This is the Message Centre for Bx4
142.5
Bx4 Posted Jun 27, 2014
hi rg
Apologies for somewhat delayed reply
>>Type II<<
What alerted me was that I had to get up in the night to pee more often. Apart from that I had no obvious symptoms. However when I had the HbA1c about six weeks ago I showed a high average blood glucose level of 80 mmol/mol. Just prior to the test I had decided to start an new diet/exercise regime which quite coincidentally targets the main sources of high blood sugar levels. So this and medication (metformin) means that in six weeks I have reduced my average blood sugar levels to around 56mmol/mol. Not quite the target of 48 mmol/mol but getting there. The doctor is quite impressed. Had a diabetes retinal scan yesterday but no results yet.
>>There is a particular industrial estate in Birmingham that's best transited with an extended stride and eyes averted from the 'ladies' who might be waiting for lifts.<<
A similar situation at the Fischmarkt where the local who are so inclined go. The Reeperbahn more for tourists.
>>I'm pleased to read this (obviously not the 'laid low' part). I've not had the opportunity to swan around on BB this past week.<<
Well I don't commute on B2 but the reasonable weather has made it feasible to bicycle to work rather than the the Harbour Ferry/S-Bahn option. I hope to manage a run on B2 Sunday though.
>>The state known as the UK remained. That the name was changed some seven years after the event was an unnecessary luxury in my view. These are different times – I'd expect the UK electorate to decide on any change of name of their state. <<
Though not presumably a luxury in the ees of the the government who changed the name. As you know I think a 'Yes' vote unlikely but if it were to happen then Westgov seems somewhat disinclined to hold referendums.
>>The territory known as Ireland seceded from the UK.<<
'
I don't tink the Irish regarded Ireland as a 'territory' any more than the Scots regard Scotland as such or the English, England. The Welsh have been colonised for so long that they may well do though.
>>I realise my memory isn't what it was; though I don't remember any 'coalition' appearing on the ballot? <<
It doesn't appear on ballots here either though the outcome is inevitably a coalition. The fact is that in 2010 the UK electorate voted in such a way that a coalition was almost inevitable.
>>As said before I'd be fore-square with you if the Greens were in favour of cutting APD.<<
The preferences of the Greens are irrelevant since they played no role in introducing the tax and are not in position to determine whether it is reduced or increased.
>>And why not?<<
Millipede's latest threat to consider border checks might dissuade them.
>>Yes – That said did Real Opposition voters switch to UKIP or was there a transfer to UKIP from Evil Tory/Labour or some other combination? Could (horror of horrors) voters previously aligned to the SNP have given their vote to the Extra-Evil-Tories?<<
As I said the vote in Scotland seems to have mirrored that of German where the number of MEPs returned by the ruling party/parties were unaffected by changes in voting patterns. The only losers were the Real Opposition who lost a seat to UKIP. Given that the numer of Tory MEPS was unchanged there seems little evidence of swing to the EET:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/scottish-european-election-2014-results-1-3422454
>>As you know by now I'm cynical as to the value of opinion polls. That said, if memory serves, the 'Yes' camp were ahead when the Mustardland thread was started last Autumn? A case of 'back to the future' for 'Yes'? <<
I'm pretty sure you are mistaken though the (unreliable) polls suggest the vote is narrowing (though this may depend on whose polls one believes:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/events/scotland-decides/poll-tracker
>>He should know better than to interfere either way<<
I believe he originally said he wouldn't but there is a body of opinion that thinks he was persuaded by an increasingly desperate Cameron. Though he also said, though this did not feature extensively in the PiTW reports, that the UK should stay in the EU.
>>I'll be honest and declare that I don't know (or do I mean remember) who this was?<<
Resident technical expert apparently, unlike Peet who ain't.
>>The former are poor. I've been off line for a week and even experimented with 2G as an alternative! <<
Indeed though there advertising claims attempt to suggest otherwise. experience in the Western Isles suggests that the claims that it is due to 'bad copper' is misleading.
>>Ubuntu – I think the full re-install was a good idea. Computer OSs like ship hulls need to be kept clear of barnacles?<<
Indeed I usually reinstall my OSes(?) once a year. I recently encountered Bloatware Inc. 8. Best avoided.
Media reports here in the last week suggested that Cameron would get a drubbing over Juncker and would be deserted by his allies (Hungary excepted). Indeed leaked e-mails from Foreign Minister of Poland (an 'ally') were positively vitriolic ( many deleted expletives).
The reports have proved true:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-28049375
Though Slick Dave seems to believe in his new clothes.
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Bx4 Posted Jun 27, 2014
hi rg
Juncker
A taped conversation rather than an e-mail apparently:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2665935/Cameron-facing-double-defeat-Europe-Brussels-ignores-renegotiation-plan-prepares-appoint-Juncker-president.html
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rg Posted Jun 28, 2014
Hi Bx4
I'm glad you are back and hopefully better.
I've copied your posts for offline reply as the internet connection is almost non existent. I have the strong impression BT would rather we leave them so they don't have the trouble of repairing the line.
So it goes; hope to post a reply later.
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rg Posted Jun 28, 2014
Hi Bx4
My 'offline' reply.
