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Post by Simey on Jan 22, 2010 17:05:44 GMT -5
Though I'm rather suspicious that the Montenegran trains are probably not as depicted in Casino Royale - perhaps you can confirm this, or shame me on my assumption! Unfortunately, I haven't seen Casino Royale (James Bond film, I presume?), so I can't compare it. You should try and see it. The train is only a short scene, but given your above description of the railway nowadays, you'd likely find it rather amusing. Yes! I must! That's very sad, and rather bad for the environment, obviously. There's not the investment in trains and public transport in general that there ought to be over here either - certainly not like in continental Europe. The car was seen as the way forward in the 50s and 60s, and even though we now know that you can build all the roads you like, they'll still get just as congested because people will just buy more and more cars, motoring groups have enough muscle to keep the government too timid to take the bull by the horns and really try and structure our transport system properly. I've owned my first car for about seven months now - something I really didn't want to do a few years back - but I still generally use it as little as possible: if it's tipping down with rain, I'll drive to work, but 90% of the time I'll walk or cycle. I really wish....wait - I feel another pet peeve coming on.... I really wish people weren't so arrogant with regards to their cars. Roads are public highways, and it shouldn't be necessary to double-yellow line everything in order to stop people being stupid enough to park wherever they feel like, just because it's convenient for them, regardless of whether they're making the road difficult to use for other motorists, regardless that they are parking right on top of a junction, regardless of whether they are blocking somewhere where access is required. A car is a luxury that most people in the world don't have, and it should be treated as such, used only when necessary and used with intelligence and respect. So many people seem to undergo a complete personality change when associated with their car. As a pedestrian, would you hover at the corner of a street trying to block approaching pedestrians from seeing whether any traffic is approaching, trying to minimise the space which they have to walk round the corner or cross the street? No! So why would you do that with your car!? Big up public transport! And give traffic wardens the powers to impose fines on stupid parking! ;D
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Post by Izziel Darkblade on Jan 22, 2010 20:47:03 GMT -5
Great topic, Sam. Had a good laugh just reading yours, lol. A big pet peeve of mine is when TV channels (usually news channels) give us 1 minute of really, really sad images of all these poor people around the world (be they images of dead people, little children starving, etc) to the sound of a really, really sad musical piece, only to end with the channel logo and "motto". This usually happens randomly, sometimes during the break of a football match, for example.
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Post by Beowuuf on Jan 23, 2010 5:16:20 GMT -5
Roads are public highways, and it shouldn't be necessary to double-yellow line everything in order to stop people being stupid enough to park wherever they feel like, just because it's convenient for them, regardless of whether they're making the road difficult to use for other motorists, regardless that they are parking right on top of a junction, regardless of whether they are blocking somewhere where access is required. and my friend an I were just commenting on this this morning. Double yellow lines don't stop people parking, they just stop parking on the road. We walked passed a car taking up the pavement right beside a double yellow, and she had to complain to royal mail because a van did that too.
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Post by Samildanach on Jan 23, 2010 6:17:34 GMT -5
Urgh, the number of times I've had to explain to people that parking on the pavement is actually worse, from a legal point of view. Parking on double yellows will get you a fine, but parking on the pavement is a criminal offence if it causes an obstruction, and therefore could very well involve the police. (Not that it ever does involve the police. I tried that once, and they said "We're too busy with things like murders to deal with obstruction." I didn't do this just to be a pedant, though; I used to work on the admin side of parking enforcement.)
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Post by jan on Jan 23, 2010 6:40:27 GMT -5
Unfortunately, I haven't seen Casino Royale (James Bond film, I presume?), so I can't compare it. You should try and see it. The train is only a short scene, but given your above description of the railway nowadays, you'd likely find it rather amusing. I watched it on Youtube and - ROFL! I couldn't believe my eyes. Of course, this is not the Montenegrin railway. But this train - this is actually the fastest Czech train "Pendolino"! The exterior pictures were taken either in the Czech Republic, or somewhere nearby (I can't recognise it, but it would probably be the Czech Republic because of the Czech train and the blue station-signs). LOL! The interior of the train is however not Pendolino - or definitely not the 2nd class coaches - maybe the 1st class (I've never visited that class in Pendolino). Oh, boy, that really made me ROFL. The Montenegrin trains are definitely in much worse shape. And, of course, I totally agree with what you and the others said about the trains and cars. It's so sad. But - you're still lucky you live in the UK. It's much worse here. The car drivers are much more arrogant and rude and reckless here than in the UK or in Western Europe in general. Not talking about the Montenegrin drivers. It's extremely dangerous to step into the Montenegrin road, even if no car is in sight and if you are on (very rare) zebra crossing.
