JohnM

I don't know what the story is, but if they name me in the scandal, I want to categorically say "No comment".  

You will be entitled to use your age as an excuse for pushing in at the supermarket, not have the right money ready in the bus and forgetting to buy your round. "J'ai soixante ans que vous connaissez!" That should be enough surely?  

I seem to recall that "a person of note" (I forget the name) once took a sip of American beer, put the glass back on the bar and said "Put it back in the horse". Has anyone else heard that story and can you remember who it is atributed to? It came to mind whilst in the US last week, but I couldn't remember who said it and it's driving me mad!  

I don't really want to put a damper on the plan, but, having just had the pleasure of a US "quanatine" check... If it's actual juice (rather than sugar drink with artificial flavours), before you spend any money, I'd just make sure that US customs officers will not consign it to the bin on arrival. Sorry can't help with the plan, I'm in the UK at the moment.  

[quote]There was a storm in a teacup, that was blown up Daily Mail style about Walmart advertising "Happy Holidays" rather than Christmas. The 'official' line was that they did not want to exclude anyone (...[/quote] Does my addled mind serve me right if I say that Holiday is derived from Holy Day? I suppose happy holy day is a bit more encompassing than happy Christmas but.......  

[quote]There was a storm in a teacup, that was blown up Daily Mail style about Walmart advertising "Happy Holidays" rather than Christmas. The 'official' line was that they did not want to exclude anyone (...[/quote] Does my addled mind serve me right if I say that Holiday is derived from Holy Day? I suppose happy holy day is a bit more encompassing than happy Christmas but.......  

Naw, coffee is best smooth, come to think of it, so is chocolate.  

[quote]I believe grants are available as the French authorities take an enlightened view of the advantages of renewable energy. However these are only for main residences not maison secondaires.Interesting e...[/quote] I'm not sure you are right in stating that it is not for second homes. Some french friends enquired on my behalf and told me that it was the building that counted for the grant and not the owner. However, as with many things french, it might differ from department to department! (Mind you, I've still not done it as I still can't afford my bit yet)  

I'm not sure you would get away with uses Radio from Satellite and only buying a TV license. It is the "Public" usage that counts not the origin of the music. It depends on whether you employ others to work in your kitchen and how many. In the UK, firms which play the radio out for the benefit of warehouse / factory workers still need permission from PRS / MCPS. A license is even needed for Music on Hold on phone systems. My sister had call at work one day and she was asked to "just put me on hold please". Fortunately she had put the royalty free CD in on that day (and every day since). If the radio is set at a volume which is obviously for your (and your family's) pleasure only, but the patrons just happen to hear it if they are right by the door, then I think you would be OK in the UK... but I don't know about France.  

I do think that we (humans collectively) have to take a lot of the blame for the tightening of the laws that control us. If nobody ever did anything anti social (theft, fighting, mugging etc etc) then it would be impossible for the authorities to justify CCTV for example. I know, I know. How do you explain that to the people who cause the trouble, but hey, I can think it.  

[quote]I agree with John re the need for greater care the more complex the lenses etc but as for taking advantage of opticians, chance would be a fine thing! When I lost a screw in my specs and the lense dr...[/quote] Well we used to do screws and adjustments for free, but that was in the days when the only people who could deal in glasses were registered opticians. I guess things have changed in some places, but I had to get a new nose pad last year and "my old firm" (no I was only an employee) fitted a pair for free. I don't think I dropped it into the conversation that I used to work there.    

I am a tad rusty on these things as I left the optical world about 20 years ago, but, depending on the power of the lens, the position and angle of the lenses in front of your eye can seriously affect how well you get on with your glasses. We used to find that even when the lenses were positioned within the British Standards tolerances, some people could have trouble with the positioning. I suppose I'm saying that "you pays your money and you takes your chances". With low power lenses the postal service is probably fine, but the higher power / more complex your prescription, the greater the chance of trouble. As for lenses falling out, that can happen with most suppliers, no matter how much you have spent, so if you feel the lens move when you clean it, then get it tightened / send it back. My only plea is that if you got your specs from a cheap place, please do not "take advantage" of the high street opticians by expecting them to tighten your screws, adjust the fit etc. You haven't paid for that service!  

I decided not to use Cillit bang because I didn't know who Barry Scott was, so decided it was a stupid advert. Then when I discovered that Barry Scott didn't actually exist (i.e played by an actor) I was even more determined not to buy it in the hope that the makers would go back to the ad agency and say "Your stupid advert didn't work".  

My French isn't good enough to do this in France yet, but when I buy in England and I'm offered the extended warranty, I say "Why? I thought this was a good make, if I think it is going to break down within 5 years, I don't think I want it". They usually then say that they expect it to last that long, but the extension is just an insurance. To which I say "Well, if you expect it to last that long, then I expect it to last that long, if it breaks down, I can bring it back under the Sale Of Goods Act because it is not of merchantable quality". I know the logic doesn't quite work and I've never tried to take anything back like that, but it usually ends the discussion about whether or not they try to "get me to pay their bonus".... sorry, I meant to write "sell me an insurance policy".  

