Grumble Thread

[LHC]

Azerbaijan Premier Muhktar Babayev welcomes Cop 29 by claiming coal and natural gas God's gifts to humankind while in the same speech blaming the West for climate change. Meanwhile, in Pakistan...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nCJ45mG5T4

Azerbaijan was always an odd choice of host for a COP conference. Oil and gas account for more than 90% of its exports and over 50% of its GDP and its quite possible that the entire oil industry started in Azerbaijan (there are records showing it was trading in oil and petroleum as early as the 3rd Century and the very first industrial oil well was drilled in 1847 close to its capital, Baku).

It's also an opaque, authoritarian state with an ultra rich elite whose wealth is centred on oil and gas production. Its hosting of COP29 appears to be more about extracting more money out of the West while still maintaining its fossil fuel industries for as long as possible than any commitment to dealing with Climate Change. Just a few days before the Premier's address supporting oil and gas as a 'gift from God', the chief executive of Azerbaijan's COP29 team was found to be using the conference to arrange new oil and gas deals.

[Serial_Apologist]

Tried uploading the link to Radio 3 for Sounds to listen to COTW in the usual way just now, and was confronted with a demand to input my password. Went to the next stage, which showed my email address correctly and the password I last used, a long time ago. "Password not recognised" So I had to register a different new one - a simple procedure. But why, all of a sudden, a need to sign in? Has anybody else experienced this?

[teamsaint]

Tried uploading the link to Radio 3 for Sounds to listen to COTW in the usual way just now, and was confronted with a demand to input my password. Went to the next stage, which showed my email address correctly and the password I last used, a long time ago. "Password not recognised" So I had to register a different new one - a simple procedure. But why, all of a sudden, a need to sign in? Has anybody else experienced this?

Not that I use it much, but mine seems to have reset, and I haven’t bothered trying to log in. By chance heard an episode of COTW rgis week, and really enjoyed it. KM did a good job I thought ,in restrained and questioning mode. Must try to catch some more of it.

[Petrushka]

Tried uploading the link to Radio 3 for Sounds to listen to COTW in the usual way just now, and was confronted with a demand to input my password. Went to the next stage, which showed my email address correctly and the password I last used, a long time ago. "Password not recognised" So I had to register a different new one - a simple procedure. But why, all of a sudden, a need to sign in? Has anybody else experienced this?

I had to log in to iplayer last week but my details, the same since 2008, were already there and it only took a few seconds to do it.

A more serious grumble is that the iplayer app on my blu ray player (bought less than a year ago) has suddenly disappeared without warning . The usual reason seems to be the BBC no longer support the operating system but I've no way of knowing or finding out. I can still watch on my laptop and phone, but I can no longer watch on TV and, as a fully paid up licence payer, I'm not happy!

[teamsaint]

I had to log in to iplayer last week but my details, the same since 2008, were already there and it only took a few seconds to do it.

A more serious grumble is that the iplayer app on my blu ray player (bought less than a year ago) has suddenly disappeared without warning . The usual reason seems to be the BBC no longer support the operating system but I've no way of knowing or finding out. I can still watch on my laptop and phone, but I can no longer watch on TV and, as a fully paid up licence payer, I'm not happy!

The internet radio function disappeared from my Marantz system a few years ago.Apparently Marantz wouldn’t pay to keep the software up to date. Which made that particular piece of future proofing redundant !!

[oddoneout]

Tried to make a doctor's appointment yesterday, as my sore knee is now causing additional problems. It's never a particularly easy process as there aren't enough doctors - never have been. The receptionist asked a lot of questions and there was much keyboard activity and perusing different different screens before saying apologetically that she didn't have any appointments left for that day - which threw me as an on the day appointment was the last thing I would have expected(and in fact have never had) - and after a bit more clacking and searching came the announcement that there weren't any appointments in the next 4 days either. Well again I wouldn't have expected that - a good outcome would be an appointment in a fortnight, with 3 or 4 weeks being the more usual - it's why they can't be made online, as the calendar doesn't go that far ahead. She said she would phone if a cancellation became available before the surgery closed. No phone call so I went in again today. A different receptionist confirmed details that had evidently been left from yesterday and then offered an appointment for 2nd December. I asked why that hadn't been offered the previous day and she said airily "oh it's with the nurse, not the GP. She'll have a look and decide if you need an xray or a physio referral". I didn't pursue it as there was a queue, but went back later when it was quiet to ask if this was a new arrangement, and she said that GP appointments are only available on the day, and "you don't need a GP appointment for your sore knee", hence the nurse appointment. Oh well, at least it gets the ball rolling; now I just have to hope it doesn't go off in the wrong direction!

