This is not a new story.

Any commodities can be ‘speculated’ on; you or I could do it. The worst offenders are hedge funds who can bet on the future price of a barrel of oil without actually having to spend any money. Because the ‘bet’ is made on the future price the speculator is in a position to withdraw from actually buying the oil before the transaction is due.

It’s pretty poor but most governments seem happy to let the practice go on.

Not always easy to say the oil companies are blameless but in this case they are

Genius!

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=AwCbG4I0QyA&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DAwCbG4I0QyA&gl=GB

I had a flex stem on my Saracen and aspired to a Klein Attitude (remember Dave Hemming riding one in the DH worlds the same year Tomac competed with drop bars)..

Read it in the magazine so safe to assume its OK.

Got a bad feeling I might be better off with XL but at £20 felt it was worth a punt on the size L

Prince 2 or Agile are the recognised program’s.

Similar stuff can be found via Google Apps

Mrs Nano and I will be there tomorrow.

The death of the high street is partly driven by trends driven by commercial property developers and short sighted planning decisions by local councils.

How many small towns were ‘improved’ by pedestrian schemes that are now covered in CCTV as councils realise that the same areas at night are full of spewing and / or fighting as the pubs chuck out. Making town centres less car friendly while allowing deregulated bus operators to abandon less profitable routes rules out the concept of ‘popping to the shops’

Vanity projects like Bluewater and Westfield seem great at their time but during a recession are a nail in the coffin for neighbouring town centres.

Landlords continued insistence on quarterly rent in advance prevents many independents from starting up. Why take the overhead when it can be done more cheaply and potentially tax free online.

Mattbee + 1 why the snobbery?

Silly me! Forgot I was on STW 😉

Best results with your newspaper and ash method OP.

When I went to get a replacement can of glass cleaner from our installer he said not to bother and for burnt on tar use a fine paint scraper.

Got the parrot fitted through work. Didn’t find it particularly durable TBH and went back to using the dedicated iPod connection that came with my Alpine head unit.

The integrated unit in my Joke works lovely.. 🙂

A week in a former Victorian fort on the IOW for Mrs Nano’s 40th and two weeks in the south of France to coincide with the start of the tour

Giant XTC 1 29er – Box Stock
Norco Sight 3SE – Box Stock except Spoon
Forme Longcliffe 3 – Box Stock except Fulcrum wheels, Gatorskins, Tifosi carbon post and knife saddle

Probably the best option at the moment is to go for a free tablet.

Carphone Warehouse will do a phone and tablet deal for less than £20 per month but your starting point should be to compare the cost of the mins and texts (plus data assuming you have that)on your current tariff with what that will cost on with the deal.

As an example the to buy say a Nexus 7 16gb tablet might be £179. Add in say a Samsung Galaxy Ace on a new PAYG connection at £99 you can then compare that cost with getting them both ‘free’ plus the cost of a contract over 2 years.

That way you can judge for yourself if the free gift is worth it or not.

Historically the most popular free gifts have been TV’s, laptops or games consoles but its all turning towards tablets now.

6’4 and ride a 58cm Forme (fitted at LBS). Tried a 58 Cannondale Super Six at same store and that was too small. Much more of an exact science than a mountain bike I think..

Why do so many people go for size M Soul’s irrespective of their height?? 😉

Sad news for anyone of a certain age from Southend (more specifically Canvey)… Mrs Nano texted me as it was in the local paper today..

When I met him for the first time he came across as a someone who was bemused by his fame; for him it’s all about the music

I take the point that Millar does go on about the ‘omertà’ but even he wouldn’t talk about anything other than his own doping and certainly no more than pseudonyms about who supplied him. That said I like him and think he could be excellent at the UCI

For me a better book by Jeremy Whittle (for it is he) would be ”Bad Blood’.

There’s a stronger narrative in Tyler Hamilton’s book IMHO. Just read David Walsh’s latest and that was piss poor..

Glad to hear it was a (reasonably) positive outcome.

At the very least it sounds like some ‘advice’ has been given by HR to ensure correct process is followed rather than your boss making it up as he goes along.

If you are set on finding something new (and assuming you haven’t already done so) get yourself a LinkedIn profile. Great way to market yourself for your next job..

Good luck with it all anyway 🙂

Dunno if I’m too late to offer any advice but FWIW..

Look at your employee handbook and / or T&C’S. These should tell you how this kind of thing should and / or will be dealt with. If its a larger business they may well have a conduct & capability policy you could refer to. This may not change the outcome but you can ensure they play by the rules.

