Cyclist killed in South Wales



K

Keith Willoughby

Guest
A cyclist, on leave from Iraq, has been killed just down the road from
me.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/3763591.stm

The road in question, up to Eglwysilan, is one I've cycled a few times,
and is one that has a couple of chevrons mentioned elsewhere on the
group. Last time I came down it, past the Griffin Mill garage mentioned
in the article, I was doing 30mph+. I might have second thoughts next
time :(

(Aside: no mentions of helmets, either way. Might be a first for a BBC
article)

--
Keith Willoughby http://flat222.org/keith/
01 811 8055
 
On 1/6/04 12:10 am, in article [email protected], "Keith
Willoughby" <[email protected]> wrote:

>
> A cyclist, on leave from Iraq, has been killed just down the road from
> me.

<snip>
> (Aside: no mentions of helmets, either way. Might be a first for a BBC
> article)


It also hints that he may have been somewhat inebriated at the time as well.
Riding down steep hills in the dark when merry is a recipe for mishap.
 
On Tue, 01 Jun 2004 10:00:28 +0100, David Martin wrote:

> On 1/6/04 12:10 am, in article [email protected], "Keith
> Willoughby" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>
>> A cyclist, on leave from Iraq, has been killed just down the road from
>> me.

> <snip>
>> (Aside: no mentions of helmets, either way. Might be a first for a BBC
>> article)

>
> It also hints that he may have been somewhat inebriated at the time as well.
> Riding down steep hills in the dark when merry is a recipe for mishap.


Even in Wales it's not dark at 15:45 on a May afternoon. Actually, Wales
is further west than many other parts of the country so lighting up times
are later.

I suppose you believe that the reference to him being in a pub is a hint
that he was 'somewhat inebriated'. Wouldn't the journalist have written
something a bit stronger if s/he really thought that alcohol had been a
contributing factor? Something like, "Mr Prosser had been drinking at the
Rose and Crown pub ...."?
--
Michael MacClancy
Random putdown - "I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter
saying I approved of it." - Mark Twain
www.macclancy.demon.co.uk
www.macclancy.co.uk
 

> A cyclist, on leave from Iraq, has been killed just down the road from
> me.


Yes but is it truly newsworthy? Does the link with Iraq make it more
newsworthy?

At times this newsgroup reminds me of my mother's pre-occupation with the
'hatches, matches and despatches' column of the local newspaper. Every
phone conversation that I had with her was peppered with: the latest deaths
of folk that I either never knew but:
I met them once as a babe in arms
or
they were related to the local fishmongers first wife's second family
or
they were a third cousin thrice removed
or
they were 'only 87'
or
some other engineered link to relevance

Is it really necessary to post every death no matter how tenuous the link to
cycling, cycling helmets, people who ride bikes and cyclists? It sure makes
for a maudling atmosphere at time and I'm sure makes cycling appear to be
far more hazardous than it is.
 
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected]
says...

> (Aside: no mentions of helmets, either way. Might be a first for a BBC
> article)


I'm definitely 'pro helmet' but I bet he WAS wearing a lid which is why
it wasn't reported.

D
 
vernon levy wrote:

>> A cyclist, on leave from Iraq, has been killed just down the road from
>> me.

>
> Yes but is it truly newsworthy? Does the link with Iraq make it more
> newsworthy?


[...]

> Is it really necessary to post every death no matter how tenuous the link to
> cycling, cycling helmets, people who ride bikes and cyclists? It sure makes
> for a maudling atmosphere at time and I'm sure makes cycling appear to be
> far more hazardous than it is.


I posted it because it was on a road that I was talking about on here as
recently as Saturday, posessing as it does some Serious Slope, and that
I described my cycling up a couple of months ago. In fact, it was on
the road that he died on that I first broke 30 MPH.

--
Keith Willoughby http://flat222.org/keith/
"Football's just a branch of science"
 
On Tue, 1 Jun 2004 11:27:40 +0100, Michael MacClancy
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I suppose you believe that the reference to him being in a pub is a hint
>that he was 'somewhat inebriated'.


It is usual that Pongo + Pub = ******.

Though it is accepted that this is not explicitly stated for this
instance.

Extending the case:

Pongo + Pub + Cycle + Steep Hill(down) = Potential for Disaster.

Potential realised in this instance.
--

Cheers,

Al
 
On Wed, 02 Jun 2004 09:55:08 +0100, Al C-F wrote:

> On Tue, 1 Jun 2004 11:27:40 +0100, Michael MacClancy
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>I suppose you believe that the reference to him being in a pub is a hint
>>that he was 'somewhat inebriated'.

>
> It is usual that Pongo + Pub = ******.
>
> Though it is accepted that this is not explicitly stated for this
> instance.
>
> Extending the case:
>
> Pongo + Pub + Cycle + Steep Hill(down) = Potential for Disaster.
>
> Potential realised in this instance.


Yes, but my hypothesis was that:

Pongo + Cycle + Steep Hill(down) = Potential for Disaster

.... is a sufficient condition.

