Walsingham

Remind me why you're punishing yourself, again? You seem pretty switched on, generally.

Nick actually says "this is the most surreal experience". Although anyone who teaches kids wouldn't be the least surprised by the selfish half-baked notions being expressed. I really can't recommend you listen to it highly enough.

It's got **** all to do with skin colour. It's all about being a ****ing halfwit, egged on by leftists who somehow think that stealing stuff and burning down your own housing estate is revolutionary. Rather than, say, retarded. Perfect reportage from the BBC's Nick Ravenscroft, here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsi...000/9560646.stm if you can get it wherever you are.

Look, I'm not having a go, because there are professional commentators saying this. But it's total balls. You get people rioting in other countries over jobs or no food or no petrol. These are 'youths' on the whole taking part in violence because it's free (if not actually lucrative) and exciting, and scores you credibility with your mates. Most of these scallies have poor prospects in life because they've been engaged in an eucation/youth system which abandoned them by being soft on them, and letting them not study and providing no alternative to studying.

Nice try, LoF. A smattering of looting and a few attacks on restaurants isn't the revolution. I agree with one Tory MP that it's disgusting that we consider anti-riot methods like water cannons and rubber bullets good enough for the Irish but far too rough for the mainland. is this the ****ing 19th century?

Yes. A bit like this one. WHERE THE FUNT IS THE GM?

I don't even know what verb I haven't effected! Read? Polished? Admired? Smalkucked?

Let's not get over-excited here. The fact is that with about 2000 coppers in a county the police have always 'controlled' by consent and sleight of hand. If someone takes it into their head to stage a 'riot' then standard procedure is basically to let them get on with it, unless someone powerful is prepared to shell out overtime and specialist units to hit it really hard. My read on this situation is that: 1. The man's OWN SUPPORTERS admitted to the BBC that he was 'involved in stuff', but that they maintain he wasn't violent 2. The chucking of a few rocks at a police car was met with passive inaction by the police 3. ...and 'yutes' began the obvious teenage reaction of hooting and running amok, aided by 'adults' keen to do some looting 4. The vilence willl stop when either every simpleton who wants a telly has burned down their local Dixons, and when the police get given a strategic parliamentary level 'all clear' on battering hoodies. 5. Until they get some political cover te cops will be perfectly happy to hang fire. HUGE job curts are in the pike for them, and this gives them a handy oportunity to remind the civil power that police are the power when things get uncivil.

The who the what now? Which post?

Don't listen to these goons. You're a man. So if for some reason it doesn't work out you can always man the f*** up and get over the disappointment. *ducks hurled objects*

I symptahise with your point, but ultimately Joe Public (and I largely include myself except for particularly good days) don't understand the complexity of what is happeneing. Having BIg MOney People Say Things Not Good is at least possible to understand.

Have to work today to catch up on several back burner projects which have been slipping. But the weather is awful, so not much lost. had dream last night where plot mechanic was a bit like the film Memento, where someone is trying to remember, except in this case they are trying to think of a thing. The lead character was being left 'questions' in tablet form. each one contained some chemical associative stimulants to triger thoughts in a specific user's mind - taste of a specific birthday cake, for example - that would come togther to form both an unresolved missing datum and the powerful desire to solve it. I think the author if the questions was going to turn out to be some sort of Gibson AI, but I got woken up by my houseguest coughing!

Like hell you do. You just need to quit hangovers. Ow ow ow.

The US emerged as a winner out of the depression because of WW2. What will drag us out this time around? WW3, old-style Dune no-nuke policy warfare? Pike blocks. Only way to go. *gasp* We could have celebrity raised regiments like back in the old days when regiments were raised by gentry. Anne Robinson's Hussars...

Frustrated by a nameless dread of a host of pettyfogging bureaucracy that is clogging my work like dead leaves. Stood up and sky'd my office chair across the room in a magnificent display of total stupidity. I feel much better, and also understand all these anarchist rock throwers a little better. EDIT: I will also need to rewallpaper my office as I knocked a chunk out of the wall. Firther edit: if violence is the final argument of kings, then perhaps violence itself makes one feel like a king? It's been far far too long since I did any actual violence. Although naturally it's been not long enough since I had any violence done to me!

Lt. Hunter used to use that for real in Hill Street Blues. My favourite approximation is 'feth'. because I'm unstylish, even for a nerd.

The one, the orginal, Howlin' Wolf, ladies and gentlemen. Smokestack lightning. Although might be more to a mellower taste. Going to try and learn this. ~~~ Also, this Fallout-tastic number yesterday: It ain't the meat, it's the motion.

Ironically my own contact with Chile has been through meeting some Chilean naval officers. Very professional, very very relaxed.

IIRC from our last discussion I settled on two points: 1) Private health care in the US costs significantly more than anyone else's government managed healthcare, but isn't proportionately better 2) Gfted1 made what I thought was an interesting and compelling point: that the US government is uniquely rubbish for various reasons, and wouldn't be able to match the performance of other governments managed schemes.

My dear Krez, it is precisely because f*** is so commonly used that it is good to have it banned here. Forces one to think a little more than usual.

Good call. I actually think you've a fair point here, I have nothin in common with pretty much everyone, except for the fact of being a Yorkshireman gives me something in common with other, Yorkshiremen. Past that, I just wish everyone would feck off. Seriously though, I do think you're onto something with the rate of change observation. I saw Bradford change from a white working class city into Bradistan over a period of about 10 years. That kind of stuff is going to cause riots, far as I know, now most of the white folk have moved out they've begun turning on each other. To those reading this and thinking "Nightshape's gone mental", go to Bradford. Look at it, and tell me honestly you don't think it's a bit damned strange. It's not that I don't think the infusion of new cultures won't be beneficial in the long run. I myself come from continental stock back in the 1600s. But I do think that in general system terms rapid change of any kind provokes system instability and in extreme cases total system collapse. The trouble is that the 'solution' is completely beyond me. Although I rather like the notion of accepting anyone into the country provided we turf out some wanker instead on a like for like basis.

I will do so myself. Although ideally I should be meshed into some sort of throne made of tubes hooked up to my spine, and wearing a cowl.

+1

I dimly recall this not being the case. On the subject of *ahem* romance, my main trouble at the moment is that at least three women have expressed a keen interest recently, but IMO they're far too mad. Evidence 1: they are keen on me.

Firstly, good luck getting that volunteer fire department to handle a major industrial chemical spill. And especially good luck with all the weird chemicals you'd have being made if your NATIONAL government wasnt able to keep big corporations in line. You need to get out of the USA and spend a little time in places where they actually have to get by with **** all national government. See how they muddle along famously, getting raped by every two bit corporation and neighbouring proper state. Local government my arse. Secondly, I'd like a straight answer from you on whether you accept that national infrastrcuture exists and would have been built at all without national investment.