Minor Strangeness (IHTM)

[Floyd]

"...in the 80s, whenever there was a report from the States, (not in films, but news reports etc) people had very orange faces...(to do with colour blindness I believe)"

Have you had your own eyesight checked?
Just sayin.....

Now, yes I would agree, but this was years ago when my eyesight was fantastic young man. Unlike recently when I spent 5 minutes talking to the dog only to eventually realise it was her blanket rolled up on the floor and she was in a totally different room.

 

[catseye]

Was just thinking as I nipped out in the old banger; when younger I noticed that whenever there was a film on from the good old US of A, that the green traffic lights always seemed blue to me. Many years later I asked an American guy if any states used blue and he said no.
I have since read that even our lights do have a slight blue hue added (to do with colour blindness I believe). I wondered if theirs just had more of a blue added than ours, but I don't seem to notice it nowadays.
I then recalled that in the 80s, whenever there was a report from the States, (not in films, but news reports etc) people had very orange faces (a bit like a woman I know who overdoes the make-up). I'm not sure how long this went on for, but a good few years. I don't think it happened into the 90s.
I'm therefore wondering, if both cases were something to do with different tv signals used back then perhaps?

Had you checked the contrast on your TV? Those old TV sets, you could turn the colour up to a level where everybody practically strobed.

And get on with that collection - I'm waiting for you lot to move in next door before some drum-practicing whistler with a smelly habit and a small dog does!

 

[catseye]

Yesterday at work I did the 'dropped money' thing. A customer paid me one pound coin, a fifty and a twenty. I felt the pound coin start to slip down through my hand as I opened the till, and it had dropped right out before I could catch it. Both myself and my co worker searched everywhere for that pound coin, it made no noise as it fell and we cannot work out where it went. It probably fell and rolled somewhere under my till but my co worker was watching the transaction and she said she never saw it actually fall, it was just the sensation of falling out of my hand.

So somewhere in the ether is my missing £1 coin.

 

[Floyd]

Had you checked the contrast on your TV? Those old TV sets, you could turn the colour up to a level where everybody practically strobed.

And get on with that collection - I'm waiting for you lot to move in next door before some drum-practicing whistler with a smelly habit and a small dog does!

I admit the tv's we had were always second hand things, but it only ever happened on the American news reports.
I had an offer of two Florins from PeteS earlier, but that's been it so far.

 

[Floyd]

So somewhere in the ether is my missing £1 coin.

Along with my 10p from Trevp666.

 

[PeteS]

Now, yes I would agree, but this was years ago when my eyesight was fantastic young man. Unlike recently when I spent 5 minutes talking to the dog only to eventually realise it was her blanket rolled up on the floor and she was in a totally different room.

Ha sounds like my previously reported night time incident of my jeans demanding to be fed and subsequent severe injury to my toe.

I admit the tv's we had were always second hand things, but it only ever happened on the American news reports.
I had an offer of two Florins from PeteS earlier, but that's been it so far.

'Course I'd be wanting the usual receipt, loan repayment guarantee, payment schedule etc. Don't get owt fer nowt in my neck of the woods.

 

[Floyd]

Ha sounds like my previously reported night time incident of my jeans demanding to be fed and subsequent severe injury to my toe.

'Course I'd be wanting the usual receipt, loan repayment guarantee, payment schedule etc. Don't get owt fer nowt in my neck of the woods.

Ha! Those jeans, always hungry,
It's only a loan then? Damn.

 

[brownmane]

Right, this is the cupboard in question. It's not got an actual 'fastening' as such, it seems mostly to be kept shut by the sheer number of coats of paint on it (however, it doesn't routinely open and it takes a bit of a tug to get it to open).

I love your shade of green. It's similar to what I have in my dining room.

 

[brownmane]

What's on the other side of that cupboard? Is it a secret door to a cave or hidden room?

Narnia

 

[Mythopoeika]

The wife of the actor Bernard Lee who played 'M' in the Bond films from 62-79 died in a house fire in 1972 at their home in Oare, Kent. Lee escaped but couldn't get his wife of 38 years out. A few weeks later he was mugged by two youths. These events caused him to turn to drink. He was unable to find work for a while and ran into debt. By a chance (as you do) he met Burton in a pub and Burton gave him a cheque for $6,000 along with a note saying ''everyone has a spot of trouble once in a while''. He then cleared his debts and overcame his depression.

What a splendid fellow! Even in dollars, that was a rather generous gift.

 

[catseye]

I love your shade of green. It's similar to what I have in my dining room.

Dulux Heritage Sage Green.

 

[brownmane]

Dulux Heritage Sage Green.

Yes, the grey greens are my favourite colours. So calming.

 

[brownmane]

Paracetamol is available in the USA where it is called acetaminophen.
Brand names are Tylenol, Mapap, Panadol etc. One assumes the overdose problem applies there too.

Acetaminophen is one of the OTC drugs that pharmacists wish were not OTC. Symptoms of overdose are not immediate.

The overdoses usually occur in people who take it for pain and then take OTC cold medication, not realizing that both have acetaminophen. There are few immediate symptoms of overdose, and when the symptoms do appear, the irreversible damage has already been done.

