malumbu

This may be the most controversial thread I have started. I am ambivalent towards poppy day and the like. Not remembrance I hasten to add, I am old enough that the last World War was still a strong memory to the adult population when I was growing up. I then had living family who served in both World Wars. Growing up at that time I thought that Britain would never get involved in a major conflict again, surely the world had learned its lesson. The last three we have been involved in were certainly not in my name. However I feel that it is taboo to debate how as a nation we support our veterans. I don't feel it is safe in pubs, work and on the street to raise this without getting my head kicked in. At footy matches if you broke wind during a minutes silence a mob would attack you (conversely in one experience they were singing anti Irish songs before and after the minute's silence). Most of those who fought against facism are no longer with us. Was it not the states' responsiblity to look after the injured and the families that suffered? And in the last 30 years, all conflicts have been fought by those who decided, with their own free will, to enlist. Is not part of that equation that I may get injured or killed, therefore I want recompense to cover that. Peacekeeping forces is a more difficult equation - and the debate about Syria has shown this is far from simple. And finally. Choosing to have a family, many at a relatively young age. Again when I could be injured or killed. Is that responsible ?? The above points are gross generalisations, informed in part by casual/anacdotal knowledge. I am not one of these nutters that you hear about in the US who shout abuse outside the funerals of dead soldiers. By all means shoot me down, but please have a good argument. I am smply interested in people's views in what I hope is a relatively safe environment to discuss the issue. And my views on most things (apart Nigel Farage, and Switzerland) can change.

So after singing the praises of Catford/Forest Hill borders on another thread, this gent comes over to pick up the old tiles that I sold on e-bay (some had gone through the 'for sale' ad on this site.) I tell him that the tiles had been removed from the porch of my old flat, by the builder (many moons ago) who had damaged some (ie they were no longer a complete set). And the gent asks "oh what nationality were they" I reply "that is an inappropriate comment" He still insists on telling me his Punjabi builders story, where the builders removed and smashed up some Victorian fireplaces. (I was expecting him to say something about 'Poles, Pikeys or Roma'). What the flip the nationality was mentioned I don't know. Was he expecting me to say "oh those Punjabis, clearly don't appreciate heritage, they will be smashing up the Golden Temple next". Oh and Roy's story was in deed racist after all. He was inferring that American astronauts are less intelligent than primates, so this was an anti-American comment (he will be burning the flag next). Actually come to think of it it may be a factual comment, certainly I am sure that most Americans are more stupid than monkeys. For one monkeys don's justify the Second Amendment.

I walked through an East London park a couple of years ago to see a guy with a frame hanging from a tree that he was spraying. Modern art I asked? No he says, I have no yard at home and I didn't want to spray it in doors.

Interesting after the great give away of the Royal Mail that Dave has announced a single new nuclear power station. After we gave away British Gas and before we gave away CEGB, we had the vestiges of a national energy policy where profits (bearing in mind cheap coal) were kept by the State. Thatch (RIP) was very pro nuke power (in part because she hated the miners and the nukes had helped keep the lights on during the miners' strike) and announced a new power station, based on Sizewell B, every year. Approval was given to an earlier Hinkley Point C in Sept 1990. By that time Thatch had done an about turn and decided that we would burn all of our gas instead, prior to this natural gas was not a fuel of choice for power genenertation. And boy are we paying for it now (it is not a free market you plonkers, it is driven by OPEC, Russian gangsters, and cold US winters). Over 23 years later permission was given for a new HPC. In those 23 years a whole generation of UK nuclear engineers has not been replaced, together with the capability to build new plant. 23 years ago the UK still had one of the most advanced nuclear R&D capabilities, fuel fabrication and fuel processing. And earned zillions of yen. How ironic that the far East is now building the new power station for a French state electricity generator. OK so post Thatch governments didn't help, the world turned away from nuclear energy etc etc. And that dick Andrew Neal (joined in by his side kicks) slagged off the nuke industry with no real knowledge of the subject. Yep loads of mistakes were made with a UK nuclear power programme that was linked to production of weapons, and couldn't decide on a unified reactor design. But we were ahead of the world in so many respects (similarly telecomms). Not just rose tinted specs.

After Nationwide got rid of their cheap commission on using their debit cards abroad (zillions of us opened Flex accounts only for that reason) I now take heaps of cash with the brill rates offered by the Victoria Street places eg Changelink. It pees all over banks, the post office and I wet myself at the aiport exchange rates. Many years ago I used Barclaycard, then Barclays Debit card, not realising the silly commission charges. Interesting about Metrobank though. Got a Caxton card, forgot my login details, then Ryanunfair started charging on the pre-loaded cards, so that was the end of that.

