Author Topic: what I have learned today. (Read 864297 times)

Ham · « **Reply #2225 on:** 23 January, 2018, 08:55:17 am »

That the French tax garden sheds.....
http://www.20minutes.fr/societe/2206687-20180122-impots-taxe-cabanons-jardin-devrait-augmenter-2018

Sorry, link is in French - basically it's been around since 2012, just going up 3% and nobody likes it. Apparently it is a one off development tax working out at the payment end after some fiendish incredibly French calculations to be €70-€80 per M²

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #2226 on:** 24 January, 2018, 10:22:24 am »

About Bir Tawil, an area of the Nubian desert that both Egypt and Sudan claim belongs to the other country, due to an oddity of colonial border-drawing. The double border is quite obvious on maps but I'd always assumed that both areas of land were claimed by both countries.
Link with Guardian politics
Sample nutter who claims it as his own kingdom[/ur]

Canardly · « **Reply #2227 on:** 24 January, 2018, 11:32:56 am »

Quote from: Ham on 23 January, 2018, 08:55:17 am

That the French tax garden sheds.....
http://www.20minutes.fr/societe/2206687-20180122-impots-taxe-cabanons-jardin-devrait-augmenter-2018

Sorry, link is in French - basically it's been around since 2012, just going up 3% and nobody likes it. Apparently it is a one off development tax working out at the payment end after some fiendish incredibly French calculations to be €70-€80 per M²

Sounds eerily like window tax to me.

T42 · « **Reply #2228 on:** 24 January, 2018, 11:59:25 am »

Good thing we've only got a 230 m² barn.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #2229 on:** 26 January, 2018, 10:32:24 am »

That in late 19th C China, "horse racer" was used as an insult for Westerners, on a par with the rather more obvious "foreign devil" and "child eater".

fimm · « **Reply #2230 on:** 26 January, 2018, 12:24:37 pm »

That Stephen Fry was an extra in the film "Chariots of Fire" (as a Cambridge undergraduate, which is what he was IRL at the time).

Bledlow · « **Reply #2231 on:** 27 January, 2018, 08:40:31 pm »

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 24 January, 2018, 10:22:24 am

About Bir Tawil, an area of the Nubian desert that both Egypt and Sudan claim belongs to the other country, due to an oddity of colonial border-drawing. The double border is quite obvious on maps but I'd always assumed that both areas of land were claimed by both countries.
Link with Guardian politics
Sample nutter who claims it as his own kingdom[/ur]

Ah, but you see, you either claim the 1899 border or the 1902 border. There's no legal basis that anyone can think of to claim a hybrid. Sudan claims the 1902 border, & Egypt claims the 1899 border. This means that both claim the 20,000 km2 around Hala'ib, complete with Red Sea coastline, several thousand people, & possibly oil, & neither claims the uninhabited & apparently worthless 200 km2 of Bir Tawil.

Ham · « **Reply #2232 on:** 30 January, 2018, 06:44:01 pm »

That if you want a Cuba Tourist Visa direct from the consulate in London, you have to pay £39 each and pay by

(click to show/hide)

Alternatively, third party service agents will supply for £24.

ian · « **Reply #2233 on:** 30 January, 2018, 07:02:16 pm »

I remember when the US Embassy would only accept a bankers draft drawn on a particular branch of Barclays in Hannover Square (I sort of hope I'm making this up, but I suspect not). You did your interview, went to get the 'money' and came back to queue to hand it in with your passport. And about two weeks later you got the visa. Or, in my case, they lost it and claimed they hadn't (the clue was that they eventually found it, which they wouldn't have been able to do had they not lost it in the first place).

I hate getting visas, it's all cryptic instructions and processes, generally written in a language that superficially looks English. We do have a visa service for work but generally it's easier to do it myself as I'm in London (unless it's China or Russia, ain't worth the headaches). Reminds me, I have to figure out how to get into Ethiopia. And possibly out again. I once had to bribe my way out of Kazakhstan by paying for an 'exit visa' which seemed to be the man at the airport pocketing the cash in exchange for returning my passport. Mind you, much the same thing happened in Vancouver. They had some stupid airport improvement tax (a whopping CAN$10) payable on departure. I asked what happened if I declined to pay it. We don't let you leave said the smiley Canada.

Basil · « **Reply #2234 on:** 30 January, 2018, 07:39:26 pm »

I stood in a queue in the Grosvenor Square building for my first US visa in 1976 two places behind Jack Charlton.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #2235 on:** 30 January, 2018, 07:43:46 pm »

Quote from: ian on 30 January, 2018, 07:02:16 pm

I remember when the US Embassy would only accept a bankers draft drawn from a particular branch of Barclays in Hannover Square (I sort of hope I'm making this up, but I suspect not). You did your interview, went to get the 'money' and came back to queue to hand it in with your passport. And about two weeks later you got the visa. Or, in my case, they lost it and claimed they hadn't (the clue was that they eventually found it, which they wouldn't have been able to do had they not lost it in the first place).

It sounds remarkably similar to paying in a Soviet department store. Except that in GUM you could buy pretty posters of Uncle Vlad (the one with a beard, not the barechested judo star). Because free enterprise, for sure.

Wombat · « **Reply #2236 on:** 30 January, 2018, 08:35:34 pm »

Quote from: Ham on 30 January, 2018, 06:44:01 pm

That if you want a Cuba Tourist Visa direct from the consulate in London, you have to pay £39 each and pay by
(click to show/hide)
postal order!

