All golf clubs... before being infected with the drive to reduce everything to bland numbers!

Is that some sort of catch question...? :-)(Same pronunciation either way - but transAtlantic difference in spelling.)

Well, if anyone knowing me personally is wondering similarly, they will rule me out immediately! I could probably sleep across a king-size bed!

It is an ad or catalogue photo for some name-brand outfit, using a sample too large for her so its slips off her shoulder, but the real fault is that she is smiling....

A Question From 3-4 000 miles to the East....Does Donald Trump really wear some sort of orange make-up, or does he have a yellowish-brown tinge to his skin that looks orange in a lot of photographs, and is easy bait for his detractors?

I think for some styles, it's supposed to look sultry and sexy, but usually ends up as a sneering scowl as if the woman has no time for the photographer or the designer (?) of the clothes... which she probably doesn't, despite the money.I have seen far mo...  moreI think for some styles, it's supposed to look sultry and sexy, but usually ends up as a sneering scowl as if the woman has no time for the photographer or the designer (?) of the clothes... which she probably doesn't, despite the money.I have seen far more fashion and other advertising photos whose models are smiling."A smile is the best make-up any girl can wear" - Marilyn Monroe.Source: a transfer left on my lounge wall by the home's previous owner. I like it so much I keep it!  

No.It would not mean much to me at all. Besides, accepting people for who they are or where they fit the 'Access'-like alphabet-soup of categories, is fine; but why flaunt that you do?

Definitely not - nor have I any tattoos.I don't like any such adornments.

I think nearly £100 - but it was PPE, not everyday wear. Actually a tough cordura over-suit (one-piece overall) for caving in.I would spend money like that and more on a decent foul-weather jacket, too; but nothing like that amount for an ordinary g...  moreI think nearly £100 - but it was PPE, not everyday wear. Actually a tough cordura over-suit (one-piece overall) for caving in.I would spend money like that and more on a decent foul-weather jacket, too; but nothing like that amount for an ordinary garment. I have even bought a few small clothes in young-teenage sizes because I am short, and children's clothes are VAT-free!(Strictly speaking I think they are VAT-rated, rather than totally exempt, but at 0%.)  

Brighter than the cows and dogs you suggest, but no brighter than they should be!

Of that lot, I identified 9 out of the 32 trade-marks and that was about it!I do not play video games so am a non-starter there. The number / letter puzzles defeated me but I can't help thinking they are not quite what they seem!Here's a "series" with two...  moreOf that lot, I identified 9 out of the 32 trade-marks and that was about it!I do not play video games so am a non-starter there. The number / letter puzzles defeated me but I can't help thinking they are not quite what they seem!Here's a "series" with two gaps. I would expect very few non-Britons to know at all, and not many Britons nowadays to identify and complete (and that statement is a hint):1/4,   1/2,   1,   2,  --,  6,  12,  24,  30,  --,  120,  240,  1200,  2400,  4800Answers below...' '@@'Keep scrolling....PPPaerqzv...%%^&this is probably deep enough.another line or two to be on the...   .. safe side...AnswerIt is not an arithmetical or geometrical progression, but was the number of Pennies in the pre-decimal British currency units (so before 1971), in coins and notes from the Farthing to the £20 note. The farthing had already disappeared, in the 1960s.The two missing ones are 3 and 60, highlighted. The set with ...    less

I would not have minded even reaching the level of college lecturer, let alone a university professor (an accepted researcher who also supervises students at PhD level and may head a particular school in his or her university).Had I been of that exalted p...  moreI would not have minded even reaching the level of college lecturer, let alone a university professor (an accepted researcher who also supervises students at PhD level and may head a particular school in his or her university).Had I been of that exalted profession, it would have been in one of the Science or Engineering disciplines - for the former, perhaps Geology.However, unable to learn mathematics I had no chance of a professional career in either Science or Engineering, in industry or academia; but did womble through 40+ years' life at workshop and laboratory floor level in them!  less

