Zebedee Tring

Fish, try not to let Lady D wind you up. She finds it very difficult to debate an issue with someone with whom she disagrees without insulting them in some way.

Lady D, we will have to differ on what you regard as a "crap" analogy. Please respect my right to have a different opinion from you without throwing insults at me, however uncomfortable you may find this.

I tried to engage in serious debate with Lady D but all that I received from her were insults. Unfortunately I resorted to sarcasm rather than out and out rudeness in reply - on reflection I should have just ignored her.

Lady D, this is the first time that I've been accused of making rediculous statemts. I can quite safely say that I go out of my way not to make rediculous statemts. Making rediculous statemts is something that I try to avoid. In fact it is part of my life's philosophy not to make rediculous statemts. Or were you actually accusing me of making ridiculous statements? Perish the thought that I might not come up to your exacting debating standards which are very evident on this thread.

But you used insulting language to disagree with me. That's my point. If you can't understand that, there's no point debating further with you.

Lady D, you are perfectly entitled to disagree with me on this issue. But it is totally unacceptable for you to resort to personal abuse by calling me "stupid". The fact that you can't debate an issue without insulting people on the other side of the argument suggests to me that you are on weak ground.

You cannot decide which laws that you can obey and those that you can disobey. It's illegal to cycle on the pavement and it's illegal to deposit rubbish on the pavement. You can't say that it's terrible to dump rubbish and that people who do so should be punished, while it's OK to cycle on the pavement. Arguing that pavement cycling is acceptable because of the lack of cycle lanes is comparable to arguing that rubbish dumping is acceptable because there aren't enough rubbish bins.

Unlike some other posters, I will not resort to abuse, but the position is quite simple. Cycling on the pavement is illegal, in the same way that smoking on a train is illegal. Full stop - or period (if you're American).

About 40 years ago Private Eye received a letter from some solicitors along the following lines: "We act for Mr Arkle who has read the article about him in your last edition. We have advised him that your article is grossly libellous. Before we take the matter any further, is there anything that you would like to say to our client?" Private Eye replied as follows: "We wish to say the following to your client, namely (two word epithet roughly translated as "Go forth and multiply"). Private Eye still refer litigious people to their comments in the case of Arkle v Pressdam. Perhaps the Forum could refer said litigious establishment to Arkle v Pressdam should they receive any more silly emails or letters from them.

I have never personally been to Le Chandelier. However, having now read their email, I certainly won't give them my patronage. Any establishment that is so thin-skinned that it can only deal with comments from customers online by making a veiled threat of libel action in order to put the wind up the Forum isn't worth visiting. The old adage "If you can't stand the heat ..." is such an appropriate one in this case.

Since the law prohibiting cycling on the pavement is rarely, if ever, enforced, it's not surprising that some cyclists feel that they can cycle where they like. If the Old Bill actually prosecuted a few offenders, then things might change.

When I read about parents like that I despair. What message are they sending to the next generation on how they should treat their fellow citizens?

There was no need for you to "fix" my post, henryb or (as I would prefer to describe it) plagiarise it. I am sure that you were perfectly capable of composing your own anti-pedestrian post in your own style.

I couldn't have put this better myself. "Care and courtesy" are concepts that, sadly, many cyclists ignore when dealing with pedestrians - those same cyclists then complain vociferously when they are treated badly by motorists. Methinks a case of double standards on their part.

We've just come back from Vienna, where cyclists behave themselves by keeping to the areas where they are supposed to cycle. It was a bit of a shock to return to ED and to see the usual bunch of cyclists travelling along the pavements without a care for anyone but themselves. However, this in no way excuses the fact that responsible (I emphasise the word "responsible") cyclists cycling on roads are very often being put in danger (and worse) from bad driving by reckless motorists and lorry drivers.

I don't think that anyone should jump to conclusions about what is involved here. One should suck it and see.

I asked Caine whether a famous gerbil loving US film star was gay, and he replied "I don't know if he is actually gay, but he would probably help out if they were short handed."

Yes, Dopamine, it was. I certainly don't miss that gentleman.

There was someone who used to post regularly who was an intellectual bully, who regarded himself as superior to most other posters and who always had to have the last word. Happily I haven't read him recently on the MB. I hope that his absence is permanent. This may be the same person as the one mentioned by other posters.

When I'm in a middle class frame of mind, there's nothing I like doing more than knitting my own yoghourt or sitting on a beanbag singing "Give Peace A Chance" and eating pesto flavoured ciabatta. However, when I remember my grandfather who toiled in the Fleet Street printing mines, I don my Pearly King outfit, sing "Knees Up Muvva Brown" and enjoy a luvverly lard sandwich.

I stopped being guilty about being middle class when I was about 21. In my very humble opinion, you should eat whatever floats your boat (if that isn't a mixed metaphor). If you like deep fried Mars Bars, then eat them. If you like hand carved pesto flavoured polenta, then eat it. You don't 'ave to apologise to no-one (oops my East London/Essex origins showing!)

Older members of this MB will remember that The Platters sang enthusiastically about dill in their immortal hit "Smoke Gets In Yours Eyes". There were those unforgettable lines: "Dill, dill, dill Dill, dill, dill Dill, dill, dill, waaaaah!"

He was here to enjoy the delights of one of the many local fried chicken establishments - but not many people know that.

I saw Elvis Presley in Iceland last Friday. I said "Hi, Elvis" and he replied "Uh-huh-huh!"

Did he actually show any (false) ID?