Head protection - the case against

[Just zis Guy, you know?]

On Sat, 05 Nov 2005 15:46:28 GMT, "Pinky"
<[email protected]> said in
<[email protected]>:

> "I wear a helmet all the time"
>"I don't find it uncomfortable"
>"my perceived evidence is that a lot of cyclists wear helmets"

I used to wear a helmet all the time
I thought I didn't find it uncomfortable
And then I stopped and realised I did, in fact, but that I was
deluding myself into thinking I didn't.

And the reason I stopped was that I read the actual source evidence
which supports helmet use. It is uniformly abysmal. Seriously.

Guy
--
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

"To every complex problem there is a solution which is
simple, neat and wrong" - HL Mencken

 

[Sue White]

Mike Causer <[email protected]> whizzed past me
shouting
>On Wed, 02 Nov 2005 23:25:13 +0000, Sue White wrote:
>
>> I've got a recipe for cooking them somewhere too...
>
>The traditional "Nail to a plank of hardwood, boil until the wood
>is soft, then eat the wood."?
>

If you get tired of boiled troll, here's how to grill one:

Troll meat is very tough so you have to marinade them Outback style.
Find a river and stick the carcass under a submerged log or rock for at
least a week. This softens them up very nicely.

Then skin the troll. This is done by tying its ankles to your tractor
and dragging it over tarmac or any hard ground you can find.
At least 5 miles per side. Gravel also helps with the softening
process. Granite setts are good.

Your troll is now ready to cut up. A chainsaw works OK but if you've
got a 950W demolition hammer with chisel attachment it'll be quicker.
Discard the entrails, feet, etc. and hang the head on a fencepost as a
conversation piece. The head also keeps badgers off your property and
out of your dustbins.
The finer cuts can be done with a machete. You want to try and beat some
2 to 3 inch thick steaks off of the carcass, and the smaller pieces can
be used for stew.
Spice the cuts with garlic, paprika, and salt well.

As far as the cooking goes, you must preheat your grill 950 degrees
farenheit (about 500C).
You are probably thinking "how ?". Well, you have to use two old
magnesium wheels, like the ones Lee had on his Torino back in the 70's.
You can find them at scrapyards. Place the wheels in the grill side by
side, and fire them off with a cutting torch. Don't look at them with
your naked eyes. Close the grill and move away quickly. When the entire
grill glows a bright cherry red, it is ready.

From a safe distance, place the troll meat on the preheated grill and
baste with home-made whisky. Cook the meat on one side for 25 minutes
while drinking more whisky. Turn the meat and douse the whole grill
with poteen. When the fireball goes up, everyone should cheer loudly
and dance around like savages.
Close the grill and cook for another 25 minutes.
Keep drinking in the meantime.

Garnish with tender young nettle tips and serve with a selection of
salads.

(Recipe stolen from another group, power tools from Screwfix.com)
--
Sue ];)

What goes down must come up again - Confucius' Law of Mountain Biking

 

[Helen Deborah Vecht]

Sue White <[email protected]>typed

> Garnish with tender young nettle tips and serve with a selection of
> salads.

> (Recipe stolen from another group, power tools from Screwfix.com)

Superb!

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email protected]
Edgware.

 

[Mike Causer]

On Sun, 06 Nov 2005 14:01:08 +0000, Sue White wrote:

> If you get tired of boiled troll, here's how to grill one:

> You are probably thinking "how ?". Well, you have to use two old
> magnesium wheels, like the ones Lee had on his Torino back in the 70's.
> You can find them at scrapyards. Place the wheels in the grill side by
> side, and fire them off with a cutting torch. Don't look at them with
> your naked eyes.

I've got one magnesium wheel, but it's genuine magnesium unlike the
"mag" wheels you might find in a scrapyard, which will be aluminium.
I've also got some rescue flares which are essentially magnesium foil
in a steel tube [1]. There's lots of fenland nearby [2].

Can you get me a troll to experiment with?



[1] The wheel and the flares are in separate buildings.....

[2] Which has been used (illegally, but on 5th Nov 19xx, so probably
undetected) to experience what it really takes to set off a flare.
They're foooooking bright when you're holding them!!!!



Mike

 

[Tony Raven]

Mike Causer wrote:
>
> Can you get me a troll to experiment with?
>

Just whisper the magic troll summoning incantation "Helmets are bad" and
one will be along in a jiffy.


