mockney piers

Oh no, it's Adrienne Shelley all over again. *wipes dust from eye*

"but CWALD also extends it to people she finds interesting (not just settled/well-off)" Well don't like to talk about someone I like alot in the third person, but I've seen this in so many of my old girl-friends in the past, stuck in an exitless Hangar Lane Gyratory of varyingly pathetic, bad, or often abusive relationships. It's a self-image thing. I hate to sound like an 2-bit American chat show host, but get some respect for oneself and happiness can be found with someone who respects err .. one.

Was? He deed? Sh!t, didn't realise.

Biological imperatives obviously influence overall patterns of behaviour, but I'm not convinced by its application at the micro rather than the macro level. I think the drinking/fighting is because lots of people like drinking, many people like the adrenaline rush of a fight (or they're just ignorant bullies/thugs frankly) and some like to combine the two. Mating behaviour? Meh. As regards Amanda's penchant for sex with the poor, it's obviously just a subconscious manifestation of her marxist ideals, ensuring that there is a fair redistribution of all the benefits of social living; not just the material wealth created by the proletariat.

I've had lots of celeriac mash, which is nice. No idea how to make it though, but this off the beeb Simmer the potatoes and celeriac in a large pan of boiling salted water for about 12 minutes until tender. Drain and return to the pan, covered, to dry them out. n a small pan, gently heat the milk, add the onions and cook until softened. Mash the potatoes and celeriac with the milk and onions. Season to taste.

LOL, nice one in a horrid sort of way. Yeah, know what you mean about Andrew Bird, he's such a full voice you'd think he's a bit more rotund. His new album, while not exactly a masterpiece, doesn't have any weak songs, which is a pretty good achievement. As it's become something of a comfort album for me, I keep playing it while I'm waiting to get on a plane, which is why I wish it didn't start with 'fiery crash' a song about falling asleep on the plastic airport seating and waking up to a vision of plunging into the earth in a fireball at 600mph. It's not doing me any favours!!

Just scrapped a whole page of stuff as it was far too wide-ranging and ended up quite ranty. I can express it better as "what Sean said" Brendan, what you are describing is pretty much exactly the anarchist ideal. Sadly it simply doesn't function in society anything above a collection of hamlets really. Now throw in an intensely selfish consumerist society and libertarianism boils down to: "I'm alright Jack, keep your hands of my stack (and my family and mates), someone will step in and take care of you, like a charity, or something...innit"

Isn't that more like 2.5 billion?

Wikipedia conquers all

I know what you mean. I can't hear the name James Blunt, without thinking "His parrot's a c*nt" for some reason. I hope this fella isn't one of your dubious modern singer-songer writers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktxy7ikUKjM Although he does have a weird David Gray style head wobble.

Oh cool. I saw jose Gonzales perform that at the Green Man last year, great stuff!

Is it any wonder there's a gun culture these days with things like the My Little Pony M4-A1 Carbine *it's a hoax .. shhhh

Aaaaah, I knew I'd heard that voice before. Best song on that album as it goes, and the vocals really make it.

Cool song. Sort of a R?yksopp in drag. Is it R?yksopp in drag?

Those winter nights are drawing in.... Sigur R?s - Staralfur I kind of need a restorative beer after that, brrrrrr.

Aaaaaaaah, I get it now!!!!!!

Instead of the salt, add a rasher or two of bacon, adds the salt and a bit of extra flavour...hmmmmm. And for veggies, try adding bacon, it's not really meat is it.

Our letchworth pub* was the Black Squirrel and is East Dulwich in microcosm. A rough and ready place to get your drugs or a kicking, underwent refurb to be a shiny rough and ready pub where the locals looked uncomfortable drinking Peroni insterad of Carling Black Label, eventually to become a Thai food eatery/drinkery complete with garden awash with kids; failed, became a ditto mexican eatery, and a little bird tells me that too has gone under. *It was originally a quaker town so had almost no pubs until the 60s and very few until the late 90s. Luckily it was surrounded by pubbed up villages, and Hitchin and Baldock, former coaching/market towns.

Cor, EYEWTKABSBWATA http://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/fr/INFD-6HTK9B

I think they're genetically grey squirrels with black fur, think albino but too much pigment rather than too little. They're also imports from N America, where they do rather well in the dark thick forests of the north appalachians. Someone brought a load over at the turn of the (previous) century to put in Letchworth's parks, where they've done alright for themselves. Apparently they're being spotted across the herts/beds/cambs border region these days. You can get black red-squirrels, though not sure if there are many in the uk; I've seen them in Austria.

Feel the same way!! Actually home town isn't a hole, but it is the most boring place on the planet. This chap even manages to make it look quite nice!!! And yep, thems squirrels black.

What?!?! Not even with with long string tassles and large gold orb logo? Philistine!!

aww fanks :-$

"most of the 9/11 bombers were Saudi - hardly a country with a leadership imposed on them by the West" Err, that's pretty much exactly what it is. It was a British protectorate after we helped the house of Saud overthrow the Ottomans. We signed the country over to his dynasty in 1926 an it's remained an autocratic monarchy since with a great deal of support from the West. Indonesia? Yes again, Suharto was directly supported in his murderous campaigns to stamp his control on the country. Pakistan? No you're right, but amazing how Musharaff turned from being a usurping pariah to our staunchest ally when he joined the war on terror. My whole point is that the rhetoric of the war on terror only serves benefit the rhetoric of the enemy. Sideline it as the minority extremist radical (essentially marxist) ideology it is and it will burn out. Then you have to address the grievances of those who have taken up it's banner in this current climate, in Indonesia, Saudi Arabia (not while it's got oil), Iraq (although the Iraqis seem to be doing this for themselves, sometimes the enemy of your enemy is not the sort of friend you want) etc.

I'm mostly referred to the post Afghanistan al qaeda, but even with your examples yes, yes and sort of. Just because we don't agree, and the methods are monstrous, doesn't mean the grievance is entirely baseless. You give three examples, but there are somewhere between 3 civilians an hour ('official' figures) and one every three minutes (lancet report) being killed in Iraq thanks to our policies. These are obviously hugely emotive issues, but unless you want indefinite conflict you have to be prepared to lay the past to rest. Witness McGuiness and Paisley working together, indeed McGuiness recently met up with representatives of the Sunni and Shia communities of Iraq to help them start of a framework of dialogue to help bring about an end to the sectarian strife there.