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.

Well having read through that MaxK , it seems these Charities exists to support certain levels of management and whatever is over may make it's way to it's supposed aim . I don't think I'll be donating ta .

I have to admit to visiting retail shops just to look, touch and inspect. Then I go home and use the 'Google Shopper'.

I'm not against buying 'used stuff' either but I am discerning and definitely want the original boxes and receipts and hopefully, a balance Warranty. The latest purchases being three Panasonic plasma TVs and a sound bar.

The retail shops I visit the most to actually buy things from, are the Supermarkets. I do like a bit of 'buzz' and get the best vibes from my local Tesco, where I like to pick up a scanner and fill my bags as I go round. I'm also not against looking in the 'Reduced' section for 'Sell by Date' bargains and yesterday I snapped up two packs of 4 'ready to eat now', perfectly ripe peaches (£1.08 each pack). My wife has the shoppinglist but I don't bother with it. I like choose the ham from the Deli on the day and also bought two 'bright eyed' Rainbow trout for supper.

We have an electric 'Tepanyaki Grill', bought from Aldi for £20 (it's one of the best things I ever bought for 'outside dining' at the garden table -so I actually bought three of them!). When I bought the trout, I was actually looking for a medley of fish for cooking on said grill but changed my mind at the last minute. With the grill you can sit down and cook and have a glass of wine and a chat. It's also nice to slice up some nice steak and take responsibility for your own cooking of it and do this whilst you are eating and chatting. It's 'wipe clean' at the end and then 'back in the box' - so easy peasy! And much, much more fun and more convenient than any barbecue.

Back to the shopping (but staying with 'food')....

I like to shop for fresh produce from the outdoor markets. They are truly amazing around where I live and the best of them is definitely at Milton Keynes Centre. It amazes me that people prefer the likes of the pre-packed stale stuff from the likes of M&S.

We hardly eat out nowadays. Why? Well, out of London, the food is so crap and the service is even worse. It seems to me, there are very few restaurants about now who know how to do 'things' properly? My respect is positive for 'Jamie's Italian' and 'Raymond Blanc's Brasserie' - and that's about it.

For non-food, then John Lewis easily wipes the floor with its competition.

Perhaps we should move to London?

Hmmm?

Nah!

We have 'lots and lots of green fields' and at least six great alternative locations to walk the dog around Northampton. We are also only about 1 hr and an easy drive from the likes of, say London, Birmingham and Heathrow.

My son's university professor of business studies advocated running your own business as a charity. The idea was to live well from it by way of salary, expenses and benefits and treat the charity function as being secondary.

Of course, why bother setting up your own if you can do the same as an executive from a big one, that's already done all the paperwork, gained the accreditation and is massively big enough to be able to continually treat you in ways to which you have become accustomed?

And think how it would add to your CV, your Facebook 'Likes' and your fashionable credibility too?

Charity begins at the top.
2517

Fraud alert over new tap and pay bank cards: Thieves use scanners to steal account details - even when contactless card is in your wallet

Contactless cards could be exposing millions of customers to risk of fraud
Thieves holding scanners can capture details and use for online purchases
Scanners held near till transaction can pick up data from card, posing risk
At least 58million contactless cards are currently in circulation in Britain

By SEAN POULTER, CONSUMER AFFAIRS EDITOR FOR THE DAILY MAIL
PUBLISHED: 00:02, 23 July 2015 | UPDATED: 01:28, 23 July 2015

Contactless bank cards may be exposing millions of customers to the risk of fraud.

Tests show that thieves armed with scanners can capture the numbers and expiry dates on the cards and use them for online purchases.

Touted as a boon for shoppers making small transactions, the ‘tap and pay’ cards do not need a PIN number.

Instead they have a tiny antenna that links with a till terminal through near-field communication, or NFC.

But a scanner held nearby can pick up this NFC data, according to the consumer group Which?.

Its researchers tested ten cards – six debit and four credit – and found all of them had the security flaw.

‘Using a reader and free software to decode data, we were able to read the card number and expiry date from all ten,’ Which? reported.

‘Some cards revealed certain details of the last ten transactions, but no cards revealed the CVV security code – the number on the back.

'We doubted we’d be able to make purchases without the cardholder’s name or CVV code, but we were wrong.

‘We ordered two items – one a £3,000 TV – from a mainstream online shop using “stolen” card details, combined with a false name and address. We’ve alerted the store involved.

‘By touching volunteers’ cards to our card reader, we got enough details to go on an internet spree.’

At least 58million of the cards are in circulation, with total spending reaching £2.32billion last year.

.

hays , has no respect for the environment is family fur coat no knickers

The council used to split up waste into different groups. If they want recycling then they can go back to their old ways. Plenty of councils get people to recycle and then put it all into land fill. Luckily, there are plenty of people who do recycle. It is the same with most things. There is never a shortage of do gooders who can recycle instead of me.

Talking of fur coats, I do like them; real fur coats that is. It is a bit like wearing leather shoes.

I agree, Haystack. One of my furs is about 30 years old and I love it.

One of my friends wears her fur to the supermarket in the hope she might get accosted by an animal rights campaigner who will say to her 'do you know how many animals were killed so you could wear that coat?' She's just itching for the chance to retort 'do you know how many blokes I had to shag so I could wear this coat!'.

:o)

I would think that a fur coat made from baby seals would be very soft and quite warm. You have to be careful how you cull them. Blood spoils white fur.

I often wondered how you made a living.

Wifey was refused to be served by a stall holder in Covent Garden Market.

And the reason?

Well, this was the late 80s and she was merely wearing a sheepskin coat. I think it must have been the late 80s which was the start of the ant-fur campaigns.

Go to Venice in the winter when it's a bit nippy. This is Italy and it's 'fur coat season'. You will see hundreds of wealthy women tourists from all over Europe wearing long coats and matching hats made from farmed mink, beaver, etc, etc.

As Haystack says, "It's a bit like wearing leather shoes."

Of course, some women do lots of shagging, but only with the one very grateful and very appreciative bloke.

Doc,

I've never been approached by anybody who has criticised me for wearing a fur. I have, however, been approached by other women on numerous occasions saying how much they love my coat and that if they had one like it they'd be too afraid to wear it out to the shops.

Try going to Canada, where my parents lived for about 20 years. It is often 40 below and sometimes 60 below in Sask. Fur is by far the best thing to wear. Fur lined mukluk boots, fur lined coats, fur coats, fur hats, fur gloves. Everyone wears them.

Wifey used to take her mink coat and jacket to Banff (Canada) but wouldn't take it to any of the resorts around Salt Lake City (USA).

Personally speaking, I do think they would have been accepted in the USA but, although we went skiing many times to both areas, she never did feel comfortable taking them there.

And she did take and like the compliments too, Hils. :-)

Just like leather shoes....ain't they? I do believe in farmed stuff but I'm very against wild furs.

I do like the look of a good beaver , mostly hairless now though .

I'm sure we've tapped into the Kardashians here .

If you've had it, flaunt it.

It does come to mind.