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Showing content with the highest reputation on 27/03/17 in all areas

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  5. It is worse than that (depending on your point of view): for complex assessments (such as for DLA) the criteria are published but too few of the claimants are aware of this unless they seek independent advice. Advisers reasonable well trained will be aware how seemingly similar replies can lead to very different scores and hence levels of benefit. OK, so it may well be designed to weed out those whose reply to anything is that they cannot help themselves, but any system devised for relatively unskilled operation will be a blunt instrument, one that is clearly skewed towards not giving out benefits. There is no absolute standard by which it can unarguably be agreed that above you get no benefit, below you definitely do get help. It is inevitably a relative standard - in the 70's and 80's we became increasingly as a society concerned to make sure no-one was allowed to fall through a safety net. As a result, the total bill for benefits rose substantially (although perhaps not as much as some politicians and voters would like to believe and not always for the reasons oft quoted - life expectancy is the largest factor) with the result that the banking crisis was almost designed for those with a long standing ambition to fade 'the state' out of existence. Such people set the above mentioned bar at a very low level, believing that almost anyone should be capable of supporting themselves, if only they tried hard enough. We have not gone that far (yet!) but there is very considerable downward pressure with the result that many people who have come to assume (either as a benefit recipient or otherwise) a given level of support are now disappointed that they do not qualify. Sadly, the fact that our streets (especially those in leafy suburban Surrey) are not stuffed full of people wholly incapable of finding anywhere else to live/survive, is grist to the mill of those seeking further reductions, or at least to justify the present cuts. We have entered an age of 'self' and so the overall trend will be to reduce benefits downwards yet further until the whole thing collapses. The sense that I grew up with that society did mean something (not that 'there is no such thing as society') is now much maligned and taxes are seen as something to be resisted at all costs rather than a part of a way of obtaining a fairer society. Sadly even self interest does not have an effect, recognizing that even for the better off, a fairer society will make their life better as well. I don't actualluy believe that 'they' have deliberately created a complex system solely in order to deter as many potential claimants as possible - I don't think 'they' are that clever - but it is hard to avoid the conclusion that this is exactly what has happened and that there are few in positions to change it with a will to correct the problems.
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  6. It's a bad system if it's hard to negotiate. How can someone with limited understanding get needed help from the system set up to provide support for those in need. It shouldn't be that only those with intelligence, patience and grim determination get help.
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  14. It is indeed- I visited it year before last. Saw an enormous Terrapin and a Crane (of the massive flying kind) Suns out now too :-)
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  15. Does it have a downstairs?
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  16. Measure the DC resistance of the grider across the L and N terminals of the plug (when unplugged, lol ). That'll give some idea of the instantaneous startup current of the grinder, using amps = volts/ohms. After a few milliseconds it'll drop due to the inductance of the motor windings, then drop further as the grinder spins up - due to 'back emf' from the spinning motor. With a cheapo non-LF inverter I'd make sure the surge rating exceeds the instantaneous startup current....
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  17. I'm constantly amazed at the number of people we meet who think we sail the boat to and from the Scottish Highlands. Closely followed by those who think the boat is solar powered.
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  18. Or "Is it a steam engine?"
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  19. What does the T in MPPT stand for? I got as far as Maximum Power Point...
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  20. No - you have the same opinion as me - and I told her - it's just that the whole experiance of the Rochdale 9, espeicially at lock 85, was a little unpleasant. I'm nowhere near as qualified as you, Nick, but as a firefigher (we also do Ambulance Co-Responding on our station) we do see a fair amount of unpleasant things, and I do try to educate my children accordingly - they are also pretty switched on as a result. Anyway - going off topic. I loved the Cheshire Ring by the way - and would recommend it to anyone, I guess I just had a bit of a bad experiance.
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  21. Mooring fees will go up until we get more marinas, which at the moment is a likelihood as the bubble has not burst and a good return on investment can be had. It will be interesting to see how the Oxford canal Napton to Hilmorton fares with a new marina making more competition. The council tax is only applicable to residential moorings with planning permission .Is there still a reduction for single person occupancy and does spare bedrooms affect benefits ?
