Walsingham

I just moved house, and had to leave behind my hard-worn cooker. Moving into the new one I found of all things - no cooker! I have the cash to buy a new cooker of a pretty high standard, but the kitchen as a whole is rubbish. My longer term plan (8 months) is to completely remodel the rear of teh house, inorporating better security, double-glazing, floor and kitchen units. At that time I'm going to go with agas range cooker with all the trimmings. Until then I have opted to go with a 'effects based cooking solution' or what you might call 'moron chef' approach. To this end I have bought in separate units: - 3.5 kg slow cooker - large electric griddle - electric steam cooker (that also does rice) Between them this should allow me to cook 90% of my normal meals. So far I've only used the griddle/sandwich press thing, but it is FANTASTIC. You don't need any cooking oil for sausages or steak, and you can also do vegetables around the edges. Does anyone else have any good successful hardware in their kitchen?

I'd like a Chillblast Fusion Juggernaut ****tail. Can someone mix one?

Best of luck. I also overslept this morning. The fiancee got up with the alarm, got ready and left without waking me. She usually at least stops by to say 'goodbye' (and 'you should really get up now') but either she didn't or I was oblivious to it. I was having one of those "back in school taking a test that I hadn't prepared for" dreams. I spend most of the dream wasting test time getting set up, moving my desk about, discovering that the booklet that I intended to write my answer in was already filled with notes from another class, etc. The way I figure it, if your body refuses to wake up to a loud alarm, then you need the sleep. Nuts to anyone who says different. But it really is the case that after Army NCOs a lot less stuff intimidates/alarms you. Speaking of which I 'met' our new physical training instructor. The man could have been any age over 30. He looked like he'd been made from equal parts chewing tobacco, rawhide, and bastard. Fething terrifying.

Congratulations on picking something and finishing it. You've inspired me to get my old miniatures out of the loft and have another crack at painting them. In the meantime, how about a screed for a window?

The Army is making me irresponsible. No-longer feared of my client I simply slept through my alarm this morning (knackered from training)! I shall need to give them a call in a minute and make some sort of excuse. After coffee and the paper, tho'.

Kudos for being honest. But you can see that perhaps your views are slightly inappropriate to most people who sign up? Being part of a close knit unit, making friends for life, these are all positive things for a lot of people. Things which compensate for a lot of the bull****.

I know this is a wee bit rude of me, but it seems to me that you've got a massive chip on your shoulder about the Navy. I have a cousin who's a US Navy rating, just spoke to him recently. He freaking loves it. Likewise, without wanting to be offensive, it seems to me that you're whole "Me and me alone" attitude would get you bounced by just about any halfway reputable military unit. Loners don't get far in any service. Pull together is lesson one.

I assumed this was just a chance for DN to say he'd got some nookie.

Shryke: wit, rock star, neurosurgeon

Congratulations!

I am, obviously, obliged to rag you for joining the Navy, but nonetheless good on you. Like the other fellahs say, don't fret when it seems like they're giving you pointless crud to do. The matra I use is "If this is the worst thing the Army ever do to me then I'm doing well." Of course I'll be very different come Monday. One more weekend of fun fun fun coming up.

Thanks.

Right, I ordered the 9600GT you suggested, and upgraded to 2gb of RAM. I also bouyght myself a new mouse. Now all I have to do is find time to enjoy all this new kit next week.

Very well. I accede to your power-crazed demands. BTW since I'm saving some money on the GPU I think I should get some more RAM

My old 7900GTX explodiert! I'm currently using a drawing of a graphics card done on the back of a breakfast cereal packet. So should I just stump up for a 9600GT?

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/worl...icle3754204.ece I'm normally quite rude about the RAF regiment, but I thought this was an interesting story. Gary Thompson went to Afghanistan as a reservist volunteer because (so he said) he wanted Afghan women to have the same opportunities he'd worked to secure for his five daughters. He was killed last week by a roadside bomb. I thought this could spark a discussion of what it means to believe in something and how far you'd go to support it. Would you risk your life for your beliefs?

Spreading panicky rumours?

Pure liquid insanity.

Extract from Stratfor: "The torch relay in San Francisco proved a mixed bag of anti-China and pro-China demonstrators, as well as spectators simply hoping for a glimpse of the symbol of the Olympic Games. Pro-Tibet and other demonstrators altered their tactics in San Francisco following clashes surrounding the torch run in London and Paris

Actually, reviewing the details of the DuTroux case, I am struck by three points: 1) Rape of minors should be taken seriously. 2) In this case, and in many other cases, the offender has beeen guilty of a string of other offences over a long epriod of time, all of which point to severe mental disturbance and a danger to the public. Nothing effective appears to have been done to deal with this danger. 3) I put it to you that our efforts would be better applied to effectively handling known habitual violent offenders of all kinds. If we fail to do that then all this talk of exacting terrible revenge is more or less an attempt to assuage our own guilt for standing idly by!

I'm confused a little here, chaps. Several of you talk about abusers being abused. Surely abuse is something that is foul whichever way you slice it? On the other hand, a quick read about Marc Dutroux (et al) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3522367.stm does make one reconsider. I mean, what do you do with someone like that? How could any psychologist really take responsibility for turning him loose, even after twenty years? BTW, how many here have seen Oz?

Something I've heard GD say enough times...

If memory serves YOU were a dancer weren't you DR?

I have to say that the business of Tibet becomes more murky the deeper one digs. I haven't time to go to the library over this, and Wikipedia is even more outrageous than usual. I have read one book on the subject, written by an American colonel in the mid fifties. In it he alleges that the PLA had been halted a combination of ibetan forces and the terrain, and had been about to give up on a bad job. But suddenly the Dalai Lama signed the 17 point treaty basically saying that Tibet ought realy to be part of China. I confess that the notion of the Tibetans beating hardened communists at the time seemed fantastical. However 1) If Tibetans are anything like Ghurkas then I think we can regard them as superb fighters. 2) Chinese communist logistics were simplistic at best. Far from home I can well believe that they'd be hard pressed to sustain an operational force. If this was the case then frankly I have a hard tim sympathising with the Tibetans. That's the price you pay for being bloody wet.

Recommend they take up politics? Seriously, if you want politicians who only tell the truth you'll wait a long time.