My longest-term friend died from it. It was actually Covid that provided the knock-out blow but on top of severe Alzheimer's and a heart problem - three much older women in the same care-home had Covid but survived.Towards the end he had lost his power of...  moreMy longest-term friend died from it. It was actually Covid that provided the knock-out blow but on top of severe Alzheimer's and a heart problem - three much older women in the same care-home had Covid but survived.Towards the end he had lost his power of speech to the extent he could sometimes put two or three words together (one was often "no!") but was mostly just gabbled incoherently when he tried.As his wife remarked, we have no idea what people in that state actually do know or think.  So it's quite possible that by then he no longer knew what was wrong with him. Or even if he knew anything was.....  less

The Internet!I avoided it for a long time, but I think my first serious use was in finding the National Grid Reference (UK Ordnance Survey Map system) for a particular geographical feature not on the maps themselves.''''''A so-called "smart"-'phone. I was...  moreThe Internet!I avoided it for a long time, but I think my first serious use was in finding the National Grid Reference (UK Ordnance Survey Map system) for a particular geographical feature not on the maps themselves.''''''A so-called "smart"-'phone. I was talked into a complicated package involving one, and LG2017, a few years ago. It was difficult to use, and such a clumsy, heavy object, that I sold it to my sister and bought a simple, cheap-and-cheerful thing with buttons not virtual keys; and registered it as PAYG. It's rated as "3G" - not sure what that means but I gather it is a level of service and it will end at some time fairly soon. I have no idea what that will mean in practice for me. What's particularly striking about my little DORO 'phone is that telephone calls by voice are its primary purpose, texts only secondary (and awkward). On that LG, voice-telephony appeared to have been a subsidiary feature. A portable radio-telephone by which one may readily hold conversations... I wonder if that will cat...    less

I'd guess my three radios I use every day are 1980s-90s. Still fine except the volume controls are starting to become worn. I've a DAB radio I won in a charity raffle at work several years ago now (Ye Gods! I've been retired for 6 years now. Eek!) Took it...  moreI'd guess my three radios I use every day are 1980s-90s. Still fine except the volume controls are starting to become worn. I've a DAB radio I won in a charity raffle at work several years ago now (Ye Gods! I've been retired for 6 years now. Eek!) Took it out of the box a few months ago, tried to fathom out the instructions, gave up and re-packed it. I don't want over-complicated given that my listening alternates between two channels with occasional forays into a third, and selectively, not blindly like supermarket "music". The electronic signal-analysers I used at work were simpler, or at least had better instructions.  less

"stream anything you like."Music maybe, but what about broadcast radio programmes as they happen?

The question implies the ladder is rigidly attached to the side or the superstructure of the boat. In that case its height above the water will remains constant despite the changes in water level.

I've had a go at archery (longbow) but never taken it up as a hobby.

If you consider the costs for a submarine cruise in the sort of vessel you specify would be "reasonable". I hate to think what you'd consider an expensive holiday! :-)

Picking blackberries    ....in the nude.

Yes. Only last week!Not a shop but a pub, when I was away on a short holiday. I bought a drink, ordered a meal and asked if I could set up a slate - this is an establishment where I'm known well enough to be trusted, but it has been defrauded sometimes by...  moreYes. Only last week!Not a shop but a pub, when I was away on a short holiday. I bought a drink, ordered a meal and asked if I could set up a slate - this is an establishment where I'm known well enough to be trusted, but it has been defrauded sometimes by visitors. The manager agreed but didn't hold my bank-card.I sat chatting to the landlord and locals until closing-time, totally forgot I'd still to pay; and no-one reminded me!I was in my accommodation only next door for only five minutes, remembered, dashed back round but they'd already locked up and turned off the lights. The landlord was outside the hotel door next morning so I told him what'd I'd done."Pay tonight", he said.So I did, first thing, before buying a beer.... that with cash.  less

A wheel yes, many times. A tyre, no....Though I've sometimes had to use the jack under the end of the spanner, against the car's weight, to slacken wheel-nuts tightened by some mechanic who can't be bothered to set his air-spanner torque correctly!

Not me. It's hard enough pedalling to generate enough electrickery to type this, let alone re-charge a battery-driven car (assuming I've managed to park it close enough to my home for the 100-odd metres of cable I've laid along the street; and no-one trip...  moreNot me. It's hard enough pedalling to generate enough electrickery to type this, let alone re-charge a battery-driven car (assuming I've managed to park it close enough to my home for the 100-odd metres of cable I've laid along the street; and no-one trips over, cuts, drives over or pinches  that).  

