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justin124 said:

pbr2013 said:

justin124 said:

viewcode said:

justin124 said:

viewcode said:

GIN1138 said:

JosiasJessop said:

GIN1138 said:

TheScreamingEagles said:

Tony shouldn't worry about the treason stuff, it's only the same halfwits saying it whose first comment when Jo Cox was attacked was to ask if her attacker had a beard

He shouldn't be put in prison for treason... But he should be arrested and put on trial for his potentially illegal war.

What part(s) of the Chilcott report are you basing that on?

Chilcott didn't judge on the legality

That has been my view since 2004 and will always be my view.

I disagree that it was illegal, but thankfully my point doesn't revolve around that.

You can't have a trial for something that *might* be illegal. There has to be a charge, otherwise we're in Constable Savage territory.

On that basis the Nuremberg Trial should not have happened in 1945/46. On the indictment related to 'Planning for War' there was more evidence against Blair - and Bush - than any of the defendants put on trial there with the possible exception of Ribbentrop.

I'm pretty sure none of the Nuremburg defendants were charged with "we're not sure but we think something might have happened". My point was that there has to be a charge and GIN1138 wanted a trial without one. Weirdly enough, his was a very inquisitorial position...and hence very French in that respect.

But it was a Tribunal set up by the Allies which had no legal standing which then proceeded to charge people on the basis of retrospective law which the victors had invented and dictated. It could reasonably be argued that the Allies showed less restraint than the Nazis post Fall of France in 1940. Daladier and Reynaud were not put on trial - never mind executed.

Revolting, loathsome false equivalence. The Holocaust was unique and demanded a unique form of justice. I think more Nazis should have been hanged.

Those principally responsible for the Holocaust were already dead - Hitler - Himler - Heydrich. Kaltenbrunner alone of those accused at Nuremburg might have been held to have some responsibility too.

Goering played his part.

Personally, I would not be happy to try people for planning a war of aggression. That is victor's justice. Jodl should not have been hanged.

But trying people for acts of barbarity that fall well outside the normal useages of war seems fair to me, eg the Final Solution, perverted medical experiments, torture of prisoners.

Mr. T, the middle class test is to ask someone what they think of differential front end grip and observe their response.

rkrkrk said:

MTimT said:

rkrkrk said:

If we assume that the EU is not going to give us everything we want for free...

This is the essence the problem of a lot of the Brexit negotiation analysis.

It is not the UK being a supplicant, asking for things from the EU. It is a negotiation to find the best way forward for both parties.

I may have misunderstood your point- but would you accept that there are tradeoffs?
And that different parts of the Conservative party want different things?

There is no realistic deal that John Redwood and Ken Clarke or Anna Soubry could support. Which in a microcosm is the problem she faces with Brexit negotiations I think.

My point is indeed that there are trade-offs, and that this is not a single issue, zero sum game.

So saying only that "the EU is not going to give us everything" is to assume that a good trading relationship is not sufficient for them, or that they have nothing to lose if that is not achieved. I assume from your response that this was not you intent, but I read far too much that implies UK is a supplicant, and if we go into negotiations accepting that mindset, we shall be right royally screwed. The only way we get a good deal is if we do not buy into that, but truly believe that we have things they don't want to lose.

JosiasJessop said:

PAW said:

Oh... big investments coming by JLR in the UK.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38102507

What a shame that British-based management could not make this much of a success of JLR ...

Mr Jessop, the idea that JLR will expand its operations in the UK is described as a "vision" by its chief exec and not a plan. See this article:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/11/25/jaguar-land-rover-reveals-vision-building-electric-cars-britain/

Worth noting that the first editions of its new electric car are to be built under contract by a separate company in Austria.

In the mid-nineties not long after Jaguar was spun off as a standalone company it seemed to be making serious money and was generally regarded as a success story. At a dinner at that time I sat next to a senior Jaguar bloke, and engineer who had been with Jaguar since he was a fifteen year old apprentice. He was scathing - all the money was coming from currency manipulation (the pound was going through one of its turbulent periods) and not from building good cars. The result the directors got shedloads of cash in bonuses and options, a;; based on short term metrics of success, and Jaguar got taken over (rescued might be a better word) by Ford.

I really do think we need to change the model of corporate governance in this country.

P.S. I am sorely tempted by this offer:

https://chillblast.com/chillblast-fusion-gtx-1080-custom-gaming-pc.html?category_id=407&utm_source=News+for+Chillblast+Clients&utm_campaign=61a9a7182c-PURCHASERS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2016_11_24&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b54763c6bb-61a9a7182c-186433457&mc_cid=61a9a7182c&mc_eid=e80b646290

Trouble is my existing Chillblast PC (3 years old) was specced to play Skyrim at its highest settings and is going strong. How do I justify the cost to Herself?

The amount of pro EU hype being put out by the broadcast media on the hour every hour is just over the top and may well have the opposite effect of hardening voters in favour of leave. However, it is time both remain and leave declared a truce and agree for TM to serve A50 by no later than the end of March 2017 to just get on with the process.

