I Have a Question - Volume 199 - Pugugly {P}

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Numpty wetsuit questions - Clanger
I have accepted another job teaching children swimming starting next week. I will be in the water of a heated swimming pool at about 28 degrees for 3 hours at a stretch. My future colleagues all wear shortie type wetsuits to keep warm and I have been advised that I should get one. My budget is £50 tops. Problem is I don't know what I don't know. Do they come in various grades of warmness, like sleeping bags? Many seem to be 3mm thick; will this be OK for a swimming pool? Should I get a cheap one off the internet and discard it when I've got some experience? Can anyone recommend a wetsuit seller? If I don't get one off the internet, what sort of High St shop sells wetsuits? Can anyone offer some advice? As always, thanks in advance.

Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
Numpty wetsuit questions - barchettaman
Go to Decathlon, if you have one nearby, and get the cheapest one you can find. Their in-house brand is Triboard.
Quiksilver, O´Neill and Bilabong will be 2x the price and over-specced for the job.
Otherwise Ebay is a good source for second hand wetties.
You will probably be OK with just a 2mm neoprene rash guard and your swimming trunks though, but a cheap shortie will probably be as cheap.
Numpty wetsuit questions - Martin Devon
Forgive me if i am missing something here, but what happened to swimming trunks. Please tell me i've missed something or I am about to enter Despair mode yet again..........Please.

MD
Numpty wetsuit questions - Clanger
Dear MD,

Swimming trunks don't keep you warm enough when you aren't doing any swimming. Teaching in the pool means you are often stood, dripping wet in waist-deep water pontificating and gesticulating at the little darlings. One gets cold quite quickly; believe it. An inelegant solution (which I did this afternoon for the "interview") is to wear an old polo shirt or similar.

Have I saved you from despair mode this time?
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
Numpty wetsuit questions - Martin Devon
Have I saved you from despair mode this time?
Hawkeye

I obviously stand corrected.

Best reg's...MD.
Numpty wetsuit questions - deepwith
A cheap wet suit will be fine at 28 degrees - thicker ones are for colder water/sea - for instance a 'steamer' can be worn in winter for windsurfing. This is a good time to be looking as many shops will be selling off end of season lines - we got a really good one for £10 which had been in the window so was sun-bleached - saving £60! Supermarkets sell them at about £20 but would be wary unless you can try them on as the shape might not suit you and prove uncomfortable for long periods. What the supermarket do have are cheap rash vests, worn under the wetsuit with the seams outwards, which stop any rubbing.
Agree ebay is a good starting point, as are local sailing clubs - try the RYA website or just google sailing clubs in your area. People will often be selling second hand. I sell off the 'lost property' from our club each year to raise funds for junior sailing - usually several wetsuits among the haul.
Most manufacturers also have websites.
Numpty wetsuit questions - adverse camber
I think you're North Yorks based?

There's a place in Saltburn that is apparently selling good quality wetsuits cheap (a neighbour bought one recently)

If you're on the small side Home Bargains in Ripon had some in, but they didnt look very big.
Numpty wetsuit questions - barchettaman
Good point. The surf shops will probably be selling off their summer stock now.
Numpty wetsuit questions - J Bonington Jagworth
The last time I was in Sainsbury's, they were selling off wetsuits. You need to size it carefully and keep a lot of talcum powder handy...

If it's part of the job, can you get the cost subsidised?
Numpty wetsuit questions - Clanger
Thank you very much for your replies. After careful measurement I have bought an Osprey 2.5mm shortie suit off Ebay which fits snugly and is comfortable. It must fit OK, it even provoked a lewd comment from Mrs H last night.

I'm on duty this Saturday not knowing who's going to turn up, or how many, or what ages, and with only the sketchiest of lesson plans. Parents have paid a premium to watch me deliver some skills to their little darlings, who are mostly rejects from normal learn-to-swim programmes owing to their confidence or behaviour issues. Wish me luck.
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
Small Boats - geoff1248
I am thinking of buying a small boat to be used for a bit of fishing on some local rivers and canals. Just a small one that one man can handle on a trailer. It'll be kept in my garage when not in use. Now do small boats have to go through the equivalent of a maritime MOT and would I have to pay anything equivalent to road tax every time I wanted to launch it?
Small Boats - Gromit {P}
"equivalent of a maritime MOT"

No, not in the UK or Ireland anyway. You can get a free safety check done by your local RNLI station (they call it a SEA check) if you like, but its not obligatory.

"Would I have to pay anything equivalent to road tax every time I wanted to launch it?"

That depends on where you keep it. Some slipways have a launching fee, some are provided as a public amenity. Likewise, boats kept on some waterways have to be registered and there may be a fee for visitors. The Royal Yachting Association, Cruising Association or Inland Waterways will be able to advise you what charges apply in the areas you intend to visit.

Some of the monthly sailing magazines (Yachting Monthly and Sailing Today, off the top of my head) run regular features on "where to trail and sail" which include details of slipways and fees, and might give you some ideas on other places of interest to take your boat to.

