underused canals?

[Leni]

the likes of Boris Johnson who look at an atlas or map, see the compass bearing north, then believe that water will flow naturally from north to south, as if there was an imaginary head of water similar to the first and ground floor of a house!

 

[Timleech]

I fully agree with you. I am a supporter of canals being used for water transfer. While the water is being transferred I will be able to boat along without water shortages or low pounds etc. They may even do some dredging to increase the water capacity. Still vastly cheaper than £2.6bn pipelines.

 

Bring it on!

 

George ex nb Alton retired

 

On the basis of no evidence whatsoever, I'm convinced that the last time BW were half-decently funded was a time when the gubbinsment thought this was a serious option and so thought the canals worth looking after.

 

Tim

[carlt]

I think the other problem is, that the likes of Boris Johnson who look at an atlas or map, see the compass bearing north, then believe that water will flow naturally from north to south, as if there was an imaginary head of water similar to the first and ground floor of a house!

 

Yes the fools don't realise that, when the Earth's magnetic poles reverse, all the water will flow back up North again.

[Doorman]

It sometimes seems that everything we do in the UK has to have so many extra bells and whistles fitted.

 

I do believe you're right, but not sometimes, always!

 

How else could the mega rich contactors whom pee in the same bucket as our upstanding MP's, become so mega rich?

 

It's just another form of wealth creation, where 'the chosen few' gain contracts for these 'bells and whistles' when in reality, there isn't any real need for them. You only have to look at the original costings for the new Wembley stadium, compared to the final bill.

 

Whilst in business, if I had quoted for a job, then midway, escalated the cost outrageously, I would never have gained further contracts. How these companies are allowed to get away with it beggars belief!

 

Yes the fools don't realise that, when the Earth's magnetic poles reverse, all the water will flow back up North again.

 

 

Ah yes, but in anticipation, I've tendered a price for a massive non-return valve to be built on the Grand Union Canal.

[Leni]

You only have to look at the original costings for the new Wembley stadium, compared to the final bill.

And don't even mention the Olympics!

[Doorman]

And don't even mention the Olympics!

 

Be gods, you've just raised my dodgy blood pressure by reminding me of that great event that surely will benefit us all (who live within the boundaries of Westminster).

[Dalesman]

And don't even mention the Olympics!

Or the new oil tankers being built for the MOD in South Korea

[Chertsey]

I do believe you're right, but not sometimes, always!

 

How else could the mega rich contactors whom pee in the same bucket as our upstanding MP's, become so mega rich?

 

It's just another form of wealth creation, where 'the chosen few' gain contracts for these 'bells and whistles' when in reality, there isn't any real need for them. You only have to look at the original costings for the new Wembley stadium, compared to the final bill.

 

 

 

That's more like it, no need to blame academics.

[Proper Job]

I think the other problem is, that the likes of Boris Johnson who look at an atlas or map, see the compass bearing north, then believe that water will flow naturally from north to south, ..............

 

If it's not enough, can't we just jack up Scotland a bit?

 

It works for me when I need to get that last bit out of my glass

[matty40s]

Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson has said he is increasingly confident the 2012 Games will come in under budget.

His comments came as the latest figures showed the £527m contingency budget was still intact with 150 days to go until the start of the Olympics.

Mr Robertson also said the Olympic Delivery Authority's (ODA) construction programme was 96% complete.

 

they can donate the £527 M TO CaRT then....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Surely the way of forcing southward flow would be as simple as raising the bywashes and maybe lock gate tops at the North end of any summit by as little as a couple of inches.

Then pumpwater up to the summit pounds from the North, the water would automatically overflow southwards.

[Leni]

Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson has said he is increasingly confident the 2012 Games will come in under budget.

Which budget is that? The one on which we originally 'won' the right to host the games, or the one which has more than trebled in the years since?

[magpie patrick]

 

 

Surely the way of forcing southward flow would be as simple as raising the bywashes and maybe lock gate tops at the North end of any summit by as little as a couple of inches.

Then pumpwater up to the summit pounds from the North, the water would automatically overflow southwards.

 

Whilst there is a heck of a lot in the detail that's the jist of how it would be done. the downward bits would need either considerably bigger crest weirs or, more likely culverts with sluices as the quantities involved would be well beyond the capacity of a lock bywash.

 

A lot of safeguards are needed as well, it could get messy of the pump at Marsworth failed and the pump at the next lock carried on pumping...

[lexicon]

hmmm the old cheshunt of lack of water again.

 

when will they realise that desalination would work. And if sea levels rise due to global warming there would be plenty of water just need to remove the salt.

[Doorman]

That's more like it, no need to blame academics.

 

Why not? Aren't they the plonkers in government who run the country (into the ground!).

[Chertsey]

Why not? Aren't they the plonkers in government who run the country (into the ground!).

No, most absolutely not. You're thinking of politicians. Academics work in universities are the ones who study and expose their doings.

[AidanLincs]

How else could the mega rich contactors whom pee in the same bucket as our upstanding MP's, become so mega rich?

 

Ah, my blue touch-paper has been lit.

