StraferJack

It's not really about dumping a kid tho' - mine is a toddler and she doesn't get dumped in there More likely we all sit around for some grub or a catch up, toddler included - but instead of after an hour of sitting in a high chair followed by scratchiness, one of the group can take her in to the playroom where she gets to run around, dress up in fancy costume and generally have a ball. Having the Tv means everyone else can see what's going on and join in or swap as needed And yeah not having family living nearby probaly does play a part But I do recommend having a look at the reality and seeing how much fun both toddler and parents get out of it compared to a normal couple of hours at home or cafe or whatever

It's not cheap compared to the more common cury houses but compared to any other restaurant type food it's on a par price-wise And I always put that down to the fact that, unlike most of the LL curry houses, they don't have 20 staff living upstairs and earning pennies, rather than any promise of authenticity?

is it at work or at home? If it's at work there is probably a firewall stopping access to the store itself

There is usually at least one parent in there with the kids. Often me It works pretty well and the kids seem to love it

I'm loathe to criticise Skyrim in any way because it's so obviously an epic achievement, looks gorgeous and so many people love it. But like Otta I did have a "been here before" feeling. Similarly with the Zelda games. I know I have banged on about it too much already but I really really urge people to try Dark Souls before the generation passes - you just won't have experienced a game like it. I know it LOOKS like genero-fantasy game #255 but I can't stress enough how unlike anything else I've ever played it is Experience isn't something this game rewards you with in points - you die and you learn. Every step you take is taken with trepidation and fear of what's around the corner No portentious plot, or worse, hours of cliched dialogue. Just a few enigmatic mutterings from the (very) few human souls you encounter. A lot of time thinking WTF??? You make a decision you are stuck with it - no saving a game, trying something and reloading if it didn't work out. So everyting MATTERS. It's like a breath of fresh air I'm not going to stop banging on about it for as long as I play games. Best game I've experienced in 30 years pretty much

I'm still against the idea of a CPZ and hope it doesn't come to pass, but a couple of points: 1) Despite claiming overwhelming support, the prolific anti-CPZ posters on here are, judging by the content of their posts a) batshit, bonkers, green-biro-writin' mentalists. I would cross the road to avoid them. And b) judging by their numbers on here, they hardly constitute an army. A loud, vocal, pain-in-the-ass minority yes. But a huge majority? Not on these numbers. Everytime of them goes on a long ramble about a mishmash of anecdote and half-facts from public documents I just want to scream "FILIBUSTER!!!!". Because they engage as much as the congressmen who deploy that tactic 2) Any claim about local business supporting the anti-CPZ campaign is both true AND absolutely worthless/meaningless. I remember about 10 years ago most of the same traders were against bus lanes. Claims of Lordship Lane apocalypse were rife. The bus lanes happened. The businesses prospered. Whichever way the CPZ vote goes, some businesses will fold. Many will struggle. It will be nowt (or near as dammit) to do with local parking restrictions I didn't vote for James Barber and can't see a reason to do so in the future - he is who he is,a hard-working, sometimes right, sometimes wrong local politician, but who tries harder than most to engage. To think that some people therefore believe they now have the right to speak to him the way they do says everything about them and little about JB.

Devastated to hear the news today. Thank you Ruth for taking the time as others have said - it must be a very difficult time for you and it was a real pleasure to meet you both (I believe I squealed "you're my favourite poster" when I first met Simon outside the Clock House during a Barry Barry road race) He was, as you say, the most wonderful man StraferJack (nee SeanMacGabhann)

http://www.solarreport.net/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/a5250_bp-palin-whoosh.jpg

That Channel 5 joke became irritating to even non-Man fans about 10pm last night Isn't Europa league on ITV4 this year anyway?

Huguenot you SO wanted to offend. I'm actually starting to worry about you now Several posts have accused public sector workers of working cushy hours. I read pugwash post not as "I'm a martyr" but just calmly countering by giving an example familiar to many people, wherever they work You want to hear a martyr? You should hear several hundred bankers in a hall after they have been til they have to move to a new office a couple of miles away. But outbursts like yours are increasingly out of order

You said most western governments so I gave an example Of one that could do something. But the debate is largely the same everywhere regardless of number of billionaires: "shhh don't ask the people with a lot of cash. Just take it off the others" You are of course probably correct about those rich them fleeing elsewhere but can we at least complain about their selfishness rather than some public servant on 14k a year? And from an American perspective does nothing in that article say "we CAN do something if we want to?"