I would suggest that if they haven’t been explicit in your reviews that you were heading for this meeting they probably haven’t followed most recognised performance management procedure. As other posters have mentioned you can’t claim unfair dismissal within a year but you would massively increase your chances of getting benefits if you can demonstrate you have been unfairly treated. It’s worth looking at ACAS for guidance here as most Employment Tribunals use them as a guide to what’s reasonable.

Dependent on what sector you work in you may be able to get a union rep to attend. Even if there’s not an affiliated union at your employer your T&C’S will state if you can have a union rep as a witness. If a union rep can’t attend they can still provide good advice based on experience within the sector. For example in my business we recognise USDAW (retail) and CWU (post office).

I would be really surprised if there isn’t at least a three stage process to be followed in your case. No doubt there will be some things they will expect you to achieve and if you feel the targets set have been unreachable get this noted. If the counter argument is that you should be able to hit them is anyone in same role managing to do so? Any good manager should see the benefit of agreeing a sustainable improvement target so they shouldn’t expect you to go from 0-100 in a week.

Finally your employer should have some kind of problem solving or grievance procedure. If you feel the issue is with your boss (lack of support?) and / or due process isn’t followed inform your HR dept and your bosses boss.

As above don’t know if this will change the outcome but everyone deserves to be managed fairly.

Good luck with your meeting.

If you can start the phone up without a sim (connect to wifi etc.) with no issues than its a safe bet that the sim has expired as per earlier posts.

Sims are routinely recalled by the networks as they recycle the numbers every few months.

Not familiar with the handset but most androids will work without a sim so you can quickly rule out if its a handset issue.

Moto Guzzi v11 Tenni Le Mans only made 180
Standard except for Maxton forks and shock and BMC filter

Great handset.. Body is made of same material they use for ice hockey pucks and the screen has gorilla glass. I think it’s nicer to use that blackberry, android or apple (I work with the networks so have used all of them at some point)

As mentioned above its now getting super cheap so if you like your existing tariff I would just buy one on PAYG for £120..

In response to the post above the new 820 is a great handset too but Blackberry 10 looks brilliant and is probably as initiative to use as the the win phone.. (Blackberry due at end of Jan)

2nd Telly.. Problem solved..

I tune out most of the stuff mrs nano watches as I’m sure she does when I’m watching a doc although she has made the odd foray into what she would see as the darkside:

Always used to enjoy watching ‘overhaulin” on discovery with Chip Foose. When we were on honeymoon even she got excited about heading down to his workshop..

I’m not sure if part of the problem is the likelihood that prosecution (assuming its any kind of arrestable offence) will lead to not much more than a fine or community service.

It does appear that both professional sides in the courts operate a system that primarily benefits them (min of time taken to deal with a case etc etc) rather than arrive at a considered outcome.

Take this for example. Large gang of ‘steamers’ operating from a south London postcode carry out a range of thefts across several London postcodes (against retail premises with an average take of £5k per theft). Several months of trying to arrange a coordinated police response results in theft of most of the gang.

Victim (the retailer in this case) believes that by getting said criminals charged with corporate theft is a great result as the trial will take place in crown court.

Defence and crown agree that bail is appropriate (read cheaper and less time consuming) until the trial date (sometime next year).

Following day the thefts start again.

Approx 15 – 20 more thefts carried out by same gang across several London postcodes carried out since bail was posted.

Half of the gang have been re arrested and are now remanded. Not sure why this couldn’t have happened first time around (rhetorical question)

A small postscript – during their court appearances the gang have been ‘supported’ by their families who are outraged that they have even been arrested for their ‘victimless’ crime.

I’m sure there are lots of conflicting views about who’s at fault. My point is we shouldn’t put it all down to the police (who I generally don’t have much confidence in and I have family members in the Met). In this particular case they have been frustrated with the outcome too.

We rent out Mrs Nano’s flat and based on the experience to date:

Rent unfurnished
Don’t bother with white goods

Both of the above means less hassle for you and some (not all) lettings agents recommend it.

Budget for redecoration whenever tenants move out. We have had 3 in nearly 4 years and the property has needed it every time (no tenant will treat the house like you would) .

Management fee is worth it if you don’t want to have to sort things yourself but bear in mind that you will still have to fork out when things go wrong. In the last 6 months we have had to deal with damp caused by the tenant but still our job to fix. We pay the fee but find our own trades if we aren’t happy with the quote from mgt co.

Have a zero tolerance policy to non payment of rent.

If you get good tenants its pretty much hassle free and we have only lost tenants due to pregnancy (its a 1 bed) and the couple renting splitting up.

