Nigello

Good news for cyclists with nowhere safe to put their wheels: according to a letter I got today, the council wants to install a hangar near to the junction with Upland. It will mean one parking space will be gone but six people will have a place to put their bikes.

Could this kind of waste be wrapped in newspaper - probably a good few layers?

I have to say I feel sorry for the people who work in these kinds of places. It can't be good for the lungs or skin to be working with nail varnish, remover and other such substances. However, I do like nice nails...(on me and on others, varnished or not).

Head

Can you wrap it in newspaper? As for not wanting to pay for stuff - public money isn't infinite, much as we would like.

It is going to be a nail shop which - I think - will be Glamorous Nails, currently a few shops further up towards ED station. Whether there will be two branches I don't know. Good luck to it: good to see vacated premises being reused so quickly.

Demand is high and staff give people ten rather than the usual five, so if you go and you don't get even one, it could be because people are asking for more and compromised staff are handing out more.

Windows (wooden, I think) shop on FHR, near the CoOp, in what used to be either the launderette or the betting shop. The one next to it is under reconstruction but the men working there did not know what it would be, somewhat oddly.

It does sound like a lot of thought has gone into it, so that is encouraging. The fact it is coming from a private source is also welcome. I think RH's point that it may teach children - and their parents - that pollution just has to be dealt with after it has happened is valid. I do hope that opinions and habits will be changed - good luck! (I love the trees in the school already - but some need to be clipped back: a twig in the eye isn't nice!)

I really think that if those people are giving you money to plant a ?21K hedge then they ought to - at the same time or instead of - stop driving so much. I am afraid this looks symbolic and tokenistic - which would be fine if it were much cheaper and still as effective (see privet suggestion). I don't own a car (haven't for almost twenty years) and walk and use public transport mostly; I pester the council for better upkeep and more planting of trees and more green spaces, so it's not as if I am ranting wildly with no context or sympathy. I just can't give my support to this because it smacks of gesture over efficacy and is way too dear.

What a great idea. What an awfully large amount of money. Can it not be done cheaper? Can't you get two for your money? Why not just plant lots of privet bushes? (See below.) Really - I am not kidding. I just can't believe it needs to cost that much, as much as I think it is a worthy idea and one that would inspire others. Roger Harrabin, BBC enviro correspondent, has written this. (Similar articles are available at The Telegraph and Evening Standard sites) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-39943197 Hedges of a certain height and trees that don't form a canopy seem to do the trick.

I would report it still, after having seen whether the vet did so. I would assume that the responsibility is on the person who witnessed the event. Hope it makes it through; your actions will have helped.

Saw one today on a neighbour's buddleia.

All this aside, for better or for worse, the arrival of social media and the desire for easy/cheap/free content by the media has meant that this kind of identity brandishing is much more common than before. It also tends to magnetise either those who are almost all in agreement and those who totally disagree so I don't think our reading and reaction to it should be taken at face value.

>>>>I simply meant to observe that racial prejudice, where it exists, transcends gender, class, sexuality and age. Hence my statement that ?white middle class, white working class, white men, white women, white gays, white children? are racist, while rhetorically hyperbolic, was a clear reference to the fact that racism is not an exclusive characteristic of any one demographic. Then why not just say >>racial prejudice, where it exists, transcends gender, class, sexuality and age. That way, none of this would have happened.

Agreed: if we wait for the powers that be to change things, we'll be waiting a long time, hence my belief that only individuals working alongside each other can change traffic levels. Sometimes you have to drive or be driven but not always. Changing habits and thoughts about what is one's "right" can have an immediate and positive effect: i.e. just walk to the Picture House tonight instead of driving the 1.5 miles.

I think it ought to be reported to 101 in case other cases have been reported, or others are reported in the future. Good on him.

I think that First Mate and Rendel both have valid points. The best anyone can do is honestly take a look at their habits and needs and wants, and see whether a realistic and reasonable alternative to motor transport can be found, even for a small proportion of those needs/wants/habits. Eg. if you hate being on a crowded bus, walk - even if it is just for the length of a few stops. Ultimately it boils down to individuals, so it starts with you, not the person you are arguing with on the EDF.

Remind me of Luca - mind is a blank. Near to the Plough, the former corner shop looks like it will become again a corner shop - there was some movement there recently. The butcher's shop opposite the Plough could do with someone taking it over - it has been tagged quite boldly already.

Neologism

Up

RP Child - Southwark is hit and miss on this. Some roads - Barry, for example - have the big trees cut right back, even at the base where the new twigs sprout, but other places are left to grow like topsy. Ring the enviro line - 020 7525 2000 - and ask them to keep it in check, if it is indeed Southwark's responsibility.

Pp - agreed, but how to make it happen? It can only really start with oneself, and since I have neither car nor child right now, it does not apply!

Unless people become very much more selfless and/or organise their time better, the school run (just call it a drive, please) will be here to stay. If it means getting up half an hour earlier to get the kids to school, do you think anyone will do this? I doubt it.

The police can do something - even if it is only to add it to our build up a database. It is great that you reported it. Would a more detailed description help?