onewheeldave

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/universal-credit-faqs.pdf

 

What about claimants who cannot get online or use a computer?

Universal Credit has been designed so that claimants can personally manage their claim directly through an online account. However, claimants who cannot access the internet or use a computer will be helped to complete their online claim for Universal Credit. This may be in a high street outlet or via a telephone service. For claimants who require a little bit more support, face to face help and a one to one telephone service will be available and an adviser will complete an online form on the claimant’s behalf, checking for accuracy as they proceed.

Utter Rubbish! Benefit 'phonelines' are a universal joke- in general they are impossible to use to actually get through to someone. That's a complete fob-off, and, if any one doubts it- ring a benefits number and see how long it takes to get any help.

Burn off more calories than you eat

Simple.

And utterly useless

The OPs looking for actual practical advice and is doubtless fully aware (as is everyone) of the above, true, but useless, fact.

Stop eating as much and at wrong time and start exercising more and DONT Make excuses why you cant do any of the above. Its a matter of willpower

Again, that's not advice, it's a dig a the OP. And, if the OP is like many of the people who decide to face up to an ongoing weight issue and do something about it, the very last thing they should rely on is 'willpower'.

If they possessed sufficient willpower to control their weight/food intake, they would have done so already.

What they need is an effective approach that does not rest on possessing an iron will.

One that changes your eating habits forever - so no silly diets like 'no carbs' because these aren't sustainable. Regular exercise to release endorphins. If you lose weight quickly you are most certainly going to put it back on. If you lose it slowly (Yeah I know we all want the quick fix) you are more likely to keep it off. I read somewhere the other day that YoYo dieters have a significant increase in cancer risk.

This is much more like it. The OP needs a way of eating and exercising that is sustainable for the rest of their life- it must not rely in any way on possessing large amounts of 'willpower' and be enjoyable enough that the OP actually wants to continue with it.

Carbs (bread potatoes highly processed carbs) should definitly be cut back to a minimum, not just because of their calorie content, but because it is easy to consume them in excessive quantities- they are habit-forming.

And, that cut back level of carbs needs to be long term.

Exercise should be something enjoyable, and, when it doubt, do less, rather than more- the key to sustaining any kind of regular exercise is being motivated to doing it, and not forcing yourself to stick so rigidly to a plan, that you start to hate it.

Spend £90 on your CBT and ride a motorbike, cheap as chips.

Lacks many of the benefits of a bicycle though.

And, though it may be 'cheap as chips', it's not as cheap as buying and running a bicycle.

Plus, statistically, rsik of death and serious injury is much lower on a bike.

My OH felt a bit unwell last week with chest pains, which sort of came and went. She phoned the doctors to see if she could get to see someone that day. She was told that the earliest appointment she could have would be 2 weeks. Either that, or try phoning at 9:00am the next day, and she may get an appointment for that day. (bear in mind that phoning at that time is almost impossible as you can almost never get through, due to the world and his wife trying the same thing!...I know, I've tried. It's even more difficult if you're at work trying to get through too).

 

She concluded to give it a try the next day!...HOWEVER...That night (around midnight), she had a worse attack, and I had to phone 999 and get an ambulance. They took her into hospital and it transpires she had had a heart attack, albeit a mild one fortunately. She spent a week in hospital, and now she's back home again, but on long term medication.

 

Surely, there should be a better system whereby you can actually get to see your doctor straight away?

Yes I agree, but on the other hand, neither of us have been with that surgery for long, as we've only recently moved to the area. Neither of us are the type who visit on a regular basis with this that and the other complaint. We only go when we 'really' feel the need.

 

Is it worth 'rocking the boat'?...Yes I know things could have turned out disastrously, but fortunately they didn't.

 

Maybe a polite letter advising them of the circumstances, and a suggestion that they review their appointments procedure, as it clearly failed my OH?

I definitly think you should make an official complaint

http://www.nhs.uk/choiceintheNHS/Rightsandpledges/complaints/Pages/NHScomplaints.aspx

as your wife was very lucky- if her heart atack had not been so mild, she could well have died.

