I was wondering if Farrell was getting in the team because RFU want Andy Farrell but he’s said he’ll only coach them if Owen gets to be captain.  Schoolboy rugby team politics…

I ended up putting sensors in the bathrooms as I was fed up of constantly switching the lights off. I can relate to virtually all of the above. I live with teenagers, everything is my job. This evening it transpired that I should have reminded them of their homework that I wasn’t informed of in the first place.  I can’t wait until they move into their own place and discover that the laundry and dishes fairy are no more real than the tooth one…

I lost a dog to a rare form of blood cancer.  So rare that we went through a couple of months of despair and hope in equal measure as we tried to figure out what it was and if we could treat it.  She was in a specialist vet hospital at the end getting tests and they called and said we needed to get up there immediately and make the call as she was deteriorating fast.  The moment I saw her I knew and I think she did too, the spark had gone from her eyes.  She still came to see me wagging her tail and we sat together for a little bit, had a last wee walk around outside then she sat in my lap and went to sleep.  I still miss her every single day and whilst it was the hardest thing to do I know it was the right decision.  And at least I got to say goodbye properly.

Damn, it’s definitely got dusty in here.

If other members of your family are saying they will take a full and responsible part of these roles they are lying.

100%!!!

I’d love to explain the chain of command to these two idiots but they never sit still for long enough. And if they are sitting still they’re asleep so not paying attention anyway.

Our life revolves around dogs and horses.  It’s not really a case of logistics, it’s a purposeful lifestyle choice.  Though I don’t remember having much of a say in the horse…  It can feel like hard work sometimes and we chose to have a very energetic, high maintenance breed (GSP’s) but I couldn’t imagine life without them.  I am lucky in that I can take them to work and they love coming out on the hill or running with me.  So they compliment my lifestyle and adding them wasn’t that seismic a change.  The horse on the other hand…  Is there a support group for abandoned husbands?

There’s a directors cut of Alien 3 that’s an improvement on the theatrical release. With some better special effects I think it would hold up better.  It did generate an Image that was fairly iconic, Ripley with her shaved head next to the drooling alien.

The original plot treatment for A3 was for a very different film that would have been really interesting to see.

It’s an absolute masterclass. I’m not putting it on though or I’ll end up staying up too late…

I’m no gamer, but Alien Isolation is a brilliant game that really captures the spirit of the original film. Well worth seeking out.

I recently got a Keela Pinnacle through work and I’m pretty happy with it.  Properly robust shell, managed 6 hours in some really filthy weather the other day and kept me dry.  And Keela do make an excellent hood.

I don’t often get accused of being macho so I’m taking it as a compliment…

Plus arguing with a troll is pointless so why bother.  I wouldn’t have been any good at that job if I’d lost my cool with anyone who was rude or objectionable.

Brand and his ilk rely on people (mainly men) staying silent and not calling them out on their behaviour.  The thing that frightens me is that he was enabled and allowed to carry on the way he did.  And when that behaviour is indulged then the reaction when they don’t get what they want can get more and more extreme until something happens which someone will have to live with for the rest of their life.

I don’t often talk about that job, I only brought it up as I felt it was pertinent to how I’ve personally witnessed men treat women.  Mostly as it was a long time ago but also because it was sometimes deeply unpleasant and downright terrifying.  I’m really not very macho, I have some form of PTSD from it I’m sure, every so often I wake up at night and replay incidents in my head.  After I initially posted I’ve sat here pretty much the entire time thinking on it.  Believe it or not, all I was doing was making sure people could enjoy their night out and if something did go wrong, trying to help people.  It exposed me to the best and worst in people, both in terms of the punters and the men (and women!) I worked with.  Witnessing someone’s distress first hand because they’ve been harassed or worse, physically assaulted, changed how I viewed things. What some men thought they could get away with was horrific.

Would you have done the same if it had been a greasy dirt bag builder built like a brick latrine who had tried to slap a male bar tender? Your post reeks of macho sexist attitudes. 🙂

Yes – I was working security.