There is a reason governments are short in cash A "jobs creator" speaks. His inverted commas btw

that last episode doesn't form part of the core 6-episode narrative tho - it's in a different format with Attenborough on screen and many countries (often for non-english speaking countries) tend not to buy episodes in that format So I'm not 100% certain that it's for the content I know several explanation from the BBC have said this, and on balance I tend to believe that explanation. for example

Ireland to get Spain and France - both for revenge reasons for dumping is out of previous campaigns

"Sorry - don't understand the "you can't think out the public sector" sentence!" sorry jeremy - that should have read "thin out" - as it cut out dead wood. On teh one hand we want a leaner, more productive civil-service and on the other we want people to kick about after they have been usefully productive? It seems a contradiction

I don't think the public sector workers who retire at 60 and 65 then kick back and don't do any work - their pensions might be "better" than private sector but they are unlikely to keep many of them going But a teacher retiring at 60, and then going into the private sector doing some part time work seems more likely There will (hopefully) be young teachers looking to get started in the system who need these old fogies to get out. You can't think out the public sector on the one-hand and then keep people on in old age "doing something else" on the other If people live longer now then that's great but there is no reason to suppose that will remain the case. Health improvements have played a massive part in this, but between people working longer, changes to the health service and possibly poorer diets (processed food etc) then I wouldn't be surprised to see that average age start to come back down

Insomnia is a terrible affliction

I suspect the main thing the unions want from today is the ability to show the government they can mobilise is such numbers. Job done For some people it matters not. If the strikes caused chaos they would hit them with that stick. If not much disruption was noticed they will hit them with that stick But the main message is to the govt, and I suspect there are a few in their ranks "spoiling for a fight"

oh come come - that's just semantics You didn't claim it because you "might have" but "refrained". But by even mentioning it in the first place the clear suggestion is that isn't a million miles from what you think surely? But that is only my interpretation and I'm happy to be corrected

oops - slip of the tongue there. Changed

thing is Otta , there is nothing inherently "wrong" about a company or a government reviewing the supply against the demand, and either hiring or resizing accordingly And fearing job losses is here to stay for the forseeable for everyone - no getting away from that either, regardless of who is in power But in an ideal world, has the expansion of the civil service been a good thing or not over the last 10-15 years (leaving cost aside for a moment) Clearly Dave doesn't think so but I'm pretty sure hospitals and schools all saw massive improvements. frontline services (even in Northern towns!) similarly. Are these jobs the private sector would want to do? Or could do profitably? My argument is that that answer is "no". (you can provide an excellent medical service as a private company if you are able to manage your customers - once you throw teh doors open to everyone it's a different game) So I'm all for the public sector growing in theory and where necessary - and I don't see that as a "war on private sector" as MM bizaarley claimed But here we are with this deficit to deal with - does that make the case for pension negotiations and job cuts? Even I would concede that has to be on the table and managed appropriately, and unions need to make concessions the problem however is that if you believe the other party in those discussions is already of the persuasion that, regardless of economic climate, your very existence is A Bad Thing then it's a bit harder to accept proposals at face value

as a teenager you say? - so about 15-20 years ago? and he was about 8 back then you say? Maybe we do know what he grew up to be like

It's a railway bridge - I'm not sure I know anywhere which has an area near a railway bridge that's nice. Or even "nicer". It is what it is And the hoardings are definitely not going to make it worse

as if I wasn't tortured enough.. .. as if anything that helps you in the game isn't rarer than hens teeth already I ACCIDENTALY swung my halberd at the blacksmith who upgrades my weapons - and he takes me out sharpish so reload and go and see him and he's still so pissed at me he takes me out every time - now I have to trek half away across the map to find some geezer who will absolve me of my sins for an extortionate sum - an amount that will require a lot of harvesting without me getting killed This thing is beyond brutal

All of that Atticus +1