david_carnell

If, as the government suggests, the price rises are meant as a deterrent they would make a packet of cigs ?20 and be done with it. Almost everyone would agree it was too much to pay and pack in smoking. But it's not. It's a revenue raiser and is increased slightly above inflation to give the impression of a deterrent. Small brewers get a discount however...so buy from the little fella.

Not unless the beer was already ?3.96 a pint. And if you pay that for a pint already this isn't going to make much difference. Beer duty has only risen 4p a pint. Wine is up 14p a bottle and spirits up by 55p a bottle.

...to the Queen!??! You've got to be fecking joking. I'd rather swear allegiance to a Cornish pasty! What clown came up with this bright idea. Honestly, what do they think of school leavers in this country? And what are you going to do to me if I don't....? Eh? Pillocks, the lot of them.

A great piece of modern hip-hop with intelligible and intelligent lyrics - and I feel like I can't say that too often at the moment. *terrible fan video though

And a nice coincidence: BBC - Grow your own wheat

I believe Clapham has a actual gay bar called the Two Brewers. Is that a euphemism?

I haven't tried the bread from the place outside Moxons (they're going to open properly where ChickenShed used to be) but their muffins were quite tasty if not amazing. 4 for ?5 wasn't exactly cheap though. However, wordwide wheat prices have rocketed over the last twelve months so we should all be expecting to pay more for out bread in near future. In the UK, prices have soared, with bread-making wheat now fetching about ?200 per tonne - double last year's level. Plus its knock-on effects are increased meat costs due to winter feed being wheat crops - oh and the increased use of biofuels means it's gone up even more. As a aside, the ED Deli sell their bread at half price near closing time (at least on a Friday when I went) - the sourdough was still fresh and as I was toasting it anyway it didn't really matter.

Go ahead. Test yourself: Know your place What do you think of the Turner Prize shortlist exhibition? (a) Bit weird. They want to get that step sanded down. (b) A random collection of semiotics that fuse to give us a visceral glimpse of the post-postmodern state. © Terrible pests, bears. What time is tea-time? (a) Seven-thirty. Wash your hands! (b) Four-thirty. Fortnums do a wonderful eggs benedict. © Five minutes after I ring this bell. You've got the builders in. Do you ... (a) Have a cup of tea and talk shop. (b) Float around awkwardly in the background, make useless attempts at conversation, drop your aitches and eventually flee, filled with terrible feelings of self-loathing. © Have a cup of tea and talk shop. Before being dragged upstairs by the arrival of the Earl of Sandwich. Will you be watching the rugby? (a) Got to haven't you. The lads have done us proud. (b) It should be on in the background at the Pestle and Artichoke. Did I mention that I went to school with Andrew Sheridan? © Hazza says there's a spot in the 'copter to Paris - then everyone back to Boujis! If your answers were ... Mostly (a): you're not middle class. Mostly (b): you're middle class. Yes you are. Just get used to it. Mostly ©: you were unaware that any such thing existed - but it sounds intriguing I'd like to claim this was entirely my own creation and some of the answers are depressingly East Dulwich-centric but alas it comes from an otherwise serious and interesting look at social class from the Guardian's Decca Aitkenhead.

KalamityKel Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > From where did u get such figures? They come from "Occupation Groupings: A Job Dictionary", 6ed, 2006, published by the Market Research Society. It is worth pointing out though, that even this gradin system was first devised nearly fifty years ago by the National Readership Survey. It too is somewhat outdated and as I said, ignores social groupings and favours economic indicators.

BJL Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I wonder why people chose to pigeonhole themselves > into tribes/classes? A sense of belonging and snobbish-ness (even if it's inverted) would be high on the list of reasons. As to defining class most sociologists now use socio-economic indicators instead of the overly simplistic working, middle and upper. Below is the most common variant: A = Approximately 3% of the total population. These are professional people, very senior managers in business or commerce or top-level civil servants. Retired people, previously grade A, and their widows. B = Approximately 20% of the total population Middle management executives in large organisations, with appropriate qualifications. Principle officers in local government and civil service. Top management or owners of small business concerns, educational and service establishments. Retired people, previously grade B, and their widows. C1 = Approximately 28% of the total population. Junior management, owners of small establishments, and all others in non-manual positions. Jobs in this group have very varied responsibilities and educational requirements. Retired people, previously grade C1, and their widows. C2 = Approximately 21% of the total population. All skilled manual workers, and those manual workers with responsibility for other people. Retired people, previously grade C2, with pensions from their job. Widows, if receiving pensions from their late husband's job. D = Approximately 18% of the total population. All semi-skilled and un-skilled manual workers, apprentices and trainees to skilled workers. Retired people, previously grade D, with pensions from their job. Widows, if receiving a pension from their late husband's job. E = Approximately 10% of the total population. All those entirely dependant on the state long-term, through sickness, unemployment, old age or other reasons. Those unemployed for a period exceeding six months (otherwise classify on previous occupation). Casual workers and those without a regular income. Only households without a Chief Income Earner will be coded in this group Of course this is mainly economic based and ignores social nuance e.g. the whole U and non-U thing (albeit updated for the modern world).