Potential also realised in this instance. ;-)

--
Michael MacClancy
Random putdown - "I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't
it." -Groucho Marx
www.macclancy.demon.co.uk
www.macclancy.co.uk
 
On Wed, 2 Jun 2004 10:27:57 +0100, Michael MacClancy
<[email protected]> wrote:

>On Wed, 02 Jun 2004 09:55:08 +0100, Al C-F wrote:
>
>> On Tue, 1 Jun 2004 11:27:40 +0100, Michael MacClancy
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>>I suppose you believe that the reference to him being in a pub is a hint
>>>that he was 'somewhat inebriated'.

>>
>> It is usual that Pongo + Pub = ******.
>>
>> Though it is accepted that this is not explicitly stated for this
>> instance.
>>
>> Extending the case:
>>
>> Pongo + Pub + Cycle + Steep Hill(down) = Potential for Disaster.
>>
>> Potential realised in this instance.

>
>Yes, but my hypothesis was that:
>
>Pongo + Cycle + Steep Hill(down) = Potential for Disaster
>
>... is a sufficient condition.
>
>Potential also realised in this instance. ;-)


Of course, you're right that in the general case 'Pub' is not a
necessary condition for 'Potential for Disaster', but in this case,
'Pub' had already been entered into the equation by the newspaper
report.

So the general case of:
Pongo + Pub = ******
had already been satisfied.

Thus:
****** + Cycle + Steep Hill (down) = Potential for Disaster(Realised)

Now, we may care to identify which of the conditions remaining is
necessary; though I do not believe that any of the terms if sufficent
on its own.

I would argue that
Cycle + Steep Hill (does not equal) Potential for Disaster
without added conditions such as
Blinding Incompetence;
Poor Cycle Maintenance;
Catastrophic Failure;
or External Influence.


....to be continued for 94 more posts.
--

Cheers,

Al
 
Al C-F wrote:

> So the general case of:
> Pongo + Pub = ******
> had already been satisfied.


It's worth pointing out that the Rose and Crown isn't somewhere you go
to get ******. It is on the top of a very steep hill, after all. It's
more well known round these parts for its Sunday dinners, and given
that the accident happened at 15:45 on a Sunday afternoon, it's quite
likely they'd been for food, rather than beer.

--
Keith Willoughby http://flat222.org/keith/
What ain't we got? We ain't got mates
 
Keith Willoughby <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Al C-F wrote:
>
> > So the general case of:
> > Pongo + Pub = ******
> > had already been satisfied.

>
> It's worth pointing out that the Rose and Crown isn't somewhere you go
> to get ******. It is on the top of a very steep hill, after all. It's
> more well known round these parts for its Sunday dinners, and given
> that the accident happened at 15:45 on a Sunday afternoon, it's quite
> likely they'd been for food, rather than beer.


Ah, so there is an alternative construct for this special case:

Pongo + Pub = Sunday lunch and Half a Shandy.

Well, I suppose it IS a possibility...
 
On Fri, 04 Jun 2004 16:54:11 +0100, James Hodson
<[email protected]> wrote:

>On 4 Jun 2004 04:59:29 -0700,
>[email protected] (Aloysius) wrote:
>
>>Pongo

>
>Hi Aloysius
>
>Got to ask, what's a pongo?
>


Forces(?) slang for soldier. Less derogatory,imho, than squaddie.



Tim
 
On Sat, 05 Jun 2004 00:24:21 +0100 someone who may be Tim Hall
<[email protected]> wrote this:-

>>Got to ask, what's a pongo?

>
>Forces(?) slang for soldier. Less derogatory,imho, than squaddie.


During the Second World War army officers got fed up of being called
pongos and complained. As a result the RAF issued an order that said
something like, "In future army officers are to be referred to as
army officers and nothing else." The RN was more succinct. Their
order stated, "In future pongos will be referred to as army
officers."


--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E
I will always explain revoked keys, unless the UK government
prevents me using the RIP Act 2000.
 
On Mon, 07 Jun 2004 10:52:35 +0100, David Hansen
<[email protected]> wrote:

>>>Got to ask, what's a pongo?

>>
>>Forces(?) slang for soldier. Less derogatory,imho, than squaddie.

>
>During the Second World War army officers got fed up of being called
>pongos and complained. As a result the RAF issued an order that said
>something like, "In future army officers are to be referred to as
>army officers and nothing else." The RN was more succinct. Their
>order stated, "In future pongos will be referred to as army
>officers."


Ta, both.

When I was feeling a bit down in the dumps a while ago a mate of mine
delivered a large box full of large airport departure-style novels.
I'm currently reading one of these called Dark Rose which is about the
Paletinians invading Ireland.

In the bath this morning I read a paragraph that reminded me of this
pongo business.

"****ing gits," the other officer muttered, moving a piece on the
board. The Navy, delighted delighted with the fictional Captain
Blackadder's terse remark: 'I don't care how many times they go
upiddy-up-up, they are still gits!', had overnight labelled all their
helicopter pilots with the tag, and every time something went wrong
with a helicopter it was always the gits' fault."

Totally OT
James
 

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