PS: Small is better with boats. Buy the smallest boat that does the job you want - it'll be easier to handle, easier to repair will cost less to run.

Enjoy!
Small Boats - deepwith
Good advice from Gromit, but please do get your boat independently checked by a boat yard for bouyancy - done yearly on kids boats and given a sticker to prove they pass. You just have to sit by a public slipway for a few hours to see how many boats are in danger. Too little bouyancy and you will sink, too much and the boat will turtle if it capsizes - potentially with you underneath. Seen both happen in the Lymington River in the past month.
Small Boats - J Bonington Jagworth
FWIW, I recently bought a 3m inflatable that can be hand-carried without too much trouble (this is easier when it's deflated, though!). Some have wooden or aluminium floors that may be better for standing on, although ours has a flat inflatable floor that seems to work. I don't fish, so I guess the only potential hazard is sticking a hook through it, but I don't think this is a big problem in practice...
Selling a House - Clk Sec
A further response to L'escargot's post - Volume 198

I don?t think finding a suitable property gets any easier as you get older. Having been owner occupiers since the 70?s and having moved house on several occasions during that time, our criteria now may well require a search of several months rather than weeks.

This could be the same for you as I suspect your property has been on the market for some time now, and, of course, you had nowhere in mind at the time you received your offer, nor during the week or so before this was withdrawn.

Perhaps next time you have a potential buyer it might be worth looking at the prospect of moving temporarily to other accommodation. You could rent a property on a shorthold tenancy basis or possibly stay in a guest house or hotel. Many years ago my parents moved into an hotel (seaside winter rates - very competitive) while they continued their search.

We have put all our possessions into storage and moved out early on two occasions in the past. It?s a bit more hassle, but worth it in the end.

Any estate agents around this morning?

Clk Sec


Selling a House - deepwith
Our elderly neighbour has recently bought a static caravan on a site near the village/sea. She is selling the family house and looking for a small bungalow in the middle of the village (hard to find) so the caravan is both an investment for holiday rentals and a safety net if she sells before finding her perfect home.
Selling a House - Mapmaker
Tricky one. I have sympathy for both sides, actually.

All my possessions are currently in store whilst I buy a new house, having sold my previous one earlier. In inner London, earlier this year (and possibly still even now) there was so much money in circulation - particularly from buy to letters - that any seller could demand a chain-free cash buyer. So in order to buy, one had to be chain free, which meant selling the house chain free.

So yes, if my seller reckoned it was going to take him three months to find a house to buy, I might withdraw my offer.

If you move into rented accommodation, then you may well get a better price on the house you buy - no chain, instant settlement etc. Adn if prices 'soften' over the next few months, you win, win win!
Selling a House - J Bonington Jagworth
>if prices 'soften'

A friend of mine believes the market to be topping out and is selling his house with a view to renting indefinitely using the interest on the proceeds. I guess the only difficulty now is knowing where to put the money!
Freeview via satellite dish? - nick62
We recently moved house and would like to put a television into a room that has a feed (cable) from the satellite dish the previous owner left behind.

Because it is a three storey house, getting an aerial on the chimney is no mean task, so I wondered if it is possible to get a satellite receiver and be able to view all the channels available as "free to air" as on the "normal" aerial.

Thanks in anticipation.
Freeview via satellite dish? - Robbie
If your dish is pointing to the Astra 2 satellite then you will be able to receive the all of the free to view digital channels if you purchase a Sky digibox and a £20 free to view card. This card will allow you to watch Channel 4 and Five. More 4, E4, and UK TV History are only available with a Sky subscription.

The BBC will be introducing Freesat in 2008 when, presumably, they will have a digibox to their specification available for purchase. Very little information is available at the moment but it is anticipated that all of the present Freeview channels will be on Freesat.
Freeview via satellite dish? - Stuartli
Freeview channels, apart from the five main channels and certain Channel4 offerings, can only be received on digital terrestial television i.e. via a wideband TV aerial.

Sky's Freestat is similar but although there are many more channels, few are of much interest to most people.
More 4, E4, and UK TV History are only available with a Sky subscription.>>


All these channels are available free on Freeview.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
Freeview via satellite dish? - adverse camber
without getting into the terminology argument over freesat/freeview/freesat from sky

As long as the dish is pointed at 28East (and it would be unusual for it not to be) you can get bbc1-4, cbbc, cbeebies, itvc, the various itv regonal channels, Film4/+1 plus a variety of rubbish and shopping channels without a sky box or a sky card.
just pick up a cheap sat box like the ones in lidl (or whichever cheap german supermarket is doing the offer)

To get C4 you currently need a sky box and card (ebay) or the cheap comet offer for £75 for an install (although Im not sure if your dish location will put it into the 'special install' category)
(OK a dreambox will also work but thats out of scope for this discussion)
Freeview via satellite dish? - drbe
or the cheap
comet offer for £75 for an install (>>


Dixons as well as Comet are doing the Sky "Pay Once and Watch forever" offer,

£75 + P&P gets you dish, box, remote control, book of words, installation of dish and set-up. I've recently bought it and think it's very good value. You get about 400 channels (most of which are junk) including BBC 1, 2, 3, 4; ITV 1, 2, 3, 4; Channel 4 & 5; Sky 1,2,3; UKTV Gold; Sci-Fi; Men & ; Motors; UK TV Drama; E4; Legal TV; Film 4; Golf Channel; Sky News; Bloomberg Financial and so on.

