-----Beginning of the citation-----
Whatever the building was built for, it hadn't been
doing it for a long time. The corridor was dirty and
lined with rubbish - cardboard boxes, mounds of paper,
bin-liners, and half-way down, a mountain bike without
wheels.
----- The end of the citation -----
What are "bin-liners"?
Perhaps somebody moved out of a business office or whatever, and
left discarded papers in these boxes & bags... and then some other person(s) looked through the stuff hoping to find something useful
to them. WRT the bike, I've heard of bicycle wheels being stolen
here in Vancouver. I wonder if the owner forgot about it or chose
to keep the wheels & abandon the other parts....
WRT the bike, I've heard of bicycle wheels being stolen
here in Vancouver. I wonder if the owner forgot about it
or chose to keep the wheels & abandon the other parts....
The problem where to keep things safer is actual around
the world.
For instance, where to keep your money safer -- in bank| in a bank or in the bank
or at home?| your money is [blah blah]. Dollars, Euros, rubles etc.
In bank your money are eaten by inflation,
but at home they can be taken by more conventional
robbers. ;-)
For instance, where to keep your money safer -- in bank| in a bank or in the bank
or at home?| your money is [blah blah]. Dollars, Euros, rubles etc.
In bank your money are eaten by inflation,
are countable... the word "money" isn't.
Or bank fees or whatever. Here in Canada the federal government now provides deposit insurance (up to a limited amount) so that it's
unlikely we'll find our life savings reduced to zero in an
eyeblink, as many people apparently did long ago. The theory,
however, has not yet been rigorously tested....: - Q
but at home they can be taken by more conventional robbers.Uh-huh. Dallas & I read a book by a professional thief, in which it
was made quite clear that such people know where others are most
likely to hide their valuables regardless of how clever they think
they've been. We have also heard from friends & relatives about
their experiences while travelling abroad. One individual said his
watch was stolen in England from underneath his pillow, although he
slept with his head on the latter. Another noticed someone outside
his bedroom window who quickly disappeared when it became obvious
he was awake. And a friend's wallet was stolen in Italy...
apparently by "a cute little girl".. from the pouch he carries
underneath his middle-aged belly.
If you hide your $$$ under the mattress, under the edge of a
carpet, etc. it seems likely dishonest people will check out such
places first....: - Q
t7 no longer runs via Mosfilmovskaya Strret,
Lomonosovsky and <ichurinskiy Avenues, heading
instead directly to Lomonosovskiy Avenue via
Kosygina street.
What is "t7"?
Ardith, YES. It is elecrobus. What is communter train?t7 no longer runs via Mosfilmovskaya Street,I've never been to Moscow... but this sounds to me like the
Lomonosovsky and <ichurinskiy Avenues, heading
instead directly to Lomonosovskiy Avenue via
Kosygina street.
What is "t7"?
name of a bus, commuter train, or subway route. I guess the name
hasn't changed although the itinerary has been modified somewhat. :-)
Theft or thievery = the act of stealing, i.e. taking something
which belongs to somebody else without their permission. This term
is more general than the others & may be used WRT both.
Robbery = using threats &/or violence to force other people to
relinquish control over e.g. their own wallets or the contents of
the cash register in a shop.
Burglary = gaining illegal access to a structure with the goal of committing a crime. While it's also known as "breaking and
entering", the means of entry could include using a stolen key or
entering via an unlocked window.
Various examples & historical anecdotes available on request. :-))
This term is more general than the others & may be
used WRT both.
What is WRT, Ardith?
Various examples & historical anecdotes available
on request. :-))
Oh, you are very welcome! ;-)
Various examples & historical anecdotes available on request. :-))
Oh, you are very welcome!
Okay... here's one. As you probably know, Americans drive on the
right side of the road & people in a majority of other countries do
too. But things haven't always been that way. When it really
mattered which side of a horse a knight mounted on & what the
chances were of meeting up with an enemy who was approaching from
the opposite direction, it made sense to keep to the left. The
situation changed in the 18th century when teamsters began hauling
farm produce from one place to another. Most preferred to drive on
the right because, with a team of horses working in pairs, they'd
sit on the left where they could simultaneously use their dominant
hand to control the horses & see that their wheels didn't get
tangled up with other people's wheels.
