Thanks CZ, and everyone else, your thoughts are appreciated. They are relatively lucky compared to some over in Ukraine. But they’re certainly not in a safe place, they have no option to leave and there have been many very frightening moments and some close calls.

War is always ****.

And I apologise, not been functioning quite right recently – I must add that am very sorry for your loss CZ.

Please don’t close this thread. From a selfish point of view – I have loved ones over in Kharkiv, the last 2+ weeks has been a living nightmare, and as you can imagine it is a thousand-thousand-fold for people over there.

There are not many sources of information that are easy to deal with at the moment. The majority of my actual information is from directly speaking to people who are sat frightened in their homes (or other people’s homes) listening right now to Russian shelling and bombing, gunshots and planes, while their children are frightened senseless. I hope to come here to see reasonable posts, find a little information from people who know a little more than me or are better connected.

Arguing and point scoring does not help anyone. I suggest to those who feel strongly enough to argue, put your feelings to good use and donate to the AUGB or the other associations then go and get some fresh air to defrag, knowing that you are completely free and safe, something simple that is just not possible for people in Ukraine now or for the foreseeable.

The flanges on the wheels of normal trains are not what keeps them from derailing for the vast majority of the time.

The fact the wheel profiles are conical means the flanges don’t normally contact the rail, with exceptions normally being tight radius curves, a high degree of cant, switches & crossings and of course track or rolling stock defects.

My friend and her 4-yr old son were evacuated earlier.

How on earth can this be happening other than insanity.

**** Russia.

A friend of mine living just outside Kharkiv has just texted and said they can hear shelling.

Correct, I have a Ukrainian friend just outside Kharkiv and when I said how worried I was at the news she didn’t know what I was talking about. Only this weekend did she and her family realise from TV news what is going on.

Best comment seen in recent days about Johnson is that he is so vile that even his clothes try to keep their distance from him.

nerdlegame 22 2/6

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25 played, current & max streak 25.

5 2s, 4 3s, 12 4s, 2 5s, 2 6s

Got today’s in 3, sign of the times…

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Oosh

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I do better at 1am than 8am, what’s wrong with me?

Plane was there for 20 minutes before the train arrived, nobody at the scene thought to make an emergency call to the railroad…

The industry has tried to turn the network into one big tram system, running short trains more frequently instead of longer ones at less frequent intervals. This set in nearly 20 years ago – see ‘Operation Princess’. It culminated three years ago in totally unworkable timetables put together based on what should happen (e.g. assumptions of more trains presenting on time at junctions than is realistic) rather than what actually happens (e.g. train crew time and motion allowances being unrealistic, too few traincrew trained on routes/train type – so inefficient rostering hugely reliant on massive amounts of overtime.

Just to point out that most Leeds/Manchester (and onwards) Transpennine trains go via Ashton to Victoria now and have done for three years. The stopping trains go to/from the main station at Piccadilly. As far as I am aware few if any TPEs to/from Leeds use platforms 13/14 at Manchester Piccadilly (although the Airports do – albeit after they’ve already been to Victoria and then round the Ordsall Chord to avoid stitching up Piccadilly throat as they thread across to Ardwick).

Railway employee here, although not station staff. Absolutely fuming at hearing this. No justification whatsoever. Surely this could be viewed as potential sabotage, so glad your mum spotted it before trying to ride away though.

Nipped to the pop-up jab shindig at Heaton Park for my second dose of AZ, 8wk 2d since my first. All good other than a tight tricep up til an hour or so ago, but now feeling quite happily feverish.

Really sorry to hear that. Please take care of yourself.

Do we really think Scumbag Steve in his 10 year old debadged asbomobile waiting to pull out from a side street isn’t going to notice Johnnycab coming along the road and pull out right in front of it where he might think twice if it had an alert human driver?

Are more reasonable people not going to get impatient at a sentient driving constantly 0.5mph below the permissible speed limit on long, wide, straight roads and overtake/cut up/take advantage of its innate naivety in riskier ways than they otherwise would do, under the impression the autopilot will react immediately? Will some people deliberately brake check/antagonise these cars to provoke a reaction?

Given the poor state of general driving ability/number of actual dangerous/reckless drivers put there and the sheer power of the average car available to anyone who wants to rent one these days, cars ‘driven’ on autopilot are going to stick out like a sore thumb.

Advocate INFJ-T

“According to our surveys, Advocates are the most likely personality type to…

…enjoy “people watching”
…have fears they know are irrational
…say modern human beauty standards are unrealistic
…go to great lengths to avoid stress
…re-read an e-mail after sending it”

Yep.

