aspidistra

And on a lighter note... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtv2_-2mHck

SHE SMOKE-N THA WRONG KIND OF CRACK, BECOUSE HER AZZ IS "FAT" Woman on crack binge fakes her own $200 kidnapping http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/specials/weirdflorida/blog/2009/11/_rports_naples_daily_news.html

The Openreach van was still there (junction LL/Townley) 4.30pm today. No idea what they were doing. Cheese Block accepting no card payments today, owing to same issue, and I imagine it's the same for some other shops.

Takeaway leftovers? (always good) Or created by your own fair hands?

Mr Smith is clearly on the wrong sort of crack.

Getting a bit ahead of themselves there! :-S

Huguenot Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > It doesn't state that the comparison is > like-for-like. > > The CMI survey is quite clear that it was for > equivalent jobs, but the Parasol survey only > mentions 'averages'. If the boys are doing > deep-sea diving on oil rigs, and the girls are > doing data-entry that may account for it. > Parasol is an umbrella company was founded by an IT contractor and a large proportion of contractors who work through it are in IT-related roles. As for quite a few umbrellas, many of which were founded at the time of IR35. A contractor used for data entry? 'Girls'? There is role differentiation: more of the developer, network engineer etc. roles are filled by men, more of the project management, interaction design, research and so on roles by women, with business analysis and similar being more of a mix. In principle, the theoretical (advertised) rates are not massively different (though rates might spike in particular skills when clients are desperate and there's nobody to do it: so you'll get offered ?750+ a day just because they can't find anyone with that set of skills). However, rates for a role is where the action is: men are more pushy on rates, and there is often a rate range. A man might demand 600 plus hotel and meals and expenses, where a woman might settle for 400 or 450 (for the same role). The guy is taking a gamble on client desperation, and that he won't get turned down owing to his high rate demand/the rate being out of budget.

Thanks jumpinjackflash. While I was bored to tears in a bus in the Regent St/Haymarket/Trafalgar gridlock on Monday, I saw your post and managed to figure how to order the movie from Amazon on my mobile. And it arrived yesterday. Been meaning to see it for ages.

Huguenot Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > In fact, Kid's Company seem to be here, but I > can't find the helpline. > > If that is the correct Kid's Company, you can > check out their revenue and spending here. They > seem to be run very tidily by that data :) > > Dulwich Helpine acccounts can be seen here. Barbara Scott, the director of Dulwich Helpline, came to give a talk to the Dulwich Community Council meeting last night. A very impressive and capable woman, running a brill organisation with 220 volunteers. Apparently their Southwark funding is probably secure but their PCT funding is up in the air... Maybe we need to drop her a line (:)) to see if she's interested in opening up a justgiving account?

hm, have you had a sense of humour bypass? If so, perhaps check out 'Holly' @She

Nette, I think that story may be of more interest to dear 'Holly', though only if you'd learnt advanced Estonian between Rustington and Worthing.

Charlie, have you called the News of the S****?

Wot, Brendan, a whole train full of drivers on the wrong kind of crack? :)

Mick Mac Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > > > Mick Mac, have you a reliable source for your > > info, because it's terrible news if it is true. > > > She told me herself. But her 'husband?' did not > seem so definite when I asked him the next day. It > may not be in the public domain so apologies for > posting it if people think its harmful but i had > hoped to engender more business for her if it is > not too late. I have gone out of my way to buy > something there every day since! I've been a customer of Val's / Nisha's for some eight years. They've had some bad shit since Sainbury's opened (e.g. several attempted break-ins, including someone cutting through their cables to try to cut off their alarm), and they are aware of a lot of bad shit happening in the Plough area during the same period (e.g. shop-keeper assaulted when going with takings to the bank), on top of the reduction in business for all shop-keepers (including the florist!). But she seems to be pretty firm that they are not going. By the way, organic milk from Val's is no more expensive than Sainsbury's (which means Sainbury's, with its huge buying power resulting in rock-bottom prices, is making a heck of a lot more profit on it than Nisha is). They also have much nicer apple juice, usually a good range of different kind of chillies, and excellent range of spices (much cheaper than Sainbo's on that too). For such a small shop, they really have an amazing range of stock (flageolet beans, anyone? - you won't find those in Sainsbury's). You go in looking for toothpicks, not expecting anything, and find they have them in stock (and Sainsbury's, with much larger floor area, has none).

