????

..er..A...E...I...O...U

..don't do what I did Net

vesti Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > All other issues aside this makes me smile. > Teachers propose a one day strike and Govt is up > in arms about children missing out on a days > education. Queen proposes bank holiday for a > wedding - no national broadcasts then around > concerns about kids missing out on a day of > education. > Too late to organise a street party? Yeah, but parents got a holiday too....so no extra childcare needed or days off work which all cost money for us poor non-state workers. Coming on top of the contributions taxpayers already make to Public Sector pensions an ongoing continous, rising and unsustainable commitnment, and given that most workers aren't public sector workers, and have thus far faced the bulk of redundancies, their companies going bust, reduced overtime/paid hours and and most of them have little to look forward to but working to 67 and then whatever the paltry state pension is after that (Final Salary pensions being realised as unrealistic by most private Sector employers about 15 years ago).... then some of us are less enamoured by PS Union cries of "Why us? We didn't cause it" . I think it's completley unproffesional and will let my kids teachers know. There, berate away.

*opens door, detects distinct odour of freshley cut onions*

For London...Sterling has declined by 20% in 4 years. London is cheap as chips for Russian, Chinese and (especially with events in the Middle East) arab buyers with cash, that ripples down as people who used to happily buy in Chelsea/Kensington etc pushed out. The City still doing well, much to the chagrin of the flat earthers whod like it removed. Increased rail prices and ridiculous commuting times plus improving PRIMARY schools has massively increased demand for inner city decent suburbs such as ED...not sure if tghis is tryue for flats though just family houses etc etc

only 2% up in the polls, during mass cuts and austerity and a faltering economy. Plus Milliband miles behind Cameron in personal ratings brothers at each others throats Brown vs Blair mark 2 underway ...not even looking a very competent opposition... ...fit to govern?

agree, Hair of the dog is the only thing that really works (short term)...long term it's the rourte to alcoholilism though :)-D

...also, traitor that I am, layed England in the U21 for a few quid. 5.7 for England to win is a stooopid price. After Spain beat them i may hedge this back.

Done my pud on Donald for US Open....course should suit him. 30 on Betfair (on Friday)

Brendan Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > You should try class a drugs and group sex. shite...even driving a car can be fun

Foooking hell. Anyone, anyone, fucking anyone, man or woman, in the world should be able to wear what they want, however tasteless, however naff, however provocative, without the fear of being assaulted......that's stage 1. But then to suggest that for wearing something you're somehow culpable in your own assault is beyond any sort of defence isn't it? Good on the slutwalk I say.

All Zombies shuffle side to side and slowly FACT, scary as Daleks

Don't worry medic, Millwall fans are all a bit slow

I've had this explained to me by millions since before the days of TLS and still, STILL, I can't do it

How d'ya guess? In their hot tub natch, Napoleon and all

...talkin in the wrong tone of voice

....in which our two rivals discuss the inniment arrival of any one of their forum admirers

Are people still banned for 'looking wrong' etc?

