Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.

1561

General Discussion Area / The Restaurant

« on: 30 October 2009, 10:54:39 »

Had been looking forward to the new series but thought it was a disappointment last night.

Did anyone else think the contestants appeared to just be a bunch of people taken completely at random off the street? Some didn't have a clue what their restaurant would serve, or even have a name for their restaurant. Perhaps it too has been dumbed down to appeal to the masses. As for the mother and daughter booted off for unsafe practices ( trying to open a coconut  with a cleaver and a tin with a sharp boning knife) - words fail me.

Varche

1562

General Discussion Area / EU tobacco growing subsidies!

« on: 11 October 2009, 11:57:22 »

There are fields of tobacco growing not far from where I live. It got me thinking where does it go and what is it used for (bespoke cigars maybe).

A bit of investigating on the net shows that Italy and Greece are the main producers.

How much EU subsidy was there in 2007 to farmers growing tobacco? ( a substance apparently injurious to health!)

For the answer click on http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmhansrd/cm081014/text/81014w0009.htm

Varche

PS I wonder if I can apply for a subsidy NOT to grow tobacco! That might be a nice little earner.

1563

General Discussion Area / Freeview retune - another "service enhancement"

« on: 02 October 2009, 10:50:16 »

As expected, I have two distant elderly relatives who have had their TV viewing disrupted by" a service enhancement". The last time was when they lost their perfectly good analogue service where they could watch one channel and record another at the same time to the digital service that they lose when there is bad weather and they can only watch or record the same channel.

I just wish I could make the "bunch of marketing/technical whizz kids" responsible for these changes go round to my folks house and experience there reailty. No amount of onscreen messages or "retune your box" can help elderly people not au fait with technology! I guess when this elderly generation die the future will be people who are confident with technology.

In the meantime the people at Freeview will be clapping themselves on the back and telling everyone what a marvellous job they have done etc.

Rant over

V 

1564

General Discussion Area / BAE - only in Britain!

« on: 01 October 2009, 11:07:32 »

I know corruption and bribery to win contracts isn't right, particularly with a country closely aligned to terrorism. I suspect many other EU countries do or would do the same to secure big contracts but probably hide the trail better.

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6729489.stm

The difference is that only Britain would out the company and risk future contracts and thousands and thousands of jobs etc etc. Sadly it is symptomatic of many problems facing Britain.

v

1565

General Discussion Area / Help wanted with OOF/IE8/Firefox3.5.2

« on: 20 August 2009, 13:37:07 »

I have some interesting/irritating variations between these two  browsers that I just live with. However yesterday I tried to help someone  http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1250691226 and asked them to post some photos. There are two photos on Firefox none on IE. On IE there aren't any "hidden" things that if you hover over you can double click and open. Equally there are no boxes with a red cross that you can right click and "open picture". Why might that be please?

Also when I log in on Firefox there are no quote, PM,alert moderator, view profile type buttons, or even a reply button hence why I only ever log on in IE8 despite its lack of photos.

Why might that be please?  I have both browsers bang up to date with fixes etc.

One other difference is no avatars on IE8 but they are there on Firefox!

I don't think it has any bearing but I am on dial up (yes there is one member of the forum on 44k remember that!)

Varche

1566

General Discussion Area / Food shortages programme last night on TV

« on: 18 August 2009, 15:46:43 »

Surprised no comments on this programme. Maybe people fall into two camps. 1. Plenty of food in our supermarket so I'm not bothered
2. Another climate change/green/hippy bit of nonsense. I'll be alright @cos I will have the money to pay more for my food if and when shortages hit.

There were several things in the programme I found very interesting.

Something like nearly a half of all potato products in Britain are actually manufactured with added stuff i.e. not just potato. There was a "poor British family" that ate potato waffles, bought lasgane and baked beans but had the biggest TV I have ever seen.  Do people really eat so much processed food when it is as cheap to prepare your own? Here is what Burger King says are in its "chips" on top of potatoes!
Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Modified Potato Starch, Rice Flour, Potato Dextrin, Salt, Leavening (Disodium Dihydrogen Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Sunflower Oil, Dextrose, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate added to preserve natural color, Natural† and Artificial Flavors, Xanthan Gum, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Medium Chain Triglycerides, Smoke Flavor. †Natural flavors from plant sources. Uggh.


The fact that the price of oil has a big impact on the cost of food. I know from first hand experience that fertiliser here has gone up from 41 to 57 cents a kilo in a year.

The lowering of water tables. Around here in Spain it has gone down a lot these last few years. Many wells have run dry and new ones are ever deeper. Our local company drilled their deepest ever last month at 510 metres (over 1580 feet!) before they hit water. Some neighbours here not on mains water live on 1000 litres of water trucked in per week for a family and two horses. Of course this all matters as the tomatoes., lettuce etc grown here that you buy from your supermarkets contain "our" water. Southern Spain is looking at having desalination plants to try and cope. They are very expensive to run. 

I would have liked some more in depth figures to support info like the earths population is growing but then I guess it would have been of less interest to people with short attention spans. Interestingly Boots in the Uk have reported a step reduction in condom sales so expect an increase in the birth rate next year!

El Comestible Varche 

1567

General Discussion Area / 'Tis a mad world - meat burnt for electricity

« on: 10 August 2009, 13:43:03 »

So a farmer cuts down some forest in South America and plants a grain crop. He sells it and gets a good price from some English farmers who need grain feed for their beef herds.

