TBH I was thinking, what is a multi-fuel stove if you can’t burn different fuel types in it? Cheers for clearing that up nbt!

Very true and the nutrients are more accessible from herbivorous animal pooh than omnivorous/carnivorous animals.

Really? I thought manure had to be rotted down a bit first?

Why else would we use farm manure on our gardens/fields?

I guess not many farms rear carnivourous animals (except some of those pig stories you hear about occassionally!). Also, carnivour manure harbours a lot nastier bugs and beasties than herbivore, hence it being a bit less dangerous riding in horse droppings than dog poo. There’s probably official guidance on what can and can’t be used as fertiliser somewhere, I’m sure if you Google it you’ll find out some more info.

What is it that’s said? You can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family.

True, but there’s also “Blood is thicker than water”. Mind you, whoever said that probably forgot about ice…

I’m anti-tory, not sure how to join the brigade though. When can I expect my comeuppance?

I bet all those chinless, upperclass, toffee nosed, trustafarian etonians have stashed all the comeuppance for themselves, B*st*rds. Come the revolution there’ll be comeuppance for all!

If you say “Comeuppance” really quickly, with the right accent it sounds like “Communist”. No such thing as coincidence is there?….

They’re just another way for the owners to cement their place in society, to advertise themselves to their neighbours. Unfortunately their neighbours may not be receiving the message they wish to send, but that’s what happens with such a simple form of communication!

Anyway, is it really any different to whatever other decorations they have for their lives? Their choice of car, mobile phone or other high status possession?

Attention Dads

Why not Mums? Is this some kind of patriarchal thing?!

Can it help fill a gap in energy needs until something better comes along – probably.

Not accusing Oliwb of this, but I’ve heard this argument used so many times to justify unsustainable energy sources (and uses!), everything from shale sand oil extraction through to biofuels. Call me jaded, but something better won’t be coming along in time, and these kind of technological ‘advances’ are just putting off the inevitable – we need to cut down on our energy consumption.

The real debate isn’t about fracing it’s about nuclear and should we be re-newing it in a time when we’re supposed to be reducing our reliance on fossil fuels?

I’m not sure there’s enough time to sort out the Nuclear option anymore. I would imagine it’s far easier to whack up a few “clean, green, low-carbon” gas power stations than a Nuke job. Could probably convert some of the old coal ones if push came to shove.

Me too, feeling the pain Mol.

Daughter (16 months) had febrile convulsions on Mon. evening, scared the bejeesus out of us. Called the Ambulance and spent 7 hours in A&E and the following three days with a temperature. A trip down the GP diagnosed a popped eardrum and associated infection. Nothing serious in any of it but worthy of a winge like you!

Son (3yrs) is playing up a lot tto ‘cos the attention his sister is getting, plus the usual colds…

Pesky kids!

No need to spend that £20 million on cyclepaths then as they provide no greater safety or amenity than bypasses.

Spend the £20 million on bypasses instead. They provide better cycling facilities than cycle tracks and accomodate high speed motor traffic.

Reducto ad absurdum!

There is a middle ground involving quality cycle routes. Just happens very infrequently in Britain and combined with poor or no maintenance means I don’t blame people for using the roads despite the “panacea” of perfectly-good-cyclepath (copyright – The petrol lobby).

I think you’ve also missed the other point

cyclist != non car owner*

Most ‘cyclists’ and when I say that I mean ‘person riding a bike’ also own cars so they DO pay all the associated taxes of owning and using a vehicle, like VED and tax on fuel.

*even yourself, as a cyclist own a car, so stop equating cyclists with people who don’t own cars.

It’s even worse than that, I’m a cyclist that doesn’t own a car so I don’t pay VED on my own vehicle. However I regularly use hire cars and car club cars, which I do pay VED on!

We need a word/phrase for people who shouldn’t be using the roads because they don’t pay VED, I propose “classic car owners” or how about “electric vehicle owners” or “police car drivers” actually this is getting a bit silly now…

Just think of it as the waiting room before the eternity of bliss that’s coming when it’s over!

Isn’t it becoming a bit more like Prostate Cancer these days*? I.e. most blokes over a certain age have it but it’s such a slow burner that they generally die of something else before the PC gets them?

* Obviously the girlies can get HIV too, and no doubt there are other differences, but hopefully the gist is accurate.

“Car crash” telly, without irony.

