citizenED

I thought that, for forumites, Keef was 'The One'

When Alan bumped into the "one" He wasn't aware her real name was John But he did persevere By licking John's ear Then stopped when he clocked what he'd done when the forum went football mad...

Muse! When Alan bumped into the "one"...

At the For-rum Birthday bash...

'Meet'? Euphemism?

Not-The-Forum-Drinks on Friday the 7th September - shall we say The Herne?

Asset, have you recently posted under the psuedonym "strictteacher"? ;-) There once was a limerick teacher

*I'm on holiday darling MW - thought i'd go eco friendly and camp in here* *chin chin*

Ok so we have all loved these Disney/Pixar films - but my enjoyment of this summer has been enhanced by finding the magical tale, Ratatouille. Anyone else think this is the best ever animated film? citizen

*pokes head out of tent* *what was that cacophony* *whoops, sorry Jah, - sleepy head talking - that was, obviously, musical poetry* *bless you mister - and pass one of those JD's please*

Have Arsenal scored four goals in two games without le Henry? tres bien.

For starters, thats me and Georgia. Anyone else?

I vote that the forum drinks are cancelled on the 7th Sept - however, i'll go for a drink that night if anyone cares to join me - we'll call it Not-the-Forum drinks. citizen

Alan, I was attempting to post off-the-cuff, sorry to offend. (BTW, am seeking planning permission to open School of Hard Knocks next door to your clinic. Watch out, we charge ?100 per hour)

Then cleaned all the seats with a steamer The Carnival in Notting Hill...

Alan you got a certain J. Clarkson and R. Littlejohn as your partner therapists?

Feel I should offer some sort of apology, to MW74, for not pitching in this debate a little earlier, but my parents were nothing if not insightful when giving me the middle name procrastinator. Oh, and added to that I am a pitifully slow one-finger typist! But, whilst I am not a consumer of Alternative therapies, I am hardly a consumer of pharmaceuticals either. Pass me a glass of water. I just tend to think that there are so many options in the range of therapies on offer it seems unproductive to line up the Medical ones against the Alternative ones. We are not talking about the high end stuff, the serious illnesses that will obviously respond better to hardcore drugs than to a flower, but if we look at the low-level stuff, the headaches, etc then why should anyone be upset when a punter chooses a homeopathic remedy over a pill? The money goes either into the coffers of a pharmaceutical company or an alternative therapy company or practitioner. I guess in that sense I'd rather give my money to a small scale operation than a multinational. On balance, habitually taking a pill for a headache or most other minor ailments seems wrong. Better to find another solution. But it is where the science aspect in medicine gets us, because the linear thinking in science takes us to one point and then tries to alleviate it. It treats the synptom, not the cause. Viewing things more holistically gets you to a point where you can see all the options on offer as complimenting each other not in dispute. Oh, and there is a guy/girl split going on, all those medical dudes with the cartels, the power and the political leverage telling us, the punters, not to bother with the other therapies because it is all a bit wrapped up with emotions, and we cannot have that kind of thing in medicine, can we. The best scientists are artists or poets too - Da Vinci, Richard Feynmann - they understood mechanisms, but they lived on their intuitions and emotions. Get the link. citizen

What's the going rate?

I am all for individuals trying to reduce their own carbon footprints - the more information we get the better able we are to act in an informed manner. However, let's be honest, people can be selfish, stupid, or plain forgetful so this is where governments need to take action. Look at it this way; if we ask people, very nicely, to turn off their electrical appliances and switch to low energy bulbs we will get some results. If governments stopped manufacturers making TVs with "stand-by" switches and banned tungstan lightbulbs, it would have a far greater effect. citizen

There once was a geezer from Lima who drove a round in a snazzy black Beamer

Great debate, and good to see a large dose of perspective coming in in the later posts. The thing with those who are so skeptical, or simply cynical, is why? A common theme on here is "live and let live" so why do some of you guys seemingly care so much that a few Alternative Therapy practitioners are providing solace and care to people who are perfectly willing to pay for it? Have you become righteous and magnanomous beings on a mission to protect the middle classes from being ripped off (for lets face it, it is the middle classes who indulge). How mighty noble of you. As far as I can see, if people want to get a buzz from a session of aromatherapy who are we to deny them? Some people get their treatment in the form of a trip to the pub, or attending football matches, or a massage. All these various therapies are all just one long line of options. I do think, however, just to be provocative, that there is an evident gender issue going on here. Lots of guys, with their analyical, scientific minds trying to debunk a largely female way of looking at the world. citizen

if Asset keeps up this naughty strand of Limerick, I'll haveto prompt the Administrator to indulge in some Asset Management. NEXT! There once was a *bob* who made jingles...

It so happened that I read the copy of the Daily Mail that Louisa read. I was at my mum's, and every time I'm there i fall into the trap of scouring it just to check whether it has changed. I end up feeling completely morose. Trouble is that my mum lives in a genteel Essex seaside town where there is virtually no crime. All the old folks who live there could probably leave their front doors open, let alone there back doors. They are certainly the types who would like to. Yet they all read the Mail or Express or Torygraph and I can only deduce that they all lock their doors as a direct consequence of reading those papers. It makes me sad, and then it makes me angry. When the govt recently suggested that the police gave a more detailed breakdown of crime in their area so that locals could make a better-informed decisions, I saw an old lady from Cambridgeshire being interviewed on TV. The journalised worked out that this woman's chance of being a victim of crime was so low as to be negligable. Yet that poor woman was so frightened by the reporting of crime that she never went out after dark. The lady reminded me of my mum. It made me feel so bitter towards the press that peddle this disproportionate guff. citizen

And a pair of blue Kickers

Mockers, I'd love to, but cannot. cooking at home for a big family event that day. Best of luck to the EDF Taverners! citizen