Re: NIC EIC needed to work in the kitchen?

[Appin]

The message

from "js.b1" contains these words:

Quite probably so.

Not politically-correct to mention genetics, but it's actually a real issue with regard to AIDS susceptibility Not politically-correct to mention poor healthcare -- standards of teaching and practice are vastly different (it's politically-correct to pass everyone in the medical education centres for the "majority", no matter how poor the standard they attain) AIDS kills no-one but destroys the immune system which is why TB and so on are the usual killers and are rife in the townships.

In other words, I agree with you on these points.

But out in these shacks it's only two sockets in the HOUSE, mounted in the CU, high on a wall.

[Appin]

The message

from Owain contains these words:

The accuracy of reported rates is VERY suspect. Many estimates in S. Africa run over 40% HIV +

Although the actual cause of death would be something like TB against which the HIV/AIDS would have lowered their resistance.

Interestingly, there's never, AFAIK, been a full-scale medical trial of the current anti-retroviral drug treatment for HIV COMBINED WITH a full-scale comprehensive nutritional programme. There's considerable empirical evidence from doctors in the field that it's possible to reduce the antibody count to such a level that it's undetectable. These are not doctors on the loony fringe. However, that's wandering well OT.

[Appin]

The message from [e-mail] (Andrew Gabriel) contains these words:

You may have a couple of points there, however, give me an ES lampholder any day. Even the relatively poor ones are better than the average BC lampholder, the life of which is deplorably short and troublesome.

Most electrical fittings commonly used in the UK are of remarkably good fundamental design and good construction compared to those I've come across in the many other countries I've lived in and visited. The vast majority of BC lampholders, however, are a disaster area. BS1363 sockets generally have a long life. Ditto most other domestic fittings. Plastic BC lampholders, however, are clearly not up to scratch, even the allegedly heat-resistant ones. I have long ago reached the conclusion that the best answer to the problem is, when they go troublesome /break /whatever to replace them with brass/porcelain BC lampholders. No further problems. The ones I use even have WOODEN strain releif sleeves. Never had to replace one of these yet. Or even had trouble with one. Quite frankly, there's something wrong with the BS to which these plastic BC lampholders are made. It's not that it's impossible to make a good BC lampholder -- it's rather that 99% of those on the market are junk.

Incidentally I have a MK version of the shielded-pin BC battenholder on my desk at the moment. I don't know whether to blame the poor manufacturing quality or the poor packing, but it arrived with the rose shround broken :-(. I'll stick with my brass and porcelain, thank-you.

[Andy Burns]

Seems quite similar to the like for like replacement under Part P, apart from our no kitchens or bathrooms exception.

Seems the .nz authorities don't let you alter/replace your wiring without it being inspected, here you could replace it it it was damaged.

[js.b1]

You can do maintenance even in special locations, just can't extend or add new sockets.

The more you read it, the more it is aimed at stopping "cowboy comes in, jn-box in wall, plasters & tiles over". It will not stop them of course, but it DOES give better means for redress.

NZ let you rewire the house - but not a CU change.

There is a logic to just controlling CU change...

- That RCD are present and working correctly

- That MEB etc is present and correctly sized

- That Earthing is correct re remote shed/garage CU

- That the CU is safely wired rather than sphagetti mess

Realise Part P does nothing to address extension leads and portable appliances - the real killers. That said I think 35,000 extra people died last winter due to the exceptionally cold UK temperatures (winter began 27-Oct and ran almost without interruption thro to Feb, some -10oC nights where the cold is deceptive, dry air due to all condensation having been wrung out of it by the temperatures).

[Owain]

Maybe some of them would have survived if they'd been able to plug in an electric heater to an additional socket

Owain

[js.b1]

If someone else were paying for it :-)

A better systems than Staywarm needs sorting out, where the occupier can choose who does the work but it gets inspected so as to ensure a minimum standard. Instead we have insane "=A3575 to fit a towel rail" and no I am not joking.

[Frank Erskine]

I've just paid almost £750 to have a (S/S) towel rail fitted in my bathroom (on a combi system), replacing a slightly rusty radiator. Hopefully it'll see me out...

I might have been ripped off - a chrome plated equivalent would have cost less than half that.

[Andrew Gabriel]

You've gotta love those emotive stats. Another one was the 4000 people who died in the heat wave in France a few years back.

Well, yes in one week there were an extra 4000 deaths, and in the following few weeks there were 4000 fewer deaths. So 4000 people on their death beds died 2 weeks early - which is not quite the same thing at all, and taken over a month, the death rate was completely normal.

Tends to be exactly the same with winter deaths, but if they'd been in that state of health in the summer, they would have lasted a few extra weeks, so you get perfectly normal deaths bunching around the less favourable times - that's life.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

But does it heat the room as well as the rad?

Depending on design you can get SS towel rails for much less than you paid.

Have you checked to see how much yours actually cost?

[Frank Erskine]

Probably - but it's a lot bigger than the old radiator.

[Fredxx]

There is limited exenmption, which is probably what i was thinking of:

[Dave Plowman (News)]

regular place of work because I drove there. But on occasions was required to work at one of my employer's other premises where public transport was more convenient. And got taxed on this 'benefit' several times. Despite having paid for the return fare by PT. But it didn't apply to MPs visiting the same premises.