There is absolutely no way that the middle and end negotiations will not be put under scrutiny in the HOC and by then the negatives and more likely positives from a clean break will become apparent and at that time the HOC must give its approval, but absolutely no second referendum.

I do wonder why the broadcast media have not featured today’s statement by IIse Aigner, the Bavarian economics Minister, who has said that Brexit Germany needs a comprehensive trade deal with the UK to stop its own Country’s economy crashing. She argued that the UK was one of the most important trading partners in Bavaria.

I assume it does not suit broadcasters current agenda

Mr. NorthWales, broadcast media has let its own emotions and biases hold sway for a while now. Used to be rather more objective than print media. Same happens with the migrant crisis.

Mr. Llama, you've probably seen but, if not, Kingdom Asunder came out yesterday. You should buy it, because it has the best words.

Baskerville said:

Surely the sharp devaluation of Sterling against the Euro has more than offset any tariffs the EU27 maybe considering to punish us for leaving?

There was a report yesterday that over the last two weeks the dollar and pound were strengthening while the euro was weakening and this trend is expected to continue through 2017. With the turmoils in the EU the gap between the euro and pound may well narrow to a few percentages points and in this case I assume inflation may well be much less than forecast, which if it happens will make the OBR and IFS look more silly than they do just now

Just had yet another charity person knocking on my door basically chugging. Usual rubbish about 'have you had a good week' etc etc.

I seem to dimly recall Parliament was going to act on this - anyone know anything?

DavidL said:

AnneJGP said:

DavidL said:

TheWhiteRabbit said:

DavidL said:

Sort of on topic I have just received our weekly memo. It contains the following request, apparently made by the Scottish Government:

"The Government would like our ideas quickly and we suggest within a couple of weeks. Accordingly, all Stables; all Faculty interest groups; all Associations; all groups of members with a common interest and individual members are invited to submit bullet points or a short paragraph/summary of the essential elements of European legal provision that they consider vital to retain in their own field. Please do not suggest the 1972 Act."

Particularly liked the last bit but I would very much hope Westminster is undertaking similar exercises. Anyone aware of such requests?

Seems contrived to get everything considered "vital"

I suspect the Scottish government would be delighted with a very long list of "essential" EU legislation that needs to remain in place making the exit more difficult still. But it is still a worthwhile exercise if you are trying to either draft the Great Reform Bill or indeed set an agenda of what needs to be discussed. I would like to think that the Brexit department is seeking such assistance but I have heard no word of it.

I was under the impression that the UK government was arranging for all EU law to be taken into UK law prior to Brexit, to provide a stable baseline from which the UK can choose to diverge as & when?

That's what they have said but it is actually a bit simplistic. The EU legislation is designed to work across a single market with single market arbiters of whether something is complying or not. A lot of the authorities that would need to take over these powers on the domestic front simply don't exist at the moment.

There are also a large range of things where continued co-operation and co-ordination with the EU makes a huge amount of sense. Possible examples, some more controversial than others, include mutual enforcement of decrees, the European Arrest Warrant, the EU Patent system, Europol, the mutual recognition of regulation that allows the Single Passport in financial services, a whole raft of mutual recognition of equivalent professional qualifications etc etc.

A list of EU legislation that has a bearing in each and every area seems a good place to start.

Good post apart from the "some more controversial than others" bit.

One man's not controversial is another's traitorous inclination.

pbr2013 said:

AndyJS said:

pbr2013 said:

justin124 said:

viewcode said:

justin124 said:

viewcode said:

GIN1138 said:

JosiasJessop said:

GIN1138 said:

TheScreamingEagles said:

Tony shouldn't worry about the treason stuff, it's only the same halfwits saying it whose first comment when Jo Cox was attacked was to ask if her attacker had a beard

He shouldn't be put in prison for treason... But he should be arrested and put on trial for his potentially illegal war.

What part(s) of the Chilcott report are you basing that on?

Chilcott didn't judge on the legality or otherwise of the war (though he did say the legal "basis" was "far from satisfactory)



But it was a Tribunal set up by the Allies which had no legal standing which then proceeded to charge people on the basis of retrospective law which the victors had invented and dictated. It could reasonably be argued that the Allies showed less restraint than the Nazis post Fall of France in 1940. Daladier and Reynaud were not put on trial - never mind executed.

Revolting, loathsome false equivalence. The Holocaust was unique and demanded a unique form of justice. I think more Nazis should have been hanged.

Many more people died in Mao's China and Stalin's Soviet Union, as a direct result of their policies.

Of course but that's not the point here. The point is that Justin is trying to create a moral equivalence between Bush/Blair and the Nazis. Whatever you think of Bush/Blair they never murdered millions in extermination camps.

What is going on with the nesting in comments?

MTimT said:

viewcode said:

Morris_Dancer said:

Only those who are able to define what an avocado is would have their vote count.

