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SinistramSitNovum

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  • Man, I guess if you are running a start up or something and want people to really commit to your vision or whatever but I know the folks who work for me are motivated by money, which is fine, I am too! As long as they do whats expected to earn the money we are all good. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 5th Feb 2019 7:42am)
  • Yeah man I feel you, the job market in Glasgow seems pretty brutal right now. Unemployment is low but I think underemployment is endemic. Lots of graduates working at shoppes and such. I was hiring a basic admin spot recently (around 20K) and got 140 applications from a lot of qualified folks. I would go the temp route if you can, or really go after lower admin positions. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 5th Feb 2019 7:45am)
  • Will you be taking the train during peak commuting hours? If you are trying to take it at 8:30 or 5:30 you might have an issue finding space for your bike as those trains get really crowded. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 12th Apr 2019 7:40am)
  • What really holds the East End back is the schools and they will continue to slow gentrification there. The schools there are some of the worst in Scotland which keeps young families out which are usually the second step for gentrification after students and young single folks. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 26th Apr 2019 3:41pm)
  • Yep exactly this. As you say the expectations are skewed downwards which is really too bad because most these kids are perfectly capable of succeeding and Scotland has exceptional universities and colleges that they are likely to not even consider. If you have a kid you should research the schools in the catchment before buying. Sadly not all Glasgow schools are created equal. by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 27th Apr 2019 6:14pm)
  • Whoa that is far from always the case. Not even close to every PhD student gets a stipend and as u/dl064 said an international student is usually £20k+ a year. Surely that can get them a desk. by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 27th Apr 2019 6:46pm)
  • I know it is a tired statement now, but the litter blows me away. And the attitude of the folks who toss it is astounding. It is actually embarrassing whenever I have friends visiting from out of town because I know they will, at some point during their stay, sheepishly bring it up. It is one of the things people from out of town immediately notice unfortunately and it is also a prominent impression people visiting have of Glasgow once they leave. "fun city but super dirty" disappointing because Glasgow is actually a really beautiful city. ​ I think they need to bring the hammer down in terms of fines for littering. Hate to have to police peoples behaviour like that but I think if you could get a £150 fine for throwing that can on the pavement people might actually think twice about doing it. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 30th Apr 2019 10:12pm)
  • I think the question has to be: Will the East End be dense enough in 20 years not is it dense enough now. That being said I favour an above ground light rail and more investment in, improvement of, and subsidies for the infrastructure that is already there. I have lived in a lot of different cities around the world and the traffic in Glasgow is insane for a city its size and that is unlikely to improve if the public transportation system isn't improved significantly. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 3rd May 2019 2:19pm)
  • Absolutely this. The subway is a nice little system but expanding it will not likely address the root cause of the traffic and congestion issues in Glasgow. The immediate suburbs of Glasgow need good, reliable, and cheap public transport that makes people want to take it and leave their car at home. Sure adding a stop in Denniston would be cool but it makes more sense to create a reliable commuting alternative that has a further reach. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 3rd May 2019 2:26pm)
  • Yeah, can OP explain? Surely this is their landlords problem. No way in fuck I would pay to fix a leaking room in the commercial space I rent. ​ u/[lndntemp](https://www.reddit.com/user/lndntemp) care to explain why this is the case just so we all understand? Do they actually own? by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 6th May 2019 7:28pm)
  • I have never seen that in a building with shared facilities only in stand alone properties. If they signed on to a FRI lease in a shared building with flats above them they are really foolish. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 6th May 2019 7:37pm)
  • Revolution, the Cuban place on Mitchell Street can be a good time and is affordable. If your looking for something a bit different. by SinistramSitNovum (Thu 9th May 2019 10:55am)
  • A lot of the folks who would be looking to buy flats there will work in city centre. If you live there and work in city centre do you really need a car? by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 29th Nov 2019 7:59am)
  • Yeah this makes a lot of sense and is exactly what should go in that space. Can't really think of another major city in Europe that has a huge overgrown eyesore of a vacant lot literally 10 minutes walk from the city centre. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 29th Nov 2019 7:58am)
  • Look at the new SIMD data. Govanhill really isn't the hellohole you are making it out to be. Sure it is still a little rough but the schools there are middle of the pack in the country and better than places like Shawlands. I am guessing you have been avoiding Govanhill for the last 20 years or so so you don't really know that much about it. I would be entriely comfortable "letting" my daughter live there. the crime stats from the area are not any worse than most the rest of Glasgow. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 10th Feb 2020 1:34pm)
  • Huh? No I don't think you are. Roma aren't always or even often from Romania. Not very many Romanians in Govanhill. It is OK you can admit you got it mixed up dude. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 10th Feb 2020 1:32pm)
  • Eh Govanhill is fine. Well lit in most places with lots of people around. It is an area of a major city so you have to be smart like anywhere else but I know many single women who live in Govanhill and get along just fine. Govanhill is also gentrifying at break neck speeds and you will see a lot of students and stuff there now. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 10th Feb 2020 1:30pm)
  • I would really recommend you don't getting packing service unless money really isn't an object. When I moved I used AnyVan and it was a flat to flat move and was like 150 quid. Pickford quoted me 900. I would go with a local man with a van service and pack the stuff yourself unless you are looking to spend near enough a grand on this. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 16th Feb 2020 7:58pm)
  • Does anyone know what the deal is with people paying rents to private landlords? Heard a lot of information and some of it conflicting. If my landlord is getting a mortgage holiday am I required to keep paying them the full rent? Just want to make sure I am not paying rent when I don't have to. Like my landlord just don't want to be giving them money that I am not required to and that they are saving. by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 4th Apr 2020 6:57pm)
  • Yep agreed it is totally done at his point. Just finished my daily solo run through Queens Park and there were like 10 guys playing football, tons of people sunbathing, and lot of people sitting out in the grass with food and stuff. Seems like the key to ending the lockdown all along was sun I guess. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 6th May 2020 4:30pm)
  • Has anyone else been having trouble with their post? I imagine it is just down to lockdown staffing and being super busy but Royal Mail has not been to my building since last Tuesday and my neighbours and I both have tracked things that should have nee here in the middle of last week. Anyone else seeing really long delays? Just want to make sure our stuff hasn't disappeared. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 11th May 2020 11:11am)
  • Yep, by a pretty wide margin. Really good value as well. by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 16th May 2020 1:10am)
  • As a lot of people have said folks are in general really friendly and personable. Glasgow has beautiful outdoor spaces and lots of really nice architecture, crazy affordable, healthy attitude towards work I would say. Good bars and restaurants and some really distinct and cool neighbourhoods. Never seen a city in the western world with as much litter and dog shit laying around is one negative thing I certainly noticed when I first moved here and people who visit always comment on. People who visit me from abroad also tend to comment on how crazy folks drive in Glasgow. Overall Glasgow is a great, fun city. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 27th May 2020 3:08pm)
  • I have a commercial property in Govanhill which I frequently need to take a taxi to I would say I have had a driver say something racially problematic 20+ times in the last 2 years. Once got into a fairly heated argument about the use of a certain word for Chinese folks on a job site and the entire team disagreed with me that it is best to just avoid the term. Still certainly a problem, unfortunately. Not as bad as some places I have lived in my life but I think it is a sometimes overlooked issue here. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 5th Jun 2020 11:03pm)
  • The wealth of the empire was generational and is still very much around. We fucked over huge portions of the rest of the world and plundered their natural resources, labour, and liberty with impunity for hundreds of years. That shit doesn't just go away given some time. Look at former British colonial holdings for pretty clear examples. In 1700 what is now India accounted for 25% of the global GDP when the British left (Just 70 years ago BTW hardly ancient history) it was less than 3%. How do you think we paid for all those massive beautiful Victorian buildings in the city centre? Why do you think to this day countries in Africa and the Caribbean remain impoverished and the western world remains wealthy? That all benefits us as western white people. I know that is an uncomfortable truth but it is in fact the truth. by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 6th Jun 2020 2:51pm)
  • While class is certainly a huge factor it still is fundamentally a race problem. White people on aggregate across the world have had it much better off. Being a poor dude from Easterhouse is still miles better than being from the slums of Mumbai or the ghettos of Kingston. The sustained wealth of the western world allowed us to build industry, infrastructure, provide schools, create jobs, and a huge contributing factor to all this wealth which allowed for us to do all this was the exploitation of people of colour around the world which is very much still benefiting you and me. Edit: Just because there might be a poor white guy in Easterhouse and a rich black guy in Hyndland doesn't mean the legacy of colonialism is officially over. Sorry it is not going to be that easy. J by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 6th Jun 2020 3:07pm)
  • Yep I never said there is an easy answer and that it wouldn't be a complex, evolving, and ongoing process. If you thought I was gonna pop off some kind of one sentence answer to how we continue to work through these legacies you are going to be disappointed. You are just not paying attention to history if you do no think there was a meteoric rise in the quality of life and wealth of white folks during the time of slavery/colonialism. That is just an insane statement. We built a massive corporate structure, secured military supremacy, hugely expanded our sphere and formed the bedrock of the wealth that carries on to this day. That is the thing with money and power, it doesn't just stop after one person dies, that is what I meant in my first comment about the legacy of colonialism being generational. ​ Irish and Greek people absolutely had privilege in America when compared to black people? They were always considered white and weren't segregated out of schools and red lined in ghettos? Did they face prejudice? Of course but to try and say they enjoyed no privilege over black people in America is just flat out wrong. Look no further than an Irish American being president before blacks had even secured full voting rights (voting rights act of 1965). by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 6th Jun 2020 3:45pm)
  • I have to say I am really surprised and disappointed to see that our comments are being so heavily down-voted here. I honestly did not think acknowledging there are contemporary systemic issues arising from colonialism and racial injustice was a controversial viewpoint. Apparently a lot of folks still have a REALLY hard time accepting that. by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 6th Jun 2020 4:47pm)
  • I spent a good part of my childhood in New Haven Connecticut in the US. A place that makes Castlemilk look like an idyllic leafy suburb, really the stuff dreams are made of for a lot of folks there. I am white I also think white privilege is a thing. Do I also get a get out of white privilege free card because of where I grew up? by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 6th Jun 2020 7:04pm)
  • I would say it was like half and half with social distancing. I was at the very back and had at least 10 meters between me and the nearest person the whole time I was there and I didn't see a single person not wearing a mask. What is dumb was there was tons more room so the whole thing could have been effectively socially distanced which would have been much smarter and safer and had better optics. https://imgur.com/4ZFNQWz by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 7th Jun 2020 7:54pm)
  • Yeah not sure what people where thinking crowding together like that in the centre. Glasgow Green is huge and there was plenty of room. I stopped by near the back and people had like 10+ meters between them were sticking to 1 household groups and were all wearing masks. https://imgur.com/4ZFNQWz ​ There was plenty of room to still do that so the cramming together at the front was absolutely unnecessary. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 7th Jun 2020 7:49pm)
  • Yep. Did you read the rest of my comment? I was saying it was a dumb and unnecessary thing to do to crowd together like that. I am not disputing that people were crammed around the obelisk I am saying the whole thing wasn't like that as you can very clearly see in the picture I posted. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 7th Jun 2020 7:59pm)
  • You have been moved along off park benches recently? You have been able to sit in parks since May 29th. If you had been sitting in parks prior to that than yeah. You were violating the lockdown rules at the time and would have rightly been moved along by police. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 7th Jun 2020 9:09pm)
  • You have been allowed outside in parks if social distancing is possible since the 29th of May so as long as social distancing is observed this would be fine. Really no different to the big parks in the last few sunny days. The issue is that social distancing was not observed throughout the entirety of the protest which is regrettable and I irresponsible. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 7th Jun 2020 10:04pm)
  • I guess it depends what you call a crowd though. As long as it is an outdoor space and there is enough room for everyone to social distance it really isn't a problem last weekend I was in Kelvingrove park and there were easily a 1000+ people there, hell I was in Cathkin park for a run recently and there probably like 200-300 in that tiny space. But again those aren't really crowds if properly socially distanced. It is why they don't have a maximum number allowed in parks at the same time. Police Scotland did clarify it was fine provided social distancing was followed which unfortunately it wasn't. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 7th Jun 2020 10:15pm)
  • My man, publicly naming and shaming has been an effective part of the labour union dispute playbook forever. Have you never seen any of the inflatable rats some trade unions put outside buildings: [https://www.google.com/search?q=union+inflatable+rat&sxsrf=ALeKk00RAvCzqpepNN465cWUZpD22bSF1w:1592577565084&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiD3qzgjY7qAhW1Q0EAHbi-CHYQ\_AUoAnoECA0QBA&biw=1350&bih=640](https://www.google.com/search?q=union+inflatable+rat&sxsrf=ALeKk00RAvCzqpepNN465cWUZpD22bSF1w:1592577565084&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiD3qzgjY7qAhW1Q0EAHbi-CHYQ_AUoAnoECA0QBA&biw=1350&bih=640) ​ I would say that is way more extreme than a tweet of solidarity. They do this because it works. I was just about to nip to the shop to pick up some Friday night beers, St. Mungo's is one of my go tos but you can bet your ass it won't be tonight or any night until I am satisfied they got this sorted. Too bad between this and Brewdog being major scumbags I am starting to run out of widely available decent Scottish beer to drink. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 19th Jun 2020 3:46pm)
  • Eh I wouldn't fire them. I would sit down with them talk through this, hear their point of vie, have a discussion around the best way to have these kind of discussion in the future, and give them a warning. One of the big reasons I wouldn't fire them is because of this exact situation right here. Now they are getting into a VERY public flame war they can't really come out of looking like winners and a lot more shit is getting dragged up. Someone was pissed and was a little too eager to terminate. I bet they genuinely wish they could take this back. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 19th Jun 2020 4:02pm)
  • This is kind of the corporate equivalent of "But I have black friends!" by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 19th Jun 2020 5:41pm)
  • The most predictable response in the world and the right one. What the hell is West doing here? IT is like they are trying to make it worse. HEY! if anyone from West is reading I will do your PR and social media for you! Almost anyone could have handled this better. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 19th Jun 2020 5:40pm)
  • Yeah I don't think there are that many religious folks here and I certainly don't think there is some sinister Catholic cabal running the Glasgow subreddit. I personally think OO have many bigoted members as I used to live above a Muslim owned corner shop and across the street from a loyalist bar and every single time there was an Orange walk past the shop the people getting drunk at the pub and the people following them would hurl racial abuse at people coming in and out of the shop or sometimes just at the shop in general. Literally every time, they would have 15 marches a summer and every single time it would happen. What am I supposed to think? They are all upstanding non-racist folks who just happen to get pissed and yell p\*\*i at folks every weekend? You understand how that strains credulity don't you? by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 20th Jun 2020 1:10pm)
  • Aye, or not being furloughed and not having a garden. Was working all day and in my flat. Does suck but lucky to have a job at this point I guess. by SinistramSitNovum (Thu 25th Jun 2020 11:58pm)
  • £160K for a 2 bed in Castelmilk?! Damn does it have like an indoor pool and billiards room or something? I just had a look on rightmove and that is a multiple of the price of many other 2 bedroom listings. You really want to buy a developer spec at the top price? I don't think they have a snowballs chance in hell in selling these and they will be half empty for a few years before being rented for peanuts. You would never be able to sell you property for anywhere near what you paid. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 6th Jul 2020 6:20pm)
  • Really I had the opposite experience and was pretty disappointed? Where I stay I would say it was closer to around 50% wearing masks today in the shops I was in. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 10th Jul 2020 11:10pm)
  • Yeah I like his places a lot but I have actually known a few people who have said they have had bad interactions with this guy and he is getting a bit of a bad reputation. I say this not because I want his business to fail or anything but I hope he sees stuff like this and just cools it a bit. I am not sure if everyone is as tuned in to how damaging shit like this can be when it gets posted around and people see it on social media, especially with businesses like his which I wold say skew younger. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 13th Jul 2020 12:12pm)
  • Anyone know how you can tell the difference between someone nodding off and full on overdosing? I walk through Trongate on my way to work, if I called an ambulance every time I saw someone nodding hard I think I would be calling them every single day (sadly no hyperbole) on both my way in and on my way home. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 17th Jul 2020 5:05pm)
