Beijing’s “Spiritual Civilisation Committee” issued scores of edicts in advance of the Olympics governing citizens’ behaviour, ranging from instructions on how to queue, apply make-up and comb your hair, to detailed advice on clothing.

Its guidelines were particularly critical of men who wore white socks with black shoes, but also weighed in on the subject of both pyjamas and the other great fashion faux pas – the male trouser leg rolled up to the knee to cool off.

Luxury!
My guests would have dreamed of having a packet of quavers and a pork pie. I made them eat grit from the side of the road . . . .

Isn’t it just a case of “do as I say, not as I do” . . . .

Good work!

Can you do one for the “what-a-state” of America too?

Not drinking or eating much before hand. I’ll try the breathing thing though

cheers

Eastbourne used to be excellent – you would usually get 2 tornados, a harrier, a jaguar, 2 F-16’s, a Chinook, the Memorial Flight, a Nimrod and a clutch of prop planes (old and new) and ‘copters. Mowadays its a shadow of its former self 🙁

Fairford was fantastic when I went in the 90’s – not sure about now though. Check the program I guess?

Farnbourgh was expensive and to that good last time I went.
Shoreham is ok – but it.s more old fashioned than modern.

How would a general election change anything? Is it only the ministers currently in power who have been claiming expenses with the aid of a damaged moral compass?

ELAINE: We’ve been thrown off course just a tad.

PASSENGER: What’s that mean?

ELAINE: In space terms, about 70 million miles.

(The Passengers appear interested and sensible, nod their heads)

ELAINE: The bumps you feel are car-sized asteroids smashing into the hull.

(The hood of a car smashes through the cabin wall. The Passengers still appear interested and sensible)

ELAINE: Also, we’re heading right for the sun and can’t seem to change course.

(Passengers still appear interested and sensible. They all put on sunglasses.)

PASSENGER: Are you telling us everything?

ELAINE: Not exactly. We’re also out of coffee.

(The Passengers errupt in total panic)

Can anyone foresee a “squirel run world” where the better off squirels in society have “stuffed people” decanters?

Or a horsey world where one horse shows another horse the stuffed head and shoulders of the woman who rode him to victory at the show jumping finals . . .

🙂

it was a few years ago, but yes, I know now 🙂

FYI – Another thing to look out for . . . . . a couple of years ago I did a balance transfer of a couple of grand onto a 5 month 0% interest virgin card, and then a few days later accidentally used the same card to buy a tank of petrol.

When my next statement came through it had the 2k at 0% interest plus an additional balance of £50 for the fuel. I sent off a full payment, in good time, for the £50 and a minimum payment for the 2k (which was maybe £25)

The next months statement had an intrest free balance of £1925, a repeated balance of the £50 for fuel and interest on that £50 of a few pounds.

When I phoned to query their “mistake” they informed me that the £50 couldn’t be paid off until the interest free balance was cleared. In other words all payments I made over the next 5 months would go towards the figure that was costing me nothing. This left the £50 for fuel untouchable and earning them interest for the full 5 months – with nothing I could do about it. I paid all the balances in full immediately and never used them again, but imagine if you were desperate and you did an interest free transfer of say 10k, and then had to use the card to but something for 1 or 2k? They’d make a mint on interest on the 1 or 2k and you’d have to clear the 10k first.

Of course it’s all in the small print . . . . .

There’s certainly an internet cafe at the top of Alpe du Huez, next to the big pool, and I saw a guy sitting on the pavement outside with a laptop . . . . not positive it was a free connection he was using though.

Does it have to last for ever or just as long as the marriage?

😉

Had mine out at 20, hurt like hell but stopped the sore throats I was getting every few weeks.

What gets me is the phrasing they use. I’m not sure whether the things listed are what the complainers actually said, or if the reporters are just summing things up that way.

For example with the ad about child abuse, I would expect to hear “I saw this ad, I was abused as a child, this ad therefore upset me” or “my children saw this ad, they are not abused but are now upset to think that other children less fortunate than them might be being abused, and are having nightmares about it” Both are quite logical and reasonable complaints (IMO),from people actully effected, regarding what was clearly an emmotive advert.

The way its being reported though is like this:

“Many of the 840 complainants were concerned with the imagery of abuse and drug use, especially because the ads were being shown at times when children could be watching”

So does this mean that their own children were not affected (maybe they don’t even have children) but thay are complaining on behalf of any children who may have seen the ad and may have been affected by it?

