Loz

???? Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Is 'stoked' still in vogue? Someone please cut my > tongue out if I ever say it in an unironic way It is in Oz, and the snowboarding and surfing crowd.

Went several years ago. Did it the easy way and took the Viazul tourist buses around the island - Havana, Trinidad, Camaguey, Santiago de Cuba and even past Guantanimo Bay to Baracoa. Main things I remember: - Staying in Casa Particulares (private houses). Great way to meet the locals. Very variable in quality. There are networks of these things all over the island: you stay with one and they will have someone they know in the next place you are visiting. Get into a good network. Beware though - the people in the buses sell your name on and other Casa owners will turn up at the station with a card with your name on and tell you that you are booked with them. Find the address and go there yourself. - There are two entirely separate economies - Peso and hard currency. You will be expected to pay in hard currency, but occasionally you will need pesos. A few pounds worth will be all you need. - Watch out: a lot of showers have the heating element in the shower head, together with a badly wired 240v cord. I got zapped more than once. - If you can take a Spanish speaker with you you will be much better off. Not a lot of English spoken outside of Havana and Varadero (this may have changed). - As ratty said - small trinkets can help a lot. When we were there, soap was in short supply in the Peso economy. (That may have changed, too). - Go to a baseball game. It's the national sport and they all love it. The whole country stops and crowds around radios on the day of the All Star game. - Get out of Havana (though have a good look around first) and don't bother with Varadero. Do see the other towns. - Stay away from black market cigars, unless you can suck a golf ball through a straw. - Beware the Jineteros! Annoying people who get commission for taking you to bars, etc. The price you pay goes up to pay for them. Often they will walk in front of you and if you look like you are going to enter an establishment, will duck in and claim they are with you. - Watch yourself in Havana - petty crime is common. Outside Havana is pretty safe, though keep your wits about you. But do go. Great place!

I can't believe the Vale one was better than the posting by the delightfully fictional mrshamilton regarding the now-departed Osbourne Stewart

The Chair Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > 2) The dictionary definition of "paedophile" is > simply "a person sexually attracted to children" Ah, but what is a child? My understanding that "paedophile" is technically a word pertaining to pre-teens. Of course, the English language is changing continually and that definition is probably changing to "anyone below the age of consent". Though, of course, there are two - well, three - ages of consent in the UK - 16 for most cases, through to 18 for homosexuals and anyone who has a position of trust with the individual involved. I believe there is no age of consent for lesbians. And that leads to the question of "age of consent where?" Spain, for instance, still has an age of consent at 12. Wikipedia has a useful map showing ages of consent ranging from 20 down to 12 - and even a country or two down at 9, which is frankly unbelievable and rather sickening.

HAL9000 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > ian164SE22 Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > is sinister about Freemasonry? > > In the UK, Regular Freemasonry (as represented by > UGLE) is a deceptive, mind-control cult that dupes > hapless recruits into serving its own interests. > Its mafia-like activities are not conducive to an > open and fair democratic society. > > Lodges should be stripped of their charitable > status and be required by law to publish regular > up-to-date membership lists. > > Members should be barred from public office, civil > and military service, the professions, > self-regulated associations and private sector > positions that handle public funds or interests. > > Just my opinion, of course. My father and my father-in-law are both Freemasons. I'm a little upset as they have both completely failed to rule the world via their bi-monthly meetings. Mind you, it must difficult being taken seriously about taking over the world when you are dressed in a pinny. I blame the Illuminati, myself. Splitters.

That has to be the finest karate kick since Eric Cantona.

katie1997 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I could swing for this woman. You mean in the 1970's wife-swapping sense?

If it was from 2000 or later, check Parker's Guide - it'll give you an idea how much it was worth and what you should realistically be haggling for.

Loz Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > As someone said above, try the comparison website. > > > If they come up, try EBICO (EquiGas/EquiPower). > Small outfit connected with Southern. They don't > appear on all sites as they don't pay commission. ... and they charge in arrears, so none of this dodgy upfront malarkey.

Oooh, no PGC. Much faster and better than netball. I find netball rules way way too anally retentive. "Peeeep - you wiggled your little toe..."

There is a mixed netball comp held at Pimlico school. It's run by One Netball, which I think also do your Wimbledon leagues. Or, if you want to try a similar sport from the Netherlands called korfball, PM me!

As someone said above, try the comparison website. If they come up, try EBICO (EquiGas/EquiPower). Small outfit connected with Southern. They don't appear on all sites as they don't pay commission.

I think you need to swot up on 'Lyrics to Songs From the 70's", Smeltz. Go out and see what you can find.

giggirl Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I don't see that Brendan's bottom is anybody's > business (except for Mrs Brendan). Don't blame us. Brendan put his arse forward for comparison himself.

Dunno Bren - what sort of moral decline has your arse experienced?

Sod that DJKQ - I want a couple of cruise missiles. That'll sort the little feckers out. If there is a war out there, let's not muck about.

Cheeky Girls

I only pointed it out clare999, as the school put out the press release to 'correct press reports', yet all the press reports I've read stated that the Schonrocks were told by the school they "could be reported to social services".

Putting on my best Paxman-grilling-Michael-Howard voice... "But did you *threaten* to call social services?" (repeat 14 times).

*Bob* Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Battery-operated, I presume? Mains. Three-phase power. It'll dim the lights of the entire street.

Actually, HeidiHi, it's more that the police are pretty much compelled to investigate any such accusation, however obviously trumped up. As soon as they investigate, there is a documentation trail. As soon as there is a documentation trail you pop up on the (hopefully soon defunct) ISA 'rumours and gossip' database. That then has potential to seriously affect both my personal life (sports coaching) and my career (security checks). God forbid it would ever gets to the point where someone was actually arrested.

I'm certainly not saying he is a bad head teacher - I'm sure Alleyns pay enough to employ people that are more than just competent. It's just, in this case, he made a bad call and he has now caused his school much embarrassment. I've noticed that Australia and Qatari news agencies have started to pick the story up. This could blow up massively on him. I hope he learns from this - threatening to hit the nuclear button from the word go is no way to handle such a situation. He made a poor decision and he should be on the phone to the parents and back-pedalling as fast as he can. If he doesn't kill this story PDQ then it may yet snowball on him.

But as Narnia pointed out, Mick, the free kick that prompted all this was the result of a dive anyway. Face it - football is the sport of cheats. Tinkering around the edges won't change that.

taper Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Spare a thought too for the school. Without > knowing the full details, the Head at Alleyns > seems to have been placed in an impossible > position on what is a finely balanced issue. Hopefully the head will have learnt the lesson that quoting blindly from the 'cover your ass' manual isn't always the best option. Threatening to send in social services was a serious mistake on his part and probably prompted the Schonrocks to go to the press. The head's judgement in this case should be seriously questioned.

I agree, Keef, that CRB checks are a necessary pain. But the ISA checks, with their Orwellian "rumours and gossip database" were a step too far. Fix CRB so that the check is portable and you have a working, pragmatic system.