On the ongoing Red Queen Race between the upper classes and the lower (see Toby Young for an egregious example), the avocado test has been deprecated. It was replaced by knowing how to pronounce feng shui, then it was replaced by knowing how to pronounce quinoa. God alone knows what it is now.

Knowing a recipe that makes quinoa edible?

The second referendum will be limited to those who pass a sniff test, evidence from YouGov suggests a swing to Remain.

rottenborough said:

Just had yet another charity person knocking on my door basically chugging. Usual rubbish about 'have you had a good week' etc etc.

I seem to dimly recall Parliament was going to act on this - anyone know anything?

We have a cold calling ban in our area enforced by street signs and notices on our front doors. Virtually no one cold calls and if they do they are suitably enlightened and tend to leave the area fairly quickly

Test

Apologies to all for the nested posts. Not sure why.

Mr. Borough, I coined the term 'churglar' for such doorknocking. It's not pleasant to have a stranger disturb you at home to try and guilt trip you out of money.

Mr. Rex, the enormo-haddock approach to such persons is the same as the approach Alexander the Great had to the rebellion of Sogdiana and Bactria.

geoffw said:

rcs1000 said:

JohnLilburne said:

TheScreamingEagles said:

JohnLilburne said:

TheScreamingEagles said:

AlastairMeeks said:

Relevant to this thread:

https://twitter.com/faisalislam/status/802175564593397760

If we can lease Hong Kong for 99 years, I'd be happy with a 99 year transitional deal that keeps us in the single market and customs union

I'm a free trader, I don't want to be in no customs union. Zero tariffs on all imports should be the starting point.

True, that's why we should extend the customs union as far and as wide as possible.

We need to invite Russia into the EU.

The customs union has big tariff barriers Customs unions are anti-free trade, not pro. I want tariff free trade with the USA, Australia, Canada, India... as well as EU countries

There is nothing inherently anti-free trade about a customs union, it - like so many things - is what you do with it that matters.

I think you'll find it's in the name.

You can have a customs unions with no tariffs, all it refers to is the fact that you have a common external tariff

MTimT said:

viewcode said:

Morris_Dancer said:

Only those who are able to define what an avocado is would have their vote count.

On the ongoing Red Queen Race between the upper classes and the lower (see Toby Young for an egregious example), the avocado test has been deprecated. It was replaced by knowing how to pronounce feng shui, then it was replaced by knowing how to pronounce quinoa. God alone knows what it is now.

Knowing a recipe that makes quinoa edible?

Somewhere along the timeline a recipe for making polenta edible was also part of this class consideration. I knew of only one person who could do it, a restaurant owner in the Po valley who was a recovering heroin addict, and who was wont to share in large quantities of the wine you were buying (he was very good company and the wine and food were excellent value, so nobody objected).

In the far north of the country the food had its legendary status for sustaining the Italian Alpine villages in the 1944 pre-liberation famine, and giving any hint that you did not love polenta dearly was perhaps the single most offensive thing you could possibly do in those places. So, it amused me greatly the UK middle-class phase for eating polenta, because I could not for a moment imagine there ever being the same clamour for powdered egg.

@Morris_Dancer

Mr. D., apologies for my tardiness, but I have just placed my order for Kingdom Asunder Part 1. I look forward to start reading it at bedtime.

I note that you have increased your price, but only a little. £2.39 is still too cheap. A good read should be worth at least a fiver. I know we have had this conversation before (several times over several years in fact), but I am certain you are wrong in charging so little. Take someone like Paul Doherty, a prolific author on Kindle (and his books aren't bad, if one can ignore the appalling geographical and temporal inaccuracies). On release his books go for £13.99 and then by stages come down to £3.79.

By all means, if you must, treat volume 1 as a loss leader, though I think that is a mistake, but for goodness sake charge the full wack for volume 2. Those who buy volume 2 will be those that have read volume 1 and want to know how their hero/heroine got on. Therefore they will pay.

Good luck with it and I shall stick up my review on Amazon in a day or two (your books are usually too short).

JosiasJessop said:

DavidL said:

JosiasJessop said:

DavidL said:

Interesting maths but it is also why I have always been highly dubious of the suggestion that Comets were the major contributor of water (and hence possibly) life on earth. The quantity of water is just so damn massive you would be talking millions of them, at least if comets were anything like the same size in the early days of the solar system. And why would the earth be the lucky recipient of a disproportionate number?

I can well believe that comets hit the earth and that they provided a source of water. I cannot believe they supplied the Pacific Ocean.

The answer to that is that other planets had/have water, but have either lost it or hold it in different forms (e.g. sub-surface ice). Hydrogen and oxygen are two of the most common elements in the universe, and water has been found all over the place.

Also, do not underestimate the violence of the early solar system. Not only do we believe an impact of Theia formed the Moon from Earth; Mars might similarly have formed from the remains of an impact on Venus (citation required). Early on in the solar system's development, Jupiter and Saturn voyaged inwards on a grand tack, nearing the orbit of Mars and sending various bodies all over the place. It was an incredibly violent period, and nothing like the relative stability we have now. Who knows how many formative icy bodies were swept up and sent into us by Jupiter and Saturn.

