Leaderboard

One of the new mods (can't remember which) drew up a list of people they wanted banned, based on their posts on the other forum. At that point I'd had enough and let Dan know quite clearly that I didn't want "Site Staff" underneath my name, even if I simply did the admin stuff. He prompted a discussion amongst the other mods and it went quiet for a bit, I left and a smooth handover was done. A couple of weeks later, the people on "the list" were dropping like flies. Once again Nick's got it spot on, despite not having access to any of the mods internal communications etc. I guess its not that hard to work out. Come on Dan, sort it out - you know exactly what to do, you just need the guts to do it. If you delay much longer (some say its already too late) there won't be a forum worth saving.

Not really. It originated as a term of pejorative hyperbole. Those of us who argued for a halt to the depressing aggression this site was dominated by, were falsely labelled 'fluffy bunnies who wanted an end to all types of conflict' (as you have just done yourself above). When in actual fact conflict and disagreement are fine. We were arguing for an end to the gratuitous and unnecessary personal insulting favoured by the aggrsseive few. Encapsulated by the advice 'play the ball not the man'. No bunnies involved, fluffy or bald.

Do agree with you,polite people are not inclined to use that sort of term. The great majority of members would agree with you but would not wish to be vociferous,hence they remain silent,as one does CT

But it wasn't actually like that. That is just your fantasy. A number of posters had been on mod queue for a long time, never had a post declined, and then were suddenly and unexplainedly culled several months later. TD was culled after an acrimonious PM exchange with DH - he was rude in private but not in public and IMO that shouldn't be reason to ban. In particular I was severely unimpressed when Loafer who was always naughty but in a totally harmless way, was banned. When you have been an RAF fast jet pilot, probably seen combat for your country (he hasn't said this but it seems probable) or at the very least trained a new generation of fast jet pilots who will have, the odd swear word or naughty joke is seen in the context it actually is, i.e. something totally trivial and inconsequential, a bit of fun to distract from the harsh realities of the real world. That those for whom the worst life experience was probably a bad day at the hairdressers, decided to ban him was inexcusable.

I am not disputing anybody's opinion, i believe everyone should have their own and be allowed to voice that. What i am trying to point out is that the forum for me, and others if you look around the web and social media, was a very angry place 2/3 years ago, i stopped coming on here due to this, maybe thats just me being a bit fluffy, but i didn't want to be part of it, its very easy to say just filter out the topics/sections that i didn't like reading, but it was not fixed to one area, it was rife throughout the forum, i feel and of course this is just my opinion that the forum is better today. Yes old time members have left, taking a great deal of knowledge, but how about thinking this way, all the new members, either to the forum or to the world of canals, will over time build up a great deal of knowledge and share that knowledge, i hope this is where i can get to in time.

I love Canalworldforum, I watched for a few years before I dared join. It was everything I needed, information, fun, ribald banter and pi$$ (genuine letters removed to protect the incontinent and easily offended) taking put downs. I was new to the internet and new to boating as an owner - but not to canals. I eventually succumbed in 2008 to the Log in as new member and tiptoed in, vibrant and sometimes raucous arguments carried on and were carefully managed by the moderators. The CWDF was my online existence for a few years, helping me adapt to my new environment, and soon it appeared that many others were a part of this vibrant community. The CWDF community not only helped me adapt to online banter, but also opened the door to the wonderful but unreliable chatroom, who's inconsistency became a source of fun and enjoyment to all who were subject to,or watching the entry, exit bells of Mike31 and everyone else come and go as we got booted in and out of the room while we were all in various parts of the canal network(or in a house next to a pub in Chesterfield Mike.) It's also where I first started to chat to Kathy. The forum has seen many come and go for a multitude of reasons, Gibbo was the most spectacular exit, and maybe the first of the new way of thinking. CanalWorld forum is a wonderful community of people from all ages which brings people together in the love of canal history, canal folklore, canals now and canals in the future, it is currently being decimated in both its inclusiveness but also its buzz. Since 2014/5, perhaps the moderators of old did not realise the new phenomenon of WUM had entered CWDF, perhaps they didn't weed out serial antagonists soon enough...but very soon the new breed of mods came in and laid waste to a free thinking site with sometimes unco-ordinated and often knee jerk moderation. These fell by the wayside eventually ,now to be replaced with a new kind of moderation policy, with a slap your hands and delete you approach. This is a long way from the site I joined. This is a massive leap from the fun, informative, fun, argumentative, fun, vibrant site I joined. It is still useful. It is still going, just. Let up, free up, allow some bite , it is still potentially by far the best Canalforum. Don't continue to drive away those folks who have made it the site it is today. (No am not on the other site, neither have I seen it.) I don't believe we should all just accept what happens to us, like sheep do.

