WTF! Stranger than fiction facts.

[Ulysses]

4 minutes ago, Tazio said:

The wee hop in Shetland. 

 

The Digest says Orkney.  

[Ulysses]

The closest planet to Earth is Mercury.  In fact, Mercury is the closest planet to every other planet in the solar system.

[Tazio]

1 minute ago, Ulysses said:

 

The Digest says Orkney.  

Could be I've misremembered. It’s something daft like 45s in the air isn’t it? 

[Ulysses]

1 minute ago, Tazio said:

Could be I've misremembered. It’s something daft like 45s in the air isn’t it? 

 

The record is 53 seconds, but the scheduled flight time is something like a minute and a half.

 

The shortest commercial flight I've ever taken was from Glasgow to Edinburgh.  We were officially under way for 12 minutes, but I think we were in the air for about 9-10.

[Ulysses]

If you want to pick up viruses and malware on the internet, you're three times more likely to do so on a religious website than a porn site.

[henrysmithsgloves]

24 minutes ago, Ulysses said:

If you want to pick up viruses and malware on the internet, you're three times more likely to do so on a religious website than a porn site.

What happens when you visit a porn site religiously.... asking for a friend 😄

[Ulysses]

10 minutes ago, henrysmithsgloves said:

What happens when you visit a porn site religiously.... asking for a friend 😄

 

Porn-again christian?

[ri Alban]

1 hour ago, Ulysses said:

The closest planet to Earth is Mercury.  In fact, Mercury is the closest planet to every other planet in the solar system.

On average,  but not at each planets closet point. That would then be Venus,  as Earth's closest neighbour. 

[henrysmithsgloves]

41 minutes ago, Ulysses said:

 

Porn-again christian?

[Ulysses]

29 minutes ago, ri Alban said:

On average,  but not at each planets closet point. That would then be Venus,  as Earth's closest neighbour. 

 

Indeed, but of course planets are only at their closest points for a brief period of time.  Venus spends a huge percentage of its orbit on the other side of the Sun from Earth, but Mercury orbits the Sun more quickly.  It never gets as close to Earth as Venus does, but for most of the time it's a little closer to Earth than Venus is.  Apparently, the same logic works for every planet because of Mercury's relatively quick orbit.  So on average, Mercury is closest to all the planets.

[Ulysses]

24 minutes ago, henrysmithsgloves said:

 

I did rob it from somewhere else, I have to admit. 

[ri Alban]

3 hours ago, Ulysses said:

 

Indeed, but of course planets are only at their closest points for a brief period of time.  Venus spends a huge percentage of its orbit on the other side of the Sun from Earth, but Mercury orbits the Sun more quickly.  It never gets as close to Earth as Venus does, but for most of the time it's a little closer to Earth than Venus is.  Apparently, the same logic works for every planet because of Mercury's relatively quick orbit.  So on average, Mercury is closest to all the planets.

It's actually mental when you think of the distances. Pluto has orbited the Sun only 8 times since the year 1BC.

[henrysmithsgloves]

45 minutes ago, ri Alban said:

It's actually mental when you think of the distances. Pluto has orbited the Sun only 8 times since the year 1BC.

Felt like that here on some of the work contracts I've done 🤣

[ri Alban]

8 minutes ago, henrysmithsgloves said:

Felt like that here on some of the work contracts I've done 🤣

Bad weather has finally done me in. I'm now officially to old(Too unfit and fat) to work on new build roof tiling. 😢 The flu or covid has other fecked my lung capacity. 

 

Anyway , I'm away to orbit my moon above the lavy pan. 💩

Edited January 19 by ri Alban

[ri Alban]

If you brought folk here from 200 years ago, would they be in amazement or terror with the amount of people over the age of 60? 

[henrysmithsgloves]

1 minute ago, ri Alban said:

Bad weather has finally done me in. I'm now officially to old(Too unfit and fat) to work on new build roof tiling. 😢 The flu or covid has other fecked my lung capacity. 

 

Anyway , I'm away to orbit my moon above the lavy pan.

Rough casting the lavvy?😂

[ri Alban]

Just now, henrysmithsgloves said:

Rough casting the lavvy?😂

Artexing ma man, Artexing!

[henrysmithsgloves]

1 minute ago, ri Alban said:

Artexing ma man, Artexing!

😂

[John Gentleman]

On 18/01/2024 at 09:09, the posh bit said:

King Henry VIII had at least 4 Grooms of the Stool, whose role in life was to wipe his fat manky arse. He knighted 3 of them. 

I thought it was "Gentleman of the Bedchamber"? I came across that while researching my surname's origins............amongst a few others.

[John Gentleman]

6 hours ago, henrysmithsgloves said:

What happens when you visit a porn site religiously.... asking for a friend 😄

You login with a prayer instead of a password? 

[il Duce McTarkin]

1 hour ago, ri Alban said:

If you brought folk here from 200 years ago, would they be in amazement or terror with the amount of people over the age of 60? 

