malumbu

sadly a young lady was killed on a Boris Bike BBC London did not report it particularly inmpartially. I have written to them. Shame on you BBC London Report the facts. Do not speculate. Tom Edwards Transport correspondent, London We don't know the exact circumstances of what happened. Whether the experience of the cyclist riding the hire bike is a factor we don't know. [Why speculate? You are putting views into the readers minds] We also don't know yet if the painted blue lane of the Cycle Superhighway lulled the cyclist into a false sense of security. [Ditto] A poor lazy piece of journalism. You could just as easy say. We don't know whether the driver involved was drunk or on a mobile phone Worse still from their website: Thanks to Terry G L Rowe who commented on BBC London's Facebook page about the cyclist killed in a crash with a lorry and how safe cycling in London is. He said: "I am an x-lorry driver and the amount of times bikes came up my inside was madness some cyclists, they run red lights some cyclists, [go] wrong way down one way streets some cyclists etc & its always the lorry drivers fault!!! we have to take a test which lasts about 2hrs, what do bike riders do?? ?just take of there stabilisers and off into the roads!!!!!! [some drivers drive whilst on their mobile phones, most don't 'mirror, signal, manoeuvre', many run red lights, some couldn't give a monkeys about other road users. So now who's fault is it? Report useful things like the TfL work to educate both drivers and cyclists, including the opportunities for cyclists to sit in the cab of a HGV to get the lorry drivers perspective. Not impressed. Malumbu Pedestrian, cyclist, motor cyclist, driver, human being.

I've had go deal with Giant Hogweed and suggest injecting the stem with reasonably concentrated glycol phosphate (ie roundup). I got strange looks asking in pharmacists, dentists, GPs, vets etc for a large syringe and needle. Seach on Google and you can buy some kit from the US

I got British Gas to explain their costs fully, which to their credit they did, and then six months later they were no longer the cheapest. That EDF deal looked quite good but I hate the whole market and wish that it was still state owned like it seems to be elsewhere. Really must move suppliers. A nation that was once awash with oil, floating gas and simply gloiwing with nuclear, all provided by the state, and now look at the mess we are in. In part (and dear readers I worked in energy markets) a legacy of Thatch's dash for gas and privitisation. I am sure that many of you wont agree!

I was left for dead on Red Post Hill in 1998 after being clipped from behind and knocked 20mph into a stationary car. Dark, but very clear night. Car sped down Casino Avenue, a route that you would never do from that direction. Five mins later after some passers by had picked me up, a guy in a red Merc CL E reg, with loads of gold asked me if I was alright and that he's seen the whole thing. It dawned on me later that he was the culprit . I pass a now rather shabby red Merc not far away and it makes me wonder. Nice ending is that the staionary car that I hit, said don't bother about the dent and drove me home.

Oy red devil. When you are 16 you think there are rules to music. You had to be a hippy, punk or rocker at that time. We used to call liking funk etc discobating. A short time later hate mod music, even thought there was always a 60's style RnB band supporting the new wave acts doing the rounds. A couple of years later you start to realise that some of it is quite good (mod, disco etc), and as you get older musical tastes broaden. As a 16 year old I can't imagine that in later life I'd be going to the Cambbridge Folk Fest (don't go now as the line up is dull and not at all radical) and listening to Bob Harris Country. If I had a tape player I'd get out one of my C60 compilations and find a suprisingly wide (and soemtimes shocking) mix of chart music from my teen years. Just couln't pogo to Chic that was all.... or worse still headbang. Now some should be confined to the bin such as soft rock, pop rock, Rainbow, Europe and I will never like Meatloaf until my dying day, even if I can apprecate him. So back to Glarstoow. Bit underwhelmed really but I'd rather watch the tennis or be outside. Tried to get my head around Public Enemy, who I really should have seen at Brixton in the late 80s. And some group jumping around at 9 were very watchable. Listening to Porishead is like listening to the Cocteau Twins. For a year or so etherial and birlliant. Now sadly leaves me cold. I think it is more probablay about the Beebs coverage, and the line-up outside some of the main bands, looked pretty good. Sad that Costello was rather flat, after seeing so many good gigs, including headlining Glastonbury (around 40000 people at the time) in 1984. Perhaps should have done another stage. Off to the Devonshire Road Nature Reserve Fest later (only ?4 after 5pm) - do join me.

Thanks to the one PM I received. It a housing issue I hasten to add. More interest would be nice, although pleased that no one has yet called me a nimby or had other digs at me.

I neeed to move into the mid 2010s but don't want to increase my very low monthly charge. Views on entry level smart phones please. I was a very early adopter funnily enough of mobile telephony but unlike my kids still see it as the means to speak to people on the odd occasion.

