chrisp65

I have a Freelander as a hire car. Virtually new. I've broken the key and the driver's seat won't adjust. A bit disappointed so far, got to do 400 miles tomorrow and I'm shoved up against the steering wheel like one of those mad female drivers that you see now and again.

Bought an Olympus E PL1 on Friday. It's old, I was quite surprised to see it re advertised but it was something I liked a year or so ago but was over priced. Got one in a local Jessops for £209 after a bit of haggling, it came with the standard kit lense and a 40 / 150 zoom. My theory being the two lenses were worth far more than the total price. A half decent camera that will live in the boot of the car for those drive by moments of beauty.

I've noticed a slide across to twitter amongst my nippers little social circle. They were all facebook, they still use it but nothing like as much. It's twitter 78 / 80% of the time. Not on either personally, I don't think it's suffered too much without me.

pterodactyl, with a silent p, as in bath

Good luck with that. I know it's easy to say, but just try and be relaxed and don't be phased by someone asking a mad leftfield question. If you don't know an answer, say so, but add that you will find out and get back to them. Hey, you know all that already. Go get 'em.

Cambridge Corn Exchange (September 11) Birmingham Symphony Hall (12) Southampton Guildhall (13) London Barbican Centre (16) Gateshead Sage Theatre (17) Edinburgh Queens Hall (18) Brighton Dome (20) Manchester Bridgewater Hall (21) Liverpool Philharmonic Hall (24) Oxford New Theatre (25) Dexys will be touring in September to plug the new album. Could be gig of the year, could be a car crash worth witnessing. What's the Brum Symphony Hall like as a venue? It's that or the Barbican, which I'm a bit meh about.

lovely

I am disappoint. As I believe people say on forums. Get yourself on the Mary Epworth website.

currently being paid to remove duct tape from lots and lots of ducts (as yes, it really doesn't work very well) also removing clear mastic which previous contractors appear to have thought was a good substitute for glue, oh, and replacing chipboard which turned out rather surprisingly to be rubbish as a base for showers also replacing indestructable resin toilets, which are all broken, if it wasn't for replacing the shite that was built a few years ago there'd be no work at all I'm really hoping we have somebody interesting as manager, not just the usual suspects on the merry go round. I'll give anyone the benefit of the doubt though. You just don't know who will turn out to be a good fit and just 'click'. I thought Pardew was a fairly uninspired choice for Newcastle, so what do I know. I'd like to think that we get a manager that somehow re invigorates a few of the players. Someone that somehow gets our highly paid players to be capable of passing the ball forward to a player in the same coloured shirt. That's probs been winding me up for a few years, I can't quote stats, but we can't pass. Unforgiveable really. Oh, and it would be nice if our new manager got the team to score from a corner in the first game.

hate to be a pedant but there is a brand of duct tape called......duck tape Ha really? I assume that originated from the common mis-pronunciation though, right? Actually, Duck Tape is the original name as it was duck cloth cut into strips and covered in adhesive. It's duct tape that came around as a result of mispronunciation Duct tape is used to seal the joints or connections in intake and extract ducts to keep them air tight, it's called duct tape because it's tape for ducts. It's called duck tape because its tape by duck. If we all agree to call it duck duct tape it'll be fine. Finally a subject I know something about. Not a clue on the manager though sorry (I've ruled myself out).

hate to be a pedant but there is a brand of duct tape called......duck tape

very poor fake, all the people are different heights

just back in from some allotment work very cold pepsi and Cockspur Rum, sink the first one, enjoy the second one

right, i'm officially ruling myself out of contention for the liverpool job if Lerner can't see that's a great big come and get me, well that's his loss

Quakers. I think they are rather grand. There, I said it.

But that's exactly why it's so interesting to me. Over here in the UK, we have relatively few fundies, but reasonably high numbers of the 'halfway-housers' - probably including 90% of the C of E clergy. Like I said upthread, I actually know a C of E vicar, who's a really nice bloke - but I don't dare mention the whole atheist thing in case we fall out. Which is a shame, because I'd love to know what he REALLY believes, off the record as it were. That conversation is really not easy. You've got to be truly comfortable in each others company and trust the conversation to be private. We were under pressure from non religious relatives to get a sprog christened. After a year it was getting quite uncomfortable and people were expecting their family 'do'. Though strangely, none of those applying pressure were in any way paragons of church going goodness. I had a discreet word with a friend who is also in the job, the person that would do the christening should we chose to go down that road. Their advice? Doesn't matter either way, I haven't had mine christened. I thought at first that was a flippant joke. But no, someone in the job hadn't had the kids christened. It'll be up to them when they are older. That kind of ties in with your point above, i wouldn't worry about your atheist conversation, it might surprise you the answer you get. Perhaps I should have asked the same question over in the good old USA as Norton suggests.