 

Neither.

[FWJ]

1 hour ago, ri Alban said:

If you brought folk here from 200 years ago, would they be in amazement or terror with the amount of people over the age of 60? 

I wonder about what they’d think about the number of obese people around today.

In fact you’d only need to get people from 50 years ago.

[ri Alban]

38 minutes ago, il Duce McTarkin said:

 

Neither.

400 Yr ago? 

[ri Alban]

34 minutes ago, FWJ said:

I wonder about what they’d think about the number of obese people around today.

In fact you’d only need to get people from 50 years ago.

Plenty fat ***** 50 year ago. Then it was greedy *******s, now food is horrendous. 

Edited January 19 by ri Alban

[il Duce McTarkin]

28 minutes ago, ri Alban said:

400 Yr ago? 

 

Neither.

[henrysmithsgloves]

2 hours ago, John Gentleman said:

You login with a prayer instead of a password? 

🤣🤣

[kila]

8 hours ago, Ulysses said:

If you want to pick up viruses and malware on the internet, you're three times more likely to do so on a religious website than a porn site.

 

Does the same apply to catching viruses from orthodox religious people compared to porn stars?

 

[FWJ]

1 hour ago, ri Alban said:

Plenty fat ***** 50 year ago. Then it was greedy *******s, now food is horrendous. 

Obesity rates have tripled in the last 60 years 

Morbid obesity (BMI > 40) was once exceptional.  
In the US (and we’re not far behind) the number of obese people now number more that 42% - that’s not simply overweight, but obese.

The number of severely obese people is now pushing 10%

[RobboM]

The guy who owned the Segway company died when his segway went over a cliff.

I listened to this podcast yesterday, terrific tale which paints a completely different story behind that Stranger than Fiction headline

https://timharford.com/2023/02/cautionary-tales-the-hero-who-rode-his-segway-off-a-cliff/

[Dawnrazor]

You can't walk more than 18 miles in any direction before hiting a road in England, it's 40 odd in Scotland.

[Taffin]

1 minute ago, Dawnrazor said:

You can't walk more than 18 miles in any direction before hiting a road in England, it's 40 odd in Scotland.

 

Good fact, I like that. I wonder what the average is distance is. 

[the posh bit]

2 hours ago, FWJ said:

I wonder about what they’d think about the number of obese people around today.

In fact you’d only need to get people from 50 years ago.

 

You could go back 40 years and get the same reaction regarding obesity. The amount of gannets waddling around these days is unreal. 

[Ribble]

45 minutes ago, Dawnrazor said:

You can't walk more than 18 miles in any direction before hiting a road in England, it's 40 odd in Scotland.

 

44.43 miles from the A9 over the cairngorms before you finally hit a road just south of Corgarff

 

18.56 miles in England, it's in the north pennines starting near the A686 ending on the B6276 east of Market brough

[redjambo]

4 minutes ago, Ribble said:

 

44.43 miles from the A9 over the cairngorms before you finally hit a road just south of Corgarff

 

18.56 miles in England, it's in the north pennines starting near the A686 ending on the B6276 east of Market brough

 

More info for those interested.

 

https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/blog/gbs-longest-linear-walk-without-crossing-a-road

[Dawnrazor]

14 minutes ago, Ribble said:

 

44.43 miles from the A9 over the cairngorms before you finally hit a road just south of Corgarff

 

18.56 miles in England, it's in the north pennines starting near the A686 ending on the B6276 east of Market brough

👍

[JWL]

On 18/01/2024 at 00:07, redjambo said:

 

It was indeed 6. 3 were annulled though. So, legally you are correct, but in practical terms he married 6 women and had them as wifes.

 

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

 

I'm just going on what Stephen Fry says.

 

 

[redjambo]

8 minutes ago, JWL said:

 

I'm just going on what Stephen Fry says.

 

 

 

Fair enough, JWL, but I disagree with him in that although legally the marriages never took place, in reality they did. Splitting hairs though. Did I actually use the word "wifes" though. The slippery slope.

[JudyJudyJudy]

22 minutes ago, redjambo said:

wifes

I did note that earlier but I’m no the grammar polis so just let it slip . It’s not the biggest crime on this ( oh wait !!! 😂) 

[Boof]

12 hours ago, Ulysses said:

 

The Digest says Orkney.  

 

Yep. Westray to Papa Westray. Or the return flight depending on the wind direction  

[redjambo]

1 hour ago, JudyJudyJudy said:

I did note that earlier but I’m no the grammar polis so just let it slip . It’s not the biggest crime on this ( oh wait !!! 😂) 

 

I've just checked it and "wifes" is surprisingly correct but non-standard and archaic, just like me. So, a shaky pass this time but last warning.

[JudyJudyJudy]

Just now, redjambo said:

 

I've just checked it and "wifes" is surprisingly correct but non-standard and archaic, just like me. So, a shaky pass this time but last warning.

