MrBen

Only a brave man would start a predictions for 2013 thread (respect to Quidsy last year) because invariably: - Most predictions are almost sure to be wrong - On the EDF they tend towards the cynical and gloomy - Something of magnitude always tends to happen that nobody predicted (Andy Murray, Wiggins...say no more) So, on an optimistic note, here are three of my local HOPES for the year ahead: - That the UK economy will finally start to improve by the end of this year and that our best local businesses in ED and surrounds can continue to survive. Some new startups on the food/drink side in Bellenden/Camberwell and some of the fringe streets in SE22 where rents allow would be great. - That SOMEBODY with a political voice finally realises that we have two large and profitable GP practices that are offering really poor service to the surrounding community. I'd like to see an enterprising GP open up who puts customer service first, actually meets patients face to face and who runs a practice where you can get an appointment without abseiling through an open skylight at 8am. And those GP's who don't meet service levels should be held to account. Dulwich Hospital is an amazing resource that is massively underused, well maintained (surprisingly) and half empty. You've got a new primary school and a GP practice + health services unit in one there with the right local ambition. - Better weather generally this summer. Some sunshine for example. Yours?

You could...but it's the cheaper fix and with elevation over the concrete you're still left with a step somewhere i.e. at the entrance to the kitchen/diner. A step isn't necessarily a problem but if you want to do it right......

Lounge thread of the year to date. I had the same knock through kitchen -dining room scenario as Huggers above a few months back. As long as you effectively suspend the boards above the concrete by at least say 4cm+ you're allowing it to breath and reducing the chance of damp warping. Putting down a sheet DPC over the concrete but under the joists is a must as that will also help. The problem is your left with a small step in the room. My builder and I got round the step problem by taking a Kango hammer drill to the concrete floor, removing almost 2 ft of concrete/hardcore and putting in new, full size joists, then sheeting the whole area with ply and putting down a new reclaimed timber floor. You're left with a beautiful level floor. WARNING: this will piss your neighbours off massively for about 100 yards in either direction. If you want to keep the existing floorboards (on the existing suspended floor side)then you can buy some reclaimed floorboards to match yours and then lift and mix them all up to get a very nice /blended end result after sanding and finishing. Putting 18mm ply underneath still helps with insulation, sound proofing and giving a more solid feel. An excellent place to find matching sized Victorian floor boards is Reclaimed warehouse out in Essex: http://www.reclaimed.uk.com/victorian_floorboards.html Ignore the crappy website and warehouse location- these guys know all there is about old timber flooring and have stuff going back to the 1800's... Also check local skips - I got 5m2 free from one on a nearby street after asking the owner and chances are its similar stock to yours if original.

It's urban irony again though innit. And if you didn't know how to bone a woodcock, this is your month Urban Woodsmen.

Nope, it's safe to say they realise it. This is the evolution of the hipster. More specifically it's the colonisation of once undesirable inner urban neighbourhoods by essentially middle class arty types rejecting mainstream capitalist culture etc and laden with irony. I was banging on about this look because from an aesthetic perspective I reckon its significant because it's SO distinct and goes beyond mere fashion. The beard. The checked shirt. The distressed workboots. Not much variation there and I can't remember such a prescriptive uniform in British counter culture since say the late 70's skinheads, 60's hippies or 50's teddy boys/mods. As a mid-30 something I can recall 80's casuals (Stone Island, Fred Perry etc) but not anything in my lifetime this distinct and widespread. My only regret is not opening a vintage plaid store in Portland, Orgeon oh about 5 years back. But that capitalism is everything that this look shuns. On reflection I rather like it.

In the Co-op's small magazine section on the bold "Recommended Reading" shelf today, someone had placed, rather prominently, several copies of The Shooting Times. Edit to say that I think this is a sign. A sign that we've been invaded by...gasp....HIPSTERS.

My stomach lining finally gave way on Wednesday after 3 weeks of unit busting excess and a particularly weirdy night in a casino on Edgware Road. So I came home early tonight, had some fresh lemon tea, a bath, put some tunes on and read some Hemmingway. Beat that Help-Ma!

Lowlander Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Otherwise take a trip to the excellent Whisky > Exchange beside Vineopolis in London Bridge, > they'll sort you out Good advice indeed Lowlander. And once you've worked out whether he's an "Islay man" pretty much all of the bottles above are good straight up options. If he likes his malt and is already a big fan then def go to s specialist to find something different from the usual Glenfiddach etc offerings in your average store. Duncan at the Whisky Exchange will sort you out.

That's the one. A motley crew of 35 middle class people who vaguely knew each other on an internet forum basically gate crashed a regulars do and karaoke party. I doubt that sits high in Otta's code of pub respect.

Anyone recall the forum drinks circa summer 2008 at the Wishing Well? There was a tiny bit of tension in the air.

How about this one? (from a series of 12): http://www.the-daily-news.co.uk/2012/07/possibly-rough-pub-that-youre-scared-to-go-to-but-were-not-no10-the-windsor-castle135-lower-clapton-.html

Yes it does. Neighbouring environs (Nunhead, Camberwell, Forest Hill etc) are allowed and in fact, encouraged.