Type II: Somewhat chilled by your account as I share the one symptom you mention. My doctor 'looked me over' the other week though no tests were done 'we don't always think it worth doing every year'. As for yourself I'm delighted to read that your doctor is pleased with progress and hope that your scan gives good results. It seems that you are doing the right thing with diet/exercise. I'm 'crashing' myself having 'surged' in 2014.
I think I'll join you on a burner run on Sunday (all be it you'll have to strain your eyes to see me wave).
"...It doesn't appear on ballots here either though the outcome is inevitably a coalition. The fact is that in 2010 the UK electorate voted in such a way that a coalition was almost inevitable..."
True; though this doesn't alter the fact that no one voted for it!
"...The preferences of the Greens are irrelevant since they played no role in introducing the tax and are not in position to determine whether it is reduced or increased..."
You write that 'the preferences of the Greens are irrelevant'; I on the other hand think they are as to whether or not a tax can be considered Green. (Note the opinion of the tax setter is irrelevant to me – I guess that this is the point we disagree on?)
"...Millipede's latest threat to consider border checks might dissuade them..."
I confess I missed this – better get that early September tour of the Highlands sorted pronto...
"... there seems little evidence of swing to the EET..."
Whilst understanding the concept of 'swings' in voting; I consider the use of the concept to explain election results presumptive and simplistic. We don't know how each individual switched or didn't switch their vote nor even if they voted or didn't vote. We generalise at best.
"…>>if memory serves, the 'Yes' camp were ahead when the Mustardland thread was started last Autumn?<<...I'm pretty sure you are mistaken..."
See PostPosted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 7:41 am Post subject: "Yes" to independence.
The most recently sampled independence referendum opinion poll puts support for Yes a point ahead of No - at 44 per cent to 43 per cent, with Don't Know at 13 per cent - as we enter the month of a year to go until next September's vote. http://www.paranormal.org.uk/mustardland/viewtopic.php?t=24617
"...[Obama] was persuaded by an increasingly desperate Cameron..."
Yeh pull the other one. PotUS does Limey posh boy bidding? You're having a laugh right?
"...Bloatware Inc. 8. Best avoided..."
Thus far I have so can't comment.
"...Cameron would get a drubbing over Juncker and would be deserted by his allies (Hungary excepted)..."
As I understand it Cameron is for the EU? That said he faces election in 2015. I suspect a calculation was made that it was better to be 'pie in the face laughing stock in Brussels and Berlin' than be portrayed as an 'EU surrender monkey' back home. Better to lose than win on the wrong side? How very English.
OK just off to try and post this...
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Bx4 Posted Jul 6, 2014
hi rg
>> I share the one symptom you mention<<
I went the doctor for something else (an UTI as it turned out) and the nurse did a routine 'swab' test on the sample and mentioned my blood sugar curiously though when this was sent to the lab no further BGT test was . When I mentioned this when picking up the medication for my UTI when I mentioned this I had to provide a second sample and thus began a round of blood tests, doctors visits, group sessions on how to deal with Type II diabetes (curiously my new diet/exercise regime begun before I was diagnosed hit the spot so the only change in my life is I'm taking Metformin) after years of avoiding engagements with doctor I suddenly seem to have become 'medicalised'.
Surprised that your doctor didn't arranged a test given that that excessive peeing is a classic symptom.
>>As for yourself I'm delighted to read that your doctor is pleased with progress and hope that your scan gives good results.<<
Pleasure seems to have turned into suspicion that rapid reduction in blood glucose might indicate that I might fall of the wagon and indulge in a sugar binge so another blood test in 3 months rather than 12!
>>I think I'll join you on a burner run on Sunday (all be it you'll have to strain your eyes to see me wave). <<
This weekend another run to Bremerhafen but B2 going on the Stocks as we are returning to Scotland for the summer. Necessary to qualify to vote.
>>True; though this doesn't alter the fact that no one voted for it! <<
I'm not sure you can vote for something not on the ballot paper.
>>You write that 'the preferences of the Greens are irrelevant'; I on the other hand think they are as to whether or not a tax can be considered Green. (Note the opinion of the tax setter is irrelevant to me – I guess that this is the point we disagree on?) <<
Surely APD could only be considered green if its effect was to reduce the number of flights and hence reduce greenhouse emissions. I can find no evidence that this has happened to any significant extent if at all:
'In its recent response to the public consultation on APD which BALPA took part in, the Government has acknowledged, for the first time, that APD is a revenue-raising cash cow for the Treasury, and not in any way an environmental tax.
This is certainly the case. In fact, APD has the perverse effect of increasing carbon emissions. People are drawn to taking connecting flights via European airports such as Amsterdam to avoid APD rather than fly direct which results in more pollution.
http://www.balpa.org/Campaigns/Air-Passenger-Duty.aspx
>>I confess I missed this – better get that early September tour of the Highlands sorted pronto..<<
Just echoing Project Fear...
http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/ed-miliband-warns-of-independence-border-posts-1-3459730
>>Whilst understanding the concept of 'swings' in voting; I consider the use of the concept to explain election results presumptive and simplistic. We don't know how each individual switched or didn't switch their vote nor even if they voted or didn't vote. We generalise at best.<<
I was generalising the outcome of the closed list proportional system showed only one change the loss off one 'Real Opposition' MEP and his replacement by a Faragist one.
