Rants

Mind The Gap

Strandman is always excited by the noises and sayings of London. This particular one is in the blood of every Londoner.'Mind The Gap' is such much more than an announcement that you'll hear on London's Underground  when a train arrives at a station.

One day I will find how to put an audio clip just here.

Much more than just a warning about the 'gap' between a carriage and the platform, it's a phrase that has entered popular culture and become synonymous with London.

People who have visited England's capital city say 'Mind the Gap' to each other - often accompanied by knowing glances and subtle nods - while the rest of the world wonders what they are on about. This Entry introduces some little known facts about the phrase and its usage.

The phrase originated on the Northern Line, where the gaps between the curved train platforms at Embankment Station and the train itself were particularly large.

The biggest gaps one needs to mind are at Bank Station on the Central line and at Waterloo Station on the Bakerloo line. Early in the history of Tube-line building the companies had to build their railways beneath public roads, so sharp curves were required at some points. Allegedly, the slightly-off-putting gap at Bank is so large because the tunnel diggers of the time had to swerve a lot to miss the Bank of England's vaults.

Mind the Gap  (loving the Italics) was the name chosen for a pictorial book put together by Simon James. As well as the excellent, often quirky pictures of the London Underground, this book also features a commentary on stations to be found at the end of Tube lines.

In the book's foreword, Michael Palin - campaigner for better public transport (and well known traveller) - writes:

Mind the Gap, perhaps the most famous phrase associated with the London Underground, must surely have the creators of the system spinning in their graves. It's an acknowledgement that the thing doesn't quite work. That however fast and frequent the service, however comprehensive the network, the trains don't always fit the platforms. There's not much in it - but enough to warrant painted signs (see picture above) and recorded warnings.

Palin continues:

It is very much a book about gaps, not just gaps between the train and the platform, but between the designer and user, staff and passenger. And between dreams and reality. Mind the Gap in capturing the elusive appeal of the stations at the ends of the lines, gives gentle but perceptive insights into the way we live now.

So Strandman recommends listening out for it, using it, reading it and feeling it.

SM

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1 Comment 7.11.06 07:10, comment

Sex and the Strand - review

 A disappointing beginning but then...

 

Mol Cell. 2002 Apr;9(4):835-46.

Sex and the single (strand) break.

Molecular Biology Program, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021, USA.

It has been known for some time that DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) initiate homologous recombination during meiosis. Two recent studies show that the fate of a single DSB in yeast is strongly influenced by the presence of other breaks in the genome, hinting that cell-wide or chromosome-regional mechanisms control the outcome of DSB repair.

PMID: 11983162 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 

TO BE REVIEWED

SM

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2.11.06 22:21, comment

The Zebra Divide

 

Fleet Street / The Strand

The Zebra Divide

 There was a  feeling of unease this morning on the Strand and Fleet Street. A very real sense that Summer was over and Winter draws near combined with a 'is it global warming or me or is it too warm for October?' meant that people scurried across roads and traffic Islands. The traffic was light as I crossed the zebra crosssing outside the Royal Courts of Justice and I was cogitating on the topic for the second of the blogs and it came to me. I was on it. No-one cares about them and there are 11 on the Strand and 14 on Fleet Street. Crossings. Paths throught the choas of road. Safety and sanctuary.
 
The zebra crossing (referred to in the U.S. as a "crosswalk" is a type of pedestrian crossing used in many places around the world. The crossing is characterised by longitudinal stripes (hence the term, named after the zebra) on the road, parallel to the flow of the traffic, alternately a light colour (usually white) and a dark one (painted black, or left unpainted if road surface itself is of a dark color). The stripes are typically 40 to 60 centimetres wide. The ones on The RCJ Zebra Crossing stripes are slightly bigger than this and use of a ruler this morning at 7.05 am made me look like an idiot but were 62cm. So there!
The crossings were originally marked by beacons (see below) and parallel rows of studs, but stripes were soon added for the sake of visibility. That is the joy of these unforgotten and un loved road markings. We accept them. We trust them. But on this very crossing 4 weeks ago my brother was hit by Coca-Cola delivery van. The myth was exploded! These are not as safe as we believe and the convention, the suspension of disbelief was visible for all to see. Now my brother wasn't hurt badly but shaken (not stirred) but this crossing, these emerald sceptre that is the heart of the judicial system let us down.
The zebra crossing was first used (after some isolated experiments) at 1000 sites in the UK in 1949 (the original form being alternating strips of blue and yellow), and a 1951 measure introduced them into law. In 1971, the Green Cross Code was introduced to teach children safer crossing habits (replacing an earlier "kerb drill": Prize for the first to remember without the aid of google (my friend) his name?(bonus for those who can name the film).

In the United Kingdom the crossing is marked with beacons on either side of the road, called Belisha beacons. These are black and white poles topped by flashing orange globes. They are named after Leslie Hore-Belisha, the Minister of Transport who introduced them in 1934. Pedestrians have right of way on this kind of crossing once they have put a foot upon it; cars then have to stop and give way, if they can do so safely.

Don't know how to use them? help is it hand- The Guide to using Zebra Crossings.

Famous Zebra Crossings?

I think probably the one at Abbey road where the Beatles did their famous picture. pause- Is Paul dead? A great web site of clues by the way and not to give the game away but....the clue is there under The Truth.

SM

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13.10.06 07:19, comment

The Challenge & Manifesto

  • To review the sights and sounds of London on a daily basis by looking where others fear to tread.
  • From underground to overground, from pavement to shopfront, from gig to restaurant this blog will attempt the completist review of London's Strand and Fleet Street.
  • Follow the story as it unfolds (very presumptious) and discover (how patronising) how a dyslexic explorer discovers and recovers the areas of life, job, relaxation and geography.
  • Some history, some geology, some biology, some politics, something for everyone.
  • Socially and empirically a task for the modern era.

The Manifesto:

  • Every Inch, Every Centimetre, Every Opening, Every Way, Every Man, Woman and Child, Every Sound, Every Road, Every Day. Please feel free to add Every-

pre•fix

Pronunciation: (
—n.prē'fiks;
—v.prē'fiks, prē-fiks'), [key]
—n.
1. Gram.an affix placed before a base or another prefix, as un- in unkind, un- and re- in unrewarding.
2. something prefixed, as a title before a person's name.

—v.t.
1. to fix or put before or in front: to prefix an impressive title to one's name.
2. Gram.to add as a prefix.
3. to fix, settle, or appoint beforehand.

  •  Come follow the band. It will be both mundane and inspiring, frank and candid, illusory and humouress.
  • Digresions include the Legal profession, stand up comedy, education and loads more; We shall see. Hopefully my spelling and grammar will improve with your (who?) help.
  • I thank you

StrandMan

(Full Biography to follow, but I am not:

Otto August Strandman VR III/1 (30 November 1875 - 5 February 1941) was Prime Minister of Estonia and Head of State. He was born in Vanda, Undla rural municipality, Virumaa and died in Kadrina, Estonia.

He was Estonian Prime Minister 8 May 1919 - 18 November 1919 and Elder of State 9 July 1929 - 12 February 1931; one of the eleven men to serve as Estonian head of state during its period of independence (1918 to 1940). )

 

Nor I am related to http://www.strandman.no/goto.swf which is bonkers

 

SM

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12.10.06 06:08, comment

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