I like to hold all motorists responsible for the 1.6 million undutied, uninsured vehicles on the road. Therefore using the OPs logic all car drivers are legitimate targets for my wrath even if they do pay VED and have insurance.

Stereotype all you like, just don’t get upset when people call you a fool for doing so!

It’s very dark inside there.

That National Geographic photo looks like it should’ve been taken on Frank Herbert’s ‘Dune’.

Both good v. pics mind…

What you really need is a band/group that would have been cool or at least technically decent when Bateman was at school/uni, but then sold out and became totally commercial. Or who are very much into stadium type music being the ‘best’ in a very narrow sense ie most sales/tickets/etc

To top it off and be a full fit for bateman, after this commercial success the lead singer should descend into madness when they cant quite reach to be the very “BEST”.

That’d be Oasis for me, all went downhill after album #2.

Haven’t read it myself, but some of the social workers I work with echo what Lizzz said. There’s some classic abusive behaviour in the relationships apparently. Some of the stuff is typical domestic abuse: isolation, physical and emotional manipulation, blackmail and the like. Probably let her read it, but give her a copy of “why does he do that?” by Lundy Bancroft too!

I can’t ride to work.

The 600 litre water tank and 3/4 of a tonne of equipment I need would be a bit of a hassle on a bike.

Pfft! You’re just not planning ahead enough, go and get yourself a cargo bike with low enough gearing to shift 1.5 tonnes and you’ll be laughing…

…or hacking and wheezing as you try and shift that weight up any kind of incline!

becoming one of those annoying sanctimonious ***** who think everything can be done by bike if we only thought about it

I resemble that comment.

Sometimes it’s 8 miles, sometimes it’s 52 miles, either way bike is first choice.

Father Christmas isn’t the same as Santa btw. The two ideas have become conflated but they are quite different.

That’s just what he wants you to think! He has to change job occassionally to avoid arousing suspicion. Like MacCleod in “Highlander”.

Edited – ‘cos my Scottish speeling is almost as bad as the accents in said film.

Whilst you the bright one ingests and filters the bad exhaust particles out of the air for the rest of us on your bike….

Check out the research on this (Google it if you want), apparently the height of cyclists (not recumbent riders!) means that they breath in less pollution/particulates than drivers/passengers of cars!

unless Santa did exist, and this new-fangled ‘Christmas’ thing gave him a new career opportunity

He’s very good at changing career is Santa. When he signed up to a sponsorship contract with Coca-cola his PR went into overdrive.

It’s only a matter of time before Apple jump on board with the i-Sleigh…

Yeah good point. Although, if she’s anything like the way I predict mine will turn out then she’ll have Googled the answer to “The Santa question” a long time ago, copied her Fathers credit card details down and bid on a nice thoroughbred on Equiestrian-Ebay a long time previously!

You could use the questioning process as a way of starting a discussion on the nature, and indeed existence of “truth”. Never to young to introduce your kids to good ‘ole philosophical debate!

Daughter – Daddy, does Father Christmas exist? Is he really flying all over the world on Christmas Eve delivering presents?

Daddy – Well, that’s an interesting couple of questions, first off just because something doesn’t fit in with our generally held understanding of how the world works, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist. For example, if Santa was a quantum particle then my understanding of quantum physics (and I hasten to add it’s pretty limited!) means that there is the possibility he could be in all places globally over the course of one night! So, if we assume that out knowledge base is sufficiently limited then even asking the question seems a bit absurd.

Daughter – Whats a quantum?

Corporations, no matter how vast or powerful they may be are not personally responsible for the choices we make as individuals.

This is the kind of cop-out these organisations use whenever they’re pulled up on their advertising/PR practices. If you pump billions of dollars/pounds into persuading people to eat rubbish it’s likely they’ll end up eating rubbish! However it’s their choice isn’t it… …both partners in the interaction have to take some responsibility.

Maybe there’s a chemical option, could the dog not be drugged to remain passive and indifferent for the rest of it’s life? I’m thinking along the lines of kids with ADHD and Ritalin?

Best to think of all options after all…

Who knows… if you looked really really hard, you might find one that sold fruit. Though I doubt it’d be organic

Yeah, there’s an Asda within walking distances. They even sell organic and free range foodstuffs for bleeding-heart-envirogeeks like me!

PS -How is F’boro’s Wimpy still going? Retrochic?