>>The most recently sampled independence referendum opinion poll puts support for Yes a point ahead of No - at 44 per cent to 43 per cent, with Don't Know at 13 per cent - as we enter the month of a year to go until next September's vote.<<
Missed that one but it seems something of an anomaly if the FT 'poll of polls' and Wikipedia seem to show:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2a5bdce0-c4a4-11e3-b2fb-00144feabdc0.html#axzz36jGXBRZK
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_Scottish_independence_referendum,_2014
>>Yeh pull the other one. PotUS does Limey posh boy bidding? You're having a laugh right?<<
Somebody is..
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-27713327
http://www.nti.org/gsn/article/uk-lawmakers-eye-basing-submarines-us-port-if-expelled-scots/
>>Thus far I have so can't comment.<<
A neighbour has it. More tablet than PC.
>>As I understand it Cameron is for the EU? That said he faces election in 2015. I suspect a calculation was made that it was better to be 'pie in the face laughing stock in Brussels and Berlin' than be portrayed as an 'EU surrender monkey' back home. Better to lose than win on the wrong side? How very English.<<
Apparently. On Dateline it was suggested that Slick Dave's is being a bit dim in that short term tactics to placate Euroskeptic wing of Nasty Party will have (for him) unintended consequence of taking (hopefully) rUK out of EU whatever his 'cunning plan'.
Note that in POTUS speech he also said UK should remain in EU. Merkel U-turn:
http://euobserver.com/eu-elections/124420
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rg Posted Jul 7, 2014
Hi Bx4
"...Pleasure seems to have turned into suspicion that rapid reduction in blood glucose might indicate that I might fall of the wagon and indulge in a sugar binge..."
Put it this way; if you are seeing pleasure then that's good. I wouldn't say that I've got the lid down on my sweet tooth. I have managed to substantially cut back. It is frustrating , to say the least, to see the scales laugh back in my face. Perhaps it takes a while to turn a super-tanker?
"...after years of avoiding engagements with doctor I suddenly seem to have become 'medicalised'..."
With the chewed up hand, wonky knee etc. I have been an active 'customer' of various branches of the health services for years.
"...Surprised that your doctor didn't arranged a test given that that excessive peeing is a classic symptom..."
I may pluck up the courage to ask. One of the pharmacy chains here also offer a 'free' test.
"...B2 going on the Stocks..."
I'm sorry to read this (though you still have a machine on the WI?). BB is ridden every month of the year though not every day.
"...Necessary to qualify to vote..."
Today we vote; seven hundred years ago we fought.
"...I'm not sure you can vote for something not on the ballot paper..."
A consequence of democracy (as configured) is that we unwittingly can. There's no 'LD-NL' nor 'LD-ET' (other combinations are possible) options to cross.
"...Surely APD could only be considered green if its effect was to reduce the number of flights..."
Two points on this: Firstly the converse should be true whereby the lifting or reduction of APD does not tend to increase the tendency for people to fly. More people flying in my view will tend toward more weight requiring more fuel to lift and propel it. This is to say nothing of the possibility of more flights to accommodate increased demand. Secondly imv (I know we certainly will disagree here) the only way a policy can truly be Green is if the Greens define it as such. I think I've made the point that the day The Greens favour cutting/abolishing APD then for me it ceases to be a Green tax.
"...People are drawn to taking connecting flights via European airports such as Amsterdam to avoid APD rather than fly direct which results in more pollution..."
An unintended and ironic consequence. Perhaps The Greens will take it on board and drop their opposition to abolishment or reduction in APD?
'poll of polls'
I think we both know that whilst opinion polls provide a talking point, a stick with which to make a point and perhaps even sway policy the daddy poll here will be on September 18.
"...Somebody is..."
I'm afraid I find this to be insulting to Obama in portraying him as a Cameron tool. Of your links; this isn't evidence of PotUS doing Cameron's bidding.
"...short term tactics to placate Euroskeptic wing of Nasty Party..."
The election is in May and it isn't exclusively any wing of any 'Nasty Party" (I consider there to be more than one) that gets to vote in it. Indeed the question of an EU referendum forming part of a party's 2015 manifesto has been posed beyond the confines of the Evil Tory tent http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-28125622 [2 July 2014] Unite presses Ed Miliband for EU referendum pledge). "General secretary Len McCluskey said Labour will be a "hostage to fortune" if it does not support a vote."
(I'm assuming here that we get to vote on whether to stay in or leave the EU rather than this being party policy cf The Real Opposition tag line in the European parliamentaries they recently did so well in).
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/jul/01/clegg-lib-dems-no-in-out-referendum-eu (note no referendum here despite "an attempt by senior Liberal Democrats to match the Tories...Calls for a referendum increased after the Lib Dems saw the party's crop of elected MEPs crash from ten to one in last month's European parliamentary elections.")
Welcome to 2005?
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Bx4 Posted Jul 11, 2014
Hi rg
Leaving for the WI tomorrow so have been a bit busy wrapping things up here. Hopefully will manage a reply Sunday/Monday.
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rg Posted Jul 12, 2014
Hi Bx4
Hope you have a good journey!
Meanwhile... http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2013/10/31/certainly-theres-planned-obsolescence-in-apples-ikit-its-just-not-planned-by-apple/
The EU/'greens' force consumers to pump never ending upgrade treadmill?
