More Bad Language

I wonder sometimes how people manage to qualify as TV announcers. One actually said roofless the other day when referring to the Virginia Tech university shootings. He obviously meant ruthless. I have great sympathy for anyone who has a speech impediment, but I don't think that was the case in this instance. The announcer was just lazy. It's called Estuary English and it has taken over most of southern England., since the soap 'East Enders' started. The diversity of dialects that enriched the English language is being lost. I like Cockney, but Estuary English is most definitely not Cockney. There are similarities, but Cockneys really speak well. They may drop their aitches, but in my experience most of their pronunciation is accurate. In fact if you watch some of the films from the fifties, which are admittedly not the best examples, the Cockneys speech is similar to the posh people’s, just peppered with rhyming slang. My point is that the media are not setting a good example and we are all the poorer for it. Manglinq the language leads to misunderstanding; misunderstanding fuels prejudice and bigotry. It is not 'Politically Correct' to criticize, but without criticism how can you improve. Everyone feels that they are right, except me (grin), but nobody is perfect. We can all use a little constructive criticism occasionally.

More bad language

One of the most abused words in the English language is done.
My dictionary says this is the past participle of the verb do. Briefly this means that it should only be used with another verb, to expand on its meaning.
I suppose that the most famous example is the Lord's Prayer 'Thy will be done'.
What it isn't is a verb. It is simply not correct English to say someone done something.
They may do something, or maybe they did something in the past, which they shouldn't have done.
Maybe this is too subtle, that last phrase looks the same as what I object to. The subtlety is that the verb in the phrase is 'have' not done.

I cringe every time I hear someone say things like I done the lottery, or the boy done good.
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Old buses in Folkestone

It's amazing how many people like old buses.
The M & D and East Kent Bus Club have been running a few events every year sponsored by Stagecoach. The latest of these took place on Easter Monday in Folkestone.
In these events the vintage buses take over some of the routes in and around the town and run to the regular Stagecoach schedules. Passengers travel for free.
My brother brought his son (aged 9) and a friend and this was their first experience of travelling on a double-decker bus. They chatted to an old man who told them how he and his friends used to collect bus tickets in their teens.
The youngsters were fascinated to hear that in those days just after the Second World War, tickets were made of card and had every fare stage on the route printed on them. The conductor used a hole punch to indicate which stop the passenger could travel to.
There were six different values colour coded to enable them to be easily identified.
The bus I was on made two trips to Folkestone Harbour, one to Hythe, two to Cheriton and finished up with one to Hawkinge Battle of Britain Museum.
The last one was a bit of a challenge for the old bus as the final hill up to Hawkinge is very steep and she was fully loaded. In total she carried over 300 passengers and the other buses were just as full.
I wore my Garmin Foretrex 201 Wearable Personal Navigator throughout the day and it coped reasonably well with being inside a bus. The last trip was so full that I couldn't sit by a window, so it couldn't see any satellites. The rest of the day provided some useful results.
In total we travelled about 75 miles, the top speed was 45.5 mph although the manufacturer only claimed a top speed of 42mph when the bus was new.
The Dover Transport museum will be running some old buses from Whitfield to Dover on the 29th April and the The M & D and East Kent Bus Club are having another open day in Herne Bay on 5th August 2007.

