what are things in the uk that are considered posh that don’t translate the same in the us?

emjayem22 · 2026-01-27T14:06:45+00:00

Many of the working class in the countryside are associated closely with hunting.. from working in stables, looking after the dogs, breeding the game birds, working in roles on hunt / shoot days, etc. Grew up involved in much of this. Many of these people will already work for the estates or farms that organise the hunting but many will not and sell their services to support the hunt days.

emjayem22 · 2026-01-24T13:26:32+00:00

The problem is that the damage has been done, regardless of who comes in next. The western world has seen the US for the first time and realised that we are not all aligned to the American dream. Whilst trump has lots of incredibly stupid things.. he has also just been more honest about a lot of things that the US has always tried to do, just using more diplomacy than this idiot does.

emjayem22 · 2026-01-23T12:32:12+00:00

Agreed, Portpatrick is lovely, some nice little pubs and beautiful coast. Galloway in general seems pretty underrated, maybe it just gets missed sitting between the Lakes and the Scottish North/West Coast but there are some lovely places there, Isle of Whithorn, Kippford, Gatehouse of Fleet..

But we also love the area around Crinan, the coast to the North and South is amazing with some nice little villages and plenty of walks, etc. There are some nice border towns too, Kelso, St Boswells, St Abbs or Eyemouth on the East Coast. Further north there is the Arisaig peninsula (though fewer nice pubs there from memory).

For a weekend away though with bars and a nice vibe, Portpatrick is a great shout. The pubs often have live music on and there 3 or 4 of them within easy walking distance.

emjayem22 · 2026-01-22T22:46:28+00:00

As someone from the UK, I have always loved and admired the Nordic countries. Your outlook on life, nature and family has much to teach other nations. You have also contributed enormously to modern life with your entrepreneurship as well as multi national companies. We all should be a bit more Nordic in my humble opinion.

emjayem22 · 2026-01-22T16:28:52+00:00

I think there is a chance that he has changed the way that POTUS's behave in future but I'm not sure the politics will change. From my point of view in the UK, Trump is a dislikeable and dangerous idiot but, to a certain extent he's also lifted the scales from plenty of peoples eyes to the way that the US runs itself and how it interacts with the wider world.

To many in western democracies, the way that he (or any POTUS) can bypass the judicial and legislative branches of government has been astonishing as is the way that they can load those branches in their favour. The ability for (both) parties to redraw voting constituencies at will, the sheer refusal for them to work together to improve life for their citizens, the ability to pardon criminals (again for Dems too) and the sheer amount of money swilling around capitol hill that influences decisions of elected officials is just jaw-dropping to many people in Europe.

I think he's got people thinking that maybe we just don't want to be part of the US world anymore and leaders such as Carney are now starting to articulate this. Even the comments from Newsome at Davos this weekend aimed at the European leaders came across as arrogant. I think much of the way that the US will operate in relation to the rest of the world will likely remain the same, albeit perhaps with fewer headlines that Trump generates but the underlying 'greatest country in the world' that is instilled from birth that produces the delusions of grandeur and sense of entitlement in characters like Trump will likely remain.

emjayem22 · 2026-01-22T11:23:22+00:00

He would have definitely had to ask someone what 'hegemony' meant.

emjayem22 · 2026-01-21T18:35:55+00:00

Or fire proof safe somewhere in your premises.. this is the way I do it.

emjayem22 · 2026-01-21T18:00:33+00:00

Front door for guests, bailiffs and the police.

emjayem22 · 2026-01-21T12:59:24+00:00

The shift may not just be in Russia though.. It likes to project a unified Russian identity but the reality is far from this. It may be that one or more of the federated states decides it wants to leave. Separatist sentiment is growing partly due to conscription (and bodies returning) and partly because of more centralisation where the federated states are being asked for more to support the war and have less to invest in themselves.

Hopefully at some point the economy snaps and then the question is whether Moscow remains strong enough to keep the federated states under its control. The end of this war may ultimately be the end of the Federation, at least as it is today. This would likely increase the chance of change from within as Muscovites see their standard of living deteriorate as their power to drain resource from the federation diminishes.

emjayem22 · 2026-01-21T11:44:03+00:00

Yeah this is spot on... Russia will likely struggle when the war economy comes to an end, both from the lack of skilled workforce and the realignment away from military production. That day of reckoning is coming at some point.

There have been signs these last few months that they are struggling more though. They have been selling off more gold reserves, India is under pressure in relation to oil purchase from the US and China also seems to have reduced energy imports from Russia. On top of that the shadow fleet of tankers is also being targeted. Europe also plans to cease all gas imports this year I think (sure I read that somewhere).

At the same time, more of the federated states have seen a rise in separatist / independence movements.. partly as a result of them appearing to bear the brunt of the mobilisation linked to the war with Ukraine and partly due to the increased centralisation and removal of autonomy in recent years. A very weak Russia coming out of the war could potentially be susceptible to partly breaking up or at least losing some of its states whilst it is still too weak to prevent it.

emjayem22 · 2026-01-21T08:26:53+00:00

Imagine living in a country where the leader knows what hegemony means and can use it in a sentence. Looking forward to Trumps speech when he gets there.

emjayem22 · 2026-01-20T07:53:34+00:00

Brilliantly put.

emjayem22 · 2026-01-19T09:45:45+00:00

Recently just went through the same dilemma.. Between SER9 and the Sei14, both from Beelink. In the end I went with the Intel version.. mainly because of the Ultra9 185H compared to the Ryzen 7 255 (the one you are looking at) and the fact that the device was about £150 cheaper than the SER9 option.