Blythe Hill Tavern is brilliant. Had a bad experience in the Fox on the Hill. I worked behind bars, you don't need to be rude. Dunno about the SE22 pubs apart from the Rose. New barmaid was being taught to pour a pint. This dishwash stuff came out. I said I'll need a fresh pint then. The senior barmaid told me off ("it's her first night"). Funny. I managed to pour pints first time - although Guinness took a little longer

I am glad that I don't live in East Dulwich. It is like the Countryside, OK to visit, but not to live in. I did live in Catford briefly, and very close to the Forest Hill borders. There is no need to go out of that area when you have the best pub in SE London, the Blythe Hill Tavern, and one not far off the Catford Bridge Tavern (whops too late, its been closed). Blythe Hill is a lovely view/park, and loads more green space. And the Waterlink way path/cycle path. Which ends up at Lower Syenham so you can visit the person who asked about moving to Syd/Penge. And Wickes. If I am desparate I will use the Rose (if the beer was OK I'd use it more frequently). Otherwise I don't see any point in drinking in East Dulwich now the Crystal Palace Tavern has gone. Oh and if you think I am trolling I can almost spit into East Dulwich from where I live, and whatever I think of some of you, I am allowed to post my views unlike another supposed community website.

Lived in Sydenham for nine years in the 80s and 90s. Since then they destroyed a historic pub (shame on then), lost a knitting/material shop, a nice Indian restaurant and some other odds and sods. Traffic is as bad as ever, Slatters is as popular as ever but will never be the same since they stopped baking their own bread and got rid of the old photos if Mr Slatter with contestants on the Generation Game (Ken was on the last show ever). The Dolphin has been done up, the Golden Lion will helpfully continue trading, and no one has been bludgeoned to death (sick comment, sorry). Crims still live in the private roads, Lower Sydenham quickly becomes Beckenham and the nice bits of Penge, there are some nice cycle tracks, they have a Screwfix, The Penge East sevice is excellent, and the houses on that side decent with some traffic calming. And the Old Bath House. Despite having a Blue Mountain Cafe it is not poncy like East Dulwich, the pubs have not all been turned into Gastros, and not full of yummy mummies. East Dulwich - you know what you are! So go for it. Never liked the Bell Green part though.

Thought it was quite an amusing tale, and I doubt if anyone in the England dressing room was thinking that Woy (there is me being insensitive about people with lisps) was making a racist remark about a black player. Do people still use 'monkey' as an insult? (apart from that throwback caught on camera at Chelski (whoops an insensitive anti-Russian remark)) Adrian was not being racist either, and like him or not he certainly is far more successful than any one posting here. Contrast comments on Have I got News for You the other day ("over here, taking our jobs") which was clearly amusing/tongue in cheek, and of course that's all fine as we understand. I also enjoy a good anti-English stereotype ie we all have crooked teeth, deeply reserved and drink gallons of tea. What I was trying to get out of this thread was an examinatiof our own, and society's casual racism (or unintended/insensitive comments/stereotypes etc.). I've said things in the past that I shudder about now, but were perfectly innocent at the time. Even now I may say "how long have you been over here", rather than more subtly asking about background, purely because I am interested in other cultures etc. Had a great chat with a Romanian cabbie, who is doing is accountacy exams as his were not recognised in the UK, but meanwhle has to drive mini cabs to pay for all of this. He get's fed up when he is considered to be an asylum seeker or low skill economic migrant. And finally apologies for my comment about cockney winkers. You are not all loud mouthed geezers wearing bright clothes, ducking and diving, on the make, unable to support your local football team, and with the inability to pronounce your consonants. Well not all of you. And Adrian and I are not thick Brummies. Well not Brummies anyway. That Birminum to you cockerneys.

Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me SLADE

Do everything you can to keep the tooth. If you lose it then you have a gap (at no extra cost), a bridge (not perfect but you can get one on the state) or an implant if you want to return to full functionality at ???. Cheaper if you go to Hungary but at your risk, although I believe there are private dental practiced based in London but outsource the work abroad and you can get a holiday at the same time. I am a product of the drill and fill times when 99% of dentistry was on the NHS, dentists drove round in flash cars and drilled whether you needed it or not as that coined the money in. Not an urban myth. Oral health and dentistry much better and my brill dentist has saved teeth (under the NHS) that others wouldn't. Always worth getting a second opinion if they want to yank it out.

And you sound like a cockney winker! 15,000 Poles at the England/Poland match "its just like a home match for them" And something about being careful of what he said as he had Polish builders round. Was hoping to open this up to a proper discussion on casual racism, rather than silly/juvenile jibes which can be the nature of this forum. I am just laying the gauntlet down.