This thread is full of the sort of casual and wayward misogyny that enabled idiots like Brand in the first place.  Men sniggering at jokes, judging on appearance, victim blaming.  I’m honestly surprised it’s been allowed to continue for this long.  I’m happy to call it out, happy to get flamed for it, but really think there’s quite a few people on here who need to have a little think about their attitudes.  I remember the abuse my sister used to get out and about when we were teenagers and into our 20’s (mid 90’s to 2000’s), how that sort of behaviour leads to an incident where my wife was assaulted when she was younger.  And I remember hauling some greasy dirt bag of a lawyer out of a bar after he tried to slap one of the bar staff because she wasn’t paying him enough attention, or removing a medical student from the Hive in Glasgow after he’d repeatedly punched a girl in the face for refusing his advances (he was shouting that we weren’t to touch his hands as he was training to be a surgeon).

How do you have claim to have an inclusive and welcoming sport and then a thread like this is allowed to run on STW?

I always thought it was a shame that there was felt a need for a women’s specific forum, then I read some of the comments on here…

Every time she comes up with a new plan all I can think of is this:

We can’t possibly do that Mr Flibbles.  Who’d clean up the mess…

They’re for mountain use, sky running essentially, so the lakes, highlands etc. Rocky and technical with some scrambling.  Should really try some on somewhere but it’s difficult when you live in a rural backwater!

They are doing ST versions which have more aggressive soles, but they’re a little eye watering price wise.  Might keep an eye out for any really good deals.  My wife doesn’t think I need anymore running shoes but I reckon they’re just like bikes.  n+1.

I bought some Huub Aphotic goggles for open water swimming and they’re brilliant. Most comfortable goggles I’ve owned, never leaked. Got them really cheap off Sportpursuit.

One of the most captivating and powerful performers I’ve ever had the privilege of seeing live. Simply incredible.

Forget GOP support, the best barometer of how Trump is really doing is surely Melania.  If she suddenly ups sticks and leaves then you’ll know she’s made the calculation that it’s time to get out before it’s too late.  Or she’s already gone but he’s paying her to keep it quiet…

https://mountain-kit.co.uk/

That’s where to go for cheap Montane kit.  I’ve bought a few things off them, factory seconds, limited samples and last season stock mostly.  But all genuine kit.

So Trump may well be nominated, but should hopefully have a real trouncing in the real vote while also trying to fight multiple criminal charges?

We’ve just spent two weeks Stateside visiting family and that’s pretty much their view (though they are staunch Democrats and actively fundraise and campaign so there’s a definite bias).  There was a ton of MAGA and Trump merchandise at the airports though, but I think that’s mainly as tourists think it’s funny.  I was tempted by a MAGA cap just to see the look on my father-in-law’s face when I walked in.  I have to say, the general atmosphere around the country and welcome we received this time was great, everyone was really friendly, it felt more relaxed than when we were last there (which was mid-term Trump).  Even immigration was a relatively pleasant experience.  Stark difference when we returned to Heathrow…

If anyone is Sungod curious I’ve been sent a referral code. So PM me if you want a discount!

Why would anyone in their right mind think that 20mph speed limits in urban areas are a bad idea?

I did a speed awareness course a while back (my fault, sorry…) and half the room were raging that anyone dare pass judgement on their driving or their God-given right to drive a car.  One guy was incensed by 20mph limits.  He thought, and I’m not making this up, because the casualty rate drops it makes pedestrians less fearful and therefore more likely to get hit.  So speed limits in towns should be increased to keep people scared.  He’ll be loving this.

Watching Newsnight last night it was clear that whilst the Tories will say anything to try and grab votes, Labour are quite scared of this tactic and are refusing to commit one way or the other.  The Labour politician last night refused to say they’d roll back on these licenses.  They’re as bad as each other I fear.  But because of our ridiculous first past the post voting system we’re stuck with them.  Wholesale reform of Westminster is essential to stop this sort of nonsense.  How many people would vote for a more progressive party if they could?  I know I would but round here it would be a wasted vote.