If the theories are right ...

The Earth itself may have lost a large proportion of its water in various ways. Not, sadly, my proposed 'space straw' to such up water to defeat rising sea levels, but I live in hope!

I also like the theory that Earth's had three distinct atmospheres through history, including one of metal vapour ...

Sure, more violent. But there is something like 1,386,000,000km3 of water on earth. That is one hell of a lot of comets.

Indeed. (*) But the meteorites (and possible asteroids) might not have been the same as things we see today; they might have been much larger, forming at or past the frost line.

Anyway, these seem appropriate:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_water_on_Earth
and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_Heavy_Bombardment

(*) Sorry.

As fascinating as the terraforming discussion has been (and I do find it fascinating - my degree was in Physics with Astrophysics, and I played a very small part in the instrumentation design for the Huygens lander on Titan), I can't help thinking that a more pressing problem is that of avoiding de-terraforming our home planet!

rcs1000 said:

geoffw said:

rcs1000 said:

JohnLilburne said:

TheScreamingEagles said:

JohnLilburne said:

TheScreamingEagles said:

AlastairMeeks said:

Relevant to this thread:

https://twitter.com/faisalislam/status/802175564593397760

If we can lease Hong Kong for 99 years, I'd be happy with a 99 year transitional deal that keeps us in the single market and customs union

I'm a free trader, I don't want to be in no customs union. Zero tariffs on all imports should be the starting point.

True, that's why we should extend the customs union as far and as wide as possible.

We need to invite Russia into the EU.

The customs union has big tariff barriers Customs unions are anti-free trade, not pro. I want tariff free trade with the USA, Australia, Canada, India... as well as EU countries

There is nothing inherently anti-free trade about a customs union, it - like so many things - is what you do with it that matters.

I think you'll find it's in the name.

You can have a customs unions with no tariffs, all it refers to is the fact that you have a common external tariff

You don't think the CET restricts trade?

rottenborough said:

Big_G_NorthWales said:

rottenborough said:

Just had yet another charity person knocking on my door basically chugging. Usual rubbish about 'have you had a good week' etc etc.

I seem to dimly recall Parliament was going to act on this - anyone know anything?

We have a cold calling ban in our area enforced by street signs and notices on our front doors. Virtually no one cold calls and if they do they are suitably enlightened and tend to leave the area fairly quickly

That's interesting. Is this a local council thing?

It is organised by North Wales Police under their neighbourhood watch. It is very good

Mr. Llama, it's a discount for the first week. After that it'll rise to $4.99 (around £3.99). And thanks

Mr. Borough, that's especially bloody annoying. Maybe we could unite the country by having a grand hunt of the doorknockers?

DavidL said:

Pro_Rata said:

MTimT said:

viewcode said:

Morris_Dancer said:

Only those who are able to define what an avocado is would have their vote count.

On the ongoing Red Queen Race between the upper classes and the lower (see Toby Young for an egregious example), the avocado test has been deprecated. It was replaced by knowing how to pronounce feng shui, then it was replaced by knowing how to pronounce quinoa. God alone knows what it is now.

Knowing a recipe that makes quinoa edible?

Somewhere along the timeline a recipe for making polenta edible was also part of this class consideration. I knew of only one person who could do it, a restaurant owner in the Po valley who was a recovering heroin addict, and who was wont to share in large quantities of the wine you were buying (he was very good company and the wine and food were excellent value, so nobody objected).

In the far north of the country the food had its legendary status for sustaining the Italian Alpine villages in the 1944 pre-liberation famine, and giving any hint that you did not love polenta dearly was perhaps the single most offensive thing you could possibly do in those places. So, it amused me greatly the UK middle-class phase for eating polenta, because I could not for a moment imagine there ever being the same clamour for powdered egg.

Actually my uncle, a war baby, was obsessed with powdered egg. Always preferred it to the real thing.

So was I. Took me a while to get used to the real thing. Same with coffee ("Camp" was the brand).

DavidL said:

Carolus_Rex said:

rottenborough said:

Just had yet another charity person knocking on my door basically chugging. Usual rubbish about 'have you had a good week' etc etc.

I seem to dimly recall Parliament was going to act on this - anyone know anything?

Didn't they pass a law saying you are now allowed to kill them?

Is this the answer to the quinoa question?

It is now.

PAW said:

Four Chinese banks to build a second Canary Wharf in the East End... seems a vote of confidence in London.

Not sure I would put much faith in Chinese banks looking at the shadow lending and dodgy debts that are piling up over there.

FeersumEnjineeya said:

JosiasJessop said:

DavidL said:

JosiasJessop said:

DavidL said:

Interesting maths but it is also why I have always been highly dubious of the suggestion that Comets were the major contributor of water (and hence possibly) life on earth. The quantity of water is just so damn massive you would be talking millions of them, at least if comets were anything like the same size in the early days of the solar system. And why would the earth be the lucky recipient of a disproportionate number?