Boys v Girls behind check outs. The Boys think they are above such tasks and can't be bothered. The girls know they are above such tasks but make the most of it. Apologies to the boys who are the exception, but in general I try to get in a girls cue because I suspect she will work faster and be more pleasant (OK, the eye candy factor is an extra bonus which I will not deny, but the other factors are more important to me when shopping). Actually, best of all are the young mums who are probably capable of being Managers, but do the job because it fits in with the kids hours. They are superb.    

Mikki As mentioned earlier, it is impossible for you to convince somebody who thinks like me that spectator sport is important and it is equally impossible for me to convince somebody like you that it isn't. So this really will be my last posting in this thread. However, here are the replies. Sorry but i found that a strange post to try and work out ! OK. I'll take the blame for that. What am I supposed to say? For instance I have loved sport and more so, I guess, football, almost from the time I could walk and kick a ball. So having played, coached, managed and of course all the time, been a fan of the game, what other needs would be pertinent to me ? I don’t actually desire another outlet for my enthusiasm, I repeat, my life is vary varied away from sport and I have had a choice all my life as to like sport or not. You quoted “…Therefore the importance of spectator sport is diminished because it can be replaced (It can, it really can).” And I asked you what with after your post above and I gave you a simple question about it back, so what do you suggest replaces my life long love of sport and give me the same rapport? I would say that you have answered your own question. You have played, coached and managed. So those things must have provided some if not all your needs (I have used the word "spectator" quite a lot in this thread). I assume that you get something extra from watching others, motivation and inspiration perhaps. But both those things can be provided equally by both teams in a match. Why the need to align oneself with one or the other? I can understand liking the way a player plays or a manager manages, but when they move on, my allegiance would be to that person, not some etherial thing called "the club" (that I am not actually a member / shareholder of). I struggle to believe that you, or anyone, in reply to being told one loves sport and in my case, I guess it has to be Soccer which is number one, that you can offer a way of offering something else to take its place and still give me the thing I would miss from “denying” myself football is spooky to say the least ! I need protein. It is important. However, it does not matter whether that protein comes from Nuts, Eggs, Meat or whatever. So meat is not actually important. However, I can not see that eating nuts could take the place of a nice steak. The love of steak is more to do with enjoyment than need. Enjoyment is important, but it doesn't matter if I get that enjoyment from Steak or Skiing (but preferably both). How concise does it have to be, I love football, the ambiance,the camaraderie, the excitement, the ups , the downs, the brilliance, the shabbiness at times, the unexpected, the history, I could go on forever and yes , a bar is the place to talk sport, not a couch ! Deep psychological questions my a***, I give more credence to living life as one finds it and what you are "dealt" in life itself. Millions of people were thrilled by the last World Cup, many millions were thrilled by the last Olympics, millions everyday are enthralled by watching or playing sport, all will say they do it for the sheer love of it all....trick cyclists …..yeh right ! They fall off the couch as often as their "clients" Now, now, don't dismiss something just because it might challenge your views. I've been told that top Sports people do study psychological things as it helps them understand their opponent and predict what they may do. A lot of what we do has a basis in our hunter gatherer heritage and the competitive nature, need for camaraderie and adrenalin creating events are surely all traceable back to this. In reply, if I may, to the answer to viva. What rights do you have to tell anyone in what perspective an individual must hold a result in ? I didn't "tell" I "suspected". To some that result (read my post about Liverpool as a city in which to many, soccer is God, you may not like it but surely you or indeed I, have no rights to tell them their perspective is wrong ?  Sure someone else may say they are daft to act like they do but, how many think that posting on a forum is as daft as it gets (enter the views of my own wife !) Yes, we all do daft things, well I do anyway, but I am big enough to accept it when people point that out. There are things which I hold very dear, probably as dear as you hold your sport. They are important in "my life" but I realise that they are not important in the great scheme of things. We are all individuals and all have likes, loves and hates and a hugely varied bunch those things are. To say one can offer them alternatives, especially to all those that have been life long "admirers" of differing things, is tantamount to petty dictatorship ! "don't do it like that, do it like this " a la Whitehouse ! Couldn't agree more. But when claiming our rights to choices in life, surely we must also have an obligation to ensure that others can claim their right to choices aswell and ensure that ours don't destroy theirs? My choice is not to get excited about a group of strangers playing a game, yet during a big match I can not go into many pubs for a quiet drink without being subjected to a TV commentary and ****heads shouting at the screen. How do you know they are pretending ? I have seen people of all ages and gender crying of disappointment (in many sports)and know just how much effort they and their supporters have put in. Crying is quite often no pretence, no more than a supporter of a soccer club is pretending if they cry. Human emotions are surely one of the stronger elements one has ? I told you before, what you have never experienced tells me, that you have no idea as to what it is all about but that will never stop some from trying to have a shot in the dark, quite simply as they don't like what is happening and really cannot understand it all. I can understand the players / managers crying. Sorry, but I can not accept that fans (especially those who only contribute to the finance of the club when they are doing well) actually have much influence on the results of a game. If that were the case then very few teams would win away games. In fact, if I were a player and the fans got the credit when we won, I would be very ******. Sure some would say fiddlesticks to a loss but many would also be pretty unhappy for while, it just depends on how much your love or support for that certain game or moment, means to the individual. Generalise if you wish but I say again, if you have not got a clue what it is all about, please don't try. I will give up now. Thanks for the banter, you have made me think and that's important to me, I think it's good to be forced to think about our standpoints. You've not convinced me (because people like me...) but I have thought hard about what you've written. Last word is yours.  