 

The problem is further down the echelons of government, too, and in the public sector generally. This year, my little IT company has lost two contracts for IT provision to schools. We still provide basic school desktop support to those schools, but lost out on the server and infrastructure management. I've found out from one of them that the reason for this is not because they didn't trust us, or felt that we were too small to be able to provide a reliable service. On the contrary, the references from our commercial customers, for whom we provide turnkey support of the whole IT infrastructure, were glowing with praise (without bribes). No. The problem was that the board of governors thought that our quote was too low. We quoted half the price of the eventual winners and they thought that we must not have understood their requirements.

 

In fact, having supported their office and curriculum PCs for 5 years, and doing a lot of unofficial (but requested) server and infrastructure support because their previous suppliers were useless, we knew exactly how much work was required. We submitted a quote based on that figure, with a contingency amount and a comfortable profit margin. The practical upshot of our honesty is that we lost the contract to someone who was either: a) greedy, b ) very poor at estimating the requirements, or c) just not very good.

 

I'm fuming.

 

But to keep this on topic:

Using canals to transport water - I agree with everything that has been said so far. Especially the contradictory bits.

[Doorman]

hmmm the old cheshunt of lack of water again.

 

when will they realise that desalination would work. And if sea levels rise due to global warming there would be plenty of water just need to remove the salt.

 

Ah, but for that to be viable, we'd have to be a nation that's surrounded by water. Do you think that the experts have noticed this?

[Timleech]

Ah, but for that to be viable, we'd have to be a nation that's surrounded by water. Do you think that the experts have noticed this?

 

We'd need some new nuclear power stations to supply the energy for the desalination

 

Tim

[Doorman]

No, most absolutely not. You're thinking of politicians. Academics work in universities are the ones who study and expose their doings.

 

Apologies! In real terms you're quite correct.

 

What I was referring to was the high percentage of Oxbridge outpourings that occupy the influential seats of power, within parliament. Their documented testaments of intellectual ability, far outweigh their aptitude to solve important issues that exist away from the textbook territory where they once excelled.

 

In short, they're totally at odds with reallity!

 

The pity of it all, especially here on Treasure Island, is that we don't appear to have any sort of alternative to an electoral system, that places self serving, self righteous clowns, in positions of power.

 

A problem that the acedemics have yet to solve!

Edited February 29, 2012 by Doorman

[Chertsey]

Apologies! In real terms you're quite correct.

 

What I was referring to was the high percentage of Oxbridge outpourings that occupy the influential seats of power, within parliament. Their documented testaments of intellectual ability, far outweigh their aptitude to solve important issues that exist away from the textbook territory where they once excelled.

 

In short, they're totally at odds with reallity!

 

The pity of it all, especially here on Treasure Island, is that we don't appear to have any sort of alternative to an electoral system, that places self serving, self righteous clowns, in positions of power.

 

A problem that the acedemics have yet to solve!

I had a friend who did PPE (Politics, Philosophy and Economics) at Oxford - the degree of choice for many aspiring MPs, particularly Conservative ones, and she had an interesting theory about its effect. Apparently you study all three subjects in the first year, and in Economics, you study classical free market economics. In the following years, you study all the alternatives to and criticisms of classical free market economics. But after the first year, you can drop one subject and concentrate on the other two. Her theory was that at this point all the young Tories dropped economics, and so knew nothing other than classical free market theory, and nothing of its shortcomings.

I have no idea whether there's any truth in this, but it's a lovely idea to explain their otherwise inexplicable adherence to a largely discredited and outdated theory.

[Doorman]

We'd need some new nuclear power stations to supply the energy for the desalination

 

Tim

 

I can't recall any on Gibtalter when we were there. They appear to excel at desalination without the inherent high energy costs, due to a more proactive approach adopted from necessity.

 

 

 

I had a friend who did PPE (Politics, Philosophy and Economics) at Oxford - the degree of choice for many aspiring MPs, particularly Conservative ones, and she had an interesting theory about its effect. Apparently you study all three subjects in the first year, and in Economics, you study classical free market economics. In the following years, you study all the alternatives to and criticisms of classical free market economics. But after the first year, you can drop one subject and concentrate on the other two. Her theory was that at this point all the young Tories dropped economics, and so knew nothing other than classical free market theory, and nothing of its shortcomings.

I have no idea whether there's any truth in this, but it's a lovely idea to explain their otherwise inexplicable adherence to a largely discredited and outdated theory.

 

Interesting account from one who's been there.

 

I wonder if the suits in the city also dropped economics too?

Edited February 29, 2012 by Doorman

[Morat]

I can't recall any on Gibtalter when we were there. They appear to excel at desalination without the inherent high energy costs, due to a more proactive approach adopted from necessity.

I thought their desalination was solar? Or have they changed?

 

 

 

 

Interesting account from one who's been there.

 

I wonder if the suits in the city also dropped economics too?

 

It certainly seems that way!

[mayalld]

I can't recall any on Gibtalter when we were there. They appear to excel at desalination without the inherent high energy costs, due to a more proactive approach adopted from necessity.

 

I believe that the sun shines there an awful lot.

[Doorman]

I believe that the sun shines there an awful lot.

 

It certainly didn't when we were there in January 2009

 

The best part of the visit was when one of the apes jumped onto the back of an unsuspecting tourist and refused to get off! The scene was reminiscent of Michael Flatley doing the Riverdance.

Edited February 29, 2012 by Doorman

[Dean Court]

Just to say the Scottish canals are getting their latest celestial top up as I type!