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Post by Black Cat on Jan 23, 2010 11:11:15 GMT -5
But this train - this is actually the fastest Czech train "Pendolino"! The exterior pictures were taken either in the Czech Republic, or somewhere nearby (I can't recognise it, but it would probably be the Czech Republic because of the Czech train and the blue station-signs). LOL! The movie was partly filmed in Prague, so there is a good chance that it is indeed the Czech Republic. Isn't the Pendolino an Italian-made train?
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Post by jan on Jan 23, 2010 11:27:54 GMT -5
Isn't the Pendolino an Italian-made train? Yes, it is. It also means that it doesn't work when the temperature drops bellow -5°C. ;D
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Post by Simey on Jan 25, 2010 10:24:58 GMT -5
No way! Excellent! I wasn't expecting that! I wonder if they filmed any of the rest of the film in the Czech Republic. Probably - I'll have to watch it again. Er, yes! I don't know how true this is across continental Europe, but compared to zebra crossings in the U.K., at which drivers are definitely supposed to stop if someone is waiting to cross (I'm not saying that all drivers do, but most do), and which have flashing amber lights to highlight their location, zebra crossings in France (just for example) seem to merely be recommended crossing places - there doesn't seem to be any obligation on the part of drivers to stop or even slow down at them at all! And it may well be better now, but when I was in Zagreb a few years ago, the traffic lights with red and green men pedestrian lights attached didn't seem to always work properly - I think sometimes the green man would appear while the traffic lights were still green! Aah! You quickly learnt to be very careful! Isn't the Pendolino an Italian-made train? Yes, it is. It also means that it doesn't work when the temperature drops bellow -5°C. ;D That's hilarious! ;D Pendalinos are used by some train companies (yes, our railways are privatised - insane, I know) over here, but -5ºC isn't normally a problem....until a few weeks ago! Mind you, we have general travel chaos at the first sign of a bit of snow - the railways probably suffered much less than anything trying to go by road.
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Post by Samildanach on Apr 24, 2010 21:09:21 GMT -5
Five ice cream vans in four and a half hours. Each and every one playing its jingle at volumes that make my TV inaudible, even through the closed and double glazed windows. And they come round every single day. One day I'm going to go out there, buy and ice cream from one of those vans, and ram it in the driver's face.
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Post by wildhare on Apr 25, 2010 19:14:14 GMT -5
The pseudo word Whatnot! it is an epedimic in north america, mindless people like paris hilton and christina aguillera were the first ones I noticed using it and now since I spend most of my days surrounded by and endless parade of 18 and 22 year old people I hear it 40 times a day. I fear for the futur of mankind.
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Post by Samildanach on Apr 26, 2010 8:47:18 GMT -5
Whatnot? That word's older than me. Possibly a lot older. It's in the Oxford English Dictionary, and dictionary.com estimates that it dates from around 1530.
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Post by Ghost Bear on Apr 26, 2010 14:12:21 GMT -5
So it's definitely older than you then! Unless you're really, really well preserved.
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Post by Beowuuf on Apr 26, 2010 14:16:19 GMT -5
Indeed, I know it as an older british phrase too. If it's been co-opted or become fasionable then that's a little sad.
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Post by Samildanach on Apr 26, 2010 14:41:42 GMT -5
So it's definitely older than you then! Unless you're really, really well preserved. Haha, I originally said "older than me" because I remember hearing it as a child, then I added 1530 after I looked it up. Possibly I should have made some changes. ;D
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