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Bx4 Posted Jul 15, 2014
#2066
Hi rg
Arrived safely and spent last couple of days getting B1 of stocks. Of course roads her are limited which is why I got an 850Gs (essentially a down-engined 1150GS) rather than my usual RT variant. No really successful (pace Ewan & Charlie) as an off -bike. I keep thinking that it might be better to trade it in for a 'real' off-roader.
>>Pleasure<<
Not me rather the practice nurse but her volte face means I have to get tested in a couple of months rather than in a year. Apparently there is a perception that I might go on a sugar binge.
>>supertanker<<
Possibly so. It took me a while to get started and exercise helped. Of course the real problem is added sugar in everyday foods (even 'savoury' ones) so you might be consuming more than you think.
>>active customer<<
Until recently the last interaction I had with the medical profession was over 35 years ago and that was only for a job related medical.
Sadly with Type II diabetes one is more prone to infections. Also the SO is ruthlessly exploiting my having fallen into their clutches to get other symptoms investigated. I am of to the audiologist in a couple of weak to get my hearing tested. She does not grasp that sometimes being slightly deaf has advantages....
>> a 'free' test<<
Treat with caution these are usually 'spot' tests which only show your current blood sugar level. The test you need is an HbA1C which is used to measure //average// blood glucose levels over a period of time.
>>Today we vote; seven hundred years ago we fought<<
And around 300 years a go our independence was given away for 'English gold' by 'a parcel o' rogues'.
>>There's no 'LD-NL' nor 'LD-ET' (other combinations are possible) options to cross.<<
Rather my point. Nobody votes for a coalition.
>>Firstly the converse should be true whereby the lifting or reduction of APD does not tend to increase the tendency for people to fly. More people flying in my view will tend toward more weight requiring more fuel to lift and propel it. This is to say nothinidence that APD has resulted in this outcome.
>>An unintended and ironic consequence. Perhaps The Greens will take it on board and drop their opposition to abolishment or reduction in APD?<<
Clearly their opposition is a matter of principle rather than practical outcomes.
>>I think we both know that whilst opinion polls provide a talking point, a stick with which to make a point and perhaps even sway policy the daddy poll here will be on September 18.<<
Indeed but one should not that at the time, the poll that showed a majority in favour of a 'Yes' outcome was an outlier with all other conteporary polls indicating a 'no' outcome. Moreover as the links I gaveshow that the trend still favours a 'No' outcome though perhaps by a narrowing margin.
>>I'm afraid I find this to be insulting to Obama in portraying him as a Cameron tool. Of your links; this isn't evidence of PotUS doing Cameron's bidding.<<
Well the US originally maintained a 'studied neutrality' w.r.t. Scottish independence but Obama chose to reverse this position at a //joint// press conference with Cameron. I did not say that Obama was doing Cameron's bidding' but rather he was lending a helping hand (though possibly not on EU membership to Cammeron.
Of course they may ave discovered a shared interest in a 'No' outcome as the referendum approaches:
'A March 20 poll showed that around 40 percent of Scots plan to vote for independence in this year's referendum while 45 percent intended to vote against it.
Such surveys have begun to be noticed by U.S. policymakers, who had previously presumed the unionists would win easily, said Heather Conley, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington.'
'In the United States, government officials have started to worry about the possible dissolution of traditional ally Britain and plans by Salmond to throw Britain's Trident nuclear submarine fleet out of the Faslane naval base in western Scotland.
"The main questions on the U.S. side have so far been on the security front. On the idea of what's going to happen on the nuclear deterrent because obviously the U.S. has a large vested interest in the nuclear submarine capacity," said Fiona Hill, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution think-tank in Washington.'
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/04/05/uk-scotland-independence-salmond-idUKBREA3401J20140405
>>The election is in May and it isn't exclusively any wing of any 'Nasty Party" (I consider there to be more than one) that gets to vote in it. Indeed the question of an EU referendum forming part of a party's 2015 manifesto has been posed beyond the confines of the Evil Tory tent http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-28125622 [2 July 2014] Unite presses Ed Miliband for EU referendum pledge). "General secretary Len McCluskey said Labour will be a "hostage to fortune" if it does not support a vote."<<
Cameron made a commitment to an in/out referendum should he fail to renegotiate better terms for Britain. I'm not sure it matters how many Eurosceptic factions there are within the 'Nasty Party' but Cameron seems to have miscalulated:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tory-eurosceptics-press-david-cameron-to-campaign-out-at-eu-referendum-after-juncker-humiliation-9574524.html
Neithe the 'real Opposition' or the 'actual opposition' have made this commitment. Indeed, pace Len McLuskey), millipede has explicitly rejected one:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2679257/Offering-public-referendum-Europe-silly-says-Ed-Balls-Labours-biggest-union-backer-demands-vote.html
>>Senior Liberal Democrats<<
Tim Farron who he?
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rg Posted Jul 16, 2014
Hi Bx4
"… a 'real' off-roader..."
I'm pleased you are returned safely. A while a ago now, before RB, I looked at a Yamaha 'thumper' which was far more of an off-roader than BB will ever be. I dismissed it partly because at the time the luggage options on an all-rounder were more important than the lower weight, aesthetic simplicity and perceived comfort (promised by long travel springs).
"…Apparently there is a perception that I might go on a sugar binge..."