Yer pays yer monet.............
Freeview via satellite dish? - Stuartli
Freesat channels:

www.freesatfromsky.co.uk/?pID=3

Sky Pay Once and Watch Forever:

www.dixons.co.uk/store_doc/rj07/wk08/skytv/tvlistp...m

Absorbing TV...:-)
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
Freeview via satellite dish? - Robbie
As long as the dish is pointed at 28East (and it would be unusual for
it not to be)


Not necessarily, there are lots of houses with old Sky dishes pointing to Astra 1.
Random Sampling question - johnny
Yak - our obsession with performance indicators and targets strikes again.
I need to hit the following targets to avoid a whacking...
Period A - Success Rate = 80 - 90 % of completed tickets
Period B - Success rate = 85 - 95 %
Period C - Success rate = 90 - 95%

Now, I suspect management just pulled thse targets out of thin air and will probably do a random sample of about six jobs before getting bored. How many jobs should be sampled in order to produce a meaningful set of results - I have vague A level memories of stats, and something like "degrees of confidence" springs to mind. Any ammunition welcome!
Random Sampling question - Gromit {P}
A "small sample", in statistical terms, is less than 30 (which should follow Student' T distribution rather than the normal distribution). The degree of confidence is a measure of how likely you'd be to get the same result if you ran the same analysis on different occasions.

An 80% degree of confidence is typical for social sciences (e.g. questionnaires), 95% is customary for physical sciences and 99% for clinical research.

A good refresher is "How to lie with statistics" by Darrell Huff (Penguin)
Random Sampling question - Stuartli
A "small sample">>


Statistics are only of use for 7.55 per cent of cases.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
Random Sampling question - Vin {P}
With the information you've given, there's no way for you (or them!) to tell. My suggested solution would be, let them do their sample. If you pass, all well and good. If you don't, ask them what standard deviation they used to calculate their sample size. As they will not know this, you can ask them on what basis they have come to the conclusion that you haven't succeeded.

Put the workload on them rather than trying to do it yourself.

V
Upscaling Freeview boxes - maz64
Those upscaling Freeview boxes such as the Goodmans GDB15HD (£50 from Argos), do they actually increase the effective resolution of the picture (by using software algortihms that work on pixels), or do they just 'zoom' the picture so that the effective resolution stays the same?

That is, I can change the size of my Windows desktop on my antique analogue monitor by fiddling around with the geometry zoom controls. But that just changes the size of the pixels- to change the resolution, which is what I would have thought upscale means, I have to change the desktop resoultion setting.

Info on Argos website doesn't make it clear- I suspect it's zoom rather than what I would call true upscaling, but if anyone know for sure...

John
Upscaling Freeview boxes - J Bonington Jagworth
If it means what it says (and it should) upscaling is interpolation of the picture, in 'real time', so that the end result has more pixels. This is akin to those cheap cameras that claim more pixels than their sensors can provide and whose results are predictably disappointing.

The effect is slightly better than zooming, because the 'invented' pixels do bear some relation to their neighbours, but HD it ain't.
Upscaling Freeview boxes - J Bonington Jagworth
BTW, if that was not an academic enquiry, consider buying a Freeview box with a hard disc recorder in it. It should have two tuners (so you can record one channel while watching another) and is absolutely brilliant for time-shifting, skipping adverts or replaying that bit you just missed. Like Sky+ but without the Murdoch tax...
Upscaling Freeview boxes - Stuartli
Apart from the excellent Panasonic DVD/Freeview models of the type to which J Bonington Jagworth refers, serious consideration should also be given to the splendid Humax 9200T (the T represents twin tuners). See:

beststuff.co.uk/humax_pvr_9200t.htm

for a review. Its Freeview set top box, the F2 FOX-T, has been going for around three years now and is still the benchmark for other manufacturers.

My best mate has sold a sackload of this model at his independent audio/video/appliances outlet, plus the Panasonic varieties, and has 99.9 per cent satisfied customers.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
Upscaling Freeview boxes - maz64
Thanks chaps. I know what an 'upscaling' box *should* do, but I've heard reports that they don't, especially the cheaper ones...

Yes, would like to upgrade to a PVR, but too much of a luxury for current finances. Current boxes are old cheap rebadged Vestel GDB3 variants, a Lodos and a Matsui DTR2, which have been excellent but have now started periodically losing channels; I'm guessing the relatively old software can't handle some of the new info that's being broadcast. So looking for cheap stopgaps, and like the sound of making better use of TV's full resolution.

