To think that in the 21st century....

I agree with you apricity,the only thing that surprises me about this century is that mankind made it this far.I don't think we will be seeing the next century,we are too destructive.

Supersonic aeroplanes carrying passengers seem to be a thing of the past.

cabbie21 - I believe it is much safer for wheelchair users to be facing backwards on the bus. Should the bus stop suddenly they are then jerked backwards into the chair, rather than forwards onto the floor. As many wheelchair users are unable to brace themselves this seems sensible.

I totally agree with you kazziecookie sometimes I wonder how far back society is prepared to go ? Lack of empathy and this “I’m alright jack” attitude . So sad .

My DH is a wheelchair engineer. Apparently hospital wheelchairs are designed to be pulled rather than pushed. Apparently safer, less likely to tip forward.

There are "proper" wheelchairs in hospitals, they are on the wards where relatives can use them to take patients for a walk/meal/smoke when they visit. The ones in A&E and Outpatients are sturdy, long lasting and hard to pinch, the reasons for that have already been pointed out. I dread to think of the cost of replacements if there were ordinary wheelchairs available
I am shocked that we are still unable to care properly for the poorest in society and that we now seem to be getting worse at doing it,not better.

I'm surprised by the fact that people are prepared to spend time on social media every day, rather than invite each other for a coffee.

Can't you do both? Social media gives me a break between pegging out the washing and hoovering when I'm having a housework day.

When I've been pushed in a hospital wheelchair they have gone forwards - and in fact, I think I may have preferred to be pulled backwards.

I’m surprised that some minority groups make such a loud noise, that changes are made that are to the detriment of the majority!

paddyann I could HUG you! That is so true! My surprise is the hostility of people. Together with the argumentative and downright rude behaviour that seems to be automatic. To deny the truth, even when they were not at the scene to see what happened, is common I find. To write old people off as stupid or senile not disguising irritation about them, sneering at what we say, yet we were there and saw it happen! It is the arrogance and lack of care. The "I demand my rights" and attitude of entitlement, such arrogance and being prepared to write people off, especially those of us over a certain age.

I was in hospital on the trolley in A&E, with severe sciatic nerve pain. A girl probably in her early 20s, not a nurse, but she didn't show her name or role on her badge, came with another trolley to take me to the ward. She banged it into the end of the trolley I was on, causing me severe pain by the jarring, left it at the end of my trolley and said "Right, get on this trolley". I said "I don't think I can." She put her hands on her hips and stared at me insolently and said "Well, what are you going to do then?"

When I worked in hospital, during one of the many health and safety sessions, we were told that twisting the spine while pulling a wheelchair backwards was a common cause of back problems for hospital staff. We were told that by standing closer to the wheelchair while pushing, it was possible to move forward with more control and was more pleasant for the patient. Actually that was true, but only if you walked at a very sedate rate. Any attempt to hurry and the wheelchairs developed a will of their own!

grandtanteJE65 I find Gransnet very interesting, supportive, kind, funny and it is really like having a group of friends round. It enlarges my group of friends. I don't think of it as "Social media" but as meeting up with friends. Also I can't get out very easily and some of my friends have died or moved a long way away. So please don't write off social media as if it is something bad, certainly GN is a place where people become friends and helpers to each other. It is the kindness I come for, even if it is not my problem we are talking about. I try to be helpful to others too, if I have experience of something they are going through. It is possible to have friends on Gransnet, even if one does not drink coffee with them.

Apricity I agree, it seems hopeless that people do not learn that war is evil and pointless. However, there are many people who not only think but can say they can prove that WW1 and WW2 were both planned and engineered into existence by a hidden group who have a vested interest in wars and in people fighting. A letter by Albert Pike written in 1871 describes this. WW3 is also part of their plan and is beginning how it was predicted. Apparently these people are moving towards a World Government, where there is one ruling body, far fewer people in the world and they have total control. They call it the New World Order. There are many highly intelligent and rational people who are uncovering the evidence for this. It is not because we never learn from war that it is pointless and evil. It is that war serves some people's purpose and so they will engineer it into being to attain their goals. It sounds utterly crazy to most of us, but there are people who find evidence for it. To see how the three world wars were predicted/planned you could look at safenetforum.org/t/albert-pikes-three-world-war-letter-1871/22051
There are loads of others too. But it might make you very miserable.
I have a strong Christian faith and love of Nature and these combined give me hope. The things which have happened and are happening now are following the Book of Revelation. It seems incredible but amidst the carnage and wickedness, God is still in charge. The last things will come about as prophesied. This is my belief.

Elegran: "So what would you call the century between the year 0 and the year 100 AD, the one that was the first hundred years (ie, century) after Christ? Would you call it the first century or the nothingness century?"

In our dating system they call that the 1st century. It's like your age. When you are born you are in your first year, after your first birthday you are in your second year, and so on. That's how the years named 19xx were called the 20th century, and the ones we're in now, named 20xx, are called the 21st century.

One point, though. In the system we use there isn't a year called 'year 0'. There's the year 1 BC, and the next one is the year 1 AD. The first year of the 1st century was 1 AD, and the last year of the 1st century was 100 AD. The first year of the 2nd century was 101 AD, and so on.

The consequence of this is that the first year of the 20th century was 1901 AD, the last year of the 20th century was 2000 AD, and the first year of the 21st century was 2001 AD. It also means that the first year of the first millennium was 1 AD, the first year of the second millennium was 1001 AD, and the first year of the third millennium was 2001 AD.

So all those people who celebrated the millennium changeover at 1999/2000 were a year too early.

I agree with kazziecookie, we seem to have abandoned democracy and a better life for all. As a youngster, through rose-tinted glasses I suppose, I looked back at my parents lives and could see we children had far less hardship and more opportunities. I expected that that would continue to happen and now can't understand how the rich need more power/more money when others go hungry.
Also, not a hoverboard, but I would love a flying car!

We're headingfor the 'Haves' and the 'Have Nots' rapidly!!

It sickens me that we have to have food banks because people haven't enough money to provide for their family even though they work hard .christalbee I think we are already there it's always existed !!

I am not really surprised about this but it strikes me forcibly that with IQ levels supposedly going up and universal free state education open to all people are getting more and more ill informed and downright stupid. Rationality seems all but gone as emotion and nonsense are prioritised over sense and intellect.

I read once that in the Dark Ages only a tiny one figure percentage of people were educated and it seems to me that we are in another Dark Age.

Many people in hospital wheelchairs have plasters or casts or leg injuries generally. Pushing them forwards with an outstretched leg would put them at risk of further pain or discomfort from collisions .They are also less likely to get stolen than wheelchairs that are forward facing.