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  22. "Your engine sounds great. Is it a Lister?" To which I respond "No, it's a Kelvin", and the blank looks begin. Or if I don't fancy the conversation, I just say yes, how did you know?
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  23. Where's the other half of your boat? (...the perils of owning a 24ft narrowboat!)
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  24. A couple in our marina have (recently) successfully claimed, and now get their mooring, insurance, licence and BSS costs paid for. It did take 3 meetings, about 6 months and copious amounts of paperwork, but so it should to 'weed-out' the scroungers. If you qualify you will get it.
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  25. There is no reason why petrol boats can not be used safely if you have a little bit of common sense.
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  26. Are you Brad Pitt? What's a gorgeous hunk like you doing on a Narrowboat? How do you manage to steer surrounded by so many underwear models? Wake up you silly old sod - do you want a cup of tea?
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  27. Can you sleep on it?
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  28. I am often asked about the size of the fuel tank and when I say 640 litres they go a bit quiet . (Its not a narrowboat).
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  29. Have you broken down? (when steering the NBT's butty, which has been going well since 1935 without an engine).
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  30. How do you go to the toilet? Phil
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  37. An old workmate had the little Honda sports car (quite rare, looked a tiny bit like an mgb) but engine was dead and expensive to rebuild so he found that a Morris Minor A series would mate with the gearbox without too much effort. Net result was 4 gears going backwards and only one going forwards. ...he then realised he could flip the crown wheel in the diff to make it go forwards again so major embarrassment avoided. ...................Dave
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  38. If that alternator is a 70amp or more that single belt will probably slip with an almost flat battery. They don't always squeal. It looks like its belt drives the water pump too so I doubt if it was meant to be driven by twin belts. Is there another belt actually on the other alternator. A very basic rough check of oil pressure can be done by Starting up from cold, run for a minute then turning it off but turning the ignition switch back on immediately and timing how long it takes for the oil pressure light to come back on as the pressure leaks away, somewhere around 1/4 to 1/2 minute would be about normal. Then run the engine up to normal working temp for 20 minutes or so and do the same. The light should come back on after around about say 4 to 5 seconds when the pressure has leaked away, All providing that the sender is working ok and the oil viscosity is correct. Very rough method, but if the timings are around these figures I'd say the engine condition is not bad. Pretty tough engines Isuzu's
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  39. Even using Avtur Jet Fuel which has a much higher flash point than petrol
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  40. A lesson too often overlooked by public bodies, especially those in a near monopolistic position: you can push so far in reducing charges or increasing prices, but if the other party has no obligatio other than to make a profit (whether for owners or shareholders) then if pushed too far they will simply stop playing the game. See it before especially in services that are difficult to replace. Happening in a big way with care homes - for too long the Government (although it hides behind the local authorities but actually pulls the strings) has paid below costs, leaving private operators to cross subsidise from private clients. We are now in a near catastrophic melt down as many providers are just handing back their public contracts. Interesting to note that Trump has mis-judged the American mood: he put the abolition of Obamacare in order to fund tax cuts at the forefront of his election campaign and at that stage it worked. However, 24 million people (not to mention their relatives that would have to help out with cash) have now realised what it all means and are in revolt - although the well-off may yet win out.
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  41. Just as an alternative - a much more expensive alternative, unfortunately! - you might look into 'thermal cookers' like these: http://mrdscookware.com/ We had one on our boat and found it did perform as advertised. They're basically oversized vacuum flasks. You get your stew, curry or whatever simmering on the hob for a few minutes, then stick the pot in the outer container with the lid down for several hours while your food cooks in its own retained heat. Probably not as convenient as an electric slow cooker, because you do need to start off as if you're just cooking in a pan - brown the meat etc., add the sauce/stock, stir and simmer for maybe ten minutes - but the next best thing if saving electricity is a concern. If you're wondering about spending £17 on an electric slow cooker for home use though, I'd say go for it. Yes, they are very easy to use - you can literally put your ingredients in raw and leave them to cook unattended - and again, they do perform as advertised in terms of making meat very tender. Slow-cooked mutton hotpot... mmm!
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