El Pibe

Oh i'm with you on banning piercings, it freaks me out when you see studs or earrings in a six month old!! It's a tricky one that children of age thing. I've had to fight hard from having mine baptised into the catholic faith until they're old enough to choose. I know I'm going to have a helluva battle when they're six or seven and coming up to first holy communion. The the peer pressure alone on the kids will be huge, then mum will want it done to them because of an atavistic leaning and she's more conformist than she cares to admit, and the pressure from grandma who is a true believer and thinks I'm condemning their souls to hell (and what a charming god it is that does that!!!!). I've said they can do it (the nature of it is immaterial, though I'll secretly be delighted if they lean towards islam or buddhism just to wind up granny) when they're old enough to decide for themselves but I'm not sure when that is. They'll ceratinly be old enough to think stuff through at seven but too young imo to ascertain the nature of why they might want it. So when, 10, 11, 14, 16? Deep down I'm hoping to delay it long enough for them to be think what a bunch of arse it all is, which was about 12 for me.

Given that it can be a legitimate medical procedure that would seem odd. The case that gave rise to this was also performed by a doctor, just poorly it would seem. Is there any reason why it shouldn't be deemed assault? Are ritualistic scarrings and female circumcision banned, if so why *not* this?

They are, it's a cross faith campaing to have the decision overturned. It's worth noting that it's a regional ruling, not a federal one. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/circumcision-ban-is-the-worst-attack-on-jews-since-holocaust-7939593.html

Frankly unbelievable if surreal wording of the decision, and an odd fight to pick full stop. And that's coming from me who considers all imposition of religious views on the young as basically child abuse.

My first test I thought went perfectly even though it went on for almost an hour. Turned out I had no minor ticks at all, but he'd given me a major one for getting in to lane for a frankly weird roundabout in the hither green area too late. He extended the test whilst he ummed and ahhed, during which i did nothing wrong but he decided to fail me anyway. Second test (well third actually but second one got cancelled when the examiner failed to turn up having crashed his car!!) I immediately thought I'd failed when I took the wrong turning. I could see balck pencil all over the sheet (I got about 8 miinor ticks) and at the end resigned to my fate he told me it was a comfortable pass. My advice would be don't try and second guess and try and relax as much as possible. The driving lesson beforehand could cutr bopth ways if you have a stressful experince, but I did it and on balance I think it worked in my favour.

sap? yeah hate it!

I wouldn't even call that a coincidence, it's just two incidents. As for the recent ones, given the state of the IT industry I'm just surprised this sort of thing doesn't happen even more than it does.

Brilliant. It's the moustache and mullet that really make it.

The East Dulwich Dads would be a nice one to ressurect. Especially as those seasonal babies clubs things seem pretty hostile to us male types.

loved this

I agree SJ. Maybe just talk about it without the emotive hyberbole. RIP ... FFS

I imagine it is, you didn't see where I lived :-/ To be frank I sometimes feel poorer these days such are my outgoings!

I thought the general trajectory these days was to leave home in your thirties, though this might have more to do with putting off growing up rather than housing ladders. I left as soon as possible and my first four years in London I probably averaged about 7 grand a year by, like MM, prioritising certain things. So out went a nice place to live and food and stuff, but goddam did I have fun!!!!

I stumbled upon this rather bonkers little told story of a division of the old Chinese Nationalist army who were on the wrong side of China when Jiǎng Ji?sh? et al fled to Taiwan. They carried on fighting, ended up deeply embroiled in the Heroin trade, were bombed by the Royal Laotian Airforce, who made of with all the spoils, for their troubles and finally lay down their arms and retired to a hidden corner of Thailand after fighting for 40 years!! http://www.oldworldwandering.com/2012/05/03/china-forgotten-army-mae-salong-thailand/ http://www.travelwriters.co.uk/marinicholson/thailand-kuomintang.htm

of course!!

That would be Dulwichmum, I think Huguenot would make a good panto villain.

I pretty much consider moos to be Dame East Dulwich, which is kind of ironic considering.....

beeb story too http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18801300

Info from the horses mouth here http://status.o2.co.uk/ My normal signal is back, 3g should be here soon

Richard Hawley's latest is a grower as the change of direction is a bit jarring at first, but I'm really beginning to like it. Still here's one on there that's more like his usual bent for those who don't know him

http://www.amazon.co.uk/ClimaxDigital-ACAP100-Capture-transfer-analogue-sources/dp/B002C4ODT6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342016562&sr=8-1 Though you still need to find a turntable. Doesn't RosieH have one from the seventies?

Well, Libya hold successful elections and nary a byline in any of or newspapers or auntie Beeb's site. Not exactly good news for people who love bad news is it!! Looks like Libya might actually be making good progress towards normal statehood. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jul/11/libya-elections-step-stability http://lynch.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/07/08/libyas_election_editors_reader If destablisation was the goal then where were all those sas folk dressed as arabs shooting people at the polling stations, and why is the oil flowing at "near pre war levels"?

Really? I'd have that, though would rather see Joe Cole in his proper shirt colours again.

15?!?! You might want to double that.

Gingerbeer Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Did you just say *fizz my bunghole*? I'm blushing > as I ask, but what exactly DOES do that, aside > from Poprocks? http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5449/7186223170_cd4478fcbe_z.jpg Autographed photo of Erin Gray as Wilma Deering by FranMoff, on Flickr