Hey come on you are writing to a sugar binge past master. With me I know it will happen (and a bit like your later analysis of opinion polling) I try to play a long term game.
"…the real problem is added sugar in everyday foods..."
Indeed care has to be taken – I remember my best phase of weight reduction (and keeping it off) was accompanied by careful studies of labels and following the advice given in a male health book. This was the best library book I've ever borrowed. Today I can't even remember the title!
"...sometimes being slightly deaf has advantages..."
Oh I've know about this for years! The term 'selective hearing' springs to mind.
"…measure //average// blood glucose levels over a period of time..."
The policy here seems to be to 'starve' test and repeat with the interval being a year (two years recently). I suppose that covers 'over a period of time' (the length of time may be greater than in your case)? Thank you for the advice about 'spot' tests. I'll take that on board.
"...our independence was given away for 'English gold'..."
Our independence was given away by giving away our gold. Funnily enough the unelected PM from Scotland we had also gave away gold (for Euros). I'm thinking of the one before the current PM (with the Scottish sounding name) we didn't vote for but was anointed by 'The Real Opposition'.
For Scotland to be independent of the UK the UK has to be independent of Scotland.
"...Nobody votes for a coalition..."
Amen to that. This all looks less like democracy every day.
"...Clearly their opposition is a matter of principle rather than practical outcomes..."
The same could be argued about the 50% tax rate (wherein some have proposed that a 40% rate can be shown to be more successful at revenue generation).
Nether the less I await The Greens Damascene Conversion away from opposing the reduction/abolition of APD.
"…as the links I gave show that the trend still favours a 'No' outcome though perhaps by a narrowing margin..."
This depends on where one looks on the graph http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/events/scotland-decides/poll-tracker and which poller one chooses to track. If I were making a case for Yes I'd select Survation. On the other hand ICM and You-Gov (the rest don't seem to give recent results) look better for No.
I really don't know how I've got into this game as I hate opinion polls! Roll on September 18 and stuff the rest.
"…Obama chose to reverse this position at a //joint// press conference with Cameron..."
Obama could have chosen to answer to a direct question that he didn't wish to comment on the matter in advance of the decision of the Scottish electorate and left it at that. That he chose to answer (for whatever reason) offering favour to one side or another was a mistake in my opinion for what it's worth.
EU referendum matters – We shall see what the 'main party' manifestos bring. It's not April 2015 yet. BTW I'm dubious as to whether England or anywhere else in the UK as currently configured would vote to exit the EU. Doubtless there is a poll tracker out there (please don't link to it I really have had enough of opinion polls right now).
That said I suspect (given UKIPs first place in the recent EU parliamentary) there would be an electoral advantage to offering the prospect of a referendum on the EU. For this reason the agitation for Labour in particular to follow suit will surely be brought to bear especially so if the dreaded opinion polls suggest advantage to it.
And so there we are: An 'Americano' to follow 0% added sugar! Leave the sugar binging to me I'm still dodging the test. Keep well.
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Bx4 Posted Jul 28, 2014
hi rg
Apologies for delay in replying. The longest time away from the island (more than 8 months)so much sorting out to do on the domestic front and the inevitable 'social whirl' as well.
Tomorrow is all mine so I will reply then.
A friend down Sowf tells me that 'Scotland Decides' is beginning to feature in Pravda-in-the Wen's' endless news channel.
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rg Posted Jul 28, 2014
Hi Bx4
No worries for delay as I've been off line for the best part of a week. There has been another half baked 'repair' (no admission of fault) and service remains flaky.
I've caught the odd 'Scotland Decides' broadcast myself.
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Bx4 Posted Jul 29, 2014
hi rg
>>far more of an off-roader than BB will ever be<<
Indeed. I'm not wholly convinced that the GS series, despite its designation, really works as an off-roader. Having watched the Ewan and Charlie saga I get the impression that it is more effective on poor roads, gravel/dirt tracks and the like. I swapped B0 (an R1150RT) for B1 (an R 850GS) which as I said was essentially a down engined R1150GS because I had decided (mistakenly) that my tooring days were over.
Its difficult to compare either with the later R1200 and subsequent marques where significant weight reduction featured but while I find that B1 will do fine on hard packed sand and will cope well enough to allow me to get into the cnoc and lochan landscape hereabouts:
http://www.peterleemingphotography.com/images/phocagallery/thumbs/phoca_thumb_l_knock-and-lochan-landscape-bw.jpg
but it struggles on peaty bogs and the like.
Like you I have been toying with the idea of a light off-roader and have been looking at the new KTM 250 XCF-W. Unlike you I am not concerned with luggage options etc in part this is because I don't use bikes to commute and in part because the limited road network on the island doesn't favour touring.
The SO takes the view that I am now somewhat old to be careering around the local unroaded landscape on the likes of the KTM 250 XCF-W and suggests an heavy duty trike or a quad bike. Off course this is a transparent ploy to get one for her to career about on.
>>Hey come on you are writing to a sugar binge past master. With me I know it will happen (and a bit like your later analysis of opinion polling) I try to play a long term game.<<
Oddly I had begun to 'detox' and had given up sugar binging before my type II diagnosis. I suspect that the diabetic nurse is suffering from schadenfreude because I have reduced my blood sugar level faster than the norm. Still it is a bit off an eye opener when one checks out the sugar content of some 'healthy' foods.