Likewise,

Some other viewers, who reported they had been abused as children, asked whether the imagery could upset some people who had suffered such treatment

If they’re “asking” then it’s a question not a complaint? They are saying that they were abused, they are not saying that because of this fact they were upset by the ad, but they are asking whether people who were abused could be upset by the ad?

I guess this is the biggest problem I have with this sort of thing – people complaining “on behalf” of other people. “Such and such a group/gender/race could be offended by this or that, although I personally am not in this instance”

(In some cases of course you would want someone to complain on behalf of someone else who may not be able to complain themselves, but surly in the majority of cases people CAN speak for themselves?)

Not sure if my satnav does altitude – was going to use my polar. I wondered about the pressurized cabin. maybe I’ll leave it running in my baggage in the hold and forget about the HR bit.

SST: has wet biscuit down his shirt

SST: Is dunking a ginger biscuit in his tea

SST: Is having a cup of tea and some ginger biscuits.

Cheers samuri 🙂

Flaperon – I will make sure it’s fully charged so I can have it on from push back. This is actually the first part of a 16 hr flight to JNB via Barcelona and then Madrid, but satnav only has maps for western europe, so at some point over gibralter i’m gonna fly into nothingness.

I might wear my polar hrm and log the flight – I’ll be able to look at an altitude graph for the duration then. I guess if I want to wear the actual HRM I can have a graph of heart rate too. Will be interesting to see what it gets to when we hit the updrafts over the equator!

(oh mastiles_fanylion I did this trip using various routes 4 times last year, via Paris, Munich and Frankfurt. Beleive me the inflight mag can only hold a persons attention for so long!)

When I worked in an office I used to switch the PC on as I walked past on my way to the coffee machine, then log in as I walked past on my way to the post room. By the time i got back it was good to go.

Where’s the problem?

Those static front hub caps intrigue me!

I had the same thing with a credit card company once, where they were owned by the same bank. One was GM, can’t remember what the other one was but I think the bank was HSBC

Rang one to check rates of interest and when I rang the next one a different woman answering gave the name of the first one.

Yes – “Owner of a horse and cart”

50% (Income Tax) + 13.8% higher rate National Insurance contrib.

i.e. for every pound you earn over £150k, 64p goes to the exchequer.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Nl1/Newsroom/Budget2009/DG_172915

That really sucks!

Ah yes – that well known harmonica player, Midge Ure . . .

🙂

Well I stopped at services on the M25 at around midnight thursday night and saw a couple in AC/DC T shirts comig out of the building as I went in. I said you must have driven even quicker tha me and the woman said “we left before the last song”

I was shocked and stunned.

I don’t see how this is an homophobic issue.

There was a man and there was a man dressed up as a woman.

The man fancies women, ok in this case it’s a man “dressed up” as a woman that he facies, but it’s still a “woman in a dress” that floats his boat. That doesn’t make him gay. Gay men fancy men dressed up as men afaik.

The man dressed up as a woman wants to be a woman, so should be considered as one.

So if neither of them are gay. Where does the homophobia come in?

OK so how many buttons should this remote thingy have had then?

A = Male
B = Female
C = Transgendered
D = Gay
E = Lesbian
F = BiSexual
G = Gay but still in the closet
H = Lesbian but still in the closet
I = ???

Dude – there are some things you shouldn’t admit too, even on a “things you shouldn’t admit too” thread!

🙂

Do we know enought to be sure that the blow caused the bleed?

Quite right! People walking down the street with their hands in their pockets burst into spontaneous internal bleeeding all the time . . . .

😉

“Ronnie Biggs was doing time until he done a bunk
Now he says he’s seen the light and he sold his soul to punk”

Hmmm 30 years of comfortable lifestyle, young wife, good weather can’t really be counted as time served can it? So, regardless of his age, he still owes Her Majesty some time?

The Harriers make the film 🙂

Saw them last night – front row.

Still the best band ever 🙂

I’m there tomorow night. Looking forward to it.

I saw tickets on line for Manchester next week @ nearly £400 each btw.

Am I the only one on here with any brains? Leave the engine running …..

🙂

Clearly an impression of modern day Britain.

The work represents a family – 2 parents (same sex), 2 teenagers and a younger child who is “different”. One of the teenagers has the afront to point out that little johnny is “different” and has been ostracized for airing his views . . . .

🙂

great film btw. Once you learn to live with that ANNOYING voice! 🙂

Are you and your special friend merely “co-habiting” or are you going for the full civil ceremony?

😉

I think you can safely discount whatever the “news healine” calls it and just view the scheme on its own merits.