The Dew Drop Inn Virtual Rugby Pub

First topic message reminder :

Welcome to the virtual rugby pub - a place where you can come in for a sly beverage and discuss whatever's on your mind, or just eavesdrop on the regulars if you fancy a break from all the rugby chat.

The only rule in this pub is one of mutual respect for everyone in it, oh and no defacing the life size photo of Thierry Dusautoir.

So pull up a chair....what'll it be?




Pāparakāuta tawhito/Hen dafarn/Old pub:https://www.606v2.com/t16660p950-the-dew-drop-inn-virtual-rugby-pub#616819

I was at an ATM yesterday when a little old lady asked if I could
check her balance, so I pushed her over.

Oi Hugs,
Have you just bought the MickyT book of Quips?

Lovin it.

Stolen it maybe?

Where is Twinkletoes anyway?

Hardly see him at all nowadays.

Be hard to see him if he did drop by MrsP. He's half the man he was. Slip of a lad now. Really. Looks great. The big hunk.

MrsP wrote:When are you going to Stockholm Kia?

I'm flying to Stockholm MrsP next Wednesday and then by train to some genuine Swedish backwater for a conference. It took me 24 hours to work out a reasonable travel schedule which did not involve getting up at 5.30 am either here on the way out or there to get back. Coming back on Friday.

Don't know if you know anything about her, but Marianne Elliot is the keynote speaker. Title of her paper is "The Unburied Past and Irish Identities".

She's a Prof at Liverpool Uni and I think was awarded a CBE or something for her role in the NI Peace Process.

The place I am going to is called Falun and at one time produced 1/3 of the world's copper (or maybe it waws 2/3, can't remember), so a girt big mining town then.

Sam Warburton is gutted this bloke stole the march on him:

Spoiler:

I've got a bun in the oven.

Actually I have two....and they smell lovely cooking

Excuse me Cari?

Explanation please...

Sweet Jebus Cari! Dont DO that to yer aul Da!

Blueberry Muffin?

Cross posting Cari

Well what did you think I meant!?

OK they're more bread rolls than buns, but....

I don't know of her I'm afraid. My neice has just headed off to Liverpool.

Not studying Irish History though.

I didn't know they mined copper in Sweden either.

Ya dont know much really do ya?

:getsrevenegforyerwanbeinabigaulageist:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=lPABeKfHNak

I suppose you did know Gibbo. Oh yes, of course you did, I told you last night didn't I?

Thanks for pointing that out...friend.

Hadn't a clue Kia. Just bluffin...

As per.

Yeah you told me last night dahling.

Speaking of mining, a large section of our local community live on approx 660 million tonnes of lignite covering 5500 acres of land including part of the town itself. There is a planning application lodged to open-cast mine this and build a power station. Much protest from the locals, however at some stage it might well happen.
Local protest group have a website if anyone wants to find out more.

http://www.justsaynotolignite.co.uk/background.html

Jo Brand on Dave:

"apparently masochists love cold showers, which means presumably they don't have them"

Rava wrote:Speaking of mining, a large section of our local community live on approx 660 million tonnes of lignite covering 5500 acres of land including part of the town itself. There is a planning application lodged to open-cast mine this and build a power station. Much protest from the locals, however at some stage it might well happen.
Local protest group have a website if anyone wants to find out more.

http://www.justsaynotolignite.co.uk/background.html

Sweet God Rav, that would be a complete and utter disaster for your Town. The Town you love so well. Open-cast mining is never pretty. In fact it is a violent destruction of the landscape. Local people are lured with their filthy lucre for a few years and are then left, with a dump they have to live in for the rest of their lives - in return.

ULSTER SAYS NO!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg_3t-CHBZs&feature=player_detailpage

Gibson wrote:

Rava wrote:Speaking of mining, a large section of our local community live on approx 660 million tonnes of lignite covering 5500 acres of land including part of the town itself. There is a planning application lodged to open-cast mine this and build a power station. Much protest from the locals, however at some stage it might well happen.
Local protest group have a website if anyone wants to find out more.

http://www.justsaynotolignite.co.uk/background.html

Sweet God Rav, that would be a complete and utter disaster for your Town. The Town you love so well. Open-cast mining is never pretty. In fact it is a violent destruction of the landscape. Local people are lured with their filthy lucre for a few years and are then left, with a dump they have to live in for the rest of their lives - in return.

ULSTER SAYS NO!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg_3t-CHBZs&feature=player_detailpage

+1

Sounds awful Rava - best of luck with your campaign

Has everyone's 606V2 stopped telling them if someone else has posted while they are typing?

I used to find it infuriating because I wouldn't realise my post hadn't been sent but now I don't know if I have accidentally "fixed" it or it has changed?

Most of our farm is ex open cast land. It's not that bad if it's looked after. Give it 20 years and the trees have grown back you can barely tell the difference.

What upsets me is when some trees are considered more important than people's livelihoods.

