posted October 01, 2009 02:12 PM         

no idea what he's written about London .. :-))

it's based around his stand-up comedy gigs in different parts of the country ..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
review :

.. Nostalgia, identity, eccentricity, gin drinking and occasional violence...these are just some of the themes that stand-up comedian Dara O’Briain explores in Tickling the English. O’Briain moved to England many years ago, but when he takes his show on tour around the country - from deserted seaside towns and remote off-shore islands, to sprawling industrial cities and sleepy suburbs - it's clear to him that his adopted home is still a bit of an enigma.

posted October 01, 2009 04:41 PM         

Just be streewise... don't chat on your mobile or a kid on a bike is gonna come up and snatch it. etc etc

posted October 06, 2009 11:15 AM         

but some tips -

avoid eye contact with youths, particularly the ones that to you seem like trouble makers.

in london, stabbings are getting quite out of hand, and anyone is a potential target, it can take what is perceived as a 'bad look' to the wrong person and they can be enough.

its also good as mentioned before, not to be a walking advertisement, if you have a mobile, especially if its expensive or flashy, be aware of you're surroundings, be weary of who's around, if the wrong people see you get it out, yes they could robb you.

if you're traveling on trains, its better than Busses.

if you do come across youth's, don't show you're intimidated (if you are) but don't give them something to start on.

its not like all youths are bad though.

you should be ok either way.

enjoy london if you go.

posted October 06, 2009 12:02 PM         

Tuesday 11th August 2009
comment Comments (1) Have your say »
By Elizabeth Pears »
( ~ http://www.haringeyindependent.co.uk/news/4539617.Tottenham_Hale_cyclists_warned_after_spate_of_robberies/ ~ )

A SPATE of robberies around Tottenham Lock has triggered a warning from police for residents to be on their guard.
Haringey police issued the warning yesterday after four robberies and attempted robberies, believed to be linked, in and around the Ferry Lane area.
They have also launched an appeal for information.
The first attack tool place in Ferry Lane on June 18, at 9.30pm.
A 42-year-old man was walking his bicycle when he was approached by a group of youths who snatched his bike before running off.
No violence or threats of violence were used.

On July 12 at 10.10pm a 36-year-old man who had been cycling along the Tottenham Lock tow path was knocked off his bicycle and dragged to the ground.
He was then hit by his attacker, causing facial bruising, while a second man arrived, also on a bicycle, and demanded money.
The pair made off with the victim's bike and phone.

Three days later in Canal Path, at 8pm, a 36-year-old man was cycling when he tried to pass a group of men on the path, when he was hit by a long piece of wood, causing him to fall from the bike.
The gang surrounded him and unleashed a frenzy of punches and kicks.
He tried to fend them off but fell into the river with his bike.
The suspects ran off empty handed.

But in the same road on July 28 at 5.10pm, a 59-year-old man was cycling along the canal path towards a group of men standing on the path.
One of the men, whose face was obscured by a scarf, blocked his path and pulled out a knife as he demanded cash.
The victim refused and was stabbed in his upper leg.
He tried to escape but was caught by a group of men who took his bike.
The victim was taken by ambulance to hospital for treatment and was released later that day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

homophobic and xenophobic attacks also seem to be on the increase ..
( seemingly since the bnp rcvd so many votes recently )

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

posted October 06, 2009 01:26 PM         

have experienced it myslef .. on three occasions ..
( threats from complete stangers .. always from a 'gang' )
about three years back ..
luckily nothing serious came of it ..

one of the worst i saw on the tele ..
CCTV footage ..
male teenager on his own ..
sitting on a roadside bench ( in london )
waiting for his pre-arranged ride home ..
two men came up from behind him and immediately punched him in the head ..
they had just left a 'club' .. and were obviously 'high' on something ..
total strangers to the lad sitting minding his own business ..
he was hit so hard .. it killed him ..

( the perpetrators were later convicted i think )

even worse was the recent story of the two french students ..
robbed .. tortured .. and killed in their rented flat ..
~ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7487126.stm ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

mmmmm .. rekon i would find a cool place to stay out of london ..
glastonbury for example .. 'n visit the london attractions by day ..
and stik to places with plenty of other folk about ..

the upsurge in aggression towards strangers ..
( i.e. stranger as in 'unknown to the perpretrator' .. )
seems uk wide .. mainly in cities and some towns ..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
stats at the moment ..
british women are the most violent worldwide ..
one quater of arrests now for violence are women ..
britain is 2nd on the world list for 'road rage' ..
and it ranks high on the list for social-violence in the developed countries
( can't remember the placing .. but i think it was higher than the usa )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

should balance this out with pics of rolling hills ..
cute sheep and quaint villages ..
canal boats .. museums .. castles ..

odd though .. my first impression of britain ..
arriving in '84 ..
" beautiful scenery .. but something very nasty and dark lurks beneath .. "
the ghosts of history i guess ..

or maybe a sense that british 'reserve' and 'politeness' can hide a very dark side ..

t'was a frenchman who considered the brits ..
as a " nation of pirates tricksters and thieves " ..
can't remember which frenchman or what year ..
suffice to say they were probably at war at the time
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

al in all ..
huge recent ( 20 yrs )polulation growth on a small crowded island ..
plus the huge car population explosion ..
like rats in a cage these days ..
one reason for more aggression about ..

posted October 06, 2009 01:35 PM         

less than half hour away from where i lived, a person was stabbed to death in a cemetary in broad day light by two youths, for what ever reason.

there are gangs in london,

you want to be particularly weary of Yardie-type criminals, they are few, but you'll know when you've messed with one.

posted October 06, 2009 02:08 PM         

London River Services
~ http://www.tfl.gov.uk/modalpages/2648.aspx ~

i.e. unlikely to meet sociopaths on a ferry ..
no where to run and hide .. x'cept jump in the river

posted October 06, 2009 05:34 PM         

But yes, seriously, I know this is a problem, the violence,e specially of youths in gangs.

But I wanted to say, even though it might be especially awful in London, I think it exists in many countries, maybe in all.

There is not a day you can brush up a newspaper in Germany without having to read who has been brutally beaten up or even killed while trying to defend someone else or just because he or she was at the wrong place at the wrong time and gave a wrong look.

Actually many years ago I experienced something like this myself; I am still here, as you can see or read, but it certainly was not my loveliest day, being beaten up by a gang of 15 youths. Well, actually it might have been just 2 or 3 girls doing the beating, and I WAS able to walk away.

But this was a little village, my hometown, not London, not Berlin (well, I could tell you some stories about Berlin, too; again I was just being lucky).