Great Western Coffee Shop

Sideshoots - associated subjects => The Lighter Side => Topic started by: Red Squirrel on August 28, 2015, 22:49:36



Title: New members
Post by: Red Squirrel on August 28, 2015, 22:49:36
I can't help noticing that a lot of people seem to have joined this forum in the last few weeks... does no-one else find this worrying? Has their loyalty to rail been tested? Are we sure that they don't clandestinely represent the motorist lobby?

I suppose we'll know soon enough, if grahame disappears and is replaced by jeremyc.


Title: Re: New members
Post by: grahame on August 29, 2015, 04:36:14
I can't help noticing that a lot of people seem to have joined this forum in the last few weeks... does no-one else find this worrying? Has their loyalty to rail been tested? Are we sure that they don't clandestinely represent the motorist lobby?

I suppose we'll know soon enough, if grahame disappears and is replaced by jeremyc.

I love it  ;D ;D ;D ;D

Yet many a true word spoken written in jest.

We make checks on signup requests; it's such a common issue that there are dedicated websites such as http://www.stopforumspam.com to help us ... and that's just one layer.  In most cases, the decisions are clearcut but there are some which are doubtful - indeed just yesterday I was delighted to be able to accept a member who's initial signup waved two yellow flags at me, but after an email exchange (s)he turned out to be genuine.

We have been made much stronger over the years by accepting and listening to / dealing with the arguments of a small number of members with whom we have not been in agreement. And I hope will continue to welcome)anyone with reasoned argument in a different direction to our own; occasionally it may mean things get a bit lively. 

Whilst I don't share certain views with Jeremy C,  I will admit to admit to finding his competitors in the Labour leadership contest a little seedy - "we need to take XXXX direction so we can have a realistic chance of getting into government" strikes me as being a case of putting a quest for power in front of principles.  But then you may call it "pragmatism" and that's something we all have to accept (after a deep breath) sometimes.

I hope we see a lot more people joining the forum over the next few weeks too  ;) ;)


Title: Re: New members
Post by: Surrey 455 on August 29, 2015, 10:29:27
I can't help noticing that a lot of people seem to have joined this forum in the last few weeks... does no-one else find this worrying? Has their loyalty to rail been tested? Are we sure that they don't clandestinely represent the motorist lobby?

I suppose we'll know soon enough, if grahame disappears and is replaced by jeremyc.

I initially assumed that you were talking about the controversial Jeremy C but then realised you were talking about the controversial Jeremy C instead. ;)

(Clarkson v Corbyn) It was the motoring reference that initially threw me!



Title: Re: New members
Post by: Tim on October 14, 2015, 14:44:45


I initially assumed that you were talking about the controversial Jeremy C but then realised you were talking about the controversial Jeremy C instead. ;)



I thought that you were talking about the Health Secretary, then I remembered that he is called Jeremy HUNT


Title: Re: New members
Post by: patch38 on October 14, 2015, 22:10:55
...then I remembered that he is called Jeremy HUNT

By everyone except Jim Naughtie.


Title: Re: New members
Post by: bobm on October 15, 2015, 07:35:58
..bet he never forgets now though.  ;D


Title: Re: New members
Post by: Red Squirrel on October 15, 2015, 10:10:27
..bet he never forgets now though.  ;D

Well, Mr Hunt has moved on and we have a new Culture Secretary now. Less potential for Spoonerisms.

It's on YouTube; always worth listening again (I won't provide a link; you can find it if you want to). I have to admire Jim's professionalism in holding it together when he realised what he'd said.

"Pardon me; coughing fit." Priceless.


Title: Re: New members
Post by: bobm on October 15, 2015, 10:32:47
I know someone who once had an unfortunate incident while reporting on the Coxless Pairs at Henley Royal Regatta.


Title: Re: New members
Post by: TonyK on October 15, 2015, 16:45:39
I know someone who once had an unfortunate incident while reporting on the Coxless Pairs at Henley Royal Regatta.

The pastor's wife at my church struggled with that one, one Sunday morning during the 2000 Olympics. We laughed so much afterwards that we nearly spilled our Bucks Fizz.


Title: Re: New members
Post by: JayMac on October 15, 2015, 16:56:18
Not forgetting the time Trevor McDonald meant to say, "Kent Countryside".


Title: Re: New members
Post by: bobm on October 15, 2015, 17:03:18
Seem to remember he had a problem with Turkish Kurds too.


