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.

Tony Blair is to receive the United States's highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, from his friend George Bush next Tuesday, at a White House ceremony during the latter's last week in office.

So that will be nice for him, won't it?

The medal, a five-pointed white star, was first introduced by President Harry Truman just after the second world war and later revived to reward eminent citizens for distinguished service in peacetime by president John F Kennedy.

Although among its previous 400 recipients there are American figures such as Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Bob Hope, Danny Kaye and Arnold Palmer, it has also been presented to every post-war president and to senior politicians and military men.

The medal is awarded "for especially meritorious contributions to security or the national interests of the United States, world peace or cultural or other significant public or private endeavours". It was not immediately clear last night under which heading the former prime minister had qualified. He is only the second British prime minister to receive the award, following Margaret Thatcher in 1991, though other recipients have included Lord Carrington, the former foreign secretary, and Lord Robertson, former defence secretary and secretary general of Nato.

Blair will find himself among others he will recognise. Donald Rumsfeld received the medal in 1977 for his original period in administration service; vice-president Dick Cheney got his in 1991; and President Bush has previously awarded other prominent figures involved in the Iraq campaign - Paul Bremer, the US's former director in Baghdad, General Tommy Franks, and George Tenet, former director of the CIA.

Blair was previously also awarded the US's other highest civilian honour, the Congressional Gold Medal, in 2003, for his support of the US invasion of Iraq, though he has never collected it.

He will receive next week's award alongside John Howard, the former Australian prime minister, and varo Uribe, the president of Colombia. A White House spokeswoman said the three were being honoured by the president "for their efforts to promote democracy, human rights and peace abroad".

The award was criticised by the Lib Dems, but Blair's spokesman said he regarded the medal as reflecting the courage of the British armed forces.

Presumably it allows him to give out free milky bars!

I think it is quite right that Tony Blair receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

I would just love to be the person that presents the award, as long as I could put it where those 5 points would do the most good.

I had a dream.

Dreamt last night that the FTSE finished 2009 back above 6000 points. Unfortunately those sharing my bed (Girls Aloud) did not agree.

If only dreams came true even partly. Now which part of my dream would I choose, and what are the odds.


Could have been down to all that Flu medication.
Still unusual dream (the ftse that is).

I sometimes dream of girls - but not aloud. I do it quietly and whilst I am asleep.

I think my wife suspects something, because she keeps saying to me, particularly whilst we are shopping, "In your dreams!" ;-)

I've just seen the news covering the guy that jumped into a frozen lake to save his dog. I must say I'm not sure I would have done the same thing.

I think it is one of those decisions that you take at the time. Guy took a foolhardy but brave decision. Now if it had been his wife and not mans best friend, who knows.
I hope he took a hazard risk assessment prior to jumping in.

Now if it had been Girls Aloud, skinny dipping! (no not you skinny).
Would obviously have jumped in, dragged them out and gave them the required body rub.

If it had been Gordon Brown would any of you lot have risked your life by going in after him, (thats to save him by the way, not to stop him getting out.

Greekman - I think we are thinking along similar lines - an even worse scenario would be if it was his wife hodling his gold clubs!

Im off for a pint (or two..or maybe more) and calling it an early day.

this so called santa claus rally didnt last so long.

bah humbug.

Good morning Me (Well it is the talk to yourself thread) I must have had a good festive season since I put on at least a 1/4 stone. How do you get 1/4 stone? Surely if yoe try breaking one into 4 all you get is 4 small stones. Anyway I have just been using my new Wollies frying pan - the one with the cast iron 25 year guarantee - to fry up a couple of eggs and a few other odds and ends that I found in the 'fridge. The wife is working from home today, so obviously she will switch on the mobile at about 9:00, start some work and get up sometime afterwards. No hope of her making me breakfast.

You should go to Bunny's Beer Basement This_is_me; you can have virtually anything there!

Dead pleased with my little self today..............

Every year I swear that I will buy next years Christmas pressies in the sales. (Go on, admit it, you all swear the same and never do it.)
This year I did, and to make it even better, and more savings I have done it on-line, with a discount company from Nigeria.
I know what your going to say, the payment is not safe, but there was a little drawing of a padlock, with the symbol "honestguv" at the side, so I'll be fine.
Anyway, to give you an idea of the savings, I got the kids, 1000 of Woolworths vouchers and any 10 DVD's of their choice from Zavvi for just 500 each, payable by Western Union money transfer.
Better still, the e-mail back said if I send an extra 1000 they will refund 2000, due to some profit they make on exchange rates and their bank accounts bonus for large payments.
Saved the best till last, though. I was told that as their 10,000th customer, I had the right to buy the wife a round the world air ticket for just 250, plus taxes, If i bought myself one at full price of 1995 plus taxes.
I can't wait for Christmas 2009 to see the wifes face when she opens it. She will love it, particularly as they say it is very cheap to upgrade to first class with XL Airlines.

Alan,

You have been done. If you had gone to e-bay you could have bought all those presseis a lot cheaper.

Now how about this for a brilliant idea, to save money.
A few months ago my brother completed a Mori Poll on how he thought his local council (Nottingham) was performing. Last week he received an invitation to attend a seminar at a city hotel. At this seminar many council aspects were discussed and my brother admitted it was very interesting as well as being an eye opener.
As you would expect, all attending were plied with refreshment, Tea/Coffee and a buffet. Prior to leaving they also received a goodie bag, made of hessian with the council logo thereon, containing a Pen and Note book, a door sticker (no pedlars, good bought at the door type) one of those monster thingies that sit on top of your computer and a few other items.
Oh yes, not forgetting a nice bonus of 50 each for attending. After the meeting my brother asked the organiser if all the excepted ideas would be followed up, or just forgotten as all such suggestions/ideas always are. He was told that all would be put to the next council meeting (no Councillors attended this seminar) for discussion.

