Loz

I reckon most of them lie about their age, too. They all look like they're about thirteen. Or I'm getting old. Naaah.

Typo alert!! should have read: 2) Enter login of "admin" and your admin password (if you've not changed it, it's 'sky') The login name is case-sensitive.

Think you'll find Jimmy's had his go already...!

Alan, I've already explained this in my first post. 'Pakis' in the UK extremely offensive because of it's use as a racial epithet to attack all people from the subcontinental area. It is tied up in some pretty bad history in this country. Any newspaper in the UK trying that headline would, quite rightly, incur a lot of anger. But UK racial history does not necessarily apply to other countries. In Australia, it's considered an acceptable shorthand - just as, say, Bangla is in the UK when there was a movement to rename the Brick Lane area to Banglatown. You can parallel this with any use of 'boy' towards black men in America. I don't know if it still applies, but not too many years ago that would have got you into some serious, serious hot water, because of slavery connertations. Would it be right to vent your fury at a UK paper featuring, say, a picture of a black footballer with the headline, "The Boy Did Good"? (Grammar pedantry notwithstanding...) For someone professing to be so worldly-wise, you sometimes sound very insular.

What happens if the people pk finds offensive are offended by pk being offended by the suggestion that those who have been offended are looking to reasons to be offended?

pk, I'm offended by your post. Therefore, it is offensive. Should you delete it? Or should you question why I think it is offensive? PS Out of interest - since I can't seem to find it - which countries outside of N America have the Black/Fried Chicken stereotype?

Definitely try channel changing then. Can't guarantee it, but it sounds like the symptoms. What's the signal strength on your computer for the router?

Oh, just Google it...

Ah, but they did that before establishing the brand in Oz. When Burger King decided to move to Australia, they found that 'Burger King' was already trademarked, so their hand was forced. Urban mythology has it that there was a small Burger King establishment with the trademark that was bought up by McD's as a blocking move! All Australian telly is bloody awful, not just the ads. It's become very American "shove an ad in wherever possible". Even the cricket had announcements of ads for tours, 'memorabilia', what movie is on Channel 9 tonight, etc. Urgh.

James. These are ideas, rather than guaranteed answers! You never answered the question... was it ever working? Or has it recently stopped?

The google comment wasn't meant in sarcasm, more of a 'I only found this, so don't blame me for it's contents"!

A quick google gives me this list.

Interesting choice, *Bob*, as the most popular brand of cheese in Australia causes a little consternation. It's called Coon Cheese (gasp!!!). It's been called that for nearly 80 years. It is named after Edward Coon, who developed the process by which it is made. A 'campaigner' recently took the cheesemakers to task, claiming "he has been unable to find evidence that Edward Coon was a famous cheese maker, contending that the name came instead from the black wraparound in which it was originally sold. Edward Coon was an obscure factory hand who was induced to subscribe his name to the patent for cheese manufacture some time after the brand had been in use." He obviously didn't try very hard to find the evidence - it took me two attempts at a google search to find this. Filed 1925, dated 1926 both before the brand was launched in 1931. So, it leads to an interesting question... does a company abandon a valuable brand, worth millions and innocently named, because a word has changed meaning (assuming the American, offensive, version wasn't exported until later)?? In a similar vein, an American, upon sighting a bottle of Fairy Liquid, claimed to me that would never be sold in the US, as it would offend gay sentiments. Whether that is true or not, I don't know. But branding is a minefield - where do you draw the line? And could that sentence, assuming you are not Australian, be considered racist (especially as you seem to be insinuating that all Australians are racially insensitive, but your picture is from an American establishment)? If this was about the Japanese and you wrote, "Oooh, just a harmress bit of fun", does that make it different? If we were talking and this was regarding India and you said the same sort of words in an overblown Indian accent, does that make it racist? Minefields, minefields...

