JoeChuff

good point. my luck with the ladies has definitely improved since i packed in the fags.

the other story is people taking up smoking in order to pull in the outside smoking areas in clubs - i know this happens in NYC

Hooray!! less laundry to do!!

News doesn't just magically appear in the papers / on TV - if no journalist has learnt about this incident, it won't be reported.

this is all very quaint.

I think that's right, I pay ?25 for the basic membership. I think there is also a ?10 induction fee. Finally I can recommend spending ?25 on a one-off personal training session with Skip, the resident trainer, to get a good regimen in place.

I am a journalist who frequently covers green issues, particularly those related to energy and carbon emissions. My 2p worth, based on what I've read and the people I've spoken to at conferences etc, is: 1. Global warming is definitely real, and caused in a large part by human activity 2. There is nothing we can realistically do about it, short of reverting to an agrarian society - as you say, the odd purchase is not going to make much of a difference when China is building two coal-fired power plants a week (that's a real figure, not a comedy exaggeration) 3. We are running out of fossil fuels, not at the rate some say but we are still running out 4. Despite this, our lifestyles and habits are still massively energy-inefficient - we use way more than we need by leaving computers running all day on standby, using regular lightbulbs rather than CFL. On a larger scale, not enough investment in wind power, hydropower etc. 5. Many of the policies designed to combat global warming are in fact energy-efficiency policies (as the burning of fossil fuels to create power releases CO2) 6. The push for a fight against global warming should therefore be welcomed, even if it is futile, as it indirectly helps us in a fight we can win: the fight for better energy efficiency, and not running out of oil in our lifetime. When it comes to making "green" decisions, I think only in terms of energy efficiency - use eco-lightbulbs, don't leave things on standby, use public transport as much as possible. These may seem like little things, but most of the evidence I've seen suggests they can make a big difference in extending the lifetime of Western civilisation. As for everything being organic and locally-sourced - I'm not convinced. I buy organic meat because it tastes better, but I'm aware I'm probably being ripped off. There is no doubt that a lot of people are using the green agenda as a money-spinner, so it is important to differentiate between what will really make a difference and what is just marketing. Locally-sourced is an obsession on this forum that I just don't get: I personally have nothing against African farmers and I am happy to buy their produce, even if it must be delivered by airplane (as a side point, not everything delivered by airplane is ergo greener than locally-sourced - e.g. Lamb from New Zealand has a smaller carbon footprint than lamb from England, despite the air miles, as NZ farms are mostly powered by hydropower as opposed to coal or gas in the UK). If you wanted to get really philosophical, you could question this whole idea of the ethical consumer - the idea that we have been so thoroughly Thatcherised that we can only think of a solution to environmental challenges from a consumerist perspective. It's not just how you spend your money, it's how you make your money. But it's probably a bit early on a Saturday morning to get into that ;)

I've been using Hamlets for about four years and can recommend it highly. Very good value for money, as the last poster said never too busy and a friendly atmosphere. No pool but plenty of equipment, lots of classes (i don't use these so i don't know how good they are, but there are a fair few and you can get free access to them if you pay for the premium membership), pleasant enough decor (no plasma screen TVs etc, but no cracking white paint / stained carpets either), also a sauna. A wide range of customers, as well, you don't need to be a full-on bodybuilder to fit in. Go down and have a look!

agreed, i'd feel pretty uncomfortable about our community receiving any type of grant. i know that not *everyone* in ED is well off, but still...

Veggie restaurant is definitely a good idea for LL - I'm a meat-eater but my girlfriend is a veggie (in fact, every girl i've dated for the past two years has been a veggie, it's an epidemic - although on the bright side, taking them to a vegetarian restaurant for a date would be a good way of appearing sensitive), and she has such little choice in European restaurants (and I resent paying for her rubbish veggie meals ;-)). I'd advise that you include fish, to make meat-eaters happier about visiting. Maybe you could even throw in rubbishy token meat dishes, to get your own back! "Yes sir, we do cater for meat eaters. Turkey drumsticks or spam fritters?"

Bourdain is GOD

sorry, don't want to get my source in trouble. but i thought people might be interested to know the type of business replacing it.

... have been bought by an existing ED business. can't reveal exactly which one, so as to protect my source, but it's of the posh clothes/cushions variety.