I can well believe that comets hit the earth and that they provided a source of water. I cannot believe they supplied the Pacific Ocean.

The answer to that is that other planets had/have water, but have either lost it or hold it in different forms (e.g. sub-surface ice). Hydrogen and oxygen are two of the most common elements in the universe, and water has been found all over the place.

Also, do not underestimate the violence of the early solar system. Not only do we believe an impact of Theia formed the Moon from Earth; Mars might similarly have formed from the remains of an impact on Venus (citation required). Early on in the solar system's development, Jupiter and Saturn voyaged inwards on a grand tack, nearing the orbit of Mars and sending various bodies all over the place. It was an incredibly violent period, and nothing like the relative stability we have now. Who knows how many formative icy bodies were swept up and sent into us by Jupiter and Saturn.

If the theories are right ...

The Earth itself may have lost a large proportion of its water in various ways. Not, sadly, my proposed 'space straw' to such up water to defeat rising sea levels, but I live in hope!

I also like the theory that Earth's had three distinct atmospheres through history, including one of metal vapour ...

Sure, more violent. But there is something like 1,386,000,000km3 of water on earth. That is one hell of a lot of comets.

Indeed. (*) But the meteorites (and possible asteroids) might not have been the same as things we see today; they might have been much larger, forming at or past the frost line.

Anyway, these seem appropriate:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_water_on_Earth
and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_Heavy_Bombardment

(*) Sorry.

As fascinating as the terraforming discussion has been (and I do find it fascinating - my degree was in Physics with Astrophysics, and I played a very small part in the instrumentation design for the Huygens lander on Titan), I can't help thinking that a more pressing problem is that of avoiding de-terraforming our home planet!

That's where my carbon-nanotube straw comes in. It's a flawless plan, I tells ya!

rottenborough said:

PAW said:

Four Chinese banks to build a second Canary Wharf in the East End... seems a vote of confidence in London.

Not sure I would put much faith in Chinese banks looking at the shadow lending and dodgy debts that are piling up over there.

I don't have much faith in Chinese construction standards, either ...

Must get a camera on the door.

geoffw said:

DavidL said:

Pro_Rata said:

MTimT said:

viewcode said:

Morris_Dancer said:

Only those who are able to define what an avocado is would have their vote count.

On the ongoing Red Queen Race between the upper classes and the lower (see Toby Young for an egregious example), the avocado test has been deprecated. It was replaced by knowing how to pronounce feng shui, then it was replaced by knowing how to pronounce quinoa. God alone knows what it is now.

Knowing a recipe that makes quinoa edible?

Somewhere along the timeline a recipe for making polenta edible was also part of this class consideration. I knew of only one person who could do it, a restaurant owner in the Po valley who was a recovering heroin addict, and who was wont to share in large quantities of the wine you were buying (he was very good company and the wine and food were excellent value, so nobody objected).

In the far north of the country the food had its legendary status for sustaining the Italian Alpine villages in the 1944 pre-liberation famine, and giving any hint that you did not love polenta dearly was perhaps the single most offensive thing you could possibly do in those places. So, it amused me greatly the UK middle-class phase for eating polenta, because I could not for a moment imagine there ever being the same clamour for powdered egg.

Actually my uncle, a war baby, was obsessed with powdered egg. Always preferred it to the real thing.

So was I. Took me a while to get used to the real thing. Same with coffee ("Camp" was the brand).

Nothing wrong with Camp Coffee, we always have a bottle in the cupboard. Wouldn't want to drink the stuff, but Herself uses it for flavouring cakes.

Mind you, Herself keeps shelves full of dried and tinned food, as did her mother and my mother. Probably enough to keep us going, in extremis, for a few weeks. A leftover I think from WW2.

TOPPING said:

Luckyguy1983 said:

williamglenn said:

Luckyguy1983 said:

williamglenn said:

MaxPB said:

You support the EU, not this country.

This country is part of the EU. This country is part of Europe. The real traitors are those who seek to diminish and deny this fact.

Yawn.

The boredom strategy is working already I see.

Actually I admire and enjoy your eloquence - I just get bored when your posts are a collection of fine words signifying the proverbial nothing, as seems to be increasingly the case.

Are you confusing @williamglenn with Theresa May?

I'm not - I agree this also applies to May in many respects.

HurstLlama said:

geoffw said:

DavidL said:

Pro_Rata said:

MTimT said:

viewcode said:

Morris_Dancer said:

Only those who are able to define what an avocado is would have their vote count.

On the ongoing Red Queen Race between the upper classes and the lower (see Toby Young for an egregious example), the avocado test has been deprecated. It was replaced by knowing how to pronounce feng shui, then it was replaced by knowing how to pronounce quinoa. God alone knows what it is now.

Knowing a recipe that makes quinoa edible?