There was no need for a wholesale ban to be implemented at all. What should have happened was that the worst of the excesses be removed and the rules that were in place enforced. The forum has lost many valued contributors who probably won't return. To be honest if there isn't some sort of visible action from the admin team soon I will be among them. It's a bit like the Brexit thread "amnesty"...allowing this one to run whilst continuing to stifle debate elsewhere is not good enough. At the moment I am engaging in friendly, lively debate on the unmentionable forum without the single minded hyperbole of old (but with the odd entertaining fruit loop tolerated) which I still can't do here. There needs to be change and it needs to be announced soon or the exodus will surely continue.

Let's not spoil a reasonable discussion with silly /nationalist/racist stereo types please.

As per title. London party boat sinks What are they like? I imagine they get a lot of use with so many guests. Stainless? Plastic? Enamelled mild steel? Do they have onboard grey water storage or through skin fitting or perhaps into an automatically pumped sump system to avoid low level hull penetrations. All fascinating. They may even be China I would expect stainless . Has any one been on a london party boat and had a look at the sinks?

I agree that fluffy bunny is a "put down" and also note that it is not directed towards individuals but a group. carlt - for the record I find your style far more aggressive than MtB I've been on here a long time so I know how you operate but I do think you may put some people off. Your little 'spat' with Ray T yesterday was a good example I'm not having a go by the way. You admitted on the "weather channel" that you are an "argumentative b-d" yourself. Point being that this can have an impact. I am not a fluffy bunny or a shaved bunny i'm somewhere in the middle perhaps a moderately hirsute bunny.

Am I the only one who finds you arguing against robust or aggressive posting deeply ironic Mike?

google thunderboat Rog

I didn't realise we were singling out individual posts. I find your over zealous defence of the strict regime now ruining the forum both antagonistic and argumentative. You use dismissive and derogatory language to describe folk who simply have a different opinion to you on what makes a good, entertaining forum. Nothing I or Tony or anyone else has said has taken anything away from your enjoyment of CWDF. Your inability to filter out that which doesn't entertain you has done that. You and the fluffybunny brigade, on the other hand have destroyed my and many others enjoyment of a once lively and entertaining medium by stifling discussion and removing valuable contributors.

There are many jokes and humour that does not involve being demeaning to a different group or culture. In fact more than all the nationalist stereo type jokes put together by a long way. I don't expect all Welsh people are insecure but it is statistically possible some are. You will have to ask them all and find out. It is not about the intent behind the teller as many people will not know the tellers intent especially on a forum with just the written word to go by. Offence is defined by who is offended not by the intent of the person saying something or telling the joke. Anyway I asked quite reasonably and nicely not to go down that path. Let's not continue and disrupt this thread in the hope that some good will come out of it rather than prove why the rules are how they exist now and how they are managed.

... and then there were no more jokes. Which would be rather sad. Are welsh people so insecure that they can't take a joke about Welsh stereotypes? Blimey it's just as well I can take a joke about poofs! Get it all the time. Anyway it is all about the intent behind the teller of the joke, not the joke itself.

As someone who is 3/4 English and 1/4 Irish, and fond of holidays in Scotland, I have never been offended by an Englishman/Irishman/Scotsman joke. I have heard a small number of jokes that were racist and unpleasant but they were not funny so were not really jokes. When I lived in Southampton I liked to go to "Afghan Ali's" shop because he sold the best samosas in town. Everybody called his shop by that name, is that racist???? ...............Dave

Yes. Same as Pakistani jokes black jokes Chinese jokes etc. You are not laughing at yourself but others and grouping a whole set of people as having the same attribute which is not the same thing. If I say all Americans are stupid I will without doubt be wrong and showing prejudice If I say one particular American is stupid if I have evidence of that I could be right.

