DaveR

The history of the effectiveness of private sector consultants in large public organisations is not a happy one, for various reasons. All too often, the result is one of the following: - their recommendations are accepted without question rather than being critically assessed - their recommendations are ignored because accepting them would result in taking unpalatable action - their recommendations are shelved because (for whatever reason) the people who hired them are not, or are no longer, the actual decision-makers. I have heard quite a few 'war stories' from both sides, including one from a guy who was working for a certain leading consultancy firm (called McK...) and was hired by a biotech start-up. They wheeled him in to see their investors and said "look, we've hired a McK... consultant, if you give us a shitload more money he'll make sure it's put to good use!" They got the dough, put this guy back in his office, paid his salary, and never spoke to him again. Not even when the company went belly up 18 months later.

See here for a very good explanation for the English law on self-defence, and why it works well on the whole. Not many householders get charged in relation to assaults on burglars, and of the few that do I suspect a fair few are acquitted. Ultimately, if you wake up and find a stranger in your house, a few good whacks with whatever is to hand is highly unlikely to get you into trouble. Once someone is running away, its difficult to argue that you are acting in self-defence or in the prevention of crime and you're likely to be in a bit of bother.

Bike is definitely the quickest - 30 mins fairly easy pedalling To avoid DKH go down Adys Rd, through to Bellenden, Lyndhurst Way, Southampton Way, Wells way etc.

- the hysteria pesticide regulation - the boring (but somewhat reassuring) truth In a parallel thread, someone made the observation that everything is made of 'chemicals', including organic fertiliser, and indeed food itself. In the context of this debate, shouting "ooh, what about the chemicals???" is about as useful as calling a paediatrician a paedophile.

I don't know how much you want to spend, but a mini micro scooter is probably an unbeatable present. They say 3-5 years but most 2 year olds will get the hang of it v. quickly, hence the streets of ED being full of parents chasing tiny children scooting unfeasibly fast.

In answer to the original question, he is a deserter. He went off backpacking for a couple of years whilst AWOL and now needs an excuse.

I'd also recommend Mirch Masala in Norbury, which, I see here also has branches in Tooting and on Commercial Road

That's all right, both my kids wore Ipswich Town babygros and had a picture of Sir Bobby on the wall in the nursery, and they are all the better for it. The bit about the picture isn't true.

I'm an Ipswich fan, so obviously Bobby Robson is a near God-like figure in my house. It's often overlooked that when he was at Ipswich we played (by the standards of the time) amazing, attacking football, and that Muhren and Thissjen (who he signed from FC Twente) were among the first foreign players to have a real impact in English football. I watched both the FA Cup winning side and then the UEFA Cup winning side in a lot of games between '75 and '82 and it was magical. He was also a genuinely nice guy, without any aggression or pointless machismo, who never really made an enemy, and still managed to be a success. A rare thing.

Alternatively, head for Tooting where there are loads of good places.

"Fois gras is probably organic..." ....and heavenly

Wavelengths in Deptford and Beckenham Spa are both v good but not exactly local, unfortunately

I suspect it generally comes down to how easy it is to claim. A (tabloid) journalist friend is effectively given a certain sum per week and just has to collect enough receipts to cover it; it's treated as part of the pay packet, and none is ever given back. In my current job the process is pretty tortuous so often I don't bother claiming for genuine expenses. What you've been doing is a bit different tho' - and very enterprising (and highly illegal). The construction industry is notorious for fiddles, from top to bottom. I heard of a case where a quarry manager got caught flogging truck loads of gravel for cash in the dead of night, which anecdotally goes on all the time. I mean, how do you do a stocktake in a quarry?

"It also quoted the Soil Associations view that there is not sufficient research on the long-term effects of pesticides on human health- surely something urgently required?" I think the key word there is "sufficient". A quick google search will tell you that the regulatory framework surrounding pesticide use is pretty substantial; for example the European Food Safety Authority spend a lot of time (and a lot of our money) specifically researching pesticide and other food safety issues. Here in the UK there is the catchily named Committee on Toxicity. If I were a cynic I might suggest the Soil Association think there is insufficent research supporting their view as to the long-term effects of pesticides. It is worth bearing in mind that the Soil Association is a lobby group, not a disinterested party in this debate.