Somewhere along the timeline a recipe for making polenta edible was also part of this class consideration. I knew of only one person who could do it, a restaurant owner in the Po valley who was a recovering heroin addict, and who was wont to share in large quantities of the wine you were buying (he was very good company and the wine and food were excellent value, so nobody objected).

In the far north of the country the food had its legendary status for sustaining the Italian Alpine villages in the 1944 pre-liberation famine, and giving any hint that you did not love polenta dearly was perhaps the single most offensive thing you could possibly do in those places. So, it amused me greatly the UK middle-class phase for eating polenta, because I could not for a moment imagine there ever being the same clamour for powdered egg.

Actually my uncle, a war baby, was obsessed with powdered egg. Always preferred it to the real thing.

So was I. Took me a while to get used to the real thing. Same with coffee ("Camp" was the brand).

Nothing wrong with Camp Coffee, we always have a bottle in the cupboard. Wouldn't want to drink the stuff, but Herself uses it for flavouring cakes.

Mind you, Herself keeps shelves full of dried and tinned food, as did her mother and my mother. Probably enough to keep us going, in extremis, for a few weeks. A leftover I think from WW2.

Some years ago on TV they found some tinned food from WW1 period, opened it and consumed it - quite edible apparently. Mind you I wouldn't fancy a tin of snoek (WW2 speciality) even in pristine condition. And don't mention sago.

Carolus_Rex said:

HurstLlama said:

@Morris_Dancer

Mr. D., apologies for my tardiness, but I have just placed my order for Kingdom Asunder Part 1. I look forward to start reading it at bedtime.

I note that you have increased your price, but only a little. £2.39 is still too cheap. A good read should be worth at least a fiver. I know we have had this conversation before (several times over several years in fact), but I am certain you are wrong in charging so little. Take someone like Paul Doherty, a prolific author on Kindle (and his books aren't bad, if one can ignore the appalling geographical and temporal inaccuracies). On release his books go for £13.99 and then by stages come down to £3.79.

By all means, if you must, treat volume 1 as a loss leader, though I think that is a mistake, but for goodness sake charge the full wack for volume 2. Those who buy volume 2 will be those that have read volume 1 and want to know how their hero/heroine got on. Therefore they will pay.

Good luck with it and I shall stick up my review on Amazon in a day or two (your books are usually too short).

Kindle price points for self-published books are tricky to get right. My only Kindle book is up for 99p because I didn't really publish it for the money, but I get that there is a tendency to think "if it's that cheap, it can't be any good." Then again any publisher will tell you that literally nobody has a clue what works and what doesn't.

Several years ago the big literary event was Margaret Atwood publishing Oryx and Crake. It was big "news" and duly soared to No.1 on the ST bestseller list.

Total number of copies sold? Under 5,000.

Mr. Rex, cheers

Marketing's far harder than writing a book, though. Self-publishing's a double-edged sword because it's removed gatekeepers but flooded the market. Anyway, we'll see how Kingdom Asunder does. One chap, who's reviewed my other stuff, said he thought it was the best book I've written to date, which was nice.

Good evening.

I have been suffering from an appalling stomach bug, possibly related to the quinoa salad I ate at work a few days ago. Never again. It tastes of nothing and is unpronounceable. Polenta is the food of the Gods by comparison.

Anyway, green tea and dried toast for me for the foreseeable future......

Miss Cyclefree, I hope your pestilence abates promptly.

HurstLlama said:

geoffw said:

DavidL said:

Pro_Rata said:

MTimT said:

viewcode said:

Morris_Dancer said:

Only those who are able to define what an avocado is would have their vote count.

On the ongoing Red Queen Race between the upper classes and the lower (see Toby Young for an egregious example), the avocado test has been deprecated. It was replaced by knowing how to pronounce feng shui, then it was replaced by knowing how to pronounce quinoa. God alone knows what it is now.

Knowing a recipe that makes quinoa edible?

Somewhere along the timeline a recipe for making polenta edible was also part of this class consideration. I knew of only one person who could do it, a restaurant owner in the Po valley who was a recovering heroin addict, and who was wont to share in large quantities of the wine you were buying (he was very good company and the wine and food were excellent value, so nobody objected).

In the far north of the country the food had its legendary status for sustaining the Italian Alpine villages in the 1944 pre-liberation famine, and giving any hint that you did not love polenta dearly was perhaps the single most offensive thing you could possibly do in those places. So, it amused me greatly the UK middle-class phase for eating polenta, because I could not for a moment imagine there ever being the same clamour for powdered egg.

Actually my uncle, a war baby, was obsessed with powdered egg. Always preferred it to the real thing.

So was I. Took me a while to get used to the real thing. Same with coffee ("Camp" was the brand).

Nothing wrong with Camp Coffee, we always have a bottle in the cupboard. Wouldn't want to drink the stuff, but Herself uses it for flavouring cakes.

Mind you, Herself keeps shelves full of dried and tinned food, as did her mother and my mother. Probably enough to keep us going, in extremis, for a few weeks. A leftover I think from WW2.