  • Oooff £300 isn't really that doable actually in the city of Glasgow unless you have roommates. What are you doing in Glasgow? Are you working/studying? or doing something which will mean having to commute in using public transport? If so that could eat into all the savings you are making on rent. Could you stretch it to £325? This flat/closet you can live in is in a pretty nice and convenient area: [https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-94476599.html](https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-94476599.html) by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 18th Jul 2020 4:36pm)
  • Yeah, I would recommend these guys for this kind of thing. Really reasonable prices and perfectly decent and nice frames. Art Hire Framing in Dennistoun does amazing work, like museum/gallery quality work but that is of course reflected in the price. Either option will look 10x better than putting in a frame yourself. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 22nd Jul 2020 12:01pm)
  • I think there are quite a few people who are going to get really rich on property in Govan in the next 10 years. Between the new UoG campus and the new bridge to the West End that place is going to gentrify almost immediately. People buying up properties in Govan are going to see their value skyrocket. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 22nd Jul 2020 2:28pm)
  • It is gentrifying very quickly though. You can see that pretty clearly reflected in the SIMD figures and you can see that in the businesses moving in and the increasing number of student/young professionals moving in. I think buying in Govanhill could be a pretty good investment as I think it is just going to up. Comparing it to a South American slum is just ignorant and a bit offensive. I bet the denizens of South American slums spend their days dodging hails of gunfire while moving between their organic bakery, bagless grocery stores, pop up art galleries, and holistic natural veterinarian (no joke that is a real thing in Govanhill). Not saying it doesn't still have problems but it is improving significantly both statistically and anecdotally. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 27th Jul 2020 1:18pm)
  • No doubt there is always a risk when buying in a transitional area. Average property values in Govanhill have gone up 15% in the last 5 years and 22% in the last 10 years in Govanhill. In fact, the property value trend in Govanhill has been ever so slightly higher than the Glasgow average for the past 20 years so it is actually slightly less risky than buying the average property in Glasgow. Add that to the way it is gentrifying and I would say there isn't actually that much reason to suggest that you are more likely to lose money buying in Govanhill than anywhere else in Glasgow. Where people can really take a bath is buying new builds on spec that don't work out. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 27th Jul 2020 2:09pm)
  • In general Govanhill is fine from a safety perspective. Of course you can get unlucky with your neighbors but a lot of the talk of it being really rough or hard I think is coming from people who are either terrified of immigrants or are just believing what they see in the comment section of GlasgowLive articles. There are some buildings/blocks I would avoid ( some on Alison street east of Vicky road, some on Garturk street, end of Westmoreland street). But there are also blocks and streets that are absolutely fine and actually pretty nice (Albert road, Dixon Ave, etc). by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 27th Jul 2020 2:51pm)
  • You a ghoulish sonnabitch OP. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 12th Aug 2020 3:39pm)
  • Yeah if it were as simple as just one or two fewer city centre pubs like you seem to be suggesting than of course the answer is clear. Unfortunately that is not what is really at stake or else this problem could be managed by anyone. It is a bit more complicated than you are making it seem. You know what the knock on implications will be if this is the coup de gras that finally kills the hospitality sector? Thousands of jobs lost will quickly become hundreds of thousands. We are teetering on the edge of a global depression the likes of which we have never seen and to act like jumping into that like it is an obvious and clear choice is incredibly naive. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 1st Sep 2020 9:09pm)
  • Yep, at this point that is basically out of the question. Even the non-independents are struggling mightily. Going back into a full lockdown again would just be signing on to a complete financial collapse that would make the Great Depression look like a posh tea party. I don't think we are going to see it happen. This will be a game of trying to lockdown the activities taking place that will have the least implications for the economy. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 1st Sep 2020 9:23pm)
  • Yeah I guess if your definition of temporary is like 5-10 years. Credit for new business ventures in the hospitality sector will dry up and the global depression will deflate demand. It would likely recover but it wouldn't be like there would suddenly be a bunch of new places day one after the vaccine it would be a long and painful few years/decade. Not really eager to sign up for that honestly. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 2nd Sep 2020 11:44am)
  • Sure from a semantic perspective I suppose you are right. Like I wouldn't call someone on a 10 year employment contract a temp but I suppose technically speaking they would be. Their employment contract would indeed be temporary I suppose it just wouldn't fit the commonly understood definition of that term. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 2nd Sep 2020 12:03pm)
  • I think another full lockdown is only going to happen if things get as bad or worse than they were at the very peak and even then I think there would be debate about it. I think it would be pretty hard for any politician to basically come out and say "yes we are now going to enter a nationwide depression that may well last half a generation or more". Which I think would be basically the consensus view of what would happen if there was another full lockdown. We don't even know quite how badly fucked we are from the first one yet. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 2nd Sep 2020 12:11pm)
  • The idea of the lockdown was never to shelter in place until the virus just goes away. I am sorry if you had that understanding and are now disappointed but that was NEVER a viable plan and was never seriously proposed. The idea was to flatten the curve as to not overwhelm medical services, replenish and procure supplies of PPE and other necessary equipment, and buy some time to investigate treatment options. It was always going to be about limiting future deaths and infections not eliminating them completely. That is the grim reality and always has been. We have done that the best we can at this point. Whether or not it was good enough or other governments or political parties could have done a better job is now up to history to determine. Trump was rightly criticized for pushing to come out of lockdown before the curve could be flattened, before stock of critical equipment could be secured, before safety measures and action plans could be drawn up, before the medical services sector could be sure they were not going to be overwhelmed and had the necessary capacity to deal with this (spoiler alert they were overwhelmed and need some time that they didn't get), all while rejecting basic safety provisions like wearing masks. Advocating for longer lockdowns is not indicating you are somehow more reasonable than Trump and there for on the correct side of history. The approach going forward will need to be a risk reward based implementation of measures designed to prolong and compound the positive effects of the initial lockdown. We will need a world to come back to after covid and while there are government initiatives that could happen to soften the economic blow there would likely be nothing that could be done to prepare us for the misery that would follow. ​ Please understand no one is trying to advocate that going round to the pub is more important that your neighbors life. No one is saying that, we all just stayed home and all just made major changes to our lives precisely because we wanted to do everything possible to give your neighbor the best chance possible. Most people aren't selfish monsters dude, try and keep that in mind. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 2nd Sep 2020 12:38pm)
  • Correct me if I am wrong but I think you were the one who brought up needing to shut pubs in this thread? I have been to 6 Degrees North and Oran Mor since the easing of the lockdown and they were both doing a fantastic job. Everything sanitized, masks on, one way systems, and detailed track and trace information taken. Obviously if folks aren't doing that they should be punished or lose their privilege to stay open. The last 6 months will not have been for nothing even if there is another spike. We will have prepared ourselves, bought time, learned more and saved lives. It was entirely worth doing no matter what happens. You are assuming this thing is pandemic and not in fact endemic but sadly that might well not be the case. Prepare for the distinct possibility that we may not actually eradicate this thing any time soon. It may be something we are still dealing with 5-10 years from now. Would you have us locked down until then? At some point there will have to come a point that we return to some degree of cautions normal and unfortunately that will likely be accompanied with new infections/deaths. I think we have collectively made the best effort we can to give all of us our best shot. We will now need to focus on localised responses and shielding those most vulnerable. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 2nd Sep 2020 1:27pm)
  • Cheers, thanks for this. This might be a good start. I think they will likely need something a bit more robust in the long run but this looks like a good start. I will let them know about it. by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 5th Sep 2020 10:10pm)
  • >MSc 3D design for virtual environments Anything at Glasgow School of Art's School of Visualisation and Simulation that is even roughly comparable? by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 8th Sep 2020 10:45am)
  • How else are they supposed to get to where they are staying? Walk? I think the advice is it is better to take a taxi than to use the bus. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 9th Sep 2020 11:13am)
  • Is that the case? That must be the most widely ignored rule in all of Glasgow then. I would say 80-90% of dogs in there are off lead. I don't own a dog so not super certain but if that is true they should really start enforcing that. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 27th Sep 2020 4:00pm)
  • That's good wish folk would follow it. The guy with the biting dog was getting balled out by a crowd of people which I think makes sense but he was saying the dog should not have been off lead which people were yelling at him for. Feel a bit bad for him now if it turns out he was right. Still shouldn't bring a dog that might have that kind of issue to that location though I guess. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 27th Sep 2020 4:09pm)
  • I hate to have rules for everyone because of a few bad apples but I think it might be called for here. Too many careless owners out there. Seems like it would just be safer for everyone if there were designated dog areas with a leash law while not there. Been quite a few bitings so it doesn't really seem like people can handle it. Plus just asking a dog to be on a lead until they get to the designated area doesn't seem to be that huge of an ask. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 27th Sep 2020 5:32pm)
  • Would be, fortunately that is not what I, or anyone else in this thread, is suggesting. I would like there to be dedicated fenced areas for dogs to run and play to their absolute hearts content in every park. Outside that area though they should be on a lead. This is how it works in most countries to be fair. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 28th Sep 2020 5:05pm)
  • Well, like it or not travel to Italy is permitted just now and the government's official advise is that Italy is exempt from the "all but essential travel" recommendation. You can disagree with that decision if you want but people are allowed to go and when the "air bridge" was first being rolled out the government was basically asking people to book flights. You might also be doing something people disagree with that you are permitted to do but I think people shouldn't really be roasted for doing things they are allowed to do as long as they are following all the rules. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 12th Oct 2020 9:41am)
  • I am starting to love these " I just came home from town and it was really busy. What is everyone doing there don't they know there is a pandemic on" posts. They were doing the same thing you were doing mate. Its like the guy screaming his head off about traffic every morning while commuting to work but failing to realise he is "traffic" as well. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 12th Oct 2020 9:51am)
  • Yeah they spent something like £30 million on building the thing and it certainly looks like it. I guess the advantage would be it is all under 1 roof while Glasgow Club would involve going to different places depending on what you are doing. Think the Uni gym might be cheaper. by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 17th Oct 2020 10:26pm)
  • Yeah Parnie street is already kind of sketchy as is. Fuck it, I would just park it near Central Station. I know its not the best gateway to the city but it is probably where it is most needed and at least it isn't a very residential area. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 23rd Oct 2020 10:08pm)
  • Yeah man, your experience in dealing with and being around addicts is unfortunately not at all unique and MANY, MANY people have similar experience and know just as well as you. In fact where I grew up has an overdose fatality rate of well over 30 per 100000 which is near double the absolute worst effected post code in all Scotland so the presence of drug use and addicts isn't something I am totally unused to. I know these people aren't the walking dead and can't see in my comment where I said that? I worked in a care capacity with many addicts when I was younger and am not as naïve as you for some reason seem to think I am. I stayed on Parnie street years ago and all I am saying is that from my experience I don't think it is the best place for this. There is already a lot of issues there and concentrating all of this in one area is not the best method unless we are just going to start a full on skidrow. I am sure Parnie street was chosen as it is an out of the way residential spot that is out of sight and out of mind for tourists and visitors that already has lots dealer and addicts. I think if they parked the thing on Union street where it probably belongs the council would have freaked out. by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 24th Oct 2020 10:42am)
  • I suppose if you judge an entire Uni on the strength of it's English Lit course? Really not what Strathclyde is known for. Strathclyde is a pretty decidedly STEM and Business school where as Glasgow Uni is more known for the strength of their humanities programmes (they have a good business school as well but generally ranked lower than Strathclyde's). All schools have some programmes that are better than others and I am not sure if it makes sense to assess the overall quality of a university on that basis. Also for what it is worth Strathclyde does relatively well on UK wide rankings and is known in the areas it does well in (engineering in particular). by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 26th Oct 2020 10:45am)
  • Just went and looked at the flat on rightmove. Dude, you do not want to live there unless you REALLY have to and are in a really tight spot financially. You have to consider your mental health in all this. I can get how a lot of people don't care that much about their living environment or aesthetics but that flat is grim. There is a reason the ad says in big letters there will be no credit check, no references needed, and smokers and pet owners are welcome. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 2nd Nov 2020 10:44am)
  • I lived in Govanhill for a while and once had a taxi driver hear I had a North American accent and said to me "make no mistake where you are staying is as bad if not worse than any ghetto you got in America". Which is of course an absolutely absurd statement and just objectively not true. ​ Govanhill is a little rundown and has a comparatively high crime rate for the area but it is absolutely fine albeit a little dirty. People go absolutely nuts when it comes to assessing danger in Glasgow. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 23rd Nov 2020 9:45am)
  • It is so strange. It seems like how "hard" a place is is a point of pride for some folks. I am from a city in Connecticut (not a place one associates with rough areas, some parts are pretty dodgy but certainly doesn't compare to bigger US cities) and I am really embarrassed by how outwardly hostile and dangerous some parts of my home are. Just don't get it. Govanhill is an interesting transitional neighborhood that would be hipster central in any US city as it is in Glasgow. It is a little rougher around the edges but is not at all what most people would consider a really dangerous neighborhood. Most really bad neighborhoods I have been around don't have bagless grocery stores, like 10 vegan cafes, and a holistic and and natural veterinary clinic. I think part of the reason it has such a bad reputation is unfortunately racial prejudices. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 23rd Nov 2020 1:59pm)
  • Really? I have never experienced that in Copenhagen. Was there as recently as a couple months ago. Maybe I have just always been lucky? by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 25th Nov 2020 11:51am)
  • Plenty of places in Glasgow where there will be gutted sofas and mattresses laying about. Paris is pretty notorious with how dirty it is but if you compare Glasgow to any Scandinavian or German city it doesn't compare favourably with litter. It is getting slightly better in Glasgow though or at least was until lockdown so hopefully we will continue to see improvements. It is one of the first things foreign guests I have had notice sadly. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 25th Nov 2020 11:55am)
  • Yeah in my opinion cruising down the pavement ringing a bell at pedestrians is a dick move already whether they can hear it or not. Or worse the delivery folks who blare music and zoom down Buchanan street. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 27th Nov 2020 1:12pm)
  • A lot of people buy new builds because of the lower deposit needed to buy them. Tenement flats are timeless and beautiful and I think they retain their value well. Most new builds are fine but the build quality is not exactly old world craftsmanship on some of them. Will be easier to heat and maintain though. Occasionally new builds work out like the infamous Wallace street flats though. You get unlikely with the timing and you could be stuck with a property worth way less than your mortgage. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 2nd Dec 2020 11:07pm)
  • Yeah I don't think you will find the ABBA brand ones anywhere in Glasgow reliably except possibly IKEA. I would order them online. I might be wrong but I think any Anchovy style little fish will be fine. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 14th Dec 2020 1:10pm)
  • I mean, yeah Govanhill has some problems but it really isn't that bad. I lived in a great flat there and ever once saw a rat or a cockroach there or anything. Sure there is overcrowding and a lot of rubbish about but there is a lot of that in places like Bridgeton and Merryhill too and it doesn't seem to whip people into a frenzy in quite the same way. Govanhill is a transitional, gentrifying area with some persistant problems but the way people talk about you would think it was Fallujah circa 2005 or something. Some parts are really pretty nice even. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 15th Dec 2020 8:32pm)
  • Man your definition of a "shit hole" must be way different than mine. It is a transitional but still affordable neighborhood with many of telltale signs of gentrification and fairly good amenities. Sure has some problems but all things considered is pretty sound. If that is your definition of a shit hole you must be too terrified to step foot in like half the cities in the world. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 15th Dec 2020 9:01pm)
  • It is like they have never even been to Bridegton. The difference of course is that the people in Govanhill aren't white. Let's just get straight to brass tacks, that is at the very least a contributing factor for a lot of the folks that screech the loudest about Govanhill. Tons of places around Glasgow are similarly dirty and neglected but for some reason these folks don't tend to froth at the mouth in rage when these other places are mentioned. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 15th Dec 2020 9:06pm)
  • Oh I don't know about that dude. You are naive if you don't think you could be with a trafficked prostitute in Newlands within hours if you really wanted to and that things like that don't happen in nicer areas. There are plenty of trafficked and exploited people in world and it is absolutely not localised entirely in poor places. It won't necessarily manifest itself in the same way that it does in places like Govanhill but these problems are not something that can just be chalked up to happening in only the "bad" parts of town. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 16th Dec 2020 11:00am)
