There's nothing more traditional in Britain than throwing yourself down a hill to capture an escaping cheese and today is the day thousands of people from around the World descend on Cooper's hill in Gloucestershire to take part in the tradition first mentioned in 1826 , the tradition is believed to be far older and part of Pagan festival to celebrate the return of spring , sadly today is a most unlike Spring day but cheese still needed to be caught.

Bumps , scrapes and bruises but nobody died and no cheeses were harmed  



Silly Lemmings.

As the President and his wife were waiting to disembark from their plane after it landed in Vietnam war seems to have broken out between the couple as the door opened to show Mrs Macron shoving Mr Macron in the face , Macron's response when realising the door was open is quite amusing.


Some have speculated Mrs Macron was just cleaning Emmanuel's nose.

Here's a news story about a Colorado man boy who threatened to fire bomb the US Embassy in Israel.  He was arrested with molotov cocktails in his backpack after posting threats to Americans, Trump, paying tribute to Nazi's and other madness on FailBook.  Doesn't say where he's from in CO, but if I had to guess it would be either Boulder or Denver.

Another psycho arrested

The liberal left has become increasingly unhinged and crazy radical.  How can democrats as a party tolerate this behavior???  It just blows my mind.

I will freely admit to being a conservative for all of my adult life (no surprise there, right?), and even though I don't agree with many of the fundamental liberal democratic initiatives, I have always been able to understand and accept we have ideological differences but we are still just people at the end of the day.  (Not to mention I work with numerous people who are not conservatives like myself and we all have generally managed to get along...until recently).  I don't think it's an exaggeration in the least to say the democratic party has become increasingly radical and psychotic over the past decade to the point I don't even recognize many of these people anymore.  I just cannot seem to wrap my head around how the democratic party supports, embraces and encourages this crazy and violent behavior.  It just stuns me, it truly does!

I can readily accept the notion of the proverbial "bad apple", but the recent trends are far more than just a small group who are the exception rather than the rule.  Today, there are growing numbers of people, public figures even, who openly endorse these radical and crazy behaviors.  Under no circumstances do I see the democratic party stepping up and universally condemning these actions.  AND, by failing to condemn these actions they leave no other conclusion than they support these actions.  I mean, seriously.  I just don't get it.  Sometimes I walk around and just think the entire world has gone nuts.

I struggle to accept that the DNC is so desperate for votes that they will openly welcome the absolute worst of the worst, but it sure appears to me that is exactly what they are doing.  Why?

How do we, as a nation, get this radicalization under control?

I write this with no political slurs, or name calling.  I honestly have tried here not to use BS partisan rhetoric and lies.  I have not mentioned one political candidate or officer, good or bad.  The honest facts are, the vast majority of politically motivated violence and destruction of property in this country and abroad is being done by the radical left.  And, it seems to me this behavior will only increase as long as the democratic party fails to universally condemn it, and condemn it with a loud and decisive voice.  I am honestly not hearing that voice today.

From my perspective, these types of behaviors are a downward death-spiral to anarchy.  Compounding this problem is, it doesn't appear to me that the vast majority of the democratic party has any sort of a united message (other than to "get" those on the right...which isn't a coherent message).  The liberals and democrats seem to be so splintered they cannot even agree with each other on what they want.  And, it would seem to me, that in order to survive the democrats must step above this, establish a universal political agenda, and cast out (without exception) all the bad actors who are just bent on destroying America.  And very candidly, if ultimately the agenda the democrats agree upon is just that...destroy America...then the democratic party will cease to exist.  Surely democratic leadership must recognize this.  So, what are they going to do about it?  And, what can we as Americans do to help them get out of this destructive and violent pattern of behavior?

I ask these questions in total honesty.  It's not about one guy who threatens to fire bomb an embassy; it's about hundreds of thousands of citizens who harbor all sorts of violent and destructive thoughts about America and American citizens.

Thank you for taking the time to read this if you made it this far.  Perhaps we can all work to find a solution.  Because I, for one, believe America is the greatest country on this planet, and the American way is worth defending.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments.

With the Great Replacement in full swing in countries around the World and many citizens of those Countries are starting to suffer from a new ailment that has come to be known as Black Fatigue as cultural change is thrust upon them , it seems this ailment is not isolated to one particular race though , Black people are also suffering Black Fatigue at the behaviour of their brothers and sisters and as Pastor David James Manning shows it isn't all that new.

This video has been doing the rounds lately although it was recorded 8 years ago , Pastor Manning has a message for the Black community that 8 years later is a breath of fresh air from the past , in 6 minutes Pastor Manning unashamedly tells it like it is to his shocked congregation.


Aleluya Brother , it isn't about the colour of someone's skin it's about behaviour and attitude.

Wasn't sure where else to post this; I didn't see a 'Questions' section.

My question is, what is the purpose of the numbers which appear after someone's alias when you select them from the drop down box when using the "@" function?

So, as an example, when posting in Shout Box, if I select a user by using the '@' feature, two things happen.  First, their name appears in quotes, and second a 2-3 digit number shows up.  Does this series of numbers perform any function?