[eighthobstruction]

....yes ooo, if your practise has a physio dept, that is quite often a more flexible more easy quicker destination for an app't, ....physio's in my experience are the maverick rule defiers....at our practise I go directly (online) to physio's for quick attention....generally I've given up on GP's....they are wonderful if you can get to see one, but the wait is too long (though quicker than your practise)....best of luck...(my knees going too.)

[Old Grumpy]

Seems this is a widespread problem (and not just in the UK):

https://www.ukmeds.co.uk/blog/why-is-it-difficult-to-see-a-GP-now

I must say our local GP practice is excellent, but appreciate this is probably the exception rather than the rule.

[Petrushka]

Seems this is a widespread problem (and not just in the UK):

https://www.ukmeds.co.uk/blog/why-is-it-difficult-to-see-a-GP-now

I must say our local GP practice is excellent, but appreciate this is probably the exception rather than the rule.

It's the same here. In addition, the Practice Nurse is first rate.

[Serial_Apologist]

Seems this is a widespread problem (and not just in the UK):

https://www.ukmeds.co.uk/blog/why-is-it-difficult-to-see-a-GP-now

I must say our local GP practice is excellent, but appreciate this is probably the exception rather than the rule.

So is ours - which leads me to wonder why good practices are not pursued elsewhere. Something to do with the fact that practices operate autonomously?

[oddoneout]

So is ours - which leads me to wonder why good practices are not pursued elsewhere. Something to do with the fact that practices operate autonomously?

Yes, they each do things their own way. There will be a lot in common in many cases, but the differences can be frustrating where, as in my case, surgeries not very far apart are very different in terms of appointment waits and facilities. If I lived about a quarter of a mile down the road I would be in the catchment area for a 2-village practice which is run on a different model from my own and where, until recently, same day or next day GP appointments were the norm. They also can provide simple scan and other facilities which I have to travel to the city for. The downside is that I can't walk to the surgery, but there is an hourly bus service that goes to one of the villages. They have been affected by the national shortage of GPs, as 3 retired within a fairly short space of time and have not been fully replaced. However since they are nurse-led practices that isn't as big an issue as is the case in mine, where they haven't, until recently, seemed willing to even think about alternative models of service provision, such as nurse practitioners, to manage the chronic lack of GPs, which goes back at least 15 years. It's not a situation that's going to be improved when 4000 patients from another practice in town that is being closed are split between the 2 remaining practices but with no guarantee that staff will transfer/be increased as well.
And those "in charge" wonder why A&E admissions include so many patients that could and should be seen by GPs...

[Serial_Apologist]

Yes, they each do things their own way. There will be a lot in common in many cases, but the differences can be frustrating where, as in my case, surgeries not very far apart are very different in terms of appointment waits and facilities. If I lived about a quarter of a mile down the road I would be in the catchment area for a 2-village practice which is run on a different model from my own and where, until recently, same day or next day GP appointments were the norm. They also can provide simple scan and other facilities which I have to travel to the city for. The downside is that I can't walk to the surgery, but there is an hourly bus service that goes to one of the villages. They have been affected by the national shortage of GPs, as 3 retired within a fairly short space of time and have not been fully replaced. However since they are nurse-led practices that isn't as big an issue as is the case in mine, where they haven't, until recently, seemed willing to even think about alternative models of service provision, such as nurse practitioners, to manage the chronic lack of GPs, which goes back at least 15 years. It's not a situation that's going to be improved when 4000 patients from another practice in town that is being closed are split between the 2 remaining practices but with no guarantee that staff will transfer/be increased as well.
And those "in charge" wonder why A&E admissions include so many patients that could and should be seen by GPs...

The same applies with the extra work now being dumped onto pharmacies. The one I go to for my prescription is now so run off its feet the staff haven't even the time to look customers in the face any more, let alone say hello, as used to be the case. I had enjoyed my little chats when first visiting there.

[oddoneout]

The same applies with the extra work now being dumped onto pharmacies. The one I go to for my prescription is now so run off its feet the staff haven't even the time to look customers in the face any more, let alone say hello, as used to be the case. I had enjoyed my little chats when first visiting there.

And that's assuming you can even find one, given the rate of closure. I also worry about the potential for (more)mistakes to be made.

[Serial_Apologist]

And that's assuming you can even find one, given the rate of closure. I also worry about the potential for (more)mistakes to be made.

Like most of the current problems that are being made endemic, such as inadequate building regulations monitoring, road maintenance, sewage infrastructure updating, and keeping youth centres open by adequate funding, no foresight was applied to pre-emptive cost-saving solutions. Every decision nowadays seems to be determined by short-termism with no transparency on the part of unaccountable authorities.