Living in the country that invented them way back in the mid-20C (1930s?) I'm used to them. We had two perfectly good roundabouts on the main road through our town, one with lovely shrubs and flowers on it; but in the run-up to the part we hosted of the 2...  moreLiving in the country that invented them way back in the mid-20C (1930s?) I'm used to them. We had two perfectly good roundabouts on the main road through our town, one with lovely shrubs and flowers on it; but in the run-up to the part we hosted of the 2012 Olympics they were needlessly swept away and replaced by enormous traffic-light controlled junctions that are far worse and potentially more dangerous. In fact one set of lights had to be re-timed after many complaints and near-misses, and some actual accidents.Properly designed and properly used (and I have used them in France and Norway as well as the UK, so have known the anti-clockwise ones) they are simple and efficient; but some can be confusing, depending on the approach roads.The classic ill-design by some theoretician who probably never had to use it, was in a sprawling new development in the Wiltshire town of Swindon. I say "was" because I do not know if it still exists. The central disc was not much larger than that in Sirena's second photo, but i...    less

Whatever the origins of that photograph, I don't know how "starving" or ill-equipped the North Korean army is in reality, and anyway it would presumably be supplied by Russia in a mixture of normal military systems and by sheer looting.I wonder though abo...  moreWhatever the origins of that photograph, I don't know how "starving" or ill-equipped the North Korean army is in reality, and anyway it would presumably be supplied by Russia in a mixture of normal military systems and by sheer looting.I wonder though about the word "volunteers".  I'd also wonder what's in it for the North Korean rulers. For them it may be an opportunity for sowing even more instability in the world; or they might simply be trying to curry favour, as they have very few friends in the world apart from China. It is risky though for President Kim's mob. Whilst they are not likely to care about their troops' death-tolls ("dead heroes") they might well lose plenty of living ones by defection if their Russian comrades-in-arms seem better equipped, fed, trained etc; and of course by exposure to two obviously much wealthier countries they know nothing of except as one being an "enemy" they must destroy. It sounds like desperation on Putin's part, and a recipe for chaos, not least due to the huge la...    less

Mmmm, good question!I suppose one might even count the petrol-fuelled car - stretching the point a bit but the battery is there to start it, and to run some auxiliaries when the engine is off!Otherwise..... and counting both primary and secondary (recharg...  moreMmmm, good question!I suppose one might even count the petrol-fuelled car - stretching the point a bit but the battery is there to start it, and to run some auxiliaries when the engine is off!Otherwise..... and counting both primary and secondary (rechargeable) cells, yes it certainly adds up. I decided to try and count them:I have -  - three radios that can be powered from batteries although I normally run them from the mains, - a  small label printer that takes no less than 6 AA-size cells (despite it being of a leading make and having a p.s.u socket, I cannot obtain a mains-driven p.s.u. for it), - small battery-powered electric drill / screwdriver (and a much more massive one whose batteries have practically expired and now not replaceable).  - a camping lantern whose battery may be recharged by winding a handle or from a mains p.s.u. - which I do not have for it; - two caving lamps; one taking either class of cell, but the other has a less-common size of secondary cell with USB...    less

Welcome back, Rosie!At a purely personal level it would be disease and money; but wider than that I worry about political extremism of any direction. 

I have, once.Learning subsequently about the Lyme Disease they can carry, and that ticks are prevalent in our county's woods (thanks to deer), has made me more careful...

Not sure about the vomiting but pulling them out incorrectly can result in fragments of the tick left in the wound, and they are likely to turn septic. That though is not the source of Lyme Disease. If you have been infected that is likely to have happene...  moreNot sure about the vomiting but pulling them out incorrectly can result in fragments of the tick left in the wound, and they are likely to turn septic. That though is not the source of Lyme Disease. If you have been infected that is likely to have happened before you even notice the creature is feeding on you. Its pathogen (a bacterium I think) is transmitted in the mite's saliva.  

It's unlikely they'd have been designed with future use in mind so deterioration would not have matter. What a contrast with the deep-space probes that not only work fully when new, but keep working long after their expected service life - a great tribute...  moreIt's unlikely they'd have been designed with future use in mind so deterioration would not have matter. What a contrast with the deep-space probes that not only work fully when new, but keep working long after their expected service life - a great tribute to the scientists and engineers who designed them, and the technicians who made them.  

