VILLAMARV

I also realise I haven't tested my theory since the great sugar purge

Inspired by the Midori tale in another thread, Midori and Britvic blackcurrant cordial tastes like jelly babies. In my experience this is brand specific on the cordial.

see above

The graph you are presumably looking at when writing this is based on life expectancy at birth. Therefore a baby born in 1980 would on average be expected to have a lower life expectancy than a baby born in 2019 or now in 2024. However that finding at birth is not replicated in the older generations. An important thing to understand from these ONS figures is that a 66 year old today can expect, on average, to reach an older age than a baby born today. If we look at the ONS life tables (which is the source data for the above graph) they state that a 66 year old male in 1980 could expect, on average, to live an extra 12.35 years (So roughly until 78) whereas now (in 2022 - the last available data) a 66 year old male could expect an extra 17.48 years. (i.e to live until they are 83/84). Which is higher than babies born today (males @78.57 - females @82.57) and therefore why epidemiologists have raised the alarm regarding "declining life expectancy". Life expectancy is falling. For the first time in our recorded history babies being born today are not expected to reach the same age as their parents/grandparents. It's really important that we don't attribute life expectancy at birth to life expectancy of somebody retiring today. It's obviously really complicated, but important to note that some of the 'gains' in life expectancy are to do with less 0 year old babies dying. It's too simplistic to attribute these gains only to retired people living to an older age. What we are seeing in these historic times is that I'm not expected to live as long as my parents and my (hypothetical) children are not expected to live as long as me.

Having mentioned in another thread the other day about NUTS 2 areas in Wales and how West Wales was the 'poorest area in Northern Europe' - but the map itself didn't necessarily reflect the population distibution, this map caught my eye. http://tom-e-white.com/datavision/03-wales-population-cartogram.html

I'll occasionaly make reference to Surkovs Non-Linear Warfare - basically lifted from Adam Curtis's Hypernormalisation - people are happy to accept the concept framed as Russian malevolence. But as a tactic it's absolutely by design and the idea that it's confined to Russia or China or N.Korea is laughable.

This bit has stayed in my mind since you wrote it. I couldn't agree more. I'm watching an Indian documentary called To Kill a Tiger and it reminded me of this quote.

I think we could really think outside the box and set a new trend in having 2 stadiums. If it's good enough for badges....

I for one am glad he's obviously so shit. I presume, as he's not good enough for England that none of the real, more important teams, you know, the ones that are just all round better clubs with real fans that really matter wont want him. etc

I appear to have 6 garlics I obviously missed harvesting last year. I assume they'll be alright, never had surprise garlic before. In the flat I have infestations everywhere. The Olive and Kaffir Lime have got scales, I reckon there's still spider mites on my fern and loads of greenfly on a thyme plant, which I realised because there' a ladybird been hanging around for a few wintery months and it's presently tucking right in, perhaps having the thyme of its life. This indoor gardening thing was much easier when it was all succulents and cacti. On the plus side we have grown a little orange.

2 week trial IIRC

if they can't understand metric I doubt they'll get abbreviations to be fair

£10 bags over here

more than half a 40

Cheers mate, and I suppose in years gone by I'd have been much harsher on myself, I'm kinda getting better at letting things like that go. In years gone by it's also the kind of nice thought I'd have and then a subtle blend of inaction, procrastination and self doubt would end up with me not doing anything. I'm also getting better at not talking myself out of stuff though

There's a funeral in my town today for one of us. Not a VTer as far as I know, but a Villa fan, season ticket holder. His son was a few years above me in school and while we were never big mates or anything we'll often stop in the street or the shops to chat villa. Last time we did so was after the Spurs game and he's walking down the road with his wife and there's me blabbering on about how tough it was to watch the game on the weekend, totally oblivious to the fact that his dad had died - in front of him - that very weekend. He was too polite to say anything. "That was a tough watch eh?" I'm cringeing just writing it out as I do when I re-live it, as I'm prone to do, over and over again. Anyway I'm thinking of hanging around somewhere either outside the church or on the route the hearse will take, which is probably past my place anyway, in one of my villa tops. I think it will probably be quite a big funeral and I don't feel the need to go to the service, but feel like I would like to show some solidarity. Deciding whether/where to stand might take me a while. Small town problems I suppose. HEITS and all that.

And areas the size of Wales

Cheers guys - you're loads more help than "Wales and the Borders leading electrical suppliers" fwiw

Does anyone have a definitive answer as to whether I can buy a replacement bulb for the near 8foot (Sorry Limpid ) striplight in my kitchen? Most builders supplies/electrical supplies/housewear shops only stock up to 6' - the internet seems to not understand what I'm asking it - the electrical suppliers never got back to me. Have they been phased out? I know the old skool bulbs are now led stripbulbs and are less girthy and all that, but I can't seem to find what I'm looking for. I feel a new fitting/housing might be in order.

There's one group identity who I am all tribal about and though I know it to be a false assertion I will continue to assert it. But, between us, I have met the local bluenose and know his mother and his sister are 2 different people really. But outside of that, I detest group identities. And I really dislike hypocrisy. Be the change you want to see and all that. we're way off topic of course but outside of football I just don't get how tribalism has more of an impact than factual reality. The idea of people having a political 'team' regardless of policy has always been nonsensical to my mind. Not so much you have to watch this, but it kinda tenuously brings it back on topic maybe Good band though.

Hopefully, that's an addition to the list of seemingly socially acceptable forms of bigotry and not a suggestion I'd personally say or post such a thing.

I thought about doing the same here It's hard to read the banner headline and not respond "No you wont"

The problem with prohibition of stupid is that it makes a martyr of stupid. Prohibition is a knee-jerk response of fear. We shouldn't fear stupid we should correct it, reason with it, educate it.

I thought the same thing

Always been a massive fan of Pilger's work An awful lot of his documentaries are available to watch free of charge at his website alongside old interviews, appearances at the Hay Festival and so on. https://johnpilger.com/videos Love him or loathe him, I'd argue we were lucky to have him and his body of work is one hell of a legacy to leave.