John
Upscaling Freeview boxes - J Bonington Jagworth
"I've heard reports that they don't"

Probably because it's difficult to tell the difference! I'm not convinced it's a feature worth paying for - a good freeview signal should be pretty watchable, and the beauty of digital PVR's is that there's almost no degradation when recorded.

This is a decent model, too, despite the brand!

tinyurl.com/2zu5mh
Upscaling Freeview boxes - Dulwich Estate
Its Freeview set top box, the F2 FOX-T, has been going for around three >> years now and is still the benchmark for other manufacturers.

My best mate has sold a sackload of this model at his independent
audio/video/appliances outlet, plus the Panasonic varieties, and has 99.9 >> per cent satisfied customers.


I'm happy with mine (Backroom recommendation no less), but in less than 6 months I've needed two new ones - both had a failed remote control. One was completely dead after a month or two and the second refused to switch on or off but the other functions were OK.

I'd still buy again - that's loyalty for you!!
Yamaha Clavinova CLP 360 Electric Piano - BobbyG
Any musicians out there that can help me?

The charity I work for has been donated the above electric piano to sell to raise funds. Chances are I will put it on ebay as collection only. However, can anyone advise me of what value to ask for? I see many Clavinovas but cannot find anything on the 360.
I have a copy of the original receipt in 1991 for £1500. It is still in excellent working condition.

Any help / advice much appreciated,
--
2007 Seat Altea XL 2.0 TDI (140) Stylance
2005 Skoda Fabia vrS
Yamaha Clavinova CLP 360 Electric Piano - J Bonington Jagworth
The short answer is that it's worth what someone is willing to pay.

WRT Ebay, make sure you have a decent photograph or two (and in focus - amazing how many aren't) and set the starting price low to get people bidding. You can always set a reserve if that makes you nervous!
Yamaha Clavinova CLP 360 Electric Piano - nick
To get the best ebay price: take lots of good pictures, closeup too; give a full and honest description; longest auction timed to finish on a sunday at around 8pm; £1 start and no reserve.
Keep your nerve, it'll languish at a low figure for ages and go mad in the last few minutes if it's something that more than one person wants.
I just bought a car lift that went from £300-odd to over £800 in 2 minutes at the end. I paid a fair price but I thought I was on to a bargain until then!
Yamaha Clavinova CLP 360 Electric Piano - barchettaman
Assuming you´re not in the middle of nowhere, it should go for at least 200 quid on eBay on ´pick up only´. Make sure to post lots of photos. These Clavinovas are well regarded as the sound quality improved radically around this time.
Check with your local church organists too, as they might know someone in the market for one.
This instrument should have plenty of life left in it - mine is from the late ´80s and still works perfectly.
Yamaha Clavinova CLP 360 Electric Piano - billy25
Been looking at various sites, the clp 360 was discontinued in the early nineties, but today various CLP and the slightly dearer CVP models seem to be in an average price range from about £1000 - £5000. If yours is in A1-A2 condition, why not try getting a quote from some of the specialist sites/shops. I wouldn't think one in good condition would depreciate that much, in fact like Antique furniture it may even be worth more now that "new". I would recommend getting it valued, if "scruffy" it may be worth having it refurbished before selling it.

Billy
Yamaha Clavinova CLP 360 Electric Piano - BobbyG
Thanks for advice so far, please keep it coming! I am based in Glasgow and have spoken to one of the local music shops who suggest asking for at least £200 for it, probably as a starting price.

Billy, have you any specific specialist sites / shops that you know of, or should I just do a search on the web?
--
2007 Seat Altea XL 2.0 TDI (140) Stylance
2005 Skoda Fabia vrS
Yamaha Clavinova CLP 360 Electric Piano - Vin {P}
A quick google search on Yamaha clp 360 leads to a user manual at: tinyurl.com/ypexac (click on download)

And a review at tinyurl.com/2hkjco

I'd certainly refer to both documents in a listing on ebay.

I start EVERYTHING off at £1 on ebay. Bidding will soon lift into a sensible area and you won't put people off who otherwise might think they're being ripped off if they haven't seen the bids go up from near zero. If you like, if it's gone to £201 from a strat of a quid they know the bid price to be sensible, whereas a single bid over £200 might make them think the other bidder is a mug (I'm very tired, so I hope this is making sense).

Anyroadup, take a dozen clear photos, all in focus, all showing something new - photos are cheap, and one higher bid will pay for them. Put loads of detail into your description - it's free, use it.

I sold an awful upright piano that was battered on ebay. I said the buyer had to collect and that I would be utterly unable to help due to a bad back. Got £69, £19 more than I bought it for about 5-6 years earlier.

Good luck,

V



Yamaha Clavinova CLP 360 Electric Piano - billy25
Hi BobbyG,
This is the site that i looked at to try and get an idea of current prices,

tinyurl.com/yokk6n

they cover most of the models in the CLP and CVP range,

This is a link to a more "specialist" outlet, which is based I think in your neck of the woods (well Scotland anyway)

www.organstudio.co.uk/

may be worth giving them a ring and having a chat?.
hth
Billy
Yamaha Clavinova CLP 360 Electric Piano - BobbyG
Cheers Billy, phoned Organ studio and they gave the same valuation so I know what I am looking for now.

