malumbu

What a lovely thread and a lovely place. Good to have some positive stuff. Crazy but wonderful place. Here's another one if you like this in your face kitch (God's Own junkyard, Walthamstow) http://www.godsownjunkyard.co.uk/

Thanks, I wont be signing the petition but useful to know that on my occasional drive to go a different way. I tended to avoid the Peckham/OKR route into town due to the traffic light sequencing on the other side of the Elephant. But have stooped driving that way due to the ULEZ, and will be giving up the car once the extension comes into place (but may do car club so again useful to know). I'll also try and suss out the best way by bus and need to check out if there is any priority. One thing that really used to wind me up was the selfish drivers on Rye Lane parking on the double yellows which tended to slow down the buses considerably. I'd have zero tolerance and send them to the car crushers.

I think most politically active on both the left and right are in agreement that and his cabinet are pretty useless. I suppose die hard Brexiteers will take the collateral damage (preventable deaths and economic carnage) as we get/got out of Europe. Not sure how his popular vote is holding up - is the clown act still working? You look back at Jeremy Hunt, loathed by the left and now you see someone with a bit of integrity irrespective of his political views. I'm wading through some of his policies there is SO MUCH FLUFF, infrographics, prattle but difficult to find the substance and how its going to happen. And sharpening his knife behind him is Gove, a nightmare. Anyway my intention wasn't to discuss the PM but appropriate measures. I'm getting more behind the circuit break, something clean and clear, as I can't see the current approach working. The OP was about the balance between firm measures and a lighter touch, with some arguing the former kills to many through other causes. Despite what I said about unnecessary deaths whoever was in charge there would be a debate, so it is not about calling the PM a deliberate murderer, rather that there was a better way.

seenbeen Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > > Positive discrimination has been happening in the > public sector and elsewhere since at least 1989 > anyway What b'lox. Civil Service has managed to become less diverse. It's a bit like university challenge teams, with better balance of the genders and is a result of not recruiting those with more modest qualifications and ambitions, and less bean counters (ie basic entry). New entrants generally young, good schools (private and top state), Oxbridge and top Russell Group. Hence white, some Asian, but not representing black communities at the higher grades. And now lots of soul searching following BLM. Probably better in terms of trans and gay (and others grouped under all of this), and disability (but not learning difficulties I expect). But then its tax payers money so want to attract the best talent?? Not sure about other parts of public sector, I expect cops less diverse and NHS will be more diverse.

Not Linda McCartney's. No.

Probably shoppers already in the queue for William Rose. I hear it's popular but not sure what it is.

Hooray July 4th independence day. Hooray let's drive up to Barnard Castle. That's when we lost it, or to be fair he lost it. Don't blame it all on the kids.

Also on the BBC, the Penge Papers and the Gnomes of Dulwich. Only Fools and Horses doesn't count as this was an imaginary Peckham but Desmonds does. On another channel Phil and Kirsty seem to have Forest Hill as their second home.

I quite liked my unconscious bias training, I think my original question is this just because of my demographic/personality or would it work on others. So let's say if someone with views very different to me had to do it, say someone who used to head UKIP. Now they would be sceptical. But would it have a material affect?

Well we are on our way to a lockdown, I expect other parts to also go into cat 2

Let's just close (some) roads. Things will readjust. I drive once or twice a week. Once or twice a year you get a perfect storm where due to an accident, roadworks, whatever, there is grid lock. I hate it, but then forget it. Theyv'e closed roads, introduced one ways, traffic calmed, congestion charged, ULEZed, parking zones etc etc ever since I've lived in London. Things readjust.

I've campaigned for yonks about transport and the environment. I am a cyclist, walker, occasional car driver and user of public transport. A continuing challenge is that cars are still seen by most as the default means for getting around. There's loads of good/strong words from government including the aim that public transport and active travel will be the default as part of the move to zero emissions by 2050. But with all the anguish on these threads from a fairly informed audience I don't know how you are going to persuade the masses .... unless you go for some fairly draconian measures. On the all mouth and no trousers point an ideal example is 20mph zones. If these worked you'd get reduced congestion and improved road safety as we's all be pootling at 20-25mph not putting our foot down (more pollution and CO2), banging on the brakes at the lights (more pollution) and traffic calming exacerbates that futher with the accelerate/brake. Am I the only person in SE London who knows how to drive smoothly down Court Lane? I can't find anything on Youtube or Google with such driving tips (you back of the accelerator to gently slow the car down and slightly accelerate before the bump, try it, its a no brainer. On the subject of schools, successive government's who encouraged competition have far worsened the school run. That is before you bring private schools in. Whatever you try to do to discourage this doesn't seem to work - I did like the school in Scotland that simply posted pictures up of irresponsible parents. We campaigned at our primary school, this got the message over and people at least stated to park more responsibly. But the our kids grew up and the same problem happened with the subsequent intakes. The irony of the parent who drives their kid to school due to the dangers of walking including road safety and pollution that they contribute to. Yes in deed I am holier than thou. Wood Vale was mentioned. That was a dreadful bit of unjoined up thinking between Lewisham and Southwark as this should be the main route through to the South Circ not Honor Oak Road which is a glorified cart track. But driving there earlier this week, a pretty rare journey, WTF do you all need to drive at 40mph? I suppose I could get my clipboard out and watch where all the traffic is going, I expect much of it through using this as a rat run.