 

[Bad Bungle]

I was taught about suicide rates in the mid 1980's and I believe the coroner's definition was broadened to include death occurring within a year of a deliberate self-inflicted act. This was to take into account the long term damage caused by a paracetamol overdose. It was generally assumed that some-one taking an overdose as a cry-for-help would use aspirin. Some-one determined to take their own life would use paracetamol, as a stomach pump would not help in this case. This of course has no bearing on accidental overdoses, a lot of people assume that because painkillers are cheap and available they cannot be very harmful.

 

[Trevp666]

Dulux Heritage Sage Green.

Farrow and Ball Lichen Infection

 

[IbisNibs]

Went about 100yards before realising it was a bus/delivery vans only road in both directions. I fully expected an £80 fine in the post, but to date I seem to have escaped.

Until now!!!

 

[Naughty_Felid]

I was taught about suicide rates in the mid 1980's and I believe the coroner's definition was broadened to include death occurring within a year of a deliberate self-inflicted act. This was to take into account the long term damage caused by a paracetamol overdose. It was generally assumed that some-one taking an overdose as a cry-for-help would use aspirin. Some-one determined to take their own life would use paracetamol, as a stomach pump would not help in this case. This of course has no bearing on accidental overdoses, a lot of people assume that because painkillers are cheap and available they cannot be very harmful.

People, particularly young people, have no idea what a miserable death can result from a paracetamol overdose. Therefore it's still a popular choice due to availability.

Also, the first couple of times may not "get you" particularly if you've been lucky enough to be found quickly. Keep it up though and you'll run out of luck sooner or later.

 

[PeteS]

People, particularly young people, have no idea what a miserable death can result from a paracetamol overdose. Therefore it's still a popular choice due to availability.

Also, the first couple of times may not "get you" particularly if you've been lucky enough to be found quickly. Keep it up though and you'll run out of luck sooner or later.

I know 3 women who tried it, 2 of them twice. Fortunately it didn't get them and all 3 have gone on to live happy lives and made others happy as well. I have wondered whether in the case of some of those who succeed, they had managed to get through that one day of decision, things would have turned out OK for them.

 

[PeteS]

Until now!!!

I think I'm right in saying that authorities have a limited time (30 days?) to notify you of a fine. Not holding my breath though.

 

[Naughty_Felid]

I know 3 women who tried it, 2 of them twice. Fortunately it didn't get them and all 3 have gone on to live happy lives and made others happy as well. I have wondered whether in the case of some of those who succeed, they had managed to get through that one day of decision, things would have turned out OK for them.

TBH I think you could say that of most people who attempt suicide.

 

[Floyd]

What a splendid fellow! Even in dollars, that was a rather generous gift.

I think it would have been around £2,600 back then. That's in 1972. A pound back then is worth £11.54 now, so it's the equivalent of around £30,000 in todays money or $42,000.

 

[Trevp666]

I think I'm right in saying that authorities have a limited time (30 days?) to notify you of a fine. Not holding my breath though.

Our resident ex-copper would be most likely to know the facts on that but AFAIK there isn't a time limit on notification. The issuing of a fine though, that's a different matter.
My son was issued with a speeding fine but he had moved house several times over the course of a couple of years and the DVLA had not kept up with his address changes.
He got a knock on his door about 3 or 4 months after the issuing of the fine - it was a bailiffs that handed him a summons for a court appearance in Oxford the following month.
This ended up in a 28 day ban, a hefty fine, and points on his licence and also incurred much heavier car insurance ongoing.
But he had been doing 96 in a 70 zone so he was lucky to not lose his licence altogether.

 

[Floyd]

Our resident ex-copper would be most likely to know the facts on that but AFAIK there isn't a time limit on notification. The issuing of a fine though, that's a different matter.
My son was issued with a speeding fine but he had moved house several times over the course of a couple of years and the DVLA had not kept up with his address changes.
He got a knock on his door about 3 or 4 months after the issuing of the fine - it was a bailiffs that handed him a summons for a court appearance in Oxford the following month.
This ended up in a 28 day ban, a hefty fine, and points on his licence and also incurred much heavier car insurance ongoing.
But he had been doing 96 in a 70 zone so he was lucky to not lose his licence altogether.

I once got done by a camera van for speeding. I'm not proud of it and soon became a law-abiding citizen, but when I got the fine it too said 96 in a 70, but in actual fact, due to the vehicle I was driving at the time, the speed limit for that particular vehicle on that particular road was actually 60mph so it should have been a higher fine and possibly more points too. I didn't make a fuss and just paid up.

 

[Quercus]

To my understanding, a recorded speed of 96mph is the upper limit for being offered a UK fixed penalty notice, comprising a fine and licence points. Anything above that speed, and it's an automatic summons for an appearance before a court, with a bigger fine (as a percentage of weekly income), a driving ban, and even a prison sentence up for grabs, depending on how much the driver was above the speed limit - plus the obligatory cameo appearance in the local paper's court reporting column.

