I agree. Exercise a bit of restraint, or it’ll just end up like Ml… any other shit crap rubbish forum.

DrJ, please, let’s not descend into abuse. This has been a relatively civil discussion so far.

I can understand people’s anger over this, as I’m pretty wound up by it. And it’s pretty infuriating to read stuff like Whargrider’s post, when more innocent people are being killed by the Israeli military.

But Whargrider is entitled to their opinion, as we all are. Granted, there’s bugger all we can do, sitting behind our keyboards, but if we at least listen to each others views, and try to understand this mess better, then at least we might be able to get on a little bit better. Accept that we all have differing opinions.

After all, it is meant to be a bike forum, and a place for friendly chat and stuff. Anger and hatred aren’t going to
serve any of us.

And I know that many Israeli people do not share Whargrider’s views, and are opposed to their goevernment’s actions.

Is there any chance of a pub-stop afterwards, for those that want to? Nothing like a nice pint, after a good ride.

It does seem pretty chilled out and good natured, although the situation in Gaza is understandably raising people’s passions atm. Still, I think it’s good for people to express their views and opinions, and it has remained remarkably civil, so far.

And the Swinley ride seems to be a real winner, judging by the interest so far. So the forum is definitely a positive place!

Hamas has since destroyed Fatah in Gaza by killing, expelling, and generally harrassing its supporters, meaning that it can no longer be considered a democratically elected government.

Hamas and Fatah militants have long been at each other’s throats, in the struggle for power. The elections in Palestine were considered, by neutral observers, to be fair and just. Whilst the actions of certain members/groups within Hamas are deplorable, they are as ‘democratic’ as the Israeli government. Personally, I don’t believe that Hamas are the party to lead Palestine towards peace, but then, I have no say, as I am not eligible to vote there. And neither are you.

Israel is not without it’s share of fanatics:

“Zionist Rabbi Calls For Extermination Of Palestinian Males

A Jewish rabbi living in the West Bank has called on the Israeli government to use their troops to kill all Palestinian males more than 13 years old in a bid to end Palestinian presence on this earth.

Extremist rabbi Yousef Falay, who dwells at the Yitzhar settlement on illegally seized Palestinian land in the northern part of the West Bank, wrote an article in a Zionist magazine under the title “Ways of War”, in which he called for the killing of all Palestinian males refusing to flee their country, describing his idea as the practical way to ensure the non-existence of the Palestinian race.

“We have to make sure that no Palestinian individual remains under our occupation. If they (Palestinians) escape then it is good; but if anyone of them remains, then he should be exterminated”, the fanatic rabbi added in his article.”

I’m afraid that I can’t accept your views on this, as they seem to be contrary with what most of the rest of the World thinks. Your attempts to justify the genocidal actions of your government are, in my opinion, pathetic. and, you’ve conveniently omitted to mention your nation’s disgraceful track record in terms of breaches of Human Rights, the Geneva Convention, and the repeated calls by the global community to cease the wanton slaughter of innocent people.

Well, I’ve got six months to get up to my fighting weight.

It’ll mean I’ll have to double in size. Seeing as I’m not going to get any taller, the only way is out.

I may end up perfectly spherical. 😯

Are you an actual dentist, Drillski?!! Glad to have a professional back me up!

The water in some cities, especially London, contains adequate amounts of flouride. Meaning toothpaste is more or less of no real benefit.

And the more you use, the more noxious chemicals enter the water system…

You know you’re in Scotland when…

No need for any No trespassing signs, as there’s hardly anyone there anyway, and the ones that are, can’t read.
You see people slumped in shop doorways/on park benches, clutching bottles of Buckie or tins of Tennants/glue bags/heroin needles (because no-one who lives there can afford whisky).
Some good riding, if it’s not raining, which it always is, anyway. And if it’s not, you’ll freeze to death instead.
It’s so cold bowls have to be played on ice, with lumps of stone.
Crap at sports apart from the ones they invented which no-one else in the world plays. and crap at most of them, anyway.

Full of wonderful people with a brilliant sense of humour! 😀

WTF is that ‘Mleh’ thing? Does any of that make any sense to anyone? Just seemed like a load of imbecilic nonsense, to me.

Ton, when is this event? I’m only 9st now, but I can make a big effort, if needed.

(Goes off to stock up on beer, cakes, pies and chocolate)

Bigrich; what Aussies have to understand about beer, is that we have to boil it, here, as it’s so cold and miserable all the time.

Another thing the Aussies have to understand about beer, is how to make the stuff in the first place.

‘Fosters; it’s the Australian for beer’. And the universally accepted term for pish…

‘Australians wouldn’t give XXXX for anything else.’ That’s because they don’t know any better.