The aristocracy still wanted do things the way they were used to,
and others sometimes resented being forced to the right when
horsemen passed. But over time continental Europe, Russia, and the
US all accepted the idea of driving on the right. From my POV as a
student of language this is where the story gets a lot more
interesting. I understand that when stage coaches were used in the
US somebody would probably be "riding shotgun", and that in those
days people were routinely told "don't fire until you see the
whites of their eyes" because the firearms which were available at
the time couldn't be aimed with the same degree of precision as
modern weaponry. There had been highway robbers in England since
medieval times at least... e.g. Robin Hood. I think they'd have
found it advantageous to conceal themselves on a horseman's left.
Later on, in SomePlace Else, it made sense to position whoever was guarding a coach on the driver's right... where assailants would be
more likely to hide.
AFAIC it doesn't matter which side of the road other folks prefer
driving on as long as there is general agreement WRT how things are
done. In Montreal there are two types of pedestrians... i.e. the
quick & the dead. In LOndon the same applies, but you must
look "right-left-right" before crossing the street despite what's
been drilled into you since you were knee-high to a grasshopper. I survived both. Meanwhile, folks here in BC drove on the left until
it became problematic that our neighbours to the south didn't. Not
all provinces changed at the same time... but BC did it about a
century ago.
For instance, where to keep your money safer -- in bank
| in a bank or in the bank
It's interesting why "on board" is written without article?
So you can do it if you want very much. ;)
or at home?
In bank your money are eaten by inflation,
| your money is [blah blah]. Dollars, Euros, rubles etc.
are countable... the word "money" isn't.
Is it the same in American and British English?
It seems to me in British English, for instance, "the
police" is plural, and in American English, is single.
Also IMHO "the government".
IMHO government compensates you only if a bank went bankrupt.
But there can be situation with a high inflation and low deposit
interest. You lose your money slowly and perfectly lawfully. ;-)
I remember my purse had been stolen in France, in Grenoble,
when I was there on my business trip to the 0local Atomic
center. I forgot it in my room, and when I went back the
window was opened and the purse had disappeared. I suspected
then an employee of the hotel. After that I took my
handkerchief and sewed a little bag from it with a lace and
wore it on my neck.
What is "t7"?
I've never been to Moscow... but this sounds to me like
the name of a bus, commuter train, or subway route. I
guess the name hasn't changed although the itinerary has
been modified somewhat. :-)
Ardith, YES. It is elecrobus.
What is communter train?
But there can be situation with a high inflation and low deposit
interest. You lose your money slowly and perfectly lawfully.
Yes. But if you hide it under the mattress its original value will
still be eaten up by inflation... that's what I was thinking of.
A backpack... with my purse in it... was stolen in Los Angeles. We
didn't realize until after the fact that our rental car came with a sticker in one of the back windows which made it fairly obvious we
were tourists. At the hotels there were signs advising us to lock valuables in the trunk, as we did. That's what I'd have done at
home... where I had an old car with a lot of rust around the wheel
wells etc. and coveted the bumper sticker saying "Don't laugh --
it's paid for!" Nobody tried to steal anything from *that* car,
although I drove it to a few less than salubrious parts of
Vancouver.
I reckon it looked to passers-by as if the driver didn't
own anything worth stealing. With these older vehicles it was also
far more difficult to get into the trunk than it is with modern
cars... which at the time I knew very little about.
Fortunately, I had my keys in my pocket & Dallas had my passport in
his pocket. Nowadays I wear garments with several pockets if I can
find them. It's not easy to find female garments like that. But
apparently it is easy to steal handbags, shoulder bags, and
backpacks if one is so inclined.... (sigh).
When it really mattered which side of a horse a knight
mounted on & what the chances were of meeting up with
an enemy who was approaching from the opposite direction,
it made sense to keep to the left.
I also want to note, that women also were road traffic
participants, and during those times they sat on their
horses sidelong with their both legs hung on the left
side of horse.
So, if the traffic on roads had been right-sided women
could have gone under the horse approaching from the
opposite direction, in case they fell from their own
horses. It case of left-side movement they could get
safely into the road ditch, the worst scenario. ;-)
So, returning to our horses, the women used to dismount
from both horses and carriages from the left -- and a
universal rule, as we know, is a good and easy rule.
You should not rake your brains and think which variant
is better. That's why they still follow the rule in
England. ;-)
Meanwhile, folks here in BC drove on the left until
it became problematic that our neighbours to the south
didn't. Not all provinces changed at the same time...
but BC did it about a century ago.