Was that manual control really any worse than being forced to operate the TV while slumped in the armchair, though...?On holiday with friends in Eire some 30 years ago now, we found a delightful old pub that looked for all the world unchanged since the 19...  moreWas that manual control really any worse than being forced to operate the TV while slumped in the armchair, though...?On holiday with friends in Eire some 30 years ago now, we found a delightful old pub that looked for all the world unchanged since the 1920s - apart from the prices (thought the Guinness was of course, excellent) and the large colour TV high on the wall opposite the bar. At closing-time the landlord used his remote control to press the "off" switch from behind the counter: a long and careful reach at arm's-length with a billiards cue!.I have no TV so have never mastered the arcane art of operating these things. My work occasionally meant staying away in hotels for a week or so, where obviously I was unable to watch the telly in my room. That was no hardship, but unfortunately there was no radio! Or perhaps it was embedded in the TV set I could not drive. The work itself sometimes involved using very advanced industrial electronic measuring equipment, but that was easy compared to domestic applian...    less

'Orrible word! I have no favourite of them because my phone has none of them.It has a few auxiliaries like an alarm-clock I use very occasionally, and a calculator so basic it does not even have a decimal point!

I shop as and when rather than in bulk, for food, but when I do go mad and buy perhaps £50 - £60 worth at once it is generally from the discount chains. I go for their brands rather then the big-name ones also on offer, too, for things like ce...  moreI shop as and when rather than in bulk, for food, but when I do go mad and buy perhaps £50 - £60 worth at once it is generally from the discount chains. I go for their brands rather then the big-name ones also on offer, too, for things like cereals and sauces.What I'd not realised until a friend pointed out to me is that those contract-brands are better not only for your bank-balance but also your health. They once had an unfair reputation for not tasting "as good" so thought of lower-quality; but they are of comparable quality and the taste difference is due to them not being so heavily stuffed with sugar!Otherwise I do support my local, independent or semi-independent (contract) shops - where the likes of Tesco and the Co-Op have not destroyed them. Most of my bread and cakes are from a local bakery; most of my milk is via a shop but from a local dairy farm.  less

Yes - well, the main British equivalent (named 'Green Shield', I think). My parents collected them but I do not know how much use they made of them.In the 1970s, Esso gave away paper "Tiger Tokens" at so-many per gallon with the petrol they sold. I manage...  moreYes - well, the main British equivalent (named 'Green Shield', I think). My parents collected them but I do not know how much use they made of them.In the 1970s, Esso gave away paper "Tiger Tokens" at so-many per gallon with the petrol they sold. I managed to buy an angle-grinder and a jig-saw (electric) with them. It was not easy because it seemed every time I approached the catalogue "price" in tokens, that would go up!  In fact they ended the promotion, which had run for some years, before I saved enough for the latter tool, but I still bought it as Esso had the courtesy to allow you to add the cash balance on purchases made with the outstanding tokens after the scheme's closing date..  less

In the last few days: Some taps - not the kitchen-sink fittings, but the sort of taps that cut screw-threads in metal. A shredder for garden trimmings - my aim is to convert the shrub prunings to mulch.  Previously I'd been taking them to the Council...  moreIn the last few days: Some taps - not the kitchen-sink fittings, but the sort of taps that cut screw-threads in metal. A shredder for garden trimmings - my aim is to convert the shrub prunings to mulch.  Previously I'd been taking them to the Council "recycling" yard where although the garden waste is turned into compost for use in the town gardens or re-sale, I twigged that as far as my modest little garden is concerned, that was a bit wasteful and self-defeating. 'And not bought but repaired, a small tube-bender whose original operating mechanism had disintegrated.  less

No real computers were harmed in the making of that message.

I know I am not because I do not receive telephone calls from 'The Windows Corporation', telling me I have reported to it that I have committed serious errors and been used for criminal activity.

