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PostPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 22:29 
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Gun crime and deaths were falling in the UK, but have risen recently mostly due to our changing population and incoming cultures which are more pre disposed to using firearms. I used the USA as an extreme example of what happens when gun laws are to lax. We are I believe one of the lowest in europe, I know we are lower than france and Germany, but dont have the numbers to hand. Night all

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 22:38 
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velocityraptor wrote:
Gun crime and deaths were falling in the UK, but have risen recently mostly due to our changing population and incoming cultures which are more pre disposed to using firearms. I used the USA as an extreme example of what happens when gun laws are to lax. We are I believe one of the lowest in europe, I know we are lower than france and Germany, but dont have the numbers to hand. Night all


I'm glad you agree the example was extreme. We are indeed one of the safest in europe as we were before the ban. Do you think the ban has prevented deaths or do you think the rising death toll suggests otherwise?


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PostPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 22:45 
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Thatsnews wrote:
"Oops! I'll get your little toe, then. It's over there, under the 'please turn off your mobile phone' sign." :D


That's an example of why phones should be set to silent/non-vibrate - but still be available for messaging, net access, gaming or other uses that don't make any sudden noises - in many "no phone" zones, not a reason to turn them off completely...

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 22:57 
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The problem is that we have more and more rules, but they command less and less public acceptance. I have never shot a pistol or hunted a fox in my life, yet over the years I would suggest the legal followers of those two activities have been amongst the most loyal and patriotic groups in the country, especially when it came to putting one's life on the line in wartime. Yet what reward do they get? The activity they have pursued legally for decades is banned.

It is hardly surprising that comments that "this law is wrong, you can't really blame people for breaking it" become ever more common in the media - and that this attitude rubs off across society. Compared with forty years ago, I think most people now - particularly those traditionally regarded as "upstanding citizens" - have a much more contingent attitude towards legal compliance in general.

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 23:10 
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My answers below Riggers, grouped in a readable order.

All silly (or mostly silly):

Identity documents must be carried by everyone over 8 years of age at all times.

In flats, it is prohibited by German Law, to hang washing which shows above the flat balcony level.

In Germany, Sundays and Public Holidays are treated as days of rest and you are not permitted to Hang laundry on outside lines, clean windows, clean outside areas, mow lawns, clean or do maintenance on cars.

In Line and Roller Skates / Skate Boards:

No removal of bushes, trees or flowers allowed. Climbing trees is not allowed. No games involving throwing an object eg 'Frisbees' (see Children's Play Area). No public furniture to be removed e.g. park benches, ornaments etc. No begging. Being drunk or conducting oneself in a noisy manner is prohibited.

Bathing in ponds, rivers and canals is prohibited unless a notice has been erected by the local authorities stating that bathing is permitted.
I can tell you from my own personal experience that this is ignored :D


Mixed feelings:

Washing of Cars:
Seems silly but apparently there is a waste chemical issue.

Pavements:
Snow:
I’ve help some German friends do just that.

Garden Rubbish:
They like to compost and packaging is almost totally recyclable so it’s not so much an issue for them

Parking:
Not sure about that one.

Barbecue cooking or grilling is not permitted on the balconies of flats.
I didn’t know that anyone did that over here anyway, so it seems redundant.




All good:

Children's Play Areas:

Children - Bicycles:

Noise:

Car Noise:

All vehicles must be registered if parked on Public Roads or in a Public Vehicle Park.

In Germany, parents are generally held responsible for the misconduct of their children.
The best! This is partly why this country is failing.


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PostPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 23:11 
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The long list of prohibitions in Germany (some of which are actually not petty or stupid at all) does not address the main problem in the UK - stupidly overzealous enforcement.

I note that no comment is made about how officious German enforcement actually is.

In this country, we would have gangs of Quislings with stopwatches timing people clearing the snow from their paths.

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 23:14 
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PeterE wrote:
The problem is that we have more and more rules, but they command less and less public acceptance. I have never shot a pistol or hunted a fox in my life, yet over the years I would suggest the legal followers of those two activities have been amongst the most loyal and patriotic groups in the country, especially when it came to putting one's life on the line in wartime. Yet what reward do they get? The activity they have pursued legally for decades is banned.

It is hardly surprising that comments that "this law is wrong, you can't really blame people for breaking it" become ever more common in the media - and that this attitude rubs off across society. Compared with forty years ago, I think most people now - particularly those traditionally regarded as "upstanding citizens" - have a much more contingent attitude towards legal compliance in general.


So we're getting more belligerent about rules in general even though many of the ones we can actually point to as being silly or unecesary don't even affect the majority of us directly? That doesn't add up, why the heck would someone disobey, say, a traffic light because someone else can't hunt or shoot?
Is this 'silly rules' thing just an unelaborate excuse for bad behaviour perhaps?

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 23:15 
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malcolmw wrote:
I note that no comment is made about how officious German enforcement actually is.

There didn't ever seem to be anyone around to enforce them, but then the parents had a responsibility to raise their children is a social manner so I guess that's why it's not a significant issue.


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PostPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 23:21 
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malcolmw wrote:
In this country, we would have gangs of Quislings with stopwatches timing people clearing the snow from their paths.


Perhaps because most people would have a major bottom lip pout about it, call it a silly rule and ignore it. In Germany, as a rule, they don't and so there is no need for the er, Quislings, to do their thing.

You are right Smeggy, some of those things are ignored, others are enforced on an 'as detected' basis. I think its a regional thing as well, some bylaws don't apply nationally.

