Marmora Man

SeanMacGabhann Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I am not saying everyone is wrong but there is an > awful lot of supposition going on. If no one is > even going to countenance the possibility that, > GIVEN ALL OF THE INFO AND VARIABLES, they might > have done an ok job here? Because if they have i > can see why no one with any will would ever want > to work for them Sean - regrettably I've written enough weasilly worded management letters of apology (on behalf of the NHS) in my time to recognise the stylistic quirks. Hence my assumption and wager. And to answer your second point - no I wouldn't want to work for this council, or any public sector organisation at present. The centralised control system from Whitehall, top down targets, lack of real budgetary control, lack of real democratic involvement (face it - anyone who wants to become a local councillor is probably not someone you'd want as a local councillor) and general inertia that characterises local government at present makes it, I assume, a woeful life. Tho' I'd be interested to hear if my assumptions are widely out. Think what a genuinely powerful and competent local government was able to do in the 19th century in places like Birmingham and compare it with today's system. Edited to create a fuller answer and allow me a little rant

The answer also smacks of a degree of creative management - ie they did it, they were detected, they want a way out that doesn't make the obvious baddies - so they apologise and claim the action as always intended to be a temporary measure. I'll lay a forged pound to the national debt there was no formal intention to do anything in the future until the matter came into the public domain.

PR -= support the concept and consider myself to be a humanist, but my sons are now out of school. Best of luck

but the EDF has caused the council to pay attention - which is a positive thing.

Mark Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > As Goose Green lies on the boundaries of a few > wards, probably best to write to all of the > following councillors: > > East Dulwich > [email protected] > [email protected] > [email protected] > > South Camberwell > [email protected] > [email protected] > [email protected] > > Peckham Rye > [email protected] > [email protected] > [email protected] NOTE: Richard Thomas has already responded on this thread and by e-mail: see below:

I have also alerted a local councillor by directing him to this thread - suggest as many as feel strongly about this vandalism do the same - their e-mail addresses are on the Local Info page of the forum.

I sympathise - I liked the old "drinkers pubs" - whose main role was to dish out good beer in good company. However, I'd hazard that most pubs are just following the market. Few pubs can turn over enough revenue on beer / drink alone. They're not being "trendy" as such - merely commercially savvy. I can recall the Herne before its makeover two years or so back. It was possibly pretty close to the sort of pub you yearn for - on an average early evening there'd be 5 men in dusty working clothes, smoking and chatting with copies of the Mirror, Sun and whatever is the equivalent of Sporting Life. It was quite friendly, somewhat scruffy, the beer was OK but there was no food to speak of except crisps and pork scratchings. The margin on its bar sales probably didn't even cover the barman's wages. It was very similar to many of the London pubs that I remember from the 70's - but it was never going to survive in that incarnation - they had to change or close. I think current reports have up to 5 pubs a week are closing across the country - because there aren't enough nostalgia buffs who wish to just drink in a drinkers pub.

SteveT Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > You do have the pleasure of knowing that what has > been done since your occupation, > > has been done with a certain quality and that you > have a pleasant abode for the forseeable future > Marmora Man. > > It does not matter what its worth if you have > peace of mind with the results. > > Sod the market and live life as you please, it is > first and foremost a home and if it happens to be > a good investment that is a bonus. Agree entirely - it's all monopoly money anyway

Didn't Caesar then introduce August as well?

We've reversed the principle. Bought a victorian property that was two flats and a bedsit. The conversion arrangements were of a standard that most cowboys would have looked down on. After four long years of work we now have - garden flat for father-in-law and a decent 5 bedroomed house. Only the hallway to go in terms of renovation / decoration. With a bit of luck the whole shebang may be worth just about what I paid for it four long years ago!

There's no significant criminal activity in Marmora Road that I'm aware of. Dog cr*p yes, occasional graffiti, maybe the odd keying of a smart car - but that's about it.