If the surgery is allowed to continue with that level of ineptitude, others will die, assuming someone hasn't already.

It could well be that the surgery management are not aware of their receptionists negligence- if so you'd be doing them a big favour.

Chest pains should mean being seen asap- it does not take advanced medical training/knowledge to assess that one.

In complaining, you would not be 'rocking the boat', you'd be performing a public service for your community.

My Dad was a 6foot4 huge bloke he was a regimental sergeant major in the black watch he was as hard as nails and was in the war and the d-day landings,he was a serous smoker all his life in fact he was probably a chain smoker now I look back,he always seem to have a fag in the corner of his mouth he was a great guy and I loved him very dearly,he came to our house one day complaining about a pain in his back and would I give his back a rub I said you need to go and see the doctors,he did and the doctor sent him to the hospital for an x-ray they found a large shadow on his lung and a biophys confirmed it as cancer this was late September,he came to our house for Christmas that year and the decline in him in the few months was upsetting to see,he was in a bad way by February the next year and they took him into St Luke's in April that year, I went to see him and it was pathetic the see him he was this little grey haired old man shuffling along the corridor out of his head on morphine he died that month as I held his hand, as he took his last breath he looked me in the eyes as he went it broke my heart to see him go like that smoking took 20 years off his life he has missed so much in our family with Grandkids and so on.

I can relate to that- as I've got older, inevitably I've seen people die.

Sadly, smokers tend not to die well: being unable to sleep properly due to constantly waking up gasping for breathe is deeply unpleasant, and, when it comes to smokers, that seems to be very common in the last few months of their lives.

Obviously, being a non or ex-smoker does not guarantee either living longer, or escaping such a unpleasant end to life- but, clearly, it adjusts the odds considerably in your favour.

IMO, smokings a bit of a tragic joke now- the facts are in, there are no good reasons to smoke, long term regular smokers, whatever they happen to believe about why they smoke, in reality, do so because they have become addicted to nicotine.

As we've seen on this thread, untruths and self-deception seem to go hand-in-hand with smoking, just as they do with any other drug habit.

Of course, your Dad (and mine too, who also died from an illness which most likely was caused by his lifelong smoking addiction), grew up in different times, when the facts about smoking where not known (or in the period where they were being suppressed), so, they became addicted when smoking was considered to be just another lifestyle choice.

Which is sad- they really didn't have the same opportunity to make a reasoned choice to avoid this awful drug addiction as people do today.

I've read many of your posts. You're a right annoying little git. It doesn't matter uf I smoke a million fags a day. At least I'm not you.

He's caught you out claiming that you smoke 60 a day, and, less than 10 a day.

The appropriate thing to do is to either explain the discrepency, or, admit you've not being telling the truth. As opposed to simply name calling, which is against board rules.

It's called product placement. It happens with everything from cigarette brands to cars to soft drinks. Get over it.

Ah- so you do accept it happened? Previously you seemed to be saying it was some kind of conspiraxcy theory

There's nothing for me to get over, IMO, as the kind of blatent cigarette advertising and open payments to media stars to smoke on screen, has now been made illegal.

Plus of course, we now live in times where most of the thinking public see smokers, not as 'cool, but as drug addicts/victims/fools- so many film stars wouldn't be that interested in promoting it anyway.

Well known fact?! Like the fact that you're talking from the wrong end of your digestive tract??

 

No need for insults- keep it up and I'll point the moderators in your direction.

 

I suppose all the smack dealers paid Iggy Pop to get wasted?!

Why don't we stick to the subject we're discussing, which was nicotine and it's well established marketing via the film industry- not smack: in this context, 'smack' would be a strawman-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man

My god. I never realised there was such a conspiracy!! Don't tell me, the moon landings are fake too??

 

Never read so much rubbish in all my life!

Do you want to point out which bit was rubbish?

It was different times back then- brainwashing people into smoking via film stars being paid to smoke on screen was rife.

 

So impressionable teens going to the flicks did see it as 'cool', and, those film stars were partly responsible for the hundreds of thousands who took up smoking and died as a result.

 

Then again, most of those films stars who pushed the drug got their karmic consequences when they also died slow horrible deaths from various smoking induced cancers.