  • Called the internet man. Most prostitution is facilitated via the internet now a days. I say again as just a plain statement of fact: you could absolutely be with a very likely trafficked and exploited sex worker in hours just about anywhere in the UK including Newlands. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 16th Dec 2020 1:58pm)
  • What do you want me to do? Order a prostitute to your house? Google it for less than 30 seconds if you really want to and you could find load of sex workers (many of whom likely are trafficked and exploited) who would be at your door right away. Trafficking and sexual exploitation are not problem that can just be hand waived away as being a problem for "the poors". by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 16th Dec 2020 2:28pm)
  • You really seem to want me to explain to you exactly how easy it is to find prostitutes. Alright here is a screenshot from a VERY easy to find escort service. I am not going to link it as I find your instance a bit unsettling honestly and I don't want to be a party in you hiring an escort in case that is what you have been angling for: [https://imgur.com/a/ODCXHSa](https://imgur.com/a/ODCXHSa) There were 10 Newland based sex workers on that site. You sufficiently convinced that prostitution is not something only poor people from bad areas engage in? Seems so obvious I cannot believe this whole exchange was actually necessary. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 16th Dec 2020 4:07pm)
  • I appreciate your optimism that something will be done about it but selling sex isn't illegal in the UK although a bunch of the surrounding activity is. I am not sure anyone on these sites are actually breaking any laws. No police officer, MP, or social service would be in the least bit surprised that it would be possible to buy sex in literally any part of Glasgow no matter how twee it is. They will likely look on your request for action with bewilderment honestly. You don't pop around any corner in Govanhill and see openly run brothels or street walking prostitute either. The closest thing to that in Glasgow was that laughably transparent one across from the CCA on Sauchiehall street where you could straight up see people going at from the street below but I believe that was finally shut down. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 16th Dec 2020 4:46pm)
  • Really? I would say Bridgeton/Gallowgate/into south of Duke street Dennistoun area is pretty grim. Don't get me wrong it is all still perfectly liveable despite their issues just like Govanhill. Just lacks some of the charm of Govanhill, which does have cool bars and coffee shops and a real community buzz in a way some of these other places don't My money for the "worst" part of Glasgow is the area around the Bellgrove Hotel in Gallowgate. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 16th Dec 2020 9:34pm)
  • Didn't say there wasn't some competition. Springburn, Possilpark, Castlemilk, and Drumchapel are all certainly contenders. Last time I was walking down that end of Gallowgate I saw the usual collection of junkies hanging around as two kids kicked around an empty bottle of Frosty Jacks like it was a football in that lot next the Bellgrove, looked like some kind of grim set piece from a movie about the Balkan wars or something. So maybe it is some recency bias on my part. Just always seems so desolate and sad right in that area. by SinistramSitNovum (Thu 17th Dec 2020 8:43am)
  • Weird there was a Glasgow Live article published about this building today: ​ [https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/campaign-launched-transform-derelict-whiteinch-19536751?fbclid=IwAR0D-xRAi3ScUv9E3-GwVCBmaGNCb1V8ZrddffsQQ923W2AYkFxf-84Z-rg](https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/campaign-launched-transform-derelict-whiteinch-19536751?fbclid=IwAR0D-xRAi3ScUv9E3-GwVCBmaGNCb1V8ZrddffsQQ923W2AYkFxf-84Z-rg) by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 30th Dec 2020 4:34pm)
  • If you have a cat you want to look for unfurnished flats and favour private lets. Some agencies are OK with cats over dogs and/or make you pay an additional deposit If you do go with an agent come right out and say you have a cat when trying to arrange a viewing so they know before they let you come to view it. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 1st Jan 2021 9:12pm)
  • Yeah no doubt it is just so shocking how quickly we got here. Seemed so much more chill even at times of huge disagreement like the past 2 referendums now we have gone full on into accusing people of being truly vile and bad people based on their political beliefs at more or less a drop of a hat. I blame social media and specifically facebook for doing a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to this polarisation. by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 2nd Jan 2021 1:25am)
  • It is a little worse than that. he is saying there is a massive child sex ring operating and government officials, the police, the social services, and the NHS are all in a conspiracy to cover it up. While not straight Qanon stuff it is not a million miles away and it goes in that direction real quick among his followers. by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 2nd Jan 2021 9:37am)
  • I didn't say it did? Not in this comment or in my OP. I said it was crazy conspiracy stuff at that level? by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 2nd Jan 2021 10:41am)
  • Reading those social media posts give me a headache. Their "evidence" they keep posting that this is going on and nothing is being done is an article about the police arresting someone in Govanhill for trafficking. When people then point out, even very politely, clearly something is being done if people are being arrested they immediately get shouted down for being a "Sturgeon shill" or just called a straight up child abuser. Madness, and while it has been trending this way for a while it feels like the vitriol and tribalism is getting markedly worse. by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 2nd Jan 2021 11:07am)
  • 100% agree. I am a US and UK citizen and have spent about half my life in each and while I have a lot of love for people in the US and there are genuinely good things there that place overall is pretty fucked and is not at all a place to emulate. Unfortunately the politics here look more and more like there everyday. I suppose it will be largely the same individuals and organisation leveraging these divisions both here and in the US so it makes sense it would follow a similar trajectory. by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 2nd Jan 2021 11:18am)
  • Some coked up dafty with 70000 followers and counting. Remember what a joke Trump's escalator speech was announcing his candidacy? by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 2nd Jan 2021 11:52am)
  • Yeah but the whole "both sides" thing I do think is it a wee bit lopsided just now. The left should not call all people on the right racists and morons but the that is a far shot less fracturing then being called sick paedophiles that suck the blood from living children. We can all acknowledge one of those accusations is somewhat more of an indictment than the other right? by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 2nd Jan 2021 1:55pm)
  • Yeah in marketing they have a thing called a "marketing funnel" that looks like [THIS](https://www.campaignmonitor.com/assets/uploads/2019/03/EW16161_4_CampaignMonitor_DigitalMarketingFunnel_B4_Image4.jpg) and a similar concept is certainly applied in political radicalisation. It starts with UFC or on a video game forum and gets people (not all but some) to take that next little step until they are fully on board and has them behaving in ways that would have been unthinkable to them even just a year earlier. And it is so hard to undo as the first and most important step in doing that would be for the person to admit they may have been wrong and have been fooled which is really hard for all people to do. Even those with some doubts tend to adopt a kind of sunk cost fallacy and just double down as to show any scepticism would be a massive blow to their ego. It is sinister and effective and 100% designed and intentional. by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 2nd Jan 2021 2:07pm)
  • I have never heard anyone say Rotherham was anything besides a massive cock up on an epic scale. It was a perfect storm of racial tensions, classism, sexism, cowardly political expediency and good old fashioned incompetence, absolutely no arguments there. But to use that as a template to accuse any and all political opponents of really unspeakable stuff is not only unfair but dangerous as well. In the case of this particular guy Police Scotland and the social services have publicly begged for him to come forward with his evidence and he just won't do it. Why would you think that would be if you had to hazard a guess? Bad things happening to children illicits an instant emotional reaction (rightly so) and is without question cynically used by people with an agenda. by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 2nd Jan 2021 2:20pm)
  • What the fuck are you on about? You sound proper deranged. by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 2nd Jan 2021 9:59pm)
  • Shit! I hadn't realised the Duke of York had taken up residence in Govanhill. I must admit it is a somewhat surprising choice for him. Is he the one who bought the for sale by auction flat on Calder street? by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 2nd Jan 2021 9:56pm)
  • Do bad things happen in poor areas across the city including Govanhill? Yep, I don't think anyone will argue that. I don't think there has been any conclusive evidence that children regularly offer to sell sex on the streets but of course more must be done to help victims of trafficking and people stuck in the sex trade. There was a huge human trafficking bust in Gallowgate a couple months back but I do notice that is for some reason of much less interest in that I do think that there is a lot of wild talk about conspiracy and compliancy from the powers that be specifically in respect to Govanhill that I am not sure if that is has merit. If a child offered to sell you sex in Govanhill and you immediately called the police I don't think they would shrug their shoulders and look the other way. by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 2nd Jan 2021 10:25pm)
  • Just so I understand you. You are maintaining that there is an enormous child prostitution ring being run with the complicity of the police, the NHS, the social services, and all the residents of an entire neighbourhood in order to maintain property values? You sure there aren't any other people involved in this conspiracy ? Not the usual favourites like The Rothchilds or the Masons? Are you sure chemtrails aren't somehow involved? by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 3rd Jan 2021 1:00pm)
  • He talks all the time about how it is the First Minister's district and how whole ethnic groups are "rats" that are "incompatible with British culture" if you don't think that is political I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 4th Jan 2021 11:58am)
  • I did not make it up go back and watch the videos and he has provide exactly 0 evidence what he says is true. Police Scotland, the Roma charity groups and CPS have all said what he is saying is not true. At a certain point it is up to him to furnish the evidence. Go look at his twitter/facebook it is plenty political as he almost certainly intended. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 4th Jan 2021 7:44pm)
  • I'm not going to argue with you, you can go back and watch his videos yourself. The scandals down south were absolutely unforgivable fuck ups. I would ask what Pakistani grooming gangs in Manchester would have to do with Roma people in Glasgow though (not that you should use those to judge Pakistani people on the whole). The Roma have a totally different culture, are not from the same place, don't have the same religion, and frankly have never really been the subject of grooming gangs. It would be like me wandering around Newton Mearns accusing them all of being paedos and using the crimes of Jeffery Epstein as evidence that rich white people are by and large child abusers. It makes no sense. Part of the issue in Rotheram and Manchester was that spineless politicians didn't want to be accused of racism by an essential voting block. You think the 3500 Roma people in Govanhill are essential to getting the SNP elected in Glasgow? The Machiavellian and opportunistic angel doesn't even make sense from an arithmetic point of view. You have absolutely no proof there is widespread covering up of sex crimes in Govanhill. Sorry you just don't. I had a property broken into in Govanhill and like £500 in property stolen and Police Scotland sent two offers who dusted for fingerprints, interviewed neighbors, and reviewed CCTV footage. I got not one but two calls offering me counseling for being a victim of crime. It absolutely strains incredulity to think those exact same officers would see a child being sold for sex and just shrug their shoulders and walk away. Please provide the hard evidence you have that this is going on or fuck off. Protip a guy talking shite on facebook is not evidence of anything. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 5th Jan 2021 3:41pm)
  • Yep, I do stay in the area. You said what was going on in Govanhill was being covered up like it was in Rotheram when as far as I can see they have literally nothing to do with each other. It isn't even really the same kind of allegations Alex is making in his videos. He is saying that the Roma there sell their children for sex on some kind of siginificant scale and it is being actively covered up. Again no one (you included) has provided one iota of evidence of this. There really is no evidence that abused children are being ignored for ideological or political reasons. I am not saying there isn't prostitution or abuse happening, people are not infrequently arrested for it. I am saying this talk of elaborate coverup conspiracy has no evidence. I ended my last comment asking you to provide evidence of this, please provide it. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 5th Jan 2021 5:31pm)
  • You could consider getting a small exercise cycle? You can get one at Argos and the like for not much more than a cost of a months gym membership and you can get ones that fold away so they won't take up much room when not in use. They aren't likely to be great but you could always use it until the gyms open back up and sell it on gumtree or something afterwards. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 13th Jan 2021 11:46am)
  • I think he is planning to release it the same day Trump releases his evidence of voter fraud. It is absolutely astounding to me how easy it is dupe these people. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 15th Jan 2021 12:39pm)
  • Yeah my tenement is dotted with those little chemical dehumidifiers in every room and by the windows. Can't imagine needing a humidifier in Glasgow. I would be living in a cave at that point. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 17th Jan 2021 3:11pm)
  • It's madness, the cunt now has like 70k followers and hundreds of messages of support on all his videos. We have an education crisis in this country. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 19th Jan 2021 12:46pm)
  • Ah man. How is Alex going to talk his way out of this one. He has said over and over again that he has hard evidence and the police can come to him at any time (as if that's how that works). They relent and actually go to him and surprise, surprise, he has nothing. What a fucking laughing stock. His followers are thick as mince but if you look at the comment sections in his FB posts you can even see the cracks forming with them. What a fucking moron. What the hell was the point of all this? Stirring up racial tensions among a bunch of people who are already racists as it is? by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 20th Jan 2021 4:18pm)
  • It certainly has issues but so do a lot of places in Glasgow and they don't get quite the virulent hate and accusations of child slavery. Race is clearly and undeniably a factor in why it is singled out. Also, I am not sure when you lived there but even the part of Govanhill east of Vicky road is improving quite a bit and it is certainly gentrifying pretty quick. I know tons of single young women who live in Govanhill who walk around at night all the time with absolutely no issue. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 20th Jan 2021 4:24pm)
  • It also has quite a few Pakistanis and in my experience the people who follow this guy don't know there is difference. They also don't seem to know that Romani and Romanian are not the same thing. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 20th Jan 2021 4:30pm)
  • Yeah but your making a really shitty point that doesn't make any fucking sense. A woman not reporting rape is a victim of a terrible trauma who may well have reasons they don't want to report it. If you witness a rape happening to some one else and you don't report you are a piece of shit who has absolutely no reason not to report it. Surely you are capable of understanding that? Bullshit analogy that was really stupid and poorly thought out. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 20th Jan 2021 9:53pm)
  • Forget months man this grapevine stuff has been going on for centuries. Roma, Arabs, Jews have all had their time of being accused of selling children for sex. The EXACT same thing was said about the Jews when they inhabited places like Govanhill back in the day. This is a tried and true othering technique. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 20th Jan 2021 9:59pm)
  • You have a point but I get why Police Scotland had to say something. There were people trying to actively organise groups to go "clean up Govanhill" on his Facebook page and I am sure police Scotland is concerned that would end up being groups of people beating up random Roma folks. I think they are probably right. I think they feel a rather urgent need to discredit this guy (not a tall ask) and assuage people's fears. by SinistramSitNovum (Thu 21st Jan 2021 11:18am)
  • I think for a lot of these people anyone from outside the central belt might as well be a fucking martian. by SinistramSitNovum (Thu 21st Jan 2021 4:37pm)
  • Yeah seems to be a constant point people are tripping over. Only 1.5% of the total population of Romania are Roma people. It astounds me how this could be so widely confused. They are phonetically similar but that is about it. Two entirely different groups of people. by SinistramSitNovum (Thu 21st Jan 2021 4:57pm)
  • Yeah don't do it in your flat unless into a pillow as you are going to freak everyone out and likely have the police called. Winters in Glasgow are grim even before adding in the isolation of a lockdown and the stress of studying/work while not doing anything else. I would try and find some other ways of blowing off steam as well as I think the screaming will only help so much. Tough time for everyone just now and I think practicing a little self care (to coop 2016's buzzword of the year) is important. Try and find a little routine that works for you. I don't have SAD or anything but I do like some strong light and physical activity in the winter time and since I can't travel someplace warm or even really go for a hill walk I developed a little routine that does wonders for me. My routine I do after work a few nights a week is to do a HIIT workout of some kind that I find on Youtube and really commit to doing it so I get a good sweat going, then I sit in this little portable steam sauna I bought on Amazon (which yes makes me feel like an idiot but the thing is amazing) with a UV light going and I either listen to some music or watch a TV programme of something dumb that I don't have to think about like Seinfeld or the Simpsons, then shower off, light some incense and have a really cold beer. Something like this might not work for you but all in this is an hour at the end of my day and I feel like a whole new person. Something with the heat, light, new smells, and exercise makes it feel like I just had some kind of dystopian beach day simulation but I feel great afterwards. My advice would be to try and find an activity or routine that makes you feel better and commit to doing it even if it seems weird or makes you feel a little self-conscious (if you told me a year ago I would end the day most days sitting in a little cubicle of steam while burning incense I would have thought I went crazy). I think it is really important to try and eek out something for ourselves during this time and not be embarrassed about it. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 25th Jan 2021 12:10pm)
  • I have this one: [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Machine-Foldable-Slimming-Weight-Therapy/dp/B07T67CLLR/ref=sr\_1\_22?dchild=1&keywords=portable+sauna&qid=1611597877&sr=8-22](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Machine-Foldable-Slimming-Weight-Therapy/dp/B07T67CLLR/ref=sr_1_22?dchild=1&keywords=portable+sauna&qid=1611597877&sr=8-22) ​ There seems to be some lockdown pricing happening there as I remember it being at least £40 cheaper. You can get some cheaper ones clearly drop shipped from China but I was afraid they were going to explode adn burn me to death or something. Definitely leaves some moisture so be careful with laminate get something to go under it. I have kind of a big tiled bathroom I use it in. You look a bit a fool in it but functionally it feels the same as going to one in a gym. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 25th Jan 2021 6:09pm)
