optimista

My point was made in a few short sweet sentences. What did you not understand? Should I try again? The Guardian has become a rag. The argument summary amounts to common sense that most people would conclude. It now takes an accomplished researcher to state the obvious? If you remove the word "potentially" you have a decisive statement. Put it back and it becomes well wishy-washy. How meaningful is that? You have to wade through an entire article to find... not much substance. That was my point.   I missed the Auschwitz post. Forgive me if the following is completely tangential or not even on the right thread. Jeffo will be along with a wry diagram shortly.   Is it possible that TT's dear, old Murphy, who expresses him/herself in the colourfully entertaining, passionate and eloquent manner typical of his/her countryfolk did not actually intend any reference at all to Adolf and His Jihad. Sorry, Struggle? In the present context of a pandemic I can understand why the expression plague rats came to mind. Perfect fodder for people looking - seek and thou shallt find - to make historical links particular to Germany - and create some excitement on TT. God knows it needs some. But surely not this sort of tasteless hysteria. Did someone piss up the wrong tree? Again.   Rug rats anyone? Is this expression also to be consigned to the bin? I remember a discussion about the use of the word kid being disrespectful - in some folk's book at least. Maybe they were not native speakers though.   I am appalled that the bone was pointing so aggressively at a Man with a Gunn. Of all people. (And surely, rather unwisely...) I do think lock-down has had a desocialising effect on many of us. We no longer know how to rub along with our fellow human beans. It was always tricky. Now, it looks like we are back to pre-kindergarten stage. Sorry, just had to get that off my chest.   Rug rats was tugging at me. Had to get it out there for the sake of debate. Maybe the mods will move it to the English Teachers' Corner.

  Of course. But surely this is not to claim that this will prevent it getting you. Or that your outcome will be better. I have a sneaky feeling it is all a bit more complicated than that. Based on my own experience.

The Guardian = The new Sun. Read all the words... very carefully. Twice. I think the key word in that article is "potentially". Which is unquantifiable. My resume: hum, ha.

Silver lining? Maybe freight will eventually get off the roads and onto rail? Maybe if it is such hard work for such little reward there will be a tendency to import only essential goods rather than poor quality (Chinese) crap (via Europe) whose immediate destination is landfill. Time will tell.   Maybe UK will go back to making its own essential goods and become less reliant on imports. Maybe.

The French Covid pass is only half-baked and does not cater for exotics like myself who are not in their shitty system. I have had a vaccination and I have (kind of) recovered from covid. But I cannot access their shite site - sorry cannot resist these rhymes - to load the result onto their crap app because I do not have a social security number. We are private. Yeah. So I will have to walk about with two bits of paper and spend time explaining and arguing with likely disinterested, incredulous, uncomprehending people when trying to access places banned to people without the pass. I feel like we are living in some sort of totalitarian regime. My freedom of movement is going to be severely limited.   @ Alex. Sorry for your loss. It puts the above whinge into perspective.

The natives are inadvertently revealing their secrets, i.e. if you have a good income you can pay more... and what are you doing here anyway ? Ah, you inherited your uncle's house... that maybe changes something... a bit. If you can be of any use to us.   I thought I was imagining it but no. In the Alsace, even the natives have to elbow their way in when they have moved... from the next village. And yes, my erstwhile oppo really did say it. I read it in the newspaper... village pure-bloods, asserting his ancestral right to be there. So that's why they all look like each other. In the interests of diplomacy I will not raise the issue of inbreeding.

https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20200520-scans-show-french-patients-were-sick-with-covid-19-in-mid-november-doctors-say-colmar-haut-rhin

Spot on Simon, O Kindered Soul. You see right through the shit and hammer it nicely right on the head. Sorry I cannot give you more greens. Dunno about society tolerating it though. People are just powerless to stop it.

Choose your words carefully. If you cease to provide me with a service you are certainly not bloody well maintaining your service. So do not write to me saying that in the interests of maintaining service, you will no longer be providing me with a monthly itemised list of my calls and messages. Idiots.  Wankers. And Arseholes. With a capital A.

  Note the juxtaposition of those two words. As soon as you raise the issue, you are bashin' em. And so are effectively muzzled. It's a manipulative argument. I'm out. Must go and do something useful.    

Fair enough. Thank you for explaining. Point taken. Specially about the usual decline into a bitchfest. I am not a one-sided gypsy basher by the way (I hear howls of dissent  as this sounds defensive. That argument that came up recently that as soon as you say you are not, you are). I have in the past attempted to talk to gypsies surrounded by their own shit (literally). To no avail. And I can see their predicament. I would have appreciated a discussion but you are right, it is just not possible on TT these days.   Next bitchfest - lovely word - evolving on the low flights thread. Goin' down low.  

  I take a small amount of pleasure in pointing out that this is a beautiful illustration of a bloke (I choose my words advisedly) attempting to invalidate and dismiss the comments of a mere woman. Thank you for providing this opportunity. Yeah, I misunderstood, right?   As for filming every passing helicopter... well that may entertain the under-employed but most folk have better ways to spend a life. I would also point out that you do not expect them to be so low in advance. Like flashers, you only know afterwards how far it all went. And you are in a similar state of disbelief / shock which tends to lead to an absence of a rational response, so forget reaching for the phone in such cases. Just not realistic. You are too busy ducking and wondering if the end is nigh.   (And do forgive me for wandering into wanker territory. Argument by association and all that... Jeffo, you must not feel targeted or I will think you are an overly sensitive little soul.)    

You on my case again Jeffo? Boredome?

What a scream !

There is so much money sloshing about for research some of it will be usurped / stolen / misappropriated. Surprise, surprise, Achmed. Money to be made even out of sickness and death.