Then again I was bought up with it so was used to it I suppose. I think they should limit it to agricultural land and not take the town. They will always put in for more than they actually want to let the pressure group claim a victory as the extent is reduced.

I'm afraid as well that as pressure increases on natural resources local objections will count for less and less. Also there is an element if crying wolf. Every big scheme will attract virulent opposition. Take wind farms for example. People are generally happy with the need for renewable energy, but every windfarm will be objected to. Also renewable energy is harvested in remoter places than traditional power station meaning the increase in need for pylons to carry it to urban areas. Every one of these obviously has to cross rural areas and EVERY ONE has it's own local opposition group.

It hasn't changed to my knowledge MrsP.

It will let you post clean , if no else has posted midst you posting yours. Then, it gives you the MODIFY or SAVE option. Which I like.

Timewatch special on BBC2 - The bletchley park code breakers.

Glas,
You cant compare wind-farms with open-cast mining. One saves schitt with clean energy. The other - creates it.

I love it every time I see a turbine-windmill in the countryside. MORE!

I also think more/most of them should be put out at sea. Nederland has been a major player in this - long before most.

I have a great pic of an old windmill and a new turbine-windmill in line with each other. Its just off the mortorway near me. I love it. Says it all to me.

People need to see them differently. See them as thing of beauty rather than ugly.

Glas a du wrote:Most of our farm is ex open cast land. It's not that bad if it's looked after. Give it 20 years and the trees have grown back you can barely tell the difference.

What upsets me is when some trees are considered more important than people's livelihoods.

Then again I was bought up with it so was used to it I suppose. I think they should limit it to agricultural land and not take the town. They will always put in for more than they actually want to let the pressure group claim a victory as the extent is reduced.

I'm afraid as well that as pressure increases on natural resources local objections will count for less and less. Also there is an element if crying wolf. Every big scheme will attract virulent opposition. Take wind farms for example. People are generally happy with the need for renewable energy, but every windfarm will be objected to. Also renewable energy is harvested in remoter places than traditional power station meaning the increase in need for pylons to carry it to urban areas. Every one of these obviously has to cross rural areas and EVERY ONE has it's own local opposition group.

Couldn't agree more Glas. I really don't know what will happen in a few years. NI is looking at running the country for itself. No-one will convince me that, should the need arise for cheap easily mined fuel, there will always be a majority of people against this.
As a matter of interest one of the biggest open cast mines in Europe is the Garzweiler in Germany at 45 square kilometers. The overall in Ballymoney would be half of this. That's pretty big.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garzweiler_open_pit_mine

We need the shift away from natural resources and to escalate renewable energy options post-haste. But, oil companies and mining conglomerates, will hold this up till the Earth dies. More money in it. They dont give a flying phhok. Never did and never will. Unless... there are massive amounts of shekels in it for them.

The basterds are talking about raping Antarctica again now. Jacques Cousteau stopped them over 50 years ago with a moratorium. That deal will run out soon. Time for another Jacques. My Hero.

I agree Gibbo, but why is it environmentalists are amongst the strongest critics of wind power. It also frustrates me that the environment agency are so anti river power. This would be massive for Wales. We have any amount of fast flowing rivers which could on a micro level supply power to their localities.

The story of coal is not over. If they are after lignite, what will they do with the anthracite I'm sitting over as we speak? There is more coal unmined in the south Wales coal field than has been mined. As oil hits (if it hasn't already) peak and carbon capture becomes economically viable coal will be king again and open cast will be the only viable way of getting hold of it.

What kind of environ-mentalists are they? Just shoot them. Get em out of the way, for sanity and the World's sake.

We need a contract with a Sanity Clause for the World in it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=KS2khYJZKwA



Sorry for goin on - and I know you are wide awake to it all and at one with Nature. But... for the rest? Even a child can see its wrong.

Glas - aye river power is good but currently the technology isn't advanced enough for ut to harness it properly without destorying/seriously harming the river ecosystems. It all comes at a cost, and unforunately money is spent elsewhere instead of being pumped into developing the technology more quickly.

And whilst wind power is a step in the right direction, it's still not great, and not exactly "clean" either.

And oil has hit it's peak, that's why more and more risky extracting techniques are being used to access oil in crazy places. No suprise in this past year there's been a huge increase in oil leaks (especially when you consider not all of them are reported!)

And there's loads of coal left, tis just whether or not they find ways of getting at it.

That's fine Gibbo but at the other end of the scale you have the Nimbyism that will seek to block everything.

There are also a number of problems with renewables.

Wind - unreliable, marginal impact on the requirement of the grid

Wave - requires barrages which have a big environmental impact

Solar - inefficient 15% reduction of efficiency per annum in solar panels currently produced

Bioethanol - when the world population is booming, is it sustainable to divert our scarce productive land and water resources?

So it's natural resources until they run out.

I know Dreamer, but in many cases the weirs and mill leets or runs are there. It wasn't that long ago, every half decent size farm around here had it's own water wheel.