The Twitter sphere seems to be getting excited by a throw away remark by my good friend (well he got me a Guinness once). Here was my response to the world beyond EDF: Umhh, there are a lot of Poles in Britain and a lot of Polish builders. The comment was not funny, but a throw away one which made no inference to the quality of Polish builders nor the number of Poles living in Britain. Of course we have a special relationship stemming from Pogroms (Jews being persecuted in central and Eastern Europe in the early 20th century) and World War II. As opposed to the US where 'Polak' jokes were common until perhaps relatively recently. I get far more stereotypical and potentially racist remarks from supposedly successful and intelligent (but sadly ignorant) people in the burbs. My favourite one is - Oh, SE London, we had to move out of there to a blue borough when 'they' moved in ("they" in a hushed tone). ---------------------------------- [end of my post to the rest of the world] Chiles just needs to say whoops, that was stupid of me, do a nice apology and here is a ?10k donation to the Polish war memorial. That coke sniffing property tycoon on Final Score had to eat humble pie last week after saying something that could have been slightly derogatory against women/women's football. I am sure that he is not a misogynist. I am of course being tongue in cheek about Mr Fowler's recreational drug interests. What I meant to add to the posing above was that things can only get better as my good friends D:ream once sang.

Sorry that I haven't posted for a long time. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahehehehehehehohohoteeheeteeheeguffawhahaha Well done special agent Moyes. Going down with the Mackams, going down with the Mackams...

Motorist's behaviour getting better and cyclists getting worse?? My totally unscientific views based on observation and experiences is the opposite. But firstly the vast majority of both are fine (I have more problems with pedestrians now...) And I am just as angry at a cyclist texting on the move as a motorist. I think it is engrained in our culture that we have a right to go as fast as we can when driving, with many of us not bothering to read the road and anticipate. WTF are you accelerating towards stationary traffic? And do any of you motorists really know how to go over a speedbump? Back off the accelerator before, and accelerate slightly when going over it. Don't use the brake (as I almost cycle into yet another car braking harshly going down undehill road. Perhaps I am just more aware of the accelerating motorist than I was in the past, and at least this gives me a little more warning that they are less likely to give me space. In our boxes we just seem to be more insulated that those on two wheels (and I also rode motorbikes for years). I think much of the hysteria is simply because there are just simply far more cyclists (sadly some are the nutters that people go on about). Going back to my motorbiking days, there is an intersting training parallel. I'd cycled since a kid and had a car license for a few years, so why did I need motorcycle training? In the good old days there was non-compulsory local authority courses, run by local motorcycle groups and properly accredited (think it was RAC/ACU). That was before successive administrations buggered up the motorbike test - what I did was the better and more cost effective. The course helped me appreciate positioning, reducing my vulnerability and even the importance of the old fashioned hand signal, as that makes you look over your shoulder. Something never forgotten now the cycle is my main form of transport. Investment in this sort of thing for young, and not so young cyclists, may not be a bad thing. Oh and I also liked going into a HGV cab - wow! So back to my source, a few accidents, far too many near misses, most not my fault, some my fault, close shaves with bikes when a pedestrian (one my fault, and one I had a go at the cylist as he was coming through on the inside at speed by a station), my own near misses with pedestrians as a cyclist, and sad to say some near misses as a driver with cyclists as well (again sometime my own fault, which is really sobering). There's also lots about poor design of London streets for cyclists, but others have picked this up already.

Titch juicy, it is not common sense it is having to anticipate drivers not seeing you and/or doing daft things and constant awareness of what is around you. Something that after 30 years of road use I am now resonably good at, to the extent that I can usually predict sudden lane changing etc. But even then I still get caught out, if for whatever reason I am thinking about something else. Car does a u-turn and it takes me an extra half a second to yell and have to swerve out of the way. Totally the driver's fault yet because I was not expecting it I could have been the one knocked to the ground. Should all cyclists be expected to be as good as me? That's nothing to do with common sense (the latter is not doing daft things like trying to go through on the inside whilst vehicles are turning). So what I have noticed more and more is essentially so many drivers (and this may apply to some cyclists as well, and certainly more and more pedestrians) are not carrying out the most essential thing when on the road (and also on the pavement). Mirror (or look behind you), signal (tell people what you are doing), manoever. So bloody simple. But no, manoeuvre (suddenly) and perhaps signal whilst you are doing it, and don't bother looking. Oh there is my turnin, swerve. Oh I must check my phone, sudden stop. And just for some balance, who was the arse who cycled all the way up the Forest Hill Road pavement from outside the pharmacist to the cemetery this evening? Pavement narrows at the top to hardly the width for a single pedestrian let alone space for someone to cycle through past a couple of walkers. And the white van on its mobile. And the traffic doing 45mph going down the hil. Think I will just give up.....

