The way this regime has been acting, I wouldn’t believe anything they release.
6 Likes
Another example of when reality imitates art, ala Man v Bee
2 Likes
Fake news.
St Patrick’s Day on Monday - the green flames are just a trial.
1 Like
STV news just now.
Man found guilty of driving his van over someone and dragging them several yards.
Then, reversing back over him before speeding off.
7 years.
The world is fucked
4 Likes
That’s long for a a road accident.
That’s not an accident.
Depends on who decides.
A friend of mine was killed on his motorbike by someone driving deliberately on the wrong side of the road. Was doubling a queue of trafic waiting their turn at a roundabout. 2 years suspended sentence.
I’ve come to the conclusion if you wish to kill some one just crush them with your car. Even if there’s witnesses the worst you’ll get is a suspended sentence. 
1 Like
Pretty much.
Cyclists in the UK are rather aware of this. It’s just enshrined motornormativity in society.
2 Likes
Which has a lot to answer for in the modern world.
3 Likes
@Livvy, this isn’t new. There are articles from last year about that topic.
Also, I suspect the ‘sustainibility times’ to be one of these purely AI-generated ‘information’ sites. Some of the articles in there are pure trash.
3 Likes
:0) Just read this and thought I would share
Last weekend, I made the brilliant decision to buy my wife a 100,000-volt pocket-sized Taser for her safety. Seems reasonable, right? What could go wrong?
Let me tell you a tale…
I brought the Taser home, loaded it with two AAA batteries, and was disappointed when pushing the button didn’t do anything. A quick read of the instructions told me to press it against a metal surface for a blue arc of electricity. Cool, right? It worked. (Apologies to Dana for the burn mark on the microwave.)
Now, as a responsible husband, I thought: “I should test this thing to be sure it’s effective before handing it to my wife.” My cat Leo, watching with wide-eyed curiosity, briefly crossed my mind as a test subject, but I love him too much for that (don’t worry, Leo). So naturally, I decided to test it on myself.
I sat in my recliner, wearing a singlet and shorts, and carefully read the directions.
1-second burst: mild shock and disorientation.
2-second burst: muscle spasms and loss of control.
3-second burst: full-on fish-out-of-water flopping.
“It’s just two AAA batteries,” I thought. How bad could it be? Famous last words.
I touched the prongs to my thigh and pressed the button.
What followed can only be described as an out-of-body experience. I’m pretty sure the gates of heaven briefly opened. Hulk Hogan definitely body-slammed me, recliner and all. I woke up in the fetal position, drenched in sweat, with my body convulsing like I’d been plugged into a power grid.
Highlights of my post-shock survey:
The recliner was upside down and 8 feet away.
My cat was clinging to the fireplace mantle, meowing like a banshee.
My reading glasses had taken up residence on the TV.
Both nipples, my right thigh, and my pride were twitching uncontrollably.
Drooling was my new normal, and I might have lost control of… other bodily functions.
Oh, and my testicles? They still haven’t been located. Reward offered.
Dana? She laughed until tears ran down her face, absolutely loved the gift, and now wields it as a threat in our household.
Moral of the story: Don’t test a Taser on yourself. Ever. For any reason.
10 Likes
Reminds me of this Kiwi listeners’ story about an electric fence and a lawn mower
4 Likes
1 Like
There should be more accountability when things like this happen. Without implementing an ounce of common-sense into the equation - it is the unperturbed actions by the few, that impact upon so many.
Labour council accused of ‘destroying’ beauty spot
The pruning of trees at Coronation Park in Port Glasgow did not need to be ‘so drastic’, one local argued
Bosses at a Labour-led council have been accused of “destroying” trees at a beauty spot.
Trees lining a path through Coronation Park, in Port Glasgow, Scotland, have been cut back by council workers.
Inverclyde council officials said the pollarding work, which chopped the tops of the trees, had been carried out for health and safety reasons and would prevent the canopies blocking light to the path, which was encouraging moss to grow and was a “trip hazard”.
But Louise Gault, a wedding photographer, who uses the canopy of trees as a backdrop for photos of newly married couples, said its appearance has been “destroyed”. Photographs show a stark line of leafless trunks now line the path.
Ms Gault said: “I couldn’t believe it when I saw what they had done to the trees. I am no expert, but it is horrendous. That will take many, many years to grow back.
“Everyone from Port Glasgow wants their photographs taken at Coronation Park. It is one of my favourite places for wedding pictures. It looked beautiful, but that has now been destroyed.”
She argued that the work did not need to be “so drastic”, adding: “I just think it is a real shame.”
The trees in Coronation Park are a ‘favourite place’ for wedding pictures
Thomas Klein and his wife Stacy, who live in Port Glasgow, had their wedding photos taken underneath the trees in the autumn.
Mr Klein said: “I just think it is shocking. Everyone from Port Glasgow wants to have their photographs taken there. My wife is from Port Glasgow and wanted the Coronation Park for our pictures. But now people won’t be able to get their photographs taken at the spot.”
An Inverclyde council spokesman said the trees were “growing too close to each other” and “were in fact starting to grow into each other”.
He added: “Their canopies were also blocking light onto the paths underneath and causing moss to grow, which was becoming a slip hazard. The trees have therefore been crown raised – a tree-pruning technique – in the interests of public safety and tree health to prolong the lifespan of trees.”
The council has previously come under fire for cutting back trees in Greenock’s west end. A number of trees were pollarded in 2021 and are still years away from returning to their previous state, experts have said.
2 Likes
Those trees needed pruning.
They should have been pruned from the start.
What they have done will be a big ‘shock’ to the trees even so they should be back looking strong within 2 seasons. Hope they prune them more regularly from now on. As they are they risk growing vertically.
3 Likes
You right… pruning or thinning is all they probably needed