 

That was then though, this is now; and, in this day and age when smoking is widely recognised as a drug habit, pure and simple, most people don't see smokers as 'cool'- they tend to see then as victims, or as fools.

It's no conspiracy- it's well documented fact that this happened, and, if it hadn't been made illegal, would still be happening.

 

So here are some facts about nicotine from the article:

 

How deadly is nicotine? It’s nearly twice as deadly as black widow spider

venom (.5 mg/kg versus .9mg/kg) and at least three times deadlier than diamondback rattlesnake venom (.5mg/kg versus 1.89mg/kg).

 

Drop for drop, that makes nicotine as deadly as strychnine, which also has a minimum adult

LD50 of 30mg, and more deadly than arsenic (50mg),or cyanide (50mg).

 

(info courtesy of http://whyquit.com/FFN/chapters/FFN_01_Nicotine.pdf)

 

It's a pretty meaningless fact in this context- a lot of substances which are actually beneficial when taken normally, are also deadly if injected in high concentrations.

Smoking is deadly, but it's not the nicotine that causes all the physical damage, but the other chemicals in cigarettes. Nicotine of course, is the root of the addiction that keeps the smoker smoking, but, in terms of physical harm, it's not high on the list.

That's the point of ecigs- they're designed to deliver nicotine safely.

I take it that response is aimed at me and not bypassblade?!

 

If so, you couldn't be further from the truth. I'm not going to tell you how old I am, but lets just say, I can remember watching James Dean on screen for the first time.

 

I've smoked 60 a day since I was 14 years old. I still feel fresh as a daisy. If smoking decided to take me tomorrow, I wouldn't care.

It was different times back then- brainwashing people into smoking via film stars being paid to smoke on screen was rife.

So impressionable teens going to the flicks did see it as 'cool', and, those film stars were partly responsible for the hundreds of thousands who took up smoking and died as a result.

Then again, most of those films stars who pushed the drug got their karmic consequences when they also died slow horrible deaths from various smoking induced cancers.

That was then though, this is now; and, in this day and age when smoking is widely recognised as a drug habit, pure and simple, most people don't see smokers as 'cool'- they tend to see then as victims, or as fools.

Or do what I do- face the fact that Royal Mail are a total joke, who are utterly incapable of shifting an item from one place to another with any reasonable degree of competency and with no understanding of customer service.

Use them only as a last resort, and, wherever possible, get packages done via next day delivery with a proper courier- it may cost extra, but generally it's worth it if it saves having to queue for an hour or more to get your hands on your own property.

And this is in no way a critisism of the actual postmen/women, who, on the whole, do a very good job under the circumstances.

I have a 3 speed brompton and cycle around Sheffield. I have also cycled coast to coast on it. I love it. It folds easily and is light enough to carry around and small enough to hide under your desk at work. Other half commutes on the train with his brompton (cycling both ends on the train) and confirms it is the best bike for commuting. We brought ours about 8 years ago on ebay in excellent condition. Once you are a established commuter, come and join us at the Brompton World Championship in Oxford.

Hi I have a 3 speed Brompton and it is fine for most of the hills in Sheffield but if you get your self down to Edinburgh bikes Broadfield road they will let you take one out on a test ride

and if you speak :|to Alan he will sort you out they are very good with Bromptons

I'd be interested in knowing more details about what 'fine for most of the hills in Sheffield' means.

What about the steep hills like Rutland rd, Crookesmoor rd etc?

I've done a fair bit of riding round sheffield on a single speed and hills like that are really tough on one gear- doable, and, great if fitness is the priority, but, I had to conclude that, for general commuting, a single speed is not a viable option in Sheffield.

I've never had experience of the 3-speed internal hub gear systems- so, could you give some thoughts on it's suitability for general commuting in sheffield, bearing in mind that, once out of the flat city center area, hills like the ones mentioned above are unavoidable.

In the past I have come close to getting a brompton, as, it clearly has the best fold and smallest folded size of the main folding bikes, but went with a dahon due to it's cheaper price and 6 gear deraillers- but one factor was also doubts about the suitability of the 3 geared Brompton for Sheffield.

