PeckhamRose

Awww that's so sad! Do let us know if you find him!

Andy Partridge of XTC covered this subject well in the song Dear God. He writes to God telling him he doesn't believe in him. To my probably mentally unbalanced mind, we made Gods up. The existence of rainbows and thunderstorms coincided with human's needs to make stories, to fill in the gaps, so we made up Gods to explain those natural phenomena, and in turn those stories of Gods help control other humans. And it works beautifully. It's brilliant.

Why thank you!! I shall remember to tell you the outcome too. http://www.thegreatparkingticketswindle.co.uk/ Great website I've come across!

Changed title, can't delete message though. Happy Wednesday everybody...

Haven't brain surgeons been able to recreate that final visitation and white light effect some people claim to see on their deathbed, by poking around* in the relevant bit of a conscious person's brain? It's all chemicals and synapses. I think Mr Pratchett is merely very ill, and it is a very sad thing. *very delicately with a tiny stick, of course.

Thank you so much. I shall word my very careful letter of appeal to them now (without admitting it was me, and without denying it was me), and cite the various cases relevant. I am grateful for your help. In the thread discussing why we like this forum so much, I would cite this very case! Thanks David.

Stick around for the ad on Channel 4 for the Kubrick season of films ending with The Shining. The advert for it starts airing 1st July. It is astounding. I was involved in it. 90 second one take thingy. Not the sort of ads you're talking about though. The ones for Parazone wrapped round The Bill are so naff. Yes, I do sometimes watch The Bill.

What about the new BT mobile\phone thingy they;re advertising. Anyone got one yet?

Doesn't that hold some sort of proof that religion is a mind-virus / mental illness? Not saying I think that, of course, though I am a paid up member of British Humanist Association. Marmora Man Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Terry Pratchet was, until recently, a confirmed > atheist. He is now diagnosed with early onset > Alzeimhers. He announced last week that he has > since had a spiritual experience and now believes > there is a "higher being". > > Has he swapped one religion for another or has he > given up on rationalism for superstition?

Look at the time. You replied two minutes after I posted. Wow. Thanks!

Got sent a Parking ticket for parking at B&Q / Comet by UKPC (Parking Contgrol) who run the land concerned, on the Old Kent Road. I parked the motorbike on an area I have always parked the motorbike on and there are no warnings not to. None. Motorcycles always park there by the bicycle racks. Today I got a letter fining me ?90 or ?45 if I pay in 14 days and I have 10 days to appeal in writing only. But there is no sign telling me I can not park the motorcycle there. Before I appeal, anyone got any ideas about this? Blinder999 please do not respond. You will offer nothing of use to me. :) There is a motorcycle park on that area somewhere, but the point is there is no sign telling me I can't park the bike with the other bikes but they've fined me. Oh - I looked up that other website re. parking wardens and fines but that doesn't seem to cover privately owned land. Thanks for any help!

I moved the living room furniture around. Instead of doing my tax return I have been meaning to do since it hit the doormat in April. Today had been a perfect day to do both. Colonic irrigation. Mmmm. Think I'd rather do a tax return. What's the number?

"Arcksk" for "ask" and the reply "is it" when I might say, like, "I want to tell you something" and when you complain to a company, or hear a complaint raised in the media about a company, the first thing the company says in response is something along the lines of, "We are brilliant" and "Your call is important to us" and "Thank you for calling BT" when you have just called to COMPLAIN and had no CHOICE.

Oooh I am glad I chose to be taken off the "National Spine". http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/7461619.stm

Yeah that'll do me. Lovely Middlemarch quote! Minus the tomb bit though. My last gift if they'll have it will be my own body to the London Anatomy Office Medical Students, since without the NHS many times saving my life I would not be here. London Anatomy Office. You can do it. But back to thread: I fear they'll reject it!

YES! On the way into the Isle of Thanet the cabbage fields made me go ill I got fearful of having to visit my friends there! Another memory of a stand up thing. I wish I could remember her name, this brilliant femal stand up: I paraphrase "So there I am giving head whilst getting DP* and I suddenly thought to myself, Jeez I am turning into my mother." Yep, I fear I shall turn in to my mother. Not a good thing. * double penetration.