A total of 80 persons attended this seminar.
80 x 50 =4,000.
Cost of refreshments, Hire of Hotel meeting room, Cost of wages re organisation, presentation etc, must be at least another 1,000.
So this little get together must have cost at least 5,000.

OK, if this seminar resulted in any savings over 5,000, then I would except its worth, but who out there has experienced anything coming from such meetings, opinion polls. What a waste of money!

Its not about taking up the ideas or saving money.
Its to allow the council to tick the box marked "evidence of public awareness and co-ordination of activities towards integrating council activities to the known needs of the electorate, and evidence of public consulatation".
This gets an extra gold star on the OFSTED style audit of the council activities.
The worst thing about the UK is the idea that everything can be quantified and accounted for using guidelines and ticksheets, we will all be living a utopian dream of perfect actions and best value for money. The truth is less prosaic, but more accurate. We end up with a beaurocracy that would make Mussolini blush, and 10000 people employed to ensure 1 is doing his job right. The 1 guy can never be perfect in every way and so even a small mistake ensures the 10000 can cry foul, justify their jobs and build an empire that would stop Alexander the Great from ever reaching for the hankie.
We are even starting to get better than the yanks at this, and just to show how bad they are an American acquaintance (I don't have Yank friends) once told me about football helmets there.
A yank football helmet costs around $100. Of this $30 is the cost of goods, of the store and supply chain, profit margin and taxes. $70 is the cost of the insurance and beaurocratic nonsense that goes with making and selling plastic helmets to overweight 10 year olds.
Now think of that in the terms of your council. 30% goes in providing council services, 70% goes in deciding what to provide, how to do it and whether its good value.
Not that I'm at all bitter you understand..............................................

Like you rightly say. Box ticking. Our council, probably like most send several updates per year, via the post just to tell you how well they are doing. Another waste of time, and money.

Did anyone see the latest idea from our nanny state government, 'Food Advisers'. Soon you might just get a knock on your door (probably when your half way through dinner) from a food adviser. These advisors who will have received 1 days training and be paid 8 plus per hour with a weekend bonus, will give advice on such culinary difficulties as, only cooking as much as you need, how not to throw good food away and how to eat nutritionly.
If one of these jobers for the bleeding obvious comes to my door, I will tell them as politely as possible where to stick their advice.

Let Me know how to get one of those jobs please. It would help my youngsters work their way through university.

Hi This is me,

Just in case your serious, he just completed a random Moir Poll, and a short time latter received the offer to save the world, (sorry had a Gordanism) I mean council.

Anyone else feel that the so called racist name calling by Prince Harry and Prince Charles is missing the point. First let me state that I am completely against any such name calling in a derogatory manner, but the aspect of using these terms has to be looked at. It appears the friend that Prince Charles called 'sooty' does not feel aggrieved as he never took this term to be insulting or offensive.
I can give a personal example of such none offensive approaches. Many years ago, I moved work departments. Introductions were made to my new team.
One of the team was of obvious mixed race, with his father being half Indian.
To this day I can not remember his given Christian name, due to the fact I only used it once. He was introduced to me as Gupta. On asking his real name he told me what it was but requested I call him Gupta as he did not like his given first name. For many years, I only knew him as Gupta. He became quite a close friend.
I also worked with a Liverpudlian, called Tom who preferred to be called Scouse or Scouser.
Obviously some names can only be racist by their connotations.
And as to referring to people who are trying to kill you as Rag Heads, well I will say no more, except in all wars the enemy are always called such names, Germans/Japanese/Viet Cong etc.
I have worked with Yanks, Aussies (can you still call them that), Pakistanis and many other cultures. I'm sure most of them referred to me as a Brit or in the case of the Aussie, that pomm or pommey. Should I be looking at these terms different to then. I think not.
It is not the word/name that is derogatory, only the way it is meant/used.

Kind of agree, Greek.
It is also the way in which it accepted by the recipient.
The one that bothers me is the way the term Pakki is taken as racist without thought, yet for many people it is an accepted term that is used to describe an Asian. I hear the cries of Indians and Bengalis but to be honest, we are happy to call Iraqis and the like Arabs when they clearly are not.
Furthermore, surely Pakki is an accepted contraction of the "allowed" word Pakistani, and if this is the case, then classing Pakki as racially offensive should mean the term Brit is racially offensive.
I am proud to be a Brit, are they not proud to be Pakistani?????
I was once on a charge of racism based on the fact that I was asked to identify a young lady in a group of 12 and I said it was the black girl. She was the only non white in the group, yet my description was taken as a racist slur!!!

I think the sensitivity to nicknames when acceptable to the individual concerned is madness.

Howeverit , it does depend on the intent of its use.

Many Welshmen, are called Taffy or Taf by their friends in Wales itself. The use of the nickname by the English is generally friendly; sometimes it is used in a condescending manner. One just ignores the latter user in that situation or give the user the respect they deserve.

Personally, I see little advantage to having a "Royalty", but the media and racially sensitive groups hounding of the younger members is stupid.

I hope, if I ever had a black cat (god forbid) and called it Sooty, the cat nor the public will object.