Oh and another thing, my dad recently became a governor at my former primary school and said his eyes have been opened as to the reality of teaching in this country. He comes from a heavy industry background (retired now) and he said the intensity of work and stamina required for teaching is way beyond anything he had to do.

On the other side I do know other teachers who love it, but a lot of them have had horrific experiences getting to where they are now.

I used to think teaching could be a good alternative career until a friend of mine became one. To cut a long story short, his first job was in a hellhole of a school which was under special measures, was given a rogue class (most of the kids couldn't speak English!) by an incompetent head because none of the other experienced teachers would touch it, blamed by the supervising head for pulling the school down because his class failed their SATS, incessantly bullied and given no support by his supervisors, and was eventually sacked after they failed his NQT year. And now if he fails to win his appeal will never be allowed to teach again, thereby wasting the years he spent training.

After hearing the experiences of my mate I wouldn't be a teacher if it was the last job on earth. And this isn't even considering the 12 hour days and the fact that most people think you're a lazy waster who just wants lots of holidays.

Surely these lights which allow cyclists to go first will just result in more confusion as most drivers I see can't cope with understanding 3 lights let alone any more.

How about we just have a 2 lights, stop and go for cars, and a general rule that they only apply to cyclists if there is traffic or pedestrians crossing? God forbid we should empower road users with the power of common sense and responsibility.

Elfinsafety put it much better than I ever could.

I used to be one of the 'RLJers give cyclists a bad name' brigade and religiously stopped at red lights for years. These days I find myself going through them on an increasing basis. Why? Well firstly I've come to the conclusion that in a lot of cases, it's a lot safer to do so (ie. to avoid being stuck just in front of 2 or 3 lanes of impatient, ignorant and unobservant drivers waiting to storm off the minute the amber light comes on). Secondly I'm not willing to sacrifice this increase in safety to improve the reputation of cyclists when the majority of drivers don't care anyway. And thirdly because ultimately me running a red light at a left turn, empty ped crossing, or getting a headstart at a crossroads when it is safe is not going to endanger anyone, and isn't that big a deal in the grand scheme of things.

Not sure if you'd call it 'mountaineering', but a nice winter's day in the Lakes is hard to beat…

Can't take it off, it's an older Cotic BFe which has a non-replaceable hanger. Suppose I could get it bent back by a frame builder if it is bent but not worth the hassle to access a gear I hardly ever use anyway. All the other gears work fine though so I still don't think it's this.

Anyway, lots of good tips here and a few things to try so thanks all.

Ah I haven't tried playing with the b tension screw, although I'm not sure why this would affect the lateral position of the swingarm. I'll give it a try though.

If you ask me she looks far better in the pic on the right. Sure she's a bit on the skinny side, but she's wearing more sensible shoes, looks far more relaxed and comfortable, and no longer appears to be too bothered about what people think of her appearance. If that's what a few drugs do then it's a good advert for them IMO.

Hmmm. I'll have another look at it. It does seem odd. I can't believe SRAM would make a derailleur that doesn't work 100% with one of the most commonly used hubs on the market.

As for the suggestions:

Cable off? – Yes it doesn't go that far over even with the cable unconnected.

Bent hanger? – I've had a good look at it and it doesn't look bent. It would have to be very bent to result in the derailleur moving that far over, and the swingarm would be at a skewed angle but it's not, it points straight down.

Spacer behind the cassette? – Don't think so but I'll check.

I changed my 30.9mm Thomson Alloy post on my BFe for a 27.2 carbon post with a shim and the difference was pretty amazing. I went from from feeling like I was being booted up the backside every time I hit a bump to almost feeling like I had suspension.

Adjusting the height is fine too if you don't mind the lacquer on the post being scratched.

she has a baby now so pretty busy herself these days….

I hope no one from mumsnet is reading this.

Well I'm certainly not. I think it would be a fantastic end to a brilliant career if he could pull off a victory on the Tourmalet. It's a big ask though as a lot of riders will after the win on Thursday given the added 'romance' of the stage.

I guess there's a difference between hanging on too long to relive past glories and being beaten whilst still being competitive. As far as LA goes I think last year was maybe the latter, and this year the former. TBH I don't think LA should have retired in the first place, and think it was more down to politics that he did. Although this is ignoring any questions about his 'cleanliness' or otherwise.