Jesus wept. I can't think of much else to say to that tbh. Thanks for sharing that Paul.

Sounds like a Mycoplasma infection. I breed turkeys and they get it and have the same symptoms you describe. I have to use a syringe to remove the fluids from the swollen sinuses and then inject 1cc of Tylan 50. In the UK this is a prescription antibiotic used almost universally on all farm livestock. With a course of antibiotics they will be fine.

We didn't get time to swop names, or boat names. But many thanks are due to the couple who towed us off a muddy bit of the Llangollen two days ago. We were well stuck and they dragged us into the channel again. Many thanks!

PRESS RELEASE: Discover the hidden secrets of Britain’s much-loved waterways 14 October, 2016 Next month (Nov) the charity, Canal & River Trust, launches its national programme of free, public open days offering behind the scenes peaks at some of our most extraordinary waterway locations in England and Wales. The 12 open days, part of a six-month, £43 million restoration and repair programme to canals and rivers across the country, are a great way to see the charity’s ‘hidden history’, admire the expert workmanship that went into making the canals over 200 years ago and meet the engineers keeping them working today. This year the public will be given the rare chance to see up close some of the finest examples of working industrial heritage in the world, whether climbing down into the iconic Marple Lock Flight on the Peak Forest Canal, walking along a 800-metre drained stretch of Wales’ picturesque Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal or discovering the history of St. Pancras Lock in the bustling centre of London. Each open day provides the opportunity for local communities to learn about the history and heritage of their area from one of the charity's skilled heritage advisers, engineers and other workers who attend the events and provide free tours. The charity's army of passionate volunteers will also be on hand to share their unique knowledge of the waterways and surrounding area with visitors. Richard Parry, chief executive of the Canal & River Trust, says: “The Canal & River Trust cares for a remarkable network of historic waterways which are still working just as they were designed to 200 years ago. Keeping them open and safe requires a huge amount of planning, investment and craftsmanship and involves a wide range of knowledge and expertise, from civil engineers and hydrologists to heritage experts and ecologists. “By showcasing this work to the public we can give them a glimpse into the craftsmanship of the waterways’ original 18th Century design and explain the scale of the Canal & River Trust’s work to care for them now. We hope this will inspire more people to get on board and support our mission to unlock the potential of every stretch of our canals and rivers.” Last year the Trust's construction team unearthed some weird and wonderful items when it drained the canals in preparation for the essential works. Items included a bag of bullets, WW2 hand grenade, 16ft dead python and a Volkswagen Camper Van. Richard added: "The team will once again be recording what they find and we're intrigued to find out what they unearth this year!" As part of its maintenance programme, the Trust will be working on around 164 lock gates across the country. The new lock gates are made in the Trust’s specialist workshops at Bradley in the West Midlands and Stanley Ferry in Yorkshire. Lock gate making and fitting is a skilled and traditional trade and one that remains essential to the waterways. Lock gates are constructed with tremendous strength as they have to control huge water pressures, take the hard usage they get from the thousands of boats which use them each year and survive for a long time underwater and at the mercy of the elements. Each lock gate is hand-crafted by a skilled team of carpenters and made from sustainably-sourced British oak. A single lock gate weighs on average 3.6 tonnes, can take up to 20 days to make and has a working life of 25-30 years. To find out more about the Open Day programme and the events happening near you visit www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/open-days ENDS For media requests, interviews, images and footage please contact: Emma Aitken, National Campaigns Manager, Canal & River Trust m 07733 124580 e emma.aitken@canalrivertrust.org.uk

Is a boat included in that price?

ironic really that a ban had to implemented to get to a point where a debate could again take place - a ban was needed to get rid of the trouble makers - the forum went right down hill and i also nearly didnt come back - but of late i have started to enjoy it again. - good work Team.

I wish everyone would stop bleating on about CRT !!

In my opinion there was no spat and my questions were genuine and inoffensive. I can't help it if you misinterpret my intent. This new regime has quashed robust debate by attempting to eradicate the hyperbole and insults. Your defence of the present over moderation of the forum endorses the eradication of interesting, sometimes robust, discussion. I You are entitled to your opinion. Many would endorse it and many would disagree with you. Personally I think our belligerence level is about the same (and equal to yours when you're on one).

