[sunnykerr]

"Joker" creche killings stun Belgium
Close British borders to immigration for 10 years

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[sunnykerr]

The last postson the last thread were:

Usually it is a matter of controversy but it may be of comfort for you to know them Sunny, that the average Briton is the most "watched" on the planet. Of course if the body found its way there at night that may hinder detailed monitoring. then again who knows the extent of the tech they deploy. I wonder if any of the Royal Family were in residence around that time, as it would likely increase the staff and numbers of peoople in the area.

Well, I'm not a huge fan of Big Brother myself, but in instances such as this, whatever brings about any kind of resolution for her family must be a positive. I admit, though, that was first drew me to this story wasn't so much the human aspect as the tremendously incongruous notion that someone, anyone would pick a royal estate as a body dumping groudn... and get away with it.

[Nick HeyRee]

Stand and recognise the vanity of stupid British politicians :: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16494354

The good that we might achieve with that money, let alone the impact on the environment and the communities


Oh and i perfectly understand the intrigue in the Sandringham case, it peaked my attention too.

[Avatar]

Why is there such big opposititon? Do they have any bigger concerns than NIMBY? I'd think high-speed rail makes more people likely to take the train, which would be a good thing?

[Nick HeyRee]

Originally Posted by Avatar (View Post) Why is there such big opposititon? Do they have any bigger concerns than NIMBY? I'd think high-speed rail makes more people likely to take the train, which would be a good thing?

Well i oppose it and i don't live anywhere immediately nearby. My assessment is that railway travellers in the UK would sooner have cheaper trains than faster ones, a more even spread of improvement to public transport instead of such a narrow and inefficient approach. Furthermore there is the impact on the environment, heritage sites and rural communities along the route.

The extent of job creation versus expenditure does not stand up to scrutiny either IMO.

Yes there were some efforts to modify the original proposal although whether these were due to the risk of resignations within the government or the response to the public consultation, it can't be said.

I understand the need for investment in infrastructure only this is not what i would call the best expression of such.

[sunnykerr]

So, basically, there is no upside here. At all.

But they're still going ahead with the plan. Yup, sounds typical.

[Avatar]

I still think that if the high-speed rail brings more traffic from the roads to the railways, then that's a good thing. Not sure it outweighs the drawbacks, mind.

[sunnykerr]

I wish the Montreal metro was faster. As a public-transportation user, that's my bias. Speed is good. Especially when you're relying on those to get you to work on time and then home in as little time as possible.

But, of course, cost and price are important issues. And the impact on the environment and the people who will lose their property in the process is of massive import. We have an airport near Montreal that was built in the 1980s, billed as the next hubbub of international travel or some similar malarkey. Farmers were run off their land to make room for this airport. Twenty-plus years after its completion, it sits empty.

Oh, and starred in The Terminal as the, you know, airport in which Tom Hanks is stuck the whole movie. Woo-hoo.

When you consider how many people lost everything because this monstrosity had to be built. And, I mean, it's still used. But it certainly didn't live up to the dream of what it was meant to be.

So, I can imagine why a person might oppose the building of a massive railway system that has yet to prove its usefulness.

[Avatar]

Doesn't those attitutes mean that nothing will ever get built? Some people have to suffer for progress' sake - it's sad but inevitable. You can't really know if anything is useful until after it's built.

[sunnykerr]

Oh, absolutely. Sacrifices are necessary to progress. I agree.

I just think it behooves the planners and builders and whatnot to make sure that the sacrifices will lead to actual progress. That's all I'm saying.

[Nick HeyRee]

Originally Posted by Avatar (View Post) You can't really know if anything is useful until after it's built.

Useful for a minority doesn't necessarily equate to being generally worthwhile and a good use of taxpayers money.

Price is also important, in so far as the amount of people who will actually be able to benefit from the line once built.

Maybe we can perform a transatlantic comparison here . I and family and friends travelled up to a city in the north of England [125 miles] for a Christmas Market in December, tickets for five people came to around £250 or $400ish (Canadian). A travel card for one person bought at rush hour in London will come to a little over £10 or $16-17, this entitles you to use the tube, overground rail services and buses in the most popular zones.


Sunny, i do hope that the politicians responsible for the airport suffered as a result, how did they so misjudge the project?


Have you two heard the latest nonsense from the Captain of the Costa Concordia? He was today trying to claim the he "fell" into a lifeboat and didn't mean to leave the ship. One German passenger has reportedly been found back at home, a clerical error or missed amdi all he confusion i guess.

[sunnykerr]

I have heard the nonsense from that Captain.

There's actual audio of him refusing to get back on the boat, so, you know... there's this thing called credibility, and the good captain doesn't have it. At all.

[Avatar]

Er, he should really realize that he's harming himself by keeping talking nonsense. His survival insticts kicked in - that's understandable, but wrong when you're the captain of a boat.

[Zefiro]

I sincerely hoped sharks would have eaten him alive,to be honest.
Coward and liar.

There's actual audio of him refusing to get back on the boat, so, you know... there's this thing called credibility, and the good captain doesn't have it. At all.

Someone needs to tell him to shut up. No one cares about his stories when people died and polluted a protected habitat because of his lack of professionality.

[Comfortably Numb]

Very sad.