Jeff, in some ways Monty Python is a good way to learn about this country -
but even Monty Python's Flying Circus couldn't have made up the joke that is
our current government.
Yes, there were indeed council ratcatchers many years ago. There still are,
though they are mainly now private firms - some large, some small. These days
councils just employ people to operate speed traps on the road, run Diversity
courses and generally burn as much taxpayers' money as they can. I've yet to
find one where anything more than a small minority does something really useful
- look at The Guardian Newspaper "Society" section to see all the overpaid
non-jobs on offer.
I believe that in some parts of India there is still a price on the head of
each rat that the vermin catchers hand in. I think Calcutta still operates
this policy - but I could be wrong.
Even more wierdly when I lived in India many years ago there was a place in
Rajasthan (about midway between New Delhi and Karachi) where the locals beleive
that their ancestors are re-incarnated as rats, so there's a temple full of
them and people take food and milk along as offerings.
It's worth a look if you're even in that part of the world - in fact India as a
whole is the kind of place well worth spending some time around. It's an
educational experience to see the different values that people hold and the
different way of life. For us Brits it's probably easier to get to know, since
(a) we were really one country till 1947 and (b) we have one overwhelming
common interest that serves as an ice-breaker in any situation (as it does with
Australians): cricket.
If I get re-incarneted as a rat, I'll choose the temple at Bikaner - and will
sneak into the local cricket ground occasionally to watch....
cheers
D
--- On Sat, 6/3/10, Jeff Carter <amps@hidden-valley.com> wrote:
From: Jeff Carter <amps@hidden-valley.com>
Subject: Re: [Amps] WD-40, snaked, vermin and puddytats
To: "DAVE WHITE" <mausoptik@btinternet.com>
Date: Saturday, 6 March, 2010, 5:26
Everything I know about the UK, I learned from Monty Python.
I thought there was a guy called the "Council Ratcatcher" who would come and
take care of this sort of thing.
Jeff/KD4RBG
On Sat, Mar 6, 2010 at 12:20 AM, DAVE WHITE <mausoptik@btinternet.com> wrote:
we get invaded by mice every autumn. I catch them in the live traps and
release them in the next village about 5 miles away, but I swear the bloody
things are homing mice.
Mybe I need to appoint a Vermin Control Officer.
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