Quite easy on a Sky router. 1) In a browser (on a computer that is connected to the router, so hardwired, in your case) go to 192.168.0.1 2) Enter login of "Admin" and your admin password (if you've not changed it, it's 'sky') 3) Go to 'Wireless Settings' at the top of the left hand menu 4) Use the 'Channel' dropdown box to change the number. Any of them are valid. Try and pick one at least two away from your current setting. 5) Press the 'Apply' button. Your laptop/computer automatically adjusts to the channel setting, so you don't need to change anything on that side, but you may need to disconnect and reconnect the wifi. If you want to be really clever, you can download NetStumbler and you will be able to see the strength of your neighbours wifi signals and what channel they are using.

Has it worked before and stopped, or is it new? Turn it off and back on (I know, I know, but it does solve most problems). Apart from that, you might want to try changing the channel. If you are clashing with a close neighbour it'll cause problems.

You mean like the Buick Masturbation, the Mitsubishi Masturbator, the Toyota Ugly Old Woman or the Ford Small Penis?? It's more common than you'd think...!

Well, yes, Mick Mac, I'd agree that, in principle, you are probably right.

Tsk. You mean a 'floater'?!! It's a pie (doesn't have to be square) in green pea soup, not mushy peas. Looks disgusting, but tastes lovely. Quite hard to find, actually. A disgrace! How can our council support such an obvious race hate event?!?! :))

Don't quite agree, Mick Mac. It's not whether or not they like or dislike it, but it is a stereotype that they like it - and a negative stereotype at that. In the American South, the negative stereotype is most definitely there. In the West Indies? Nope. Even just a 'stereotype' sometimes isn't enough to be deemed racist. If the cricket crowd had have been English and he'd pulled out a thermos of tea no one would bat an eyelid. If the role was reversed and a Windies supporter handed out cans of beer to the Aussies, everyone would have laughed. I just accept that sometimes, some people just like to go out of their way to be offended. I believe it's a hobby.

As said by many, Alan, that stereotype is American, originating in the south. The ad was Australian, the crowd West Indian and this forum British. Why should an American sensitivity apply? In some places, being called 'black' is deemed racist. Finger pointing is a minefield, isn't it?

It's a bit unfair applying, as a third party, your cultural sensitivities to other countries. If you are American and this ad was shown in America, they may have a point. But this was in Australia for Australians and the 'fried chicken' stereotype doesn't hold up. Nor, I believe, does it in the West Indies. This is from a series of ads showing how a cricket fan gets out of 'difficult situations' with the help of KFC - they needed a cricket crowd and the Windies were, at the time, touring Australia. So really it's a case of 'move on, nothing to see here'. Different countries have different racial sensitivities. 'Paki' in the UK is pretty much up there with the worst of the racist epithets because of historical (and lets face it, current) incidents that occurred here, but in Australia it's still used on occasion as a shorthand for Pakistani (though that is changing). On the other hand, when you're in someone else's country you need to be aware of these things. There's the story of the Aussie girl, was working in London, who turned up to work on a Monday and was asked about her weekend. "Ooh, not good", she said, "I spent the entire weekend in bed with a wog" and left her workmates speechless. (She meant ill in bed with a virus/bug.)

It was a section of white wine on special at the end of the aisle (i.e. the standard, always on special, crap stuff). Then again, Sainsbury's wine aisle is pretty uninspiring at the best of times. A nice shiraz is a rare sighting. I agree though that the DKH staff are a pretty good bunch. The meat/fish counter people have a bad habit of finishing their chat with their mates before serving you, but apart from that they do a good job.

And what on earth do you think I want to be left to face a group of armed, violent thugs whilst the missus trots off to the tomatoes section? Would you like me to manfully protect the bread rolls or sacrifice my life in defence of the two-for-one offer on frozen peas? Perhaps shout, "Forsooth ye blaggards - unhand that half-price mouthwash, ye vilanous weasels..."?

Busy, but not as busy as I thought it would be. Lots of pushy people, amd any, many dopey people leaving their trolleys in the middle of busy aisles. I like to think that the 'if you've taken the wrong trolley bring it to customer services' announcements are caused by annoyed people shifting stupidly parked trolleys to the other end of the store...

SteadyEddy, Are you a member of any political party? Just wondering...