It's interesting to look at how the road with left-driving
rules is passing into the right-driving road, especially
if the road have a good traffic. ;-)
A situation! I missed that damn thing again! ;-)
In Russia people can buy stable foreign currencies and
store it under mattresses.
"to covet" is "to want very much".
Why does the sticker is coveted?
although I drove it to a few less than salubrious parts
of Vancouver.
So, "salubrious" can be pertain not only to the person's
health, but to the criminal situation, too.
Do the locks in the old vehicles are more sophisticated?
Do they pay now in cash, or people now pay with credit
card only?
When it really mattered which side of a horse a knight mounted on
& what the chances were of meeting up with an enemy who was
approaching from the opposite direction, it made sense to keep to
the left.
I also want to note, that women also were road traffic
participants, and during those times they sat on their horses
sidelong with their both legs hung on the left side of horse.
Yes... we call it "riding sidesaddle". Years ago I saw a picture of
Queen Elizabeth II mounted that way on a formal occasion when she
was wearing a full-length skirt. In less formal situations she &
other female members of the royal family evidently wear jodhpurs
(riding breeches). Until the 20th century it would have been
unthinkable, however, for a female to wear trousers....
So, if the traffic on roads had been right-sided women could have
gone under the horse approaching from the opposite direction, in
case they fell from their own horses. It case of left-side
movement they could get safely into the road ditch, the worst
scenario.
Good point. I am told right-handed people generally prefer to mount
from the left & horses generally learn to expect that. It would be
safer, both for males & females, to mount/dismount at the edge of
So, returning to our horses, the women used to dismount from bothI hadn't thought about carriages, but I get the drift.
horses and carriages from the left -- and a universal rule, as we
know, is a good and easy rule.
You should not rake your brains and think which variant is better.
That's why they still follow the rule in England.
Dallas has driven in England with me as a passenger & navigator. We
both thought the roundabouts there were a great idea because they
don't take up a lot of space... and if you're not sure which exit
to use you can drive around in circles until you've figured it out.
On North American freeways you may not get a second chance to read
the signage, and if you take the wrong exit you can easily waste
half an hour getting to wherever you should have been.
A situation! I missed that damn thing again!
You missed the article, then corrected yourself. Not to worry. The
other day I unintentionally omitted a proposition. Even English
teachers make misteaks. What matters AFAIC is that you can correct
your own errors....
In Russia people can buy stable foreign currencies and store it
under mattresses.
Uh-huh. We can buy some foreign currencies from the banks here, but
it seems there's risk involved in whatever course of action one
takes....
Do the locks in the old vehicles are more sophisticated?
My car came with two keys... one for the trunk & the glove box, one
for the doors & the ignition (the former being a lot more
complicated than the latter). And unlike our rental car it didn't
have a lever you could pull from inside the car to unlock the
trunk. Anyone who wanted to break into the trunk would have had to
work where folks on the sidewalk could easily see them.
Do they pay now in cash, or people now pay with credit card only?
COVID-19 has turned the world upside down. Many businesses are now reluctant to handle cash... but when customers pay by credit card
the business must pay an annual fee as well as a commission on each purchase. When smaller businesses such as Mom & Dad's Grocery can't
afford to do that they must still accept cash. If their produce is
better & cheaper than what I can find at the local supermarket, and
they offer more variety, I may still choose to buy such things from
Mom & Dad whenever their shop isn't particularly crowded.
So we see why the cavaliers could not afford|AFAIK residences which have names... such as
the right road traffic. If the queen got off
the horse/carriage from the left side going to
the Buckingham palace,
it was a strong example. ;)
You should not rake your brains and think which variant is
better. That's why they still follow the rule in England.
But we also have a circular motion in the places where several
roads are connected with a doughnut style road. It works, too.
So we see why the cavaliers could not afford the right road
traffic. If the queen got off the horse/carriage from the left
side going to the Buckingham palace,
|AFAIK residences which have names... such as
Buckingham Palace, Clarence House, and Windsor
Castle... don't usually involve "the". But I
have heard talk of the Smith residence or the
old Johnson place (e.g.) when the building is
not generally known by any other title.
it was a strong example.
Interesting thought. Not all European countries accepted the idea
of driving on the right at the same time... and I don't know when
Russia did.