Bad language

There is a lot of swearing on films and TV, but that’s not what I’m referring to.
I think that the media should set an example. Most writers are highly educated; they have an excellent command of language. The trouble is that they don’t use their knowledge.
I keep seeing abuses of the English language. People who should know better using phrases like: The Romans are... which is stupid.
The Romans no longer exist, so all references to them must be in the past tense.
This may appear pedantic, but language was invented to enable humans to clearly exchange information. Misuse of language leads to misunderstanding and probably explains why the world is in the state it’s in.
Bad language takes many forms, there’s dumbing down and verbal diarrhoea. The former is usually justified by the excuse that it lets the audience understand what’s being said. The latter is just a form of snobbery.
Verbal diarrhoea means using more, or longer words than necessary.
Advertising is another user of bad language. In this case the aim is to persuade us to buy the product, so it can be useful to muddy the waters. For example: Saying that something is a ‘quality product’ leads most people to assume that that is a good thing. Strictly speaking the word quality is a noun, not an adjective. On its own it means some aspect of an item and can be bad, or good.
If it is going to be used to describe something it needs to be part of an adjectival phrase for example low quality, poor quality, or maybe even high quality.
Adverts that don’t mean what they say are a constant source of amusement:
Nothing works better than Anadin; so don’t take anadin, take nothing to cure your headache.
9 out of 10 cats prefer Felix; can I have that it writing? Why are my cats all the 1 in 10 that don’t prefer it, anyway
Heavy plant crossing… I was expecting a Giant Sequoia to walk across the road.
My motto is KISS – keep it simple stupid. If you want to be understood, write as you speak. Don’t use 2 words if 1 will do and don’t use a long word (affirmative) when a short one would be better (yes).

Fireworks

It's Easter again, the daftest festival in the Christian calendar.
I mean, Christians worship Christ as the son of god, but they've adopted this pagan festival to celebrate his death. It's also one of the most commercially exploited times of the year, with cards, eggs and other chocolates, it's almost as bad as Christmas.
Another excuse to overindulge, spend money and let off fireworks. Why do people feel the need to annoy their neighbours in the dead of night by letting off high explosives?
I know that it doesn't compare to the terror of living in a war zone, but it scares the life out of one of my dogs. She shivers in terror as soon as one goes off and takes a good 12 hours to recover. In the UK the madness starts in October and goes on until after New Year, with sporadic outbreaks at random through the rest of the year. Guy Fawkes night on November 5th is the only national occasion for celebration with fireworks, but that doesn't stop the idiots. Sometimes it sounds like world war 3 has erupted.
I used to love fireworks as a kid and even years ago when my son was young. In those days they were all about the spectacle, sparkles and pretty colours. Modern ones are all bang and no flash. People seem to let them off just for the explosion, they obviously can't see anything when low clouds cover the area as they often do in the winter.
A lot of the fireworks on sale are positively lethal, they are designed to be used by trained pyrotechnicians who understand the risk, yet they can be obtained by any idiot with an internet connection.
What do you think?
Should we have a total ban on firework sales to the general public?

True Chivalry is Never Sexist

I hold the door open for everyone, male, or female, who I meet. It becomes a pain in the neck after the fourth, or fifth, ingrate has barged through, but I do it even if I'm in a hurry.
I firmly believe that good manners make me a better person. Chivalry is just an extension of this, it costs nothing and makes the world a better place.
Chivalry is an integral part of civilisation. It isn't some medieval invention by knights, it's deeper than that.
Man developed, because our ancestors shared their good fortune with their neighbours. They cooperated to find food and protect vulnerable members of their community. It would be a shame, if we lost the benefits of chivalry through the mistaken belief that it is sexist.
I've shared most of my life with my wife, some people would consider this to be a sexist remark. 'My wife' to them implies ownership, but she refers to me as 'my husband', is that sexism too?
I would never dream of intentionally letting a door slam in her face and I hope that all of the people who say chivalry is sexist would feel the same about their friends, lovers, partners, colleagues, fellow commuters...
Why not extend this to everyone? It is only a very small step. A stranger is after all only a potential friend. It costs nothing and makes you feel good.
Go on try it.

TV

Television annoys me so much that I've started a new blog for my criticism Unreal TV.
It still uses the old Blogger, so is not as easy to update as this Blog.
My wife has a really interesting Blog where she notes everything she ate. I know you're thinking 'well he would say that they're married' and that is true, but it really is interesting.
Go on have a look, if you don't like it you can always have a moan at me.

Yes, Copyright Pirates have already killed TV

The effects of piracy are already visible.
Piracy reduces the amount of money available to the programme makers, which inexorably leads to a reduction in quality and choice.
The big problem is that a lot of people do not realise that they are committing piracy when they copy a friend's disk. I support PCs and I've lost count of the number of times I have been asked to copy Microsoft Office onto a computer, for free. Most of these people obtain it from a friend who thinks it's alright to give copies away as long as they don't pay for it.
Producing good programmes for TV, software, or films costs a lot of money. Piracy cuts the producer off from some of their earnings, so they either cannot produce more work, or have a smaller budget for it.
Look at the TV guide, there are only about 6 channels that show any decent programmes and even they intersperse them with cheap rubbish. The schedules are flooded with shopping, betting, phone-in and reality shows. Producers love these because they cost a fraction of the amount that a good programme does.