  • Sounds like your friend was likely fibbing to you. Maybe they were doing something else as well as going to Asda. There are no police checking addresses of people going into supermarkets. She was probably breaching the rules in a less sympathetic way and didn't want to tell you. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 1st Feb 2021 9:32am)
  • Yeah I get that I suppose. Seems really unfair for other small businesses that there seems to be this huge exception to the non-essential thing that everyone can see plain as day. Seems to me that it undermines all the importance of the stay at home order. If people are walking back from the pharmacy or grocery store and see a queue of 30 people outside a coffee shop in Shawlands that is totally permitted how long before they start to take the other restrictions less seriously? I think something like a bookstore could be open with 15 minute slots to collect outside and it would in fact be safer than what you see at coffee shops and I think it would be tough to argue that an oat milk latte is any more essential than a book. Either things are safe or they aren't and the inconsistency seems mad to me. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 2nd Feb 2021 11:22am)
  • I'm not knocking anyone for going to get a coffee. It is permitted activity but I just don't get how it makes any sense either something is truly essential or this method of collection is safe. I don't think it makes sense to say it is safe for this specific, clearly non-essential thing but not for something else. I would not be at all opposed to non-essential retail being open for outside click and collect either if it was done safely. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 2nd Feb 2021 11:28am)
  • Yeah, well at least this time schools are closed. That was the biggest head scratcher for me in the previous lockdown. Having any kind of lockdown while having 30+ kids in each classroom coming from different households and returning home is pointless and the data directly correlate to that decision along with eat out to help out. It seems like what is actually risky is sitting in classrooms, in crowded offices, cramming into public transportation, being inside at restaurants, etc. I think basically anything that can be done outside with masks on is pretty low risk but this really visible inconsistency not only undermines the process it is confusing. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 2nd Feb 2021 11:56am)
  • Are deliveries inherently safer than outside pickups I would not think so as it involves some one coming into or up to your house. Does it really make sense that the florist down the street can't leave an order on an outside table for me to come and collect but can bring it directly into my house? I get that there is an economic component to this but I think more consistent rules make sense and it encourages adhering to them. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 2nd Feb 2021 12:24pm)
  • Yeah there seems to be really widespread confusion about this point. Someone I work with was raging that the upholsterer near them was still in his shop most days working on things as surely that isn't essential. He probably can't upholster a sofa in his house and if he isn't responsible for home schooling any children and he is covid safe in his workshop he is perfectly allowed to go in and work on things. Most factories and things are still working. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 2nd Feb 2021 12:51pm)
  • I know. Kind of my whole point. So why can't a bookstore do outside click and collect? How would that be more dangerous? I know someone who does musical instrument repairs and they are really struggling as there is no legal way for them to take new jobs or even return projects they have already done. They could do an outside exchange in a way that would be far safer than what you have at coffee shops but are not allowed to. I just don't see the logic in that. I think the restrictions could have been written in a way that could have allowed for more businesses to safely trade in a way similar to coffee shops and making coffee shops basically the only exception seems weird to me. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 2nd Feb 2021 4:07pm)
  • I guess one could argue that but I don't think that argument would withstand even the tiniest bit of scrutiny. The queue outside of the every organic coffee shop in Shawlands every weekend is not made up of 20-30 bin men and police. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 2nd Feb 2021 4:16pm)
  • Yeah Greggs is closed places like Starbucks and Costa are open though. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 2nd Feb 2021 6:00pm)
  • Lots of office workers, craftspeople, call centres, etc. Together with the industries you mentioned and it is quite a lot of people still not working. Although at this point some industries are starting to make people redundant as they can't afford the furlough contribution anymore. All in I think it is still over 10 million people not working or furloughed. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 2nd Feb 2021 6:05pm)
  • Homewares? I guess that could really mean anything. Ikea is open for click and collect, John Lewis was allowed to be but chose not to. Pretty broad definitions. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 2nd Feb 2021 7:25pm)
  • Eh I don't know the worst racial abuse I have ever personally witnessed in Glasgow was on Dumbarton right by Glasgow Uni. I think wherever one can find drunk dickheads in Glasgow one can pretty easily find some pretty overt racism to go with it. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 5th Feb 2021 2:31pm)
  • I am sorry to say but the litter is one of the first things foreign members of my family notice when they visit. Glasgow is unusually bad for this. Sure there are worse places like Naples of course many cities outside Europe but Glasgow is has a lot more litter than most places in the UK. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 16th Feb 2021 10:59am)
  • You aren't supposed to do that and it is specifically against the rules. I believe the bin men can decline pick up if the wrong things are in your general waste bin. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 16th Feb 2021 10:56am)
  • This is bad advice. Refuse is better outside of living spaces than in even if piled up outside bins. Refuse collecting in homes can cause serious living condition issues. Without exception every glass bin near me is like this so just finding a new bin is not really an option. Plenty of complaining to the council has been done but its not like they aren't aware. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 16th Feb 2021 11:01am)
  • What do you want them to do with them? Unless they have a car to bring it to a recycling centre themselves this might really be the only option. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 16th Feb 2021 2:22pm)
  • A lot of people in the city centre areas don't have a car. What specifically do you want them to do in that case? This honestly seems like the best solution as keeping load of rubbish in living spaces causes other more serious issues and you aren't allowed to put glass in the general waste bins. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 16th Feb 2021 2:20pm)
  • Cut them up and put them in a blue bin? Is this a serious question? You are forbidden to put glass in the other bins so this is literally the only place this material can go. The fact you are struggling so much to understand this is outstanding. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 16th Feb 2021 3:17pm)
  • Keeping excess rubbish in the house can easily bring in rodents and pests. Better they be out by the bins if a bunch of rubbish needs to accumulate somewhere. It would be one thing if it was just a matter of waiting a day or two but the ones near me have been like this basically everyday since before Christmas. Do you actually think it is a reasonably expectation that people live with 10 weeks worth of trash in their flats? by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 16th Feb 2021 3:15pm)
  • Yeah all that after he made a video yelling at his subscribers and supporters for not coming forward with evidence to back up his claims. Like he fully thought it was up to other people to back up his bullshit. You would think it goes without saying that if you are the one making a claim it is up to you to back it up but apparently not for this moron. Not only is the guy a narcissist and fantasist he is also powerfully stupid. Hopefully now that he doesn't have the whole racial element to his content his racist supporters will lose interest. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 16th Feb 2021 10:42pm)
  • Wrong! Under no circumstances put them in your regular bins. The council specifically asks you not to do this as they then need to be sorted and it causes even more delays that makes everything that much worse. I know you think you are helping by doing that but you are actually partly responsible for the problem. Knock that off. The bin men can and do refuse pick up of regular bins if there is glass in there. You are giving really poor advice that makes everything worse. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 17th Feb 2021 9:07am)
  • Roma people. Said things like "us British people don't believe in selling our children for sex" the obvious implication being that Roma people in Govanhill do. He then goes on to claim he is not racist because his barber is from Iraq. Guy is a knuckledragger and his videos will give any non-idiot a headache. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 17th Feb 2021 12:03pm)
  • Yeah someone was trolling. He is baselessly accusing the Roma community of perpetrating a large scale child prostitution ring. Not sure how that could possibly be looked at as a positive thing. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 17th Feb 2021 12:48pm)
  • Oh yeah totally different thing than the OP. We were talking about another guy making racist videos in this neighbourhood that targeted the Roma. He got a lot of attention and views and was mentioned in the mainstream media. Sorry should have made that more clear. If you want to see what we were talking about with out giving the racist guy a view or any attention you can view this person's video where they do a break down and rebuttal of his videos: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjzwS4gXSfQ&ab\_channel=EmmaGoldman%27sBitontheside](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjzwS4gXSfQ&ab_channel=EmmaGoldman%27sBitontheside) Warning the guy is prejudiced and a massive idiot so if you don't want that kind of negativity in your life best to give it a miss altogether. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 17th Feb 2021 3:57pm)
  • For undergraduate courses that is certainly true for PGT courses that isn't really true anymore. Universities make a lot of money on tuition fees even from home students. A 2:2 gets you in to the vast majority of PGT courses now whether your from Bangladesh or Bearsden. by SinistramSitNovum (Thu 18th Feb 2021 5:34pm)
  • "Glasgow Uni gets about 30% of its tuition fee income from Chinese students alone." ​ I am a little surprised it is only 30% but that also has no bearing on what I said. Home student enrolment for PGT courses (what OP was talking about very different story for UG) is income generating and very few courses will have any kind of cap on home student numbers. I work in this industry and know to the pound how much income is generated on what fee category and I am acutely aware of their financials. PGT courses are the real money makers and what I said is 100% true. A 2:2 or roughly a 75% from a Chinese university is going to get you in. They are not going to admit a Home student with a 3rd and they are not going to admit a Chinese student with 65%. by SinistramSitNovum (Thu 18th Feb 2021 7:16pm)
  • Yeah I really feel bad for that mother and try and be sympathetic to her frustration but I think the people around her need try and get her to direct this in a more positive way. She is dead set that she knows who murdered her son but that is not the same as the police being able to prove it. They can't just go lock the person up based on the feelings of the victims family. I don't quite understand why they all think the police would have any particular interest in covering up this boy's murder. How would that benefit them in any way? Isn't it more likely there is limited evidence and there is a gap between what they think happened and what they can prove happened? by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 22nd Feb 2021 9:30am)
  • To be fair to Police Scotland it has only been alleged that the body was dragged, that is far from confirmed. Not saying they didn't mess that up but I have seen a number of bodies transported and moved and it sometimes is not pretty and could certainly be upsetting especially if you knew the person. The poor kid was found in an isolated marshy area it may well have been a pretty physical process to recover the body which would be understandable albeit upsetting. There may well have been some foul play involved and I think it is likely people probably know more than they are saying publicly. I hate to even say this as I am fearful people who know the poor guy might read this but it is also entirely possible, likely even, that this was a terrible accident. I believe it has been confirmed he was drinking and taking street Valium. Add this to the fact he was in an isolated area near an open body of water while not being properly dressed for the conditions and it is easy to see how something may have gone wrong. Even if there was some foul play it is easy to see how these circumstances would create a pretty believable alternative to what may have had happened which might make arresting and prosecuting anyone pretty difficult. That street Valium is a curse and a poison and you need do nothing more than walk around Central Station and observe some of the folks taking it there to see how easily someone in the wrong environment could find themselves in a lot of trouble when taking that stuff. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 22nd Feb 2021 10:29am)
  • Yeah, you are going to be better off with a private landlord if you have no proof of address or income as most agents are going to want that. I would say like at least 50% of letting agents in Glasgow are just straight up crooks but there are some that are OK but again with no credit or proof of income that route will be tough. The rental market is insane just now in Glasgow as everyone who is homeschooling/working from home is looking for a bigger flat. 2 Bedroom flats that would have been £650 a month last year are now over £800 and going really quick. As others have said get an airbnb, set up alerts on all the various webistes: Rightmove, Facebook, Gumtree, etc. Call immediately on anything that looks good, dress up and be ready to commit as soon as you view anything. The southside and the westend are both particularly desirable competitive so you will have your work cut out for you but you should still be able to find something. Good luck! by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 22nd Feb 2021 12:39pm)
  • Plus independence marches happen once in a great while and tend to be organised in one place as opposed to these which happen like every weekend in the summer in like 15 separate marches all across the city. Even just from a practical point of view I don't think it should really be allowed for a dozen guys with drums to stop traffic on major thoroughfares every single weekend while waking up the whole neighborhood. Sure, if they must they can have their racist walk about but they should organise it into one event and have it on one day so all the normal people can just get out of town for that day. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 24th Feb 2021 9:59am)
  • A lot of them happen to also be racist as well though. There is a HUGE amount of overlap in the Orange Walk world view and the EDL/Alex Cairnie type racist world view. That zen diagram is pretty close to a circle. I used to live above a halal butcher shop and the local OW followers thought it was absolutely hilarious buy packets of bacon crisps from the shop up the street and leave them outside their door or wave them at them as they walked by during the OW. Also comments and chants were not at all unusual and as dumb as these dudes were I think they knew the halal butcher shop was likely not run by Catholics. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 24th Feb 2021 10:06am)
  • I would say the orange walk is inherently prejudiced and also happens to be racist 99.99% of the time so I am not sure that is really that much better. Of course Catholics can also be racist? Hitler was raised a Catholic as a notable example. I didn't say they couldn't be and I am struggling to see your point with that comment. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 24th Feb 2021 10:14am)
  • Sure but it is kind of like the Proud Boys in the US, they say they are not inherently racist or white supremacist and have some rules written down about not being racist but they all happen to be super racist. Yes the OW core value is to be anti-Catholic but in practical terms that extends to any other or immigrant group at their last big march in Glasgow two Chinese people were assaulted and racially abused by them and again Chinese folks aren't well known for their Catholicism. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 24th Feb 2021 10:23am)
  • >Godwin's Law Doesn't really apply though does it? I wasn't comparing anyone to Hitler just using him as an example. You were close but I think you kind of misunderstood that term. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 24th Feb 2021 10:25am)
  • Sorry the Hitler mention upset you but I wasn't comparing anyone to Hitler just using him as an example. Also Hitler was absolutely born and raised as a Catholic although he did leave the church when he was very young. But fine we can use someone else if you want. Could we all agree that Christopher Columbus was Catholic and super racist? Is that example more agreeable? I still think you are missing the point a wee bit. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 24th Feb 2021 10:37am)
  • Sure they are not racist in the exact same way that the Proud Boys or the Boogaloo Movement are not racist. They say those movements are just about supporting right-wing politics and hanging out with like minded friends and say they aren't racist and would never have openly racist rules but in practical terms they are racist organizations. Of course the OW folks aren't going to come out and say explicitly that they are broadly anti immigrant or racist but to be active in orange walks you have to be at the very least be very comfortable being around and associating with pretty overt racism that has nothing to do with Catholicism, by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 24th Feb 2021 10:51am)
  • I think they are trying to say they are a religiously affiliated organisation but not really a religion in and of themselves. Like Freemasonry has some religious elements to it but I don't think most people would say Freemasonary is a religion. As far as I know the Orange Order does not have any restriction on what kind of protestant can join you could be Mormon, Quaker, Church of Scotland, Seventh Day Adventist, Jehovah's Witness, etc. So I am not sure they could really argue that there is some kind of cohesive religious belief system involved aside from being "not Catholic". by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 24th Feb 2021 11:32am)
  • Oh yeah I don't think the CoS would touch the OO with a ten foot pole. Also wouldn't really make sense as the OO do not say you need to belong to the CoS to belong to them. As I mentioned above you can belong to lots of denominations so having any kind of affiliation with the CoS wouldn't make sense for either party. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 24th Feb 2021 12:30pm)
  • You keep ignoring genuine comparisons because you can't argue them so you just skip over them. If you are going to commit to this silly point at least have the stones to actually address the valid arguments. Yes or no is Freemasonry a religion? Provided you aren't an idiot you said no. Same thing with the OO. It really is that simple. You have to be Protestant to join the KKK too but you wouldn't exactly call them a religion either right? Are you getting this? Also Protestantism isn't really a religion it just means non-Catholic Christian. You likely would not say Mormons and the Church of Scotland Presbyterians are the same religion right? by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 24th Feb 2021 5:27pm)
  • This is one of the single most frustrating conversations I have ever seen. Your patience is really admirable. It's like trying to teach calculus to a frog. I just don't understand how someone could struggle this much with what is really a very simple concept. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 24th Feb 2021 5:30pm)
  • This is quite possibly the dumbest argument I have ever seen. It would like be saying you can't ban Al-Qaeda from holding a rally in George Square because they are all Muslims and that would be religious discrimination. Just because a group of people all happen to be the same religion does not mean any activity they undertake has the protection of religious freedom. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 24th Feb 2021 5:46pm)
