bald marauder

Thanks for keeping us posted 'Liquorish'. It's been a while since I've been in (probably a year or so, partly down to baby M, partly as I've stopped drinking), but I have to say I really enjoyed the decor (thought the polished concrete, rectilinear approach and semi-knackered leather worked really well) the staff (very friendly at that time) and the food (cracking burger as far as I can remember). Not sure when we'll get the chance to go back, but good luck getting back on top of things, it's good to see local retailers taking their customer feedback so seriously and positively. BM

OK Karter, come on, surely you can drop a couple of harmlessly obscure hints?!

Having been the recipient of amazingly friendly service in CB recently (already reported on the forum previously) I can now say that IMHO their flapjacks should get a place in the ED hall of fame right alongside their desevedly famous samosas. Mrs M came home with a flapjack yesterday, which we shared for desert, and it was absolutely the best I have ever tasted. Moist, succulent, flavoursome, melt in the mouth. Wow! Was this a one-off, or are they always this good? Any flapjack regulars care to comment?

I think the school angle is truly inspired, will make the whole project so much more local and unique.

OK Karter, spill! Is it Monmouth or Apostrophe by any chance?

I can also report an exceptionally friendly experience in the Cheese Block recently - having previously commented on their lack of of friendliness, I now find myself having to offer a complete retraction. Maybe my previous experiences were based on being there at very busy times, maybe I was just unlucky. In any case, I am now a very happy and impressed customer.

Has that black 'Janus' bag got a gusset? If so, that looks pretty good to me (not as good as a fold-out, but probably still fit for purpose)

I'm with buggie, I bought two fold-up Sainsburys bags at the weekend, they are excellent. I reckon it's better to pay a bit more (the Sainsburys ones are 75p, but I guess that is with huge economies of scale, and maybe subsidised too) for something that lasts longer. Don't know how easy these would be to source, but they really are a practical solution...

OK, someone somewhere must have some advance news on what is likely to happen to some/all of the shops on Lordship Lane that are currently standing empty. Not including the refurbs (eg Caravan, the Chandaler shop/tea room) and the new shops we already know about (White Stuff, the posh gymn) there seem to be a fair few empty premises at the moment. What does the next phase of ED look like?!

Hi Talisman, As a late arriver to this thread, I wonder if there's still room for another addition to the tour? Mrs Marauder and I are big fans of Grand Designs (and eco-buildings in particular) so would love to come if you can fit us in too... All the best for getting it all finished in time for end of filming! BM

Also be aware though, that the Government has started trialing a new system for school admissions, based on a random allocation of places to all children that fall within the total catchment area. This means that living right next to the school will no longer provide any preference over any other road within the catchment area. I believe this system is being trialled in Brighton and maybe a couple of other places at the moment, obviously to great furore all round. Basically, it means you have to be wary of paying way over the odds for a 'guaranteed' place that may turn out to be nothing of the sort. BBC article about the scheme here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6403017.stm

I'm sure you could do some intersting things with the exterior by cladding or rendering & painting? Probably make the buidling a lot more eco at the same time. I reckon making better use of what's there with a bit of taste and ingenuity is a much better option than knocking down and starting again...

Well, Media seems to be winning comfortably at the moment - though we need far more respondents to make it statistically valid, obviously. It has made me question the title of the post though, as I don't think that Arty/Media are particularly instructive when lumped together - they seem to be very distinctive and separate categories. Maybe Media is half-way between Banking and Artist?

Hmm, I agree with the analysis of White Stuff and its customers, but Spymum, I think you're just being provocative with your suggestion of an alternative... It would be genuinely useful to have a clothes shop on Lordship Lane, as the stuff in Ed just doesn't do it for me. Then again, I'm not in a position to spend as much on clothes as I used to, and don't actually need that many anyway. One thing that bugs me is there are not really any ethical AND tasteful/fashionable clothes stores or brands. Edun and People Tree are expensive and look like they're for commited hippies only, the type of people who can run boardroom meetings in their pyjamas. And all the mid-market brands, from Next to M&S, Gap, French Connection, etc - all might have one or two specific items that are Fairtrade and/or organic, but most of their stock is 'normal' and just means you're paying far more than you would in H&M, Gap, Primark - but with no guarantee that the materials or manufacturing have been any more ethical. (And I don't think that membership of the ETI can be relied upon for a clear shopping conscience.) So, a real ethical clothes shop on Lordship Lane, selling affordable and stylish clothes for real people (not just Claphamites or hippies) would be most welcome in my opinion. Any other takers?

Are there any 'chains' that buck this trend - ie where you don't feel manipulated, where people still engage with you on a human level, where you can feel some kind of 'osmotic' (nice word, Ultra!) connection to the people who actually run the business? Given its scale, I think that Pret a Manger does pretty well on these counts - though I'm sure there are plenty of people who would disagree...

Stick to Mirash, opposite the garage at the bottom of LL...never had a bad curry from them (and we have at least one a week)

Haha! Is that the sound of someone with a pipe in their mouth expressing an affirmative? If it really was you, maximum respect!

Oh DM, I don't believe you could ever be compared to an old shoe. A glass slipper maybe, but that's a completely different story!

DM, Have you and Mr Batdog been reunited? I haven't seen much of you both in the same thread recently, but he seems to be back...

My name's already on there - I think opening up electronic forms of access and participation will do politics the world of good...

Mockney, I saw a man walking past Nero a couple of weeks ago smoking a pipe - a full-on Holmes style number, which I'm sure was accompanied by a deerstalker hat too! It was about 11am on a Sat, so didn't seem to be fancy dress. Wonder if it's the same guy? Hey Mr Pipe, are you out there?

Sean, you are right about the inherent bias in the Economist's coverage, however I have also read an article in the FT about one year ago, highlighting failings in the Fairtrade process. The Fairtrade mark is supposed to guarantee that farm workers receive a living wage/minimum wage. But the FT found that a high % of farmers they contacted were receiving LESS than the supposed guaranteed amount. Apparently, this can easily happen, because sometimes even with the Fairtrade mechanism behind them farmers don't earn enough to pay themselves or their workers the minimum wage. None of the mainstream press picked up on this story, which is probably a good thing because undoubtedly the principles behind Fairtrade are worth supporting - but they really need to deal with these breaches before they risk a loss of faith in the ability of their brand to actually deliver what it promises.

Cool - I hope it's open in time for this summer!:))

Interesting link EDKiwi, thanks. Do you know at what point the bill can be 'supported' by the public - in whatever form that takes? I wonder if there is an e-petition already in existence?

Of course, you are right - I was going by some of the pictures I have seen posted in association with you on the forum - which, I have to say, didn't have a build that looked entirely suited to running of either the two or four legged kind. However, I imagine these pictures are far from an accurate representation of your good self...