So it'd be good to know if the 3 speed Brompton can handle Sheffields tougher hills adequately.

I would definitely say you need the six-speed with the low gear option if you are going to ride it extensively around Sheffield. Having said that you can always fold it up and take it on the bus/tram when the going gets rough - that's the point of it. Edinburgh bike co-op sell them as well as James's who don't seem very positive about them and will try to sell you a Dahon - don't be deterred, the B. is a better option if you are going to fold it a lot.

Seems quite commendable of them, as the Dahons are cheaper than the Brompton, and they tend to have a more suitable selection of gears (derailers) then the Brompton where Sheffield (hilly) is concerned.

What do you want it to tell us?

 

It's a valid response to the simplistic, possibly dishonest, claim that "something can't come from nothing" which is usually made just before concluding "therefore god".

 

This claim was made earlier in this thread, so it is useful to point out that "nothing" has never been observed, and might not be possible. To assert it is useless.

 

I think it is quite interesting actually.

Then again, though 'nothing' might not be possible, equally, it might be possible.

Maybe nothing once was the case and maybe our 'something' did come from it?

The fact that nothing has never been observed in no way means it never existed.

I would Strongly recommend Castle Martial Arts - Its a black belt academy.

 

My children go and I would now never venture to another class. Not only are they learning the martial arts skills but very important life skills that are incorporated into every day things - school, home, training.

 

The instructors are really dedicated and are fantastic, i do not know how they have the patience some times.

 

Mine train 3 times a week minimum.

 

They have several schools around Sheffield and have classes everyday from 4.30 - 7 for under 14's then 7 onwards for adults, however, you can train as a family if you all join.

 

I again would strongly recommend these.

Take a look at http://www.castlebba.co.uk

Anyone considering castle should be aware that they use long term contracts, which, if you sign them, will tie you into paying regardless of whether you train or not.

There have been many dissatisfied customers and several threads on this board claiming use of aggressive selling tactics, for example-

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=67614

Bear in mind that, in sheffield, there are many reputable martial arts clubs who don't insist on contracts and are happy for their students to pay per session- they are mentioned in the above thread.

I am nikolays nurse, I'm on holiday next week though unfortunately but the other girls are equally as nice. By the way nik is a man! If you have any questions in the mean time, just let me know. You can always pop in and ask for me? Or ring? My names Laura by the way.

 

Yeah the girls on reception are really nice!! I know we have had a lot of bad press the past few years at walkley, but we have a new team of brilliant staff now and are working so hard to improve constantly. That's why the feedback forms are good, any kind of feedback is productive.

 

Anyway, we are currently taking NHS patients, but also provide private work if necessary. Our dentists have years of experience and are very understanding. We are always working on timekeeping but unfortunately in this line of work it's not always possible to be punctual at all times. We like to offer care in emergencies to our patients and don't like them to feel rushed as this often adds to the stress of patients. So sometimes we are running late. We don't like to run late either and really do try our best to avoid this. If anyone is interested in registering, just pop in with some photo ID and we'll get an appointment sorted for you!!

A fair and intelligent reply- I do hope that things have improved.

I left several years ago as it had gone badly downhill- I was prett annoyed at the time as it's a pain finding a new dentists.

I just hope that, if the practice is on the up again, that staff do take seriously the many complaints mentioned on this, and, several other SF threads- if they do, then best of luck to the practice.

Absolutely. I agree but think about your target audience, this is a girl who has a black tattoo on her lower back. Show me a cover up that looks feminine that covers a dense black tattoo. No matter how good the artist, it's not going to look that feminine.

She didn't actually mention that she wanted a 'feminine' looking tattoo- just cos she'e a female doesn't mean she necessarily doesn't want the kind of tattoo that's suitable for covering black lettering.

I've seen sone pretty hot chicks with dense black artwork of the kind that most wouldn't call 'feminine'.

I'd suggest she at least check out all available options, one of which is laser removal, others may well include talking to a tattooist who specialises in cover-ups.