I always think it's a bit cowardly retiring whilst at the top. Like they can't stand to be beaten once they've got there. I have more respect for those who keep going and leave the sport when they know they're no longer good enough. It's also much more interesting from a spectator's point of view as it leaves no un-answered questions of how much more they could have achieved.

A generous reading of the situation would be that he's just putting enough time between himself and the leaders so he can go for it on the Tourmalet without being chased down by Schleck and Contador? Although considering the bad blood between them, Contador will probably chase him down anyway.

When I last resigned I did the usual thing and timed it so that I left on a Friday. I subsequently found out from one of the HR people that the calculation for my last payment included weekends which meant that had I left on the Monday, I'd have got two extra days pay! Obviously accounting practices vary but it might be worth checking out.

I've done 60k enduros and various other longish rides on my BFe so would say it's fine as any all day bike. A carbon/ti/suspension seatpost helps though.

Climbing a 20% gradient is much easier on a 34×26 gear than a 39×26 gear.

Very sad ending. The police, sky news, Rothbury's councillor and Gazza have not come out of this looking very good.

So how much longer till he takes the title of "UK Hide and Seek Champion" off that kid who hid under the bed?

Will he qualify to compete in the world champs against the young lad who was(nt) blown away in a helium balloon?

I've been through 3 redundancy 'consultations' in the past 18 months, and it gets grimmer each time. Fully expecting another one before the year is out as we have lots of major public sector clients.

The irony is that we're mad busy and a lot of people are working 60 hour weeks 'cos we don't have the staff, and the attitude of the directors has pretty much been 'think yourself lucky you still have a job'. Many are now wishing they didn't!

Here we go. How dare someone question our 'brave boys' who are obviously all 'heroes'. Personally I reckon that volunteering to kill and maim people you've never met at the behest of someone else is anything but brave.

I too would be concerned at the forces doing a recruitment drive at a family event, especially when they portray joining the army as an adventurous fun-fest (remember those where's Frank adverts which showed him strolling down a tropical beach with a girl on his arm?). If they're going to recruit at things like this, then they should at least be honest. Maybe have a few 'in the field' videos of people getting their legs blown off, some graphic shots of the aftermath of battle etc.

My 5 year old girl has an Islabikes beinn 20. It was a bit big for her at first but she's growing into it nicely now, although she's not as confident as she was on the smaller bike but I think that's more to do with the weight of it rather than the size.

Still tempted by them, don't really see how one could go wrong?

Quite a lot I would have thought. No one yet knows the total liabilities and the US Govt looks to be in a mood to screw them for every penny they can get. Plus in this whole shambles BP has proven itself to be very good at getting it wrong, and with the well still not capped who knows what might yet happen.

+1 For http://www.iii.co.uk.

Very easy to setup and trade and the fees are cheaper than a lot of other ones.

It's quite good fun (if you don't make a total hash of it). Certainly more interesting than sticking your savings in a cash account, and then forgetting about them until you get a totally underwhelming interest statement a year later.

Watch the fees (and tax if not in an ISA). Get carried away and you'll only end up giving your money to the brokers and taxman.

Can you give me a good reason why I should be paying for YOUR children? If you can't afford them, DON'T HAVE THEM.

It's simple, children grow up to become taxpayers. If people stopped having children then the future tax take would plummet and the government/country would be in serious problems as it could no longer fund healthcare, pensions, repay long term govt debt etc. In this respect, incentivising people to have children through child benefit/tax credits/CTFs etc is a damn good long-term investment.

Not long assuming as you understand the basics about graphics such as colour channels, alpha, the different formats etc. Work out how to use the layers properly, they will save you a lot of time and frustration.

Illustrator on the other hand is a beast. I've never managed to work it out despite many (shortlived) attempts.

Bastards! I've got to drive to Newcastle tonight :(

The trouble with OJ+Water+Salt is it tastes like shit and is undrinkable. Especially when it gets a bit warm. But if it's all you've got then you'll have to make do I guess.

No chance you can stop by a 24 hour garage and get some lucozade sport?

I fully intended on voting libdem but when it came down to it I couldn't do anything other than put a cross in the labour box. I've no rational explanation as to why, but old habits die hard I guess.

