Balance the Tipping

Civic Amenity Sites:

The Tip, to you and me.

If you drive a van (as I do) - of any shape or size - you're screwed.

Why? Because you are automatically assumed to be carrying Trade Waste.

Each Council operates its own policy in terms of number of times you're allowed to visit the Tip with a van.

I've had experience with 3 Councils so far, and heard about a few more from friends.

Visits by van, by Council:

Harrow: 3

Newcastle: 12

Middlesbrough: unknown, at least 3+, but you have to ring for a permit (which lasts 7 days).

Streatham: 0

Their reasoning is to reduce people "taking the piss" (paraphrased).  Unfortunately, people carry on taking the piss as I know several Trade colleagues who use their wives' estate car to offload rubbish (Trade or otherwise).

If that's not taking the piss I don't know what is.

They don't need a permit but I do. In fact there are many vehicles with large capacity who don't need a permit (pick an MPV).

If I want to go to the Tip to get rid of something, no matter how small the load, I either save it up for a rainy day or use my mother's car whenever possible.

I have more thoughts, but I need a nap first.

- Gnasher

Olympic Fail

The best of the best... of the best!The Olympics. 

Where athletes from all over the world gather to compete to see who's the best.

A bit like the World Championships really.

And the Commonwealth Games (yes, ok, that's only for Commonwealth countries, but still).

And Wimbledon...

And yet we make a huge deal out of it every 4 years, bulldozing houses that people were living in happily, thank-you-very-much (China).

Footing the bill

Adding insult to injury in the UK is that the whole country has paid for it and yet the only people really benefitting from it are property owners in the East End and legitemised ticket-touts re-selling VIP tickets for astronomical profits, profits which should rightly be in the Public Coffer.

Safe as Houses:

Which reminds me of another epic fail: the ticket lottery. What a joke.  Everyone in the UK should have been offered a [random] ticket or set of such. Then, when the option to buy said ticket is declined, at least the people who live here have a chance to go; not much to ask considering they paid for it already anyway!

G4S (aka Group 4 Securitas) have also announced they won't have enough [security] staff recruited.
Right, 'cos obviously the Olympics came out of nowhere and blind-sided them.

First, pass [me] the Torch:

Frankly, who the fuck cares? 

Obviously I do 'cos I'm moaning about it. But if I don't get this out of my system I may just explode.

- Hudsoid

The Last Rider of the Apostrophe

Another classic mistake: sticking apostrophes where they don't belong.

"Oooh, look! The word ends in the letter 's' - it must need an apostrophe."

No! Dammit!

The apostrophe replaces a missing letter, ergo if you're not replacing a letter then don't put an apostrophe in!

Examples:

wasn't => was nOt
isn't => is nOt
you're => you Are

FFS, just make an effort and think about what you're typing for a second.

Or better still, re-read what you wrote before you hit "Post".

It's just an email...

Well, this is top of my shit-list for laziness: using the phrase "it's just an email" is not an excuse for bad grammar or slap-dash spelling.

"You're going there with your friends, they're going there with their friends."

It's not difficult.

If our education system can't pummel the basics into children then what's the point?

And don't feed me the same old bullshit of "well everyone has different skills": only those with severe dyslexia or actual mental handicap can use that as an excuse.

I don't expect everyone to write dissertations by the age of 14, but forming a proper English sentence would be nice (don't even go near text-speak with me - that goes straight in the bin).