It's been known for traffic cops to slightly reduce the reported speed to allow the issuing of a fixed penalty in some cases; so if you receive a fixed penalty notification showing a detected 96mph, chances are it was actually a notch or two above that - but someone's decided to cut you some slack/ avoid some paperwork (delete as applicable).

 

[Trevp666]

I was surprised that my son did not have to attend a 'speed awareness course'.

 

[Floyd]

To my understanding, a recorded speed of 96mph is the upper limit for being offered a UK fixed penalty notice, comprising a fine and licence points. Anything above that speed, and it's an automatic summons for an appearance before a court, with a bigger fine (as a percentage of weekly income), a driving ban, and even a prison sentence up for grabs, depending on how much the driver was above the speed limit - plus the obligatory cameo appearance in the local paper's court reporting column.

It's been known for traffic cops to slightly reduce the reported speed to allow the issuing of a fixed penalty in some cases; so if you receive a fixed penalty notification showing a detected 96mph, chances are it was actually a notch or two above that - but someone's decided to cut you some slack/ avoid some paperwork (delete as applicable).

Really? Maybe I was lucky then. People always used to say, certainly a few years ago, that it was 100mph or above (on a motorway at least) that would mean a court appearance.
I would point out that in my case it was around 4am in Summer, no one else about (apart from the speed guys) and no junctions nearby. After that though I always stuck to the limits.

 

[Quercus]

Drifting a smidge OT, I appreciate, but here's the relevent ACPO guidelines, and bandings, for how to prosecute motorists exceeding the speed limit:

I was surprised that my son did not have to attend a 'speed awareness course'.

Yes, he may well have been able to avail of a speed awareness course instead of a fine/ban/points, but that's only an option if the registered owner of the vehicle replies to the original notice of intended prosecution within 30 days. If there's no reply received - in your son's case, because DVLA held an old address and the police didn't hear back from him within 30 days - then it automatically moves on to a summons.

Really? Maybe I was lucky then. People always used to say, certainly a few years ago, that it was 100mph or above (on a motorway at least) that would mean a court appearance.
I would point out that in my case it was around 4am in Summer, no one else about (apart from the speed guys) and no junctions nearby. After that though I always stuck to the limits.

I think you might have been lucky!

But as per the ACPO guidance, there's an element of police discretion permissable - although travelling over the legal speed limit, given the road conditions and time of day, your danger to yourself and others would likely have been less than someone driving at 40mph along a busy shopping street on a Saturday afternoon...

The main thing is that you learned a lesson and never did it again, so from a policing perspective, that's a proportionate response to a detected offence which best serves the public interest.

I'm not an expert, by the way - just someone who's had reason to do a little research on the topic lately.

 

[Floyd]

Drifting a smidge OT, I appreciate, but here's the relevent ACPO guidelines, and bandings, for how to prosecute motorists exceeding the speed limit:

View attachment 45483



Yes, he may well have been able to avail of a speed awareness course instead of a fine/ban/points, but that's only an option if the registered owner of the vehicle replies to the original notice of intended prosecution within 30 days. If there's no reply received - in your son's case, because DVLA held an old address and the police didn't hear back from him within 30 days - then it automatically moves on to a summons.


I think you might have been lucky!

But as per the ACPO guidance, there's an element of police discretion permissable - although travelling over the legal speed limit, given the road conditions and time of day, your danger to yourself and others would likely have been less than someone driving at 40mph along a busy shopping street on a Saturday afternoon...

The main thing is that you learned a lesson and never did it again, so from a policing perspective, that's a proportionate response to a detected offence which best serves the public interest.

I'm not an expert, by the way - just someone who's had reason to do a little research on the topic lately.

View attachment 45484

Oh no! The trouble is that it's so easy in a modern vehicle. You're so insulated from everything.
They didn't do the speed awareness thing back when I was fined- it was 3 points and I think, £60.

Another time I got a fine through for doing '49 in a 40', but the camera had mistaken me for a hgv. (Must have gone on height or width). The actual road signs said 50. So for cars and me it was a 50 zone, but for hgvs it was therefore 40mph. I had to send of the vehicle details and it was cancelled.

It's suprising how many people don't know the speed for their vehicle (other than a car I mean). A lot used to be caught out on a two-lane road near Manchester because they wrongly thought it was a dual carriageway but it wasn't. It had no central barrier, so the fact there were two lanes in each direction is irrelevant. (A proper 'dual carriageway' can actualy have 1,2,3 or 4 lanes on each side as long as they are divided by a central barrier).

 

[Trevp666]

in your son's case, because DVLA held an old address

.....he also got an additional fine for not updating his details with the DVLA, even though he HAD updated them but they hadn't updated their system!

And hands up those that have spent their entire life driving at '80 few' on the motorways in the UK and never had a peep from the fuzz?

 

[Floyd]

.....he also got an additional fine for not updating his details with the DVLA, even though he HAD updated them but they hadn't updated their system!

And hands up those that have spent their entire life driving at '80 few' on the motorways in the UK and never had a peep from the fuzz?

Never on a motorway.