I'm guessing few of you read the Sun, but there is a double-page spread about trendy WI branches that namechecks the ED branch. Nice one!

haha i thought it was just me who said "dirty-seven"!!! also going back to a previous point, the CPT should have: 1. Rolls - just simple cheese and pickle rolls, for a quid 2. A Sunday night quick quiz a la The Canton Arms in Stockwell, where they hand out a list of questions at 7pm and you have until 9pm to hand them in, bottle of wine for the winner.

just in the interests of balance, i've used CSM several times over the last four years and had no troubles

Now that Sarkozy is elected and will do away with the 35-hr week, can we convince Nicolas to stay open till 10pm? Oddly for such a salubrious area, there are hardly any decent mid-range off-licences. Somerfield's selection is pretty rubbish, and they only refrigerate the *really* rubbish whites. Sainsbury's is good but a bit of a mission, and again, nothing is refrigerated - if you want Cava on the hop, you're up the creek. Threshers' selection is mediocre, although the staff there are brilliant. Green and Blue is good, I suppose, but a little pricey. At least Unwins had that magic wine-chilling machine. We need an Oddbins or something - or just a late-opening Nicolas! Get English people to work the additional hours, if you have to!

i am a CPT regular and would love to play cricket! i can't really bat but i can bowl a bit of offspin. i am generally rubbish at cricket but would be very grateful for the chance to make up numbers! keep me posted.

No need for a vote, the award surely must go to Nisha by general acclamation!! I particularly like it when she asks me for ID when I'm buying beer (I'm 26), and then laughs when I look confused. She is very friendly and engaging and should definitely win! The CPT staff are definitely runners-up though; when I complained that they weren't showing the Chelsea-Tottenham FA Cup semifinal they explained that contractually, they had to show the other semi on the big screen because it was on Sky Sports and the Chelsea game was on the BBC. But rather than leave it at that, they then went upstairs into the flats where they live and brought down their own (quite heavy) TV and put it on the bar for me to watch!

Shanghai Surprise, formerly Yee Wah, at the bottom of Barry Road has never let me down. (it's takeaway only tho)

Now that all of the women in East Dulwich will be spending their evenings in the new trendy WI branch swapping cake recipes, perhaps it's time for us menfolk to form the Dulwich Boys? We can hang out in front of Nicolas swigging rose straight from the bottle, and defend our turf using Japanese kitchen knives.

agreed, 12 is no good on the way back. i usually walk from haymarket to elephant after work to get a bit of exercise, by the time i get there the rush hour is abating and i have my pick of the 12, 40, 176, or even 171/148 and change at Camberwell - fine as i'm usually not in a hurry. Also has everyone seen that it's Walk To Work Day on Thursday? I've walked all the way home I few times, not sure I fancy walking from ED in the mornings though!!

best thing about living on barry road is that's where the 12 starts, i always get the same seat every day! i ride it all the way to piccadilly circus, where i work, much more civilised than fannying about with trains etc. 50mins but a relaxing 50mins, except when they invariably announce that the bus will terminate at trafalgar square. i've lost count of the number of arguments i've had with friends who pay through the nose to live in horrendously violent areas (one lot were paying ?100/month more than me and had someone murdered LITERALLY on their doorstep in Oval, and their local newsagent blown up) "but it's near the tube and only takes me 25mins to get to work, if i'm not on the tube i don't feel like i'm london" the idiots whine. I honestly don't understand why anyone chooses to live anywhere other than East Dulwich.

add to the mix clueless recent Oxbridge/Durham/Bristol/St. Andrews graduates in rugby shirts whose daddies are subbing their rent (because otherwise their ?16K grad job in publishing sales would only stretch to a flat in a black area), who only feel comfortable in aesthetically unthreatening cafes/clubs/boozers e.g. All Bar One/Cafe Nero that remind them of the provincial spa towns they grew up in, and are positively terrified of being exposed to any of the, y'know, culture/difference/heterogeny that London has to offer Clapham should be reclassified as part of Berkshire in my opinion.... p.s. i acknowledge that this is snobbery, but at least it's posh-on-posh

Yilmaz takeaway is fantastic!!! the chicken anyway. I think it's basically the same kitchen. Everything tastes nice and fresh, i think they use good ingredients there. they are friendly guys and they stay open really, really late