h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Queuing theory applies on the London underground. Those escalators transport hundreds of people per minute; if the left hand walking lane is blocked tyhe blockage would quickly build up. I guess the most efficient way is for everyone to walk, but sod that frankly.

You very rarely see people standing in the left lane any more. I think they've all been brutally murdered.

Yup, I'm always strict with myself in london, but culturally it's so different from eveywhere else in the UK I've been to that you cannot apply the same levels of irritation outside of our fair capital...

My friend has a multi-way bra that has a little double hook to pull the straps into a 'cross' shape at the back. (they dont actually cross) but I'll bet money they wont do it in my size...

I bet they don't have them in my size, either. They're all built like suits of armor.

yurp. The 'invisible scaffold tower' bra range (what I reckon they'd have to create to make a realistic 'strapless' bra for my size and I have friends with larger... One of my friends thinks she's a GG I think she's an I or a J myself but she wont admit it!)

It should be "No smoking ON these premises"
but since HMG decided to ban smoking just about everywhere except the MPs bar at Westminster we have millions of signs which some person has printed out with "No smoking IN these premises".

Quote:- "It's called 'The Times'. Deal with it."

That would be the Murdoch Times would it?

It could be London's 'Times', or 'the "Times", of London', really.

Is it not officially The Financial Times?

Umm, what's a multi way bra then? I've only ever unhooked one clip jobs.

you can move the straps around to make crossover, swimming-costume stylee straps or a halter neck, or possibly strapless.

Robyn - I'm visiting your PS about bras...

as for escalators - here in Düsseldorf and Köln people stand on the right and walk on the left. In fact, generally going up and down stairs (non-moving) people tend to walk on the right.

Sometimes you have to be in a hurry, and if some eejit is standing in your way and doesn't react to a polite "excuse me" they are just as rude and ignorant as people pushing. If everyone is standing on the left, it's common sense (not to mention polite, and sensible) to assume that is the local custom.

The Financial Times is a different paper.

Males have to be particularly wary of unhooking women's bras - especially if attempted one-handed. It can cause a very nasty injury known as 'ulnar abduction rotatory injury of the proximal interphalangeal joint'(http://student.bmj.com/issues/02/07/news/224.php). Consequently I expend a great deal of my time trying to persuade the fairer sex to dispense with these offensive garments

Wonders why that link doesn't work:


http://student.bmj.com/issues/02/07/news/224.php

Quite a few people are offended by a polite "excuse me". What else do they expect you to do, pay them to get out of the way?

Minor petty hate:- English or rather UK TV shows where it never rains and it is eternally sunny .
We're always amazed at how sunny it is in Scotland and Ireland and in BBC bonnet and lace dramas it apparently didn't rain in the 19th century

If you live in this marvelous place, may I offer you a house swap down here in the tropics where at this moment it is raining cats, dogs and the odd green tree frog...

Raining? In Australia? Well, that's not something you see on Home & Away or Neighbours

Deb

Regarding "a polite 'excuse me'", whatever happened to the 'please' that used to go on the end of the request? Whenever I would like somebody to move out of my way, I always say "Excuse me, please", followed by "Thank you" when they've moved. I don't regard "Excuse me" on it's own as polite, just more polite than barging past. Maybe my mind's stuck in the past when 'Please' and 'Thank you' were part of everyday life.

but you're lucky these days if you get more than a surly "'scuse" anyway

What about when people say "Excuse me" and then just push past you without giving you a chance to move

Not so much a "Would you mind moving so I can get past" as a "Look out, I'm coming through NOW!"

<>

As far as I know springs and summers in the 19th Century tended to be milder and drier than they are now, so not really that amazing at all.