Jeremy

Basically... Big Issue exists (as it states on it's website) to help people out. It's not a great mag, not many people would buy it on merit alone, if it wasn't for a good cause. People buy it with the understanding that the money is going to somebody who needs it, so it is important that this trust is not abused. Sorry if pointing out the facts annoys people. If this makes you want to move to Nunhead, be my fucking guest.

Huggers, SMG... I disagree strongly. Helping the homeless is the big issue's raison d'etre. According to the website: "The Big Issue Foundation is a registered charity", and "exists to offer homeless and vulnerably housed people the opportunity to earn a legitimate income". People don't generally buy it for the content. They buy it in good faith that the money is helping out someone in need.

There is some ill-informed and prejudiced stuff on this thread. However - people have the right to question what charitable donations are being spent on.

Peckham is not exactly my favourite area, but many of the streets mentioned above are actually closer to the centre of ED than they are to Peckham "proper".

I'm not sure it was a "tough" win for the pac-man. He must have won pretty much every round. But Clottey was so negative and defensive, I don't think anyone could have looked good against him. I think Manny is a bit of an attention seeker though. I think his pop career and movie roles (and maybe even his political ambitions?) are part of a need to feel adored.

OK... I'll get reeled in again... > What about remuneration on the grounds of social worth rather than social standing? It's totally objective and impossible to measure. You could argue that the entrepreneur who brings in ??? to the economy is benefitting society and deserves to be richly rewarded. > If you're in favour of social mobility, how would you go about ensuring it occurs I dunno. Maybe shift more public funds into education (raise taxes if necessary). Free university education. Fast-track programmes for gifted students across the board. Tougher on juvenile crime. The biggest challenge would be the kids whose parents are seemingly not interested in their children's upbringing or education.

> but closer to the train station If you want to be near ED train station, then Copleston, Oglander, Ondine Rd are all very close. And they are maybe a bit cheaper because they're in SE15. Elsie Rd, Derwent Grove, Melbourne Grove all nice too. > whats transport like in getting back to ED late at night? Only come ever half-hour, and finish at 11:48pm. But if you don't mind buses you're sorted.

I'm going to bow out of this one. Equality of opportunity - yes please. Equality of salary - no thanks.

Of course. I don't think I have any friends who went to private school, and most of are getting along just fine. Unfortunately times are changing though...

Probably not. But not everyone puts in the same amount of effort, so you can't measure it. It's not all about effort either. Some people have the ability to do jobs which are more beneficial to society than others. Should a bin man be rewarded equally to a heart surgeon? Of course not. What we need to ensure is that anyone who has the ability and drive to become a surgeon has the opportunity to do so. While also making sure that as many people as possible have a decent standard of living.

I'm broadly in agreement with quids, social mobility is key. Equality is hard to quantify when there is a vast disparity in what people are willing to put in.

It's a gamble which might not pay off. E.g. the much-hyped property slump of 2009 is now looking like just a blip. It's not money down the drain though, is it? It's paying for a place to live. If you get a 400k mortgage, your monthly interest payments will be over ?1500, and you have to maintain the property. New buy-to-let landlords are taking a punt on property appreciation. It's not for everyone. I'm not sure a sudden crash would be that beneficial, but there is definitely something wrong when you need to earn over 100k a year to buy a modest family home in a nice-ish suburb.

Well... 4 of the (commonly accepted) 10 commandments are about worshipping god, and the other 6 are about being a good bloke. So you could argue that the two things have similar significance...

Chilli pie. Chilli con carne topped with mash, smashed up nachos, and cheese - then baked until crispy. Completely filthy, but it hits the spot.

The Shard will not effect house prices in ED, because there are already lots and lots of other offices within a short walk of London Bridge.

I agree that the potholes need fixing, but I don't agree that it should be at the expense of other scheduled work - for which the wheels have already been set in motion.

With 3 victims, one of their gloves, hopefully CCTV on the bus... let's hope the police me it a priority to catch these scumbags.

hke - sounds like if you'd called 999 straight away (from a nearby phone box or your friend's house), the police would have had a pretty good chance of catching them.

LegalEagle-ish, you're totally wrong.

Don't walk around at night carrying your phone. Keep it hidden.

Well... he does ram his views down people's throats somewhat. And the God Delusion made him a fair few quid, by largely telling people what they already knew. He's right about Pascal's Wager though. You would trying to please a god who - if he exists - is gullible and probably a bit thick.

Well as Richard Dawkins put it... "Pascal's Wager" is nothing but cowardly bet-hedging. What sort of supreme being could possibly reward such cynicism?

londonloves Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I wound down the window a couple of > months back to tell some kids playing football in > the road to be careful There's a big difference between playing football in the street, and being intentionally confrontational. Some of these kids would think nothing of absolutely kicking the crap out of someone - for fun. Some of the time they're just looking for a reason. There's no point rising to the bait if there's a big group of them.

Raleigh Burner Tomorrow's World Mrs Mangle Nightmare on Elm Street

Yeah... unfortunately you gave them exactly what they wanted. I think the best options were either to ignore them or run them over.