Like Richard, I have visited Tom O'The Wood since 1970s - never heard of the 'Ye Olde New Inn' name. It is at one end of 'Dick's ('Dycks'?) Lane', which links Stratford Canal and GU and makes quite an interesting canal-loop-walk from Kingswood Junction, combining both canals. It always struck me as odd, for such a prominent canal-side pub, that my copy of Pearson's does not list the Tom as existing! I haven't been for a while. I shall make a point of returning soon (and take the dog!)

Where Brindley Place and the ICC are today, I think was a cutting originally, although not really deep by today's standard in the world of a Brindley contour canal it my well have been considered to be deep. So calling the junction Deep Cutting Junction perhaps makes sense. For Old Turn if it is the junction with the Oozells St loop that was created when the New Main Line was built, it is a turn onto the "old" line of the canal, so Old Turn would make sense as a name. Just my non-expert thoughts...

It is worth mentioning though that a "robust" debating style can be very intimidating to new people who feel they will be shouted down if they post without having all the knowledge or the credentials of 100s of posts. It is not as simple as scrolling past posts you don't appreciate. When I first came here (around the beginning of the year, don't even know if this was before or after the big exodus), I opened a couple of threads on the Virtual Pub and closed them again very quickly. If that had been the style of posting on the more factual topics, I would never have joined (let alone dared to ask questions). I am not arguing one way or the other, neither am I part of the "fluffy bunnies", because I haven't even been here then. But it is easy for a few people to dominate the discussion and inadvertently(!!) shutting out a large group. Maybe that is what you want, but you should be aware of it and make it a conscious decision.

Only, what he really needs is two twenty foot poles Richard

if you are wanting to be insulted, yes. Ive not read all, but think that there's a damn site more opinions that think the same. There are many posters disappearing, there are many posts!! disappearing. There is a valuable resource being drained away which will leave us with what? A forum which is a far lesser place than it was. A forum which is not the community it was. A boaters force which will not be able to challenge CRT in the same way it did - CRT is not all wrong, but some parts are, and need some measure of accountability and control. With the legal threads being pulled, does this mean that CWDF are no longer allowed to discuss Politics, Religion AND Boating(where legal issues occur)??? It is blinkered and short sighted to think that these issues cant be discussed, they will still be discussed elsewhere, and the slow drift will be away. Look at the post counts on Just Canals, ask a question and 3 views/weeks later you might get a response. Look at the forum section on narrrowboat world, if you are in the clique of 8, you may post something, no other response is allowed - is this where CWDF wants to go??

It is the way Ebay works - the customer is 'always right' and the seller has to 'pay-up' irrespective of the 'fault' I purchased a new 'tablet', which when it arrived was not as advertised, I sent it back by Royal Mail (to an address in Glasgow) and it was returned to me as 'not known at this address'. I contacted ebay customer service, told them the story, and whilst on the phone, emailed a scan of the 'proof of postage', and a picture of the 'marked up' 'gone away' envelope. The service representative immediately (whilst still on the phone) credited my Paypal account with the full amount (plus the 'return postage'). On asking what I should do with the Tablet, they said "just keep it, you have tried to return it, its not your fault. Folks complain about ebay but I have found it a very safe & secure source for buyers - not so much for sellers.

Do you not think that calling people fluffy bunnies is a (mild) insult?

+ 1 CT

So your opinion is the only opinion that matters? You have just summed up what I was pointing out.

Google canal world forum and see how many hits you get from other sites from people saying this forum is not a nice place, these are all dated two/three years ago, this for me backs up what I posted earlier, the forum was not a nice place I felt, I find it better now.

Some people want the moon on a stick....with a pull cord. grow up. Most of us have been stuck. Try boating the rivers instead. What next? 70 Footers and fat boats wanting money back because they can't go everywhere? Get your head out of your arse. Put it down to experience and carry on...or not. big baby!

Basically its that damn report button that's caused all the upheaval. Those with twitchy report button fingers should have them hacked off with a blunt cleaver.