Badminton is declining sadly as a competitive/participant sport in the UK and we need some more teams (mixed (3/3), composite (4 men, 2 ladies) and mens 4s (all these are doubles) PM me if you are interested in entering. Standard is mixed/medium and this is quite nice if you are a new club. You'd need a home ground, and unless an established club may just play friendlies (against proper teams) which would be nice to test the water. The league at one stage spread from Surrey Quays, to Eltham, Streatham and beyond Croydon. This is a watershed year so advice on how to keep it going appreciated.

Sounds odd to me (the original problem that is) My traditional 25 year old indirect system suddenly started blowing hot water into the header tank that overflowed (my dodgy diy) into the main cold water tank. Loads of iron oxide crud and brown cold water for yonks. I spent hours going through it and then a plumber (who didn't charge, bless him) with neither of us working it out. After the crap blew out of the central heating circuit, the rads filled with air. It was time for the system to be replaced but never understood why this happened and Googled for solutions to no success. Maybe a poltegeist. I also had a primatic system yonks ago where air got into the system, rusted the radiators, hydrogen built up pressure, and then blew water into the header tank, which overflowed onto the ceiling. It only ever seemed to happen at night. And brown cold water as well. Almost as fun as sharing stories about the cars that I used to drive.

BBC Gardening included a piece about summer pruning. I'll try to pdf it if I get my act together.

Why thank you! Was in Berlin yesterday - a strange paradox, great public transport, better cycling infrastructure but boy to the Germans love their cars!

Widespread killing of people sounds like there is natural born killer on a bike going round wiping people out. Now if you want to talking about widespread killing then there are around 29,000 early deaths each year in the UK due to poor air quality, mainly due to emissions from diesel vehicles. That is of course a rather simplistic statistic, but still sobering. Now a western soicety needs the motor vehicle, but does not need to use it to the exent that we do, nor drive it the way we do. So next time you see someone sitting in their diesel car or van, parked on their phone for several minutes with the engine idling, not only are they adding unecessarily to global warming, they are also killing you. There is your real mass murderer. Oh read all this in the 'Mayor's air quality strategy' of the Commitee on the medical effects of air pollution, in case think I am making this up!

Quite the opposite. We need new laws to control pedestian behaviour. They should all be fitting with indicators and brake lights and a mirror, so that they can check before manoeuvering eg to stop to check a text or to do an instant video thingy. Those who do not obbey the simple rule should risk being fined for dangerous pedestrianising, or pedestrianising without due care and attention. Those who insist on totally flouting the laws, eg by not bothering to look at all because they are staring at a screen, should be made to wear a flashing warning light,or better still a person with a red flag walking in front of them. Damn, I've just seen PR's post, which made this point far more succinctly. Another thing is the myth that cyclists are busy killing pedestrians on the street. DfT collate cyclist/pedestrian injuries but not whether the pedestrian was on the street or crossing the road. Sadly a number of pedstrians die each year from cars mouting the pavement. Therefore most bikes are in collision with pedestrians because the latter are having to walk on the road to avoid cars that mount the pavement. Simple.

Loking forward to Xmas as the nights will start getting longer again. Alternatively I will be almost four months closer to death (if I make it by then, I sense there is a contract on me from at least one person on this website)

Its not car tax it is Vehicle Excise Duty. This is not a tax to pay for roads it is a general tax (as are most if not all the HMRC raise). I pay for roads in both my general tax (that provide grants to local authorities and the roads central government is responsible for, the latter generally not cyclist friendly) and my Council tax which pays for Lewisham Roads. Oh dear I can't use your potholed roads in Southwark. So you may as well say - "ah you are on benefits, you can't use any of our local and national services as you don't pay for them". Ever the one with an interesting story, I stopped at Lambeth Bridge roundabout, as a taxi was coming through. Was suprised that a yellow truck with a trailer went straight through and that the cab didn't toot it. I thought right I'll have you on the bus lane over the bridge, but the truck was hammering it through. So we get to the lights and I thought "I'll have you here" And as we took off for the first time I heard "warning this vehicle is turning left". Thought "wow - that is the latest advancement in warnings to cyclist not to cut through on the inside". Shame it didsn't say "warning, driven by an aggressive arsehole". If you have seen my other posts, I usually add balance by saying most drivers, of all vehicles, ages, ethnicities, sexual preference, gender and those that work for LL Carpets or Hamptons International are pretty reasonable

Wasn't even searching for this. It seemed to come for me via a very circuitous route. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bgt2uc-EMdg