Those new mini cheddars steak stick things have a similar effect to asparagus if you eat a whole bag. Except the eau de chemical-steak wee lasts a couple of days.

Unfortunately for the owner the cop smelled dope so he got busted! How bloody lucky is that?

FTFY.

Not sure if already posted but people over 18 in three wards of Blackburn are being offered vaccines.

BBC Lancashire

1st AZ yesterday at 1pm. All normal most of yesterday, but by 10pm started to feel ‘just not quite right’. By 2am had adopted the foetal position, shivering, fever, couldn’t get warm.
Woke up at 7am, very slightly better but with the bonus of a slightly achy arm and slight headache. Booked sick.
By 2pm today felt pretty much normal. Terrible gutrot tonight. Bored enough to feel like a gamble so I’ve put myself right for work again tomorrow.

Received a text message at 9am this morning inviting me to book first and second dose vaccine appointments. I’m 41. None were nearby, all in other counties averaging ~20 miles away. Booked first dose for tomorrow.

Text message today inviting me to book first and second jabs. I’m 41. None locally, all in different counties averaging 20 miles away, but booked first for tomorrow.

Honda Jazz, 2004.
Claimed on warranty for wheel bearing when it failed its first MOT, first of many wheel bearings to die. Leaky tailgate from new. Huge wide gap in the front bumper meant the radiator fins looked like they had been shotblasted with beach pebbles within months of new. Tracking would be put out by a single pothole. Bowden cables for bonnet catch and tailgate handle siezed every winter. Clutch stupidly heavy at the pedal and squeaked loudly when pressed after warranty was up, like a clown car. Had three recalls for electrical stuff (window switch that was a fire risk in snow, airbags, something else like a control column stalk, I can’t remember now). Brake calipers all round prone to dragging & eventually seizing & handbrake was comedy, ineffective no matter how much adjusted. Ate two air con compressors. Radio died suddenly after about four years, then CD player. Engine mounts had rapidly worn out according to its last service/MOT.

It actually got singled out & shot with a BB gun in my works car park one day.

Train driver here, not in that area (further north) but trains are generally very quiet. Fridays and Saturdays are busier than during the week, quietest times are probably about 10-11am and after 7pm.

Official govt figures put passenger numbers at about 14% of normal, but I think that’s probably higher around London bringing the average numbers travelling higher than reality in a lot of places.

Surely the extra work, fallout and arguing needed to sort by occupation & risk could mean that -everyone’s- jab was delayed slightly compared to just working by age?

Disappointed no Dennis Taylor references.

Lens wearer here for 20 years. Definitely wear eye protection. Having got a bug or crud out of your eye without disturbing the lens might seem like a small victory out & about, but the infection risk is huge – don’t bother carrying spare lenses, you can’t clean your hands well enough to swap to a new lens safely.

Conjunctivitis isn’t fun.

Bomberman.

Is there anything more that we’ve learnt recently in the way of info on touch/surface vectors of transmission? It’s gone a bit quiet about Zoono since their ’30 day’ claim was challenged (and as far as I’m aware it did stand up to scrutiny). Their share price isn’t setting the world alight as you might expect it would though, and they’ve had a few discount sales recently. I carry some of their sanitiser and use it before going to the supermarket etc, then use alcohol hand sanitiser afterwards before I can wash my hands properly. I have their surface treatment stuff and apply it in the car and on door handles, letterbox etc. I consider their sanitiser to be more use/reaasuring as a ‘pre treatment’ rather than being as useful as say alcohol sanitiser is after touching potentially contaminated stuff though, maybe my perception but alcohol is easier to ‘feel’ working.

My job is to drive trains, and I live with someone vulnerable, so I assume that the two dozen or so of my colleagues who might’ve driven the same train in the last 24 hours were filthy & riddled and try to be as safe as I can – all windows open when we change over, everything I will touch gets wiped down. Our company claims it’s cleaning the cabs regularly and applying Zoono itself but I’ve seen the standards of ‘cleaning’ over the years and don’t trust the claims my employer makes.

Should I have more faith in Zoono?

Underlines he’s incapable of learning, doing the right thing or reading the room country

Only because of the US election thread. And perhaps this should have been retitled “former US president Donald J Trump” some time ago.

Someone better anointed than I will be along but surely if that was right then we wouldn’t now be seeing an acceleration of cases despite preventative measures.

Happy New Year everyone.

Let’s hope that, surely, 2021 improves our fortunes from where they stand.

Most importantly, good health all.

(Is it me or is 2021 dragging somewhat?!)

Walked across central Manchester earlier and noticed that most of the windows of the Waterhouse pub (one of those Wetherspoons that tries to look like something else, near the town hall) had Covid-denying posters in them.

Absolute twuntery.