Not the old style 'stick a big black panther over it', but, the newer approach of working with the client to come up with a design that is a piece of quality artwork in it's own right, that just happens to fit over the old tattoo.

Here's a very easy google to start off with-

https://www.google.com/search?q=tattoos+%22cover+ups%22&hl=en&prmd=imvns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=zw5JT-C7Hcnt8QPF4Y2bDg&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CFMQ_AUoAQ&biw=1002&bih=547&sei=1Q5JT8b_MYL78QP059iVDg

But, remember, it's not just a case of turning up at the cheapest local studio- for a good cover-up up you need to do a lot of research to find a tattooist who does good cover-ups.

Maybe, laser removal can be part of that process, then again, the tattooist who specialises in good cover-ups is going to be a good person to get the opinion of, he/she may well come up with a design that does not require laser removal.

Another good source of ideas is to look through some modern tattoo magazines- WHS in town usually has a good selection: a lot of people who have an old tatto they don't really like, never did any research in the first place and have no real idea of what's possible in tattooing- there's no better way to sort out your own mind about the kind of tattoos you want, than to spend a lot of time looking at tattoos, whether on other people (tattoo conventions), in tattoo magazines or on the net.

It will take a while. At least 6 months or so but you can buy topical numbing gel for any discomfort. Laser treatment will look much better than an even bigger black cover up tattoo. A few sessions of laser removal will help you get a better cover up.

That depends on the person doesn't it?

Some people like big black tattoos.

Besides which, there are other options given the artistic skills of many tattoo artists these days, such as a cover up tattoo that isn't big and black.

Trouble is the Star seems to employ idiots

 

I'm sure there are idiots in every job in every company and to generalise that the Star employs idiots is totally wrong.

In fairness, one of them (whitely) has posted multiple times on this thread stating very clearly that he/she and several collegues all oppose the stars policy on this and have repeatedly complained to the managers.

I think that deserves some credit, and, I wish some poeple one these threads would take the time to read them before posting knee-jerk insults.

I have been called both. One person said the Star employs idiots, as I work for Sheffield Newspaper, that must include me and another one said the git on BMDs, as I said that could quite easily have been me.

Might be worth, as others have suggested, pointing your managers to this thread?

As long as you're sure it won't bring down trouble from them.

I am guessing then that you are of an older generation.

 

I never read local newspapers and only read national newspapers when on public transport. The two most recent deaths that have effected me (both of them friends) I have learnt about via facebook. This may seem alien to older people, but is it really any less personal than a message in a shabby newspaper like the star??

 

Both funeral arrangements were spread on facebook, allowing everyone who cared for the people to be involved in a way that wasn't possible before social networking. As said above it is only the current older generation who will post notices like this really, if I die at an old age (im 25 now) I VERY much doubt that the death of myself or my peers will be communicated by the printed word.

 

Condolences for your loss OP. My mother died some years back and we were charged from every direction, it can come as a real surprise.

One advantage in passing the news on via email/facebook, is that you have control over how you do it- you don't for example, have to insert a compulsory rose.

This is a PR disaster. The Star should just say:

The minimum charge for a death notice is £20 and then so much per line. By the way there is a rose symbol included, do you have a colour preference?

You don't want the rose? That's fine sir/madam.

Trouble is the Star seems to employ idiots.

That is a very sensible approach.

You lot really don't like the Star do you?

Three pages and only one positive comment as the usual rubbish gets spouted - "spelling and grammar" is a common complaint about newspapers, but with no substance.

 

My personal favourite in this thread was the comment about the Star making money out of people at their most vulnerable. So what about florists who open up near cemeteries, funeral directors, WI cafes at hospitals etc? Death is big business.

I would guess that florists etc treat their customers with respect though and don't try to rip them off.

lol That is just typical isn't conspiracy theories eh. Listen mate I decided to go on google and see any critism of GKR and found some. To reply I had to join the forum and that is all. Everyone starts with a first comment. This happened to be mine. So believe what you want.

 

'You can convince a man against his will, but he will be of the same opinion still.'