Thanks to all who replied,
--
2007 Seat Altea XL 2.0 TDI (140) Stylance
2005 Skoda Fabia vrS
Student house deposit not returned - David Horn
Hi there,

I left uni in July and am having difficulty (along with my friends), getting our deposits back from the estate agency we rented our house through. They owe each of us £250.

They've changed their name but are trading out of the same building with the same staff, and are claiming financial problems, and that they have no obligation to return our deposits. We rented the house just before it became a requirement for the deposits to be ring fenced. Is it worth proceeding to the small claims court if they've changed their name?

I'm back down in Devon now (house in Leeds) so my friends are dealing with this. However, I'm not immune to driving back up there and kicking up one hell of a fuss inside the shop.
Student house deposit not returned - bell boy
can you not find the actual owner of the property and speak to them? surely the estate agents are only agents of the owner after all
Student house deposit not returned - daveyjp
www.landlordzone.co.uk/

Loads of stuff about this on the forum.
Student house deposit not returned - Lud
However I'm not immune to driving back up there and kicking up one hell
of a fuss inside the shop.


Resorting to intimidation or violent polemic may give short-term personal satisfaction, but will put you at least partly in the wrong DH.

I'm no lawyer but I would have thought that if you have receipts for your deposit(s), and the outfit has simply changed its name, then what you need to do is assemble all the data (with the names of those who signed the receipt) and go to the small claims court, which I would expect to sympathise with you. It will be tiresome getting all your ducks in a row first but it's the way to go I think. Citizens' Advice Bureau or some local do-gooding lawyer will probably advise you fairly cheaply or free.

Of course if all that fails and the outfit is still there and smirking afterwards, then a midnight trip to paint all the windows khaki or a midday one to paint the manager khaki would risk only a smallish fine I would think. Again, the court will probably sympathise.
Student house deposit not returned - Mapmaker
Do you/do your parents have legal protection insurance on the household policy?
Student house deposit not returned - Happy Blue!
If there is no dispute as to the condition of the property when you vacated, thenthe money is not theirs (It never was in any case) it is yours and has been held on the landlord's behalf. You should threaten to sue the landlord - his name will be on the tenancy document and you can obtain his name and address from the Land Registry for £3.

If the agency say they have no money then off to Trading Standards, as the money should have been held in a separate account to their own funds.
Student house deposit not returned - Clk Sec
>>>landlord - his name will be on the tenancy document and you can obtain his name and address from the Land Registry for £3.

Assuming it's an assured shorthold tenancy agreement, which it almost certainly will be, the Landlord's address should appear directly above the various signatures on the last page.
Student house deposit not returned - Lud
Of course Espada is right to mention the state you left the place in. Was there anything missing or damaged? It's much more difficult to argue about the cost of replacements, repairs etc. if you haven't done them properly yourself.

Of course some landlords, like some car hire companies, take unfair advantage if you are a bit careless.
Student house deposit not returned - deepwith
This happened to our daughter in her final year. We should have expected it as they had never completed basic repairs asked for repeatedly throughout the year (large crack in french door glass among other things). A member of the letting agency had inspected the house and signed it off as being in good condition. The agents refused to pay back the deposit, claiming it now needed repainting. After lots of visits by both daughter and one of the male ex-tenants nothing happened (the rest were in America for the summer).
We stepped in and instructed a local solicitor (to us) to deal with it - which cost about £40 for letters and phone calls and the money was returned. Soon as they realised we were prepared to take action they repaid the money.
One of the reasons the group had originally gone with the letting agent is that they had all sorts of trade association logos on their paperwork. While deciding how to tackle the problem we checked up on their membership of these various bodies - they did not belong to any of them. This we reported to Trading Standards, who kept us informed on their progress while prosecuting the agency. I bet they wish they had re-paid that particular deposit.
Medical Cover in Europe - geoff1248
Like most people who go to France I have an E111 but also medical insurance. The question is just what treatment is covered by the medical insurance that isn't covered by the E111. A case in point is that I had a heart attack about 14 months ago and was immediately admitted to Leeds Hospital. A couple of weeks later I was back home having had a triple heart by pass and am fighting fit again. Now what would have happened if I had been in France when this had occurred. Would the E111 have covered the operation?
Medical Cover in Europe - Stuartli
My best mate had a heart attack three or four years ago when in Majorca. He was immediately taken to hospital, had all the treatment necessary and a spell in intensive care before being allowed to return home in a private jet with his wife.

Shortly after his return, he visited his doctor to find that the staff of the hospital where he had been treated had faxed over all the information of his treatment and the various test results to the surgery.

My mate described his stay and treatment in hospital in Majorca as absolutely first class in a clean, modern and fully equipped building with more than sufficient staffing levels.