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 23:28 
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No wonder driving enthusiasts "visit" Germany to enjoy autobahnen and the Nordschliefe, rather than endure a prolonged stay!

Actually, Mrs M was stationed at Bielefeld for a few years and she loved her time over there. Especially the Gyros pittas mit tzatziki.......

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 23:43 
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I'm something of a bleeding heart liberal, but I believe the foxhunting ban is a silly rule - there is a considered body of evidence that shows that foxes should be moved around a lot so that they don't inbreed. The hunts would often split up family groups so they could not interbreed. Hence the fox stock will get less healthy without the hunts.

-but-

the hunting fraternity have themselves to blame for the total ban, as they resisted all attempts to run under a license.

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 00:14 
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velocityraptor wrote:
I find it hard to believe anyone would think banning hand guns is silly. Last year the uk had 58 murders using firearms. Not bad!



So despite the ban, 58 people were murdered with guns. Those will be the easily available illegal ones then... Governments think that when you ban somthing the problem goes away. It doesn't, it just goes underground and becomes harder to track. Just like drugs and perhaps prostitution after Harriet Harman gets her way.

The ban is silly because it only addresses the firearms held legally under the provisions of Firearms Certificates, so the 99.99% of responsible shooters were penalised by tabloid led knee jerk government response after the awful Dunblane incident. That was very much a failure in policing the already strict firearms laws, Thomas Hamilton was known to be unstable and there had been several requests to have his licence revoked.
A study by the Metropolitan Police of 657 armed robberies in the London area from January 1988 to June 1991 found that half the robberies were perpetrated with imitation firearms. Of the remaining 328 real weapons, only one involved a gun which had ever been within the Firearms Certificate system. Dunblane was the only British mass murder in the last century with a lawfully registered pistol.


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 00:40 
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I believe that it has been made expressly illegal to detonate nuclear devices in the UK.

I'm sure that we'll all sleep sounder in our beds knowing this. :-)

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 09:56 
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How about the silly rules that can define my old fridge or sofa as either domestic or commercial waste depending on which of my vehicles I take it down to the local dump in!

As a consequence of this "silly rule" everywhere I go I see old fridges and rotting sofas littering the side of the road. It was never this bad before the "silly rule" was introduced and the cost of cleaning up the mess must be many times the original cost of simply providing "free" disposal! (Not to mention the enviromental damage)

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 10:02 
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A new employee is being assigned to a outside contract that we've just won from her old firm.

Said contract requires her to undergo security screening again as she works for us now, which is quite silly in itself.

Even better is that she can't mention her previous screened status at the same firm in the box that asks whether she's ever been screened before, because they've erased all record of her from their database.

But it's ok to use a different organisation's security process as a reference.....


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 10:13 
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Rigpig wrote:
What do we think of being instructed to do all this then........


Many of those things hold here in the UK as well, especially clamps on the noisy rowdies and whatnot. I don't know why the coppers don't nab more wastrels over here - it's money for nothing.


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 10:24 
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Valle Crucis wrote:
Rigpig wrote:
What do we think of being instructed to do all this then........

Many of those things hold here in the UK as well, especially clamps on the noisy rowdies and whatnot. I don't know why the coppers don't nab more wastrels over here - it's money for nothing.

But there's no money in it, is there? Pretty much the only law enforcement activity that is capable of being financially self-sustaining is catching properly registered drivers for speeding with cameras. Which explains why it has become so popular with the authorities :x

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 11:04 
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Having pay to get a pack of documents together to sell your house when said pack is then re-checked on contract completion so you pay for it twice.

Having to pay for "fines" without your right to prove your innocence and your right not to incriminate yourself.

All the rules that are meant to tell you how to live your life and be a good citizen but actually achieve nothing. Such as drinking one glass of red wine a day is beneficial but if you're middle class and 30-40 you're probably an alcoholic because you drink too much red wine!

Anything with "green" or "initiative" or "carbon" in the title.

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 11:32 
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Here's a silly rule. I recently delivered a server to a large organisation. I wont say which one, but your tax money funds them. They were aware that they were buying a pre-configured system customised to meet their requirements.

I arrive, meet their IT guy, he helps me unload it from the back seat of my car, take it upstairs and put it in the server room, we then both start pluging in the various bits, he connects it to the network and powers it up.

Once it's up, I go to log in and he stops me, and tells me that I'm not allowed to touch any server connected to their network, even though I've been through the background check process.

Why not? I ask

That's the rules. It's to make sure you don't install a keylogger or something.

Umm, you realise that thing has been in my house for the last month and a half?

Yes, what's your point?

Well don't you think I would've installed the keylogger then, when you wern't watching me?

Yeah *sigh* but there's nothing in the rules to cover that.

I then had to spend the rest of the day telling him what to type and where to click. He was a smart guy (thank god) but no-one knows the software I wrote better than me and the job should have only taken a couple of hours.


Later in the day I needed to get something off the internet, so I get my laptop and mobile phone out, and I'm stopped again. Apparently, I'm not supposed to use bluetooth in the server room, at this point I'm getting annoyed, so I decide to return the favour. I go and stand by the door to the server room..

"Is here ok?"

"no"

I open the door, and hold the laptop through it. "how about now?"

"yes that's fine"

I pull the laptop a closer to me, crossing the threshold of the door, "but not now?"

"no. it's in the server room now"

"ok, fine". I stand outside the doorway, dial up.. "I'm downloading the file now.. hey, can you pass me my mobile phone, I left it on top of the server next to you"


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 11:56 
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Taxing cars based on their average emissions.

That is like taxing a person based on the average income for people doing the same job.


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