The Scottish Daily Fail had the headline today that Rishi was creating 21,000 green jobs… It’s like when tobacco companies were trying to make cigarettes out as healthy. Next they’ll be telling us pumping raw sewage into rivers is actually good for them.

A very happy Pace owner here, riding it just makes me grin!  It’s definitely not as ‘poppy’ with the long wheelbase, but I’ve put higher risers on and it’s helped quite a bit.

Inov8 Roclites are brilliant for mixed terrain, they’ll cope with most things.  If your feet don’t like the shape of Inov8’s I thoroughly recommend VJ Sport MaxX.  They’re awesome, better grip (I’m not so convinced by graphene grip…) and tougher uppers.  Similar stack height, slightly less drop.  Harder to get at the same price as the Inov8 shoes though.

Has anyone tried ESC soles?

I got a pair of the outdoor boots with that sole from Sportpursuit a few months ago.  It’s pretty grippy, though I suspect it’ll wear pretty fast on hard surfaces.  Really enjoy wearing the boots, though I’m not 100% confident they’d survive really tough hill walking.  They are very soft.  See how they go, they’re really light and feel fantastic on.

So his pitch is this time you really can trust us with the NHS, honest…  Yeah, sure.

The Wagner mercenary group was entirely financed by the Russian state, which spent 86 billion roubles ($1 billion) on it between May 2022 and May 2023, Russian president Vladimir Putin said.

In addition, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led the group’s brief mutiny last Saturday, made almost as much during the same period from his food and catering business, Putin said at a meeting with security forces.

From the Guardian.  That’s brilliant – I’m getting into catering…  I mean, why even bother pretending you’re legitimate.

There wasn’t many big headliners that I was all that excited about seeing, but as usual with Glastonbury there was loads of hidden gems buried on other stages (some of which didn’t make the BBC coverage).  I’ll enjoy trawling through the footage for a while yet.

I have £10 on Taylor Swift headlining next year.

If you were a Russian politician with designs on the top job, you’d be watching very closely right now and making sure everyone knew you were right behind Putin.  Because as Sir Humphrey said: It is necessary to get behind someone in order to stab them in the back.

Turned on the news to hear there was an armed convoy heading along the M4!  Took a minute to figure out it wasn’t that M4…

It sounds a bit like they were essentially stress testing their submarine design – live, with people in it.

How the hell does anyone get tickets.  We’ve tried for years but never managed!

Greenman had a good lineup this year, but it sold out well before the lineup was even hinted at

I remember in the 90’s we waited until the line ups were announced then decided if we’d go..  Believe we bought our tickets over the phone too!

Congratulations – I hope you have a wonderful day and all the best for your future together!

We have a subscription with Rosetta Stone, which isn’t free obviously but I do think it’s pretty effective. If you want they do frequent deals which can be pretty decent.

We (wife and I) have been seriously considering not selling the daily fail and express in our shop, contractually we have to though, I’m wondering how long it would take to red flag at the distributor that we’ve returned all copies…..

Shred them and sell them as hamster bedding?

From Politico:

https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/london-playbook/what-boris-did-next-candidates-galore-total-mayor/

Bombshell: That sound you hear is dozens of lemons being sucked inside No. 10. That other sound you hear is dozens of Daily Mail hacks rustling through their contracts seeking clauses to get them out of being the sap who has to knock BoJo’s homework crisis copy into shape.

James O’Brien just went off on one about just that:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwnPwZG1Rno

I can’t embed videos for some reason…

I’m just glad there is one episode left of the current run of HIGNFY as I imagine Ian Hislop will be enjoying himself immensely.

As many above have said, he was enabled and emboldened by others who should all be held accountable.  And I’d love to think he’s going to destroy them all on the way out through sheer spite but I imagine this is just what he was caught doing – there will be plenty more he’ll be wanting kept quiet.  There will be some huffing and puffing but in the end it’ll be in all their interests for it to go away as quickly as possible.