But IMHO what teamsters & other working class folks preferred may
have carried more weight in countries where a lot of folks wanted
to get rid of the monarchy too. In feudal times... when only the
upper classes could afford to ride horses they personally owned on thoroughfares available to everybody else... I reckon there was
less competition for space. As times changed, a lot more may have
depended on how her subjects felt about their queen. And I imagine countries which were next door to one another would have found it inconvenient to have people switch sides every time they crossed
the border, just as we did in North America.
You should not rake your brains and think which variant is better.
That's why they still follow the rule in England.
Because my experience with horses is almost nil, I found it a
stretch to get my mind around the various reasons some folks prefer
one over another... especially now that we no longer have knights
who use swords & lances, and most farm produce is transported by
truck &/or by train. I am reminded of a story I once heard to the
effect that the distance between railway tracks is equivalent to
the width of a horse's rear end, since that's how the ancient
Romans did it. This strikes me as being akin to folk etymology, but
I can't help noticing that the gauge is narrower in coal mines
where Welsh ponies are used... [chuckle].
WRT the way things are done in the Old Country, I can relate. If
the Brits drive on the left it doesn't matter to me. I just have to remember (as a pedestrian) that the kindergarten rules I was taught
work in reverse Over There.. and that the pounds, shillings, and
pence in our school math textbooks have been replaced by a system
which took Dallas & me a bit of getting used to. The first time we travelled to England as a couple, we got some coins labelled "ten
new pence" in change & had to ask a relative what on earth that signified.: - Q
[re the British roundabouts]
But we also have a circular motion in the places where several
roads are connected with a doughnut style road. It works, too.
It works in England & I think we could make it work. What we have
in this neck of the woods, however, are the so-called "traffic
calming devices" on residential streets. We saw them in England as
well.
The other day I unintentionally omitted a proposition.
Even English teachers make misteaks. What matters AFAIC
is that you can correct your own errors....
Did you mean a preposition?
I think the inflation in Canada is not so high as in
Russia. How many percent do you have per year?
Times are changing. A day on two ago I saw in an internet
shop a lock for a bicycle which can be unlocked only via
a smart phone application. ;-) It has an alarm system, too.
Looks as a usual bicycle lock. ;)
When smaller businesses such as Mom & Dad's Grocery can't
afford to do that they must still accept cash. If their
produce is better & cheaper than what I can find at the
local supermarket, and they offer more variety, I may still
choose to buy such things from Mom & Dad whenever their
shop isn't particularly crowded.
So, people really can start money laundering, in a real
sense of this phrase. ;-)
I think the inflation in Canada is not so high as in Russia. How
many percent do you have per year?
On average it's been roughly 2% per year for the past few years,
not counting 2020, but in the more distant past I've seen it go a
lot higher. And the numbers are based on the prices of all sorts of things... many of which we don't usually buy at frequent intervals.
The price of food has increased with the onset of COVID-19 and is
expected to rise another 5% within the next year. By the time it is
lumped in with the prices of things others don't need to buy right
away because they're working from home... or can't afford to buy
because they're unemployed... the composite picture may be quite misleading.
Late flash: Vancouver City Council announced recently that property
taxes will go up by 5% this year. The cost of natural gas will go
up by 6.59% this year as well. But meanwhile the Bank of Canada is
keeping the prime rate at .25%, meaning folks may get very little
interest on their savings.
Times are changing. A day on two ago I saw in an internet shop a
lock for a bicycle which can be unlocked only via a smart phone
application. It has an alarm system, too. Looks as a usual bicycle
lock.
Hmm. Sounds like a good idea... until you realize that in Vancouver bicycle theft is increasingly common & what kind of lock a person
uses may not matter much to professional thieves. We've watched
film footage of them using bolt cutters etc. to get through a chain
or steal an entire bicycle rack.: - Q
When smaller businesses such as Mom & Dad's Grocery can't afford
to do that they must still accept cash. If their produce is better
& cheaper than what I can find at the local supermarket, and they
offer more variety, I may still choose to buy such things from Mom
& Dad whenever their shop isn't particularly crowded.
So, people really can start money laundering, in a real sense of
this phrase.
Ah... now there's a wonderful example of a live metaphor! Years ago
Dallas & I read a book by a woman who was "in service" during the
1920's. She mentioned that her employers insisted all folding money
& newspapers be ironed before they'd touch either. And a female
friend who is somewhat older than we are routinely ironed sheets &
pillow cases to kill any nits (i.e. insect eggs) which might be
there. I wonder if today's plastic bills can be washed. :-)))
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