The Night Mail

[Happy Hippo]

1 minute ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

According to the blurb that came with the pre-op pack, the shampoo and nasal cream are to get rid of any MSSA (not MRSA) bacteria.

 

Dave

Just immerse yourself in a tank of Domestos, far less fuss🤣.

 

Just remember not to breathe in or swallow.

[Happy Hippo]

4 hours ago, SM42 said:

 Mrs SM42 does all the wet work. 

Respect!

 

Is it general Wetwork, or has your very good lady specialised?

 

 

[Willie Whizz]

15 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

But those second homes are concentrated into a few small areas such as North Norfolk driving up prices to such an extent that they are out of reach for most locals. 

That’s what I rather meant by “a few very specific locations” …
 

Given the overall percentages though, perhaps some of our Europe-based colleagues in countries that have a markedly higher proportion of second homes “for own occupation”, as mentioned in that report, could tell us whether the problem is proportionately even worse in their own equivalent desirable small areas; or if it isn’t an issue, then why not. 
 

Of course, the elephant in the room is that in the UK at least, many properties are not actually second homes “for own occupation” - not more than 3-4 weeks a year anyway - they are doubling-up as “investment properties” which for most of the year are let out to holidaymakers for a few days at a time. Nothing wrong with that in principle, but it effectively amounts to a sideline business, and the owners often don’t then like having to pay taxes, local and national, on that basis. If the regime was tightened-up, perhaps the problem of affordability for locals would diminish. 

[Winslow Boy]

2 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

Cloudy but dry in North Hipposhire. Today I begin preparations for my operation next Tuesday - showering with antibiotic shampoo and stuffing antibiotic cream up my nose to guard against opsite infections. The pamphlets describing what can happen if these measures are not taken are quite scary. What fun.

 

Just off now to feed the birds, possibly for the last time this year as I’m led to believe that it isn’t a good idea to feed them when they are nesting. Then it’s thorough hand washing time - the things you can apparently pick up from birds are horrible. What happened to the carefree life I used to lead?

 

Dave

Wouldn't it be easier if we just dunked you in a big vat of Jeyes Fluid. Not the new stuff, that's as weak as p&£s but the proper old-fashioned version that was like tar and left you smelling of fresh air.

Edited March 26 by Winslow Boy
Drat beaten by the Hippo.

[Dave Hunt]

49 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

That was our neighbour calling on my behalf.

 

We've had a glitch in the system and until it's sorted, your IFF transponder transmissions might not get picked up, with unfortunate consequences as you penetrate the Hippodrome's MATZ.

It’s OK, my Klingon cloaking device is working.

 

Dave

[PhilJ W]

I came across this  via an article in the NY Times.

https://bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12915-017-0401-7

Apparently some mammals such as blue whales and sheep suffer very few cancers. Perhaps @iL Dottore can comment on this.

[Dave Hunt]

I believe that hippos suffer few maladies. I reckon that’s because nothing in its right mind would go anywhere near a hippo.

 

Dave

[iL Dottore]

2 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

I came across this  via an article in the NY Times.

https://bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12915-017-0401-7

Apparently some mammals such as blue whales and sheep suffer very few cancers. Perhaps @iL Dottore can comment on this.

The article is fascinating (thank you for the link) and provides a much more coherent comment on the Peto Paradox than I could manage. But basically some of the reason for low cancer rates include 1) slower metabolisms, 2) "pimped up" immune systems, 3) differences in cell structure between species and 4) the "right" genes (and sometime multiple copies of the "right" genes).

 

I think that one of the reasons (and paradoxes) of human evolutionary success is that we aren't spectacularly good at much, but adequately good at most everything. We don't have the most acute eyesight, the keenest hearing, the most sensitive sense of smell, nor are we the strongest, fastest or most resilient - but it doesn't matter as the whole of us is greater than the sum of our individual "just about OK" parts.

 

For example, our immune systems and our bodily fitness are "just about OK". With, for example, wound healing: in man it averages between 4 -6 weeks to completely heal (although the wound healing process continues for much longer at a cellular level); in dogs it averages about 2 - 3 weeks (although, like with humans, healing continues at the cellular level for much longer). Opposable thumbs are probably the only thing that is more advantageous than the animal counterpart. As for intelligence, as Larry Niven quipped, it hasn't yet been proven to provide an evolutionary advantage.

 

Edited March 26 by iL Dottore
Typo

[jamie92208]

2 hours ago, Willie Whizz said:

That’s what I rather meant by “a few very specific locations” …
 

Given the overall percentages though, perhaps some of our Europe-based colleagues in countries that have a markedly higher proportion of second homes “for own occupation”, as mentioned in that report, could tell us whether the problem is proportionately even worse in their own equivalent desirable small areas; or if it isn’t an issue, then why not. 
 

Of course, the elephant in the room is that in the UK at least, many properties are not actually second homes “for own occupation” - not more than 3-4 weeks a year anyway - they are doubling-up as “investment properties” which for most of the year are let out to holidaymakers for a few days at a time. Nothing wrong with that in principle, but it effectively amounts to a sideline business, and the owners often don’t then like having to pay taxes, local and national, on that basis. If the regime was tightened-up, perhaps the problem of affordability for locals would diminish. 

According to our village website we have a population of 70 living in 38 main residences plus 16 maison secondaries.  I think it is a tad out of date.  I think that the population is about 62 of which 12 are expats, and 3 Parisians. 

 

Jamie

Edited March 26 by jamie92208

[Tony_S]

2 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

in a big vat of Jeyes Fluid. Not the new stuff, that's as weak as p&£s but the proper old-fashioned version that was like tar and left you smelling of fresh air.