Always found it strange that in engineering 50 years ago 1000ths of an inch were used for fine precision rather than 1728ths

Was there an impromptu cricket match on Lordship Lane today? How exciting.

Sadly you have to go outside SE22 for great pubs - the Ivy in Nunhead, not too far away, which was saved by the community a few years ago and is not too far a walk, and a little further the Blythe Hill Tavern, Catford side of Forest Hill, on the South Circ. A nice walk via One Tree Hill and Blythe Hill. SE22 pubs are a little generic but I expect others here will disagree.

Dear Uncle, rather than look at one element of this can you stick to my original posting? What is your views on national and regional lockdowns, and the arguments presented against this. The Spectator article is food for thought. Please start a thread on sweatshops if you want to focus in on this. Thanks.

Lots of discussion and speculation particularly since SAGE recommendations were made public. Just been reading a piece in the Spectator on a medic's case against a lockdown, in particular the wider public health harm. Not a source I usually go to but interesting. https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/a-medic-s-case-against-another-lockdown Here he says what right to government have to condemn someone to an untimely death due to the wider impact of a lockdown. My views started off believing some of the arguments that Spain and Italy were very different, and that we should let it run its course. This quickly changed to "why didn't we do this two weeks earlier" and that without the first lockdown we would have totally overburdened our NHS and support services. Now with things clearly not working where next? There's obviously a backlash from the libertarian right, and the argument about balancing the economy/people's lives. I'd be interested to hear views of others.

I was taught in both imperial and metric measurements, but by high school it would have been exclusively the latter. Can't do maths, technical drawing and the sciences in the modern world using ancient units of measurement. The 70s are now considered a time of strife, but I think at the dawn of the decade there was a lot of positivity about a new technical age. Kelloggs ran a campaign on their cereal packets on simple ways of converting to metric units. It seems that things were similar on the US: The Metric Conversion Act is an Act of Congress that President Ford signed into law on December 23, 1975.[1] It declared the metric system "the preferred system of weights and measures for United States trade and commerce", but permitted the use of United States customary units in all activities. As Ford's statement on the signing of the act emphasizes, all conversion was to be "completely voluntary."[1] The Act also established the United States Metric Board with representatives from scientific, technical, and educational institutions, as well as state and local governments to plan, coordinate, and educate the U.S. people for the Metrication of the United States. ..... the Metric Conversion Act of 1975, directed departments and agencies within the executive branch of the United States Government to "take all appropriate measures within their authority" to use the metric system "as the preferred system of weights and measures for United States trade and commerce." The metrification board was abolished in 1982 by President Ronald Reagan.... [extract from wiki before you complain about the spelling] As for converting road signs etc the Canadians and Irish have managed this. Although Canada is all over the shop in every day practice eg shopping - we've at least sorted that out, apart from beer and milk - a simple step would be to sell both in multiples of 600ml, getting over the issue of devaluation if simplified to half a litre.

We should all use KM, trouble is we are a backward nation, not as backward as the US. Backward is of course a relative term and used to stress the point.

The Robert Dyas ones (from a former life when I used to go into an office in central London - can you imagine that?) have been fine https://www.robertdyas.co.uk/outdoor-living/bird-care/bird-feeders Inverted plastic cones (from football training) on top of the open feeders has surprisingly worked - and cheaper to buying a bespoke one: https://www.birdfood.co.uk/squirrel-guard?utm_source=google_shopping&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6LHQlJGx7AIVgWDmCh0-QwLZEAQYBSABEgLUG_D_BwE Although the one shown on the link is shown below the feeder whilst I'd put them on the top to put them off feeding upside down which they tend to do. And greasy pole helped too! But I reckon its down to luck too, a determined squirrel will get through anything but the caged feeders or those with a weighted device. My local pests have probably gone for an easier feed.

10,000s die each year from poor air quality. It is a shame that you need hard measures to try to get people not to drive. Yes I expect you will counter this with displacing pollution to other streets, congestion etc but we need to get over the mindset that we can drive what we want, when we want, how we want, where we want.... There will be many of you who use your cars sensibly, and many who don't.

Looks like a small grinding stone, for a small windmill or watermill

I was trying to get the Met Police/TfL bike lot but they seemed to have disappeared Here's general advice from Met about bike theft. They may well be non Gumtree which is very lax as far as I am concerned. I'd big up eBay but they own Gumtree.....

The only Van Halen track I know, mates went to see Sabbath before they sacked Ozzie in 78 and VH blew them off the stage Happy for Johnny Nash to take pride of place this weekend

Rather than reach for the keyboard and go straight to this site does anyone actually reach for the keyboard and e-mail their councillor? It's democracy, they have a manifesto, you vote them in, they attempt to deliver their manifesto. All this whinging is simply undermining a long established way of devolving government. And of course if you are that unhappy report back afterwards and ultimately stand for election yourself. In addition national government is committed to zero carbon by 2050 and part of the decarbonisation of road transport is to reduce private car use so its going to happen whatever, hooray. Quoting from the attached report Mick Jones of the Clash, Big Audio Dynamite and Carbon Silicon's cousin stated "Public transport and active travel will be the natural first choice for our daily activities. "e will use our cars less and be able to rely on a convenient, cost-effective and coherent public transport network." [shame you and the previous Labour government failed to put up fuel duty since 2004 then] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/878642/decarbonising-transport-setting-the-challenge.pdf PS the most useless bit of traffic control are the lights on Knatchbull Road in Loughborough Junction, the only lights I am happy to run on red.