civilservant

this is just one thread among many on this topic http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5,1901856,1901974#msg-1901974

really sorry to hear about the way that these young people are being exploited interviews? probation? this is nothing of the sort. this is most like the unpaid 'internship' racket there is a clear difference between probation, for which one is paid, even if the employment could be terminated at any time. it sounds like these 'employers' are using terms like 'trial working' to weasel out of their legal obligations eta just spotted this http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-43070581 "SNP MP Stewart McDonald, who represents Glasgow South, is publishing a bill he hopes to get through the Westminster parliament. In short, that would mean people need to be offered at least the minimum wage if they are going to do the work a member of staff would normally carry out. Mr McDonald says: "This doesn't end the ability of an employer to try people out. It just sets new rules and boundaries on how they do that." Employers would have to make clear what jobs are available, to make sure they are not just using trial shifts to fill staff shortages. And anyone doing a paid trial would be guaranteed feedback if they don't get the job. "

and lo and behold, the final score was Native garden birds/squirrels/parakeets/CHEEKY MICE 0, nativist chauvinists 1 (via an own goal) i'm interested (and dismayed) at how perceptions of deserving v. undeserving spill over outside the merely human poor Sue, hammerman, glad you enjoyed the video!

hi BigED, we have spoken and asked nicely, so things are much better than they used to be - but they seem occasionally (esp. late on a saturday night) to forget...

they are pricey, and my experience is that any bird feeder has a limited lifespan, especially if you've got a tenacious squirrel trying to chew through it - not for nothing were they in the beer ad. i wonder whether you'd just be better off spending that money on more birdseed instead and spreading garden happiness for all, including the CHEEKY MICE ETA for your viewing pleasure

i'd suggest careful consideration our bedroom shares a wall with next door's kitchen, where two flats have been shoe-horned into a victorian house, so their room layout is a bit random. generally things work ok except that our new neighbours sometimes run their washing machine late at night, when ambient noise levels are too low to mask the noise and vibration, especially when the bloody thing starts its spin cycle.

i agree that half-eaten food litter is a big problem, and so is sharing your living space with a (non-pet) rat, but time to get a grip! kidney failure is mostly associated with the complications of diabetes. if you want to reduce your risk of kidney failure, the NHS advises you to - Manage underlying conditions - Stop smoking - eat a healthy diet - Cut down on alcohol - Exercise regularly - Be careful with painkillers i don't see rats in there, do you? incidence of Weil's disease, which i presume you are referring to, is so rare that any case in the UK makes it into the newspaper. however, 'ED resident suffered kidney failure because they smoked, drank and ate junk food while sitting on the sofa' isn't deemed newsworthy. i wonder why? is it because it's just too common an occurrence to make it even into the EDF?

our very first goldfinch today - such and unusual sight I had to look it up in the bird book to make sure i used to chuck our snails into next door's vacant lot but it's now a (hideous) new-build, so have to restrain myself these days. like sv i leave the green bits of weeds and cuttings around for them to munch, but unfortunately what we have most of is that hairy alkanet stuff that they refuse to eat

that's a bit ironic - robins are vicious little creatures too, i'm sorry to report! 'european robin' wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_robin - "Male robins are noted for their highly aggressive territorial behaviour. They will fiercely attack other males and competitors that stray into their territories and have been observed attacking other small birds without apparent provocation." - and https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/11/british-national-bird-robin-murderous-bully ETA the squirrel families, woodpigeon families, blackbird families, bluetit families and robin family (note singular!) living in our garden don't seem to have a problem sharing the birdseed. what's more annoying is our already well-fed terrier, who pops out and helps himself to suet and kibbled oats when he thinks noone is looking!

DulwichFox Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Do dogs keep rats away? > Can a pet dog help repel rats? Unfortunately, not > really. not quite what i meant, DF - more that rats prefer to avoid hanging around near where dogs hang out although few dogs seem to want to catch rats any more, even though i've seen terriers have a go i understand that foxes do kill rats for food, (and i've certainly seen a fox trotting past with a squirrel in its mouth) i can't understand the other posters' resentment of rats minding their own business in public spaces

as Sue says, they are clever animals and have a strong instinct for self preservation so if you've got a dog, you don't need to worry about the rat setting up home in your garden, it'll give your house a wide berth.