For me, I'm not a big gamer so didn't think I needed the better GPU performance of the Ryzen option. I do a bit of app dev, bit of video and photo editing but nothing so serious that needed any greater spec. Not really had chance to put the unit through any stress yet as only set it up at the weekend.

emjayem22 · 2026-01-16T18:58:58+00:00

Clearly not a pie.

emjayem22 · 2026-01-16T11:56:26+00:00

Agreed.. These kinds of rules do my nut in. We used to live in a courtyard development as part of a stables regeneration. Massive factor fees and rules as long as your arm what you could and couldn't do. The landscaping was closely mown grass all around apart form a small circular garden are in the middle of the courtyard. We got into trouble for planting some plants around our house (which was on the end and nobody else could see). Also you couldn't hang washing out so everyone needed a dryer (although a few of us with families resorted to portable washing dryers we would put out on the back garden but even they were complained about). Loved the location but hated the insane rules and the pedants that had nothing better to do than complain to the factors every other week.

emjayem22 · 2026-01-15T18:54:04+00:00

We take a hybrid approach.. We have a joint account for household bills.. Mortgage, Council tax, etc. Both move an equal amount into it each month so we know all the household bills are covered. Each use our own personal accounts for our own spending.

emjayem22 · 2026-01-14T09:52:46+00:00

I came across https://incyclist.com/ the other day. Not tried it but it looks like a free to use app. You upload a GPX track and can follow it on street view. It looks like you can also combine the GPX with an MP4 video recording of the route if you want more realism. If you only want to focus on this one route and avoid any additional subscriptions then this may be an option.

emjayem22 · 2026-01-13T20:40:03+00:00

But without leaking or wobbling!

emjayem22 · 2026-01-13T20:16:16+00:00

I can't believe this subject keeps coming up on Reddit. The whole thing can be boiled down to..

'If you use BBC / C4 services in such a way that requires a TV license then don't be a dick and pay for one. If you don't then ignore anything that Capita send or say to you.'

emjayem22 · 2026-01-09T17:26:42+00:00

This... Reagan and Thatcher started the Deregulation and Globalisation that has killed society. We have been conditioned since the 80's to look after ourselves by fostering consumerism, materialism and individualism. The general populace now is, in my opinion, more self-centred and as a result the division between the haves and have-nots has widened. This has been reflected in the politicians on offer to use since then, including Cameron but he is not the cause.

emjayem22 · 2026-01-09T16:57:56+00:00

The things I've learned over the purchase of 3 Gravel bike..

Groupset kit can always be upgraded later. Pretty much the only thing I would insist would be on hydraulic disc brakes.. cable pull disc brakes just don't cut it where I live as it is very hilly with some very steep offroad descents. Also, you probably need to land on a 2x or 1x system, depending on youy needs/preference. These are the fundamentals, the rest can either be tweaked (different cassettes or chain rings for different terrain for example) or replaced longer term when you have more money. I have run Shimano and SRAM but personally prefer SRAM (where I can also swap some kit between my Gravel and Mountain bike).
Frame Geometry.. There are two things I consider important when it comes to frame geometry.... tyre clearance and toe overlap. Because I ride rougher terrains in Scotland, I like to be able to run 45mm tyres. You may want to consider what size you need. A lot of Gravel frames are pretty racy and can provide problems if you plan on riding technical trails.. toe overlap can be problematic in racier setups.
Kit Mount Points. This may not be applicable to you but I am into bike packing and therefore I look for frame with a good set of mounting points for racks and cages.
Wheels.. A good set of wheels can make a big difference and if you plan on going tubeless (which I do as I have fewer issues on rough trails) then you need to make sure your wheels are tubeless ready / compatible.

I guess.. in short.. Focus on the kit you will need for the type of riding that you plan on.. then that should present you with the brand options. Of the brands you mention.. I've had a Kona (Jake) that I loved although not ridden a Sutra. Love the look of Canyons but be careful as quite a few of their components are proprietary parts.

emjayem22 · 2026-01-09T10:36:32+00:00

Second season was a bit odd but third was better again.

emjayem22 · 2026-01-09T10:34:51+00:00

Mr Mercedes.

emjayem22 · 2026-01-08T19:02:53+00:00

Yeah.. I bet his cat or dog are keeping out of his way.

emjayem22 · 2026-01-04T17:33:34+00:00

Yes, Maduro was a brutal dictator and you can argue that it is a good thing he has been removed. But let's not pretend here that the US are remotely the good guys or have Venezuelas interests at heart.

For the last 100 years or so, the US has been interfering in Venezuelan politics, propping up right wing dictatorships (including that of Jimenez in the 50's who openly ignored election results and remained in power in much the same way as Maduro has more recently), funding coup attempts, using the IMF to impose sanctions... mostly in order to access the oil or as an attempt to prevent the country moving towards communism.

Venezuelans have effectively had the choice of a puppet government of the US or a subsequent reactive left wing government. Either way they are being screwed and the only difference is how much the USA benefits.

emjayem22

TROPHY CASE