Marmora Man

According to the BReakfast Blogger lift is now repaired.

Aletha, Agree - I think you're on a losing cause. A carpet is a singular "whole" item. Tiling is a collection of several, matching, items. If the carpet were damaged the whole would be replaced - but not undamaged wallpaper that no longer matched the carpet? The insurance company is paying to restore the utility not the decor of your bathroom. That said, years ago we were burgled and the insurance company offered to replace the stolen jewellery with items from H Samuels high street dealer in tat. As many of the stolen items were specially designed gifts, or inherited from granny & grandad with sentimental rather than intrinsic value (how could an H Samuels pair of cufflinks / brooch replace grandad's / grandma's inherited cufflinks / brooch that he / she bought in Cairo in 1941 etc etc) we eventually argued successfully for a proper cash sum rather than a one for one replacement - with the cash we scoured markets and dealers to replace our lot items. If you settle for a reasonable cash sum you might be able top redecorate most, if not all, with little extra expense.

I have some furniture that I no longer need (space etc). It is in good condition and previously I have donated such goods to a housing charity to assist ex homeless people setting up a home for the first time (about 3 years ago - TV, armchair, bookcase, fridge). However, I've lost the contact details and would appreciate advice / directions. Thanks MM

DJKillaQueen Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- I favour equal opportunity over bought opportunity. The majority of cambridge and oxford students are selected from private schools. And whilst there are some good state schools/independent schools etc, the fact remains that the majority of children attending state schools, irregardless of merit, or ability will be failed by that education system through no fault of their own. Do you want to pay more taxes so that the average class size in a state school can be as low as that in the private sector? And don't even get me started on the problems some parents are having just finding a state school place for their child, let alone on in a decent enough school. However, it's political / educational orthodoxy which is at fault. By the 1960's public fee paying schools were becoming an irrelevance and represented a small minority of educations. Between 1950 and 1970 grammar school pupils went to Oxbridge and university in general in large and ever increasing mumbers. Then the Labour Party and Anthony Crossland vowed to shut every f*****g grammar school in England and Wales as they were elitist. Their work was continued by the Conservatives under Thatcher. Perversly it was a generation of grammar school educated, Oxbridge graduate politicians that implemented this foolish policy. Result - a flawed but effective meritocracy in education was replaced by an even more flawed comprehensive system. Allied to an educational theory, which regrettably still has its supporters, that held it to be wrong to force learning (natural curiosity would do the trick), wrong to applaud success and competition this meant a dumbing down of much of our education system and the consequent rise of fee paying schools. A return to the three tier Grammar, Technical, Secondary Modern approach - this time allied to a more flexible and sensitive streaming policy could, over a two generations, again reduce the reliance upon fee paying schools. However, in today's system - I quite understand and applaud anyone making sacrifices for their children to go to a successful school that will help them achieve of their best.

What matters is that you replicate your selfish gene. That is the point of your "being". However, human kind has evolved to a point where we can worry about what matters - you seem to be describing an angst that, historically, has led to the formulation of religions. As an atheist I'd say it doesn't matter that I'll die, it doesn't matter that there is no god (small g) and, frankly, it doesn't matter if no one remembers me in 100 years time. Just enjoy the now, revel in your family and friends, eat good food, drink good wine, take long walks in the country, be awed by nature and avoid philosophy.

hpsaucey Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > DJKillaQueen Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > There is absolutely no reason why this unit > should > > not be relocated here. ED and it's surrounding > > areas have their own fair share of youth > > offenders. > > Hear hear! Why NOT here????? Agree

Try a pm to Lady Gooner on the forum

Hugenot, While not wishing to intrude into your personal battles your seems off beam to me. Without researching it via Google or Wikipedia it seems to me that UK episodes of "going postal" are on the rise. I can think of more than 10 gun related deaths a year in recent times, for example Derrick Bird's (?) Cumbria shootings killed 12 I think last year. We've also had Dunblane and Hungerford in the past. Locally here in our part of South London gun crime and gun deaths are not remarkable - I think the score is up to about 5 this year alone. In Norway - we recently saw over 85 people killed by gun and bomb by a single person, the problem is not unique to the USA. The gun crime / gun ownership correlation is intriguing but not proof positive of your argument. Ever tighter UK laws against gun ownership haven't seen a corresponding fall in gun crime. Your use of absolute figures is also, as you must be aware, misleading. The US has a population more than 5 times as large as UK - that said it would still make the US rate of deaths by gun significantly higher than it is UK - but not the 1000 times you imply.