I think Trump would be further away, geographically!I can see why Russia might want back the territory it had sold to the USA in 1967: mineral reserves and control of the Bering Straits that may become a major sea-way with ice retreat. I can't imagine the...  moreI think Trump would be further away, geographically!I can see why Russia might want back the territory it had sold to the USA in 1967: mineral reserves and control of the Bering Straits that may become a major sea-way with ice retreat. I can't imagine the USA agreeing though; any more than the Greenlanders and Danes agreed to Trump apparently wanting to take over Greenland. Nor can I imagine the indigenous, settler-descendant and present immigrant, Alaskans wanting that either.  Even with the promise of becoming the home of an ex-Presidential golf-course speculator. Errr, never mind Putin, would they want him, though?  less

One of ex-KGB Liaison Officer Putin's closest allies is Archbishop Kirill, the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church and who as the ROC's delegate to the World Council of Churches, was the KGB's informant on international religious affairs and people.S...  moreOne of ex-KGB Liaison Officer Putin's closest allies is Archbishop Kirill, the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church and who as the ROC's delegate to the World Council of Churches, was the KGB's informant on international religious affairs and people.So President Putin probably thinks he, and his troops, have had Divine authority all along.  

Both my native town and the one in which have lived for the past sixty-odd years are within only a few miles of potential targets.My first place was less than ten miles from an important Royal Navy base. I live now a similar distance from a harbour that u...  moreBoth my native town and the one in which have lived for the past sixty-odd years are within only a few miles of potential targets.My first place was less than ten miles from an important Royal Navy base. I live now a similar distance from a harbour that used to be RN but is now commercial, and not very far from Army training ranges, so still close to possible strategic targets. Of the nearest regional civil airports, the closest is only about forty miles away; as is a military one.Those distances are uncomfortably low for a high-power nuclear weapon (I refuse to use that horrible slang word, 'nuke'), although it would need only some tens of kilotonnes power to destroy any such target.However, even living many tens of miles from a possible target would be a bit academic in a full-scale nuclear war as envisaged in the Cold War era.  We might be unaffected by the explosions themselves but could be in the path of their direct radiation and radio-active fall-out, and all the utilities, trades and services upon w...    less

That depends on the intensity and heat. Not long in very hot conditions.{Edited because....}I'd no sooner posted that, than the summary of the News on the radio announced a hot weather warning, with temperatures possibly as high as 33ºC in parts of E...  moreThat depends on the intensity and heat. Not long in very hot conditions.{Edited because....}I'd no sooner posted that, than the summary of the News on the radio announced a hot weather warning, with temperatures possibly as high as 33ºC in parts of England and hot weather for the next few days at least. These are unusual conditions for the British Isles, so many people are not accustomed to them and take risks with them. Those most at risks from the hazards of heat and UV radiation are the elderly and young children.  The advice includes avoiding as much as possible the greatest intensity of Sunlight, so the four hours centred on noon, i.e. 11am to 3pm British Summer Time - an hour ahead of physical noon. It seems too that French wine-growers have been buying land for vineyards in SE England, with a view to the climate eventually making the region better for some varieties that their home ones will become! (In fact there have been vineyards in Southern England for decades, and English wines have l...    less

I am not clever enough to assess how clever I really am! Clever at what, though?

They have to wear protective head-gear, but do any chefs still wear the top-hat style ones depicted in cartoons and on restaurant menus, etc.?All the kitchen and other food-preparation staff I have ever seen, wear closer-fitting cloth caps..

The complete wheel, yes. A tyre no. I don't have the tools and equipment for that!Though I've sometimes cursed whoever last changed the tyre, for tightening the wheel-nuts so hard I had to resort to such tricks as using the jack to lift the spanner enough...  moreThe complete wheel, yes. A tyre no. I don't have the tools and equipment for that!Though I've sometimes cursed whoever last changed the tyre, for tightening the wheel-nuts so hard I had to resort to such tricks as using the jack to lift the spanner enough to start it. The tyre-fitting garages use air-driven torques-spanners and I suspect some of the fitters don't bother to set the torques recommended by the vehicle manufacturers, but just leave them on anything high.   

I am not sure why the question is in the "Weather" category, but I like the Moon!It is lovely to see, it brings us the tides - I live in a coastal town.My bedroom faces South, and sometimes the full Moon is so bright it's almost uncomfortably so when I'm in bed!

