I am disgusted and outraged-who put that black mini skirt over that girls bottom!!!! That is NOT allowed at Wimbledon. White clothes only.

The courts at Wimbledon have really gone downhill recently, think the lawnmower needs to be on a higher setting!

Can we leave the petty arguing out of this thread please

I agree, although the reasons why it has taken so long for the recognition need to be explained and understood by everyone. There’s a lot of bitterness around and the background to it all has to be aired even if that involves some poor decisions on behalf of those in charge both during and after WW2.

Either way though, not remembering the folk who put themselves in such danger (for whatever reason) is a poor show.

I’ve got Schwalbe Returners on mine, 26″ x 2″(ish), bit cheaper than the Big Apples if you’re on a budget?

Nah, the Dem’s are gone now, just be back to the Cons. Unless the Tories form a coalition with Nu Lab: ConNuLab. Then all the proper lefties can get on with sorting out the Socialist Worker Party into a decent opposition and all the Tories and Right-wing-lite Nu Labs can have a love in!

I voted Lib Dem, there I’ve said it. It’s the first step…

Bit of a harsh generalisation on blokes there Emsz! But then their respective missus do seem to just accept it. Though my take on it was that in each case it was obvious that the relationship (that was betrayed) was going to collapse from that point on.

Not true love by any stretch.

Kind of depressing telly really.

Sheldon Brown, a lifetime devoted to cycling of one form or another, and even towards the end of his life when illness threatened his raison d’etre he still maintained a positive outlook.

I doubt I’ll ever amass half as much knolwedge as he did and I certainly won’t be helping half as many amateur cyclists/cycle mechanics even so he’s been my inspiration since I returned to the cycling fold 10+ years ago.

Anyone who thinks they might be confused for a ‘peado” needs to take a look at themselves and maybe learn some human interaction skills and common sense. These are the same people that won’t do first aid in case they get sued. They serve no useful place in society and should be taken outside and shot in front of their families

A bit harsh, for what it’s worth I agree with your initial sentiments, i.e. there is nothing wrong with looking after your fellow humans particularly those more vulnerable. Unfortunately most people get their knowledge (?) and ideas from the media and it’s them that have been spinning the peado-hyperbole out of all proportion. We need to educate people that physical contact is accetpable and that speaking to kids isn’t something to be scared of.

The really, really, scarily unfortunate side of all this is that kids are far, far more likely to be abused by a family member/close friend than some random good samaritan. This is something that should receive far more publicity and support, not the stereotypcal “man in a dirty mac on the corner”.

Wow some amazing generalisations.

I agree, not saying whether they’re accurate or not, but slightly incredulous nonetheless. Particularly considering the size of China and the myriad of different cultures it’s composed of.

True – except this was a child and I think (hope) that for a child, people would be stopping the world turning, not just traffic.

I think that maybe you ascribe too much compassion to the English! I’m not convinced drivers in England wouldn’t do the same.

Bjork is good, the musical/art world would be a poorer place without her and her unique brand of nuttiness!

When we first moved into our current house, the previous owners kindly left a two bar electric fire behind. It was very old and I don’t think we ever used it so after sitting around for a year I decided to get rid. Thinking ahead I thought I’d take the standard three pin pug off to reuse as and when, only to find the 13 amp fuse inside had been wrapped in tin foil!

So glad we never turned that fire on.

These threads always seem to end up in environmental-oneupmanship.

I (currently) work in promoting sustainable transport of one form or another, and the simple fact that all the contributors to this thread have actually considered their choices is more than most people seem to do!

So on the whole, despite some of the vehicles mentioned being stereotypically ungreen, you’re all one step ahead of most of the folk I work with!

Accepted as paedophiles you mean?

No, I was thinking of homosexuality or bisexuality or any other type between consenting adults* that is frowned upon by the Church. It was in the context of them not allowing marriage either.

Totally wrongheaded. Repressed sexuality does not produce paedophilia.

Sorry I didn’t mean to imply that it did, but rereading my post I can see how it could be infered. My point was a general one about the stress and emotional response to supressing secular morally acceptable behaviour at the behest of a relegious organisation. It was supposed to be read in addition to Globalti’s post.

Perhaps if Catholic priests were allowed to marry some of this anguish wouldn’t be happening now.

Wise words, also perhaps if they were allowed to be open and accepted with regard to their sexuality a lot of this could be avoided. Repression creates such bad stuff.

I remember reading Malory Towers when I was younger (I’m male BTW). Not sure if it did me any harm, my Psychoanalyst should be able to tell me tho.

It was the Magic Faraway tree that did the most damage…

Need to be an XXL size dress for most on here tho.

Miaow!

Oxbridge applications are looked at based on ability not money.

Really? I was under the impression it was based on power. Oxbridge seems to be a wash with money so that’s not going to be an overiding factor, connections and who you know is going to swing it more than ability surely? If someone comes from a background of heads of industry/political leaders are you really suggesting their application is assessed purely on ability when being compared to someone like you from a middle of the road comp?

I don’t know if I’m being cycnical or you’re being naive. Just interested as this was my default opinion!

Get a life………

Is it just me who reads this with a very strong Southern Irish accent a la B’witched everytime I see it?