Siduhe Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > jonr, it came out a while back: > > http://www.publictenders.net/tender/104984 > It's not clear how much money Kings would actually be putting in, the structure is to set up a joint venture vehicle which would be responsible for designing, building, financing, operating and maintaining the new facilities. In return, the selected provider gets the right to generate income (from private patients and other users) from the new facilities. In other words, it looks as if it will be privately financed and all profits would be returned to the private sector. Not quite right Siduhe. Deeper reading of the tender doc will show that the private investor, which will indeed provide all necessary capital, is expected to provide an annual revenue stream back into the Trust in return for the opportunity to develop on the site. The Trust will benefit by getting a new Clinical Education centre, gaining access to new conference facilities and from a revenue stream of between ?2m and ?6m, perhaps more for at least 25 years (projected term of the arrangement). Staff are likely to benefit from access to a new on site gym at reduced membership rates, patient relatives & visitors by having an on site hotel (as well as Camberwell in general having, at long last, a reasonable hotel). So this is a genuine Joint Venture project - the Trust puts up its land as "equity" into the deal and the private sector puts up cash - both benefit from the returns generated in proportion to risk and input.

For info: KIng's is planning a major development - up to ?100m to be spent on redesigning the current car park to provide: 3 x number of car parking spaces (450 rather than 150) - in a basement style car park A retail shopping mall - Newsagents, supermarket (M&S or Waitrose reportedly interested) A 3* hotel for patient relatives, visitors and locals - up to 100 bedrooms (Travel Lodge / Premier Inn / Ibis) A new private hospital to replace the current 20 bedded unit that will generate the Trust further income from overseas and private patients independently of NHS services. Tender notice is out. Decision on successful bidder July 2012, build commences late 2012. New facilities - 2014 / 15.

And the Socialist Workers have got into the act with an incoherent leaflet asking for the impossible.

Vigils, mawkish memorials at crash sites and murder sites, marches for peace, for awareness, for sympathy. None of these were common twenty years ago ? why now? What has changed over recent that makes so many want to ?share their pain? in a public and overt fashion with the rest of society? It used to be that when a family member died ? we drew the curtains, turned the mirror to the wall and mourned in a private way. Now it all has to be public ? with people that barely, if ever, knew the deceased pontificating on how sad, how tragic it all is. Overdone grief and public mourning is almost compulsory when the deceased died in violent circumstances. The vigil and march in support of Mark Duggan is the most recent example.Had the family and friends mourned in private and used private pressure [and there are undoubtedly a lot of organisations ready to support families in this situation if they feel vulnerable or unprepared] to ensure the IPCC investigation was expedited then perhaps, just perhaps, some of the trouble in Tottenham would not have happened. If the trouble in Tottenham had not happened then maybe, just maybe, we wouldn?t be seeing the wider riots across UK. I do not wish to suggest that those with legitimate grievances should bury them away ? more that they should use established channels of complaint and investigation rather than setting out to create a martyr before the full facts are known.

This is utter b******s. You are turning a rational government response to a decade of overspending into an excuse for violent behaviour. Student Socialist Worker seller level of argument: " D - - ".

Some good advice here on the cost / benefit of cheap flights.

Am I misreading this? A man, armed with an illegal weapon, took shots at the police. One policeman we understand from Friday's press only narrowly avoided serious injury when his radio deflected a bullet. The armed gunman was shot dead whilst firing at police. Tough. To condone, or even to try and understand, the position of those rioting and looting is completely illogical. To go further and try to give their actions some spurious international significance by suggesting this criminal activity is somehow related to, of a symptom of, the world wide financial crisis is to demonstrate a truly unbelievable moral relativism.