--
Tony

"The best way I know of to win an argument is to start by being in the
right."
- Lord Hailsham

 

[Matt B]

"David Martin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Matt B wrote:
>> Attempting to halt the discriminatory fashion of stereotyping 4x4s.
>
> A sterotype is a lack of discrimination. So sterotyping is
> indiscriminate. You were arguing for more discrimination, not less.

You have misconstrued my point. The "stereotyping" is as in tarring all
4x4s and all 4x4 users with the same brush. The discrimination is as in
treating them in a worse way, simply because of the 4x4 label, than others
are treated who pollute more, or cause more danger without being or using a
4x4.

--
Matt B

 

[Alan Braggins]

Mike Causer wrote:
>I've also got some rescue flares which are essentially magnesium foil
>in a steel tube [1]. There's lots of fenland nearby [2].
[...]
>[2] Which has been used (illegally, but on 5th Nov 19xx, so probably
> undetected) to experience what it really takes to set off a flare.

I think the chances of wasting the coastguards' time on a false alarm
are fairly small that far inland. What's the offically approved manner
of disposing of surplus out of date flares?

 

[MartinM]

Alan Braggins wrote:

What's the offically approved manner
> of disposing of surplus out of date flares?

dunno about out of date but Lewes was awash with them on Saturday,
mostly hand held in the procession but a few launched in the air to
signal a billion aerial explosions.

 

[Keith Willoughby]

[email protected] (Alan Braggins) writes:

> What's the offically approved manner of disposing of surplus out of
> date flares?

Oxfam, but don't bother; they'll be back in fashion before you know it.

--
Keith Willoughby http://flat222.org/keith/
"I start at Ludgate circus, bend in the middle,
and end up in the Law Courts"

 

[Mike Causer]

On Mon, 07 Nov 2005 10:46:23 +0000, Alan Braggins wrote:

> Mike Causer wrote:
>>I've also got some rescue flares which are essentially magnesium foil in
>>a steel tube [1]. There's lots of fenland nearby [2].
> [...]
>>[2] Which has been used (illegally, but on 5th Nov 19xx, so probably
>> undetected) to experience what it really takes to set off a flare.
>
> I think the chances of wasting the coastguards' time on a false alarm are
> fairly small that far inland.

The parachute flare was probably visible for 20 miles around! Not
quite half-way to the sea, but far enough to arouse unwelcome attention
from officialdom on any other night.


> What's the offically approved manner of disposing of surplus out of
> date flares?

Take them to a Coastguard station apparently, but only in the western side
of the UK according to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's website.
<http://www.mcga.gov.uk/>


Mike

 

[jtaylor]

"Matt B" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> >>
> > I realise that the OP may have been trolling,
>
> I can assure you I wasn't.
>

But you would say that.

 

[Matt B]

"jtaylor" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:%[email protected]!nnrp1.uunet.ca...
>
> "Matt B" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> >>
>> > I realise that the OP may have been trolling,
>>
>> I can assure you I wasn't.
>>
>
> But you would say that.

And what was the result of your poll? Did you get an overwhelming majority
to support your view?

--
Matt B

 

[David Hansen]

On Mon, 07 Nov 2005 13:09:48 +0000 someone who may be Mike Causer
<[email protected]> wrote this:-

>> What's the offically approved manner of disposing of surplus out of
>> date flares?
>
>Take them to a Coastguard station apparently, but only in the western side
>of the UK according to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's website.

Rather difficult to do since they closed many of them down in order
to save money.


--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E
I will always explain revoked keys, unless the UK government
prevents me by using the RIP Act 2000.

 

[Sue White]

Mike Causer <[email protected]> whizzed past me
shouting
>
>Can you get me a troll to experiment with?
>

There's lots in demon.local, I'll get me traactor

--
Sue ];)

 

[John Hearns]

On Fri, 04 Nov 2005 09:39:09 +0000, John Hearns wrote:

>
> Bicycle helmets are made of polystyrene, are extremely lightweight and are
> full of holes.
> Repeating the point made several times on this thread already, yes IMH
Sorry, to continue.
Yes, IMHO cycle helmets do protect when you fall off your bike.
If you hit your head on the ground they will stop a bang on the head.
But in serious incidents involving motor vehicles they are unlikely to do
any good.

 

[Peter Clinch]

John Hearns wrote:

> Yes, IMHO cycle helmets do protect when you fall off your bike.
> If you hit your head on the ground they will stop a bang on the head.

Though this ignores the point that in making your head bigger and
heavier they will tend to increase the number of incidences of hitting
one's head in a fall.
And in allowing greater leverage there can be falls where the "bang" is
made rather worse.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/