Of course, had you come into London, you would have had your warm, flat pint of Stella (you lucky thing!) served to you by one of your countrymen.

Well, I say ‘served’, I mean, I use the term ‘service’ loosely, you understand… 😀

And they say us Poms whinge…

Toothpaste is nasty stuff. ‘Whitening agents’? You mean, bleach. And, as mentioned, it contains an abrasive compound.

I steer clear of it, just use it before going out, as it’s good for freshening the breath. Mostly just brush with water.

I smoke, and drink loads of tea, which stain the teeth. But mine are ok.

And this ‘perfectly white teeth’ nonsense is just that. Most people’s teeth are a creamy off-white. Cold white teeth are often a sign of malnutrition during infancy, or even prior to birth. Toothpaste bleaches contain flourescent chemicals, which reflect UV light, making your teeth look ‘whiter’. These chemicals are poisonous.

The key to healthy teeth and gums is more about diet, than brushing several times a day. Obviously, too much sugary stuff can damage teeth, but eating healthily is not going to cause too much damage.

Toothpaste is actually little more than a vanity product; all the gumph of brushing regularly makes you sexier etc is just bullshit marketing designed to sell you something you don’t really need. Reinforced by the image of whiter than white teeth = sexier, peddled by the media.

Brush gently after eating, to remove the sticky bits, rinse mouth with plain water.

For the record, I have never had a toothache, filling or bad tooth, ever.

If I lost any weight, I’d turn transparent.

I’d be up for stoat’s club, though.

I’m 9st now, I’d like to put on 1/2 a stone, through developing muscle.

Is beer a good energy drink? It’s got lots of calories, it must be.

Some folks did it in half the time I did it in, some with no sleep

Some people need locking up. That’s absolutely insane.

Samuri: You are…

SICK

AND

WRONG.

That looks magical. Like something out of Lord Of The Rings.

I want to go there.

But not for a few months. I bet it’s proper bastard freezing up there.

Do you know, that the Daddy Longlegs, or Crane Fly, has the most potent venom of any creature on Earth? But no need to be alarmed, because it has no teeth, or and way of injecting it into our skin. Plus, it’s such a tiny amount, it wouldn’t do you any harm.

Pretty pointless, really.

I want to go to High Street.

As above, silk liners; I got mine from Decathlon. £4.95, or, if you have very tiny hands, like my mum, £1.95!

Very, very good. I use them with a standard pair of Spesh Equinox Autumn/Spring gloves. They add loads of warmth, without adding bulk, and are not too tight, so they don’t restrict the circulation. I find this combo much better than ‘winter’ gloves I’ve tried, which are often too bulky for proper control, and aren’t actually as warm.

A friend just popped round, to use my internets to download some podcasts. So, we tried to get his little notebook thingy working with my wireless network- FAIL.

No indication of what was wrong, no explanation of how to sort it out, just no connection. And then the wireless connection doctor thing refused to work on my PC. Discovered it’s because I used the software that came with my broadband package, to connect my PC to the wireless network, which has overridden any ability of the OS to connect. Useless. I’m going to have to faff around now, to try and get it to work.

Problem with a lot of PC stuff, is you often need a fair amount of knowledge, to actually get things to work. That is no good, if you aren’t a computer whizz.

Mac? Airport, type in password- bosh. Connected.

What, like goose fat?

Rocketdog you are wrong.

Now go and wash your mouth out. Blasphemer.

I used to only dream of such things as Judy SLs. The closest I got was a pair of Indy SLs; one of the lightest forks ever made, surely! Bit flexy, but then I weighed even less than I do now.

The DHs were off an abandoned bike I found. They were a bit tatty, but I cleaned them up, and some kind soul off here sorted me a set of new springs and a new top cap adjuster, and they’re fine. Judy likes them, because they go with her bike!

Can’t beat a good jacket. My mum is currently trying to replace the zip on my Mountain Equipment Aquafleece jacket. Superb bit of kit. Sadly, they don’t make them any more.

A Spainish friend of mine once asked me ‘the Eengleesh girls, why they no wear knee-kers? Eet is freeezing here!’

I had no answer to give her.

(Apologies for the pitiful Spainish accent)

I saw that in Stoke, once. It was so cold, I refused to get out of the car. And this group of girls walked past; mini-skirts, white stillettos, the lot.

I think Bacardi Breezers are actually made almost entirely from anti-freeze.

Not at all. I had a great time at uni!

I also saw a lot of unhappiness, and a lot of desperately lonely people, trying so hard to ‘have a good time’. And a lot of people regretting why they’d been so thoughtless (AIDs tests, abortions, STDs…).