To answer the question originally posed (and judging by the posts so far, to put myself in a minority of one), "non-organic". Buying food badged "organic" has never been necessary in order to get ethical, healthy or tasty food, and the reactions to this apparently sensible and rigorous study only serve to reinforce my view that this is a topic where genuine debate is difficult, because opinions are so entrenched regardless of the evidence. The post from KatotheCat could have been a parody (maybe it was) "Like, no-one ever said it was better, but you know it probably is....chemicals, you know, they'll kill you in the end...anyway, who are these so-called scientists, probably pawns of the 'big food' lobby...it doesn't change anything... (Puts hands over ears and says "Lalalalalalal")"

Name the only place on the London Underground which has 2 totally seperate Stations with the same name. Hammersmith?

I liked this place a lot: Bell Hotel, Sandwich Good food and some good deals on rooms. Sandwich itself is quiet and a bit quaint, but it's close to Deal and Broadstairs where there is more going on, and plenty of coastal walking

On a normal day, outside rush hour, it's 1 hour via Blackwall Tunnel, maybe a bit quicker if you put your foot down between the speed cameras on the A12. Having said that, I always allow an extra 1/2 hour because there are so many potential traffic blackspots - last time I went through the Blackwall Tunnel some poor sod had broken down half way through.

Organic food no better for you than any other food. No research as yet on beneficial effects of smugness.

Dionne Warwick, especially "Anyone who had a heart" Sam Cooke, everything he ever sang.

No question about KP's talent or record so far, and no way he could have been dropped if fit. Having said that, he'd be even better if he tried really hard not to get out to stupid shots, and was able to tailor his game a bit to the state of the match. KP is never going to be a classic 'accumulator' but a Test no. 4 is expected to take you on from a good start to a winning position, or steady the ship if you lose a couple of wickets quickly. Having KP at no.4 puts more pressure on nos. 3, 5 and 6 and makes selection a bit more difficult. He'll win you more games than he loses you, but the Ashes is not a good time to have a (relative) loss of form. Anyway, it's all immaterial now - it's down to Bopara and Bell.

It is worth pointing out that all but one of the others who pleaded guilty were involved in a separate incident after Gerrard had left, and the other was Doran, who clearly struck elbowed the guy before anything else started. As I understood Gerrard's evidence he thought Doran had been hit, and thought Mcghee was going to hit him, so hit him first....three times. In my experience of these types of cases it largely comes down to the impression you make on the jury from the witness box, and they gave Gerrard the benefit of the doubt. I suspect he benefited from not having a reputation as a dirty player as well as his generally positive image, but thta's fair enough. The one definite benefit he would have had was that the trial was in front of a very senior judge who would not have 'put the boot in' in summing up, as he may well have been tempted to do if it was A N Other pleading self-defence having hit the bloke three times!

"The offence would be acting strangly in a crowded area around children" Reminds me of the old Not the Nine o'Clock News PC Savage sketch "wearing a loud shirt in a built up area during the hours of darkness" It seems kind of simple to me - kids are more vulnerable than adults in lots of ways, including the fact that they are less attuned to apparently innocent behaviour from adults that may in fact lead to danger, however rarely (hence "don't talk to strangers offering sweets" etc.) Parents will naturally be concerned about their kids wellbeing and will be sensitive to odd behaviour from adults, particularly where someone appears to be concealing their actions, and it doesn't matter whether what is actually being done amounts to an offence or not. It's the same as people getting worried about someone looking through their front window, or peering into their car when it's parked - it's not just a privacy issue, it's conduct that may be a precursor to something more serious, although often it won't be. You have to balance your instinctive concern with a rational appreciation of the actual risks and potential innocent explanations - not always easy to do. The OP seems to me to have acted reasonably, which is not to say that the photographer in question may have been entirely innocent, and may now feel aggrieved.

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Rob Key was born in East Dulwich, apparently