A response at last. IN essence there are no CCTV cameras in Marmora Road and there shouldn't be any signs about them. However, I can't make up my mind if this is deliberate obfuscation on the part of Southwark Council or simple bureaucratic cock up - probably the latter I suppose: Please see the response below. I do hope that this response clarifies the situation. Please do not hesitate to contact me again if you feel I can assist further. Kind regards, Cllr Paul Kyriacou Executive Member for Community Safety If cameras are recording then a 'Data Subject Access Request' should be made. I have listed details of how this request can be made though as previously mentioned, we do not have any cameras deployed in this area. How to Apply for Information held by the London Borough of Southwark under the Data Protection Act, 1998 Your Rights You have a right to be told whether any images are held which identify you. The Data Controller will only give that information if he is satisfied as to your identity. He does not have to give any information identifying someone else, unless that person agrees. If you think images may be held about you which may also identify another person, you need to obtain that persons agreement and send it with your application. If such agreement is not possible or not obtained, it may be necessary to arrange for third party images to be disguised or blurred. Data Controllers Rights You will not be entitled to receive information held where that information is held for: ????? The prevention or detection of crime ????? The apprehension or prosecution of offenders ????? Giving information would be likely to prejudice any of these purposes. Note: A fee of ?10.00 is applied for this information. Cheques or Postal Orders should be made payable to London Borough of Southwark. Proof of Identity To help establish your identity, your application must include two official documents which between them clearly show your name, address and date of birth as well as a photograph. For example: Driving License, Medical Card, Birth Certificate, Passport etc. All original documents will be copied and returned. Submitting the Completed Application Form When you have completed the application form, please forward it with the appropriate documents and fee to: Mr. I Gentry CCTV Manager L B Southwark 151 ? 153 Walworth Road London SE17 1RY

You reminded me of an old friend who complained that the Royal Navy rugby team was never as good after they took the pockets out of their rugby shorts - there was nowhere to store their fags & lighters, he added that the oranges at half time were not as good as the half pints of Guinness they'd been used to.

Hugenot, The majority of posters here haven't defended ignoring red traffic lights or adopting "cool / terrorist" cycle tactics of some bicycle users. I described my approach - which I would call discretionary. Always stop at traffic lights at road junctions, don't always stop for red lights at pedestrian crossings where it is obvious the way ahead is clear.

Not only is the maths wonky - but the so are the political commentators. Remember John Prescott - he wanted every schoolchild to be above average in reading skills by the age of 11.

I'd like to come along one day - but there always seem to be clashes. Given what appears to be growing numbers would T Nights be a little on the small side? AS before if you're going outside of LL I'd recommend Ganapati, tho' I've always meant to try Babur in Honor Oak but haven't yet.

ruffers Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > Can I do this in the car then. Reason? Green > efficiency. Stopping the car and starting again > uses a lot more fuel than just carrying on... :) I tend to view pedestrians and cyclists as equals - so pedestrians cross the road when the little man is red, but there is no traffic and I cross pedestrian crossings when the light is red and there are no pedestrians. Cars are different - the driver is in a bubble, not sharing the same air / world as cyclist & pedestrian, the car driver's decision to go thru' a red light or brake has to be taken sooner / at a greater distance from the light and there is thus a greater danger of someone stepping out onto the crossing.

I'm not sre the FHT does know how to deal with situations like this. By apparently turning an OK neighbourhood pub into an effective night club with late night closing and drugs available on Fridays & Saturdays they have created an ambience that encourages problems. Bigger, beefier bouncers aren't, to my mind, the answer. Running the FHT as a pub / gastropub - with occasional gigs seems right and proper - and with a very clear No Drugs policy, why not stick to that?

No close shaves at lights - it's the Elephant & Castle roundabout that can get fun - with buses, lorries and cars edging from one lane into anoter without looking for a cyclist on their wing. I alway set off before lights turn green at E&C to get a head start and place myself clearly in their eyeline if I can. ON pedestrian crossings - I give way if they are in / about to be in use. Otherwise I cross the red light. But then as a pedestrian I often cross the road at a pedestrian crossing when the green man is not lit.

I cycle regularly into London crossing Blackfriars Bridge after negotiating Elephant & Castle. My own approach to red lights varies. The absolutism of Benjaminty is difficult to observe. I will always stop at red lights at major junctions - for my own safety, tho' I do see many terrorist cyclists weaving in / out of traffic at even these junctions. I may set off a few seconds before they turn green, if I'm convinced the cross traffic has ceased, as this is safer allowing me to get up to a reasonable speed and take a place on the road without being run over by cars / buses. On pedestrian crossing I will stop if the crossing is in use / about to be in use, but if it's clear I'll cross the red light. Reason - momentum, if I stop at every red light where there is absolutely no purpose for the red light I'll lose momentum, speed and arrive home / work later - I tried it a few times over two weeks. Observing absolutely every red light added about 7 minutes to my journey time - or about 20%.

Yes - but on the other hand think of all those traders selling HBOS short who now have to settle their deals at a much higher cost, and almost certainly a loss, than they greedily anticipated. One small glimmer of positivity.

