Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

I was in a super market just now. The guy behind me was only buying 2 items. He had a small bunch of flowers and a bottle of very cheap cream sherry. He may be optimistic about getting lucky tonight!

It is about time something was done about strike legislation. The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union at the Home Office are set to go on strike.

The PCS said 57.2% of those who voted backed strike action - the turnout was 20%. That's just 11.44% of the union in favour of a strike. There needs to be some change to the law to make unions get at least 50% of the union voting before their votes count. For preference, I would insist on 100% voting.

Far too many people in this country are running around with guns, just like the USA. The lack of gun laws in America are an absolute joke and you still get idiots like the Governor of California saying it isn't a problem.

KEY U.S. MASS SCALE SHOOTINGS



Virgina Tech, April 2007


Seung-Hui Cho, a student, shot and killed 32 people and inured 15 others at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.

He then turned the gun on himself.

Fort Hood, November 2009


Major Nidal Hasan , a U.S. army psychologist, fired at a military base in Fort Hood, Texas. 13 people were killed and 42 others were injured.

Columbine High School, April 1999


Two teenage schoolboys shot and killed 12 schoolmates and a teacher at the school in Littleton, Colorado, before killing themselves.


Gabrielle Giffords, January 2011

Six people including a nine-year-old girl were killed and 12 others were wounded when a gunman opened fire at a public gathering outside a grocery in Tuscon, Arizona.


Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was at the scene and was severely injured with a gunshot to the head.

Civic centre, April 2009


13 people shot dead by a gunman in Binghamton, New York


Alabama, 2009


While driving a car through towns in Alabama, a 28-year-old redundant worker starting shooting randomly killing 10 people.


Omaha, December 2007


Nine people killed and injured five others in a shopping center in Omaha, Nebraska after a 20-year-old man started shooting


Northern Illinois University, February 2008


Five students killed and 16 injured after a man opened fire in a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. At the end of the shooting spree he surrendered, laying down his weapon

20 July 2012
Hayden Miller told KUSA-TV that he was inside Theatre 16 and heard several shots. He said at first he thought it was part of a louder movie next door, but then he saw 'people hunched over leaving theatre.'

The gunman was arrested without incident in a car park nearby and told the police that explosives were stored at his home. He remains in police custody.

Police chief Dan Oates told reporters that an apartment block in the north of Aurora had been evacuated as a consequence of the man's claims his apartment had explosives.

They found the suspect's apartment rigged with tripwires tied to bottles of unknown substances. 'It's not something I've ever been before,' Oates told an early-afternoon press conference.


Around 6.40 a.m. local time, there were a reports of an explosion at the apartment.

Police said that another handgun was found left in the cinema but there was no evidence of any other attackers.

They added there was no immediate knowledge of the motive.

The FBI say they are working with local police. They say it is still early in the investigation, but that there is no terrorism link so far. The car park of the mall remains closed off.

Police spokeswoman Cassidee Carlson said: 'The scene is still very active and we have little information for release at this time.'

Hospitals reported shrapnel injuries and Denver University hospital reported it was treating three people for 'chemical exposure'.

With ambulances rushing to the hospitals, some chose to get to the nearest medical facility by foot.

Mitt Romney said today: 'This is a time for each of us to look inot our hearts and remember how much we love each other. Our hearts break for the victims and their families.'

Brenda Stuart, of 850 KOA Radio, said: 'Police are taking people to hospital in their own cars,


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2176377/The-Dark-Knight-Rises-screening-shooting-Gunman-gas-mask-shoots-dead-12-people--including-children--midnight-screening-Batman-premiere-Denver.html#ixzz21BwNKqiX

Hays,

I think it would be more sensible if the government negotiated in good faith.

I don't think this government is capable of doing so, hence the strikes.

Just as Bob Diamond can withdraw his labour so can others further down the scale.

Not advocating strikes, but there is the smell of poor management and downward pressure from this government who are not taking the same financial cuts and pressures and reductions in probable future payments and pensions.

I may be wrong, but I don't think the unemployment figures given are true representative of what is happening in the labour market and "take home pay".

At the moment the a large percentage of the labour force is demoralised, depressed and apathetic, but also beginning to feel abused and resentful.

Unfortunately, that will probably manifest itself in more "strikes" and "social disruption".

Fred
What negotiation is there? Some staff are being made redundant to save money. They are free to withdraw their labour as Bob Diamond so long as they don't want their jobs back. He didn't go on strike. He quit his job.

I don't mind strkes as long a genuine majority of wokers in the union vote for it. It is usually just the activists who want a strike and they rely on the majority not voting. It is probablt academic anyway as last time there was a similar strike, most people went to work. For a lot of people their union is pretty irrelevant.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18922967

Re: The US Cinema Shooting........

Anybody got any Sunday newspaper tip's to paste on here ?

I bet your the bloke who is reading the papers every week I go in WH Smiths as he is to tight to buy a newspaper. :-)) only joking

Bravo to Bradley Wiggins.....winning the tour de France .....the most difficult bike race in the world......the leg muscle power and stamina needed to win is incredible...have to mention Mark Cavendish with an incredible number of stage wins....really bravo !.....

Maybe he should light the flame next Friday.

I took part in the Tour de France and they haven't asked me to carry the cigarette lighter.

Could 'Wiggo' be the one who is chosen to light the Olympic Cauldron?

Or will it be James Bond?

David Bekham, I think is a good choice.

Kinda brings a lump to your throat! London 2012 Games lanes: Traffic delays of two hours

Drivers coming into London have faced delays of up to two hours after new restrictions came into force for the Olympics.

That's partially the result of blocking the roads for Tourch travelling in London.

People are learning not to use private cars during this period.

Northern Rock sell-off nets extra £538m for taxpayers

The UK will make an additional £538m from the sale of failed lender Northern Rock after a new agreement with Richard Branson's Virgin Money, UKFI has said.

UKFI, the body managing the government's stakes in bailed-out banks, said Virgin had bought £465m of Northern Rock's mortgage assets.

It had also agreed to pay an extra £73m in cash for Northern Rock.

UKFI said the original deal for £747m, agreed in January, did not reflect the true value of Northern Rock's assets.

Also that still represents a loss on the £1.4bn pumped into the lender by the government.

I think many of the problems would be resolved if the debt between countries would be swapped.

Most countries have debt to each other. If there was a mechanisum to exchange their bedt, they wold be ok, some debt free. The world would be then less complicated.

I think the banks and organisations like MOODY, FITH etc won't like this to happen as everyoone would be able to asses the situation, no manipulation!

Hi Ahoj,

Agreed it would sort of make sense for all the debt held between governments, IE tax payers.
The problem is that most of that debt is held at differing levels of interest, which allowing for inflationary interest debt measures, would be extremely difficult to level out.
Also of course, much of the world debt is held by institutions, with a very minute percentage held by individuals, both the institutions and individuals buying through the bond markets.
Also just think what the banks would say, as debt levelling would not make them any commission or transaction money, although they would probably make a fortune on 'advice'.
Not that I give a fig about bankers, but as we well know, banks losses are reflected in our everyday world, especially regarding pensions.

So although a great idea in principal, it would not work in practise.

Fully agree the manipulation comment!