isn't as good as the original. One of teh most frustrating things was that I told them that the error code was one that indicated an error with the line and as I had bought: New adsl filters, New Modem and a new box for the wall - I tended to agree with the error code.

Some French people across the Maurienne Valley (73) from me are trying to sell up and move near Lille. They want a quick sale but have not had many people looking at their house. They think they stand a much better chance of selling quickly if the Brits get a chance to see it. They want to know how to get it onto an English Agents books. I have suggested the company that advertise on this section, but wondered if you have any other ideas. John

This is the site that I use to help me look forward to the ski trip! http://www.snow-forecast.com/resorts/Ax-les-Thermes.0to3bot.shtml  

On a serious note, I am absolutely hopeless at proof reading my posts. I "read" what I think I've written and not what is actually there. But if I leave it an hour or so, I then read it properly and realise what an ar se I've made of myself. EDIT I meant to say, Thanks Dick, I will steal that signature phrase. Do you want me to add copyright details? EDIT AGAIN Or did you ste... borrow it from somebody else.  

Shimble I'd find one useful because I like to have a book handy, it can be a bit hit & miss to post and then hope that an expert responds in time. Dick I've been told that my trouble with spelling is that my mind works faster than my fingers. It seems a bit far fetched to me, but if it gets me of the hook, I'll run with it. EDIT I'll put his edit in before I actually submit it for the first time. It'll save time in the long run.

May I return to the original topic for a moment... I work in a Newsroom and sadly, you are quite right about a lot of journalists (but not all), they tend to see a "story" and forget that there are people attached to it. Some years ago a body was found in a local park on a Bank Holiday Monday, most staff were quite upset, but the head of news (a hard nosed hack that had come up through local papers), was seen skipping round the newsroom singing "We've got a stiff" because, until then it had been a slow news day. I understand that they are under great pressure to get a story and then to make it as interesting as possible because (sadly) "we" seem to like sensationalist stuff, but it's not nice.

Actually Dick, I'm surprised you didn't think of it.... :-) (I had hoped that I could add the edit before anyone reliased how stupid I had been) EDIT, I must write out "realised" until I can spell it correctly.

What about ebooks - I am sure I bought one (very cheaply) whch told me all about sat TV installation. I reckon that if two forum members got together they could knock together what we need to know and I'd certainly pay to down load it from a site (perhaps Living France, perhaps a private one). I am sure my old brain tells me that we have a magazine editor (all be it shipping) and at least one electrician. Then there are the plumbers. OR would one of our experts in the french lingo like to contact the Pas a Pas publishers and offer to translate and flog as ebooks??????? EDIT. I must write out 100 times.... always read the post again before posting a reply to make sure there hasn't been an addition since you first read it at work.

Ahhhh... those are the little tinkers. Thank you. I'm glad that I wasn't dreaming them. Good point about the proper plumbers merchant John, as a rule I've tended to go for the plastic bag, self service places because I can hold one plastic bag next to another for as long as I like while I try to decide if I've got it right, but maybe this is the time that I swallow hard and save myself some money! John  

I bought a small generator and the box told me its maximum wattage AND the wattage if used with motors, pumps, amplifiers... anything that has a big coil in it. The engineers at work explained that in the instant that you put power through a coil, it doesn't actually have much resistance in it, so it's almost like a short circuit. However, within milliseconds it has created a magnetic field and the problem is solved, so a generator needs to be much more powerful than you really need it just for the moment that you trn the pump on (Unless your motor is soft start). So... look at the generator specification (I think mine was on the box). I believe that the more sophisticated the genny, the less difference there is (on my cheapy, I can have 1.2kw for lights etc, but only about 300w for things with coils). What this means is...Once the pump is up and running, you actually have a lot more power available than it needs, so you might as well use that for lights, PC and Router etc! Turning to the connection. If you want the genny to power up automatically and switch accross within seconds of the mains going, you do need very sensitive, carefully installed control systems. However, if you have 10 minutes to play with.... I would just have a plug on the end of the pump and once you've started the beast up you just un plug from the mains socket and into the genny. You then set about plugging up a few extension leads with table lamps on. (This may break a few rules of electrical insllation, but it's what I would do) John  

Thanks, that sounds like the thing I thought I'd seen / read about. Sadly that word doesn't come up in the search of the Brico shop web sites. I'm over in a couple of weeks so will just have a mooch. John