As far as I am aware the cost of his treatment and flight back were covered by his travel insurance, but as he is currently abroad yet again I can't confirm these points; he certainly didn't have any outlay during his hospital treatment nor subsequent costs to pay.
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Medical Cover in Europe - geoff1248
But if he hadn't had private insurance what would the E111 alone have covered him for?
Medical Cover in Europe - Gromit {P}
E111 (or the European Health Insurance Card, EHIC, that replaced it) only covers emergency care such as attending A&E or a hospital stay after an accident, at the level provided by the state healthcare system in the country you visit.

See www.ehic.org.uk for the NHS's FAQ of what it does/doesn't cover, and how to apply.
Student contents insurance - Recommendations ? - leonora
Does anyone have experience of student contents insurance or can anyone recommend a good company. I know Endsleigh is the famous one (or at least it was when I was a student many, many years ago) but would appreciate any feedback. My son is off to live in the East end of London this weekend and has to arrange insurance as soon as possible. Thanks for responses.
Student contents insurance - Recommendations ? - geoff1248
Check with your current household insurers. Our insurers classed my sons contents as "temporary removal" and allowed us 9 months a year for an agreed value of his possessions at no extra charge. The only stipulation was that his room in the shared rented accommodation had to have a lock on it.
Student contents insurance - Recommendations ? - Stuartli
Agree with geoff1248. When my two offspring were at university, we had insurance cover with Endsleigh for an overall total of seven years.

It was only about a year after both had finished at university that we discovered, quite by chance, that our then Prudential property and contents insurance would have provided the cover required...:-(
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Student contents insurance - Recommendations ? - Dulwich Estate
Young Dulwich is just starting his second year at uni in a rented house after the first year in halls. We took a look at Endsleigh and for us it compared badly against MoreThan who we have gone along with this year for £79.
Student contents insurance - Recommendations ? - Dulwich Estate
PS I thought about the extension to the home policy but that did not work for us either. In any policy check the wording about evidence of "forced entry". Usually (except MoreThan as far as I could see) that is a get out of jail free card for an insurer.
Student contents insurance - Recommendations ? - Mapmaker
I think you will find (it was the case the last time I looked) that only a specific student policy will cover a room in a shared house (shared bathroom, kitchen etc). Ins cos view them as high risk as you will not deadlock (!) your room door every time you go to the loo.

The NFU were supposed to have a good household policy that extends to students, but I never read their small print.

If students are in self-contained units then that might be a different matter.
Student contents insurance - Recommendations ? - PoloGirl
Yep - he must lock his room every time he leaves and never leave the window open, even if just popping down the corridor. I know far too many people caught out by those two clauses when the insurers refuse to pay out.

Student contents insurance - Recommendations ? - Mapmaker
When I grew up and ceased being a student and bought some proper insurance I realised that I had been paying out in vain for insurance when often it would not have covered me at all.

I suggest saving the insurance. Get his laptop covered under all risks on your policy and buy a Kensington lock, he already has mobile phone insurance, buy him a ChiPod (were they called? chiP3 player?) and take a chance on the rest. Nobody has CDs any longer... and nobody will nick his trainers.
YOU TUBE - Martin Devon
I have 'saved' several music items to favourites, but would love to download them and I have a feeling that someone on here once said how to, but I'm not sure. Any new or repeat info' gratefully received.

Yours..........MD.......late 60's early 70's fan!!
YOU TUBE - PhilW
It might have been me - and I think "Audacity" was recommended. I have downloaded and saved as MP3 thingys loads of fantastic Buddy Guy, BBKing, Clapton etc from you tube using Audacity - I presume that is what you mean?
download-audacity.org/?gclid=COjG0ZKe0I4CFQnllAodS...A

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Phil
YOU TUBE - PhilW
Sorry, my answer was not clear - I asked a similar question some time ago and a backroomer (not sure who) recommended Audacity and I have used it with great success to download some real good stuff.
Try this
uk.youtube.com/watch?v=lqAuuIDU2sw
If you find better guitar work anywhere I would be pleased to hear of it!
OK - here's some
uk.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ny5ajCn0xw&mode=related&se...=
uk.youtube.com/watch?v=HcH-jmmaY7Q
uk.youtube.com/watch?v=xuRhaDrnlWo
uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ixFnMchj0pw (This is brilliant - Vaughan, BB, Cray, Sumlin, Guy, Clapton, Bonnie Rait all on one track and is that Doctor John on piano? - probably some I have missed!)
How about some Joe Walsh?
uk.youtube.com/watch?v=sNUhYGgAG-A&mode=related&se...=
uk.youtube.com/watch?v=pO4ubVwh6bo&mode=related&se...=
The Eagles??
uk.youtube.com/watch?v=wcdViSdoRuk
uk.youtube.com/watch?v=IGiZWHL6wD0&mode=related&se...=

OK - I've gone off topic but I always thought you tube was a "You've been framed" thing but there is some great music on there.

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Phil
YOU TUBE - Stuartli
YouTube is like Google Earth - hopelessly addictive, especially as you say on the music side.