Just to add some personal balance I did enjoy Chic last night and was pleased most of the audience they got on stage were fat and middle aged (ie that this appealed to the righ people rather than kids raiding their parents' music collection). Funnily enough as a punk I hated that late 70s disco at the time. Ah the wisdom of age. But then a reality check with a dreadful interview on BBC news this morning with a festival goer who did not fit any stereotypes with words being put into her mouth about the bands and how wonderful the Stones will be.

I think my views have been well represented. Its a young people's festival, have young people's music. Plenty of space to accommodate old f'ckers like me in the other stages. Phoned the beeb up once to tell them to get that old f'cker Macka off the the telly when he was doing the headline a few years ago. Chris Evans is only slightly younger than me but has never been before until they accommodated his radio programme and One Show on it today. He thought it was a bi-enniel festival, really well informed eh? To his credit at least he didn't call it 'Glasto' as I stick my fingers down my throat. I'm trying Greenbelt this year. I may have been interested in the Big Chill but it was cancelled again. Got a shed load of NME's in the loft, if you look on e-bay you can frame the pictures and sell them for a reasonable amount. I could never complete the crossword, and found many of the articles too long (and bloody difficult to comprehend). But it was the thing to buy each Thursday.

Cyled through Peckham for ten years. Incidents = someone through a ball at me once The obvious looting/riots of 2011 Two guys wanting to have a fight, and shop keepers breaking it up (very positive multi-ethnic stuff) Shoplifters being stopped by the middle aged guard at a luggage shop and threatening to smash the place up with a breeze block. It was at a time when the pedestrianised area was being dug up so the whole place was crowded with shoppers. Generally nowt much happening.

What's CBT please? Yes I know I can Google it. I've had lots of contact with people over the years suffering depression, bipolar etc, and medication has often been lithium to 'restore balance' - I see this has already been discussed on the thread. They used to use ECT when I was briefly doing a summer job in a pyschiactric hospital which appeared inhumane but apparently does some good,

A local authority that is not Southwark appeared to have made a complete hash of a planning matter. I wont go into details but it would be nice to get some legal advice, or informed opinion. This goes back a number of years and I have been fleeced by lawyers and have also looked to other avenues including the organisations who advise on such matters and some help from civic societies. Some recent correspondence has shocked me in what appears to be total incompetence and a reversal of what looked to be a legally sound decision. This may be one for the Local Authority Omubudsman and I have also alerterted the solicitors who acted for me before (although no more money). The term fleeced is rather stronge but it was rather costly. Happy to share more by PM. I did try to involve local press, broadsheets, and also Private Eye (Rotten Boroughs) but perhaps it was not newsworthy enough. Not sure how else to 'whistle blow'. The correspondence is short, at times beligerent, and most importantly on the public record, and speaks for itself. There has been plenty of correspondence with the planning autority, legal department, complaints procedures etc but the correspondence that has now come to light adds a new dimension on all of this. I hope that I am not coming over as obsessed. Don't answer that.

Used the takeaway once, it was rubbish. The restaurant is of course a different kettle of fish.

I did silly amounts of research at Xmas and found problems with every bally tablet - particularly as they want to snare you into their traps. I consider Apple as virtually a closed market, both in terms of competition and the controls on the retail price. Post above echoes some of this. Selling at a higher cost (and Kindle as well) to the Eurpean market smacks of hypocracy from the land of free trade (Harley Davison are only in business due to the money the State pumped into them and punative taxation on large imported motorbikes back in the day). Something good to be said about the EU in a level playing field. Some of the more informative reviews on Amazon were helpful. I ended up buying the family an Ipad and managed to squeeze a few quid out of the Apple store in convincing them that I could get a discount (bally hard work). Mind you the ipod thingy does all the stuff the iphone seems to do apart from calls and texts at a third of the cost. People cross the road when they see my three year old non smart mobile phone to avoid the embarassment.

Oh Brother Where Art Thou Big Good call on Gregory's Girl

Thanks to all in particular Woodrot. Going to the PC doctors as they only charge a score, and I will report back. Note comments on AV and will probably follow advice. BW

Well I had Brockley beer out of a cask. Is that craft ale? I am not particularly fond on the term real ale but that is convenient as a loose description. If Brockley describe it as craft ale to get more ED Yuppies to drink it good on them. My view of craft ale was that is was keg, or bottled after being killed first. OK in small quantitities (sic) but not as a regular tipple. People are talking out of their arses about how wonderful Punk IPA is hence my knee jerk reaction. Not sure how anyone can talk about John Smiths in any sensible thread. Greene King, Bombadier and others have gone or are going that way. Doom bar....... ugh. Annette dear, you are still flirting with me. I am truly flattered. I was trying to talk to my friends in Lordship Lane Carpets last weekend about our conversations but couldn't find any sales people. Sadly the latter was true. Oh and I have just had a couple of pints of Wherry in a cental London pub. That was wherry wherry nice. Now flowery beer. Fine first or second time then yuk. And as for beer festivals never enjoyed the GBBF in Earls Court/Olympia but the Dulwich one last month was most excellent.

