chrisp65

Off the top of my head (the list would probably change daily) The Age of Capital - Eric Hobsbawn - one of a very small number I will read and read again and go to as a sort of reference book He Kills Coppers - Jake Arnott - just a good old retro pulp 60's stylee british gangster caper (see also The Long Firm) Perfume- Patrick Suskind - just really enjoyed it I have no discernible taste when it comes to books, other than a love of disposable brit pulp (Colin MacInnes - absolute hero) I like to keep it varied. Don't really do much horror, war or sci fi. Though having said that, I have had flings with Sven Hassel and Isaac Asimov. I guess they were an easy entry into books for someone that started a bit late. Next weekend we are having one of 'our' paperback culls.

we need a VT tapestry

Any nuisance kids that don't really have decentrole models, they don't have to be in tower blocks, no automatic link. Often from sink estates.

Dangerous place to be, middle of the road.

You have to keep on keeping on. It's corny but it's true. As Mooney says, you have to try and persuade some away from their peers. Pick off the periphery or pay off the ring leaders. You have to celebrate little victories, because one little victory is potentially a whole family put on a different course. On the case of the hub that was torched, that particular group was knocked back by lack of funds for a while - volunteers and staff were disbursed elsewhere. But I've since seen that they are back and have taken over a closed pub and have grafitti all over the outside advertising that they are a yoof club with recording rooms and stuff . It's in a part of Cardiff I rarely visit anymore. But every time your wages are converted to tax and spent teaching noisy kids how to edit rap music some of them become interested enough not to get in to trouble and go to prison and cost you £40,000 a year in accommodation. It makes their kids less likely to go to prison. It makes their grand kids less likely... SureStart and FlyingStart do similar work. Using your tax to employ women (mostly women) to explain to new young mums how to feed a baby properly and how to spot a paedo. A long hard slog, but well worth it. The annoying little bastards.

I saw that accident, and now I have a stiff neck and a headache. What's your old man's number? I'm not doing anything she isn't.

Tony, Yeah, I've probably given a few versions of that story before, it's a fave! Be interesting to find the old ones and see how much the facts have changed! It's etched in to my brain, it was my first 'big' problem thing I had to deal with as a grown up. New family, no money and a car company trying to dick me for a few thousand pound. I'd have been happy to buy Golfs for the rest of my life rather than have to think about it. I told them that and their attitude was 'whatever'. Having been to lots of years of VW events and the like over the years it was a sickener for a while. Obviously I'm completely over it now and at peace with the world once again!

Many years ago I bought a Beetle from a VW main dealer, not a new one but a decent one. Then I bought a nearly new Golf. Then I bought a new Golf. I'd always queried that the engine didn't sound right, but had always been told it was fine. I'd had the good sense to go in to print from the start. Anyway, first service after 3 year warranty was up and the main dealer phones to say the engine is knackered. A month of arguing between me, the dealer and VW and it's agreed that my having put my concerns in writing at every service since new is a bit of a killer. So VW instruct the main dealer that they have to give me a new engine at their expense. In a bizarre piece of revenge, the main dealer then gives me a file of letters and e-mails between him and the VW head office and engineers. Basically, VW told the dealer (before they knew what I had in writing) that the engine had a flaw in it from the get go, it was a defect they'd seen in other cars - but there was no way they were telling me and to try and get me to pay for all of it, or as much as I could be convinced to pay without going legal. Anyway, in the end VW and the dealer went halves, I paid nothing. I never bought a VW product again. I appreciate somebody somewhere could most likely tell the same story for any other manufacturer. That much will be true. But if you're happy to keep buying from proven conmen, that's great, best of luck to you.

This 'Grand Central' thing. I've done a very quick dig around, no more than a few wiki pages. New Street or it's predecessors on the same site were in operation from 1852 and formally named and opened in 1854. At the time it was like nothing previously seen, 40 trains per hour and the world's largest single span roof. A record it kept for 14 years, not bad going in the white heat of industrial expansion across the globe. It was initially known as 'The Grand Central Station at Birmingham' a slightly grandiose title for a station in a town (wouldn't be a city for another 30 years). But that was how it was referred to, prior to the building of the New York version. New Street is the largest and busiest station in the UK outside of central London. I wouldn't worry too much about looking small time. It's more about knowing your history and being a bit more on the front foot against upstarts like mouthy Manchester.

I just wonder what it was that the establishment had on Blandy to make him delete all that? Proof if any more proof were needed of where the real power is in this country. Burn your hard drives, suck the cloud dry, they are coming to check your top collar button and bother your livestock.

1:0 sorted

It'll be interesting with VW to see if they are allowed to fail. The share price is down by over a third and they've confessed that test cheating software has been installed in millions of cars worldwide. Not an error or a design fault or something poorly designed, something deliberately installed to cheat the emissions tests that are supposed to protect or their customers and the public. The USA are talking about $24,000 dollar fines for every one of the 480,000 cars sold by deception. France, Italy and the UK now calling for a full EU investigation. So the company is potentially looking at billions of dollars of fines, a change of leadership, a totally different share position and a much reduced image with the car buying public. I'd have thought that the German government can't allow a company the size of VW Audi to fail or get bought by China.

Rob, I've got a semi.

I think that might be me on the horizon! I used to have a long blond wig.

planners that think they are designers local councillors that think good design is brown pvc tudor trimmings project managers that think the thinking time in design is the obvious place to make up some time clients that want the absolute bottom price, the absolute best trades people, the absolute minimum time on site, and a design award

nerd

ha ha! if the base goes down any more the cones are going to pop out first dub on the 'new' old speakers and it's bloody marvellous

You're broadly supportive but nobody is going to tell you to put mayonnaise on chips?

Treason? Start of the week you didn't like his tie, that escalated! Wow.

you know in advance that the driver of the Micra, doing 25 mph, is going to see that 30 mph speed camera at the very last minute and perform almost an emergency stop every **** time it is one of the few car stereotypes that is bang on true

My missus has had a career in various forms of yoof work. She's got quals, does voluntary and has had paid work. By default over the years I've helped out a little bit. More in prep than actually dealing with yoofs - my mouth runs off too fast to be too involved at the work face as it were. But generally, there is no silver bullet for a community that has got stuck. I've seen literally hundreds of thousands of pounds spent on state of the art facilities, for them not to get used for weeks because going inside the building might look uncool. Eventually for someone to burn it down. When questioned why there was an arson attack, the gathering crowd has cited boredom as a reason 'nuffin to do around here'. They've burnt down a building with a cafe, a gym, a DJ studio and lots lots more, because there was nuffin to do. It's a mindset that can take a long time to turn around. It's a really tricky one.