  • I mean that guy took it way past the line but you are right you when you freely admit you are making an entirely semantic argument and one that is frankly pretty stupid. You realize it is almost never a good faith argument to argue semantics right? Saying they aren't racist because they never come out and explicitly say they are is a pretty weak argument. Very few orgnaisations will just come out and say "Yup we are super racist" even the KKK under David Duke and white supremacists like Richard Spencer try and claim they are not racists or part of any racist movement. They are of course but they aren't going to just come out and say that. The OO operates in a kind if similar albeit less extreme way. The OO is explicitly anti-Catholic and in all practical ways that matter anti anyone who does not fit their narrow view of British which includes racially. They regularly abuse and intimidate people who are different than them who are not Catholic as well. That is why when they have marches people who are Chinese and Muslim get abused as well. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 24th Feb 2021 6:06pm)
  • Cheers thanks for that. I just didn't want to end up being the "Karen" of the shared courtyard. Good to know it doesn't come across as passive aggressive or annoying. I will try and get a small one and will take it down the moment it makes a difference. Hoping it is just someone who doesn't realise that the clothes lines are in use or something and the problem sorts itself once they know other people are trying to walk through there. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 1st Mar 2021 11:19am)
  • Cheers wee bot. Good to know the wee plastic sign with the image of a pooing dog would live up to the hype if I ordered it. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 1st Mar 2021 12:02pm)
  • Aye, good advice. I wouldn't ask my neighbors to pick up shite with their bare hands. Would assume they would use a bag. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 1st Mar 2021 12:24pm)
  • There is street access through a lane so I would hope dogs aren't running about their off lead and unsupervised but who knows. Certainly nothing I have ever seen but I don't exactly watch the area. I could always point a wee camera down there for a day and catch someone out but would really prefer if the sign just did the job. Most the people I have seen out there with their dogs are picking up after them so it is likely just one offender. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 1st Mar 2021 12:57pm)
  • Sounds a nightmare but if you can hear the baby talk dirty talk (gross) than it also sounds like an sound insulation issue. Unless they are are full on shouting it you really shouldn't be hearing normal to even slightly elevated levels of conversation. All you can really do is go ask them politely to keep it down and maybe look into something to try and dampen the noise. by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 6th Mar 2021 10:18am)
  • For gas and electric I have had EON and Octopus recently and I have liked both. I liked that you can get a renewable energy offset and both of their customer service is really pretty good. In the past I have also had Scottish Power and I will never use them again. Not only are they far and away the most expensive, their customer service is heinous, and their billing practices are intentionally really confusing. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 15th Mar 2021 9:00am)
  • Yeah they are good for price and it is crystal clear what you are being charged and why whereas with Scottish Power the statements are these long documents filled with charts and graphs that always lead to hundreds of pounds evaporating out of thin air. Not even their customer service seems to totally understand their billing process. I use Plum to track my bills and Octopus was £256 pounds cheaper than Scottish Power over the same 12 month period as the year prior while actually using more KWH of energy. I am in an introductory rate with EON just now so my energy just now is so cheap I find it confusing. ​ Edit: In my opinion basically anyone will be better than Scottish Power or British Gas. They are the big names so are the default for a lot of landlords and older folks but you actually end up paying way more for worse service. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 15th Mar 2021 9:21am)
  • Yeah last time I moved I was leaving on the first of October so had like £200 in credit on my account built up over the summer. I got 3 bills though the post in 10 days which brought it down to £9 which they transferred to me. After hours on the phone with them and just being told to contact the complaints department I just gave up. Not only the worst utility I have ever dealt with but probably the company overall. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 15th Mar 2021 9:58am)
  • Yep second this. Worth having a look at what kind of new flooring might be available and at what cost. I think there is a lingering aversion to any kind of snap together flooring as it as seen as cheap rubbish like laminate but some of what is available now is really pretty good. They have composite boards now that snap together like laminate but have like 2-3 cm of hardwood on top. Looks exactly like hardwood floors, is easy to put together like laminate, and is way cheaper than full on hardwood floors. You can even sand and refinish it a few times so you can have them for decades. As you say it will be pricier than just sanding the floorboards but it will be a whole lot nicer to live with. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 30th Mar 2021 10:49am)
  • Brutalist architecture can be really nice. The thing is it was usually designed to be embellished with landscaping and fountains outside and nicely designed fixtures inside but these were often expensive to maintain so were often just left out which didn't do the the architecture any favours. The Barbican Estate is a good example of Brutalist architecture that is properly maintained and presented and it is awesome: [https://www.google.com/search?q=Barbican+Estate&sxsrf=ALeKk03W\_NOQASv7OGjvT1ryIwc4H\_U9lA:1617609500881&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjo9rz90ObvAhXEhf0HHY7AClkQ\_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1366&bih=657#imgrc=9yrCkemoTDeRJM](https://www.google.com/search?q=Barbican+Estate&sxsrf=ALeKk03W_NOQASv7OGjvT1ryIwc4H_U9lA:1617609500881&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjo9rz90ObvAhXEhf0HHY7AClkQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1366&bih=657#imgrc=9yrCkemoTDeRJM) by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 5th Apr 2021 9:04am)
  • The old City of Glasgow College buildings are other really good examples and I hope the new owners do it right and embrace the style of the buildings. I particularly like the one that was called the [Oakley Building](https://www.google.com/maps/@55.8629335,-4.2466857,3a,75y,304.1h,96.67t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sq6v9nOf7OWi3MFGM4smevQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en) that would look amazing all freshened up with plants/gardens on the various levels and a rooftop social space which is how it was intended to be used. I know Brutalism tends to illicit strong reactions from people but I think it is really important we keep and maintain at least the strongest examples. I think we would regret it if we pulled it all down. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 5th Apr 2021 9:27am)
  • Bellgrove hotel is B listed I would be surprised if they get permissions to completely pull that down. I hope they don't. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 5th Apr 2021 9:35am)
  • I totally sympathise, having lived next to some pretty unsavory characters myself. Your best bet is to keep calling the police in the hopes they grab him but it is going to take being persistent. I hope for your sake he is just selling a bit of weed and or coke as living next to an H dealer is pure hell as there is not an hour of the night folk aren't dope sick and showing up being loud and sketchy. I once lived next to someone who would get high/drunk as fuck and beat the absolute tar out of his Mrs pretty regularly. It was horrible for everyone in the building and I am pretty sure scarred some of the kids in the building as even the sounds were graphic and disturbing as fuck. His door looked like a patch work quilt it had been battered down by the police and pounded by neighbors so often. He would start wailing on her, folks would call the cops, he would slip out the door or window and be gone by the time the police got there and they would leave. Rinse and repeat for like 18 months. Was a dodgy very threatening guy so a lot of the tenants were terrified of him and his partner was constantly black and blue but it still took ages for anything to happen. They eventually moved out but I think thy just got another place together as he was getting annoyed with all the scrutiny. The police were always sympathetic but the guy had it down to a science how long he could batter her before he had to fuck off to avoid the cops. Good luck mate. I hope the police do something before he actually gets violent but in my experience even then the process is pretty slow. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 7th Apr 2021 9:32am)
  • You can find folk to take small jobs its just they are going to charge a lot to make it worth it and 99% of landlords will wait for the cheaper, flakey guy rather than paying a premium in the interest of being good to their tenants (#notalllandlords but sadly the vast majority). The old saying of "good, fast, cheap....pick two" certainly applies here and a landlord will pick cheap every time, very much at the expense of the other two. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 9th Apr 2021 9:39am)
  • Technically speaking if a car is turning onto a side road in the UK and a pedestrian has entered the junction (even if it is just one toe of the pavement) the car must give way to the pedestrian. Traffic code 170 I think it is that specifies this. That being said few if any drivers in Glasgow know this and even fewer follow the rule so to cross before a car can reach the junction is taking your life in your hands as many drivers won't be looking. Good to keep in mind though. If you run into a pedestrian at a junction while turning in your car you are basically at fault by default and the penalty can be extremely harsh. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 14th Apr 2021 6:18pm)
  • >pedestrians also have right of way -motorways aside - in the UK if they have > >already > > started crossing the road when you are a reasonable distance away. Most widely ignored traffic rule in all of Glasgow though so I would be careful with that one. I was once talking about this in my office where everyone is a driver and not a single person knew that if a pedestrian has started crossing at a junction that they are turning into they need to give way. They all said they would just honk the horn, Scary how little people actually know about the rules. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 14th Apr 2021 6:22pm)
  • Um from your own link about turning onto junctions which is what I was talking about: If you have started crossing and traffic wants to turn into the road, you have priority and they should give way. If you pull in around, honk at, or gesture at pedestrians while turning into a junction knock it off immediately. They do in fact have the right of way. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 14th Apr 2021 9:36pm)
  • I think the sad reality is you need to go into any dealing with a private landlord or a letting agent as if they are going to be dishonest and are willing to lie to get your money. The fact is enough of them are dishonest that it makes sense as a consumer to kind of assume they all are and act accordingly. One thing is pictures and videos. Take loads of pictures and take long, detailed videos walking through the property and pointing out any issues. It seems like letting agents have two settings when it comes to do inspections. Either they are frequent and intrusive or never at all where as the ideal I think is once or maybe twice a year. I always used the inspection to take loads more pictures and confirm in writing the flat was still in the expected condition. Letting agents almost never want to confirm this as it will make it harder to try and keep the deposit later if that is what they decide they want to do but keep emailing and get them to confirm. Save and document everything. If something is broken point it out frequently and use the pretense that it says issues must be raised in your lease. Provided you are persistent enough in your communication, you keep meticulous records, and you don't totally destroy your flat it becomes very hard for them to rob you which is unfortunately their initial instinct. by SinistramSitNovum (Thu 15th Apr 2021 12:27pm)
  • Yeah I think at this point we are better off just doing what they do in North America committed, fenced off, dog parks and dogs on leash at all other times unless on your own property. People have spoiled it. by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 17th Apr 2021 5:03pm)
  • Yeah this is the standard everywhere in North America and it seems to work fine. You have way fewer dog shites around and no one being made uncomfortable by off leash dogs. Seems to make a lot of sense to me. by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 17th Apr 2021 5:06pm)
  • Oh yeah there certainly are and have been for a while. Unfortunately like local facebook groups local subreddits tend to bring in the crazies for some reason. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 20th Apr 2021 8:54am)
  • Yeah that is the BAE systems shipyard. It is one of the few left along with Ferguson (for now provided it doesn't go bust). There used to be over 100 individual ship building yards on the Clyde and now it is basically those two. Used to be a time when 1 in 5 commercial ships in the world were built in Glasgow but those days are long gone. Pretty sad stuff really. Not to get political about it but the Torries screwed Glasgow over good on that one and were in retrospect were really shortsighted. The only issue with going to check out the BAE shipyard is that it is really restricted and blocked off being a defense contractor. If you don't have a British or NATO passport you need a background check to even visit so there is not a lot you can see from the public street and there is a lot of fencing that keeps you pretty far away. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 20th Apr 2021 11:47am)
  • You ever bring him to the Transport Museum? They have a tall ship round back and a bunch of cool shipping stuff. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 20th Apr 2021 11:50am)
  • How in the absolute fuck do people like this get the money to open businesses? Surely no lender in their right mind would loan money to a someone who is openly planning on dodging his taxes. I would no sooner take a job there than I would put my money in a bank called "Big Jim's Money Place" as I bet it is going to be real hard to actually get your wages. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 20th Apr 2021 12:02pm)
  • Didn't say that. My point still stands though the vast majority of businesses, especially new businesses, need access to credit. Hope any vendors/landlords he is working with are getting their money up front. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 20th Apr 2021 12:57pm)
  • Guy is an absolute fucking moron. He actually posted a video a while ago of a clean close in Govanhill and was basically like "I did it! I saved the neighborhood and something is being done now!". I worry about the state of our education system when I see so many people take him seriously. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 20th Apr 2021 1:00pm)
  • Indeed, it was so painfully clear this whole thing was projection of the highest order. Guy was done for selling booze to kids and endangering their safety and he went on a big whiny crusade about how there were people way worse than him which was actually just a bunch of bigoted drivel. He is a sad, pathetic, insecure , little man. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 20th Apr 2021 1:05pm)
  • Yeah having looked at a fair amount of his content I think he is to his core a bigot but he is also a very, very, very stupid man. Even pretty basic concepts and arguments seem to bewilder and agitate him and send him ranting. In some ways I feel bad for him as I think he is someone who has really struggled in his life and has a lot of limitations and that he just desperately wanted attention and validation. Unfortunately he seems to have channeled his insecurities and shortcomings into prejudice and bigotry which has got him some of the attention he is clearly so desperate for. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 20th Apr 2021 1:18pm)
  • You don't grass on your neighbor smoking a bit of weed in the back garden. You do on bigoted, exploitative, scumbags dodging their tax like this guy. Why should he not pay his tax like everyone else? by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 20th Apr 2021 1:47pm)
  • Cause the guy is a scumbag and tax avoidance is a super shite thing to do? Yeah if you are going to openly tell people you interview for jobs you intend to break the law you should probably try not to be a publicly bigoted scumbag? To use my example again: I am not going to grass on my neighbor smoking weed but if he was selling coke to primary school kids I totally would. This isn't rocket science. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 20th Apr 2021 3:17pm)
  • These weren't just some offhand comments made on a personal social media account. He has set up public figure profiles with tens of thousands of follower to spread bigoted and hateful content. This guy is well known racist/conspiracy activist and is very public about it. There are tons of cafes in Glasgow so if I have the choice I'm not giving that guy my money. People should be aware that is who they are supporting by going there. Even bigots are capable of customer service when the aim is getting your money. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 20th Apr 2021 3:29pm)
  • Good God this whole pseudo gangster "no grassing" shite is so juvenile and stupid it hurts. You of course pick and chose who you grass on and for what. Are you seriously saying if you knew someone was sexually abusing a child you would say "ahm no grass" and "mind your own business" and not tell anyone? That is in fact what you are saying and if you don't see how that makes you a bad person than I don't know what to say to you except to grow up and revaluate all your values. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 20th Apr 2021 7:28pm)
  • Regurgitated the age old "gypsys sell their children for sex" troupe that has been repeated for ages with no evidence. Called Romanian people "rats" who are "incompatible with British culture who sell their kids for sex". Pretty objectively bigoted stuff. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 20th Apr 2021 7:36pm)
  • Oh I know full well the difference between Roma and Romanian but Alex doesn't and calls them Romanians in all his videos. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 20th Apr 2021 7:50pm)
  • Yeah the admins are deleting any comments letting people know who he is. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 20th Apr 2021 8:34pm)
  • He didn't say shite to me so obviously I am not going report him. The whole point of the initial comment was saying that OP could report him which yes presupposes they are telling the truth. It is the same thing everyone said to this nutter. If you have evidence of a sinister, child trafficking cabal, you need to report it. The issue is he of course didn't have any evidence and was doing it to stir up racial tensions and get attention which is a super shitty thing to do. He is a bad guy if he told people he intends to break the law they are well within their rights to report him. If you can't see how that makes sense or how that does not in fact make me as bad as a person leading a public crusade based on bigotry and prejudice I don't know what to tell you except maybe look into going back to school or something. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 21st Apr 2021 12:46pm)
  • Mate, I am not sure I can make this any clearer but I will try as you really seem to be struggling with the fundamental point here. I am not reporting him for doing anything. I wasn't there, he didn't say anything to me. I was just saying that if the person who was there wanted to report it they are well within their rights to do that and didn't need to heed that stupid "no grass" shite. I never said people who weren't there should report him just that if the person who was there wanted to the didn't need to feel bad about it. The guy is a cancer in the community and an absolute scumbag so fuck him either way. I really don't see what you could possibly be struggling with here. It is like talking to a sack of hammers for Christ's sake. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 21st Apr 2021 8:31pm)
  • How the fuck are you seeing a 150+ comment thread about this guy's very real and tangible actions and think people just have issues with the guys thoughts? I mean I guess we do in so far as his thoughts inform and motivate his actions. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 23rd Apr 2021 12:51pm)
  • He has filmed himself shouting at beggars on the street mate. He has filmed himself being bigoted and awful. He has written online reviews of competing business trashing them for asking him to wear a mask. These are actions. The actions of an asshole, who is not entitled to, and will not get my money. I am not sure what is hard to understand about this. Although, if you are the type of guy who thinks hearsay is spelled here-say and thinks this sentence makes any sense at all: "Businesses cant get enough of sticking their nib into peoples business these so perplexed why this is an issue" Then I think you are this guy's target demo and likely won't see any issue with his actions even if you are able to understand them as being actions as opposed to thoughts. He can have his idiotic opinions and undertake his idiotic actions and I can chose not to buy his shitty coffee. End of. by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 24th Apr 2021 12:04am)