The farmers sell the beef at rock bottom price barely covering their costs to a national supermarket chain (like Tesco) who package it and they put it on their shelves at a price that will make them a handsome profit.

 Sadly it fails to get sold before its sell by date so gets sent back to the distribution centre on a returning lorry. There it is amalgamated with other returned meat and wait for it sent to an incinerator where they proudly declare that it produced electricity rather than going to a landfill site.

Tis a mad world we have created.

El tonto Varche

1568

General Discussion Area / Courier to send exhaust cats overseas.

« on: 04 August 2009, 13:38:12 »

A forum member has a pair of nearly new cats for my car.

Anyone know of a courier firm (maybe DHL?) that would take them from the West Mids and send them to Spain please?

Thanks varche

1569

General Discussion Area / Colour test - go on have a go

« on: 16 July 2009, 18:14:37 »

Average is five attempts before you get 100%

How did you do? (really)

http://www.humorsphere.com/fun/8787/colortest.swf

El Varche

1570

General Discussion Area / Question for Astronomers or Clever people!

« on: 15 July 2009, 18:50:43 »

So here in Spain we often have cloudless days and can see the sun and the moon high up in the sky at the same time. Today was no different.

But the moon is "crescent" i.e. not fully visible. Other times the full moon is visible at the same time as the sun.

What (on earth) is causing only part of it to be visible?

El Varche 

1571

General Discussion Area / style of mechanicking

« on: 01 July 2009, 15:17:56 »

So what sort of mechanic actually are  you? Do you take the aux belt tensioner off and repack it with grease even though it sounds and looks great?
Do you degrease and clean parts just so they look good? Do you just do the bare minimum possible to get the car working again? Do you replace things that are working perfectly well because "you might as well"!   

Varche

1572

General Discussion Area / More daft road signs

« on: 16 June 2009, 17:40:59 »

Do you have the roadside markers proliferating in your area showing the location of overhead power lines? Even if they are 150 feet above the road they are marked. Someone has to strim the immediate area of grass as tractor flails can't do the job.

Job creation for sign makers, planners, erectors, grass cutters and so on.

Plenty in North Yorkshire!

varche

1573

General Discussion Area / Unique Service to truly fed up Omega Owners

« on: 09 June 2009, 17:12:29 »

Unique Service to Fed up Omega Owners

Fed up with endless problems with your Omega?

Car a money pit?

Don't want to spend anymore ?

Want to get rid of it but can't quite bring yourself to do it?

All models and engine sizes accepted

Condition immaterial, all cars will be treated equally.

ANONYMITY GUARANTEED

Look no further, my unique Omega Sanctuary Service offers the following.

Good Home with other unwanted Omegas

Dry and sunny so less rust

Holiday

Closure

Just drive down to our gaff, leave the keys and the logbook, have a few days R and R (Eating, drinking, fishing, walking, perhaps visit the Alhambra, sunbathing , swimming) and then after a short farewell service it is off to the airport for your flight home to a new life and a different car.

El Varche for Trebus Enterprises Iberian Branch

PS I may need to fine tune some of the detail  but I think I have got the basics. If I have missed anything suggestions will be welcome.

1574

General Discussion Area / Time to put on the body armour

« on: 02 June 2009, 15:58:03 »

that is my morning tomorrow mapped out then. Just looked on the Internet at my Spanish bank account and despite cancelling the house insurance with a company called Helvetia 4 months ago in writing to both the bank and the company (perhaps should have faxed it?) they have taken the 402 euros this month (2 and a half months after renewal date).

I am resigned to it being a long and drawn out affair to get my money back - nothing in Spain is straight forward.

Mind you it does make you smile sometimes. I was walking past our local bank and the only teller rushed out and said Senor Varche (for that is my name) can you come in a minute. You have 100 euros of someone elses money by accident - this man here :Senor Pobre, and we need your signature to take it out of your account! hadn't even spotted it in there.

El Varche

1575

General Discussion Area / Police checkpoint - Spanish style

« on: 18 May 2009, 22:36:01 »

I have now witnessed from the same motorway bridge, this spectacle twice.

A convoy of police vehicles travels along the two lane  motorway from Seville to Granada. They choose their spot with some degree of sense. today there were six vehicles. two slow everyone down side by side going up quite a steep hill out of Rio Frio and I mean steep. In the meantime the other vehicles get into position up ahead blocking off the hard shoulder and lane one and get cones out. Another vehicle stands at the end of the cones with the guys equipped with a Stinger. they look as though they just need an excuse to use it. A final vehicle hangs right back and sits on the hard shoulder and "warns of hazard ahead" using his blue lights"

then the pull overs/waving through commence. I couldn't see if all "foreign" vehicles were being pulled over as is rumoured.  then it is a case of processing vehicles for any irregularities and dishing out on the spot fines. In fairness you see stacks of vehicles carrying loads bigger than the car itself on a roof rack, sitting on the bump stops etc etc so it maybe is an efficient way of weeding out wrongdoers.

When the queue is too long they pack up shop and wave the tailback through. Quite incredible. Imagine that happening in Britain. there would be an outcry.

As a footnote if you are ever given an on the spot fine in Spain politely ask for a receipt, that way the money has a vague chance of getting into the police coffers and not their pockets.  

El varche