Huguenot

Something to do with the cultural imperialism of the ED diaspora I think Louisiana.

There are no leaders for the bumble bee community, they're diverse and politically heterogeneous; where are the leaders of the white community? Nowhere I tell you.

Brrrrrrrrrp! From the ICES (The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) coordinates and promotes marine research on oceanography, the marine environment, the marine ecosystem, and on living marine resources in the North Atlantic. ICES is a network of more than 1600 scientists from 200 institutes linked by an intergovernmental agreement to add value to national research efforts.) The North Sea Cod Spawning BioMass is currently below the safe limit of 70,000 tones. In late 2008 it was estimated at 50,000 tonnes, and 43% of this stock is fished each year, well above sustainable levels. Even at these levels, and if it all went to the UK, that only entitles each of us to 350 grammes each per year. The reality is that supply covers most of northern europe, so we probably get less than a hundred grams each per year. If you're eating more than that (i.e one helping), you're contributing to the end of cod. Well done. I don't have an awful lot of time for anyone who claims to know better than 1,600 hundred scientists at 200 institutions funded by government (not the fishing industry) to tell the truth. North Atlantic cod is basically over. Despite the closure of the Canadian East Coast fisheries (due to no product, not intervention), stocks have not recovered. We ate it all.

Hah! Brutus! Me and DD know what you're really about...

Tsk you guys, you have no appreciation of the divine.

DD you're no victim, of course! Joan of Arc, Emmeline Pankhurst, Mary Magdalene: these are victims. You are Athena, mighty daughter of Zeus and Metis, striding the world with your endeavour, subject to no establishment! Whilst these mortals quake, I hide behind your skirts.

Absolutely they have exposed themselves. Good job I'm on your side DD. Occam's razor suggests that all things being equal, the simplest solution is the most likely one. In this situation it's clear that the simplest explanation is a massive conspiracy between thousands of people who don't know either you or each other, to plot the extended downfall of a faultless victim of unblemished reputation guilty of nothing but a generous spirit. The simplest explanation when these conspirators appear to disagree with each other is that they're putting it on, in order to give the impression that they have perfectly healthy relationships, when in fact it's all about ganging up on you! It's a good job we know the science eh DD?

Quite right DD. It automatically becomes bullying if more than one person disagrees with you. So far as I'm concerned you're an example to us all. With your unblemished record I'm surprised that anyone would have had the gall to respond as if the sauce for the gander was fit for the goose. It strikes me that Matt, Miles, Dulwichmum and Archic may well have known each other and actually planned this entrapment before a visit to the forum was even a twinkle in your eye. Like an evil gang they plotted a series of encounters guaranteed to expose the best side of you, in order to prove any subsequent criticism all the more unfounded. Our four playground chumpsters, with their schoolboy teasing CANNOT be working alone, such is the strength and accuracy of their attack. It wouldn't surprise me if the whole gang had even invented the forum just to lay a trap for you. You may think that 2,000 subscribers is too many for such a conspiracy, but such is the power of the internet that it could have been achieved without blinking an eye. They must all, without fail, be unutterably evil, with tainted hearts and jealous hate focused on you as if the inner circle of the ED Forum was indeed the Senate and you our faultless Caesar, more sinned against than sinning. And finally, like Roman senators they stand indifferent to your slaughter. If Matt is your Casca, then beware Daizie your Brutus, such is the depth of this conspiracy. I have never seen anyone persecuted in our modern age to the extent that you have suffered. Fight it, fight it, dear heart. ;-) Edited not very well for mixed metaphors

Quite right DD, it's oppressive and I think you're the one to solve this! You have extensive experience! I notice that in your very first thread on the forum you managed to get your slagging in first against Matt at Casa, I presume in case he was likely to bully you? I notice you managed to slag off Miles and his correspondents on your second thread, I presume also a case of getting one in first? I notice you actually managed to fall out with a fictional social butterfly on the subject of free market economies in your next thread. An astounding victory against bullying. I notice you chucked the fairplay rulebook away against a rather snobby architect a couple of threads later. I presume this was to demonstrate what bullying was in order to make sure other people could recognise it. A victory indeed. I notice you also managed to pursue this vendetta across several unrelated threads - a sort of global bullying demonstration in case anyone missed your first example? I'd say that you are undoubtedly the cleanest whistle in the pocket to draw attention to this bullying skulduggery! ;-)

Quite right DD, it's all about you.

If it's not cod in fishfingers, then it's probably pollack, apparently. Do you know 12 fishfingers costs the equivalent of 6 quid here? Cap'n Birdseye would turn in his grave.

Saithe's also Pollachius virens, same as Coley. Don't you 'no nuffin?. 'S'all Pollacks to me.

Christ on a bike! No offence intended, of course, to those who get offended by such metaphors.