10 free ways to cut carbon emissions

I think that global warming is a reality, but there is still doubt regarding whether it's a natural phenomenon. If it is it will go away, probably not in my lifetime, but it's part of the Earth's natural cycle. If it's man-made, we should do something about it.
The whole argument about global warming and carbon emissions misses the point.
The major cause of both of these is the burning of fossil fuels. The Earth is a finite size and fossil fuels only occur in the crust, which is a thin layer near the surface. The crust occupies less than 1% of the total volume of the planet (see Wikipedia).
The supply of fossil fuels is limited, they will run out. It is only a case of when!!
I hear people saying that there's nothing they can do about this, but they are so wrong! There are a number of low cost, or free, things that we can all do to save the planet.

1. Unplug or switch off any electrical appliance you're not using. TV, Stereo, even your phone charger;
2. Stop ironing your clothes, an iron uses more electricity than an old-fashioned 2 bar electric fire, 2 units an hour;
3. Fill your dishwasher and washing machine. Avoid running them partially empty;
4. Fit low energy light bulbs. They can each save around 86 units, that's £8 at current prices, per year. Cheap ones cost less than £2 each and even an expensive one will pay for itself in less than a year and go on saving for up to 15 years;
5. Turn your central heating down 1 degree C (2 degrees Fahrenheit), that can save 10% off your heating bill;
6. Use your microwave less often, for example allow time for frozen food to defrost at room temperature;
7. Don't heat an empty oven, try to fill it with food;
8. Don't accelerate so hard and anticipate when you'll need to slow down. Contrary to popular belief acceleration uses more petrol than driving at a steady speed. Driving a couple of mph slower will also help;
9. Reverse your car when you stop, not when you start. A cold engine uses more fuel than a hot one and reverse gear is the lowest gear in most vehicles. Reversing with a cold engine can increase consumption to around 2mpg, so it doesn't take much to make a difference;
10. Empty your car, don't drive round with unnecessary heavy items in it. It takes fuel to move every pound, less weight = less fuel;

Ok one of these isn't free, but it will very quickly pay for itself.

Cyclists

I enjoy cycling, so it annoys me when I see an idiot on a bike.
The ones who insist on cycling down the road, when there's a perfectly good cycle path. They slow down the traffic, usually wear dark clothing and have no lights.
The news always makes out that the motorist is wrong when they knock someone off their bike. I've come so close to doing it myself that I know that most of the time the poor driver never had a chance.
Adults who believe it's safer to ride on the footpath. They don't take into consideration the poor pedestrian. I'm usually accompanied by two dogs, so cyclists on the footpath cause complete mayhem. The old dog is fine, but the puppy is only 9 months old, therefore still being trained. One of these days I'll be taken by surprise by a cyclist coming from behind and she's going to end up in a nasty tangle on the ground. She just wants to lick everyone she meets, but you wouldn't think so from the leaping about and noise.
I agree that very small children should be allowed to cycle on the footpath, provided they are carefully supervised. Anyone over the age of 5 should be on the road, wearing bright clothes and with approved reflectors and lights on their bike.
This photo shows the difference reflective clothing can make:

It's cheap, effective and could save your life. If you ride a bike on the highway, be seen!