They've been around before - it's always an order that has recently been cancelled and thus is "suddenly" available. I did, once, have a look at the goods. Not too bad quality - but at a far too high a price. On a different "con": My wife answered the phone to someone yesterday purporting to be from Southwark Council offering a ?7,000 Council Tax rebate providing: a. My wife had no criminal record (??!) b. She provided full details - such as name, address and bank details in which the money would be paid. Being a wise owl she just shouted "scam" at the caller who then terminated the call.

???? Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Back to MM - but can you also remeber actually > having to go tpo the IMF, how long it took to get > a landline put in, getting insulted by Ticket > Office staff for daring to ask for a ticket, > "Scroungers like you shouldn't be allowed cheque > books" I once got told by a ticket clerk at > Paddington for getting a ticket with a Student > Rail Card!, power cuts, grabage piling up on the > sreets.....I loved the powercuts though, West Ham > had to play Hereford in the afternoon in a cup > match so we all bunked of school ; ). It was the > sense that we were about to go down the toilet > that I remember even as a teenager - makes me > laugh when peple go on about the 'damage' that the > 80s did (especially in they are under 40), the 70s > looked and felt like the slow gradual death of the > UK...are we there again? Remember it all too well - hence my sense of gloom about returning to a similar status of UK going down the toilet!

Alan Medic Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > > Is it? I think it's cheap and demeaning. I realise > in this country I'm probably in a minority. What > happens though when they are not trendy? I think > David Beckham is a disgrace and sets a terrible > example. Agree entirely - and what happens when he skin gets old & saggy? The NHS used to pay for tattoo removals - no longer I hope, repairing self inflicted mutilation is not good value for tax payers money. I can remember a navy colleague who, as a young and impressionable sailor, had been tattooed on both forearms. On promotion to officer he used a steam hose to burn off the tattoos, reasoning that a burn scar was less unsightly than a Chinese Dragon. On sailors - it is perhaps understandable, foolish but there is at least a history and tradition behind it for that community. As a fashion accessory it's deplorable.

Medley Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > But the 63 does go to Honor Oak. It just doesn't > go to Honor Oak PARK. > > Honor Oak station used to be just a few yards from > the 63's final stop. > > In that case it must have been a long walk from the station to the platform.

Thomas Micklewright Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Thanks Maxxi Ill be sure to follow up re. The > Prince Regent - that naughty prince! > > Any other places around Dulwich area that serve > Foie Gras? > > Thomas My home - when I'm feeling flush. We also serve steak tartare, pork belly, bacon sarnies, roast chicken, roast lamb, sausages, kidneys, black pudding, lamb shanks, roast beef, almost any kind of steak - as long as it's rare, hams, pate, salamis, boeuf bourgignon, chicken livers, fresh vegetables, good red wine, good white wine, whisky, brandy, gin & rum, strong coffee. Long live carnivores, drinkers and fornicators, enjoy life; say no to pulses and vegetarianism.

Like tattoos in general this is a bad idea.

katie1997 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Ah thank you Marmora Man! Now I understand why > the OP hoped the question wasn't 'too > inflammatory', didn't get that bit before. And ?? Don't understand your post - do you agree / disagree or hat feel I'm being inflammatory?

I think the real problem is that the unstable nature of the government / governance with attendant civil wars and general political unrest has precluded the necessary investment in infrastructure that could make the population in the famine / drought stricken areas self sufficient. Annual or bi annual crises with attendant and understandable calls for charitable giving then create a culture of dependence on donations and charity - making the population supplicants, becoming refugees dependent on others rather than in control of their lives and destiny.

I love it.

Additionally: MPs expenses scandal Matrix Affair Jonatahn Aitken Mandelson Mortgage Birmingham 6 T Dan Smith Profumo affair Use of Snatch Land Rovers in Afghanistan Sexed up "Dodgy Dossiers John Prescott's affair Cecil Parkinson's aiffair Just some of the stories broken by investigative journalist - taken from the top of my head. With research 100s more would be listed over the last four decades. Whatever the outcome of the NOTW hacking scandal (and we should always remember they weren't alone - just the first to be caught) it should not compromise the ability of journalists to expose politicians and others in positions of power /authority in wrong doing / corruption and sleaze.