*Bob*, that was a very clever joke. All the more so because I had to look it up to get it. It has levels. However as a plankton, whilst undoubtedly fishy, Soylent Green doesn't have a taxonomic classification, so we couldn't presume to compare it with Cod or Pollack under such a scheme.

I'm interested AFN, why don't you tell us what the auction price was? I guess we can look on the land registry anyway in a couple of months time, but it would be interesting and generous if you could tell us now?

That sounds great fun!

Well it seems to me that there have been 3 or 4 chaps who are already notorious for their playground humour taking the mickey out of DD. One response known to be very effective in dealing with such isolated ribaldry is as follows: - to accuse everyone of being part of a mass conspiracy (I think it's called burning your bridges) - to take offence indiscriminately where none is intended - to become hyper-sensitive to every possible perceived slight - to encourage and promote secret vindictive partnerships - to curry partition of the forum into your side and the other side I have watched reality shows, and every one of the contenders who took this course of action were extremely happy, always smiling, never cried or screamed and never felt lonelier than a turd in a wedding buffet even once. The other response known to be entirely ineffective, and not to be considered under any circumstance is as follows: - ignore the monkeys - change the subject - build great relationships with the friendly and charming fellow forumites I repeat, the latter course of action should NOT be considered under any circumstances. It is guaranteed to make you UNHAPPY. All those that took the latter course of action were very miserable.

Apparently [and to reinforce your convictions that I'm a right anal bastard] I haven't got a clue, so I looked it up... Gadiformes are an order of fish. Gadidae are a family within Gadiformes that are collectively known as Hake. It includes both Pollack and Cod Pollachius are a genus within Gadidae that are collectively known as Pollock Within the Pollachius genus there are two species of Pollock: Pollachius pollachius and Pollachius virens. Apart from the latter occasionally being distinguished as a Coley nobody really seems to give much of a sh*t. Gadus are also a genus within Gadidae that are collectively known as Cod. Within the Gadus genus there are three species of Cod: Atlantic, Greenland and Pacific. Haddock is in fact young Cod. Thus Cod and Pollack are both Hake. So Cod and Pollack are both collective terms and are very closely related. Both are white fish, although Pollack has a stronger flavour. Brits associate Pollack with catfood, but it seems mainly out of being spoilt b@stards, because other nations consider it a delicacy.

Hmm yes possibly, but if you're going to come over all Mazlow on me then you're probably being a wee bit disingenuous. A hearty shag is in the 'want' area rather than the 'need'. In fact if you've even got a sofa in the front room then you're in the 'comfort and convenience' area where everything becomes a little bit grey. Did you choose the cheapest sofa, or were there other criteria? Paint on your walls? Besides, an indulgence in ornaments wasn't the cause of our current issues, it was banks over-extending credit to rather unsuspecting individuals who were buying houses with debt they couldn't hope to repay in their own lifetimes. Frustratingly, this falls into the 'need' category rather than the 'want' - the price was driven by financiers, not by the buyers who wanted to pay the lowest possible price. You could argue that excessive consumption created a high environment cost, but that's not the same thing as cash price, because by definition you'd expect environmentally friendly goods to be more expensive (you're paying for the full cycle of production). Regardless of that, those impressive mortgage payments probably did much to stem disposable income for knick-knacks.

On the outcast bit,to reassure you, no-one's going to remove your postings unless they break rules. As in all public speaking you'll be supported by those that agree with you, and challenged by those that disagree. It's a forum!! If you have an unpopular opinion, then there will be a majority in disagreement. This isn't because of a gang-mentality, but because the opinion isn't widely shared. Really now, please, relax and move along....

It's all a bit pots and kettles here isn't it? The forum's just a cross-section of society: you get the odd wally, wide-boy, wisecracker, gossip or shrew. Most people are pretty nice though, just as they are in real life. It's also easy to misinterpret, to judge people through the sunshine or fog of our own lifetime experiences, again often incorrectly. It's often possible for one man's witticism to be seen as another man's personal insult. Admin can't legislate for everything. The Spartacus issue was obvious, I'm afraid the rest are less so. They're repartee and highly subjective. Undoubtedly if you look for problems you'll find them, intentional or not. The easiest thing to do is look for the best in people, and look for the best in their postings. If you can't find it within yourself to do that then maybe a chat forum, with all its challenges, isn't the best place to hang out.

Perhaps, then, the Augean Stables could be seen as the inspiration for a contemporary environmental revolution?

He is you know, 205 next month.

Patrese? Drove alongside Mansell at Williams, born in 1804 - does the Masters now.

Apparently Pollack is to be re-branded Colin by M&S (pronounced Co-lan) to up-diggedy-dawg perceptions. BTW, if you do continue to eat cod, there won't be any left. We're doing to cod what we did to the dodo, because we're peckish and daft. Embarrassing isn't it?