Points to Ponder

[Nemesis]

OMG-- I hope it wasn't one of those huge cream slices !

[Fester]

Of course not.... it was TWO of them!

[Fester]

I have often wondered how TV viewing figures are gathered.

I mean, back in the 1970's, how did they know I was watching The Two Ronnies Xmas Special, rather than the Mike Yarwood one?

This week, I was surprised to hear that despite a major push on the Welsh language in recent years, there are a dwindling number of people (450,000) who tune into S4C each week. 
That works out at less than 70,000 per day.

Now, how do they know that?  How do they filter out those like me who tune in by accident?
You see S4C is on channel 104 in Wales (when using SKY), but most people click on channel 104 expecting to find the real 'Channel 4'
Also, is it 70,000 unique visitors per day?  Or if I watch  programmes am I counted twice?

Most bemusing...   

[DaveR]

I have often wondered how TV viewing figures are gathered.

Thanks to the wonder that is the Internet, you need wonder no longer... 
http://www.barb.co.uk/about/tv-measurement?_s=4

[Fester]

Well done Dave.... so its mainly calculated from a panel of selected households....   Hmmmm 

[born2run]

Well done Dave.... so its mainly calculated from a panel of selected households....   Hmmmm 

Good job I don't have one of them boxes, It would mean that viewing figures for 5000 homes in Britain would be on Babestation for 6 hours a day   

[Fester]

Well done Dave.... so its mainly calculated from a panel of selected households....   Hmmmm 

Good job I don't have one of them boxes, It would mean that viewing figures for 5000 homes in Britain would be on Babestation for 6 hours a day   

I got through to Babestation on my phone, and one of those sexy females said seductively, ''Hi Honey, what can I do for you?''

I hastily replied, ''You could HIDE,  because my wife is coming down stairs and I've lost the remote control!!!'' 

[Fester]

In recent months the media has been packed with articles about the abuse of people when they were children.
Some of these tales go back nearly half a century.
Before that, we had the Prime Minister apologising for Britain's involvement in the slave trade, some 200 years ago.
Now, without ever wanting to trivialise those issues, I got to thinking...

During my own childhood, I was the victim of physical abuse on multiple occasions.
The headmaster would rap my palm with a cane, the maths teacher would clatter my ears for not paying attention, the french teacher put the 3-foot board ruler across my backside on many occasions.
The PE teacher slapped the bag of my legs, Deputy head would force unruly lads to attend judo class and there he would ensure that punishment was meted out directly and painfully.  The list goes on and on.
Is it unfair to say that there was a 'culture of physical abuse' endemic in my school and many others?

To compound this, I have to admit that my parents were complicit in this abuse, and if I got a clout from a teacher, they either agreed with it, or gave me another clout for getting into trouble.
The local policeman towed me home by the ear-lobe when he discovered me on top of the bus shelter!
Only my Grandma stood in the way of this tidal wave of violence. In her eyes I could do no wrong, and she would willingly have meted out vengeance to my aggressors if she could. (God bless her)

Now, on reflection I think I deserve an apology from the current Education Minister, a 7-figure financial settlement from the police commissioner, and the immediate arrest of my parents in connection with these matters.

Everything seemed so normal to me until I saw all these news stories recently.
But now, I realise that my life has been a litany of abuse and torment.

Perhaps other Forum members have similar 'harrowing' tales, and we could form a support group?

[Bri Roberts]

and start a new charity?

[Nemesis]

Have to agree there Fester. Our teachers thought nothing of lobbing the nearest thing at you, if your mind looked to be elsewhere and even at junior school girls were walloped with an old gym shoe and boys with a rounders bat. And I might point out I didn't go to a 'rough' school-- this was the local girl's high school.
We had a geography master who was a dab hand at throwing a wooden board rubber right across the room and connecting it with the miscreant's ear 'ole. He'd be locked up these days !

[snowcap]

they were just the run of the mill way of life, but at least you had respect for the ogres that were dealing out the punishment and took it in your stride

[Nemesis]

Exactly Snowcap, it was all in a day at school then ! Most of the teachers were old fogies in tweed suits. The first male teachers were a big shock in an all female school, I imagine they must have been very apprehensive !
Where my OH went the masters still wore the academic gowns-- makes me think of Jimmy Edwards. Whacko !

[Ian]

Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, is now a UK citizen but says that there's 'no way' he could have founded Wikipedia in the UK because of our absurd libel laws.

[DaveR]

As Ministers propose a minimum price of 45p a unit for the sale of alcohol in England and Wales, two senior North Wales councillors have called on shops and supermarkets to be more responsible in their attitude towards the sale of alcohol.

The call was made by Councillor Phil Edwards, Conwy's Cabinet Member for Communities and Councillor David Smith, Denbighshire Lead Member for Public Realm, following a meeting of the Conwy and Denbighshire Community Safety Strategic Group held at Divisional Police HQ at St.Asaph to discuss ways of reducing violent crimes and their impact on communities.

The group was particularly concerned about the increased incidence of violence in the home.

Councillor Phil Edwards said,"The link between crimes and many offences involving violence has been long established. Licensing Committees on Local Authorities have made a great deal of headway in tackling troublesome pubs and off-licences but there is now a growing body of evidence that shows that alcohol induced violence in the homes has increased significantly and that this problem is made worse by the availability of cheap beers and strong ciders in retail outlets. The statistics that relate to domestic violence, which too often ends in tragedy for a family is frightening and it is high time we all started to tackle this seriously. At least one woman is killed every day by domestic violence and the link between this and too much alcohol is undeniable".

Councillor Edwards added, "Shops and Supermarkets need to remember that they are subject to the same strict Licensing Laws as pubs and clubs and if their activities contribute in any way against the Licensing Objectives, they will have to face the consequences in exactly the same way. In my view, there is very little difference between encouraging people to drink excessively in a 'happy hour' and encouraging people by offering alcohol at grossly reduced prices. The outcome too often is the same and it's time that responsible sale of alcohol came before profits."

Councillor David Smith agreedand said, "As responsible Councillors we are concerned at the number of crimes associated with alcohol abuse, particularly alcohol induced crime in the home. In many cases, this is a result of readily available cheap alcoholic drinks many of which have high alcohol levels. I fully endorse the comments made by Councillor Phil Edwards and would ask retailers who sell alcohol to be more responsible in the way they sell alcohol to the public."

[Fester]

Dave, I warned you last week about drinking Stella Lager.

There is a reason that it often referred to as 'Wifebeater'