Additionally, if I similarly select a user by using the @ feature in a regular forum post, the same thing happens, but if you attempt to backspace over and/or highlight and delete those numbers, your whole @ selection disappears (like you're not supposed to truncate the person's alias down to the text of their alias only.  This action leads me to believe these number have some purpose, but I'm not sure I can see what that purpose is.

Thanks!

WARNING - Long winded story ahead.  Sorry.

@Ninu got me to thinking about hauling hay, which we're getting ready to do for the 2025/26 season.  Usually try to get 1st cutting on the Teff grass if we can find it.  But a fella's got to be on his toes and ready to go hop in the truck on a moment's notice to get in on the 1st cutting stuff.  Anyway, this got me to thinking about hauling and more specifically truck and trailer tires.  I'm a big proponent of spending top dollar on quality tires and brakes on all of our haul vehicles.  You can save a buck on some cosmetic thing, but not spending good money where the rubber literally 'meets the road' is just plain foolish, IMO.  The reason I feel this way is because of an experience I had once.  Here's the story...

I was living in WY at the time and I had to make a run to SLC to pick up a load of roofing tiles for a ceramic roof we were installing.  Our semi tractor was in the shop for repairs, and would have been overkill for this load anyway, so I decided to haul the tiles with my 3/4 ton GMC Suburban.  The trailer I was using was a 20' enclosed trailer.  I assumed all the tiles would fit, but I wasn't 100% sure.  Well, when I got everything loaded I still had one pallet left and didn't have enough deck space for it.  So, we broke down the last pallet and stacked the tiles on the top of the rest of the loaded pallets.  The trailer was full from front to back, and from floor to ceiling.  I had underestimated how much this would weigh.  But, I'd have to make it work because I wasn't driving 6 hours (round trip) to pick up only one remaining pallet.  So, off I went for the drive back to SW WY. 

If you've ever driven I-80 east bound out of SLC you know that right after you hit the WY border there are a series of 3 mountain hills you have to go over which are affectionately called the "Three Sisters".  There are no switchbacks; it's straight as an arrow down one side and up the other side three times.  From peak to peak each of the Three Sisters is probably 15-20 miles, so I'd guess the road distance on each, down and up, is about 30 miles.  And yes, they're STEEP!  Probably drove over this stretch of road 500+ times if I drove it once  (I went to college in SLC, so drove them every weekend for years).  

Anyway, made it down and up the first one without incident.  Again, if familiar with this stretch of interstate, going up is a long hard pull (even for a car).  For a truck, with a heavily loaded trailer the Three Sisters are an engine blower.  It was summer, and it was hot outside.  The last part of the uphill just seems like it takes forever, and then you hit the top and you can finally get up some speed (which can be very deceptive).  It's easy to get going too fast and suddenly the downhill section of the next one is right there in front of you.  This is pretty much your last chance to brake, because braking on the downhill just overheats your brakes and you get brake fade.  This day was no different.

Coming down the 2nd Sister (the biggest one), I was about halfway down and there was a line of slower semi's in the right lane just saving their brakes going down.  I was rolling about 75mph.  So, I moved over into the left lane and eased up off the brakes, accelerating to about 80+mph.  I got right up to about the middle of the trucks and some yahoo about a quarter of a mile in front of me pulled out into the left lane to pass.  I was rolling faster than him and closing quickly, so I started braking.  My brakes were already hot from coming down the 1st Sister, but I had no choice.  This guy totally wasn't paying attention (some out of State dude pulling a travel trailer), so he was in no hurry to move back over into the right lane.  By this time I was braking progressively harder, and harder.  I still had several semi's right next to me in the right lane, so there was nowhere to go but straight ahead.  The trucker next to me could see what was going on so he moved over onto the rumble strips to give me some room (thank you, buddy, whomever you were).  I wasn't going to make it, I could see that.  I was closing too fast.  I was still rolling about 75mph and couldn't really slow anymore.  I was going to hit this trailer.  My GF was with me at the time, so I told her to brace for impact and pushed myself back in the seat off the steering wheel.  DAMMIT!!

Right at that exact moment, at precisely the absolute worst possible time, the unimaginable happened...my right front steer tire blew out!  Explosively!  No shit!  I remember thinking the situation just went from getting into a crash immediately to...'these are my last few moments on this planet!'.  That was it; I knew I was going to be dead in the next few seconds.  Then a miracle happened...

I had had my CDL (then called a Class 'A' driver's license) for a few years by that point, and I knew the very last thing I should do was to hit the brakes.  The concussion from the blast of the tire blowing out had me seeing stars and my vision started to narrow (it was really that bad).  I knew that my truck was badly damaged; I could hear the tire and sheetmetal banging around, and the transmission was hammered making grinding and banging noises.  I contemplated moving left and going into the median, but I was pretty sure that would be suicide where I was because the median was pretty deep right there.  So, all I could do was try to keep it straight and hang on...which is what I did.  Miraculously, the blown out tire actually helped to slow me down, and I managed to keep the Suburban and the trailer straight without jackknifing.  I think I got to about 6" from the back bumper of the travel trailer in front of me before he started pulling away.  (He never even saw me, just completely oblivious to what was going on behind him!).