I have mentioned before my sense of smell deficiency and misidentifying aromas like domestic gas and onions. Another one is that Jeyes fluid smells like old urine. 

[Tony_S]

2 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

sheep suffer very few cancers.

Perhaps they don’t live long enough to get cancer before scrapie gets them 

[Tony_S]

2 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

blue whales … suffer very few cancers

Probably because they don’t smoke

 

[SM42]

3 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

Respect!

 

Is it general Wetwork, or has your very good lady specialised?

 

 

 

She's a generalist 

 

Mop and bucket, sponge, wet cloth, in fact anything damp. 😁

 

Andy

[Winslow Boy]

32 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

I have mentioned before my sense of smell deficiency and misidentifying aromas like domestic gas and onions. Another one is that Jeyes fluid smells like old urine. 

What even the 'new' version.

[Winslow Boy]

29 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Perhaps they don’t live long enough to get cancer before scrapie gets them 

I think it would be the abattoir rather the scrapie. 

[Winslow Boy]

25 minutes ago, SM42 said:

 

She's a generalist 

 

Mop and bucket, sponge, wet cloth, in fact anything damp. 😁

 

Andy

So so long as she's 'dry' were ok are we?

[Happy Hippo]

29 minutes ago, SM42 said:

 

She's a generalist 

 

Mop and bucket, sponge, wet cloth, in fact anything damp. 😁

 

Andy

So really good at waterboarding and marine 'accidents'.

 

I'd call that a specialisation.

[SM42]

Interesting about the healing ability of us humans. 

 

One thing I find  quite remarkable is that there seems to be a hierarchy of healing. 

 

Important bits like the mouth seem to heal quite quickly, ( eating us important after all ) which given the damp environment is quite something. 

 

Less critical skin seems to take longer. 

 

I am however at a loss as to why some bits don't regrow like skin, which would be useful and how in certain circumstances, ( head injury for instance) the body's healing response  can have fatal consequences. 

 

Still I suppose we all gotta go sometime due to something. 

 

Self destruct is just not one you would expect

 

Andy

[Tony_S]

57 minutes ago, SM42 said:

Less critical skin seems to take longer. 

My mother had a skin graft. The graft was fine but the donor site never recovered. 

[Northmoor]

6 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

According to the blurb that came with the pre-op pack, the shampoo and nasal cream are to get rid of any MSSA (not MRSA) bacteria.

Be sure not to mix them up. 

Rinsing shampoo out of your nasal hair is hard enough without having to be upside down in the shower. 

Or perhaps I misread the instructions.

[AndyID]

4 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

The article is fascinating (thank you for the link) and provides a much more coherent comment on the Peto Paradox than I could manage. But basically some of the reason for low cancer rates include 1) slower metabolisms, 2) "pimped up" immune systems, 3) differences in cell structure between species and 4) the "right" genes (and sometime multiple copies of the "right" genes).

 

I think that one of the reasons (and paradoxes) of human evolutionary success is that we aren't spectacularly good at much, but adequately good at most everything. We don't have the most acute eyesight, the keenest hearing, the most sensitive sense of smell, nor are we the strongest, fastest or most resilient - but it doesn't matter as the whole of us is greater than the sum of our individual "just about OK" parts.

 

For example, our immune systems and our bodily fitness are "just about OK". With, for example, wound healing: in man it averages between 4 -6 weeks to completely heal (although the wound healing process continues for much longer at a cellular level); in dogs it averages about 2 - 3 weeks (although, like with humans, healing continues at the cellular level for much longer). Opposable thumbs are probably the only thing that is more advantageous than the animal counterpart. As for intelligence, as Larry Niven quipped, it hasn't yet been proven to provide an evolutionary advantage.

 

 

Another interesting article. These fish also seem to be good at repairing their DNA.

 

https://www.futurity.org/living-fossils-gars-ancient-fish-evolution-3188902/

 

 

[Dave Hunt]

27 minutes ago, Northmoor said:

Be sure not to mix them up. 

 

Unlike the chap who emigrated to Northern Canada and went to a lumber camp asking for a job. The camp boss decided to have a joke with the chap and said that to prove himself he'd have to shoot a grizzly bear then make l0ve to the old witch who lived nearby. The chap walked into the woods and was gone for several days before returning with his clothes in tatters and his body covered in bloody wounds. He walked up to the camp boss and said, "Right, now where's this old witch I've got to shoot?"

 

Dave 

Edited March 26 by Dave Hunt

[Tony_S]

8 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

Dave 

I think a couple of words have been removed by the censor system. 

[Dave Hunt]

12 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

I think a couple of words have been removed by the censor system. 

 

I've now filled in the gap with the words 'make l0ve'. I find it mind blowingly, stupidly futile that the system regarded the original as offensive.

 

Dave  

[SM42]

21 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

I've now filled in the gap with the words 'make l0ve'. I find it mind blowingly, stupidly futile that the system regarded the original as offensive.

 

Dave  

 

Sign of the times. 

 

Radio stations and music TV have been editing some words out of songs for ages, but some odd ones still get through that are far more parental advisory than those removed. 

 

I'm waiting for the mild expletive to be removed from Cool for Cats 

 

Recently a song was played on one station  with the word funky taken out. 

 

That could ruin a lot of songs as well as those they have already ruined. 

 

Legs is probably the oddest word I've heard  removed. 

 

Seems we are not allowed to decide for ourselves now that anonymous,  on line indignation  is so popular.

 

It's so refreshing here in the motherland to have unadulterated songs on the radio. 

 

Definitely parental guidance required in some cases.

 

Andy