HossC

Someone sent me a video last week of an independent TD (member of parliament) giving a speech to Dáil Éireann (the Irish parliament) about the breakdown in fuel prices. He said that out of every €100 of petrol (gas) sold, €39.92 goes to the manufacturer, €3.08 goes to the retailer, and €57.00 goes to the government, despite the government not having any involvement in the manufacture or selling of the fuel. Added to that is the way they try to tax older, less economical cars off the road. The other day I was reading YouTube comments about what a bargain E39 5-Series BMWs are a the moment. It's true, I can buy one for around €3k, but the road tax on the 3.0 litre gas model is €1,400/year. The tax scale was changed in 2008, so older cars with big engines are harder to sell when they get to this price level. The exception is "vintage" cars, i.e. ones that are 30 years old or more. I could tax, for example, an old Mustang with a massive V8 engine for €56/year. Of course, I'd still have to fill it with heavily taxed fuel! BTW. There are still plenty of potholes in the roads.

I don't have much sympathy - I filled up with unleaded last night at €1.67/litre. If my sums are correct, that's about $7.33/US gallon.

True

Judy (Punch & Judy is a traditional puppet show, often found in little booths at the seaside. I don't know whether it transferred to the US) Tracey Ullman returned to Britain with her own sketch show on the BBC a few years ago, but I don't remember it containing any ground-breaking cartoon shows.

Kangaroo D'oh = Homer Simpson DoH = Dukes of Hazzard I hope than clears things up.

Ireland (Southern Ireland is another name for the Republic of Ireland or Eire) You threw me with the reference because I thought you were talking about 'Speed Buggy' which I think was shown in the UK during school holidays around 1980. I haven't seen it since. The quote is from less than 10 minutes into 'One Armed Bandits' while Waylon is still setting the scene: Balladeer: "Bo and Luke always have breakfast with Jesse, except on Saturdays when they eat at the garage, on donuts and beer." Hobie, I'm not Irish, I just live in Ireland!

I finally let Windows install its update tonight. I'm not sure exactly how long it took because I left the room, but it was under 10 minutes. Maybe I've still got the big one to come.

I've finally had to resort to Google to understand the "Let's go Brandon" memes I've been seeing for the last two days!

That's certainly happening to some extent here and in the UK. I don't know how much people are getting in the UK, but higher earners here have been getting €350/week (roughly $405) if they're unable to work. That compares to just over €200/week ($230) if they were merely unemployed. The authorities are finally looking into the payments, and have found that quite a few recipients weren't eligible to receive them for various reasons. The situation in the UK is, despite what the government says, complicated by Brexit. Many mainly European workers have left the country, leaving gaps in the employment market. European truck drivers are now being offered extended visas by the UK. As you can imagine, after the UK pulled out of Europe, the EU isn't exactly rushing to help.

It's that's silly situation where hoarders and panic buyers screw things up for everyone. If no one told them there was going to be a shortage, there probably wouldn't be one! It's happening with fuel in the UK at the moment. People are queuing for hours and gas stations are running dry because they heard that there aren't enough tanker drivers to deliver the fuel. From Monday, the army are going to help out with deliveries. Luckily, we don't seem to be having the same issues here.

It's nothing new here. The UK has a chain called Poundland where (nearly) everything is £1. Over here the chain is called Dealz, and most things are €1.50, despite the exchange rate being nothing like that bad. Hopefully the shortages will be restricted to things we want rather than thing we need. I'm not sure how many of my Christmas necessities are made in Asian factories.

Mine might be pending (I paused it for 7 days). I'll wait until the weekend. The last big update screwed up some of my programs on the start menu. I see that Windows 11 is starting to get mentioned - I still vividly remember the bullying approach to upgrading that they took last time! I generally feel that it's best to leave your computer on the OS it was designed to run.

I know someone who's told some of her vaccinated friends that they'll be dead within three years. She's also stopped talking to her adult son after he got vaccinated!

Both drivers wanted to stay out. Mercedes over-ruled Hamilton, but McLaren didn't over-rule Norris. In the end that made the difference. I'm sure it won't be long before Norris gets his first win.

Lewis Hamilton claimed his 100th F1 victory today at the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi (the previous record was 91 by Michael Schumacher). It wasn't his easiest win - he started 4th and slipped back to 6th for a while. Lando Norris looked to be on course for his first win, but when rain hit a few laps from the end, Hamilton pitted for wet tires and Norris tried to stay out on slicks. Norris eventually swapped tires, but finished 7th. The rain allowed Hamilton's title rival Max Verstappen to score an unexpected 2nd place after starting from the back of the grid due to an engine change. Win seven races to go, it could still go either way!

He was in 'Granny Annie' in season 2.

In the Cast/Characters forum there are threads for General Discussion and Other Actors/The Townsfolk.

I watched quite a few episodes back in the '80s, but haven't got around to revisiting it yet. It was definitely groundbreaking in terms of style and use of color. The night scene with the black (fake) Ferrari backed by 'In The Air Tonight' by Phil Collins is probably a stand-out memory.

Dune Buggy is a not-uncommon surname over here. We have a bus company and a car dealership nearby that use the name.

Found it! It's from 'The Sound of Music - Hazzard Style' (also in season 4). The federal officer confronts the boys and tries to identify himself, but he has a problem there: Ben Jordan: I seem to have misplaced my wallet. Bo: Mister, we've heard that 100 times. Ben Jordan: You just take my word for it. I am a federal officer. Luke: Sure, and I'm Santa Claus, this here's Bugs Bunny. The episodes had different writers, so maybe the two Bugs Bunny references were a coincidence.

Hobie, maybe you're thinking of 'Diamonds in the Rough'. The bad guys shoot at Bo and Luke as they drive off with the rabbit doll containing the diamonds: Bo: This is a dang bunny. Who'd wanna shoot after Bugs Bunny? Luke: Elmer Fudd. I wouldn't bank on it being him, though.

Formula 1 (Pirelli are the current tire suppliers)

This exchange happens on the first test drive of their new car: Luke: We jumped a dang creek. Bo: Yeah. General Lee always was a cavalry man. Luke: We built more into this car than just plugs and pistons, I guess. Bo: Fighting spirit of the South. Come on, we got a race to run.

When the car is revealed in a flashback in 'Happy Birthday, General Lee', Cooter says "I'll tell you, Uncle Jesse couldn't have come up with a better name. After we put the rebel flag on and stuck that Dixie horn in, there couldn't have been nothing more appropriate than 'General Lee'." So Uncle Jesse came up with the name. Maybe there are more references in other episodes that other members can recall.

Bomber (The Vulcan was a delta-wing bomber operated by the RAF from the '50s to the '80s. I've stood underneath one in a museum, and they're pretty impressive) I believe that what we call scones are similar to your biscuits. Scones are denser with more fat and sugar than biscuits and often contain dried fruit. They're normally served with jam (jelly to you) and clotted cream. The inhabitants of Devon and Cornwall can't agree which should be put on first!