Marmora Man

Nice pasting NN - what do YOU think of the situation?

Annette Curtain Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I/we voted > > I encouraged all my neighbours to vote > > I badgered many other too > > Boris got in > > > > *meh* > > Netts:X I did exactly the same and Boris got it. Great!

I would add that if as good as last year it will be brilliant - and it looks as if it will be better. I was tempted by so much of the art on display last year - sculpture, lithographs, paintings, ceramics, glass works, photos and much much more. Did give way to temptation (the only way to deal with it) and buy two great pieces - may find myself doing the same again this year.

In UK everyone may join a union - the fact that less and less choose to do so is, perhaps, a reflection of Trade Union's behaviour in the recent past, the generally good employment legislation encated over the last century (many as a result of TU lobbying). Today Trade Unions are largely irrelevant, only dominant in the public sector and often appear to be something closer to a politically motivated protection racket - "fighting" for their members to be given preferential, taxpayer funded, status in defiance of economic reality.

Only a political illiterate could describe BJ as a fascist. It takes a certain kind of leftist idiot to use the term as a shorthand for the "slightly right of centre" that Johnson promotes. BJ is perhaps more of a libertarian, certainly socially liberal (gay marriage, green & eco friendly etc), along with a pronounced desire for self determination, non tribal politics, low taxes and smaller government.

RosieH Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I don't disagree Quids. I just think Boris is an > abomination and I can't stand the idea of more of > his ego-bus buffoonery and obfuscation. > > I find him incredibly divisive, and although I'd > rather have Ken, it's a lesser of two evils > question for me. Used to love Ken, but the tax > issue is absolutely indefensible. Rosie - I'd be interested in any examples of Boris' divisive"ness" as few come to my mind. I believe him to be less politically calculating, less tribal in his beliefs (which, I accept are not shared by everyone) and genuine in his concern to make London a better place for all. He is also pragmatic enough not to promise perfection just something that is better than current status quo.

It looks good to me - all indications that there is no "Return of Red Ken" - yippee.

Gidget Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Go there on a Monday when they have the offers. Agree - we felt we should have gone on Monday when Burger Night offer is Burger + chips + pint house lager - all ?9.75, which is a pretty good deal for a very good burger.

The Marmora family ate at the Draft House last night and enjoyed two good burgers, an average hot dog and an OK vietnamese chicken salad. Agree on smell of paint - mildly off putting but the burgers were good, better than any I've had outside of Joe Allens, and so were the starters of baby back ribs & wingettes. The atmosphere perked up nicely with good hum of noise that didn't mean having to shout to hold a conversation.

Jeremy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > RosieH Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Has anyone been to Lobster & Burger and had the > burger? > > Nope - I opted for the lobster roll! I'm sure the > burger is good, but ?20 for a burger... no way. How long did you wait? We tried to get in but were informed the queue was 3 hours wait time - so we left. Modern "no booking" ideas may be good for the buzz, informality and impetuous types but they're a real pain when you want to plan an evening

This "double dip" is a technical creation - good to beat up the coalition gov't about but, in reality, a half percent growth / lack of growth is within the margin of error and this position is neither a triumph of gov't policy nor an indictment of it. The simple truth is that as a country GDP is flatlining - and government indebtedness is still growing - only very slightly more slowly than Alistair Darling and Labour would have done. This is a world recession - it would have hurt UK whatever the state of gov't finances. It is tougher to climb out of in UK because of the debt fuelled spending spree of 2004 - 2009. There is no magic bullet - there is and will continue to be pain for the economy and UK, I plan to retire in 3 years time and don't expect the country to be in a markedly better position by then. If individuals were prudent, didn't have massive debt, have a tracker mortgage (tho' watch out when bank rates rise) and if they remain in work then it's not so bad. For those whose jobs have vanished it is really tough. Politicians of left, right or centre pretending that it can be otherwise if Gov't simply spent more money that it doesn't have is misleading at best and a downright lie at worst.

mrsS Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Marmora Man - a MBA, like a Master in Business > Administration? Sorry, I am counfused. > > Pickle - I love drinking coffee. Can I make a > career out of that? :) Oh, and exercising of > course, and writing. Husband always tell me to > become a writer. Which was my dream when I grew > up. Swedish is my first language so if I would try > to do something with my writing it would be in > Swedish. Yep - MBA as in Master of Business Administration. You don't have to have been "in business" to take one - just be intelligent, academically capable with experience of life. Friends of mine were variously - librarians, army officers, a fashion designer, a BT engineer and a musician as well as perhaps the more obvious accountants and general business types. They went on to - equally variously - a UN disaster relief worker, into marketing, setting up their own business (bagel shops), into Human Resources, into the NHS, into publishing (magazines). However, if you think you could make a living out of writing - I'd go for that.

