lozzyloz

She can be a bit off but they do make exceedingly good cakes! Nero you just have to put it down to them being a bit French. It's like going (was) to Wong Kei in Wardour St. Great food but abusive service. All part of the wonderful experience.

What's the point of St.Georges Day?

Perhaps also the case against private health schemes/insurance too. I've experienced both with mixed results both here and abroad. I still maintain that the UK has the best 'free*' health system in the world. It is a behemoth and as such it's inefficient, lacks proper investment, run down and over abused. However, the vast majority of the staff are excellent and well meaning if a little overworked, demoralised and underpaid. Perhaps if we adopted a system that limited treatment to people that didn't do much to look after their own health, then it might go some way to reducing the stress on the system. *free in the sense that although it's funded by taxes but our effective tax rate is comparable with countries that don't have a free health service for all.

I once canceled my CC after losing my wallet in Puerto Banus. By coincidence the replacement for the cancelled card (it was about to expire) landed on my door mat a few days later. I used it for over a month before being contacted by the fraud squad and it took quite a bit of explaining that it was a mistake! Stolen cards only triggers alarm bells if the amount go's over the floor limit of a particular retailer. Don't know if that system has changed.

Strawbs does the dealer live there permanently or only when dealing? If he lives there and it's not a huge expensive apartment then I'd tend to think that he's just one of thousands of average dealers rather than the head of some international trafficking syndicate. Call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Even if SWAT don't burst in with machine guns and dogs the intelligence might be useful in the future. I remember reading about the guy who was killed on Gipsy Hill after confronting a couple of youths about litter in Gipsy Hill. Sickening crime and the killers only got 4 years.

I dnt undstnd a wrd tht kk. Cn u trnslte 2 txt spk pls?>:D

Strawbs I sympathise with your plight and whilst moving area may or may not lead to a perceived safer environment (economics has a lot to do with choices available) there may be another option (which you may have done already). Why not report the drug dealers to the police if you know they operate from the first floor of your block? Is there a residents association for your building and are other residents prepared to take a stand? Unfortunately the only way we're going to reduce crime is if more of us stop putting up with it, and I'm not talking necessarily about single handedly confronting the villains with a baseball bat.

An elderly couple was attending church services? About halfway through the service, she leans over and says to her husband, ?I just let out a silent fart - what do you think I should do?? He replies, ?Put a new battery in your hearing aid.?

Looks like I'm the only one here hoping for a Chelsea win. *Ducks flying bottles and furniture* To be fair though, with Chelsea's recent form I don't expect them to win tonight. Next leg is a different matter though.

Congratulations Sandperson!! Great name. Hope mother and daughter are well.

If you want something less dance, try the excellent Apollo: Atmosphere and Soundtracks by Brian Eno

African Woman - Third world

Woman - Aswad

Door of no return - Steel Pulse

Lay off the Whisky Ken!

Is that a Peckhampamporky?

Macroban, don't you think your estimate of the freehold value of the shop and flat above is a little on the low side? Or did you use *Bob*s formula in which case it's ?3, 8 shillings and thruppence.

Actually, there never was a car. The show was produced by GMTV and Icstis are still investigating. Why is it impossible to take a piss and drink a pint at the same time?

Scotslass, any ideas where your CC details were taken? FD are generally very good although I noticed that last month they'd actually tried to defraud me on my CC statement. I'd paid of the balance in full before the final date, yet a charge for interest appeared on the following statement. When I called to query it they said that there was a computer error and they were looking into it. Strange I thought. If I hadn't checked my statement I would've just paid the new balance and heard nothing from FD?! If you use FD Visa I'd recommend you check your last statement.

Regrettably, I too forgot to join up despite constant reminders, but have decided to just run anyway. I'm a beginner too since I haven't run for several years but have just started (last week) running a few miles (3-4ish) in the Dulwich area at an extremely sensible pace. If anyone wants to join me you're more than welcome.

I stopped before the Mick Jagger impersonation>:D

Good post Moos. I'm sure that tribalism, rascism, prejudice etc is a basic human instinct that evolved as a need for our survival as we competed against other groups and predators for food, resources and space to expand. I'd like to think that as a species we've evolved enough to the point of sophistication that we could find humanitarian, technological and scientific ways to live together. The proliferation of WMD's, wars over oil, starvation in the developing world versus obesity in the West, destruction of natural resources and our habitat suggest otherwise. Why? Greed perhaps. We're quick to forget that our little islands wealth was largely been built on the exploitation of black slave labour coupled with the exploitation of other countries natural resources, yet we're slow to give anything back for fear of diluting our own wealth. Yet we continue to cause misery abroad in our quest to protect oil interests in the Middle East, starve people because of our need for bio-fuels and suppress the development of third world economies with derisive trade arrangements. Yet we still believe that we have the right to treat those who want to come here to do our crappy cleaning jobs, or ecscape some tyrannical regime (fuelled by the arms we sell) as second class human beings simply because they are deemed to be different to us. But to be fair rascism/tribalism/prejudice is largely an irrational emotion. We all have it about something. Again as Moos points out, not everyone is honest about facing up to their prejudices and doing something about it and understanding where this fear, because that's what it is, fear, comes from. Apparently the Scots don't like the English though they're both British, Catholics don't like Protestants - though they're all Christian, West Indians don't like Africans though they originate from the same continent and Arsenal fans don't like Man U fans even though they both share a love of the same sport. But these are all sweeping generalisations and when you really scrutinise it most people in these groups just say it as a kind of mob rule thing but in reality could quite easily get on with this person they hated but never met. But then governments have other agendas.

Thanks all for the birthday wishes. Am trying to do some work now, but fear I may have overdone my Jah Lush impersonation at the Dog. Hopefully I'll be sober enough to start again this evening! Cheers :)-D

Many happy returns Anna, I thought there was something special* about you when I first met you at the EDF drinks! Hope you have a special celebration today. x *We share the same birthday!

It's everybody's right to be rascist or not. I just prefer not to be associated with that type of person. Though I'm curious to understand why they have formed these views. If it is based on a rational thought process then I think perhaps I can help them to rationally see things in a different light. Unfortunately my experience has been that it's actually based on a negative incident involving somebody from a different racial background or simply out of ignorance and fear spread by the likes of the BNP. If all the hateful energy produced in areas like D&B by the BNP could be used instead to promote understanding of the different cultures and a tolerance and respect for each then surely that would be a better service for this country rather than ripping it apart with hate?