So basically... we are phhoked. Between a rock, mindless greed and a coal-face.

Ah well. Its been nice while it lasted.

So long and thanks for all the fish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5TwT69i1lU&feature=player_detailpage

People have thought that for as long as there have been people, but we are still here able to enjoy the Scarlets running at the opposition.

aye I know Glas, was just on a sustainable development course last week and turns out we are all Flip anyway

all the climate change happening now is the result of human activity from about 100yrs ago, it's going to take a couple of hundred years for the Poopie we're doing now to take effect. All things at the moment are looking over the next 25yrs is to keeping the max global temp increase to 2 degrees C. Anything over that then we're screwed, and the way companies are going, we're going to be miiiiiiles over it. So yer, we're Flip, really. No way are all the countries in the world going to stick to just 2 degrees increase in temperature. Not a chance.

I would like to see more investment in water energy though, I know a couple of islands of the coast of Scotland have got some hydro turbines (something like that anyway!) recently installed, but it's very much in the early stages etc. But they're certainly going in the right direction. Wales should follow suit imo.

At least we got a special mention!

Offshore wind power is where it's at. Inland it's possible for the noise from each rotor to mix with the others such that the constructive interference causes a mind melting drone. People living too close have been known to have had breakdowns because of it.

The key isn't using renewable energy, it's using it intelligently.

the UK is in the process of building one of the worlds biggest (I believe) off shore wind farms so guess we're doing something right. Tis juts a shame we aren't really using British manufacturers/businesses/workers to do it.

I see the reality of it all Glas. God knows I spent years studying it all. In my own precious time.

The fact is, there is no ONE answer. It will take lots of little answers and the will to get to them and implement them.
We put man on the Moon and have Probes going to the edge of the Solar System. I mean. Is it just ME and a few other looneys?

I just think the feckless Human Race is lost. We are not fit for this place. And it would be grand without us. It was before we came out of the sludge and will be when we go back to it.

Massively violent and dangerous. But not half as long-term destructive.

Jeezuz, Im such a hopeless feicin dreaming hippy. And I don't apologise for it either.

OK. I'll stop.

So hows the sheep pal? It must be just wonderful doing something you love. Something that brings goodness and warmth(woolie-jumpers) to our Planet.

There is the problem, gibbo. You can't stick a flag in clean air and say, we did it before the commies!

Their fine. Rams in at the moment so it's like an 18-30 holiday for them. Right, this discussion hasn't depressed me enough so I'm going to watch World At War. See you tomorrow.

Right On! Leinster for the Heino roysh! Once Tommy gets to us (New Shaggy), we will be unbeatable.

Actually... we are already unbeatable.

Interesting post Dreamer. Sorry. I just need a rant about it all sometimes.

Dreamer Not just a rugby aficionado but an expert in sustainable development

Interesting conversation that will always end the same way.
God made the earth etc etc.
Man phooked it up. He will continue to do so until the end of time. End of!!

Glas a du wrote:Their fine. Rams in at the moment so it's like an 18-30 holiday for them. Right, this discussion hasn't depressed me enough so I'm going to watch World At War. See you tomorrow.

Night man.

Yeah Grey. I could have got it whittled down to your last post. But just have to go round the houses. Well put sir.

Oh and while all that was going on I have just saved myself £50 on my contents insurance. And I have sent a strongly worded letter to my broker who recommended I accept the renewal quote they sent me! Feicin' robbing barstewards

Nite all, see you amorro,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9h0MNMfKuQ&feature=related

The bottom line is we all need to use less energy.

Wind farms / turbines - I have been told by a reliable friend that the energy cost of producing each turbine is greater than their expected production over their design life - ergo energy COST in producing energy from wind.

Secondly, think of last winter when we were eating enrgy to heat our homes during a very harsh winter. There was an area of high pressure stuck over the UK for weeks; NO WIND with stationary high pressure - no energy form however many wind farms you have.

Wind power doesn't always give it to us when we need it.

Necessity is the mother of invention. We'll find a way. Evolution or something. I dunno exactly but Hakuna Matata and all that.

Absolutely shagged after the gym tonight.

No Kia, but it still gives it to us and needs to be stored. That technology is getting more efficient by the year. As is Solar-power. It (wind-power) not the answer. Just an answer amongst many.


Iceland uses its thermal power for near 100% of its energy. Ireland has wind and rain 300 odd days a year. Harness that and we could feed the World energy. Scotland and Wales have sufficient water & wind to handle their needs.

France doesn't give a sheet and uses 80% Nuclear.

England, on the other hand - is phhoked when the other two gain Independence. New Windscale coming roysh up.

As for the US? Just drop the Big One now. They take near half the Earths energy. Hello? China? We need a wee favour...

My MP just sent me a message to say the chairman of the Scottish Select Committee had allegedly threatened a female MP with a 'doing'. What do you reckon, did he mean "doing", "doing" or even "doing"? Where is ASBO when you need him?