Or possibly even the 1970's? There was a run of really odd shortages then.

Bread, toilet rolls, veg ... Can't remember them all, or why it happened, because it's all mixed up in my memory with the 3-day week & no electricity & joining the CM (the TV showed us French & Dutch farmers ploughing in their crops of tomatoes & veg because they weren't allowed to sell them under CM rules). Butter mountains & wine lakes ...

Sounds like ITV are trying a British version of The Daily Show:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38103239

Didn't Brooker, Mitchell and someone else try that, but it was too much an all-lefty love-in to have mass appeal?

AnneJGP said:

HurstLlama said:

geoffw said:

DavidL said:

Pro_Rata said:

MTimT said:

viewcode said:

Morris_Dancer said:

Only those who are able to define what an avocado is would have their vote count.

On the ongoing Red Queen Race between the upper classes and the lower (see Toby Young for an egregious example), the avocado test has been deprecated. It was replaced by knowing how to pronounce feng shui, then it was replaced by knowing how to pronounce quinoa. God alone knows what it is now.

Knowing a recipe that makes quinoa edible?

Somewhere along the timeline a recipe for making polenta edible was also part of this class consideration. I knew of only one person who could do it, a restaurant owner in the Po valley who was a recovering heroin addict, and who was wont to share in large quantities of the wine you were buying (he was very good company and the wine and food were excellent value, so nobody objected).

In the far north of the country the food had its legendary status for sustaining the Italian Alpine villages in the 1944 pre-liberation famine, and giving any hint that you did not love polenta dearly was perhaps the single most offensive thing you could possibly do in those places. So, it amused me greatly the UK middle-class phase for eating polenta, because I could not for a moment imagine there ever being the same clamour for powdered egg.

Actually my uncle, a war baby, was obsessed with powdered egg. Always preferred it to the real thing.

So was I. Took me a while to get used to the real thing. Same with coffee ("Camp" was the brand).

Nothing wrong with Camp Coffee, we always have a bottle in the cupboard. Wouldn't want to drink the stuff, but Herself uses it for flavouring cakes.

Mind you, Herself keeps shelves full of dried and tinned food, as did her mother and my mother. Probably enough to keep us going, in extremis, for a few weeks. A leftover I think from WW2.

Or possibly even the 1970's? There was a run of really odd shortages then.

Bread, toilet rolls, veg ... Can't remember them all, or why it happened, because it's all mixed up in my memory with the 3-day week & no electricity & joining the CM (the TV showed us French & Dutch farmers ploughing in their crops of tomatoes & veg because they weren't allowed to sell them under CM rules). Butter mountains & wine lakes ...

I seem to recall a run on sugar at one point.

I think the generation who went through WW2 and knew real hunger were much keener on larders and having stocks of food for emergencies than we are. I am still using dried food (pasta / lentils etc) my mother had in her larder some years after she died.

DavidL said:

Cyclefree said:

Good evening.

I have been suffering from an appalling stomach bug, possibly related to the quinoa salad I ate at work a few days ago. Never again. It tastes of nothing and is unpronounceable. Polenta is the food of the Gods by comparison.

Anyway, green tea and dried toast for me for the foreseeable future......

You obviously did not temper it with some Chugger.

No need to kill them. I smile sweetly, tell them I'm Catholic and as the good Mr Llama has pointed out, it sends them off to try their luck elsewhere.

Morris_Dancer said:

Miss Cyclefree, I hope your pestilence abates promptly.

Thank you. So do I. I am planning a day tomorrow in the garden replacing a load of crocus and iris bulbs which the local - and new - squirrel has consumed. I will need some energy.

I'm told that soaking them in a bit of paraffin oil makes them unattractive to squirrels. I hope this works. I don't want (a) to have a garden without spring bulbs; or (b) have it go up in flames

TCPoliticalBetting said:

Andrew Neil ✔ @afneil
This must be killing the FT ;-)
Jaguar Land Rover plans to create 10,000 jobs in the UK http://on.ft.com/2gtiPcX

Tucked away at the bottom of the page, the BBC has: "Jaguar Land Rover throws government a challenge" rather than the more catchy '10,000 new jobs for the West Midlands.

I wonder why...

rural_voter said:

SquareRoot said:

HurstLlama said:

rottenborough said:

Just had yet another charity person knocking on my door basically chugging. Usual rubbish about 'have you had a good week' etc etc.

I seem to dimly recall Parliament was going to act on this - anyone know anything?

Why does it need Parliament to act? Can you not just tell them to fuck off? Or perhaps not open the door in the first place.

When the doorbell or phone rings and it is not convenient to me to answer then, unless I am expecting someone or I recognise the number, I now just ignore it. They are people who are trying to make unwarranted and uninvited demands on my time.

That's what I had to say to the Jehovah's witnesses that turn up at my disabled client's front door. Even that doesn't work now, I am now reduced to, the next time they show up, reporting them to the local council.

