mockney piers

Yeah, those last levels can get very claustrophobic and a bit repetitive. Enjoy the final level; it's very easy but it's a blast!!

Hardly a fair comparison. Blair sanctioned Kratos and would have had a close eye on operations regarding the pursuit of the July 21 'bombers'. I'm pretty sure Darling would not have been briefed on Junior administrator's access to sensitive data; Head of HMRC has gone, and heads will doubtless roll within the IT dept; but hardly Darling's fault. It's now coming to light just how poor IT security is in many places across gov't departments. If ministers do nothing to act on this immediately and there are subsequent lapses then fair enough, they go; but murder it ain't. I totally agree with chap on Today programme this morning from OFSomethingorOther (data protection watchdog) who's been witnessing these lapses across public and private sectors for too long and calling for stronger measures available, such that chief executives should face criminal charges. So yeah, next time maybe send him to prison, but for the moment I don't see any advantage in making him fall on the sword.

Agreed. Single player campaign has been a lot of fun and am about to approach legendary; well I already have and got my arse whupped. Am getting my mate Rich (you met him at Rhythms of the world) involved in some co-op if you fancy it. Mind you, I can never get past puzzle quest these days ... grrrrrr.

Top Shops as well apparently.

Although mine, typically, were for poor grammar ;-P

Oops, sorry Mark, should have made the emphasis on beer in your pubs, rather than drinking beer in your pubs per se, a bit more obvious, as didn't realise i was taking money out of your pockets with the loss leader thing. I'll be sure to have some wine and maybe some food next time ;)

It does make depressing but, as you say, enlightening reading, I'll join you in a collective sigh and remember not to drink beer in your pubs mark/steve, I'll now feel guilty :-/

You can't blame Darling for either. NR and others' operating procedures have been known about for many years and undergone FSA scrutiny, so you could blame GB for pulling the FSA's teeth and turning a blind eye to the risks or falling for the voodoo science behind making money out of expensive loans to the poor, but it's a bit unfair on Darling to take the blame for that or a functionary's screw. Agency head has gone, that's good enough. Hopefully it will once and for all put paid to the whole ID nonsense and the constant assurances that the data will be safe. I have to say I was more concerned about the government abusing data, but if they can't even protect the damn stuff!!!

I can't commit to the club as a whole, as eating out was first on the list of things to sacrifice in saving for the wedding, but I might be able to pop in to one or two.

and for the record I've been known to pop into the comfy and spacious executive loos for the odd five minute power nap if I'm really tired.

One of my favourite spaced quotes: Daisy: Colin's gone. Tim: What? Daisy: He went next door. Tim: Oh, Daisy. I'm sorry. How did that happen? Daisy: He walked. Tim: [momentarily confused] Riiiight, right. Sorry. My mum used to use "going next door" as a euphemism for being dead. Mike: Whooa. Does that mean my rabbit's dead? Tim: It's been 18 years Mike, where did you think he was? Mike: [sobbing] Next door!

There's a fair amount of slop to be had in Tooting also, not to mention Brick Lane, but unquestionably Tooting is a a whole division above LL.

Oh BR, I'm sooo tempted to post a video of someone watching the TV!!

It is pretty tasteful isn't it.

"...and a nice chilled chianti fuffuffuffuffuff"

4 pages of best tv themes on old thread... *edited for clarity*

* Nurses broken liver in one hand and part of missing thumb after an onion chopping incident in the other * * Gently weeps *

I thought fans of this thread might enjoy this chap's blog about his favourite album covers, a couple of classics explored in there. http://sleevage.com/

I tend to find it's getting stung with the big round on the whole.

Croatia have been rock solid at home but don't travel so well and have recently failed to beat the likes of Macedonia (yeah I wonder what that's like), Japan and Malta away. It being Wembley I think we'll do it, but am not expecting it to be anything less than shredded nerves time.

I was in Letchworth this weekend. I got charged ?5.40 for two pints of stella. When I said "wow" the girl serving apologised and said "well, it IS stella" I just chuckled to myself and pocketed a good nugget's worth more change than I normally do. But *bob*'s about right, though I'd rather not have to spend ?3 plus if i fancy the odd bottle.

Yeah, had it it in an O'Neils when Mrs Mocker's sister was over (why an O'Neil's everytime...you've just left Ireland for goodness sake!?!). It was passable but pointless.

the norman invasion of Ireland is probably stretching that definition a bit much, that was the imposition of a norman aristocracy over most of ireland, doing exactly what they did here. The 16th-18th century empire was pretty rubbish and mismanaged, with Canada it's only lasting legacy (the loss of the american colonies had long been predicted on more or less of a demographic basis, they were so darn fertile!!!). Later empire was basically a trading empire backed up by Naval might, but usually controlled by locals in whose interest it was to support the British civilian governor (good old divide and rule(rule you see, rarely conquer)). It was arguably the least military empire in history and when looked at through a purely political/geo-poitical lens (ie not a humanist or social one) remains pretty impressive achievement, especially compared to the size and cost of the military empire run by the United States today. Britain's always had a distrust of the concept of military authority, and it's never really been a factor in domestic political life, the civil war apart of course!! It's not like me to be pedantic is it :-/ Ooh, and this definitely isn't intended to whitewash - a la GB - some very bad things committed, either by it's own troops (china, south africa) or by proxies in the empire's interests (just about everywhere at some point or other).

Indeed, both in the first empire and in the later empire we have plenty to hang our heads in shame about. When the likes of Gordon Brown say that we should be proud of the empire he's effectively attempting to rewrite history. Yes we* could be quite constructive, and yes we weren't as bad as many others, but that really shouldn't detract from the fact that empire is a pretty evil concept full stop. *I say we, of course as also a Spaniard I have even more to hang my head in shame about, they were really nasty!!

TT's spot on. We've been a refuge for many of those cleansed from elsewhere in Europe (our very own Huguenot for instance), and enjoyed a bit of the burning, murder and pillaging in France and Ireland, but no, nothing too bad in the home island. And nope, the saxons apparently didn't do anything of the sort either, they came along and imposed themselves at the highest ecehlons of society liej the normans did after them, but your average englishman, irishman and scotsman is more or less what he was over 5,000 years ago (double that in the case of the irish).