Title: Re: New members
Post by: JayMac on October 15, 2015, 17:12:17
Not a Spoonerism but funny miscommunication:

https://youtu.be/auNXpFmj9U8?t=3m4s


Title: Re: New members
Post by: Thatcham Crossing on October 15, 2015, 17:15:38
Norman Smith (BBC political journo) recently made a more direct slip-up live on-air of course, calling Nigel Farage something very rude indeed!


Title: Re: New members
Post by: Chris from Nailsea on October 16, 2015, 00:52:05
We laughed so much afterwards that we nearly spilled our Bucks Fizz.

A relative of mine, in the hotel trade in Devon (names not given, to protect the guilty!) recounted to me the following story.

There was a new waitress who ventured out into the dining room to take an order from an elderly couple. After much discussion, and several changes of mind about what food and drink the customers actually required, the waitress wanted to make sure she had noted their order correctly. She apparently asked, "so, is it one or two Busy F*cks you wanted?" - before rushing back to the kitchen, scarlet with embarrassment. ;D


Title: Re: New members
Post by: Chris from Nailsea on October 16, 2015, 01:46:57
There was also the classic 'didn't quite get his leg over (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsVTpX7LdZQ)' cricket incident, where Brian Johnston and Jonathan Agnew gradually fall apart while trying to continue their summary.  ;D


Title: Re: New members
Post by: PhilWakely on October 16, 2015, 08:39:39
There was also the classic 'didn't quite get his leg over (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsVTpX7LdZQ)' cricket incident, where Brian Johnston and Jonathan Agnew gradually fall apart while trying to continue their summary.  ;D

Or the classic that led to the 'Colemanballs' expression from the 1976 Montreal Olympics 200m final when David Coleman described Alberto Juantorena's acceleration as ..............'The big Cuban opened his legs and showed his class'

Or, another Brian Johnson classic when Michael Holding was bowling to Peter Willey  "The bowlers Holding the batmans Willey"


Title: Re: New members
Post by: Red Squirrel on October 16, 2015, 09:11:30
Glad to see we've wrestled this back to the original subject, i.e. 'members'.


Title: Re: New members
Post by: BerkshireBugsy on October 16, 2015, 15:09:09
Checking membership of any forum like this is a responsible job and I feel the team here do a good job (pat on back team)

I look after a closed Facebook group for young beaver (scouts) and vet new requests to join carefully.

We do get some strange join requests which mainly seem to come from the wider public who either deliberately or innocently misunderstand the use of the word "Beaver" in this context


Title: Re: New members
Post by: bobm on October 16, 2015, 15:50:28
We too have our fair share of "unusual" sign-ups.

As a random example we have had 26 requests for membership in the last 24 hours.  Not one is from "our part" of the UK - not that that in itself would disqualify them.  There are email addresses with more fullstops in them than would ever be practical and one address that is no less than 39 characters long.  Those are the easy ones to dismiss, but over the years we have learned to concentrate on the borderline ones and in the main we, touch wood, get those right. 

We tend to err on the side of caution which does occasionally provoke an email saying "Hey why was I turned down?"  But that very email tells us all we need to know and we can get them signed up.

It is a constant battle, but worth it to keep these pages free of exhortations to buy questionable products or invites to take a trip to some dodgy area of the internet.

(and in the time it took me to write this post - we have had two more sign-ups from people you won't see posting here!)


Title: Re: New members
Post by: TonyK on October 16, 2015, 17:21:07
Checking membership of any forum like this is a responsible job and I feel the team here do a good job (pat on back team)

I look after a closed Facebook group for young beaver (scouts) and vet new requests to join carefully.

We do get some strange join requests which mainly seem to come from the wider public who either deliberately or innocently misunderstand the use of the word "Beaver" in this context

Let's face it. If, in modern times, you were to write a book tiitled "Scouting for Boys", you would be on some sort of register by teatime.


Title: Re: New members
Post by: PhilWakely on October 16, 2015, 17:33:54
Let's face it. If, in modern times, you were to write a book tiitled "Scouting for Boys", you would be on some sort of register by teatime.
And if you to carry some of the items or undertake some of the activities suggested in BP's book, you'd probably end up inside!



This page is printed from the "Coffee Shop" forum at http://gwr.passenger.chat which is provided by a customer of Great Western Railway. Views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that content provided contravenes our posting rules ( see http://railcustomer.info/1761 ). The forum is hosted by Well House Consultants - http://www.wellho.net