Sorry but you have every right to ignore that which you find unentertaining. Your responses to Tony's intransigence were no better and no less personal. For example... Is hardly the sweetness and light you seem to expect from everybody else... One rule for you, perhaps?

If the tachometer is working, the hours will be stored in its memory. It's the display that gives problems, usually in cold damp conditions. If you do buy the boat you could put the tacho in a nice warm airing cupboard for a couple of weeks which may bring the hours display back to life.

Forgive me for chiming in here as a newbie amongst all the posters with 1000s of posts to their name. I am a long standing member of another forum, where old timers regularly moan that it was so much better in the early days. That forum changed from having a small(ish) number of members, many of which knew each other personally, having lively discussions about stuff to a much bigger and more anonymous group, which is now only full of factual and informational topics. The lively debates are gone. I think to some extent this is due to its own success and I think the same effect happens here too: when you google just about any canal boat related topic, the top links are almost always threads in this forum. It attracts a lot of first time visitors for whom the information here is extremely valuable (like me!). This means a lot more traffic and posts about the informational topics. It might mean that longer time members find that it has gotten more boring. I don't know how it was before or what the secret other place even is. But please don't all go away! this is the very best resource on canal boating there is even if some members feel that it has lost some of its appeal for them.

Are we all sheep? Yes because we are all here.

The thing about forums is that there is no need to read things you don't like. Tony Dunkley did not fill the site with anti-CRT sentiment, he contributed to a tiny part of it that I didn't read very much because it didn't interest me. He did however contribute a wealth of knowledge about the Northern Waterways and working boats which I greatly miss. The insistence on being outraged about an easily ignored hobby horse has removed a valuable resource.

Tom o' the Wood singular: http://www.tomothewood.co.uk/index Named after a windmill, apparently Richard

John V on the other forum suggests this :- He needs to be told that if he gets 12V on the solenoid input to check the other terminal that goes to the starter itself ....... if 0 then solenoid bollixed if 12v starter bollixed possibly sticky or worn brushes so try a tap with a hammer as first (temporary) cure. and you can also tell him that what comes from banning people -: hope this helps

It is upsetting to watch but the adult swan is telling his cygnets its time to leave the nest. Some times the cygnets are reluctant to go therefore we see this heavy handed behaviour. By now the cygnets will have learnt to fly and should be old enough to fend for themselves. (Are you sure it's the father of the cygnets. iI not you may be right and and the cygnets could be killed by a rival male) In this case you could entice the attacker away from the cygnets by FOOD!! The adult swans will soon be maiting again.Young cobs are not welcome around at this time as some may try to mate with their mothers. Some swans do allow the young pens to stay much longer as femails don't pose such a problem. The young swans are very reluctant to leave their home waters so we often witness this upsetting scene. It very seldom results in serious injury or death as the youngster takes the hint. Sometims hanging around at a distance for weeks. If you have ever been fortunate enough to see swans maiting you will know how loving and gentle the cob can be. Try to understand their world it's as complex as ours. I've looked after swans now for many years and they never fail to enchant me.

We were once waiting to ascend Wardle lock, at the head of a queue of six or seven boats, all waiting to go up. A boat came down and the steerer shouted that he was turning and going straight back up the lock. Almost with one voice we shouted 'Oh no you're not!'

You might expect it, but it doesnt work that way. If I was waiting to go up and just as you exited the bottom lock you told me i couldnt enter the lock I'd been patiently waiting for...

We encounter that situation when we take Sculptor, 71' 6" of former working boat, down the first four locks at Stoke Bruerne to wind her (by the A508 bridge) as that's the first place we can assuming we choose not to reverse up to the winding hole and then reverse back again. Always when I am on Sculptor (and I believe it always applies to the other volunteers) if there is a boat (or perhaps two) coming up the flight in Lock 18 we will always explain what we are doing (and why) and invite them to use the lock we have just vacated as we are usually well provided with people to help. To my mind it is just good manners and proper etiquette not to assume that the lock is yours just because you have recently vacated it.

It goes against the grain, and I may be barking up the wrong tree, but I'm sycamore threads descending into puns - if you're not careful, with the present mods at the elm, this will be removed root and branch, and then we'll have to form a splinter group, and no doubt we'll make an ash of it, and the whole lot will be conifer good.