Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary

[Claw75]

Don't know if you've seen this article on the Independent website today Tom - A positive piece about Gypsies, Travellers and Roma.

http://tinyurl.com/d6koeuk

Also mentions at the bottom that:

"The Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Season is broadcast weeknights, 9-12pm on Community Channel until 14 June, available on Sky 539, Virgin Media 233, Freeview 87, BT Vision, BBC iPlayer and via www.communitychannel.org. "

[RED-DOG]

Don't know if you've seen this article on the Independent website today Tom - A positive piece about Gypsies, Travellers and Roma.

http://tinyurl.com/d6koeuk

Also mentions at the bottom that:

"The Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Season is broadcast weeknights, 9-12pm on Community Channel until 14 June, available on Sky 539, Virgin Media 233, Freeview 87, BT Vision, BBC iPlayer and via www.communitychannel.org. "

Thank you Claire.


How wonderfully refreshing and uplifting to see something positive in print. You can't imagine how rare it is or how much it means to me.

[Claw75]

Don't know if you've seen this article on the Independent website today Tom - A positive piece about Gypsies, Travellers and Roma.

http://tinyurl.com/d6koeuk

Also mentions at the bottom that:

"The Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Season is broadcast weeknights, 9-12pm on Community Channel until 14 June, available on Sky 539, Virgin Media 233, Freeview 87, BT Vision, BBC iPlayer and via www.communitychannel.org. "

Thank you Claire.


How wonderfully refreshing and uplifting to see something positive in print. You can't imagine how rare it is or how much it means to me.

yes I thought you'd appreciate it.  Good to see that they're going to put some pro-Gypsy stuff on the telly as well - just a shame it'll all be hidden down on the Community Channel rather than somewhere more mainstream.

I found the article, by the way, as it appeared as a 'featured article' on my facebook news feed, so hopefully will reach a pretty wide audience.

[RED-DOG]

Don't know if you've seen this article on the Independent website today Tom - A positive piece about Gypsies, Travellers and Roma.

http://tinyurl.com/d6koeuk

Also mentions at the bottom that:

"The Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Season is broadcast weeknights, 9-12pm on Community Channel until 14 June, available on Sky 539, Virgin Media 233, Freeview 87, BT Vision, BBC iPlayer and via www.communitychannel.org. "

Thank you Claire.


How wonderfully refreshing and uplifting to see something positive in print. You can't imagine how rare it is or how much it means to me.

yes I thought you'd appreciate it.  Good to see that they're going to put some pro-Gypsy stuff on the telly as well - just a shame it'll all be hidden down on the Community Channel rather than somewhere more mainstream.

It's a start though.

I don't for one moment want to suggest that the media only report good positive stuff where Gypsies are concerned, but let us have a little balance.

We're people, good and bad, just like everyone else.

[RED-DOG]

I attended the opening of a dedicated library room at the office of a Gypsy liaison group last week.

On display was this graphic example of...   Well, I'll let it speak for itself.

Click to see full-size image.

[RED-DOG]

Bugger!

I regret posting that straight after your good news post now.

Sometimes I'm such an idiot.

[RED-DOG]

Apparently, the average lifetime is 28000 days.

If that's true, how many do you have left?

[kinboshi]

Talking of life and death, not heard too much about this on the British news channels:

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2013/05/20135101315439989.html

Over 1,000 dead after a building collapses in Bangladesh. Just awful.

[RED-DOG]

Talking of life and death, not heard too much about this on the British news channels:

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2013/05/20135101315439989.html

Over 1,000 dead after a building collapses in Bangladesh. Just awful.

Joseph Stalin said "one death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic."

[RED-DOG]

Even though a haven't smoked for years, I still carry a lighter. It comes in handy occasionally.

What's more, (don't laugh) if you were ever in a survival situation, alongside a knife, a lighter would be one of the most useful things you could have.

I use the little plastic see through ones because they weigh nothing, cost pennies and you can tell when they're running out of gas before it happens.

Recently,  I've started using the pizo ignition type because they still work when they are wet. (Fires are great when you're cold and wet.)

I bought my latest model recently. A snazzy little orange number with a black top. It cost 20p down the market and it started me thinking. How can they produce such an intricate and useful piece of equipment and then sell it for that price?

Think about it, the molded plastic see through gas tight body, the non return filler valve, the operating lever, and, miracle of miracles, the pizo.

What a marvel that is. Think about it. It's a rock that you squeeze and electricity comes out.

Wow!

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piezoelectricity

[Rod Paradise]

While the peizo works while wet - the flint type generates better sparks, so can be used even if the lighter is empty (in a survival situation), a zippo also carries tinder (the 'cotton' wadding that the fuel compartment is filled with) so is even better.

Make sure you know your laws with carrying a knife - particularly in urban areas - in Glasgow the police have been putting out adverts saying that carrying a knife is a jailing offense. This isn't true, depending on the knife, less than 3 inches sharpened blade & a non-locking folder is considered a legal knife to carry as a penkinife, a longer blade, or a method of locking the blade means you have to prove a legitimate reason for carrying the knife - and that means relying on the sense (or lack of) of the police/procurator fiscal/sheriff (or english equivalent) when you plead your case.

[RED-DOG]

While the peizo works while wet - the flint type generates better sparks, so can be used even if the lighter is empty (in a survival situation), a zippo also carries tinder (the 'cotton' wadding that the fuel compartment is filled with) so is even better.

Make sure you know your laws with carrying a knife - particularly in urban areas - in Glasgow the police have been putting out adverts saying that carrying a knife is a jailing offense. This isn't true, depending on the knife, less than 3 inches sharpened blade & a non-locking folder is considered a legal knife to carry as a penkinife, a longer blade, or a method of locking the blade means you have to prove a legitimate reason for carrying the knife - and that means relying on the sense (or lack of) of the police/procurator fiscal/sheriff (or english equivalent) when you plead your case.

I did consider a Zippo for those very reasons, but the long life, light weight, low cost, and reliability of a disposable pizo won out in the end.

I'm well versed in knife law Rod, I've carried a pocket knife all my life, man and boy. (When I was a boy I also carried a Crocodile Dundee sized Bowie knife in a sheath on my belt too to, I used to have to hand it in at the foyer when I went to the pictures.)

For the last 35 years or so, I've carried a Swiss army knife. It's really a multi tool, I use it every day.

I get a bit of stick from the lads about it, but sooner or later they need to use it to open a bottle or a can, remove a splinter, cut some rope to make an emergency halter or whatever. I lend it to them, but I make them eat a little crow first.

BTW- I don't get any hassle about it from the Old Bill because it is so obviously not a weapon, and anyway, keeping horses counts as a legitimate reason for carrying it.

[tikay]

Tom can mend sophisticated TV cameras with his knife.

True!

[RED-DOG]

Tom can mend sophisticated TV cameras with his knife.

True!

And old blokes glasses.... 

(No crows were harmed during the making of these repairs)

[Laxie]

The construction of a new headquarters for a Chinese newspaper is causing a stir of sorts... 

"Apparently, after thinking long and hard, the mouthpiece for China's Communist Party was cocksure that the erection of a new headquarters would be warmly received — but they blew it."

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/chinese-newspaper-headquarters-stuns-article-1.1339284#ixzz2SsT4VaYj