Inspired by an Elephant to Camberwell pub crawl on Friday night, I just wondered if there are any scary pubs left in our immediate surrounds? By scary, I mean to the average normal (ok possibly middle class) guy, the kind of place you don't take the missus to for a glass of Malbec or turn up in a suit in case you get glassed. The kind of place with plenty fringe criminal activity and everyone clearly off their chops on coke. OR...where the regular's friendliness, openness and genuine hospitality can take you by surprise and you get an old time experience not found in the theme/kit pubs that now dominate SE22.

the-e-dealer Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Thanks - I always use a DELL ! I don't see why not > in future! Have you been drinking or on the red smarties again? You seem kind of manic.....

the-e-dealer Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > They check your card for the payment. I tried it > on a 23 worked perfectly - much better than tying > up cash on a Boyster Card. But you don't get > transfers or price caps. So...just to be clear...a London Transport ticket inspector can effectively read my contactless debit card with his Oyster card reader to check I've paid?

I used this today on a bus and its certainly very handy indeed and super quick. Not sure how I prove I've paid though if a ticket inspector comes on board as you don't actually get a ticket on those bendy buses which have touch pads throughout the seating area - anyone know?

p.s. A man called Jared Brown of Sipsmiths invented hot mulled sloe gin and he is clearly a genius.

House of Tippler must be right up there with it's wee stall at weekends? Anyways why not DIY ...I have found the future of mulled wine and it's called "hot mulled sloe gin". The problem with mulled wine is it seems to separate the tannins and you get these wee bits of clawing gunk in your mouth. Hot mulled sloe gin (the future of mulled wine) avoids all of this and is a clear, warming and beautifully fruity brew of godlike proportions. Recipe (for 10 cups): - 500 ml of sloe gin (Boss Man wines do Sipsmiths which is pricey but I think they also do Gordon's sloe which is about ?16 a bottle) -500 ml of apple juice (cloudy if you can) -500 ml water -5 cinnamon sticks - Orange slices (about 4-5) -10 to 12 cloves Put everything apart from the gin into a pan, cover and heat gently for half an hour. Then strain (but keep cinnamon stick in) and return to pan. Add the sloe gin and warm gently but do not boil. Pour into a mug or better a tea cup and serve. You can get beyond pi$$ed on this stuff if you make it by yourself so make sure you have some good company.

Always surprised at how much London empties the weekend before Christmas, especially in places like Clapham, ED etc. In Scotland this year Friday 21st will be a big night out but down here pubs can be like a morgue.

Help-Ma-Boab says that the great merry-making run in is better than Christmas Day itself. Me - I like the chance to catch up with people I've not seen for a whole year but thanks to work I usually don't want another drink (or big lunch) by about the 15th. In many ways the excess peaks early. What about you lot?

Sonos has actually been around for ages (2004-ish) but has become a leader because: A: It integrates so well with i-tunes they hang off Apples coat tails. Controller app works on any decent smart phone. B: It's literally one button to press to set it up and it just works. C: Really simple to add bits on for otehr rooms as you can afford it.

I've started to quite like to potter about my house. For example, a typical Saturday pottering sequence could involve fixing something, talking to some plants in my garden, picking up my guitar, hoovering and cooking cheese on toast before brewing up some gin punch. Is this a middle age man thing? I'm 36 years old.

Nice news for Sonos fans today.... You can now play music directly from any iOS device to any Sonos player you might have in the house. Up until now the only way to do this was to sync iphone/ipod/ipad music with your desktop itunes first or connect your ipod directly to a Sonos input. To do this you need to upgrade to latest Sonos software on your controlling pc and any mobile controllers. Basically, this means that I can now walk into my kitchen, click my phone and have decent quality* Otis Rush blasting out my 100 watt ceiling speakers as I knock up a prawn balti. Happy days. *As in good enough for all but the geekiest of ears.

Woody's basically right: Other examples of legal profit transfers : - Charging interest payments to UK operations from an overseas HQ that effectively wipeout UK profits due for taxation - Insurance companies who domicile themselves in Bermuda but make all their money at Lloyd's of London then "reinsure" themselves to their Bermuda HQ, paying large insurance premiums to themselves to effectively transfer profits to a lower tax regime. - Royalty payments e.g. U2's royalties going to a Netherlands based company where taxes are lower.

There are basically four types of IP: - Patents - the hardest to get and must show true innovation in design with no "prior art" Example: hover-boards - someone could invent one eventually but wouldn't get a UK patent on it because the concept was shown in Back to The Future. - Design - e.g. the body shape of a new Ferrari - Trademarks - e.g. Coca Cola or other logo's and branding - Copyright - the most common form of IP and pretty much produced by all of us on a daily basis in our daily work If Starbucks have their own special blend and they've invested R&D time/money to create that then this constitutes IP (copyright or design category probably). And if UK law currently allows them to licence their own IP to each corporate entity in each geographic jurisdiction then they aren't breaking the law. Remember that all tax legislation was created by politicians in the first place, some quite recently to promote growth. The problem with tax law is that when you plug one hole for the "right" reasons, you invariably create implications elsewhere which are then exploited legally. The actual solution to all this waffle is clear, simplified and unambiguous tax law.... not moralising finger wagging from politicians/media. It's either legal or it's not. If you don't have that certainty in place then what can anyone realistically expect?