Buses

The world is running out of oil and global warming is a reality. We must do something urgently to persuade people to use their cars less. Buses are certainly not the solution in this area.
It's a common cry that it isn't easy being green. You really do have to put yourself out if you want to help save the planet, for example...
I may have mentioned that I live in East Kent, this used to be the name of the local bus company. Several years ago they were taken over by Stagecoach, which is one of the biggest transport operators in the UK.
On the whole this has not been a good thing. When I was a teenager I used to go to and from school in Sandwich, by bus. The buses were frequent, punctual and ran from early morning until late at night. We used to occasionally go to Canterbury for the evening and the last bus home ran at 10:30 pm. Not very late, but good enough for a film and a pint.
Stagecoach have a range of special tickets allowing people to travel extremely cheaply. One of these is called the Nightrider and offers unlimited travel on East Kent buses after 7pm.
I could use this to catch the last bus to Canterbury, which leaves at 19:19, but I wouldn't be able to return until the following morning, because the later buses from Canterbury stop at Eastry.
This is Kent's largest village and it's 5.5 mile (9 kilometre) away from my house. Would you walk that distance down unlit country lanes late at night?
I don't think so! It would be fairly safe, as there's little traffic, but still beyond what I'm prepared to do to be green.
What about other nearby towns, like Dover 8 miles south of here?
Not a chance!
The last bus to Dover was the last bus from Dover. Let me clarify that. The last bus leaves from Dover at 18:16 and returns to Dover at 19:29.
I like to be green and use public transport whenever possible. I never drink and drive, so it's very fortunate that there are lots of public houses in Deal.

Tests

The classic example of a useless test is the UK MOT (Ministry of Transport) test. This is supposed to ensure that a vehicle, over 3 years old, is roadworthy.
The owner has to take it to an official testing station (their local garage) once a year to be tested. If the vehicle passes the owner is given a certificate that enables them to use the car for the next year.
What's wrong with that?
Well there are several faults in this process:
a) Each item tested is passed or failed. There's no guarantee that an item which passed won't fail the instant that you leave the garage.
b) The test is the same whether you drive 1000, or 100,000, miles every year.
Like most tests this is better than nothing, but not ideal.

My least favourite test is the driving test.
I know that some people fail, but most people pass eventually. Drivers think that passing the test means that they are as competent as Michael Schumacher. This is as realistic as thinking you can pilot a jumbo jet, because you can fly a kite.
Passing the test really means that you are allowed to carry on refining your driving skills, without supervision. This point should be stressed by all examiners, but obviously isn't judging by the statistics.
24% of deaths on UK roads are drivers under the age of 25! Considering that 17 is the minimum age for taking a driving test, that means that nearly one in four teenagers taking the test will dead within 8 years.
RoadPeace has some interesting statistics, including the fact that over 1,000,000 people die every year in road accidents. Compare this with the numbers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan and it's obvious that the automobile is the most lethal weapon ever invented.
I'm particulary incensed by the infringments of the highway code that I see every day. Like most drivers I am also a pedestrian and a cyclist, but unlike most I don't forget this as soon as I climb into the driving seat.
If you are a driver see how many of the questions in my next post you can answer correctly.

Introduction

This is my first post on a blog, so I’m going to outline some of the subjects I’ll cover in later posts.
I have spent most of the last 40 years commuting to work. Whenever possible I use public transport, even though this can be challenging in East Kent where I live.
Many people have the benefit of 24 hour public transport, but this area is not that lucky. The trains run from 5 in the morning, until just after midnight, but the bus services are only available for about 12 hours, from 7-7. Sunday is even worse.
In this era of high speed trains, our train service averages around 40mph (65kph), because it stops so often. Rush hour trains make 15-17 stops between Deal and Charing Cross, or Cannon Street.
The press and politicians concentrate on the punctuality and reliability of the train service, but I’m more concerned about the hours I’ve wasted sitting on a hard seat in a draught. I suppose that I should be grateful that I can sit; many people have to stand, because of the overcrowding. I read today that one railway company reacted to this by cutting a service. How is that supposed to improve matters?
I also own a car, which I use as little as possible. I don’t enjoy driving as much as I used to. The roads are crowded with idiots, who think that they drive well, just because they have passed what is laughingly referred to as a driving test. I am not a fan of tests of any sort, passing a test only proves that you were lucky enough to know the answers to the questions posed. In the case of the UK driving test, I firmly believe that this is a political hot potato.
The government knows that it is to easy to pass, but they won’t make it harder because that would lead to delays and complaints. There are therefore too many people with driving licences and most of them insist upon using them at every opportunity.