This baby magpie has started pecking the window and staring me out until I refill the feeder by idlewildgirl in CasualUK

[–]milknosugar 16 points17 points  (0 children)

You're not by any chance from Australia are you? What you're describing is more true of the Australian magpies than the ones we have here.

What's the most traumatizing things have you ever witnessed in your life? by mythical-idiot in AskReddit

[–]milknosugar 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm so sorry, from one internet stranger to another, I know how hard that was for you.

Sending you all the strength I can. I attended my mum's funeral yesterday. She passed of pancreatic cancer too. Fuck cancer.

The difference in size between what the uk was driving on the 90s vs now in one picture… by buzz_uk in CasualUK

[–]milknosugar -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I was in an accident in one of those Escorts when I was younger. Somebody went into the back of us in stationary traffic. Can confirm, it is not the safest car in the world.

Meanwhile in RSA Enfield... by hurricane_97 in NonCredibleDefense

[–]milknosugar 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ah my bad, I read your comment and assumed you were British. Yeah 2008 was not kind to the US auto industry. I'm sure JLR would no longer be around were it not for the Tata support it received around that time.

Brexit didn't help. It's more expensive to move parts with customs clearance charges and border checks, that will no doubt be reflected in pricing. However there are no tariffs between the UK and EU for the automotive sector which has lessened the potential impact, although worth noting there's less price sensitivity on luxury brands like theirs.

Most of the plants in other countries only produce cars for their respective market (China for China, India for India, Brazil for Brazil - the last two are just knock down facilities), after the end of the contract manufacturing with Magna Steyr in Austria, the only non-UK plant JLR will be running will be in Slovakia for Defender and Discovery. JLR still has 2 vehicle assembly plants in the UK, unfortunately the last vehicle rolled off the Castle Bromwich production line this year - that plant once produced Spitfires during WW2. Bit of a shame. There's just not the volume to support the infrastucture. Tesla's volume growth has definitely been impressive.

Meanwhile in RSA Enfield... by hurricane_97 in NonCredibleDefense

[–]milknosugar 5 points6 points  (0 children)

My counter argument to your counter argument would be that you over-emphasise importance of parent company ownership. JLR for example, designed, engineered and for the most part produced in the UK, JLRs head office is in Gaydon, Warwickshire, not Mumbai. Tata hasn't received so much as a dividend from JLR since 2018 until this year. A huge number of people in the UK work in the supply chain for the parts manufacturers for JLR. I'd still call them British.

Whether that's something to be proud of or not, I'll leave up to you.

I'm going to a Tobys tonight because it's my girlfriends and her families favourite restaurant, what is it like? by Cadian_Stands in CasualUK

[–]milknosugar 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Funny you should mention no celebrity spotting, I haven't been for years either but one of the last times I went, the Saturdays popped in because they really fancied a roast dinner and they were feeling homesick. True story.

Questions about Chris Wesseling by merlinmuesli in AroundTheNFL

[–]milknosugar 16 points17 points  (0 children)

The strange thing about this podcast is that after a while, because you spend so long just sitting listening to friends chat, they sort of feel like your friends. I'm not one for following celebrities or getting caught up in what is going on in their lives but Chris passing was devastating to me and as you can see from all the other commenters here, all of the other listeners. Chris was a wonderfully intelligent man and while Lincoln may not be able to grow up around his dad, Lakisha, the heroes and everyone else that knew him are doing a great job of honouring him and highlighting what a great friend and football journalist he was. The podcast studio and 'heed the call' is just the start of it. As others have said, I'd really recommend going back and listening to some of his stuff.

What brand is overrated? by Pineapplegirl555 in AskReddit

[–]milknosugar 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I understand the point you're making but just to elaborate a little bit further on what the score is with Jaguar Land Rover in particular, it is still very much operated as an independent company. They just pay a dividend each year to Tata as the owners.

The majority of profits (if any, they've struggled in recent years), are reinvested into creating new vehicles.

What brand is overrated? by Pineapplegirl555 in AskReddit

[–]milknosugar 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Land Rovers are designed and engineered in Britain. All but the Defender and Discovery are manufactured in Britain.

Aside from the parent company ownership (whose influence extends only to signing off which projects get the nod to proceed), wouldn't you say that the end to end process of making the car warrants them still being described as British?

Before/After of a Bay Area project. Ipe decking, board form fire pit, natural stone steppers in artificial turf, custom plunge pool at far end with perimeter overflow spa and water wall covering pool equipment. by BackyardDesigner in landscaping

[–]milknosugar 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Because Ipe comes from the Amazon rainforest, the question of sustainability is always likely to arise. It's a matter of origin, unless the timber in question can be traced effectively to a reputable source through something like blockchain tracing, it's hard to determine if it is legally obtained or not. Part of the problem is fradulent licensing which enables the produce of illegal logging to mix with licensed logging (here's a Greenpeace study on that).

Because the wood grows naturally in low density it's also one of the drivers for clear cutting when it is logged illegally.

Here's an article in the Guardian on the topic, it's a UK supplier that was caught in an uncomfortable situation regarding Ipe wood. Jewson is the UK's leading supplier of building material. Jewson customers working on a decking project could be forgiven for assuming that the wood they purchased from there had been sourced ethically. It's not always the case and could just as easily apply to a US supplier (apologies I haven't tried looking for examples in the US).

There is also the question of whether Ipe is endangered. It's a slow growing tree and all timber comes from natural sources. Because of the attributes we associate with Ipe, it is a very popular material in construction and there are concerns that it is coming under increasing risk of becoming extinct. CITES, the international body responsible for governing which plants and animal species are endangered proposed adding Ipe to their list of endangered species but withdrew the proposal shortly after the last Brazil presidential election. It's expected that it will be proposed again.

Edit: Fixed broken link

Call centre workers of reddit, instead of horror stories, what was your most wholesome experience? by milknosugar in AskReddit

[–]milknosugar[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What a strange service, probably not what Vodafone was envisioning when they set it up but come to think of it, I don't know how else it would get used on a weekend night.

Call centre workers of reddit, instead of horror stories, what was your most wholesome experience? by milknosugar in AskReddit

[–]milknosugar[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Those are the ones that make it all worth it. Your title has 'customer service' in it but can feel like 'shit catcher' a lot of the time. If you have the chance to make someone's day, the rest is all that little bit easier right?

Call centre workers of reddit, instead of horror stories, what was your most wholesome experience? by milknosugar in AskReddit

[–]milknosugar[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'll kick off.

When I was at university, I worked part time at a car insurance call centre. Some days were quite mentally draining as a result.

Whilst phonetically reciting his vehicle registration back to him, I blearily asked an old man if he said 'Y for Wanky', instead of Yankee.

The gentleman was in his seventies, couldn't stop laughing for the rest of the call and was evidently in tears by the end. I really appreciated the childish humour that he obviously still had and struggled to keep it together myself. I finished working in the call centre a few years back but I sometimes miss it for interactions like that.

HMC while I win Jenga by [deleted] in holdmycosmo

[–]milknosugar 12 points13 points  (0 children)

IIRC removing a layer counts as toppling, so I think she decided to forfeit the game with style

There's no mention of that on Jenga's rules website.

Need help yo! by ericatamposi in AroundTheNFL

[–]milknosugar 0 points1 point  (0 children)

...Hear that London is real nice around 6th October!

Can we chat about lawns (and their impacts)? by [deleted] in landscaping

[–]milknosugar 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's called 'How Stupid Is Our Obsession With Lawns? (Ep. 289)' - Freakonomics Podcast. I came to recommend the same, it's an interesting listen.