Yes, we are a national 'magazine', with some silly name, and we are so desperate for any kind of Real Life stories, apart from the usual botox and make-up and advertising clothes that are far too expensive... that we are now asking you for your Real Life Stories about your Daily Commute. Did you actually manage to get on your bus or train? How many armpits did you have to whiff? Who poked their case in your crotch? Did you get pick-pocketed? If so, give us the gory details. Was there a loathsome fat bloke fondling his balls while staring at your face? Really how difficult was it to avoid his unfathomable glare? How many kilos of bogey did you see transported from nose to mouth? Stuck in a tunnel? Stuck under the Thames? Do you ever actually get to work on time? What was the excuse for your train being late this morning? Wrong kind of pollution? Your driver high on crack? Your driver was on the wrong kind of crack? Were the wrong kind of drug dealers on you bus or train? (I'm thinking here particularly of the number 12) We can make money from your story! Send your stories to [email protected]

spam

Mick Mac Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Val's Stores are apparently leaving in a couple of > months which I think is very sad. Their trade is > very quiet since sainsbury opened. I like the shop > a lot and think their prices are reasonable. 'Apparently'? They are not leaving. Nisha is going on holiday to Sri Lanka for a month, and her cousin will take over the running of the shop for that period. She says there is no way they could be dragged away from ED. Trade is down, but is still enough to get by. Please don't spread rumours that could affect people's trade.

bigdavid, that is exactly what Thames Water just did too (on LL a little further along). I'm getting deja vu all over again :(

With Frank Coopers Oxford marmalade.

MrBen Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > The downside of a ltd co is the threat from badly > worded pieced of tax legislation called IR35 > introduced by the government in 2000 or so. You > either fall "inside " or "out" of this status > determination. The key thing is how the contract is worded, and most potential clients these days are perfectly happy to draw up contract terms that a 'friendly'. If you are able to sometimes at least work from your own premises (home), supply your own laptop or other tools, work only on a project basis, receive payment only on invoice, and have a reasonably friendly-worded contract (which allows you discretion in how you carry out any work), you should be fine. If you also provide insurance etc., and have a range of clients over the year, even better.

You'll get more than through an umbrella, but then need to take into account cost of accountant. Things you'll either need to do yourself or get your accountant to do, apart from creating the annual financial statements: - PAYE each month - quarterly PAYE return and payment to HMRC (arrange with HMRC to pay quarterly, not monthly) - annual Employers returns (there are a couple) to go to the Employers' division of HMRC - filing accounts with Companies House each year (can now be done online) - Companies House annual return (can be done online) - any other notifications to CH (likely to be sporadic) - filing corporation tax short return, and related payment, to two different HMRC offices within the Corporation Tax division - VAT, if you are over the threshold. Again, yet another division of HMRC HMRC Employers division supply a CD-rom to calculate employers NI, employees NI and tax each month, so doing your own PAYE is not too onerous and will save you a couple of hundred quid with the accountant.

There was a spate of car-jackings around Kirkdale, Dartmouth Road and nearby last year, with perhaps the scariest one being a woman whose car was taken with her toddler in the back. Looks like it might be starting again, with one reported on Sydenham Hill (the long road from London Road/A205 towards Crystal Palace): http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/crime/8888495.Police_warning_after_woman_is_car_jacked/ Keep your doors locked and be wary of such approaches.

The Community Council meeting on 8 March (this Tuesday) will be at the Picture Gallery and focusing on Village ward. Reports from Safer Neighbourhood Teams.

???? Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Call me stoned but I was thinking Magic Roundabout "Those of us at a certain age know that the Magic Roundabout was an Early Learning introduction to drug culture: 'It's a marvellous feeling,' Mr Rusty told Dougal about a 'trip' on his roundabout. A staple part of common room conversation was to identify the illegal substance that each character represented. Many years and several flashbacks later, I now find it difficult to recall what they were ... ah, let me see. Florence was a more butch version of our Alice, an innocent abroad; Dylan, the hippy bunny, was hashish; Brian was amphetamines. But what substance was produced from those flowers Ermitrude kept chewing, that once made her triple her size and fly away? And Dougal? At the time I thought his supply of sugar cubes had something to do with LSD but now I'm not so sure."

silverfox, twitter and Facebook have nothing to do with it. When push comes to shove, many of the frock buyers are ladies who may well be Jewish, in many countries. There is no way that his employer can countenance that sort of behaviour, however drunk he was, without facing a massive walkout of customers. The damage will be severe even with sacking him. I thought Galliano and his ilk had minders to prevent this sort of thing. Where were they?