MrBen

A few mins late - nothing serious.

No commercials, great thoughtful music, rare stuff, new stuff, classic stuff - this has been powering me through the wee hours of late... the wonderful Radio Paradise

Well...you know what Admin means. That said - I have a question. Is the rabbit bigger, smaller or about the same as its average real life equivelant? Of course, I have good reason for asking.

I have just one small(ish) item to get that they don't deliver. And the prospect of a trek to Croydon after work is filling me with abject misery..... If you can help please PM me! Thanks a lot.

Mark Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > the hostesses were like ageing Sue Ellens > from Dallas who liked to chat/shout to each other > across the trolley. This reminds me of every Air Canada flight I've ever taken. Rude and grumpy like comedy dinner ladies. And all done with BIG HAIR. All US carriers have a decent rep for maintenance but are amongst the worst for in flight trimmings and passenger experience. So for me I'd choose BA or TAM over those two unless budget is tight.

Huguenot Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Ref an much earlier comment... > > UK is a great place to do business or to own a > business? I still think both. If you're starting up you have numerous government grants and incentives (many targeted at fringe economic areas), recognition, legislation and support for SME's (the excellent state funded Business Link service, Prince's Trust) and what I think is a more than generous tax on business activity (just 21% Corp tax on profits for small business vs 32%+ Germany and France, entrepreneurs relief at 10% rewarding risk to create jobs etc). We have a strong geographic positioning - ignore the the doomsayers, London is still at top 2 hub for finance - and a healthy, diverse domestic market for goods and services. Right now, in the middle of the "deepest recession for 70 years" the buildings around our modest office are bustling with freshly formed 1-5 man enterprises, all taking advantage of this and current low overheads to launch new goods and services. Forget what you read in the papers - this is the reality on the ground. These are the businesses of the future. Training staff, creating jobs and corporation tax for UK PLC coffers....and public services. It's largely thanks to an evolving UK business environment set by both labour and tory policy since the late 70's that we're able to do this. When you have all this support the rest really is up to the individual involved. Poor Emerson above sounds like a man for whom the wind will always be in his face and for whom failure will always be the fault of somebody else. > For employees on a higher tax rate in 2011, > they'll be paying 40% income tax, 11% national > insurance and 20% VAT on every 'non-vital' > purchase. If you own a business you'll be paying > yourself in dividends at 18% tax, and minimum NI > contributions. Is this a good country to be an employee? I think yes too. Employment rights, paternity leave, sick pay and just 20% income tax if you earn less than ?38k, and your first 10k is tax free . Even at higher rate, 40% is not out of whack with the rest of the world, especially given our public welfare burden which our business environment helps to support. Singapore (which needs to punch above it's weight) is not a great like for like comparison. Pedant's note -dividends are not taxed at 18% (I think you mean CGT Huge?). It's 10% up to the higher rate then 25% thereafter after tax credits apply. These rates are tiered to effectively reward investment in profitable enterprise = jobs = CGT and tax revenue = student's tuition fees and the rest....

Jeremy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > SMG is right, I know it seems like we're taxed to > the hilt sometimes, but our tax is not really high > by european standards. > Aye. I'm also with the Gabba on that general view, in terms of both personal and business taxation. Last year we looked carefully at potentially relocating our business elsewhere and, after taking a large number of factors into account, the only places that ranked higher than the UK were New Zealand and Singapore. And they clearly wouldnt work for us. People moan about small business red tape but the reality is that tax is relatively very low, with allowances for entrepreneurial relief at 10% on capital gains etc. This is a great country to do business.

Demonstration has no effect? This was the beginning of the end for Thatcher.

Hard times = graduating and getting a real job that did not involve fluvial hydrology

Alas no....I had to sell it when I hit hard times. It had a blonde finish too.....like Freddie Kings.

Jeremy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- >... too many kids are being sent to uni, and too many kids > are living away from home for 3 years. The old > model of free university tuition only works when > the numbers are lower. I agree. There's a huge percentage of so called "drinking degrees" which are never put to any meaningful use (by most who attend them) in real life...philosophy...classics....film and media. My environmental sciences degree was fun, as were the girls and ?1 pints in the union bar. I didn't qualify for a grant - rightly because my parents earned over about 40K at the time. Then I spent my student loan on a Music Man amp and Gibson 335 as I figured it was the lowest interest loan I'd ever get. Wrong on all counts really. And there were and are many thousands like me. It's like welfare benefits - a clumsy, poorly targeted benefits system fails those who genuinely need it whilst it's exploited by those who don't.