Much of the advertising trade.Large chunks of the IT, telecommunications and financial trades.Property developers.Commercial branding consultants - they profit not from the public at large, but from board-room stupidity in large companies.Amusement-arcade...  moreMuch of the advertising trade.Large chunks of the IT, telecommunications and financial trades.Property developers.Commercial branding consultants - they profit not from the public at large, but from board-room stupidity in large companies.Amusement-arcades and the gambling trade.Up-in-price, down-in-value fast-food chains trading on spurious fashion.In Britain at least, the big chains that run the motorway service-stations, (and the fast-food joints therein!).The gadgets trade, selling e.g. :- - so-called "smart" loudspeakers,  - so-called "smart"' 'phones, - TVs that need complex remote controls to replace a couple of simple switches,  - much of the "electronickery" being built into modern cars,  - 'fridges with built-in 'phones, - "sleep masks", - umpteen kitchen, garden and toy items that over the decades, have been pushed hard as the latest "must-have", are a fad for a year or so, then become relegated to the backs of cupboards or garden sheds for ever more...  less

No. Whether legal or not, it can have long-term bad effects.Nor does "cannabis" in the so-called "recreational" meaning have any proper use as a pain-killer. It will act as an analgesic, apparently, but it still has the hazardous compounds alongside the p...  moreNo. Whether legal or not, it can have long-term bad effects.Nor does "cannabis" in the so-called "recreational" meaning have any proper use as a pain-killer. It will act as an analgesic, apparently, but it still has the hazardous compounds alongside the pain-reducing ones. Medical cannabinoid analgesics, like other plant-based medicines, use only the appropriate extracts. Also of course if you take cannabis with tobacco, you have the latter's hazards too!  

Probably not. The British equivalent is 0.1 penny, e.g. £1 78.9 a litre, and this has been used for years.It is an old trading trick, going back many decades at least, so it's not going to end in a hurry. For large prices, such as for furniture, the...  moreProbably not. The British equivalent is 0.1 penny, e.g. £1 78.9 a litre, and this has been used for years.It is an old trading trick, going back many decades at least, so it's not going to end in a hurry. For large prices, such as for furniture, the apparent reduction would be from a hundred to ninety-nine, Pounds or Dollars. For lesser values, pre-decimal shopkeepers in the UK often reduced the shillings by one penny: £10 19s 11d, rather than £11, for example.So I don't think we are going to see the 1/10 cent or 1/10 penny disappear from filling-stations even as the numbers preceding it increase.UK petrol prices are creeping towards £2 / litre (= £9.08 / UK gallon, which is bigger than the US gallon); but so far at least the oil companies seem to be trying to avoid going over that big psychological barrier. The filling-station still makes no more than a few pence profit from each litre, though; and over the years many garages even in suburban areas have stopped selling fuel to conc...    less

I wonder if the bad memories many people seem to have of poor school food stem from it having been badly cooked, not by what it was. Any food can be ruined if it's not cooked and served properly.  As for deep-fried hot-dogs... I will eat a hot-dog on...  moreI wonder if the bad memories many people seem to have of poor school food stem from it having been badly cooked, not by what it was. Any food can be ruined if it's not cooked and served properly.  As for deep-fried hot-dogs... I will eat a hot-dog on rare occasions, usually from a snack-van, but I think I'll leave the deep-fried ones to others! (I have never seen one, though.)  

If I had the money and somewhere to keep the vehicle I would anyway not use as everyday transport but could own only one, I am not sure which of these two. I have driven the former, owned by a friend, and have also owned the second example......1) LandRov...  moreIf I had the money and somewhere to keep the vehicle I would anyway not use as everyday transport but could own only one, I am not sure which of these two. I have driven the former, owned by a friend, and have also owned the second example......1) LandRover Series 2, probably short-wheelbase but with "station-wagon" full body. All the early Land-Rovers are sought-after by collectors but the Series One SWB version is a very much a 2-seater, and with a very small load area considering its intended purpose and customers.Not sure if petrol or diesel, as the latter is more fuel efficient but uses the more expensive fuel; but both are thirsty animals - I think even the Diesel version probably returned<30mpg, though that was not bad for its day. The Diesel LRs were also slower than the petrol ones, whose sensible top speed is perhaps 50-55mph,  although neither was built for 70mph motorway cruising. In UK distances that's not necessarily a great problem. Using a motorway journey familiar to me, if you could eve...    less