MOUSETRAP

Well, I don't know if that was a coincidence, but there goes that 'catholic' thing again. I know you're based in Liverpool and so RC kind of goes with the territory. Now there's a whole subject, cathedrals. What an awesome way to waste money that, well, might just possibly have had other more beneficial uses. Bicks do you have to decide on your own moral line, or is there company policy. If it's company, is it based on a degree of illegality or the way a question is phrased? If I get in the taxi and say I want to meet women, I'd expect a taxi driver to have the knowledge. If I got in and said I wanted a knocking shop, I'd still expect a taxi driver to know where to take me. But if I got in and said I really badly needed the drug of my choice, is that something that would be catered for?

You guys must live in a different sort of place to me. I know sooooo many religious people, believers if you will. I honestly don't know one that would pick up on the use of the word Jesus as proof of underlying faith or uncertainty or anything. I don't know of one that has a strong view on the nice Christmas story or thinks the birth day really was 25th December etc.. I also don't know any that would quote scripture or attempt to prove a point with reference to literature or pseudo science. I just don't recognise the people you appear to be discussing. I wonder if this is me lacking observational skills over 40 plus years, you guys being super sensitive. You guys living near a hot bed of neo Catholicism. Me being friends with Methodist lay preachers that are actually really not very good at it. I don't know a single person that believes the earth is flat, 6,000 years old or that snakes used to be able to speak and juggle fruit. I do know a few dozen people that work a food bank on weekday evenings and attend a church on Sundays - unless it's really nice weather in which case they piss off down to Stackpole and get spiritual with a disposable bbq and a bottle of red. The one thing I will say about 'them' as a group. There is a suspiciously high quota of Volvo ownership. I don't mean to sound soft or liberal or god of the gaps apologetic etc.. I just know a lot of christians that would rather contribute something positive than push the party line. Stealthy converters possibly? Setting good examples rather than scaring people or proving degree level knowledge of Revelations.

I'm sat here in a converted barn in the arse end of Kent. I've just watched 28 days later on dvd and now I'm watching the walking dead. sleep tight!

ok yes I'm with you on the angels and demons and ghosts and wotnot..... But what about soul? What about that certain something within a human that gives them more insight, conscience, morals. I'm not talking about a fairy on your left shoulder. I was just wondering if you thought there was something that sets us apart? Not necessarily gifted to us by a deity, just something that may have evolved in the mind over time and sets us apart with our heightened sense of fairness, help, community. Something beyond the community mentality of ants or meerkats. Something that causes everyday people in Reading give up money to help people they do not know in Pakistan. I'd quite like to think I have a soul.

I believe there is a fourth group. You could possibly argue for it being a sub group of either 1) or 2) in some instances, but in it's most extreme its a 4th group. It's the political christian. These are the guys that make a living out of being a politician or an evangelist or a rock star that panders to the more extreme 'fundie' end of the spectrum I may be doing these people a terrible dis service, but I believe there is a whole swathe of people that are in it for the power and prestige and therefore almost have to 'out extreme' their competitiors. It's highlighted in American politics, do some of these politicians really truly believe the extremities of the arguements they put forward? Or can they see that there is an audience for it, a paying, voting, powerful audience. Which makes it a route to power. They may even believe that they believe it, because they've pedalled it for so long. i won't try and name names in the American system, I don't have the research. But on a smaller scale our own beloved Tony Blair appeared to latch on to a strong religious vibe around about the same time he went to war in Iraq and was working on his own personal exit strategy. Waddaya know, war, conversion, millionaire lecture circuit. Now I know there are plenty on here who will point to plenty of war and bloodshed in the Old Testament. But I can't see any justification in the New for that sort of action. Was it to cater for a British fundie grouping? Surely not, I know plenty of church goers from plenty of denominations, almost all of which were opposed. I had far more 'secular' friends and associates that could see the merit in a war. But in the USA, there appears to be a significantly vocal and organised group that thrive on this. I'd call this wilfull mis interpretation, political christianity. (and yes, I am aware of the crusades, but I'm basing this on more modern times not)

Feel Flows by the BB's is right up there with the best stuff. If that's saccharine or gay, cover me in icing sugar and throw me to the boys!

not sure exactly what the company is going to be offering, but 'discreet ladyboy spit roast parties' might be a niche you could consider I've never had a successful return from yell when I've put that in, so there's a defo gap in the market. failing that, 'burlesque' is a bit fashionable at the moment and I'm pushing that as my final suggestion.

for me a successful season starts with an absolute base line of staying up whilst being more entertaining than this last horror of a season. From there, it's all bonuses. A decent cup run, beat some top half teams, make some game winning tactical changes or subs. Turn some defeats and draws into wins by out thinking and out playing opponents. Just generally clearly see a great big push of the reset button. End up in a position where next May we are clearly ready to push on rather than re group.