I did not vote for Boris but I am kinda interested to see the long term effect and maybe naive enough to believe he won't be bad (and he may even be good). What I do like about him is his thinking does not seem to be affected by bias or the need to please pressure groups, but seems to be clear and analytical. Do not be fooled by the nutty professor image. Just because his social skills are a bit lacking, does not mean he can't do the job. And I loved his reaction to the news of the party announced for London in August, in which I would dare to paraphrase him by saying that he suggested that he was suspicious of state run parties telling people to be happy but that this party may just be a wonderful thing. Or something. I am not quite as analytical on less than four coffees. His cycling through red lights just tells us what we already know, there are too many unnecessary traffic lights in London!

Anyone see last year's film TAKING LIBERTIES? The 7/7 and 9/11 bombers were proud to carry their ID cards. The argument that if you are not doing anything wrong you have nothing to be worried about is naive. What happens when suddenly a law is put in place in that crime is "designed in" and you find that something you did perfectly safely and sensibly and legally yesterday is now illegal for various spurious reasons such as "for your safety". Of course the state knows your address without the need for ID cards, and all the agencies including DVLA can share with one another and anyone else who has access to the files which are left on trains. No need for ID cards. I and mine have opted out of the National Spine: ie we are forbidding our doctor's surgery to put our details on the central computer to be shared with the hospitals and anyone else who finds the files on a train. You have the right to opt out too. Ask your surgery. The phones still work and my doctor can phone to make the appointments.

LOVE this thread. I fear people: more specifically, people's stupidity and greed. Specially when those people are in charge of society / other groups of people. I refuse to fear the unknown. A lovely 95 year old taught me that the unknown may save us. I refuse to fear irrational things and try hard to overcome them. When I realise I am fearing something, as Richard Gere said when playing whatsisname in FirstKnight (Oh I quote from the best sources!) "Your fear should push you forward", or something. So what else do I fear? Billy Joel (LOVE him) once said in a song (or maybe he sung it!) "What if I die and nobody knew who I was". That always struck a (minor) c(h)ord. Oh God I am writing like an 80s NME journalist. I was listening to a comedy radio show on XFM in USA last month and a male comic said "My girlfriend says, 'My biggest fear is I'll lose my looks and you'll stop finding me attractive and like, you'll find someone else. What's your biggest fear?' and I said, 'Bears'". So: my biggest overall fear is politicians, followed by stupid people generally. Personally, my biggest fear is failure. But I'm getting used to it!

Wasn't there a thread a while back from CWALD asking about keeping chickens?

Cheners. It's a good mix of old and new (although only the new books are the new thing about it). (And I've just been reading the Cheners thread and independent bookstores are important and since the library is naff the bookstore for us what can afford to buy books is a good alterantive!) Failing Cheners, I'd say the junction of North Cross Road and Lordship Lane but not the ex 7-11 though!

Phone up your local cab offices and ask them. Take the name of the person who told this to you. Make sure you tell them when you are wanting to do the journey. Then you have a figure to argue to the driver who may add fiver on top!

I thought I saw it on a tv programme about a year ago, not GrandDesigns but another, where the design was discussed. It was modelled as a New Zealand beach house. Very nice and clever it was, too. Didn't see Ms Eclair in the film anywhere though and maybe I am talking about the wrong house but it is the black one with few windows looking on the main road and lots of glass at the side and the back.

John Hegley? Oooh he's a smart fella is he. I am in USA at the moment, just checking emails and connections and so on, and popping in to see what's happening back home, and reeeeeeeeeeeeeeallly???????? The Home Secretary is a neighbour now???? Can't wait to get back home, get on my motorcycle and bomb up and down past her house to greet her and leaflet her to try and persuade her to be on the Police Ward Panel; but only as a concerned socially aware resident you understand...

I have explained the facts to blinder999 - you do not know them. I am not reprinting them here as this topic is not about that. The insurance company fought long and hard to challenge this. It was a terrible time. But cyclists don't have engines so even when ten, yes ten witnesses came forward to explain what happened and how it was not my fault, and the police took no action against me, the cyclists' lawyer won. I am not a maniac. You have no idea what skills and experience I have. I am geniunely surprised given the usual good overall nature and intelligence of people in this forum just how upset I am people like blinder and now a few others are making these conclusions without knowing the whole picture. I'm out of here.