Yes? Okay, sorry, as you were…

Generates similar response as Jamie Oliver, slightly too smug, ‘hipster’ style esoteric friends, well spoken and gushes about food lots.

I don’t like.

Many motorists feel entitled to something they are not entitled to. They get stroppy when they don’t get what they want and the emotion means that any logical thought is thrown out of the pram together with ther toys.

The problem is that they were sold a lifestyle, a dream, a trophy that they have now failed to receive. Welcome to modern marketing…

Oh I don’t know, making sure there is a handy pub to shelter in on the route they took is pretty good preparation. I reckon I’d rather have one of them than a jacket. May just be me though!

They’ve opened a few of the derelict shops in Aldershot too: Cool looking tailors, and they don’t half like their bling too!

Always friendly when I encounter them on the Basingstoke Canal/Blackwater Valley route as well. Although when it gets to Blackberry-ing season they seem to always get first dibs on the best crop (probably ‘cos I don’t get there early enough though!).

Fair enough 6percent of total

National average is 1.4percent of population is sadly registered disabled
Right thats 4.6percent of spaces that could be short stay spaces or father and illegitimatechild spaces

Brilliant! I love the flawed statistical analysis!

Hora – I think they followed the Gay example, instead of reclaiming “Queer” they reclaimed “Gentiles”. I could be wrong though….

Whatnobeer – That’s what I thought too. The previous ten can be replaced by those two or words to that effect. Trouble is everyone prefers the fire and brimstone stuff of Episode 1, and Jesus’s mates did him no favours bigging him up after his (alledged) death!

I think it’s quite bizarre how such a selfish, wealth and status obsessed, individual who leads a similarly dysfunctional party can worship one of the biggest socialists (albeit mythological, p’raps?!) history has to offer.

To be fair Solo, you do have a slightly abrasive manner too.

Right !, so your utopian ideal is a not for profit world, right ?.
Thats soooo naive.

Purlease! I am naive, it’s true, but not naive enough to be drawn into a debate on the basis of a strawman like that! Come on Solo, that’s way too obvious, surely you can do better?

FWIW – One ideal is being sacrificed at the expensive of another, it’s too extreme, it won’t work long term and will cause a lot of unecessary negative social, political and economic consequences.

I voted Lib Dem, Tory by any other name these days. Gutted with the systematic dectruction of all things socially aware and encouragement of all things profit orientated.

Would Labour do any better? Haven’t a clue.

I’m with Wrecker on the “pointless to vote” angle, feel powerless and disappointed.

Heathland is also quite rare, pine woods are ten-a-penny in Britain. Although I think heathland is a transition state so ultimately it’ll need to be managed to stop it turning into native deciduous woodland anyway. The old ‘conservation debate’ rears it’s head…

I do my long commute 50+ miles once or twice a week, probably another couple of days my commute is around 19 miles, then usually one day a week only 9 miles. Not excessive, and I enjoy it, plus it’s cheaper than owning a car and/or catching the train. No birching involved and provides the benefits already highlighted.

Can’t think of a reason to stop doing what I’m doing to be honest!

I thought there was evidence that fumes affect people inside cars more than those outside? Particularly considering the height of most cyclists (sorry all the ‘bent users out there!), and the height of exhaust pipes/vehicle air intakes

Hmm, if you’re irresponsible I’m even more so! I do a similar 56 mile round trip to London from Hampshire, same type of roads, same type of riding. I’m 34 and have two kids under 3.

It’s likely that any conversation entered in to with people such as this won’t result in any epiphany despite being armed with stats, facts, etc… Ultimately (in my experience) these people have their ideas and won’t change them despite a wealth of evidence that contradicts or at least pours doubt on their point of view. On that basis, I tend to avoid getting into a debate with them, or if you fancy a laugh just agree with them!

Another omission – Dug out some of Moby’s stuff over the weekend as a result of this thread! Originally heard his music through “Everything is Wrong” but also really like “Play”.

Just because it was the soundtrack to a period of utter and complete madness

Yep, happy days! Then chilling out to Enigma, MCMXC and Cross of Changes, those two albums have got to be on the list too. Probably forget the Deep Forest phase though!

Surprised the Prodigy haven’t been mentioned, though which album out of Experience, Music for the Jilted Generation and the Fat of the Land I’m not sure which would take it, probably Experience.

Tim the Sorceror

As a middle aged, white, employed, no kids but married, able bodied straight person I get no breaks at all.

I think the point is that generally all the breaks are set to a default for your demographic. It only becomes obvious when the pendulum is swung in a different direction, even then a £fiver doesn’t really make that much of difference to your life (when I say you, I mean you as a representative of your demographic, not you personally! That would be a bit judgemental…)

Edited to add – Grum kind of made the same point as me, in a slightly different style! Kudos.

whenever the issue of gender in cycling is raised, or if anyone mentions any action being taken to address it, there is almost a backlash of “that’s not fair”.

It’s kind of expected though surely, if any given group with significant power has their control of that power threatened they’re always going to complain.

The £5 cheaper element could just be ‘sop’ to keep the liberal feminist element of the MTBing community happy. The more radical will view it more as a cheap way of removing responsibility for tackling the wider mysoginistic elements at work within these events, the sport and society as a whole.

Just my thinking anyway.

The dirty underbelly of the patriarchy, depressing how jaded some of them became.