I've found video clips of many singers and groups from the 1960s onwards (originally from US TV) plus, of course, many thousands of more recent tracks, and have just acquired a 400GB external hard drive to save those of interest (going to use YouTube Downloader), rather than keep downloading just to watch.

www.youtube-d.com/
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YOU TUBE - Pezzer
PhilW

Fan... flippin... tastic !! I love the Gary Moore/BB King.

Just been fiddling with Audacity and I only seem to get the LH channel is that because the feed from You Tube is mono ?

I thought this was pretty good btw

uk.youtube.com/watch?v=vNc5o9TU0t0


P
YOU TUBE - PhilW
Pezzer
" only seem to get the LH channel "
I noticed that when recording , but on playback both channels seem to work (mind you I'm deaf in my left ear so if only left channel was working I wouldn't hear much!)


"I thought this was pretty good btw
uk.youtube.com/watch?v=vNc5o9TU0t0"

Sounds great - Have saved for future reference - I'm in a loud "Chicago Blues guitar" mood!!
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Phil
YOU TUBE - SpamCan61 {P}
I use Firefox with videodownloader add-on.
YOU TUBE - rtj70
But none of you are downloading copyrighted music or video and sharing the know how? All you're downloading must be either out of copyright or was originally broadcast such that copyright no longer applying ;-)

Or is HJ helping us pirate music and videos by sharing info?
YOU TUBE - Stuartli
You have to download such content to watch it...:-)

No difference to a VCR, DVD Recorder etc if for personal use.
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YOU TUBE - Stuartli
PS

I already record TV programmes using the PVR feature in my Freeview PCI TV card...
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YOU TUBE - rtj70
So does that make it legal ;-) I'm only coming from this from the original posters perspective. I think the site has suggested via our help help how to download illegal tracks and video.

If we all wanted to we could get better version via the BitTorrent network or similar. But we should not. Some will.
YOU TUBE - rtj70
I think the law will beg to differ here. I have personal view (similar to yours) but this site cannot be explaining how to obtain illegal material. And you all have been in my opinion.
YOU TUBE - PhilW
My apologies if what I have posted is encouraging illegal practices. I thought youtube had recently been taken over by some big company who would keep an eye on illegalities and maybe post a warning that saving the music was illegal? And if it is illegal what's with the youtube downloader recommended by Stuart?
Interested,not contesting your opinion
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Phil
YOU TUBE - rtj70
It was taken over but how many millions needed to police the content - it's video so someone has to watch it and anyone can post. All they can do easily is monitor the posts headlines.

I could post all three Lord of The Rings Movies and it might take time to notice. And there will be p0rn and all sorts no doubt on there somewhere.

But my point was there is content posted that has copyright that should not be there.

So HJ when it comes back after being cleared for cheap MP3 files (not really legal( I thoroughly recommend www.allofmp3.com. Or alltunes if that comes back first. Of course I do not but ripping of media from YouTube equally illegal. Also recommend bittorrent.

Thread deleted and closed I hope then.
YOU TUBE - Stuartli
I find the practice adopted by many YouTube posters of tacking a bit of text onto a video they have recorded from a TV show, DVD or similar and pass it off as their own work to be far more disturbing and, indeed, cynical.
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YOU TUBE - rtj70
"disturbing and, indeed, cynical"

No offence intended but the word I think is illegal. And we can discuss this elsehwhere but HJ's site is motoring related in the main.

Long live allofmp3 ;-) Said to invoke a reaction.
YOU TUBE - Stuartli
>>And we can discuss this elsehwhere but HJ's site is motoring related in the main.>>

The introduction to this particular thread states: "In this thread you may ask any question for which you need help, advice, suggestions or whatever.

"It does not need to be motoring related. In fact, in this thread it should not be."

It is not necessarily illegal to record what would normally be copyright material - in fact the BBC, for instance, makes a point of stating that it is quite happy for viewers or listeners to record its programmes providing it is for personal use.
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YOU TUBE - rtj70
"in fact the BBC, for instance, makes a point of stating that it is quite happy for viewers or listeners to record its programmes providing it is for personal use."

and are TV license payers. Their online catch up TV service for example will only work from a UK based user. I know that doesn't check the license but you cannot use from say the USA.
YOU TUBE - Stuartli
>>and are TV license payers.>>

I was discussing recordings using a VCR or DVD recorder - online services are, as you state, often subject to restrictions with regard to outside the UK access.

A similar point seems to apply to certain ITV2 programmes which cannot, according to the on-screen notice, be re-shown for legal reasons on the ITV2+1 channel immediately afterwards.

The question of copying for personal use what is normally regarded as copyright material has always been somewhat of a puzzle.