 

Having looked at the GKR Organization with the view of neutrality and researched their organization. They are a legal organization in many countries and growing. They pay plenty of tax. They are of substance and cannot be viewed as pyramid as it is illegal to run pyramid schemes.

 

Any way whatever do and say what you want.

 

Just thought I would add my experience. Will not comment again. Enjoy your conspiracy theories.

Well, on this thread alone, there's a lot of people posting their actual experiences of GKR, which would be useful as a part of any 'research' on the company.

No-ones denying it's a legal organisation, or a growing one, or that they pay tax.

But when it comes to looking for a martial arts group for your child to go to- the fact that they pay a lot of tax is not of particular relevance- any company that earns lots of money will, of course, be paying a lot of tax, it does not make them a good martial arts option.

The relevant factors are going to be quality of tuition and, an absence of hard 'pressure selling' and no long term contracts that tie you into paying for months at a time.

And that's where GKR fails as a good option for your childs martial arts tuition.

I'd suggest that if you want to challenge the current highly negative reputation of GKR, you be best actually addressing those points and trying to show they are wrong, rather than posting an anecdote about a GKR practitioner beating up 2 guys and then coming up with a list of points that are a)irrelevant and b)things that no-ones denied (or even mentioned) in the first place (tax etc).

I was in Bradford recently and saw a couple of guys pick on another older guy. when one went to hit him he finished the guy off big time. The second attempted to kicked him (foolishly) and I thought the older guy had broken his leg. I was well impressed and asked him what martial art he used. He stated he trained with GKR. He was a tourist and not from this area. He did not state what belt he was and did not make it a big deal. So I believe a lot of this blogging against GKR is on the web is a reaction to the fact that they are a big organisation and also because they make money from martial arts. All of you watch too much movie martial arts and honor ****. Their is nothing wrong with making money. They do if this guy as stated is from GKR train people properly. I say get the snobbery out of martial arts and let people enjoy a bit of family association and confidence building. Hiring places cost money, uniforms cost money, liability insurance cost money. Whether you like it or not GKR are all over the world and are still very much financially viable. They are pro active at selling karate. Get over it and get a life and find something productive to say instead of sniping.

People are critisisng GKR for the (many) reasons covered in previous posts in this thread.

The fact that you claim to have witnessed a GKR practitioner take down 2 people is fairly irrelevant when it comes to the shady business practices of GKR, or it's effectiveness.

The guy could simply have been a good fighter (many people who are good at street fighting have had no training in martial arts, they are simply people who come from hard areas where fighting is a way of life from school age upwards).

He could have trained in any number of martial arts (e.g. Muay Thai, karate, boxing etc, etc) prior to joining GKR.

It's also entirely possible that the above post is from a GKR practitioner- it would certainly make good business sense for GKR to monitor these threads and post accordingly: not that I'm saying that is the case- just that it's possible, especially when the poster has a total of one posting on this board

Theres something slightly dodgy about a man(or woman) that needs to hide behind facial hair. Never ever trust a bloke with a beard (or one with scruffy shoes) and besides that, they arn't very hygienic are they? I mean bits of food and stuff can get stuck in there for days and you not realise!

A very common prejudice

Of course, to a large extent it's a cultural one- imagine a culture where the norm is for the men to be bearded e.g. some Islamic cultures, or, in the past, a Viking culture: there the opposite would be the case- a man with a shaved face would likely be viewed with suspicion- what's he trying to hide etc?

In a culture like that a man's beard would be seen as a natural part of his face- to shave it off could imply that he's trying to hide something about his beard that he doesn't like.

And, getting back to our culture, a prime reason why there are not more beards is because many men have previous tried to grow one, but felt embarrsed because it's not as full as they'd like, or has missing patches etc.

In those cases, the men are shaving, in part, to hide (what they see as) the inadeqaucies of their beards.

(A common mistake is to give up too early, or try to improve the apprearance by shaving particular bits off, an approach that rarely works- best advice is to grow it out for a coiple of months before dabbling with it).

we should have a national data base to cover events like this and other crimes ,only those with something to hide will object im sure

I have nothing to hide and I object.

As do a significant portion of the UK population, how you could seriously think otherwise is staggering.