And quite a few people who met at uni, and went on to be very happy together.

See crazylegs last comment.

How much?? Surely you should be able to get the car, insurance, tax, MOT, new tyres and a year’s worth of petrol for that!!!!

You could buy a nice bike, for that.

There’s two of these, in a street near Victoria Park, Hackney.

What a pretty little car!

Is your name really Judy? I have a friend called Judy, and she has a pair of RS Judy forks on her bike. Likes the fact that the forks have her name on. She hasn’t a a clue about whether or not the forks are any good, mind (original Judy DHs).

If so, hello Judy!

You can’t elect a terrorist group, allow them to operate and then complain when civilians are killed trying to stop them.

Is the Israeli government a terrorist organisation? I didn’t know that…

I have no ideas for the solution, though. Anyone who thinks they do, has probably underestimated the complexity of the situation.

At last, a bit of sense.

“Didn’t influence anything that I listen to, thats for sure! IMHO”

In your opinion.

And that’s it.

I’ve got a bottle of Snake oil here, interested?

Leave him alone,get on with your studies, and stop wasting taxpayers’ money, you dirty unwashed feckless student!

In years to come, you will see this as immature and foolish. Peer pressure of this kind can lead to serious issues in a person, further down the line.

The best thing you can do for him, is get off his back, and let him gain confidence about himself, in his own way. Be supportive to him, instead of denting his self-esteem. Maybe he’s not ready for a relationship at the moment, or wants something a bit more than the average student fling. Maybe he has no urgent need to catch owt nasty, too.

I went out with a couple of nice girls while I was at uni. Some of me mates jumped on anything that cast a shadow. People are different.

If anything, the pressure of him being around you ‘studs’ is making him even less confident. If he’s yer friend, back off!

Good call, Ernie. But, like paper, threads are manufactured in vast great lengths, and then cut. So, by the meter? And you could include string, rope, twine, etc.

Ball-bearings is another good one, epicyclo. Got to be a fair number of them, rolling around.

But I think ernie might actually have it.

There can surely be nothing greater than the number of pointless threads on tinternet…

Mine cut out when I was in the shower, t’other day. Just as I’d shampooed me head. I was stomping around in a towel, cursing, with shampoo in me eyes, trying to get the thing to come on again. Then, after a few minutes, and turning the shower off and on again, it fired up again. Bastard thing. Done that a couple of times.

Plenty of **** tea-leaves round here, brant. Wish they’d LEAVE my bike alone!

See what I did there? Eh? Eh?

Ah, sod the lot of you, then…

Slow down, you move too fast
You’ve got to make the morning last
Just kickin’ down the cobble stones
Looking for fun and feelin’ groovy!

PFM: Not nice.

GG; you know I’m right, don’t you? Come on, admit defeat!

1200 kms in 92 hours with about four hours sleep in total

Ladies and gentlemen; we have a winner.

I can’t even begin to comprehend why, let alone how, you could do such a thing.

All other tales pale into insignificance, next to that.

But I bet some nutter will be along to try and top it…

No, I’m not having that, GG. You’re forgetting all the non-residential buldings, such as offices, railway stations, schools, hospitals, etc.

This well-known London landmark was the biggest brick-built building in Europe, once.

Most of the buildings in Docklands were brick. Huge great warehouses. And think about places like the West End. Mostly brick. King’s Cross/St. Pancras. Westminster Cathedral. Etc. And that’s just London…

RD, wot r u on about? That is teh awesome!

Sorry, I can’t do all that young persons’ speak thing.

❓

GG: Out of my window, I’m currently looking at several buildings, including a row of terraced houses, an old church, a school, and a housing estate. All brick-built. The building I’m in, is brick-built, as are most around. Assuming there are 40-50 bricks per square meter, then I’m currently looking at millions of bricks. And that’s just the external walls, that I can see. If you think about all the bricks in London alone, that’s got to be hundreds of millions, trillions of bricks. Multiply that by the Whole World, and that’s beyond even names for unfeasibly large numbers of things. Then, considering the thousands of years of mankind’s production and use of bricks, then I’d say, that outnumbers newspapers!

FC; you may have me confused with someone else.

GG; good call, but if you expand that a bit, then you’re looking at individual sheets of paper. Considering how many books/leaflets/newspapers/magazines etc that have been produced, that’s got to be a colossal number. Tricky to assess actual numbers, though, as paper is produced in reams, and sheets cut from that. So, it’s in tonnage, perhaps, or square meters?

I still think bricks, as one type of thing produced. A brick is a brick is a brick…

You need to be there, mate. Get gone. And maybe alert the police as to any potential trouble. They will have the power to call Social Services, and certainly prevent the child from being snatched away from his mum.