Mark Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > The 'Top' three are: > > 1) Keef 12,445 > 2) SeanMacGabhann 11,966 > 3) Brendan 10,307 If you take word count into consideration, Brendan would drop to 48th and the Gabba would probably be top. His 11,966 posts equates to almost ten posts each and every waking day for almost 4 years - a record that I'm sure you'll agree makes him a true forum "lifestyler".

I had the joyous experience of taking a Virgin train up to Preston yesterday to visit a customer in a plastics plant. ?177 return economy, 4 hours??? I've had a week in Spain for less than that. Anyway, feeling the call, I went to one of those toilets with automatic doors and for some reason got stuck trying to find the Open button (nowhere near the Close button). I pressed a low lit button close to the door only to realise it was actually the Emergency call button. Embarrassed I then quickly found the Open button, quickly left and a senior CEO type quickly dived in after. Got back to my seat and at this point an alarm sounded across the trains PA system and with the female guard asking "Are you alright? I'll be there in a second" to which the audible reply on the PA to the whole train was a grumpy "I'm fine I'm just taking a piss". Felt a bit silly.

It gives me some faith to see that the student population is still capable of sending a message to the powers that be when required with a good old fashioned riot (last seen circa 1976). And by occupying Tory HQ they've done a better job of taking the police/authorities by suprise than any of the splinter groups associated with the G8 protests managed. For some reason it also seems less acceptable to beat students with a baton than say the G8 wombles....so the police have been restrained. But this kind of came out of nowhere...and no doubt it may get ugly as the usual suspects join in tonight but there is something stirring about it nonetheless no?

The two traffic guys that have been in the same car together for 40 years were hilarious. The crack dealer / pimp in episode one was either deeply sad or the most hilarious thing EVER. I'm with the latter.

Did anyone else see this gem last week (C4, Monday night)? Cast aside all preconceptions of police documentaries to date. The most realistic documentary portrayal of the british police yet, human and thanks to some brilliant editing, some pure comedy gold... Series is 4 episodes - second tomorrow night at 9pm

You're right Woofster, Lewes Bonfire night was simply brilliant! After the weird and very LOUD parade (Mrs Ben now has an authentic shrapnel wound from an exploding banger barrel) we hit the Commercial display (there are six odd) with giant bonfire complete with exploding Pope and Barack Obama. Great atmosphere, a drop of Harvey's on Carnell's tip at the Brewers Arms and behind it all something rather deep rooted that I can't quite put my finger on....

Fellbrigg surely.....

I've always been intrigued by a Sussex town, which in 2010 still burns life size effigies of the Pope on November the 5th, complete with "no popery" banners, six vaguely secret Bonfire Societies and a weird website that warns off outsiders from trying to attend. Throw in some logistics that are "more complicated than Glastonbury" and you surely have the makings of a great night out for all. So after some careful planning we're heading down early tomorrow night as I feel I have to witness this odd (and questionable) English spectacle at least once in my lifetime. Has anyone been? And what does it all mean?

Weird thread.

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Quote: "One custom associated with Halloween in the Western Isles was to put two large nuts in the fire. These were supposed to represent yourself and your intended spouse. If the nuts jumped together when they warmed up then this was deemed to be a good omen, but if they jumped apart then it was time to look for someone else." Sound advice indeed.

Forgive me while I get a little computer shorty on you all. Up in Scotland in the 80's we didn't do "trick or treat" which to most Scot's is a trashy Americanism adopted by the English after ET came out. Instead we had the ancient celtic tradition of guising. A longstanding, rather quaint but altogether more civilised alternative to flour and eggs. We'd dress up in costume, carry a carved turnip or "tumshie" lantern (pumpkins???), knock on the door and then entertain with jokes or badly sung songs. If we were any good we'd get some sweets, a few coins or we'd luck out with the best prize of all....a tangerine. Of course - I can already tell how this will sound when I try to explain it to Ben junior.

He's a bit "cool Dad" what with his clothes, purple tinged hair and that weird thing he does *waves hands to each side...cocks head...suprise!* But he is a bone fida legend. Has written more brilliant songs than just about anyone. And delivered the goods with an immaculate 3 hour long set at Hyde Park this summer. I went slightly cynical but happy to put the botox to one side after that.

So...it's Christmas 2009 and you win free flights for two in raffle - hooray. Then you realise it's with quirky budget carrier FlyBe, and you have to depart from London. And use them by the end of the year. THEN....you look at the route map to ponder the delights on offer at one of the following (I'm struggling please help): - Isle of Man - Aberdeen - Leeds - Inverness (Beautiful motherland but in November/December????) - Edinburgh (could be handy for going home at Chrimbo however.... all flights go via Belfast) - Dusseldorf - Nantes - Jersey People of East Dulwich...I would be grateful for your sage advice as always....