Clapham Crime

I must admit that when I saw this story:Teenager shot dead at Clapham North on the BBC news website, my first thought instead of being along the lines of 'How terrible' or similar, was closer to complete relief that I no longer live there.

As most of you will know, up until February 2005, I lived in a tiny garret in north Clapham, just 5 minutes walk from Clapham North tube station. Since I left, there have been gun-related murders amongst youths in Streatham, Peckham and now north Clapham, all within three or four miles of each other and far too close to where I used to live for comfort. Add to that the Metropolitan Police erroneous shooting of the Brazilian student at Stockwell (about 8 minutes walk from my old address) and you begin to feel that it is no longer the safest series of neighbourhoods in the city. I certainly feel a great deal safer up here in Whetstone, although being a fully paid up member of the cut and run brigade, I learnt long ago that my size and a sour expression would discourage most would-be idiots from trying anything untoward as far as I am concerned.

That said, is south London any worse now than 10 years ago? After all someone tried to mug me at gun point in May 1995 (he didn't get away with it, oh no) halfway between Stockwell and Clapham North, and a week or so later there was a shooting in the same area and sometime later a policeman was murdered just off the High Street in Cato Road. So maybe nothing has changed; it's no worse or no better.

But unlike 12 years ago, I'm happy not to be living there any more.

Clapham Crime

I must admit that when I saw this story:Teenager shot dead at Clapham North on the BBC news website, my first thought instead of being along the lines of 'How terrible' or similar, was closer to complete relief that I no longer live there.

As most of you will know, up until February 2005, I lived in a tiny garret in north Clapham, just 5 minutes walk from Clapham North tube station. Since I left, there have been gun-related murders amongst youths in Streatham, Peckham and now north Clapham, all within three or four miles of each other and far too close to where I used to live for comfort. Add to that the Metropolitan Police erroneous shooting of the Brazilian student at Stockwell (about 8 minutes walk from my old address) and you begin to feel that it is no longer the safest series of neighbourhoods in the city. I certainly feel a great deal safer up here in Whetstone, although being a fully paid up member of the cut and run brigade, I learnt long ago that my size and a sour expression would discourage most would-be idiots from trying anything untoward as far as I am concerned.

That said, is south London any worse now than 10 years ago? After all someone tried to mug me at gun point in May 1995 (he didn't get away with it, oh no) halfway between Stockwell and Clapham North, and a week or so later there was a shooting in the same area and sometime later a policeman was murdered just off the High Street in Cato Road. So maybe nothing has changed; it's no worse or no better.

But unlike 12 years ago, I'm happy not to be living there any more.

Torrents without the irony!

Despite my moaning about techie problems, sometimes it actually just does what it’s supposed to.

This morning after I rolled out of bed I checked the torrents to see how such things as my download of Casino Royale was coming along. It had finished during the night after a day and a half of creaky speeds and connectivity issues. Last night I downloaded the marker for episode 16 of SG-1 season 10 and it immediately queued. I left it like that, but was a little annoyed to find it still queued this morning while nothing was downloading and only a trickle uploading. So I manually set it to resume download.

Imagine my surprise when it immediately jumped in at 130kbs and briefly topped out at 430 for a few minutes while I was making coffee, before fluctuating between 295 and 310. The whole episode was downloaded in about 25 minutes. This almost never happens – to me at least.

All I have to do is find time to watch it, now!

Torrents without the irony!

Despite my moaning about techie problems, sometimes it actually just does what it’s supposed to.

This morning after I rolled out of bed I checked the torrents to see how such things as my download of Casino Royale was coming along. It had finished during the night after a day and a half of creaky speeds and connectivity issues. Last night I downloaded the marker for episode 16 of SG-1 season 10 and it immediately queued. I left it like that, but was a little annoyed to find it still queued this morning while nothing was downloading and only a trickle uploading. So I manually set it to resume download.

Imagine my surprise when it immediately jumped in at 130kbs and briefly topped out at 430 for a few minutes while I was making coffee, before fluctuating between 295 and 310. The whole episode was downloaded in about 25 minutes. This almost never happens – to me at least.

All I have to do is find time to watch it, now!

Drafting

Typical, ain’t it?

I am sitting at my desk trying to write an important policy submission to the Monster. It’s probably the single most important document I shall write this year because of the potential repercussions for the subsidy regime. I know what the points are that I need to make and I know how to make them. I am well aware of what I want to say and what the priorities are.

But the words won’t come.

I have writer’s block on that one issue. I can write on just about any other subject with no problem, but every sentence I have started on this submission just looks clumsy and poorly conceived. I am even looking forward to writing the damned thing if ever inspiration will take me.

I think I shall do something else for now and start again this afternoon. I haven’t yet had enough time to get the preferred levels of caffeine into my system.

Drafting

Typical, ain’t it?

I am sitting at my desk trying to write an important policy submission to the Monster. It’s probably the single most important document I shall write this year because of the potential repercussions for the subsidy regime. I know what the points are that I need to make and I know how to make them. I am well aware of what I want to say and what the priorities are.

But the words won’t come.

I have writer’s block on that one issue. I can write on just about any other subject with no problem, but every sentence I have started on this submission just looks clumsy and poorly conceived. I am even looking forward to writing the damned thing if ever inspiration will take me.

I think I shall do something else for now and start again this afternoon. I haven’t yet had enough time to get the preferred levels of caffeine into my system.