For instance Sony's musical division has always strongly sought to eliminate copying of CDs etc yet another Sony division has, for many years, provided the very hardware and media to allow you to do so (CD-RW/DVD-RW drives)...:-)
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YOU TUBE - PhilW
I take your points rtj. However, there is another aspect to this in that after seeing the Gary Moore/BBKing video on youtube I went out and bought a double CD by Gary Moore which included this live performance with BB King, and after watching the extracts from the Crossroads festival I googled and found that much more was available on a double DVD of the festival and bought that. Then my wife bought me an Eagles CD and a Joe Walsh CD for my birthday. You could argue that without seeing these performances on youtube I wouldn't have bought these CDs and DVDs - maybe the artists actually benefitted from the (poor quality?) videos and my (poor quality??) downloads on youtube??
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Phil
YOU TUBE - PhilW
Oh and (sorry to go on - but I do tend to!!), my son, knowing my obsession with Buddy Guy made a point, while touring the States, of going to his club in Chicago (Buddy Guy's Legends), had a great night out, bought me a (Buddy Guy) polo shirt and several CDs of a blues band he saw live for me and himself. Maybe some artists see these youtube vids as a cheap way of advertising??
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Phil
YOU TUBE - Martin Devon
rtj70

What are you so uptight about?

MD
YOU TUBE - rtj70
"What are you so uptight about?"

Nothing but this site is often against so many things and censor's itself and us. So I thought I would point out we were discussing how to obtain copies of potentially illegal material. Same method as for legal. Therefore HJ might not like us discussing how to obtain illegal media files.

We cannot name and shame but can tell each other how to obtain illegal media. The two are not compatible.

Personally I have no problem with this YouTube stuff but I do not believe this was the forum to share this info - it's out there anyway. But for this site to hide behind the "Google will check all YouTube files" is obviously naive.

Rob

Instruction manual and fitting advice - barchettaman
Morning all,
I have come to a dead end looking on the internet for these manuals, and would be grateful if anyone can find them, as you guys are really good at this kind of thing.
We´ve bought two IKEA Whirlpool appliances - a microwave and an oven. Both a ´fitted ´ style appliances.
The product codes are SNABB MBI 600 S (Microwave) and MUMSIG OBI S00 WN BAOF (Oven). They were apparently made by Whirlpool Italy.

What we need are instruction books for both appliances - online if possible, so I can download them - and a bit of fitting advice for the Microwave as I haven´t done that before.

Thanks in advance,
Barchettaman
Instruction manual and fitting advice - Stuartli
Neither model code brings up any recognition whatsoever on Google using either Whirlpool or Ikea or both.

Perhaps contacting Whirlpool itself may ensure a solution (there are also instructions for use of products on this link and you might find the Ikea re-badged versions of your appliances amongst them):

www.whirlpool.co.uk/app.cnt/whr/en_GB/pageid/pghom...1
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Instruction manual and fitting advice - FotheringtonThomas
www.whirlpool.co.uk/app.cnt/whr/en_GB/pageid/pgsrv...1

Any help?
Instruction manual and fitting advice - barchettaman
That could be useful, Fotherington - I just need to find the commercial code, wherever that may be :-(
Thanks for the help so far,
Barchettaman
Instruction manual and fitting advice - adverse camber
www.whirlpool.co.uk/en_GB/whr/images/srv/srv_ifu_p...f

combination of product code + serial number
Instruction manual and fitting advice - FotheringtonThomas
I just need to find the commercial code


It's on a plate somewhere on the appliance. There's a link off that page to tell you which numbers you need.
Instruction manual and fitting advice - barchettaman
Even with the numbers on the appliance it doesn´t appear on the Whirlpool instructions list. Grr. I have emailed and left a phone message with them directly and given them (all) the numbers, hopefully they will get back to me. No luck with contacting IKEA directly, as sitting on hold for 15+ mins isn´t my idea of fun.

Just in case anyone wants to try to track ´em down, the appliance numbers are:
Microwave Model MBI600S Service# 858748301772 - 370649300070
Oven Type FCSM6 Service# 857917301002 - 140630022169

And, as always, thanks all for your help today :-)

Teak Garden Furniture - Wee Willie Winkie
Have just acquired some new teak furniture. Apparentley, teak has a higher oil content, making it more suitable to outside life. That said, what is the best method of protection for outdoor living?

Cheers,
DB
Teak Garden Furniture - FotheringtonThomas
Best method of keeping it good is on-going cleaning and maintenance (applying suitable oil).
Teak Garden Furniture - mjm
We use teak oil.

We also cover the table/chairs with a large, loose fitting sheet of plastic during the worst winter weather, suitably tethered down. Gaps are left for air circulation around the furniture. This keeps the worst of the weather away and avoids our feathered friends adding their own coating to it.
Teak Garden Furniture - billy25
Wooden furniture (especially heavily oiled type wood) will take no harm if regularly "oiled" throughout the year, and left out covered as mjm suggests. Resist the urge to "look after" it by putting it away for the winter, this allows the wood to dry-out more, and joints become loose/weak. Then when reinstated in the great outdoors the following spring, they tend to "gulp" moisture too rapidly, causing them to swell and warp. Same principle with the old wooden boats really, when taken out of the water for the winter, they were allowed to fill up with rain, to keep the boards/caulk tight.

Billy