Do you agree with our readers? Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments.
Florence museum fiasco – why can’t people just enjoy the art?
I was saddened to read about the clumsy visitor to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence who ripped a 300-year-old portrait by Anton Domenico Gabbiani while trying to take a selfie (MetroTalk, Wed).
On my first visit to Florence recently, any gallery or museum visit was ruined by the number of people who didn’t seem to want to look at the incredible paintings but get as close to the canvas as they could to take a selfie. I think the galleries should ban photography. Mary Maguire, London
An invitation to Brad Pitt
So Brad Pitt says he’s ‘missed out on having a gay experience’ (Metro, Thu). Get yourself to London, Brad, and sample some. More than willing to show you round. Bob Jones, Kidbrooke
On your bike
To those like Ken (MetroTalk, Tue) complaining about the heat on the buses in the summer, here’s a radical suggestion: ride a bike and avoid congestion. Geoff, Oxford
Please water your plants
As the dry spell continues, I have noticed more and more sad, wilting trees and shrubs in public places.
Councils and office owners spend so much on trying to make public spaces attractive but sometimes don’t bother to follow up by watering regularly.
If any of us notice this happening, as well as bringing attention to it, we can actually do things ourselves even if ‘it’s not our job’. Geoff Cosson, London
6,000 people is hardly the majority Sadiq Khan thinks it is
London mayor Sadiq Khan has been bounding around proclaiming that the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street has received the support of the overwhelming majority of Londoners. The claim is based on a consultation that had just over 6,000 respondents – two-thirds (66 per cent) of whom saying they were in favour.
London has a population of 9million – 6,000 people does not constitute the voice of London residents and owners of businesses who operate there.
Yes, 66 per cent is a majority but absolutely not an overwhelming majority. Two-thirds of 6,000 is 4,000. In a population of 9million, 4,000 does not constitute a mandate. Jee Wode, London
Pupils blocked my way – yet their teacher told me off
To the teacher in hi-vis at Loughton station in north-east London on Monday morning who reprimanded me for pushing through a ‘herd of buffalo’ mass of schoolkids who stampeded onto the Tube carriage in a cacophony of infantile screams and shouts.
I had to push through as they obviously ignored my attempt to alight from the train. I would have been trapped in that carriage if I’d permitted that army of underage stormtroopers to gain an extra inch.
I’m not sure by their body language whether they even acknowledged the existence of a 61-year-old man with a herniated lumbar disc and an impaired left leg – that was me – who was simply trying to get off the train.
By shaming me for doing the common sense and practical thing, you only shame yourself and your profession. It was your job to corral these kids into line and request them to let people off the train first – and you failed.
You told me they were ‘only children’. From what I could see, they were roughly 11 years old and old enough to obey instructions.
And unlike me, they have young bones impervious to wear and tear and injury. William Barklam, Erith
A egg joke to crack you up
May I add to your silly joke submissions to lighten the mood? Two eggs boiling in a pan of water, one says to the other, ‘Phew it’s hot in here.’ ‘Wait until they take you out,’ says the other, ‘that’s when they bash your head in.’ Pat, Whitefield
The blacksmith’s dog
A good friend of mine – the local blacksmith – died. I adopted his dog.
When I got him home, the first thing he did was make a bolt for the door. Peter Meyers, Bromley
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