  • I actually don't think you understand what any of the words you are using actually mean or that you are able to follow the progression of these comments and what is actually being said so I am going to bow out here. At this point it is like I am trying to teach particle physics to a particle. by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 24th Apr 2021 11:19am)
  • Yep sure thing. You can think that, it's fine. Good luck mate. by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 24th Apr 2021 11:29am)
  • Have a nice day! by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 24th Apr 2021 11:36am)
  • >Beer is stronger with a higher alcohol content than beer and ales in North America so not only do not try to keep up, but really take it slowly until you can find your level. What? That is objectively not true. Love it or hate it the most popular beer in Glasgow is Tennents which is a bit weaker than a Bud Light and Bud Light isn't exactly known for being a hard hitting brew. In general beer in North America is actually a little stronger but they drink a lot less of it. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 26th Apr 2021 9:21am)
  • Yeah I don't think anyone who has ever been anywhere near Glasgow City Centre past 19:00 would categorise Glaswegians as being anything approaching quiet. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 26th Apr 2021 9:28am)
  • The next question is usually "which school did you go to" for some reason a lot of these folks tend to think the whole world has a similar set up with their schools when in reality that is pretty unique to here. I love it when I get this question as I actually graduated from a high school in North America and it's name is the local Native American language word for the area and you can always see the bewilderment creep across their eyes as they try and figure out what the hell that place must be. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 26th Apr 2021 9:53am)
  • You can get a Tennents Super at most local off licences but they are usually behind the counter. Vile stuff. The reason you don't usually see it as often is that it is drank almost exclusively by homeless people or hardcore alkies. They usually sell them warm to try and combat people drinking it right away, which I love. As if the guy who was going to go drink it in ally in Trongate is going to give a fuck if it is cold or not. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 26th Apr 2021 10:12am)
  • Yeah a lot of the advice in here is weird as fuck. Like telling him not to say things the way they do in North America like that is something people would actually care about. The guy is American, people will know he is American the second he opens his mouth, he really doesn't need to worry that much about saying "fall" or "soccer" people will know what he means and I think most people kind of like the little difference in language like that unless they are a real dick. Like if the reverse happened in America and someone was telling a British person not to say petrol or lift that person would be kind of universally regarded as a dick. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 26th Apr 2021 10:22am)
  • I think that might be a regional thing in America as well just like it is here. I think if you met a group of people from like Vermont or Maine or something they wouldn't be loud while a group from Texas or something might be. I would say the world champions for loudest travelers in my opinion are English men in European cities like Prague or Amsterdam. Good God those guys are loud. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 26th Apr 2021 10:37am)
  • Yeah, close banisters are a rubbish place to chain a bike. A good hard kick can break it no problem. I once lived in a building that had three bikes on the the three floors locked to the banister and some one came in and broke the spindle to each one and stole all three. The close even provides a little bit of privacy for them so I think they love finding bike there. Seeing as they got through the lock instead of just breaking the spindle it must have been a real easy lock to get through. As others have said it is likely gone by now. Insurance companies sometimes will cover bikes securely locked in closes though so you should check with your insurance policy and see if they will cover it. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 26th Apr 2021 10:58am)
  • It is amazing how brazen they are and it is pretty clearly a pretty organised and serious outfit some of the time. I once saw 3 men jump out of a van with a huge pair of bolt cutters, cut the lock, and throw a bike into the open side door of the van right outside the Royal Conservatoire in full view of like 50 people in the middle of the day. Whole process must have taken under 10 seconds and they were long gone before anyone even knew what was happening, in fact I think most people didn't notice it happen at all. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 26th Apr 2021 11:03am)
  • Likely more not used to the volume of drinking as opposed the actual strength of the beer. People drink a lot more here than they do in America in general. You walk down Sauchiehall on a weekend there will be vomit everywhere and the like and you really don't get that in the US. Canadian beers like Molson, Labatt, Moosehead, all have the exact same ABV as Budweiser so I am not sure where you are getting this idea that US beer is so weak from? Popular British beer is objectively weaker ABV than most other countries including America, this is a pretty well known and well documented in beer communities. The three highest selling lagers in the UK are Carling, Carlsberg, and Fosters and they are all 3.8%. You would have to go out of your way to find any beer in America that has an abv that low and it would be sold as a session beer or a low alcohol content beer. Even light beers in the US have a higher ABV than that. Even cask ales are usually around 4% which is objectively weak beer in an international context. This is not to say British beer is bad it is designed to be sipped in the pub for hours on end which is why it is weaker. I think if the Americans you know were telling you it was because the beer is stronger here they were pulling your leg a bit. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 26th Apr 2021 1:11pm)
  • Indeed you will always see a bewildered/troubled look on an American's face the first time they hear someone ask to "bum a fag". by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 26th Apr 2021 1:31pm)
  • A lot of people think carpet is ugly. I tend to be of that mind myself. I would much rather have laminate than carpet from an aesthetic perspective. by SinistramSitNovum (Thu 29th Apr 2021 9:15pm)
  • Yep you go it right on the money. You need to find someone who can do it properly or do it yourself if you have the time (it isn't hard exactly just time consuming and annoying). I don't think I have ever seen a properly installed laminate floor in Glasgow and that isn't any kind of hyperbole or exaggeration. It is just something people don't think is worth the money or the time, especially landlords. This is totally wrong as it ultimately saves you money, time, and hassle to do it properly the first time round. That being said it likely doesn't get you bang for your buck when reselling or renting so most people just decide "fuck it". A properly installed laminate floor will block out the vast majority of the noise from going below. A ton of people buy £8 a square meter 5mm laminate and a big roll of 2mm foam underlay and than marvel as to why the floors get all wonky, sounds horrendous, and lets out heating like crazy. You know exactly what needs to be done the issue will be finding the right person to do it, rockwool under the floor boards, a good thick acoustic underlay, install laminate with foam spacer to keep off wall, then expanding foam strip with silicone seal on top and skirting board on top of that. So many cut rate flooring folks skip some or all of that process it is insane, especially in old buildings. Installed as you said and you could be doing Riverdance all night and your neighbour would be none the wiser. Carpeted floors should also have under floor insulation and an acoustic underlay but even fewer people do that as they just figure the carpet will muffle it. It is shocking how noticeable the difference is when you go to a places like Scandinavian countries where building quality and materials are really valued and there are a lot of regulations in place to ensure standards. Scottish flats (really all the UK) are just not up to the same standard. Drives me crazy. by SinistramSitNovum (Thu 29th Apr 2021 9:49pm)
  • At a certain point Occam's Razor starts to kind of suggest that there is some foul play going on when all these listed buildings marked for development just keep going up in flames. It is absolutely ridiculous at this point. All these building burn down and we never here anything about any kind of investigation or reviewing of CCTV footage or anything. It really is an outrage. That was a relatively low key but still beautiful building. We list stuff like this for a reason and really grinds my gears that these building seem to meet unfortunate ends all the bloody time in Glasgow. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 4th May 2021 9:13am)
  • Yep, beautiful building really. Gone forever now. But hey, some really rich fuckers are about to get even richer so it all works out in the end! /s by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 4th May 2021 9:42am)
  • It's like they aren't even fucking trying to hide it anymore. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 4th May 2021 9:45am)
  • It was the one on the corner I think. The one linked above. It was a framing shop. It was actually a very pretty building (at least in my opinion). by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 4th May 2021 11:42am)
  • Old Stobhill Hospital? [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-45026368](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-45026368) ​ That one was so blatant it is being investigated. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 4th May 2021 11:49am)
  • Literally the first line of the article you muppet: **A joint police and fire investigation has begun into a huge blaze at the old Stobhill Hospital in Glasgow.** by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 4th May 2021 11:55am)
  • Maybe not digging about but could absolutely still be investigating, especially with basically everything being put on hold for the last year. The Glasgow School of Art fire was also in 2018 and the investigation is still ongoing with no definitive time scale for concluding. In fact the The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service issued a statement saying exactly that on the 30th of March of this year: “It is not possible at present to provide a definitive timescale for the investigation being concluded, and we would like to thank everyone for their understanding and patience as we continue with this significant fire investigation.” Could well be the same for Stobhill, but I don't know for sure. It is much lower profile so would likely be talked about less. Investigations are hard and take time. Edit: Why you so against this idea mate? Are you the go to arsonist for some dodgy developers lol? by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 4th May 2021 12:17pm)
  • It was a joke mate, calm down. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 4th May 2021 12:26pm)
  • My god the complaining about statues is unreal. You would think with the way it is brought up constantly (mentioned in several election leaflet I have got through my door and mentioned by right wing folks constantly) you would think this was a daily occurrence or something. During a couple, unusually tense, weeks last summer some statues were lightly vandalised. Like 3 statues, like a year ago, they are all fixed now, move on mate. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 4th May 2021 12:48pm)
  • Bold card for you to play mate. You were given evidence of being wrong in this thread multiple times. 1. You asked for an example and I gave you one that is known to be arson. 2. You asked in a snooty way who was investigating it and I provided you the excerpt saying who exactly are investigating it. 3. You said fire investigations never go on that long and I gave you an example of one that is in fact going on for longer. You aren't really well positioned to levy criticism at people arguing their point despite evidence that contradicts them. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 4th May 2021 2:58pm)
  • Fuck me the projection here is strong enough to be seen on the moon. Not everyone who sympathises with some of the aims of the Black Lives Matter movement is posh and no one is liking criminal or excusing crime. I don't agree with the vandalism of statues I just don't really understand how and why it has become the right wing boogieman that it has. Like some kids spray painting some statues has got folks like yeah trembling and rage and shrieking into the void whereas most people would be like "huh, well write them a ticket or whatever" and then move on with their lives. And yes, people should not be "removed from society" with excessive violence from police on the street without due process and trial. Even if they are criminals. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 5th May 2021 1:44pm)
  • I have a very thick accent as does my wife and I get comments on it all the time. 98% are really friendly and curious about it but every once and a while people are pricks about it. I know that sucks to hear but it is true unfortunately. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 11th May 2021 11:34am)
  • It might be a "bit of banter" gone wrong which is pretty common. I have seen some genuinely obnoxious and even abusive behavior being shrugged off being banter or someone having a "wind up personality". Glasgow is famous for it's banter and most of it is all in good fun but I think people do cross the line into being a bit bullying without realising it sometimes. People just need to try and remember it is only fun if everyone can laugh at it and everyone is on board. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 11th May 2021 12:18pm)
  • I think most people understand when it is done in a friendly way and when it isn't but sometimes the lines can certainly get a bit blurred. I once worked in an office that had a lot of staff from all over the place and a woman I worked with mimicked an Indian accent while holding her finger to her forehead to indicate a bindi and half the staff were absolutely horrified and half were like like "eh, it's just a bit of banter", that seemed to be really generational though. To be fair to this lady she was horrified when she learned people were offended and really didn't seem to mean anything by it. With stuff like that it is important to know when you might be making people uncomfortable even if you really don't mean anything by it. Slagging people for their accent can be in good fun or it can be knowingly a bit aggressive. Fortunately it is usually pretty easy to know what the intent is. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 11th May 2021 2:14pm)
  • Yeah but isn't it fucked up to lock people up for a crime they may commit but haven't actually committed yet? Would we tolerate that in any other facet of our lives? Being locked up for something you may do rather than for something you have actually done. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 14th May 2021 10:36am)
  • Yeah this is the justification. How on earth people can be denied their freedom to prevent a crime they might commit but have not actually committed it beyond me. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 14th May 2021 10:35am)
  • It is at least partially to be nasty though. The so called hostile environment is official UK policy. Many people think it is fucked up to have an official policy of governmental hostility toward people who have not necessarily broken any laws or to lock people up who have not necessarily done anything illegal but that is UK policy. Applying for asylum is not against the law, having that request denied is not against the law, appealing that decision is not against the law, but you can be locked up in what is essentially a prison for going through that process. That is pretty fucked up if you think about it. If they did a runner than they would have broken the law but to be locked up for something you might do but haven't done yet is pretty troubling. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 14th May 2021 10:42am)
  • Yeah the caged children thing that people were angry about in the US was exactly the same thing. Detention pending appeal just like we have here. We have the exact same thing but with bigger cages. The US is likely going to go back to the catch and release approach that existed under the Obama administration now that Trump is gone. I hope the UK goes a similar direction. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 14th May 2021 10:48am)
  • An absolute outrage and I am sorry you went through that. No one should be locked in a room by the government unless they have committed a crime. Locking you up because your flight was cancelled is nothing short of outrageous. I know the gammon crowd would say "but what if she did a runner" but in no other circumstances do we lock people up for crimes they might commit but have not actually committed. Cannot be tolerated and needs to change. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 14th May 2021 10:52am)
  • I don't think it is general across the whole area though. I live in a G4X post code and just got a text telling me to test frequently. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 17th May 2021 10:57am)
  • I agree to some extent but it is a bit tiring that any criticism of football or football culture is immediately pounced upon as being classist. Not saying that is what you are doing but it happens constantly. Football fandom, particularly in Glasgow, is specifically bad and toxic and saying so doesn't mean you hate all working class people. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 18th May 2021 9:58am)
  • Eh, I don't think that dog is going to hunt. You don't see thousands of people leaving music venues and then marching through the city wrecking everything and beating the piss out of each other like you did this weekend. That is the cold, hard, objective truth and you know it. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 18th May 2021 10:04am)
  • While I agree that on the whole Glasgow is a great city and an amazing place to live we have to also acknowledge that it has some issues with anti-social behavior and not everyone who lives here is a saint. What happened this weekend really does not happen everywhere and happens on a smaller scale here all the time. While that problem is not unique just to Glasgow it is a problem that does not exist to the same extent everywhere. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 18th May 2021 10:15am)
  • Fair enough. Would it be better If I clarified by saying there are elements of football fandom in many places that are bad and toxic? There is undeniably problems with hooliganism, racism, and toxic attitudes in many football communities. In a way that you just won't see in something like tennis, or golf, or basketball. Part of that is definitely because of the widespread popularity of the sport but it is pretty undeniable these are issues with in football fandom and I think denying they exist isn't helpful. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 18th May 2021 10:21am)
  • Joiners don't get to have have parents? Is that a rule or something? The level of wealth needed to fully support another adult person is not common even among people who went to university. The uni educated barista alluded to in this comment likely does actually need to work to survive. Hard out there for most people and I can promise you that most of the underemployed university grads you meet don't actually have the level of wealth where they could just live off their parents income (very few people in this country do). That is likely more of an assumption on your part. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 18th May 2021 10:44am)
  • I'm not sure if I would describe Govanhill as "no-go area". It reminds me a lot of when I lived in Brooklyn, New York in the early 2000s. Sure it still has pretty serious issues but you can also stand on any street corner and watch gentrification happen in front of your very eyes. This isn't even really hyperbole as there are so many cafes,bakeries, and restaurants opening there you can see people working on them from almost anywhere in Govanhill. Its interesting you would mention Govanhill as one of the areas being dragged down while other areas improve as I would say Govanhill is one of if not the fastest gentrifying areas in Glasgow. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 18th May 2021 12:33pm)
  • Lecturers don't usually live in student accommodation. It would be weird to be teaching at a university and living in a student accommodation. More importantly he said he moved from another European country. Having a foreign accent and telling neds to clear off is VERY likely to make it worse than if he had a local accent. Unfortunate but true. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 18th May 2021 10:14pm)
