david_carnell

This isn't actually my name

Spot-on Parkdrive. I was about to suggest you couldn't send Boris to meet the US President and then remembered they elected Bush Jnr. Perhaps the buffoons do win. Scary prospect. But if he can convince London to elect him twice I can imagine him doing the same across the country. I do wonder how he goes down north of Watford mind you.

Is it even legal to have a school with no outside space?!

The mains are ok but massively overpriced. It makes folk feel better about themselves when buying a ready-meal. But the sides are grim. And if you can't even be bothered to boil a potato for mash....well.....

I'm a fan but there are some columnists I just have to skip past for my own mental health: Lucy Mangan Barbara Ellen Michele Hanson But I love: Barnay Ronay (absurdist look at sport) Seamus Milne Martin Kelner Laura Barton But then equally there are some great columnists at other papers. I'm always interested in what Peter Oborne has to say and Michael Deacon is by far and away the best political sketch writer.

Yeah but if you had a thread for the Mail/Sun it would get tiresome to have to hyperlink to every story outlining why this one is particularly inaccurate or offensive. At least in the Grauniad it's relatively rare (or just weekly in Polly Toynbee's case).

My 2.75 yo spends two days a week at Granny's. We're incredibly lucky that they live close enough to help with childcare, they love having him and he loves going there. Especially as they have a wonderful border collie (7 years old) who he plays with endlessly. He adores that dog. Sadly she has developed epilepsy (or the dog equivalent) and has been fitting regularly. Having witnessed this first hand myself it's quite traumatic but luckily mini-d_c hasn't been affected. Sadly it has got worse and the dog goes for a brain scan today. We are preparing for the worst. I'm looking for advice in how to deal with explaining to my son what's happened if she dies. I'd like to be as honest as possible and not use euphemisms like "gone to sleep" but should I let him say goodbye and see her dead? Let him give her a hug goodbye? Is that too traumatic for a nearly-3 yo?

Goes to show you shouldn't stray from your area of expertise. Paul Mason is an excellent economics journalist. And a terrible satirist.

Loz - this was talking about streaming at primary school level. I'm less opposed to an "all-in-one" model as pupils get older anyway and feel that more schools should be able to specialise including in technical/manual/horticultural work. But the idea of streaming "early primary school" (as per the BBC article in DaveR's link) children makes me feel like we've gone very wrong somewhere.

Country is VERY different to Western. I can't stand Western. Tsk.

*Bob* Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > david_carnell Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > I have to confess I wasn't even aware such > things > > took place. It certainly didn't in my primary > > school some 25 years ago and I'd naively > assumed > > that still to be the case universally. > > Didn't you sit on tables roughly according to > ability at your primary? Streaming in all but > name.. No. I sat with Chris Brown, Leanne Bartley and Lindsey Dayer (*swoon*) - alphabetical with even split of boys and girls on each table.

Country

Rock'n'roll?

Fascintating and thought provoking stuff Dave. I think what shocked me about the article was that it was talking about streaming at a primary school level. I have to confess I wasn't even aware such things took place. It certainly didn't in my primary school some 25 years ago and I'd naively assumed that still to be the case universally. Your nature v nurture question is exemplified by this quote: Those in the bottom stream were more likely to have behavioural difficulties, be from poor backgrounds and to have less educated mothers. It would seem to therefore be a inter-generational problem with poorly educated parents producing offspring who have no-one at home to teach them and then the cycle repeats itself. On a society-wide level, I'm more concerned with the outcomes for those at the bottom. Those at the top will generally manage fine without the extra help. Those at the bottom will continue to, in a rather dispassionate way, cost society more in the long run. Poor education results in a number of issues later in life that the rest of society has to pay for: crime, ill-health, unemployment etc. In my mind, anything that boosts that group upwards (even if at the expense of those at the "top") can only be a good thing in the long-run.

Chicanes?

That makes me feel ill just thinking about it. No good can come of such things. Have you tried bacon and eggs for breakfast? Protein. Lovely, lovely protein. And salt and fat

Robert Poste's Child Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > You could swap alcohol for juicing for a month. > For breakfast this morning I had spinach, > watercress, parsley, celery, cucumber and apple. > It was bright green and rather delicious. Wait till it comes out!

Lovely stuff. The previous article on the English middle-classes and colonials had me chuckling too.

No - you can't have Cliffhanger. It has John Lithgow in it who is awesome. Ditto for Jah's Bruce Willis claims - Alan Rickman rescues Die Hard. We need something with no redeeming qualities. That J'Lo/Affleck thing was meant to be pretty terrible. Gigli? Or do you mean worst in a sort of "depraved" way?

I do find it illogical that those who are anti-EU (such as Tory backbenchers) are also anti-independence. It doesn't show coherant thinking. Surely self-determination is their backbone. The same arguments hold true. Being governed by a remote, relatively-unelected group of bureaucrats that are culturally elite and out-of-touch. That argument, right or wrong, is the same for both those wanting to leave Brussels as it is for the Scots wanting to leave Westminster.

At about 9pm it was utter chaos at Goose Green in all directions. Took more than 10mins to negotiate from the Bishop to the roundabout and up to Ondine Rd. Crazy.

Otta Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > StraferJack Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > why does everyone have such a grump on about > THEM > > > > bitterness I say - they look like they are > having > > fun whilst some people resent having to grind > > out a living > > > > Let them be > > > Oh whatever. Dancing with a @#$%& hula hoop on the > train platform? I'd have wanted to stab him at the > height of my social life. Just for the record, it was a she. Replete with ethnic skirt and fake bindi decoration. And Beatz headphones. That finished the job off for me. You know, I actually don't mind that scene that much. I've enjoyed the fact that Peckham now has some interesting bars and ironic country music nights. I love red wing boots, raw denim and plaid shirts. But a ?$%&$% hula-hoop?! Shark. Jump. The.

There was an emaciated hipster dancing with a hula hoop on Platform 3 at Peckham Rye Station this morning. My urge to push someone under an oncoming train has never been so strong.

I used to read Point Horror too. Looking back they were unbelievaby tame. My parents weren't very savvy about what was appropriate and I once convinced my Mum to buy me a James Herbert triple-volume. Suffice to say that was a very different level of horror story. I think I made it through the first two or three chapters of the Fog (sharing some rather graphic sex scenes with friends) and then had to abandon it. Children find their own level in their own way. It's not like tv. I returned to Herbert in my twenties and just found it rather uninspiring tbh.

Would she not just appreciate a bottle of gin? She'll be "growing" just being at uni. No need for a ton of extra books on top of whatever she will be reading for uni anyway surely?