Phew ! Lucky escape but to be honest probably no one gave a deck 😂 but I know your a perfectionist and  have very high standards in posting your ( or is it you’re ?  ) comments ! 

[redjambo]

36 minutes ago, JudyJudyJudy said:

Phew ! Lucky escape but to be honest probably no one gave a deck 😂 but I know your a perfectionist and  have very high standards in posting your ( or is it you’re ?  ) comments ! 

 

Yoor.

[cheetah]

3 hours ago, redjambo said:

 

Fair enough, JWL, but I disagree with him in that although legally the marriages never took place, in reality they did. Splitting hairs though. Did I actually use the word "wifes" though. The slippery slope.

I would have been happier with 'splitting heirs' (although not technically correct)

[Maple Leaf]

5 hours ago, FWJ said:

Obesity rates have tripled in the last 60 years 

Morbid obesity (BMI > 40) was once exceptional.  
In the US (and we’re not far behind) the number of obese people now number more that 42% - that’s not simply overweight, but obese.

The number of severely obese people is now pushing 10%

It's noticeable in my lifetime.  When I was young, seeing an obese person was rare, and there was the usual comment about "Oh, that person has a gland problem" (whatever that is).

 

Now people simply eat too much and the food is high fat and high sugar.  The result is heart disease, diabetes, etc.  No wonder out health systems are overwhelmed.

[JudyJudyJudy]

14 minutes ago, Maple Leaf said:

Now people simply eat too much and the food is high fat and high sugar.  The

Thats the main cause really . Apart from weight gain due to meds 

[redjambo]

1 hour ago, cheetah said:

I would have been happier with 'splitting heirs' (although not technically correct)

😬

[ri Alban]

7 hours ago, FWJ said:

Obesity rates have tripled in the last 60 years 

Morbid obesity (BMI > 40) was once exceptional.  
In the US (and we’re not far behind) the number of obese people now number more that 42% - that’s not simply overweight, but obese.

The number of severely obese people is now pushing 10%

If needs sorted. Bur when the SG tries to do anything,  they get hammered for it. Parents have enough on their plates(Excuse the pun) out working,  so sometimes,  they're too tired to cook proper meals. 

I also think both parents working hasn't really helped.

[kila]

24 minutes ago, ri Alban said:

If needs sorted. Bur when the SG tries to do anything,  they get hammered for it. Parents have enough on their plates(Excuse the pun) out working,  so sometimes,  they're too tired to cook proper meals. 

I also think both parents working hasn't really helped.

 

Better regulation of processed food would help.

 

Adding shit ton of salt and sugar because it's low quality shite is a capitalist trick. I guess in the likes of the US they are more than happy to make money off the (really fat) sick too, so win win.

 

[ri Alban]

1 minute ago, kila said:

 

Better regulation of processed food would help.

 

Adding shit ton of salt and sugar because it's low quality shite is a capitalist trick. I guess in the likes of the US they are more than happy to make money off the (really fat) sick too, so win win.

 

Both highly addictive.  But again, when the government tries to do something,  the usual attacks dogs come calling.

[Tazio]

In 1935, fishermen caught a tiger shark and put it on display in an aquarium in Sydney. 

Shortly after, the shark fell ill, vomiting in front of a small crowd. Among the contents was a left hand and forearm bearing a distinctive tattoo. Fingerprints confirmed the limb belonged to James "Jim" Smith, a former boxer and petty criminal who had been missing since April 7, 1935.

Upon examination, it was discovered that the limb had been deliberately severed with a knife, leading to a murder investigation.

Initial investigations pointed towards a Sydney businessman named Reginald William Lloyd Holmes. Holmes, known for his fraudulent activities and smuggling, also managed a prosperous family boat-building business.

Holmes had hired Smith multiple times for insurance scams.They later joined forces in criminal endeavors with Patrick Francis Brady, an ex-serviceman and convicted forger.

Smith was last spotted at the Cecil Hotel in the southern Sydney suburb of Cronulla on April 7, 1935, enjoying drinks and cards with Patrick Francis Brady. Prior to this, he had informed his wife that he was going fishing.

During that period, Brady had rented a small cottage on Taloombi Street, Cronulla. Police suspected that Smith met his unfortunate fate at this very cottage, alleging it to be the location of his murder.

Port Hacking and Gunnamatta Bay were searched by the Navy and the Air Force, but the rest of Smith's body was never found.

Brady was arrested on 16 May and charged with the murder of Smith.

Initially, Holmes denied any association with Brady but four days later, on 20 May 1935, the businessman went into his boatshed and attempted suicide by shooting himself in the head with a .32 calibre pistol. 

However, the bullet instead flattened against the bone of his forehead and he was merely stunned. 

Holmes eventually cooperated with the police stating that Brady had killed Smith, dismembered his body and stowed it into a trunk that he had then thrown into Gunnamatta Bay.