  • I think you are slightly exaggerating to be honest. The local bam and ned groups talk a big game and might hassle folks a bit and OP should keep an eye out but they are 99% all talk. The hard man thing tends to be a bit of a show with these guys, he should just ignore them but doesn't need to live in fear. If he has a not Glasgow accent that will make it worse but I don't think it is fair to say he is likely going to be jumped. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 18th May 2021 10:21pm)
  • I know myself how it is there. It really isn't that bad. You can certainly "allow" your wife and daughter to walk through there just fine. They could go from Queens park to one of like 10 vegan cafes and then go to like one of like 5 artisan gelato places and make a nice little day of it. It isn't exactly the Favelas of Rio De Janeiro. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 18th May 2021 10:29pm)
  • That's cool man, if that is how your family dynamic works and everyone is on board you do you. But that is more about you guys than it is about the place. You are more likely to encounter issues around central station and Trongate these days than you are in Govanhill (still really unlikely though) so there must be kind of a lot of places you don't feel comfortable letting your family go unescorted. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 19th May 2021 10:31am)
  • I used to work in Bridgeton. Nice enough if not a wee bit blighted in places. What others are saying about the football is true though. On days there are matches a couple hours on each en of the match where my road was simply not usable. The people coming to and from the game were usually well behaved enough but driving a car or even walking to a shop was a hug bother on those days at those times. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 19th May 2021 2:16pm)
  • Fair enough, I should have been more clear I blame the company not necessarily the driver. This was not one of the cheap providers this was Parcelforce, as annoying as it is I know you kind of get what you pay for with companies like Yodel and Hermes. This was a premium service delivery option that was certainly not cheap that I booked because I really needed the parcel. by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 19th Jun 2021 12:59pm)
  • While Hermes is often bad as well this was surprisingly Parcelforce so it wasn't even particularly cheap. by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 19th Jun 2021 2:18pm)
  • You get off on watching people ring your doorbell? You're a weird guy. It is an entry camera because there have been some break ins in the area. Would love to have this dropped at a newsagents but it was much too large. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 20th Jun 2021 12:17pm)
  • There are a few places on Allison Street in Govanhill that have piles of them outside their shop. Got some from a place called Rizwan (on Allison) that were really good and the guy who runs it is really helpful and will help you find ones that are perfect for when you plan on eating them. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 23rd Jun 2021 7:30pm)
  • Can we just not with this. Just enjoy the mangoes! by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 25th Jun 2021 8:04am)
  • I would give up on renting a furnished flat if you have a cat and just focus on unfurnished. The sticking point is usually scratching furniture. There isn’t much a normally behaved cat can do to ruin an unfurnished flat and offer professional cleaning or a pet deposit should assuage their fears. A lot will likely still say no but you can find people who are fine with it. by SinistramSitNovum (Thu 1st Jul 2021 7:11am)
  • Been a few years since I have been looking to rent but last time I did i got a fairly positive response by just looking for unfurnished flats, disclosing the cat when setting up the viewing and offering to pay cleaning charges and a pet deposit if the tenancy went forward. I would say it was about half who said that should be ok. Trick I think is to only consider unfurnished and look at slightly more expensive apartments where it might be slightly harder to find tenants. I think it is much harder if you have a dog but I think a cat is doable and I think might be getting easier. by SinistramSitNovum (Thu 1st Jul 2021 7:23am)
  • The bams are annoying but ultimately most of them are relatively harmless. Just try to ignore them and move no with your day. Glasgow is incredibly safe and mostly a very liveable place, some places have their problems sure but overall things are pretty good here. I spent part of my high school years in America in an OK but not great part of America and that experience has taught me that we sometimes we take the relative safety and security of Glasgow for granted. My school in America had metal detectors, an armed police officer patrolling the halls, and occasional active shooter drills. Even as a grown man I would 100% rather square up against the hardest gangster in Glasgow than the hardest current student at my old high school in America. So to answer your question I would say that, no Glasgow isn't really that bad in the grand scheme of things but I suppose everything is relative. by SinistramSitNovum (Thu 1st Jul 2021 11:35pm)
  • Yep 100%. The really lost guys at my high school would have certainly had guns, had loads of friends who also had them, and may have already used them before. Glasgow neds are intimidating and annoying but they are most likely going to shoot me. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 2nd Jul 2021 11:30pm)
  • You would have also gotten the notification directly. Check to make sure you never received an email from any of the schemes. Did he ever do a gas or electric check? These guys usually skip that as well. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 6th Jul 2021 9:17pm)
  • Well in pre-COVID times there was a men’s group that met at Bike for Good might be back to doing it now. So this is perhaps less of the mic drop you think it is. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 11th Jul 2021 7:56am)
  • If you consider yourself a male why would you specifically want to attend this event where it is pretty clearly asking you not to? Literally any other class offered you would be more than welcome at. Would you only want to attend this one to make a point and as an opportunity to make people uncomfortable? Sounds like it, in which case you are kind of highlighting the need for this kind of programming. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 11th Jul 2021 8:03am)
  • Where does it say men did something wrong. Men are perfectly welcome at the other 99% of their programming and in fact make up the majority of the participant. That certainly seems to indicate they don’t have an issue with men. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 11th Jul 2021 8:08am)
  • Yikes, well you bollocksed that one if that was your intention. You just sounded like a whiny child tossing their toys out the pram. Likely why people are responding so negatively to your comment. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 11th Jul 2021 8:19am)
  • So your issue has now turned to the naming of afternoon cycling courses? I think you might be a little thin skinned mate. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 11th Jul 2021 8:58am)
  • Yeah but charging £70 to pick up bulky waste will certainly encourage car usage and ownership right? by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 13th Jul 2021 5:31pm)
  • Lol, someone was in my back court busting up an old wardrobe into tiny pieces and putting the in bin bags the other day. I am sure to avoid being charged to uplift it. Going to be seeing a lot of that. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 13th Jul 2021 5:35pm)
  • Best bet is to put in some headphones and read until it’s over. The beaches have been amazing the past few days but the way people drink you would think they don’t actually want to remember it and it makes the journey unpleasant. I am all for having a couple of drinks in the sun I just don’t get the desire to get so pissed you piss your trousers at Paisley Gilmore. Not a great way to finish a day at the beach in my view. by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 24th Jul 2021 7:08pm)
  • Oh yeah good call with that. I would put mask wearing at like 50% at best. by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 24th Jul 2021 7:23pm)
  • It is actually unbelievable the amount of sleaze in Glasgow businesses. It isn’t even just things you would expect like nightclubs and pawn shops it could be a business selling scented candles and doilies on Etsy and if it is based in Glasgow there is a good chance the owner is a cheat and a scoundrel. I deal with a lot of different business and the sheer number of cheats and crooks are unbelievable. For example, I am not sure what percentage of local Glasgow businesses that were still open and had employees still working were also claiming furlough for them through the pandemic but in my experience I would guess like 90% or more. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 9th Aug 2021 12:44pm)
  • This isn’t exactly a controversial statement or so I thought. Almost every taxi company, bus companies, hell even morning rolls bakeries are owned by straight up gangster to say nothing of nightclubs, landlords, letting agents, and property developers. Not specific to Glasgow to be fair this is true with a lot of people in a lot of places. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 9th Aug 2021 8:32pm)
  • You offered 6 months rent in advance? Why didn’t you just buy? Must be pretty close to a deposit on a flat at that point. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 16th Aug 2021 2:19pm)
  • Ehhhhhhhh, when it comes to student flats unfortunately 99% are. The demand is such that it incentives the real crooked bastards. I was not in the least bit surprised by OPs story as it is basically the box standard. I would bet you my last pound some poor international student is in that flat now breathing in that aesebtos, living in literal shite with no co2 detector and a gas system that hasn’t been checked in ten years. This sadly is pretty common. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 8th Sep 2021 9:33pm)
  • I would quite like to tip my binmen at Christmas but don’t know how it works logistically. There is a whole crew for rubbish and then recycling could I just grab one guy for each crew and give him a tenner for the crew or do I need to tip each one individually? Seems weird and hard to do. The postman is easy as I just give him a card with a not sometime in December. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 10th Sep 2021 11:10pm)
  • Maybe the Devils Pulpit? Really pretty nature and a has a creepy superstitious back story. by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 11th Sep 2021 11:04pm)
  • Especially in the Southside I fell like a restaurant is more likely to be primarily veggie than not. Wouldn’t make good business sense to open a restaurant here without good veggie and vegan options. Of the people I know vegans and vegetarians outnumber meat eaters by a healthy margin. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 13th Sep 2021 8:37am)
  • Amazing. What an idiot this guy was to think this would work. A cafe run by an openly racist guy with a no mask policy is going to be really off brand for the Southside of Glasgow. Getting caught selling Lidl donuts for £3 each likely didn’t help either. Can’t go around calling a whole community child abusers and child abuse enablers and expect them to help you out by supporting your business. This could be a case study in how to not open a small business. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 17th Sep 2021 7:32am)
  • He was going around to other coffee shops, refusing to wear a mask, and then leaving them a bunch of negative reviews when he was called out by the staff. Maybe he was there trying to do that again or maybe his coffee is shit as you say. Real POS all around this guy. I am genuinely glad his business failed. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 17th Sep 2021 7:36am)
  • I don’t understand why they allow so many. Surely they could do one big March and gathering in Glasgow Green on the actual day and be done with it. I would hate it and avoid the town like the plague but most people would and it would be so much less of a public safety risk. I have personally witnessed a lady of Asian extraction being assaulted at one of these marches for no other reason than for her race. The March followers at my local one used to think it was hilarious to pile packets of bacon crisp outside the halal deli on my block. These might start out as anti-catholic marches but they almost always include an element of anti anything they don’t consider British and I think it is a genuine public safety risk to have so many spread out over the city. One day, one March, police the shit out of it and they still get their right to assemble and can’t really whine about it. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 17th Sep 2021 8:12am)
  • Yeah mate I think you mistook my comment as choosing some kind of side which I certainly wasn’t. I have not seen a lot of Irish republican marches (partially because they don’t 10 of them a week in the summer I’m sure) but if that is a consistent issue with them as well then it should also be limited and heavily policed as well. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 17th Sep 2021 5:34pm)
  • The assault on the Asian lady resulted in the police being notified and was documented at the time. It was right outside Mr Limms on Cambridge street you can likely find info on it if you look hard enough. Ladies working at the One o one offie there called the cops you could even go ask them if you wanted. I saw it with my own eyes mate. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 17th Sep 2021 5:46pm)
  • That is by design. They are very intentionally trying to make driving a less attractive prospect in all of Glasgow. Long term that is what needs to happen the issue now is that we don’t have the corresponding infrastructure to really balance it out. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 22nd Sep 2021 7:42am)
  • Are we sure that is true? Would you mind posting a link. Not saying it isn’t but that is the kind of claim that should Not be repeated unless there is evidence. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 3rd Oct 2021 4:00pm)
  • Not saying they didn’t do this but the graffiti is spray paint and the lettering outside their space is clearly painted with a brush. Again, not saying they didn’t do this but these two pics aren’t even the same type of paint so I am not sure they are super strong evidence of anything. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 4th Oct 2021 3:37am)
  • I mean to be fair the Science Centre is dedicated entirely to public engagement and they have been advertising all those events and exhibitors very widely. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 27th Oct 2021 8:41am)
  • I don’t think they would have had it all set up for COP a month prior to the conference if that is what you were expecting. But it is all over their social media, they have been doing a podcast series leading up to the event, they have a dedicated webpage to it, and they have sent a bunch of emails about it. What more were you looking for exactly? by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 27th Oct 2021 11:07am)
  • To be fair that was said by one person on Reddit who used the opportunity to point out what a great person they were by stopping and helping while these people stood there and laughed at the injured old lady. I take that story with an Everest sized grain of salt. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 7th Nov 2021 7:16am)
  • Were there more not pictured or something? I am just seeing the two. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 7th Nov 2021 7:24am)
  • I don’t think anyone is defending littering just pretty rightly pointing out that what is in this photo is pretty minimal. Whinging about COP is the number one past time on this sub just now so it is exactly surprising to see people reaching a bit to find things to moan about like this photo. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 7th Nov 2021 7:45am)
  • What is hypocritical? 100k people marching and two signs seeming left by mistake or by someone careless. Shouldn’t happen but also not something to fuss, cry and moan about. Let’s not pretend that our city was completely free of litter before these marches. To try and judge a protest of 100k people on the basis of two pieces of litter is frankly pretty stupid. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 7th Nov 2021 11:05am)
  • You are? Maybe take your being self aware advice to heart yourself. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 7th Nov 2021 12:01pm)
  • I hear if you say Greta Thunberg’s name three times over a vegan sausage roll a fat, angry, red faced, middle aged man’s willy falls off somewhere in the world. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 7th Nov 2021 12:11pm)
  • You could try selling the treadmill and getting an exercise bike if you want to do cardio in your flat. I have a spin bike that I bought a really thick equipment pad for and it is fine. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 22nd Dec 2021 9:11am)
  • Just flew today and the Glasgow airport testing has terrible hours and availability. Certainly nothing approaching 24/7? OP if you are reading this do not bank on the airport testing unless you are flying out at very specific times. The Glasgow airport testing is a joke. Obviously bigger airports have better testing but Glasgow’s is pretty bad: https://www.glasgowairport.com/coronavirus/rapid-antigen-test/ by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 22nd Dec 2021 9:21am)
  • In the area and will certainly keep an eye out but why on earth are people not microchipping their animals now? It is so easy and so important I just don’t understand how folks can forego it now. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 29th Dec 2021 1:25am)
  • Not saying I blame them but how much of that is because of saving availability for private appointments? My last two dentists basically stopped taking NHS patients. I was booking something recently and for next week there were 30+ private care appointments available but no NHS appointments for the next 4 weeks. It can be a struggle to get a dentist appointment unless you are private pay then anyone in Glasgow could have one booked tomorrow. The cost of private care can vary hugely. I once in desperation went private to have to crowns repaired and it was nearly £300, which certainly struck me as pretty expensive. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 14th Jan 2022 7:21am)
  • Is the 20% payment because of COVID restrictions? by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 14th Jan 2022 2:17pm)
  • That seems awfully silly. Do you think there is an element of cost cutting involved or is it all in the interest of COVID protection still? by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 14th Jan 2022 3:00pm)
  • Nope it depended on who had physically entered the junction first. If the pedestrians had even one toe off the kerb the car was to stop. Now it is just even if the pedestrian hasn’t started to cross the vehicle should yield. Section 170 of the old Highway Code. Although this rule was almost universally ignored in Glasgow. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 14th Jan 2022 3:41pm)
  • Yep this is how it has been explained. Think of every road at a junction as having a zebra crossing and you will be fine. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 14th Jan 2022 3:46pm)
  • Fair enough. Means poor folks will have much less access to care unfortunately. Nurse issue is going to get worse and worse though. My 23 year old niece is a travel nurse in America right now and makes a bit more than £150k a year now. Seems bonkers an NHS nurse here starts at like £25k. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 14th Jan 2022 7:03pm)
  • You sure about that? That is not typically how it works. If someone has been living there, particularly if it is a long time, they are usually technically considered a tenant wether there is an agreement or not and standard eviction rules apply. I suspect strongly this is an illegal eviction and that OP may well be legally entitled to enter the property if he has been paying rent. by SinistramSitNovum (Sat 15th Jan 2022 6:07am)
  • Really? I see people run through a light that has just turned red literally every single day. The light by my flat it is on every light cycle. If you stood there for a day you would see literally hundreds. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 16th Jan 2022 4:14pm)
  • I LOVE when I get asked that one. I bounced around between the US and the UK as a kid and graduated from a high school in the US with a super long and complicated Native American name. When I say that in response there is always this look of utter confusion which is great. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 19th Jan 2022 7:49am)
  • Guns and more crime. Bad neighbourhoods in the US make even the worst areas of Glasgow look like a soft play. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 23rd Jan 2022 11:11pm)
