Ratae's completely unofficial YCNMTU thread!

[banjo]

Private Eye, No. 1630, Page 24, Colemanballs (renamed I note, "Olympic Commentatorballs".)

"Quick one Paula, before it starts"

Attributed to Steve Cram, BBC1, although like anything one reads online and elsewhere that needs further citation.

[banjo]

I note that there is a burgeoning disquiet amongst those who see retirement slipping ever yonder, yet are saddled with contributing to pay for our retirees' miserable stipend.

That's how it was always intended to work numpties, only the government's retirement age has changed, and the age has already changed for many recipients (not to mention the WASPI Women.) Those of us who paid into the glorified ponzi scheme are only taking back out what they've put in, some of them have already been denied some of what they paid in for ... They will make us feel grateful for the triple lock all the while piling on at least as much (at employers' expense) through the national minimum wage.

But wait- I note that the minimum wage is now £11-44 per hour and has increased by something like 50% since 2018. Based on a 37 hour week that represents a weekly income of £423.28. Multiplying by 52 and dividing by 12 is an equivalent monthly income of £1693.12 or £20,317 per annum.

Now remind me, how much is the old age pension / state 2nd pension ? (provided you have a full complement of contributions.) £11,000 to £12,000? That's right- pensioners are already getting by on 2/3rds of the national minimum wage, and now without the winter heating allowance too.

What is the reasoning behind letting pensioners trying to balance heating with eating struggle on 2/3rds of the national minimum wage? It beats me but I do know that it's obscene and I'll argue that with any comer.

For those with conveniently pickled memories, Truss and Quasi Khartoum cattle-trucked our economy and in so doing stripped 15% of the spending power of any savings that pensioners may have managed to cobble together after paying into the state pension arrangements themselves. Moreover, the massive black hole in the nation's finances were likely largely caused by paying out "furlough" to keep all those waged folks in income, largely without doing anything constructive to justify such remuneration, yet they are likely the very same scrotes now complaining about paying into the pension pot.

Here's the thing; scrap the pension arrangements as we recognise them and let's contemplate how many of those whingers will put the money they would therefore be saving into their own nest eggs to provide for themselves in their decrepitude, and what percentage will spunk it on titties and beer on the assumption that "the state' will never stand by and see them go without? Anyone want to open a book on that?

For all the foregoing, the fundamental injustice here is that (as already noted) the state pension runs at around 2/3rds of the national minimum wage, itself not exactly a satisfactory level of income. Lest we forget or have such sentiments beaten out of us by the clamour from the blinkered and short-sighted contributors leading the votes conscious polititians by the nose ring.

Can no one else see the indefensible situation here? It was all swept under the carpet until Reeve decided to rob pensioners of what is really a miserable winter heating allowance while one of her oppos weighs off a staggering amount on a bloody photo shoot. The 100 days honeymoon is over.

[banjo]

We both went to the hygienist today. 2x £65- ish. So why did my scrote of a vet rush me £980 to clean Cloud's gnashers? OK she had a toof out (that was why she went in but it was hanging on by a thread anyway.) So the general anaesthetic was £900-worth? Nah, they're pulling my war wound. Phuck'em the greedy bar stewards. Come the revolution brothers, I'd have them up against the wall; bop bop bop. Basically, owning a pet in retirement is- going forward- a serious undertaking.

[banjo]

I stupidly gave Halfords an eMail addy when we bought a replacement cooler box a couple of years ago. Guess what- they send out SPAM. I thought that I'd log in and terminate this unanticipated relationship, but that's where the fun started- there's no facility to close an account. I searched and found a facility to clear data that I assumed amounted to the same thing (unless they clandestinely retain it of course.) It turns out that due to data protection and / or privacy (that old well worn excuse) you have to prove to them who you are before they "can" erase your data. Then the gravy stroke- you have to provide them with a digital image of yourself too before they'll proceed, again "data protection / privacy". Phuck 'em. The twats. I strongly advise drinkers to give Halfords the swerve if that's the way they are going to behave. Life without Halfords? I certainly think so.

[banjo]

'Er indoors just took her wristwatch into a branch of the high street jewellery retailers Goldsmiths for a new "battery" (it's a cell- a battery would be two or more cells.)

£45 and 5-6 weeks to change it.

For a £2-50 cell? Bunch of T0553r5.

[nob]

Steve that's ridiculous, little key shop in Scunny does them for around £7.

[banjo]

There's a hardware store in a town about 6-7 miles from here that charges about £2-50 to £3-00 for the "battery" and fitted while you wait for no charge by a bloke in a warehouse coat standing the other side of the counter!

There used to be a jeweller's at Sunbury Upon Thames that replaced that watch "battery" for something like £9 (probably more now) but it's a gymnasium or something now.

The thing is, it's a gold watch with a press fit back that has to be pry-ed off and press fit back on again afterwards. I have many tools to fiddle with watches (I've made a few of them myself!) but accidentally gouging the back while trying to release it does not appeal Nob. I kind of think the same about the guy in the warehouse coat, but £45 for a replacement is sickening, and five weeks away adds insult to injury. I despise these blackmailing idiots.

[egg]

Purchase a soft, mashable rubber ball.

Rubber balls often have enough grip to pry off watch backings. Choose a rubberized ball that is both squishy and tacky so it can latch onto your watch's back. Stress balls can work as a cheaper alternative.

Might be worth a try and if it doesn't work you could always play fetch with Cloud (under supervision of course) Only Joking !

[banjo]

I have one sold and purchased specifically for that purpose G. They are for threaded backs, they wouldn't do diddly-squat for a press fit back. The theory is fine but in practise I've found that if the back is screwed down sufficiently to compress the "O" ring seal then the ball simply doesn't work. When I was still at work I would ask the nice man on the lathe (we weren't allowed to use some equipment) to part off some round bar which I would Araldite (since when did that become a verb?) to the watch back. 24 hours later it was trivially easy to unscrew. I always popped it off the rod by waving a hot air gun at it before re-attaching it. (I have a press for that job and wristwatch crystals) because you wouldn't wave a hot air gun afterwards. Press fit backs need a toothed removal tool or a knife-edge "spudger"- if you're confident (I'm not!) I also have Rolex back removers and various other removal tools too. I even have watch hand removers but these sausage fingers can't put them back. In short I'm a bodger!

[egg]

You sound like an amateur Horologist Steve.
There's a programme on TV called The Repair Shop, with an expert, also called Steve (Fletcher)
It's fascinating when he's on to watch him take every screw and spring and tiny piece from a clock or watch, clean them, straighten the cogs and then put them back together working perfectly. Even the huge Grandfather and Mantel Clocks too.
I looked for a vid on YouTube but I could only find this one,



His bit is right at the end.

My Dad used to like repairing watches and clocks but the only thing he had to help was a Jewellers Loupe.

[banjo]

I wish G ...

On The Archers this evening; Ruth Archer wins the ploughing match cup. Brian Aldridge presents the trophy and says "congratulations on your furrow". The writers slipped that past Aunty Beeb!

[egg]

8 MILLION a day !!!



www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/i-visited-one-of-the-many-migrant-hotels-popping-up-all-over-the-country-it-showed-another-manifesto-pledge-broken-by-labour-says-ben-leo/ar-AA1ujQO6?ocid=winp2fptaskbarhover&cvid=bdf887a37f8c497ad0d9f78d3ece96a0&ei=24

[nob]

Yep G the world is laughing at us.