what I have learned today.

[Kim]

Surely the real skill is pooing without peeing?  I think you have to either be an astronaut or in advanced levels of digestive distress to manage that.

[chrisbainbridge]

surely this failure is caused by the prostate being pressed upon by the contents of the rectum and thus occluding the urethra

[rafletcher]

That in the good ole' US of A, parolee's have to make monthly payments to the state to cover their supervision fees.

[nicknack]

Surely the real skill is pooing without peeing?  I think you have to either be an astronaut or in advanced levels of digestive distress to manage that.

Well, quite.
Would have been useful about 52 years ago when caught short in the wilds of Scotland. Drop trousers, squat (I could then), have most satisfying crap whilst simultaneously peeing all over my trousers which were round my ankles.

[Adam]

My chap tells me that men cannot pee and poop at the same time.

I can do that.  Not on demand though. 

Occasionally I'll also blow my nose at the same time.  That's real multi-tasking.

[T42]

Wear a helmet.

[Mr Larrington]

Today I are learning that during the Siege of Paris the French used balloons to communicate with the rest of La Patrie.  One of which got blown off course.  The crew eventually found out where they were when said balloon came down in a forest and was swiftly surrounded by suspicious locals, probably wielding pitchforks and blazing torches, who were speaking Norwegian 

[Cudzoziemiec]

They were lucky it wasn't Hartlepool! 

[Mr Larrington]

 

[barakta]

That in the good ole' US of A, parolee's have to make monthly payments to the state to cover their supervision fees.

Yep. I learned this reading Peter Grinspoon's memoir about addiction. Grinspoon was a doctor and had wealth, but talked about how a lot of criminal and 'medical' addiction "treatment" in the USA was heavily punitive and impossible for poor people to adhere to, not least due to affordability as well as transport, childcare, trying to get any kind of job.

[ian]

There's another splendid catch in many state judicial systems in which they can (and do) punish non-driving offences with the suspension of your driving licence. Of course, this is the US, so if you want to earn money to pay for food (and court fines), you will very likely need to drive. So bingo, what do you find yourself in court for next?

[Cudzoziemiec]

You can have your driving licence revoked for non-driving offences in the UK too. I think it might be part of the Criminal Justice Act 2003. Or maybe some other act. I guess it's very rarely used though.

[Kim]

You can have your driving licence revoked for non-driving offences in the UK too. I think it might be part of the Criminal Justice Act 2003. Or maybe some other act. I guess it's very rarely used though.

Non-driving but I thought still motor-vehicle-related (eg. fraud, parking, stealing).

[T42]

Haven't heard of that happening here, but I do know that cycling offences can't affect your driving licence.

[Cudzoziemiec]

You can have your driving licence revoked for non-driving offences in the UK too. I think it might be part of the Criminal Justice Act 2003. Or maybe some other act. I guess it's very rarely used though.

Non-driving but I thought still motor-vehicle-related (eg. fraud, parking, stealing).

I remember Teh Julian mentioning it many years ago and she said it could be applied to any crime whatsoever that carried a prison sentence.

[Kim]

You can have your driving licence revoked for non-driving offences in the UK too. I think it might be part of the Criminal Justice Act 2003. Or maybe some other act. I guess it's very rarely used though.

Non-driving but I thought still motor-vehicle-related (eg. fraud, parking, stealing).

I remember Teh Julian mentioning it many years ago and she said it could be applied to any crime whatsoever that carried a prison sentence.

Apparently so:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2020/17/part/8/chapter/1

[Cudzoziemiec]

Top legislative googlefu, Kim!

[Cudzoziemiec]

My thing I learned today, or actually on Monday, is that Philistine is the Arabic pronunciation of Palestine. At least with an Iraqi accent, I dare say it's a bit different in say Moroccan dialect.

[Mrs Pingu]

Ardilla and murcielago are the Spanish words for sqrl and bat.

[Mr Larrington]

Murciélago was also a bull who:

• Allegedly survived a bullfight, and thus
• Had a Lamborghini named after him

[ian]

The concept of fabliau. This one – Le Chevalier Qui Fist Parler les Cons – is a bit special.

[T42]

A sort of C*nterbury Tale.

[Kim]

That the reason they specify a minimum thickness on disc brake pads isn't because the metal backing is a crap braking surface.  It's because once the pad wears below the thickness of the springamathing, it's prone to getting caught up in the holes in the rotor, making ungodly noises and optionally turning itself into a surprisingly effective ratchet mechanism.


This post sponsored by the it-should-last-until-spring school of bicycle maintenance.

[Diver300]

That mains electricity in much of Norway it the IT system where the neutral isn't earthed. That's the system used for shaver sockets in the UK. The system in Norway causes problems with some appliances designed for elsewhere.

[Kim]

That mains electricity in much of Norway it the IT system where the neutral isn't earthed. That's the system used for shaver sockets in the UK. The system in Norway causes problems with some appliances designed for elsewhere.

"We all float down here"