Well the results are in and the Social(i*t) Party are victorious. Zapatero's mob even increased thier majority from the previous parliament. But this is Spain so of course they don't have a working majority! Full results are: PSOE (Sociali*ts): 169 PP (Popular Party): 153 CiU (Catalan): 11 PNV (Basque Nationali*t): 6 ERC (Catalan lefti*t): 3 IU (United Left): 2 BNG (Galician Nationali*t): 2 CC (Canary Isles): 2 UPyD (Progress and Democracy): 1 NA-BAI (Navarre): 1

bob Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > It has 5 snooker tables dart boards BAR dance > floor bingo some nights and cheap booz > Bob S Wow....just try keeping me away now! Anyone fancy a game of snook and a couple of cheap pints?

*Bob* Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > What do you know, David? I know nothing...other than it exists...apparently. > Are pressing liberal > matters of the day discussed liberally in a > liberal atmosphere? Hopefully. > Or is it just about the cheap booze? Pretty much, yes. And darts. And pipes.

I have some sad friends. If I didn't learn this stuff half their conversations would go over my head. Wikipedia enlightens us: Pwn (/oʊn/, /poʊn/, /pəʔˈoʊn/, /pɔ??n/, /piˈoʊn/, /pwəʔˈn̩/) is a slang term that implies domination or humiliation of a rival, used primarily in the Internet gaming culture to taunt an opponent that has just been soundly defeated. Past tense is sometimes spelled pwnt (pronounced with a t sound) or pwned (with the standard d sound). Examples include "pwnage" or "you just got pwned". It can also be used, especially by non-gamers, in the context of getting "pwned" by The Man. The word "pwn" may have arisen and spread as a common typo of the word "own," due to the proximity of the 'p' and 'o' keys on a standard English keyboard. Alternatively, the word pwnage may have been created as a portmanteau of the words "pure" and "ownage," "perfect" and "ownage," or "powerful" and "ownage." Similarly, "pwn" may have derived from "powerfully owned," such as you just got powerfully owned (shortened to you just got pwned).

;-) Thanks for that "enlightening" response! I'll presume no-one has a bloody clue then. It's just the other side of Peckham Rye station. Thought it might do cheap beer. And other manly things. Like darts. Or pipe smoking. Never mind. I'll just have to pop along and see what the deal is.

pwn as in pwnd as in owned as in l33t spk

To lighten the mood: Black people love us!

mockney piers Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > As usual the daily mash raises the level of > debate. > > more or less spot on though ;-) > http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/index.php?option=com > _content&task=view&id=775&Itemid=59 *doffs cap* That, sir, is about the most eloquent argument I've heard in a long time. In satire we trust.

I'll be very interested to hear what you think too. Lovin' the few tracks I've heard and not put off by the fact that she came second in Wawffactor, a Welsh alternative to Pop Idol! She sounds a bit like Dusty Springfield. There's atrack in the music room if you're interested. And she was number 1 in the charts for a couple of weeks if that means anything any more.

My problem with the BBCs approach to this is their deliberate use of two terms that are incredibly hard to define. White? Compared to whom? Do white people really exist? Are Eastern Europeans the same type of white as British white? Are English white different from Scottish white? Working-class? Does this really exist in the same way as it was orginally meant. How many people still really do unskilled menial labour? Does data-input count? What about other white-collar admin jobs? Can you move from one class to another? The whole idea is incredibly subjective. One of the programs highlights the plight of ex-miners from Easington (the "whitest" town in Britain) whose livelihoods were ripped from them, along with the guts of their communities, under the Thatcher government. Are these people representative of a nationwide identity? Unlikely. No immigrants live or work there, so they can't be to blame surely? Trust in government is low in these communities but is it any wonder. Most have been unemployed for nigh on 20 years. But unemployment due to restructuring of industrial sectors doesn't merely affect the white working-class (WWC). As Sean pointed out, IT outsourcing abroad is the modern parrallel.

Differing reviews for their current establishements: SquareMeal Despite the splendid location in County Hall, London?s former seat of government, there?s something a bit uninspiring about this eatery. The food is straightforward Italian-by-numbers ? pizzas, pastas, prosciutto & melon, tomato & mozzarella, steak with herby roast potatoes ? but the chef & his staff seem to lack the traditional Italian passion, & it shows in the perfectly palatable but unexciting food. Still, the prices are reasonable, especially given the location, the terrace is a pleasant spot for lunch, & it?s good for kids too. London Eating Overall rating 7.7/10 Reviews TopTable Overall rating 7/10 Reviews

Is anyone a member? Is it any good? Is obtaining membership tricky? Much obliged.

You have to love the BBC (what with it's liberal bias an' all) for letting these nutters let loose once in a while. It's funny at first but after a while I find it somewhat scary and depressing that there are so many unenlightened people out there. And they're angry. Really angry. And they'll be voting like the rest of us come the next election. *sigh* It does tap into the festering class/race divide that occasionally rears its ugly head on these forums though. I think there are some relevent issues that need addressing that affect the working classes (such as job prospects, housing and education) and perhaps even "white" (Poles? Eskimos? Swedes?) people (national identity and cultural integration) but these aren't all linked except by the bilious prejudice shown by most of the commentators on these BBC boards. The trouble with HYS is that if you're fairly content with the situation, you are far less likely to bother communicating this - those with a bone to pick, however, are never slow to pipe up.

For the transport planning geeks amongst us (i.e. me in a previous life): A guide to tactile paving

Presuming you two are not visually impared, you could always walk on the bits of pavement without the "tactile" nodes.