Subsidence & Insurance Details Surveyors: ER Surveys. www.surveyorsreports.co.uk (023 8072 0788) Insurance Broker: A-plan. Scott Feltham. (01420 593493) [email protected]

I know there have been other threads on this but ..... I recently commissioned a structural engineer survey of my house because I had experienced problems in obtaining a competitive quote for buildings insurance due to the SE22 post code being associated with subsidence. Result - a formal report that identified my house to be free from the effects of subsidence and confirmed there were no unusual threats of subsidence (adjacent trees, damaged drains etc). I took this report to an insurance broker - who after a little work has saved me over 20% on my annual house insurance. The savings more than cover the cost of the initial survey in year 1 and put me "in profit" thereafter. Happy to forward details of both surveyors and insurance broker to those that are interested - PM me.

Just for fun: Dearest creature in creation, Study English pronunciation. I will teach you in my verse Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse. I will keep you, Suzy, busy, Make your head with heat grow dizzy. Tear in eye, your dress will tear. So shall I! Oh hear my prayer. Just compare heart, beard, and heard, Dies and diet, lord and word, Sword and sward, retain and Britain . (Mind the latter, how it's written.) Now I surely will not plague you With such words as plaque and ague. But be careful how you speak: Say break and steak, but bleak and streak; Cloven, oven, how and low, Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe. Hear me say, devoid of trickery, Daughter, laughter, and Terpsichore, Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles, Exiles, similes, and reviles; Scholar, vicar, and cigar, Solar, mica, war and far; One, anemone, Balmoral, Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel; Gertrude, German, wind and mind, Scene, Melpomene, mankind. Billet does not rhyme with ballet, Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet. Blood and flood are not like food, Nor is mould like should and would. Viscous, viscount, load and broad, Toward, to forward, to reward. And your pronunciation's OK When you correctly say croquet, Rounded, wounded, grieve and sieve, Friend and fiend, alive and live. Ivy, privy, famous; clamour And enamour rhyme with hammer. River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb, Doll and roll and some and home. Stranger does not rhyme with anger, Neither does devour with clangour. Souls but foul, haunt but aunt, Font, front, wont, want, grand, and grant, Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger, And then singer, ginger, linger, Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge, Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age. Query does not rhyme with very, Nor does fury sound like bury. Dost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loth. Job, nob, bosom, transom, oath. Though the differences seem little, We say actual but victual. Refer does not rhyme with deafer. Foeffer does, and zephyr, heifer. Mint, pint, senate and sedate; Dull, bull, and George ate late. Scenic, Arabic, Pacific, Science, conscience, scientific. Liberty , library, heave and heaven, Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven. We say hallowed, but allowed, People, leopard, towed, but vowed. Mark the differences, moreover, Between mover, cover, clover; Leeches, breeches, wise, precise, Chalice, but police and lice; Camel, constable, unstable, Principle, disciple, label. Petal, panel, and canal, Wait, surprise, plait, promise, pal. Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, chair, Senator, spectator, mayor. Tour, but our and succour, four. Gas, alas, and Arkansas . Sea, idea, Korea , area, Psalm, Maria, but malaria. Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean. Doctrine, turpentine, marine. Compare alien with Italian, Dandelion and battalion. Sally with ally, yea, ye, Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, and key. Say aver, but ever, fever, Neither, leisure, skein, deceiver. Heron, granary, canary. Crevice and device and aerie. Face, but preface, not efface. Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass. Large, but target, gin, give, verging, Ought, out, joust and scour, scourging. Ear, but earn and wear and tear Do not rhyme with here but ere. Seven is right, but so is even, Hyphen, roughen, nephew Stephen, Monkey, donkey, Turk and jerk, Ask, grasp, wasp, and cork and work. Pronunciation -- think of Psyche! Is a paling stout and spikey? Won't it make you lose your wits, Writing groats and saying grits? It's a dark abyss or tunnel: Strewn with stones, stowed, solace, gunwale, Islington and Isle of Wight, Housewife, verdict and indict. Finally, which rhymes with enough? Though, through, plough, or dough, or cough? Hiccough has the sound of cup. My advice is to give it up!!! ?Gerald Nolst Trenite (1870-1946)

Try TAS Pide - Turkish Restaurant - lots of small dishes to taste from - Houmous, tarasmalata, fried Halloumi cheese, fish etc. Most starters about ?4.00 - in my experience cildren like the wider choice & pick and mix approach. Just behind the Globe (also in The Cut, close to London Bridge and elsewhere) Tas Pide