If you can afford the time (and money) going back to college for a year and completing an MBA can be a good way to change career paths. There are many "focussed" MBA based around different sectors or there are the "classic" MBAs. I did this aged 40 and went from a life at sea into healthcare - on the way learning a lot of useful stuff, stretching my mind and making a lot of new friends.

Mick Mac Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Save water, bath with a friend. :)) and don't put water in your whisky.

But if the drought goes on for much longer I'll have webbed feet.

I dug out my front garden by hiring a pneumatic drill and spending a noisy, hard working, but satisfying weekend breaking up all the redundant concrete and pathways. Once it was all broken into (smallish) lumps it was all thrown into a skip. Then levelled everything - added some more top soil and had a decent base on which to design new garden. As I didn't go too deep I didn't disturb any pipes. In fact didn't even think about the possibility.

Link here

Saw "One Man, Two Guv'nors" last night - just brilliant. No star names just an excellent updating and staging of an 18th century comedy. I have never heard an entire audience laughing in complete accord for e=an entire play. The degree of ad libs and occasional interaction with the audience adds still further pleasure to the evening. Recommended. No longer the sell out it was with James Corden in the lead role - but his successor, Owain Arthur holds the whole thing together wilt skill and ease.

It's not so much about avoiding agents fees, more about putting the property in front of the right audience. At present it's being marketed as a 5 bed house, with the extra space and options buried in the descrptive text. Have discussed this with agent and with them are thinking about other options. Anyone interested - PM me.

Without wishing to rehearse last years debate in full - I doubt it. Not unless the "Irish Community" wishes to raise the necessary funds for the event themselves?

I drew up a simple DIY will for my mother through a website - not too costly, simple easy to follow steps and a final checking process by qualified solicitor. A lot less than ?250 + VAT. Simple web search will identify a number of providers.

We are about to sell our Marmora Road house - Large, Victorian, detached, 5 beds PLUS a separate, 2 bedroomed Granny / Nanny Annexe with kitchen, shower room and living room. When we bought the property I had to search all of London and 100's of estate agents to find properties with an actual or potential granny annexe - we were so pleased to find our house and create the sort of shared home we wanted. We had assumed that by the time we no longer needed the granny annexe (parents-in-law passed away last year) there would be other families in a similar situation looking for similar properties. QUESTION: Where might it best to advertise the property? We have considered "Mumsnet" but otherwise stumped to find a sensible website / channel / agent through which to reach families with teenage children and parents to look after / accommodate. All suggestions would be very welcome.

Crystal Palace mast celebrating end of analogue TV signals and completion of the digital switchover.

Has anyone used one of these new Cockney Cash Machines? There's one on the Hackney Road, by Haggerston Co-Op that I use when buying plants at Columbia Road market on a Sunday.

As the Polar Bear sang: HAVE YOU HEARD ANY WORD OF THE ICEBERG? By Les Barker On a cold rainy night on a Liverpool quayside In the years before the Great War The world was in shock at the loss of Titanic So proud had they been days before. Relatives gathered for news of their loved ones, To read through the list of the dead, When into the throng came a sad-eyed Polar Bear, And to the clerk at the counter he said? Chorus: Have you got any news of the iceberg? My family were on it you see, Have you got any news of the iceberg? They mean the whole world to me. My wife and children were coming from Greenland To be by my side in the zoo. Belinda's my wife and the eldest's called Bernard, and Billy, well, he's only two. I know on the ship there were hundreds of people, And I know the iceberg's not yours, The Polar Bear's eyes held the start of his teardrops He covered his face with his paws. It's been over a year since I last saw my children, I left home to build my career: I've worked very hard, I'm a star in the circus, It's all been for nothing I fear. There's my face on the poster, We're in town this week. My Children were meeting me here. Everyone watched as he struggled to speak. By now all the people had gathered beside him, His grief was one they could share, The people around him in silence and sadness, Listened to the sad Polar Bear. I wanted my children to see me performing, And Belinda, she would have been proud. At last, lost for words and his tears flowing freely, The question was asked by the crowd. Chorus: Have you got any news of the iceberg? My family were on it you see: Have you got any news of the iceberg? They mean the whole world to me.