(only other alternative is Banker's Draft. No cash or cheques or cards)

Alternatively, third party service agents will supply for £24.

If its any consolation, Sierra Leone visas are £170 a go, and they won't do long term ones if you visit regularly. Just as well that when I go, its at the request of a Sierra Leone Government department, so I get it free! I think they do accept payment by cheque, but as I don't pay, I can't be sure.

Beardy · « **Reply #2237 on:** 30 January, 2018, 10:12:19 pm »

I wonder if the EU will issue an EU wide visa, or if they’ll make a special case for us and insist on a different one for each country.

fuzzy · « **Reply #2238 on:** 30 January, 2018, 11:29:56 pm »

Back on the books from films/ films from books line of thinking, what about books that SHOULD be made into films?

I have suggested before that Rendevous with Rama would make a chuffing ace film (providing the dorectoid had a suitably huge budget).

I nominate James Cameron in his "Fuck it, lets build a real one" SFX mode as per Kim's The Abyss.

In other news- today I learned to tape drop handlebars. It's witchcraft I tell you!

Kim · « **Reply #2239 on:** 30 January, 2018, 11:44:24 pm »

Quote from: fuzzy (retd.) AAGE on 30 January, 2018, 11:29:56 pm

Back on the books from films/ films from books line of thinking, what about books that SHOULD be made into films?

I have suggested before that Rendevous with Rama would make a chuffing ace film (providing the dorectoid had a suitably huge budget).

I nominate James Cameron in his "Fuck it, lets build a real one" SFX mode as per Kim's The Abyss.

Morgan Freeman was working on one at one point (he always wanted to play Commander Norton apparently), but I think it turned out to be vapourwear.

I'd watch it.

fuzzy · « **Reply #2240 on:** 31 January, 2018, 12:03:55 am »

I can visualise Jimmy Pak flying his skybike towards the needles at the south pole- iMaxtastic!

Kim · « **Reply #2241 on:** 31 January, 2018, 12:09:49 am »

The Ridley Scott treatment could work, if he promises not to butcher the story too badly.

Cameron could do the genre-shifting sequel (story butchering positively encouraged). That usually works. Would need a good Nicole des Jardins.

T42 · « **Reply #2242 on:** 31 January, 2018, 07:47:43 am »

I learnt that a visit to A&E in Eire costs 100€.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_the_Republic_of_Ireland

Beardy · « **Reply #2243 on:** 31 January, 2018, 08:09:14 am »

books to Films

Any of the Culture stories, but I suspect that any film would just end up being a huge disappointment.

PaulF · « **Reply #2244 on:** 31 January, 2018, 08:11:55 am »

Logan Paul is more popular than Zoella.

Or was it the other way round? Never heard of either of them. I assume they must be popular beat combos

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #2245 on:** 31 January, 2018, 09:09:08 am »

Similarly, "Culture stories" makes me think "Club" (or petri dish but that's not very PBC). Hmm, how about "Books (and films) which should be bands"? Or vice versa.

Beardy · « **Reply #2246 on:** 31 January, 2018, 09:43:46 am »

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 31 January, 2018, 09:09:08 am

Similarly, "Culture stories" makes me think "Club" (or petri dish but that's not very PBC). Hmm, how about "Books (and films) which should be bands"? Or vice versa.

Foundation and Empire
Do andriods dream of electric sheep

ElyDave · « **Reply #2247 on:** 31 January, 2018, 11:15:41 pm »

Quote from: ian on 30 January, 2018, 07:02:16 pm

I remember when the US Embassy would only accept a bankers draft drawn on a particular branch of Barclays in Hannover Square (I sort of hope I'm making this up, but I suspect not). You did your interview, went to get the 'money' and came back to queue to hand it in with your passport. And about two weeks later you got the visa. Or, in my case, they lost it and claimed they hadn't (the clue was that they eventually found it, which they wouldn't have been able to do had they not lost it in the first place).

I hate getting visas, it's all cryptic instructions and processes, generally written in a language that superficially looks English. We do have a visa service for work but generally it's easier to do it myself as I'm in London (unless it's China or Russia, ain't worth the headaches). Reminds me, I have to figure out how to get into Ethiopia. And possibly out again. I once had to bribe my way out of Kazakhstan by paying for an 'exit visa' which seemed to be the man at the airport pocketing the cash in exchange for returning my passport. Mind you, much the same thing happened in Vancouver. They had some stupid airport improvement tax (a whopping CAN$10) payable on departure. I asked what happened if I declined to pay it. We don't let you leave said the smiley Canada.

Possibly the easiest being Azerbaijan, online form, small fee by credit card, press submit, about two days later email visa appears, print it out and take it with you.

Except my colleague who got confused between our working dates and entry dates. He was held at the airport until midnight. I, meanwhile was sleeping at the hotel.

T42 · « **Reply #2248 on:** 02 February, 2018, 09:51:41 am »

The Duke of Edinburgh put a dent in the first successful hovercraft.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hovercraft#SR.N1

Beardy · « **Reply #2249 on:** 08 February, 2018, 10:15:41 am »

Russell's Teapot.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell%27s_teapot

Now I'm an agnostic tending towards atheist, but I acknowledge people's right to believe what they will and think they should be allowed that freedom without the fundamentalists like Darkins haranguing them. Russell' teapot seems a reasonable approach, and in philosophical debate I'd have to agree. But I have oft thought that if you are going to be an arse about it, as Darkins so often is, then it's up to you to disprove it.