We *only* get JWs in the open countryside; no political canvassers ever. However the JWs here are harmless and go away as soon as you express total lack of interest in any religion.

This is town, you tell them that you are not interested and that you have told them before that you are not interested and then you tell them you have asked them to leave politely... and they still want to chat, .. they are VERY persistent... Then when they just wont go you give them the V sign , carefully making sure the little child they have with them does not see, and then they go.. but they will be back.

DavidL said:

Cyclefree said:

AnneJGP said:

HurstLlama said:

geoffw said:

DavidL said:

Pro_Rata said:

MTimT said:

viewcode said:

Morris_Dancer said:

.

Actually my uncle, a war baby, was obsessed with powdered egg. Always preferred it to the real thing.

So was I. Took me a while to get used to the real thing. Same with coffee ("Camp" was the brand).

Nothing wrong with Camp Coffee, we always have a bottle in the cupboard. Wouldn't want to drink the stuff, but Herself uses it for flavouring cakes.

Mind you, Herself keeps shelves full of dried and tinned food, as did her mother and my mother. Probably enough to keep us going, in extremis, for a few weeks. A leftover I think from WW2.

Or possibly even the 1970's? There was a run of really odd shortages then.

Bread, toilet rolls, veg ... Can't remember them all, or why it happened, because it's all mixed up in my memory with the 3-day week & no electricity & joining the CM (the TV showed us French & Dutch farmers ploughing in their crops of tomatoes & veg because they weren't allowed to sell them under CM rules). Butter mountains & wine lakes ...

I seem to recall a run on sugar at one point.

I think the generation who went through WW2 and knew real hunger were much keener on larders and having stocks of food for emergencies than we are. I am still using dried food (pasta / lentils etc) my mother had in her larder some years after she died.

Yes...about that upset stomach.

It wasn't that food I've been eating......

Morris_Dancer said:

Miss Cyclefree, have you considered trying a crossbow instead?

I am willing to use whatever instrument will get rid of the greedy thief.

There are local foxes. But they are too bloody lazy to attack the squirrel. He is new and very determined and while I sympathise, I wish he'd attack some other garden, the gardens of people who don't care about gardening as much as me. I really look forward to the iris appearing in late January: iridescent blue with the jewel like yellow in the tongues shining out. It a small ray of delight in an otherwise appallingly gloomy time of year and one I look forward to.

On topic, I'll lay that 10/11 please.

Off topic, just back from a bloody good day out at the F1. Two days to go, have "Thanks Jenson, Filipe" t-shirt printed for Sunday

Miss Cyclefree, I sympathise. Hopefully a passing predatory bird will do it in.

Anyway, I must be off for the evening.

Morris_Dancer said:

Sounds like ITV are trying a British version of The Daily Show:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38103239

Didn't Brooker, Mitchell and someone else try that, but it was too much an all-lefty love-in to have mass appeal?

It's a fine line to walk - Jon Stewart was definitely a lefty, and openly so, but he had enough digs at silly stuff from his own side to not be egregious about all the time, and I always felt that while he was definitely more to one side than another, he wouldn't ignore a major cock up from his own side either, making it fine. I'm centrish, socially lefty, and I enjoy many lefty comics, but sometimes they forget a little that merely saying the right are crap is not in itself funny, you still have to do it in a funny way.

Cyclefree said:

HurstLlama said:

Cyclefree said:

Good evening.

I have been suffering from an appalling stomach bug, possibly related to the quinoa salad I ate at work a few days ago. Never again. It tastes of nothing and is unpronounceable. Polenta is the food of the Gods by comparison.

Anyway, green tea and dried toast for me for the foreseeable future......

Mrs Free, the toast must be burned (it is the carbon that sorts out the bugs), and also forget the green tea. Whisky does the job much better. Furthermore, if it can be arranged without you having an accident, get down to your local curry house and have a damn good hot curry - hotter than you normally would, you are trying to burn the bugs out not enjoy a culinary experience (though you may come to enjoy it). I was a bachelor for many years, so I have a lot of experience of dealing with the results of eating dodgy food.

You will hate me, I know, but I cannot abide whisky. The result I think of an unfortunate encounter with very hard liquor at a lunch in Dublin when I was 14 shortly before boarding the ferry to Holyhead. For reasons we won't go into I was offered cognac by the person hosting the lunch and the effect was so appalling that I have been put off any strong alcohol ever since.

A curry sounds wonderful. I may wait a few days though.......

Fair enough, some people are allergic to penicillin, doesn't make it a bad medicine though. As for waiting a few days for the hot curry, that makes no sense. Waiting until one recovers before taking the medicine is daft. Surely in the world class metropolis in which you, I believe, live you can get someone to deliver a spiffing vindaloo or even a phal (with some bombay potato and onion raita, plus plain boiled rice). Even if it is too risky to go out of doors, these days the cure can be delivered.

Further thought. When Herself was pregnant our italian neighbours insisted that she drank a glass of Marsala (the one with egg in it) morning and evening, "to help with the sickness". Maybe that might help.