By this time, the trucker next to me and the two truckers behind him had pulled over onto the shoulder and slowed down to open a gap to give me as much room as possible.  I was able to get my truck and trailer slowly over into the right lane, and then off onto the shoulder and rolled to a stop (it seemed like it took an hour to fully stop, but it was only a couple minutes).  After we stopped, I couldn't even move.  I sat there for a moment in shock and utter disbelief!  I was alive!  It was impossible, but I was actually alive.

I looked over at my GF and she was just staring straight ahead, her face was just frozen with her mouth wide open like she was screaming, but no sound was coming out.  (that was actually pretty comical, in some twisted way).  When I came to my senses, I immediately reached between the seats and unbuckled the fire extinguisher which was strapped to the floor between us.  There was smoke everywhere, so I was pretty sure something was on fire.  Turned out most of the smoke was coming from transmission fluid spraying on the hot brakes.  Everything was really hot, but fortunately there was no fire. 

We had lived; through what was probably the scariest driving experience imaginable.

 When the smoke cleared I could finally see the damage.  When the tire had exploded it had completely ripped out and disintegrated the wheel well liner.  The tread had whipped around and broken all the transmission cooler lines (hence where the transmission fluid was coming from) and exploded through the front grille, ripping out the headlight.  The radiator was ripped in half.  The tire was just gone, nothing left.  The rim looked like a racing slick, ground down to smooth.  Something, maybe the tread again, had whipped up through the frame underneath and busted out the bottom of the transmission filter pan and it was ripped open and hanging down.  There was a transmission fluid and motor oil slick trail on the roadway and deep gouges in the concrete on the interstate back as far as I could see (well over a mile).  Fragments of tire and truck parts were laying all over the roadway and shoulders on both sides.  It looked like a bomb had gone off, or I'd hit a landmine.  In fact, I've seen vehicles in better condition after they'd hit a landmine!  The whole front of the trailer was dripping transmission fluid and engine oil.  When we got the Suburban in the shop after they unloaded it off the flatbed, we found the impact had ripped off two of the engine mounts.  The crankshaft was broken in the motor and the transmission was a complete loss.  Closer inspection revealed the front right frame was even bent.

The tire was a relatively new Goodyear steel belted radial LT tire, properly sized, inflated and rated.  It was just a massive tire structural failure.  To this day, I still will not run Goodyear tires on any vehicle I own.  I believe the tire failure was a result of hot brakes and maybe a flaw in the tire itself, combined, for a catastrophic failure at the worst possible moment.  I've never been the litigious type, so in the end I was just thankful my GF and I lived to tell the tale.

Oh, and the out of State yahoo in the travel trailer who pulled out in front of me?  Yeah, he never even saw the whole thing unfold behind him.  Never even hit the brakes.  Just kept on going, oblivious to the world around him.  And the trucker who was beside me when the tire blew, well, he stopped (as did a couple other truckers).  He jumped out of his truck and came up to me.  "Jeezus Krist!!  I've never seen anything like that before, ever, in 30 years driving!  I figured for sure we were all going to wreck.  Great job keeping that thing straight!", he said.  Then he said one of the funniest things I'd ever heard.  (so funny, in fact, he got my heart beating regularly again right there on the side of the interstate).  He said..."Son, my asshole was clamped down shut so tight I was pinchin' those little buttons off the upholstery in the seat!!!!  No shit!  Literally!"  Now, I don't know how long he'd saved up that little ditty to use on someone, but my GF and I looked at each other and then busted out laughing.
 
The End

edit - For those wondering why the crankshaft in the motor busted; well, we wondered the same thing. The only thing we could figure was when the transmission locked up and fragged itself it shocked the main shaft coming out of the motor enough to instantly change the RPMs lower. The shock was apparently too much for the inertia of the motor, so the main crank busted to relieve the forces. That was all we could conclude. The whole engine and transmission had to be replaced, and new motor mounts needed to be welded back in the frame. Ordinarily, this would have been a total loss, but I loved that Suburban (they don't make 'em like that anymore), so it was worth it to repair. We did get the frame straight, but not perfect apparently, because even though it drove fine it would eat up ball joints on that side like Skittles after that. Only thing we could figure was the frame wasn't quite perfectly straight. You could get it aligned perfectly, but it still chewed through ball joints (upper ball joints...not a 'fun' repair). Ultimately, it was the ball joint issue which led to the "Burb" being retired. And, it was indeed 'retired', not sold off to some unsuspecting buyer.

Quote:A bunch of new evidence has come out that China may be planning an invasion of Taiwan. Or you could look at it as preparations for defending themselves against the United States of America. The Pentagon and Department of Defense are trying figure out what Xi Jinping is up to.

Quote:Asia is seeing a resurgence of COVID, with sharp case spikes in Hong Kong, Thailand, and Singapore. Hong Kong’s infection rate soared to 11.4%, while Thailand reported over 33,000 cases last week. The surge is linked to JN.1 variant strains, waning immunity, and reduced booster uptake. Where does India stand? Should you be worried? What does global preparedness look like?

I never got the VAX as I got covid and figured why get the VAX ?