>>Oh I've know about this for years! The term 'selective hearing' springs to mind.<<
Indeed. I am still trying to cope with overheard conversations which I'd rather not..erm...overhear. Equally odd is becoming aware of background noises which I had not noticed before.
>>The policy here seems to be to 'starve' test and repeat with the interval being a year (two years recently). I suppose that covers 'over a period of time' (the length of time may be greater than in your case)? Thank you for the advice about 'spot' tests. I'll take that on board. <<
I think we may be slightly at cross purposes here the fasting Glucose test is a spot test which measures current post fast glucose levels. The HbA1c blood test doesn't measure free blood glucose as all the spot tests (including the fasting test) do but rather the blood glucose bound to haemoglobin. As such it is a measure of one's //average// blood glucose over the last 2-3 months:
http://www.patient.co.uk/health/tests-for-glucose-sugar-and-hba1c
>>Our independence was given away by giving away our gold. Funnily enough the unelected PM from Scotland we had also gave away gold (for Euros). I'm thinking of the one before the current PM (with the Scottish sounding name) we didn't vote for but was anointed by 'The Real Opposition'<<
I think the intention may have been to move from gold to foreign currencies (not just the Euro) but his ineptitude seems to lie in the fact that he announced it before hand allowing dealers to 'short' gold. Of course the Tories demonstrated their own ineptitude with the 1992 'Black Wednesday' debacle.
As I have said before since we don't have presidential system we don't directly elect any PM.
>>For Scotland to be independent of the UK the UK has to be independent of Scotland<<
Indeed but while the UN charter asserts a people's right of self determination it does not say that other nations in a political union have a right to block this.
>>Amen to that. This all looks less like democracy every day<<
I'm not persuaded that a biased FPTP system which (usually) disenfranchises voters from the losing parties is much of a poster child for democracy. Presumably the recent per accidens coalition was an anomaly and th Real Opposition will find themselves consigned even further into the outer darkness.
>>The same could be argued about the 50% tax rate (wherein some have proposed that a 40% rate can be shown to be more successful at revenue generation).<<
I'm not sure the your analogy quite works. Claims for the benefits of a 40% tax rate are hypothetical whereas the 'green effect' of passenger duty, if there is one, should be measurable. Afaik no such reduction has occurred.
>>Nether the less I await The Greens Damascene Conversion away from opposing the reduction/abolition of APD. <<
Despite the authors of the tax being quite explicit that the intention of the duty was to raise revenue the convicion of the Greens that the duty has a 'green effect' would seem tomake such a conversion unlikely.
>>This depends on where one looks on the graph http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/events/scotland-decides/poll-tracker and which poller one chooses to track. If I were making a case for Yes I'd select Survation. On the other hand ICM and You-Gov (the rest don't seem to give recent results) look better for No.<<
There seem to be issues about pooling results from different surveys particularly wen as in the BBC graph the results of the individual studies at a given data point are not shown. My point was that in the graph I referenced the results of the individual surveys at each data point were shown and at the data point the survey which showed a majority for a Yes point was anomalous with respect to the other surveys at the same data point.
>>I really don't know how I've got into this game as I hate opinion polls! Roll on September 18 and stuff the rest<<
Indeed, though my feeling is that the 'No' vote will be in the majority. The issue will then be the size of the majority and the consequences of this.
>>Obama could have chosen to answer to a direct question that he didn't wish to comment on the matter in advance of the decision of the Scottish electorate and left it at that. That he chose to answer (for whatever reason) offering favour to one side or another was a mistake in my opinion for what it's worth.<<
You may well be right. Though given that the stated policy of the US administration had been one of neutrality Obama U-turn seems odd.
>>EU referendum matters – We shall see what the 'main party' manifestos bring. It's not April 2015 yet. BTW I'm dubious as to whether England or anywhere else in the UK as currently configured would vote to exit the EU.<<
I think Slick Dave may have painted himself into a corner on this one in a short term attempt to placate the Eurosceptics in his party and to avoid the apparent haemhorraging of Tory voters to UKIP. The anti-EU Bruges Group which has links to Eurosceptic Tory MPs sees the proposed 2017 referendum as a 'charade':
http://www.brugesgroup.com/eu/the-charade-behind-a-2017-eu-referendum.html?keyword=23
They may well be right.
I suspect Cameron may well be counting on the English electorate to vote to stay in the EU. This would certainly allow him to get out of his self inflicted bind bind. As to manifestos. I feel the same way about them as you feel about opinion polls. Lest us not forget the infamous 'a pledge is not a promise' debacle of the proposed referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.
>>No worries for delay as I've been off line for the best part of a week. There has been another half baked 'repair' (no admission of fault) and service remains flaky. <<
Oddly some people on the island use unimproved 'copper' broadband without much in the way of problems though the exchanges were upgraded to digital. I suspect 'bad copper' may be a convenient myth.
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rg Posted Jul 30, 2014
Hi Bx4
"...cnoc and lochan..."
Which planet was the '.jpg' taken from? OK a bit of a trawl using a restored a restored connection and the work of ice is exposed. If I had to pick a bike to traverse this it would be the lightest, adequately sprung, whilst still punchy enough to make the grade.