Have used my SL1200’s and Pioneer Mixer on their US two pin plugs for 20 years with no problems.

Just use a screwdriver to open the earth (power off of course :wink:) and away you go. Most two pin plugs have a neutral mark so I don’t see a problem..

Have had more issues trying to get my UK stuff to work out there cos of the drop in voltage..

oil of cloves + 1

DF118’s on pescription

Thanks Tish!

Cost of the contract is relevant on a high end phone like an iPhone. Assuming brought from a network store on a ‘unlimited’ tariff cost will be more like £1100 over two years.

Many people can’t or won’t pay any upfront cost for the phone so if the phone was lost, stolen, damaged, broken (take your pick) its unlikely that the individual will have £450 plus to shell out for a like for like replacement. Particularly early in the contract. That’s were insurance comes in.

Anyone who can afford to buy an iPhone outright should do just that as there are much better SIM only deals out there although at this stage you can’t get a SIM only 4G EE deal. Caveat in relation to the OP is that (as per my earlier post) network stores tend not to cover SIM free handsets for loss (theft still applies).

For everyone that has never had a phone lost of stolen there’s someone who has. As with most things in life and on here its a question of choice and from a STW POV opinion.

Shack + 1
The The + 1
One Dove – one album wonders from the early 90’s

Janes Addiction were massive in the US when I lived there

How did you buy it OP?

If it was on a contract I’m surprised you weren’t offered it by the network or store when purchasing. If you didn’t take it out at the time you won’t be able to do it retrospectively.

Many bank accounts will protect against theft as opposed to loss (check the small print) but you will need to register the IMEI number (look at the box your iPhone came in) as you will not be covered automatically.

There are some advantages to getting cover from your network or mobile phone store (for those of you considering a new phone) as you will most likely get tech support and repairs cover as well as theft/ loss. Having said that if you buy a handset SIM free (without contract) many networks won’t cover for loss (theft still covered).

It’s worth considering that the cheapest high st iPhone 5 contract will cost around £900-£950) over the life of the contract so that’s the real cost of a ‘free’ phone to you.

How did you buy it OP?

If it was on a contract I’m surprised you weren’t offered it by the network or store when purchasing. If you didn’t take it out at the time you won’t be able to do it retrospectively.

Many bank accounts will protect against theft as opposed to loss (check the small print) but you will need to register the IMEI number (look at the box your iPhone came in) as you will not be covered automatically.

There are some advantages to getting cover from your network or mobile phone store (for those of you considering a new phone) as you will most likely get tech support and repairs cover as well as theft/ loss. Having said that if you buy a handset SIM free (without contract) many networks won’t cover for loss (theft still covered).

It’s worth considering that the cheapest high st iPhone 5 contract will cost around £900-£950) over the life of the contract so that’s the real cost of a ‘free’ phone to you.

Don’t get me started

Rode down to the local cenotaph today as my nephew was carrying the flag for his cadet unit. I was pleasantly surprised at the turnout (reckon a couple of hundred people) in what isn’t a military town.

Restored a little bit of faith in my fellow man particularly as so many are ignorant of the sacrifices made. My great grandfather survived the First World War but my great uncle died aged 21 as a sergeant pilot over Germany in World War Two.

I won’t forget

http://flt-sgt-wh-good-not-forgotten.weebly.com/index.html

If anyone is interested in his story follow the link above.

Have a look at simplify digital

Had shingles in the last month so haven’t been doing much..

Thanks for posting the info mind and well done to those who have lost weight

(Randompan on MFP)

Nadine Dorries is her own biggest fan.. Clearly desperate to hear more of her own voice and thinks we can’t get enough of her either..

Perhaps she harbours a secret wish to become this decades Christine Hamilton so she can populate any other reality rubbish that comes along after she gets deselected for going on I’m a Celebrity

Nespresso + 1 with caveat for mail order capsules.

Tried them all from plumbed in Gaggia to stove top Bialetti

Mid town is exactly that and handy for seeing the sights in either direction..

Hotel metro is a decent hotel one block north of the Empire State with Macy’s / Broadway at the end of the road.. Rooms are decent size for an NYC hotel and there are some decent bars and delis on the same street. There’s a free breakfast (muffins Danish etc) and free coffee 24 hours..

Have stayed there years apart from first visit in 95 to last visit in 2010 with plenty in between and it always delivers.

Great screen for HD playback

V 2 of the software means you can use it standalone

Many android apps are a straight port

Solid build – much better than Nexus or Samsung equivalent

Got given one from BBY when they first came out and it was a pain that you couldn’t use it standalone. Mrs Nano uses it now it has V2 and is a fan.