I thought McD’s was a bit/lot better than many fast food places these days? Seem to remember reading a fair bit about them following the McLibel stuff a few years ago. Their environmental and social policies seemed quite positive compared to most and the franchise nature of the business meant that many of their outlets exceeded these policies standards…

…or I may have been hoodwinked by their huge PR buddget!

In thirty years time, when the kids have grown and fled the nest, I’m volunteering for the “Soylent Green” Project. Hope the wife doesn’t mind, she can have the house!

School reunions fill me with dread. So many people I don’t want to see again. Worse than that though is realising what a little twit I was at school and how many people I p*ssed off. I always feel I should go along when invited just to say sorry to them (along the lines of “My name is Earl”) but shame and guilt always put paid to actually having the courage to do that.

Sorry that was a bit heavy!

I do see your point but to be honest… I think we probably should! Or at the very least wear something reflective.

Really?! I suppose it makes life easier for us as cyclists so from a purely selfish point of view I could agree. Unfortunately, morally I cannot, it’s far more up to me to avoid hitting them than it is for them to avoid me hitting them, and forcing them to take impractical measures to make my life easier isn’t something I would countenance.

Quite a few peds on my route carry torches at this time of year and will shine them at their dogs as I cycle towards them. Some even have flashy/hiviz collars on their dogs. That is immensely helpful of them and always gets a hearty “Thanks” from me.

Yep, I agree with all this. I cycle along canal towpaths and seeing folk allows me to cycle faster and avoid potential collisions. However, I’d never wish them to be forced to be lit/wear bright clothing just for my/other cyclists benefit. The prinicple is all wrong!

Marriage applies to inanimate objects too: The marriage of tomato juice and vodka to create a Bl**dy Mary! It’s a commonly used noun used in everyday speech to describe a joining/mixing/union type thing. Nothing deep or meaningful in it’s use these days.

Banana’s when they’re over ripe they go all sweet. Perfect for making into milkshakes…

Believe it or not the CTC campaigned hard for years against the introduction of any requirement for a bicycle to carry a rear light on the grounds that it was up to the overtaker (ie the car driver) to be making sure he could see what was ahead rather than make users of slower vehicles take the responsibility. They eventually lost the battle of course.

It’s a shame really, because where is the danger coming from on the roads? Yep, motor vehicles. So why should those who aren’t creating the danger have a responsibility to mitigate it*? Ultimately it’s another case of victim blaming really. However, we (Cyclists) and the rest of society have accepted it and grown accustomed to it so it’s accepted.

* To put it another way, should we legally require pedestrians to use lights on shared use paths? If they aren’t, and we cycle into them then it’s their fault for not being lit? Sounds a bit ridiculous, but I can’t think of any other analogy that doesn’t!

However, it’s perhaps arguably more productive for me to challenge prejudiced views held by people in my immediate circle of influence than simply registering a single vote which will get lost amongst millions.

This, I think is a very salient point. People, and in particular peoples behaviour and prejudices are “heavy”, they have a lot of inertia and are difficult to change. Legislation on the other hand is easier and far more simple to sort out. Low level challenging of unacceptable behaviour by respected peers and equals is arguably going to effect a bigger change in a shorter period than voting for the appropriate party who will then change the law.

Binners, you’re right. I can’t see myself ever drawing my pension either. The interesting thing will be what happens when the “grey vote” becomes the dominant politcial force. When pensioners (in the literal sense) get to decide how and where the money is spent, then we’re going to be in even bigger trouble than we are now!

The future for the current generation of mid-twenties to mid-forties is a pretty bleak place…

Dissappointed with thread title, was hoping for waterproof boxes. Showing how out of touch I am with IT lingo now…

To think that quoting the Old Testament is an argument against views of Catholicism, as some do, is showing a lack of knowledge of the teachings of the Catholic church with respect to the OT. So, that is ignorance

This problem is not helped by people also claiming to be Catholics using non-canon from the bible as justification for their views! There needs to be a bit more of a vigorous enforcement of who is, and isn’t Catholic. Maybe it could be copyrighted? Or maybe a Cheif Whip could be employed to make sure the Catholic line is the correct one whether it’s espoused by those arguing for or against Catholicsism!

Either way, clarification on this issue does seem to crop up as an issue on these threads quite regularly.

Yeah, I remember that too Scaredypants. Wasn’t there something on hardcore smokers taking longer and harder drags on “light” cigarettes to overcome the resistance of the different filters used too?