A move to three or four wheels? I liked Bx4 SO's supposed train of thought! Meanwhile I've been invited to sample the replacement model for mine. I've replied that I'd like something lighter next time. Funnily enough I didn't get back an answer that the water head fitted the bill.
"... a bit off an eye opener when one checks out the sugar content of some 'healthy' foods..."
Indeed I've been doing a bit of this and it can be scary. The 'supertanker' has had some limited success since last time. There has been the odd relapse. Whether or not psychosomatic in effect I've felt low down the line. Social situations are the hardest. And then there were the dancing teacakes which didn't help one bit http://www.scotsman.com/news/dancing-teacakes-are-a-recipe-for-soaring-sales-1-3489446
"…Glucose test …"
Thank you for the link... Urine test for glucose, Random blood glucose level, Fasting blood glucose level, Oral glucose tolerance test, Home monitoring, The HbA1c blood test ...I'll retain the list for further study later. I'm contemplating asking my surgery about a fasting test just as a pointer. Note the 'bravery' (is that really the right word?) on display here.
"...the 1992 'Black Wednesday' debacle..."
Indeed a lesson in how 'the markets' can expose ineptitude at the highest political and governmental level. I'm also sure that this will forever colour any future suggestion that the UK join the Eurozone.
"...we don't have presidential system we don't directly elect any PM..."
We use one pencil marked cross to elect local representative, government and Prime Minister – Clever us.
"…the UN charter asserts a people's right of self determination it does not say that other nations in a political union have a right to block this..."
Indeed The Edinburgh Agreement facilitated a referendum in Scotland only on Scottish independence. I can't see that the terms of independence can be exclusively up to Scotland? There therefore has to be some brake?
"...APD..."
I think we've done this?
"…my feeling is that the 'No' vote will be in the majority. The issue will then be the size of the majority and the consequences of this..."
Indeed I agree that the majority voting for 'Yes' even if like Wales (Blair devolution) it is 50.1% for on a 50.0% turnout that will settle the issue. A 'No' vote won't be the end much like EU Treaty referendums are simply repeated until the 'right' answer is given. That said it would be vital for the SNP to win the 2016 election in order that a further referendum bill be presented. Strike whilst the iron's hot. I'm assuming that 'Yes' won't be humiliated.
"…The anti-EU Bruges Group which has links to Eurosceptic Tory MPs sees the proposed 2017 referendum as a 'charade'..."
They aren't the only ones! Whilst the referendum is pie in the sky I've no feeling that any part of the UK would vote for an exit. Even in the PR European Parliamentary of May this year UKIP failed to secure a majority.
"… 'bad copper' may be a convenient myth..."
Being a humble punter all I notice is diminished or no speed. Broadband isn't regarded as a universal public service. Its absence is considered as the user's fault for living 'too far' from the exchange.
Keep well.
bs
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Bx4 Posted Aug 14, 2014
hi rg
Apologies for delay in replying much more to do on returning than anticipated. Hopefully should manage one by tomorrow or Saturday.
A brief atypical lurk on Mustardland where I see your are still engaged on the Scottish referendum thread. Not sure I get the ongoing interest. Notice that discussion on Gaza has been suppressed with draconian sanctions. Different strokes for different folks.....
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rg Posted Aug 14, 2014
Hi Bx4
"the Scottish referendum thread" - It's interesting. I don't have a vote so this is the only way for me to get a feel for what's going on. I've also been watching all the history programmes like the one tonight on BBC4. A decision that could have effect for 300 years is being influenced by some by the thought that Cameron might hold a referendum on the EU and the UK electorate vote 'Out'.
Anyway catch you later.
bs
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Bx4 Posted Aug 16, 2014
hi rg
>>Which planet..<<
Planet Lewis.
>>A move to three or four wheels?<<
Three wheels may be inevitable as age intervenes but no off-road quad bike for me.
>>Bx4 SO's supposed train of thought!<<
Not new of :she has been coveting an off-road quad for years!
>>the replacement model for mine. <<
I have been somewhat put off upgrades with your reports of corrosion problems. Not a problem with either of my earlier marques.
>>...the water head fitted the bill<<
B2 ( an 1200RT) was a considerably lighter bike than B0 (an 1150RT) but the trend to less weight seems to have been reversed with the boxers following the bricks. I don't see myself replacing B2 but if B1 goes like you I am thinking of something considerably lighter. A KTM 250 EXC‑F maybe.
>>...dancing teacakes which didn't help one ...<<
Fortunately the attractions of 'teacakes have passed me by...
>>...fasting test...<<
I had one which led to an HbA1c. funnily it was a chance remark by the practice nurse that a urine sample I had given for something else entirely exhibited high blood sugar so no bravery on my part.
>>...any future suggestion that the UK join the Eurozone. <<
Cameron's opportunistic shift to align himself with the EUphobes in the Nasty Party may yet see the UK exiting the EU in 2016/17.
>> Clever us<<
Not sure at best we vote for a local representative without any guarantee that even if she/he win her/his part will form the government wheres in the US system the electorate directly (well almost) elect the President.
>> I can't see that the terms of independence can be exclusively up to Scotland?<<
I wasn't talking about the terms of independence but rather that the UN charter would seem to preclude citizens of the remainder of the UK from having a vote on whether the Scots have the right to self determination.
>>I think we've done this?<<
Fair enough.