i too have the joy of travelling from Victoria to Denmark Hill and had the same experience as the OP i'd checked the Trainline app which told me the service was running normally - but fortunately spotted the change to service on the platform display just before I got on the train i have no idea if the driver made an announcement or not, but do wonder how such an announcement would help inform any of the plugged-in people on the train a minor inconvenience of course, it only means a few minutes delay to one's journey home, but overall the feeling of being crushed (often literally) and devalued is deeply deeply annoying

PETA might be an extremist propaganda organisation, but it has a role to play in educating consumers about provenance This from the CG website, which I didn't add to my earlier post as i didn't want to labour the point "Why we choose fur: No matter where they?re worn, many of our products are designed and built to protect against the elements in the coldest places on Earth ? places where exposed skin can freeze in an instant. In these environments, we believe that fur is the best choice. Having fur trim around a jacket hood disrupts airflow and creates turbulent air which helps protect the face from frostbite." if you're experiencing a winter where 'exposed skin can freeze in an instant', then fair enough, by all means skin a coyote to protect your face from frostbite - but i haven't lived through a lot of those in ED, or anywhere in the UK for that matter... however, all this is academic as far as i'm concerned - i don't think i'm in the CG customer demographic, not at those prices, anyway!

true that real fur is often cheaper than fake i wasn't aware of the issue (or of Canada Goose for that matter) until i came across the PETA demo while walking up Regent Street. according to the PETA fliers, the fur is obtained from gin-trap-caught coyotes (rather than humanely(?)shot coyotes. however they get it, i don't think that the use of fur on their coats is in any way warranted, as it seems to be limited to trimming/decoration rather than actually keeping the wearer warm

i've never heard of a market in second-hand silk sarees but you might want to look into 'ahimsa silk' which is produced from the discarded cocoons of silkworms. however the fabric quality is usually poorer than silk made using production methods which involve boiling the cocoons (with the silkworm larvae inside!). and tussore/tussah silk is also usually made from discarded cocoons.

what blah blah and uncleglen said would you really want your kids to learn that they can 'compromise' on the welfare of their pets?

some good tips from ED folk here http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?20,284950,1884939#msg-1884939 happy browsing!

The Last Dog on Earth by Adrian J Walker i read it in a sitting. it's what 'The Road' would have been if Cormac McCarthy had had a sense of humour (or lived in Peckham with a dog!) too late in the day for me to start waxing eloquent, so here's a link to a review that begins: "Every dog has its day? And for Lineker, a happy go lucky mongrel from Peckham, the day the world ends is his: finally a chance to prove to his owner just how loyal he can be." http://www.theeloquentpage.co.uk/2017/09/14/the-last-dog-on-earth-by-adrian-j-walker/

red devil Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > civilservant Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > > so nothing to worry about. have i understood > > right? > > > Not really. The OP wrongly thinks they won't > encounter this particular behavior outside of > London... true, thanks RD - but something to worry about wherever, right?

kids letting off fireworks at people is ok because - they do it everywhere, not just in London - they used to do it when i was a kid - they're doing it in Eynella road so it's only affecting the posh-os so nothing to worry about. have i understood right? actually, the stats show that fireworks hurt nearly 5000 people in england badly enough for them to have to go to A&E in 2014/15

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-41444659 'Croydon cat killer': Surrey forensic lab probes deaths

hello, df, as another poster said, the rat may already have been ill and come into your house in search of peace and quiet. i doubt that you'd have spotted it or that it'd have hung around if it was a well rat. i wonder why pest control didn't suggest that. I've had a soft spot for rats since reading A Little Princess many many years ago. Do you know it - it was a best-seller in its day? The heroine's father has died a pauper and she's been banished to a freezing garret by her cruel headmistress, who's thinking of chucking her into the street. She has one friend and comfort, a rat she names Melchisedec, after the Biblical king: "She began to make a low, whistling sound?so low and coaxing that it could only have been heard in entire stillness. She did it several times, looking entirely absorbed in it. Ermengarde thought she looked as if she were working a spell. And at last, evidently in response to it, a gray-whiskered, bright-eyed head peeped out of the hole. Sara had some crumbs in her hand. She dropped them, and Melchisedec came quietly forth and ate them. A piece of larger size than the rest he took and carried in the most businesslike manner back to his home. "You see," said Sara, "that is for his wife and children. He is very nice. He only eats the little bits. After he goes back I can always hear his family squeaking for joy. There are three kinds of squeaks. One kind is the children's, and one is Mrs. Melchisedec's, and one is Melchisedec's own."