Mikki Well I guess that is a direct question, so I can reply. I have deliberated on how to answer it for most of the weekend. The problem is that watching sport can fulfil a number of different psychological / primeval needs and without knowing which of those needs are pertinent to you, I will not be able to answer this question to your satisfaction. So, I have to bounce it back at you and ask you to tell me in “concise” terms what it is that “you” get out of watching sport and I will try to suggest some alternatives. The one thing I am sure of, is that deep psychological questions like this should not be discussed on a forum, they really do need the ambiance of a local and a pint or 20! (Or a post graduates thesis). Viva There is nothing wrong with it, in fact it is good. All I am asking is that the result of a Game (the clue is in the name) is kept (or put) into perspective. I want people to enjoy it, whoop it up, revel in the excitement, but I want them to stop pretending that the result actually has any significant importance. What would actually have happened to you if the team had lost? I suspect that you would have muttered "Oh... fiddlesticks" and life would have carried on much the same.  

Miki, I understand that there is a lot of passion about sport / teams etc and that passion is not logical (I am not decrying passion, it is "important"). I believe that there are a lot of important things/feelings which spectator sport can do for people and communities, but spectator sport is only one way of achieving those things. Therefore the importance of spectator sport is diminished because it can be replaced (It can, it really can). I don't want to deny anyone the important feelings that they get out of watching and supporting sport (I just wish they would realise that those same feelings can be achieved in others ways, they can, they really can), but, please excuse the quote "To try and explain to a person with your view on the subject is impossible," We aren't ever going to agree on this because you have passion for it, whereas I don't. So unless you ask a specific question or I need to apologies for wording something badly, you may have the last word.  

I haven't read all the thread so forgive me if this has already been said. My particular gripe about sport is the Hype and the over importance given to it. I can understand people going to watch a game, savouring the atmosphere, getting involved in the game and wanting one team to win... What I can't understand is the pretence that the result is actually important. It's not a matter of life or death it's more important than that (Yes, I know that's about football). I think that was said as a tongue in cheek comment, but I have heard it trotted out in deadly earnest by so many people who use that to justify allowing sport to dominate their lives instead of letting it be part of it. Spectator Sport should be fun, interesting, exciting, enjoyable and entertaining. But surely, unless your livelihood or finances depend on the result, the result is not actually Important?  

I do not always obey the speed limit so I am not standing in judgement over others, BUT Bad driving causes accidents, but accidents at low speeds do not usually kill. Accidents at higher speeds often do kill. So... speed is an issue a major issue. Let's not try to pretend otherwise. Arbitary speed limits are not an ideal solution, but they are the best we've got at the moment. I am still waiting for somebody on this forum to draft a law which allows good / safe drivers to use their judgement on how to drive (i.e the appropriate speed) but controls the bad drivers so that no one dies due to driver error ever again.  

I think it's par for the course for French folk to take anything that they can. I am surprised that they are asking because there will be cost or inconvenience to remove a fairly low value piece of kit. However, what you need to take into account is not the low value of a second hand TV aerial, but the cost you may encounter buying a new one and having it fitted. The old one is probably worth no more than a few euro's, but it may be worth offering more than that just to save yourself trouble.  

OK, I've done mine for you. But I forgot to put my shoe size.... it's 8.5.  

Hi Dawn, welcome. We bicker and insult occasionally, but most folk do it on a topic by topic basis and so the "members" on each side of a disagreement differ depending on what we are discussing (bickering about)  There are a few people who have found out how to wind up other people and get immense pleasure from the thought that they are winding that person up - it's an odd concept to me so I try to ignore them. (Don't always succeed)  

I agree. Oh.......

How are you connecting them together? With Scarts, Individual leads or (the one I'm guessing) the aerial wire. If it is the last one, the Sky box actually turn the picture and sound back into TV signals as (recieved by the aerial). So, as the Sky box "transmits" the signal to the video, both boxes have to tuned to the same frequency. If they are not, then you will get the screen you describe. What you (probably) need to do is, Turn the Sky box to a channel that has the "Sky Gubbings" on it (so that you can easiliy identify the channel later). Now switch the TV to the Video Channel (check it's there by looking at something prerecorded). Stop the video and you should get she "snow" - don't touch the TV again. Now tune the "Sky Channel" on the Video until you get a picture of the "known" Sky gubbins on the TV. Save that channel. However, if you are using Scarts or wires, I haven't got the faintest.