>>That said it would be vital for the SNP to win the 2016 election in order that a further referendum bill be presented. Strike whilst the iron's hot.<<
The real problem is that the Scottish electoral system was designed (theoretically) to result in coalitions. In 2007, for reasons never explained, the Liberal Democrats declined to continue the coalition with Labour leading to the minority SNP administration of 2007-11 So the result of 2011 seems to be something of an anomaly since:
'The election delivered the first majority government since the opening of Holyrood, a remarkable feat as the mixed member proportional representation system used to elect MSPs was, according to Jack McConnell, originally implemented to prevent a Scottish National Party (SNP) government achieving a parliamentary majority.'
So the likelihood of another SNP overall majority seems small.
>> Whilst the referendum is pie in the sky<<
I'm not sure of the current status of the European Union (Referendum) Bill but I seem to recall it requires an in-out referendum to be held before 31/12/2017.
>>Even in the PR European Parliamentary of May this year UKIP failed to secure a majority.<<
Though given that (thanks to Cameron) the Tories have left the EPP grouping for the somewhat more Eurosceptic ECR this may be less significant than you suggest.
>>a universal public service<<
Indeed but when the Scottish Highlands and Islands (as a consequence of EU funding) had their exchanges digitised though the 'copper' distribution wiring was not upgraded there was a significant improvement in internet speed.
>> I don't have a vote so this is the only way for me to get a feel for what's going on.<<
Not sure how reliable it is. More heat than light, imv.
>> A decision that could have effect for 300 years is being influenced by some by the thought that Cameron might hold a referendum on the EU and the UK electorate vote 'Out'<<
Certainly England (and Wales (?)) seem more eurosceptic than Scotland but I'm not sure how much of a part the possibility of an 'Out' vote is playing in influencing people here tough it has certainly firmed up my decision to vote yes in September.
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rg Posted Aug 17, 2014
Hi Bx4
I'm with you with regards to the off-road quad – I don't want one. As for three wheels – to be honest I don't want one of those either. Your reference to corrosion is timely for I have a service booked for BB and will follow up with the annual application of ACF-50. The latter isn't perfect though helps hold the line. Looking at the bright side (which some fixings no longer are) the bike is lighter as bits have rusted away!
I wonder if the dealer remembers to tempt me with shiny new paint? "A KTM 250 EXC‑F maybe" - I've not seen one in the flesh though I like the sound of 250 and that it appears springy and street legal.
"The attractions of 'teacakes" – I've actually been very good and 'held' the needle on the scales for three months arresting the remorseless climb of the six months before that. Still no bravery here though! I hope things are going well with you in this regard?
"The UK exiting the EU in 2016/17" yet the last opinion poll I saw (yes I know I'm quoting an opinion poll more fool me) showed that the UK was more in favour of remaining in the UK than ever before. Every region of the UK was positive about EU membership. As for European Union (Referendum) Bill 2013-14 this appears to be stuck "Line by line examination of the Bill took place during the second day of committee stage on 31 January. … No further days have been scheduled. "
"...the Tories have left the EPP grouping for the somewhat more Eurosceptic ECR..."
This doesn't mean the UK electorate would vote to exit the EU. That's the way with referendums – user chooser.
"...in the US system the electorate directly (well almost) elect the President..."
The method appears to vary across the land with some states operating an 'all or nothing' approach whilst others don't in the US 'electoral college' system.
"...So the likelihood of another SNP overall majority seems small..."
Supposing there is a "No" on September 18; I see May 2016 as a straight fight between Labour and the SNP. I mean who's going to vote Real Opposition (wiped out in the May EU election) or come to that The Evil Tories? Yes there's still 50%+ to make for the SNP to retain power though I don't see it as the monumental task that you appear to - even given that the electoral system as described is 'designed for permanent coalition government'.
"...the 'copper' distribution wiring was not upgraded..."
How the Internet connection is delivered interests me less than that it should be delivered as a public service. The 'ins an outs' of telecoms are beyond my knowledge horizon. Back to BB I know that if I press the starter button the engine fires up. I'm not competent to describe the roll of the CAN bus (if any) in this. Maybe microwaves are the future? They were back in the sixties.
"...it has certainly firmed up my decision to vote yes in September..."
I'd have been gobsmacked to read that you were ever a 'doubtful'!
bs
142.5
rg Posted Aug 20, 2014
PS
"...I have a service booked for BB..."
Perhaps why I've had to wait for an appointment this year...
"...new shocks are due to arrive in the 11-18 August week...the piston rod of the rear shock absorber could break unexpectedly and cause serious injuries or death as a result of a crash..." http://www.autoevolution.com/news/2014-bmw-r1200rt-recall-updates-parts-start-arriving-next-weeks-84828.html
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Bx4 Posted Aug 27, 2014
hi rg
Sorry about delay in replying somewhat busy at moment but should manage one in next couple of days.
A story about Slick Dave in yesterday's 'i' Apparently instead of remaining neutral about 2017 EU exit referendum he is to announce soon (though how soon remains uncertain) that if he doesn't get the his way in his (probably doomed) attempt to renegotiate terms of UK membership he will advocate an exit. Apparently he was going to announce this after his Junckers debacle but it was thought this would make him look 'petulant'. A man on a slippery slope perhaps?
bs
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