As a share owner I hope we follow the lead of the communty run pub in Cowden Pound in Kent. One ale. Nothing else on draft. www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSEYubs-_9M Clearly I don't expect it to be so limited but hope you can check out the link particularly the proud sign that they only sell proper English beer. Mr Farage would be proud (not that I want to be assoicated with him).

Oh no, have Kraft taken over beer as well as Cadbury's. So beer will be all cheesy now, or worse still taste of baby sick (ie Hershey bars). Craft beer, Emperor's new clothes me thinks. And being a card carrying old fart I know. If you are in the Palace there are some luverly pubs selling proper beer. Or try the best pub in the world, the Blythe in Forest Hill, which sells draft beer from the Brockley brewery.

Had a Yahooo account for over ten years, the first decade without a problem. Now it has been hacked, e-mails seem to disappear, and the latest update (last weekend) is now almost unuable as the functionality has been drastically reduced with regards to sorting stuff and finding e-mails. A lovely touch is if I try and sort by sender if it is a commercial organisation they also bang an advert in. The functionality on my work machine is even worse, maybe due to bandwidth, firewall or just out of date browser. Still has excellent spam filter though, so I always get a fun surprise where I see all those medical products that I can purchase when I check the Spam filter. Yahoo were good when I phoned through (eventually answered) and I got them to change the password. It also asked me to change the password a few times in the weeks after due to suspected attack. The hack attack simply e-mailed everyone in my address book with the dodgy link. Not sure of any other purpose. I have free Advast antivirus software, which did not warn me of a dodgy attachment. It was the sort of Daily Mail article that the supposed sender would send, if it had been from most other people I would have realised. So (a) views on Yahoo mail (b) on being hacked © on other better? web based e mail Google wasn't that helpful when I tried doing my own research. PC is going to the doctors this weekend for a flush out, as I am paranoid that I am now a botnet PS now made me delete 1000s of e mails, unsubscribe to commercial sites and clear up my address book.

Haven't posted for a month or so due to family bereavement and my obsession with SE22 rewriting history about Lady Thatcher, but compelled to post today. UP YOUR RRRSSSS FERGIE, THE BBC, SKY, LONDON REDS AND ON AND ON.

A close member of my family died on Saturday. This brought it home to me all the sycophantic nonsense that has gone on since MT's death and worse still the obsenity of a (in all but name) state funeral. Now I can't say a good thing about the ex PM but just wish we had had a day or two of debate, and then had a private and quiet funeral. I will be bearing my arse cycling into work tomorrow. After which I will be thinking about my own mother's funeral a week on Friday. I'll not be looking at this thread again. RIP my kind, loving and compassionate mother.

Lived in the Pool in the mid 80s, when Thatcher had stuck the knife in (another case of corporate manslaughter?). Saw a couple of real Wild West brawls in late night bars with fists and glasses being thrown. More like a film set than a boxing match. That was about it really. Someone asked me the time outside a pub once. He wanted to know the time, rather than check out my accent and punch me. My mate answered in a dreadful attempt at a scouse accent - bit like George Osbourne really, and he was from just up the road in a posh bit bit of Merseyside. Clearly sad news, but don't tar scousers all with the same brush (my sterotypical scousers stories, including nasty nasty touts, will wait for another time). Went to a wedding at Birkinhead registry office. Seemed surprisingly nice. And mates live in Wallassey which is rather nice, and tolerent (can be a bit homophobic on the other side of the Mersey). And anywhwere assoicated with Half Man Half Biscuit must be half OK.

Quids as I believe you are to friends, my point was that there was a vacancy in Kent. Vicanna, I am totally lost. Please explain your hostile response. Now I have had a good think. 30 odd thousand there, more than twice the core suport, and a 5.30 start. Oh what a surprise. But to put it into perspective this was nowt like the scrapping that went on in the terraces we saw when the London clubs came up the midlands from the mid 70s onwards - most of it for pose value rather than the more nasty stuff. My first recollection of big trouble was the red army in 75 when there was 100 odd arrests outside the ground and a similar number when 20,000 Geordies (now there was an away support) turned up. More bother in Streatham, or Bromley on a Friday night that at Wembley on Sat. I could have saved myself two mins by simply agreeing with Aquarius. I blame the ghost of Thatcher for all this over-reaction. I doubt whether it was well stewarded or policed. Most grounds try to do without cops due to the expense (they came free in the old days). Hence stewards (my faves for paramilitary are at Spurs) are well ready for a bit of aggro. Not Wembley by the sound of things. PS I hate the new Wembley even more than the old. It is shte for semis, although the Manc C vs Chels sort of proved me wrong on that.

Calm down calm down. Thanks for the link - they don't stock simple ones there (all too fancy pants for my modest abode). I found a place that stock something similar but only do 30m at a time. I'll try Whitton's again, as sometimes you find some non-standard stock hiding away.