Still no Cotic Souls, which is surprising given the number I counted (or rather lost count of). At one point it seemed like every other bike was some flavour of Cotic.

Cotic Bfe with Kenda BG (front) and Karma on the back. Paranoia about punctures led me to blow them up to about 55psi which probably explained why I was sliding about so much. No complaints about the bike, it performed a lot better than the rider! Some rear suspension may have helped though on the final descents.

I'm not sure what time the cut-off closed but the marshall said I was in 260th place and I think it was closed after 250 riders passed through which was a bit close for my liking! I finished at about 3.30ish so I guess it closed at about 3pm, give or take 10 minutes or so.

Second time for me and it was better route this time than a couple of years ago. I missed the cut-off by about 10 riders which was very lucky as I pretty empty by then. I could barely stay on the bike on the last descents as my back and shoulders aching so much. And that last climb was a bitch!

Crikey, you lot are making it sound like some kind of War of Attrition!

Don't worry, there nothing that isn't perfectly do-able for your average weekender. Having said that though, the descents are more dangerous and technical than other enduro-type events I've done like the roughride, Grizedale and Whinlatter, especially when you add in mud, water, loose slate, lots of other riders and plenty of adrenaline!

The more I hear about this fabled World Cup Decent, the more my sphincter tightens!

Hey I've done that descent but didn't know it was (in)famous and had a name! Anyway, yes, if that's on the route then carnage awaits. Just thinking about the last exposed steep bit sends shivers down the spine!

I don't think anyone is saying immigration shouldn't be debated. The trouble is though that the vast majority (if not all) arguments against immigration are based the idea that British born people should have priority over jobs and public services purely based on their nationality. Which I'm afraid to say is racist. It may well not be the same as going on a NF march and doing nazi salutes, but it's still racist all the same.

I'm all for a debate on immigration based on something other than race/nationality, but I've yet to hear an argument from the anti brigade which isn't based on this prejudice.

So what your saying is we should have an open border policy to let all in-sundry in regardless of the consequences

No what I'm saying is that the current immigration system works quite well, and is based on a rational assessment of how we as a society acquire skills and labour which cannot be provided by the indigenous population. Also, the phrase 'all in-sundry' (sic) betrays underlying prejudice by implying that these foreigners can't possibly be as worthy or desirable as those who are already here.

these migrants get access to our full NHS system and is an increasing burden to our public purse.

Which the vast majority pay for through the taxes they pay whilst working and living here. So yes, damn right they should get full access. Again you're implying that immigrants somehow leech off the state, which simply isn't the case.

We are still in recession and need to reduce the national deficit not increase the burden, if migrants want to benefit from what the uk has to offer then they should pay more of a contribution towards healthcare and other benefits they may or maynot be entitled to.

I'll repeat, the vast majority of non-British people who come here pay the same taxes as everyone else, and so should be entitled to the same services as everyone else. The fact that those service may still be inadequate is a different issue completely.

Put aside the legitimate immigrants who have visas and are working legally in the uk and are contributing to the economy, then focus on the many illegal immigrants…

I see so it's illegal immigrants who are the problem. Well as I see it illegal immigrants have 3 options:

1. Go back where they came from. Probably not going to happen considering whatever circumstances brought them here in the first place.

2. Claim asylum on the basis of the circumstances which brought them here. A much more difficult process than the tabloid media would have people believe, which can involve being put in a detention centre, living in a charity run hostel and being banned from working (legally) and claiming benefits.

3. Go underground, work in slave like conditions with no legal protection, spending their entire life hiding from the authorities, and living in slum like conditions or with family/friends.

In either of the scenarios above there's not much scope for either claiming benefits, taking 'our' jobs, or generally leeching off the honest hard working British taxpayer. The 'immigrants' who by popular myth claim 'our' benefits, take 'our' jobs and use 'our' services are probably in most cases either:

1. British with a different ethnic origin to the indigenous white people.
2. Legal immigrants who have official permission to be resident, work visas etc.
3. EU Citizens who have a legally enshrined right to free movement and labour in this country.

So where is this army of immigrants who leech off the benefits system and public services or unfairly take jobs off the hard-working white working class? My guess is they don't exist, and the entire issue is simply a smokescreen for the fact that a lot of people don't like foreigners doing better than them or having a better quality of life. It's all just jealousy.