Apparently it is very lucky to go to go and see a Pinter and fall asleep

or maybe this review sums it up.... Nearly a century after it started, the First World War continues to provoke major debates among historians. One major and rather popular contention has been that it was a futile war, fought by incompetent generals, who were happy to cover their shortcomings and sheer lack of imagination by feeding more and more men into the hellish mincing machine of the Western Front. In the classic description of the British Army by German General Hoffmann, the British Army were "lions led by donkeys". This was typified by "The Donkeys" of Alan Clark. However, a cursory reading of WW1 histories reveals that, while there was indeed incompetence and lack of imagination in plenty (on both sides), things were never this simple. A long time ago, John Terraine pointed out that WW1 was unique in that, for the only time in history (a) armies were so big that a commander could not see the whole battlefield, and (b) there was no way of effective communication with the army. Thus, once an attack was set in motion, there was no way to control it, or even to stop it if it went wrong. More recently, Niall Ferguson has pointed out that, contrary to popular myth, many soldiers had a "good" war, and even enjoyed the experience. Both sides were operating in completely unknown territory; they had envisioned a war of movement, with the outflanking movements beloved of generals since before Alexander (just look at the Schlieffen Plan), and both were taken by surprise when they found themselves stuck in a version of siege warfare in which outflanking was impossible, apart from attacking somewhere else entirely (e.g. Gallipoli). So, when your enemy digs in and goes completely on the defensive and his flank can't be turned, your options are limited. The British Army in particular, a tiny regular force (Bismarck famously said that, if it ever invaded Germany, he'd have the Berlin Police arrest it), had to adapt to a situation that it could never have imagined and for which it was not at all prepared. And it had to expand enormously to do it. Gordon Corrigan's point of view can be summarised in the following sentences from his closing chapter: "In this book I have tried to show that the Great War of 1914 to 1918 was a just war, which Britain was right to join...The New Army's first encounter with all-out war on the Somme was inevitably shocking. The Army learned, and improved continuously as time went on... Haig and the general may not have been the best team that the British Army has ever produced, but they were pretty good and did their best with what they had in a war whose like had never been contemplated." This provocatively-titled book thus seeks to present the case for the defence of the war (so to speak), that it was necessary to fight it and that, given the circumstances, the British High Command made as good a fist of it as could be expected. Much of this ground has been covered before, but Mr. Corrigan brings it all together in a rather well and clearly presented summary. Moreover, he says that Hoffmann's "lions led by donkeys" was never uttered by Hoffmann at all, but invented by a British journalist! So, how does he do? In my estimation, quite well. Of course, Corrigan, a former soldier, sees the war through soldier's eyes and one wonders whether he perhaps feels the need to stick up for the soldiers (he is scathing about the interfering politicians, especially Lloyd George). So, one can't help wondering whether there are things that he doesn't mention. For example, initially he attacks the myths very aggressively. However, when it comes to the Somme, the first day of which was described by someone as "the greatest British military disaster since the Battle of Hastings", the tone changes and is more careful, almost as if he feels the need to build his case very carefully. And at this point, one wonders whether he is telling everything. Although he dismisses the 60lb packs allegedly carried at the Somme as a myth, he is silent as to the "slow walk", in orderly ranks, across the battlefield, in a manner that would have been fine at Waterloo, where there didn't happen to be machine guns. One myth that it is good to see despatched is the contribution of the USA. Popularly dismissed as too little, too late to have any real effect, Corrigan shows that the doughboys made an enormous contribution to victory. The Allies may have won the war without the entry of the USA, but it would have taken a lot longer and cost even more lives. The Americans had to learn some hard lessons very quickly, but they benefitted from the experience of the Allies and very quickly became a highly effective fighting force and an essential part of the hammer blows which made even Ludendorff (mistakenly rendered as "von Ludendorff") realise that the game was up. The US contribution to the Great War is largely forgotten, even in the USA (at the time of writing, I believe that there is only one old doughboy left), and it's good to see it remembered. So, all in all, apart from minor shortcomings, this short volume adds an interesting perspective to a war that is now just on the fringes of living memory, and, whether you agree with it or not (and I confess to reservations, which may just be my ignorance talking) is well worth reading.

Mud, Blood & Poppycock ..this is good and offers a slightly different perspective on the trenches. Not sure if I agree with it but a brave and slightly different viewpoint.

There are ways but as they are far longer and they involve the M25 or the North Circular, both awful on a Friday, I'd stick to Park Lane. Other alternatives are cut accross at Swiss Cottage to Camden and then Kings X- Blackfriars or switcch to the A1 and down through Holloway Road/Upper Street but you're just as likely to hit traffic on these. The M25 out by the M40/M4 is normally a nightmare, I'd be more tempted to head East ito avoid central London but I'd stick to route 1 to be honest.

Ted Max looking rafish as normal I suspect

Anyone following the WSOP? Brits doing ok so far, one bracelet and a second in the first week. Couple of guys I work with going out to Vegas next week and having a shot at an event. Oh how I wish I was younger.