  • A lot of what you are saying isn’t really accurate. I just looked on the Strathclyde website and registration opened a month before the start of term and particularly stressed that it was open for international students and they should register as soon as possible. If you aren’t prepared to register and don’t do so before the start of term that is on you. Postgraduate students are adults and should be able to handle that on their own and take responsibility for their actions. International students do not have recourse to public funding but that is true in many countries across the world and is certainly not unique to Strathclyde. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 13th Feb 2022 9:28am)
  • Lol. I came to Scotland as an international student. But I knew the tuition cost before I arrived and didn’t expect public funding to support my studies. The uk is pretty upfront that that will be the case. I also registered on time when I came because I was organised and prepared. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 13th Feb 2022 1:06pm)
  • CAS letter which is issued centrally by the university not departments or faculties. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 13th Feb 2022 6:05pm)
  • I don’t agree with this post at all but Brexit did objectively limit where people can easily move to. Unless you mean England or Northern Ireland leaving Scotland is not really a possibility for a lot of people post Brexit. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 18th Mar 2022 5:04am)
  • It would have to be absurdly clear and you would need to be relying on the motorist basically admitting to it. “Sorry I thought I saw a child running for the road and had to break” all the motorist would need to say and unless he was actively yelling or gesturing at the motorcycle it would be impossible to prove he wasn’t. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 21st Mar 2022 5:04pm)
  • Eh, from a legal perspective there are very very very few circumstances the accident he described isn’t his fault. What he is describing in his comment this would be his fault. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 21st Mar 2022 5:06pm)
  • Yeah mate, more than likely something else going on here. To be spiked 3 times by a stranger In quick succession is unlikely to the point it strains credulity. What drugs are showing up in the blood tests? Was this just a matter of not feeling well and going home as opposed to going to hospital? If so that is REALLY flimsy evidence to be accusing bar staff of a really serious crime very publicly. It is far more likely to be some one in her friend group, a symptom of some unknown intolerance or allergy, the alcohol interacting with a drug or medication she has started taking, anxiety manifesting in physical symptoms, etc. Spiking is incredibly rare and needle spiking is pretty close to an urban legend so this is more than likely something else going on. by SinistramSitNovum (Thu 24th Mar 2022 7:09am)
  • Yeah, I want to be careful here as spiking does absolutely happened and I don’t want to trivialise anyones experience or doubt anyones victimisation. But having worked at a busy city centre bar and having seen this come up I would encourage OP and his GF to honestly and thoroughly scrutinise not only how much his GF had to drink but what she drank and how quickly she drank it. I wouldn’t even mention this normally but 3 times in a row is so stupidly unlikely that it is more than likely something else besides spiking. In my years working in a bar, twice people reported being spiked and the circumstances were almost exactly the same both times. Both times they were super young like OP and likely didn’t have that much experience going out, and both time they absurdly underestimated how much they had to drink. In both instances they said they had about 3 drinks and both times when we looked back on it they had 6+ in pretty short order. Obviously bartenders do their best not to over serve but if you are at a crowded bar with 4 or 5 bartenders and you are drinking quick enough that you aren’t showing your level of impairment you can absolutely over drink even in a bar setting. Many bars now keep really careful track of exactly how many drinks a party orders just to protect themselves, I would reckon a place like Firewater likely does so OP and his GF could contact them and say they were concerned and they might be able to shed some light on the situation. The two times it came up at my work the people involved said they only had a couple drinks and were then so out of it they had embarrassed themselves or acted totally out of character when in reality the had 6 cocktails in 90 minutes and got too drunk…. Happens to the best of us but doesn’t necessarily mean there was any foul play. by SinistramSitNovum (Thu 24th Mar 2022 9:58am)
  • Yeah man wait until the test results come back before reaching a final conclusion. There have literally been zero toxicology confirmed cases of injection spiking. Hers would be the first. Not saying it is not possible but it is extremely unlikely. You should both be open to the idea that it might be something else. by SinistramSitNovum (Thu 24th Mar 2022 10:15am)
  • Certainly used to be true but much less so now. More flats than not advertise as pet friendly on Facebook marketplace and more agents are saying so as well. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 29th Mar 2022 8:38am)
  • Aye this space must be protected for the 400th rental advice post this week or the hard hitting toaster recommendation content. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 29th Mar 2022 8:56am)
  • Yeah as long as you move it unprompted for people with masks on that is fair enough. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 29th Mar 2022 10:13am)
  • Not an option anymore. Trains are back at full capacity, you can't claim several seat for yourself anymore as the trains are too crowded. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 29th Mar 2022 10:18am)
  • Yeah the- Face in the phone, headphones on so people don't think I am an inconsiderate arse" approach is pretty popular. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 29th Mar 2022 10:22am)
  • Yeah, that totally acceptable. If you are on a totally empty train you can lie across three seats for all I care. Only applicable when it is filling up. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 29th Mar 2022 10:21am)
  • I feel like I am taking crazy pills. Like obviously I am not super offended and will absolutely tell people to move their stuff so I can sit. But if you are needing to be asked to make really basic allowances for other people in a public space then you are clearly being a little arsey. I guess I now understand why I see so many people doing it and need to be asked so often. Lot of people apparently think being a bit of prick is just the standard way to live your life. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 29th Mar 2022 2:45pm)
  • Sorry mate but if your GF isn't moving her bag to the point someone if physically sitting down on top of it on a crowded train than..... yeah she is a bit self-centred/absorbed and being a bit of an arse. That seat is not hers she needs to make the move here, it should be assumed some one will sit there if she doesn't want to risk it being some areshole not wearing a mask she needs to stand. There are also perfectly legal exemptions for wearing a mask and while it is likely the maskless person is just being a twat she doesn't know that. Don't get me wrong she isn't an enormous arsehole or anything. If Putin is a 10 on the arsehole scale it sounds like your GF is like a 1. "The bag might have been on the seat to deter someone from sitting down or it simply might have been there as a convenience to her." Exactly this. This right here is being a bit of an arse. Having your bag on a spare seat while others stand because it is a convenience to you is pretty objectively aresy behavior. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 29th Mar 2022 2:53pm)
  • Yeah not sure how my comment could possibly be unclear. Like you I have headphones on every commute but it doesn't mean I am a dick who doesn't offer a seat that is being occupied by my bag if the train is full. Are people not capable of having headphones in and being at least vaguely aware of their surroundings? by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 29th Mar 2022 5:13pm)
  • Not the end of the world to put a bag on the seat of a standing room only train, just a bit inconsiderate. The unfortunate thing about public transport is that it is just that....public. The person needing to sit didn't make the rules they are just trying to get home and are entitled to the seat next you if the train is full and there isn't already a person there. Thems the breaks. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 29th Mar 2022 5:20pm)
  • That's fine you can stand just don't try to save the seat with the bag and make person ask you to move. If the train is crowded you shouldn't sit down if you aren't willing to be next to someone. For better or worse the covid occupancy restriction have been lifted on public transport and if a person is needing your bag's seat, your bag doesn't get one. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 29th Mar 2022 5:25pm)
  • That person is being an arse but I don’t think you have it quite right. The US is by and large a “green” country in Europe while the UK including Scotland is still an “orange” in a few places. I can’t find a single country that restricts travel from England or the US more than they do for Scotland. I could be wrong though so please correct me if that is the case. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 29th Mar 2022 6:11pm)
  • I mean, if the train isn’t crowded than obviously it isn’t a problem. If it is and you can’t tolerate the idea of someone sitting next to you…. Stand. No need for anyone to be an arse. One seat, one person, if the train is full this is the expectation. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 29th Mar 2022 7:44pm)
  • Yeah, again, if it is not crowded it is not a problem. If there are people starting to stand you should move your bag. One person, one seat, unless there are more than enough empty seats. As long as you are following that general principle you are fine. To be fair to train companies, if people are taking more than one seat it is hardly their fault, they can't reasonably sell tickets on the assumption that people will take multiple seats. Edit: Also your thinking on this is a bit wrong you aren't "letting anyone" sit anywhere. You don't own the train and they paid for a ticket the same as you did. If the train is crowded and they want to sit in the seat next to you they are absolutely entitled to do so and you have ZERO say in the matter. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 30th Mar 2022 9:56am)
  • Another vote for Alison Arms. That, the Laurieston, and The State, are in my view the 3 best pubs in Glasgow. Perfect balance of old man boozer and and younger people to make them really comfortable and welcoming. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 30th Mar 2022 7:45pm)
  • Alison Arms certainly has the beer selection you seem to be looking for. State will have a lot of good cask stuff and then basic lagers, the Laurieston in a more straight forward pub selection. What I love about the Laurieston is it is so straight forward and unpretentious it appeals to everyone. So on a weekend evening you will have loads of artists and students and loads of tradesmen and taxi drivers all mixing together and having a great time. The owner is a wee old man who must be 70 if he is a day and when it starts to get later on weekends he usually starts handing out toasties. Smoking room, jukebox, red carpet throughout, great atmosphere. by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 30th Mar 2022 8:09pm)
  • Sorry if it sounds harsh but everything I said is objectively true. The truth often is harsh yes, but that is reality and no one benefits from denying it. In fact not wanting to accept or acknowledge harsh truths is causing a huge amount of damage just now. "This feels like before-times chat and can't be applied to the current pandemic." The restrictions on passenger numbers and physical distancing on Scotrail services were officially lifted by the First Minister on the 9th of August 2021. This might sound harsh to you but if you don't like it you have to take it up with your MSP. I don't think you will be very successful but that is literally your only recourse and just because it is harsh doesn't mean it isn't true. "This feels like a very harsh way to respond to someone who is trying to communicate that they are autistic and spend their entire time on public transport trying not to have a panic attack." I am not saying reasonable allowances can't be made for the commenter. I said over and over again that if the train isn't crowded they can take as many seats as they want. Take a whole damn carriage for all I care if space allows. They can politely ask people not to sit next to them if it is crowded but if they say no then that is that, it would be unreasonable for them to demand more as they knew the score when they bought the ticket. The point is they are not entitled to decide when and if someone sits next to them in a public space. The train does not belong to them. These are truths no matter how harsh they seem. by SinistramSitNovum (Thu 31st Mar 2022 9:32am)
  • University of Strathclyde gym I think does one off visits for £5 and is open to the general public. They have a pool, steam room, and sauna. Not sure what is still open because of covid though and obviously it will be closed when teams have practices and stuff. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 1st Apr 2022 12:42pm)
  • R/Glasgow has an insanely low tolerance for what makes an area acceptable. Lots of folks here who have walked through Govanhill once or twice, saw some litter, maybe some non-white people, and now talk about it like it is some Favela in Rio…… it’s not. Like at all. Govanhill has some problems with overcrowding, litter, bed bugs, petty crime, etc but it is rapidly gentrifying and is a very desirable area. I know loads of single young women who live there with no issue. If you have stayed in any larger city before you will think Govanhill is absolutely fine. Make sure to view any flats to make the close is OK (some unfactored buildings and dodgy building) practice common sense and you will be fine. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 3rd Apr 2022 7:49am)
  • It is so strange whenever Govanhill comes up here. As you say if Govanhill was in London or literally any city in America it would be thought of as an actively good neighbourhood. Like yeah it has some problems but truly bad neighbourhoods bony have 15 organic cafes, bagels grocery stores, and wholistic veterinarians lol. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 3rd Apr 2022 7:54am)
  • In general what you are saying is true but it isn’t particularly true of Govanhill specifically. There are loads of fancy cafes and hairdressers and not so many bookies and chippys. Sure ther are some but not a ton. Govanhill is a really diverse immigrant community and at the risk of generalising they are less into the chippy and bookie scene. For everyone bookie there is going to be like 3 organic coffee shops and 5 Pakistani street food vendors. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 3rd Apr 2022 8:06am)
  • It’s strange I was going to mention Paisley here in some of my comments about Govanhill. Govanhill has this really built up reputation of being “rough” or “hard” but I would much, much, much rather live there than in most of Paisley. No offence. Govanhill has it problems but it is really vibrant and there is always stuff going on. There is really active community and loads of diverse spots and activities going on. Paisley in comparison is cleaner, calmer, and might seem to have fewer problems but that place is stagnant. Half the shops in the city centre are closed and crumbling, the shopping centre is like a Martin Parr photo essay come to life, and it sometimes seems like all the activity is centred around bookies and bleak pubs. I would much rather deal with some fly tipping in an exciting and diverse community personally but I can see the other side of it as well. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 3rd Apr 2022 10:46am)
  • Really? I think we might be talking about different places. The one I am talking about is at the corner of Alison street and Vicky road and could not possibly be considered anything but Govanhill. The fact we are getting our holistic veterinary places mixed up should be a pretty good indication that the place ain’t exactly the Gaza Strip. by SinistramSitNovum (Sun 3rd Apr 2022 10:51am)
  • To be fair you are using one example there have been more recent human trafficking busts in other areas and more frequently than in Govanhill, a nation wide undercover operation that culminated in arrests and several properties being raided in Maryhill and they just recently found 10 trafficked people in Possilpark. Both of these were way more significant busts than the old one you posted about Govanhill. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 4th Apr 2022 2:37pm)
  • From having to get something similar in the past I believe they do mean medical doctor. The idea is that there is a professional body that can be complained to if something is knowingly fraudulent. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 4th Apr 2022 6:02pm)
  • You are best off going to a notary/solicitor. There are plenty of folks who will do for only slightly more than the cost of a bottle of wine and then you will have recourse if something goes wrong. That is what I did when I needed something similar. Was a solicitor’s office by queen street station and cost like 25 quid. by SinistramSitNovum (Mon 4th Apr 2022 6:06pm)
  • I like Trevi in battlefield for pizza. Personally prefer them over Oro's or Stefano's (both them are good too!). by SinistramSitNovum (Wed 6th Apr 2022 2:22pm)
  • Yeah, that is a big part of the problem. The home for Ukrainians scheme is run by the Home Office and education and education fees is devolved. So the Scottish government says these students shouldn’t pay fees but only if they can somehow get placed in this shambles of a system. by SinistramSitNovum (Thu 28th Apr 2022 9:17pm)
  • Thanks this is helpful. I am not a single man so that shouldn’t be an issue. I can’t offer a separate bathroom only a separate bedroom. Money is not an immediate concern so providing meals and stuff would not be a major problem. Young men not being allowed to be styled might be an issue though as these are undergrad students who are like 18-20 so it sounds like only the women would be even remotely possible. by SinistramSitNovum (Thu 28th Apr 2022 9:23pm)
  • Yeah understand the rules about men are coming from the Ukraine side. Some of these guys I am talking to may soon be carrying a rifle if they aren't already. Still a ways to go until the next academic year starts. Hopefully there will be some changes before then. by SinistramSitNovum (Thu 28th Apr 2022 9:31pm)
  • No chance of what? by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 29th Apr 2022 9:36am)
  • >These are ethnic Romani, from the country of Romania, not Romanians. Not necessarily. Specifically in Govanhill some will come Slovakia initially or Czechia or even some from Hungary. The Roma day parade they had a couple of weeks ago is celebrating their Roma culture specifically and is not specific to Romania necessarily, there will have been plenty of Slovakian and Hungarian Romanichal in that crowd as well. by SinistramSitNovum (Fri 29th Apr 2022 9:48am)
  • Yeah this doesn’t ring true to me either. I have seen comments complaining about junkies but have never , ever seen comments slagging off lower paid workers or those on benefits. OP needs to source. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 3rd May 2022 8:16am)
  • Where in that thread are people slagging off minimum wage workers and those on benefits? The dehumanizing of people afflicted by addiction has been a consistent problem (which is not to say these populations don't sometimes cause issues) but your claim about people often bashing working poor and people receiving benefits I have never seen. I don't seem to be the only one. Maybe you just got a wee bit carried away in your rant? by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 3rd May 2022 9:23am)
  • While I agree with the thrust of your argument here I think it is important to say that there is a pathway to recovery for everyone when it comes to addiction. I think it is a mistake to view addiction as ever being truly hopeless to come back from. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 3rd May 2022 10:45am)
  • In terms of "junkies" there is very little that can be done for addicts at that level if they are not personally ready for treatment. Anyone who works or has worked with addicts can tell you that. The SNP could have mansions as treatment centres with on call concierges and gold platted toilets and there would still be addicts on the street. The point of treatment is to ultimately to stop using. If someone is not at the point where that is what they want to do there is basically nothing you can do to get them there. They are people and should be supported and guided but ultimately seeking treatment is something an individual needs to decide for themselves or it will never work. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 3rd May 2022 10:57am)
  • Absolutely this. Was tried in Glasgow a little before it was stamped out. It should be treated as a public health issue first and foremost not a criminal one. A little surprised saying something like this is getting me severely downvoted. Addicts need access to treatment and need some level of dignity and safety in their current circumstances. That being said no treatment works if the individual is not ready for treatment or does not want it. This is objective medical fact whether people want to accept it or not. by SinistramSitNovum (Tue 3rd May 2022 11:49am)