Captain Oates

OK, about that (amicable) agreement....

I am not able to find any evidence that Gerald Ford made, or was expected to make an actual appearance at this event, only that he was "hosting" it in Vail Valley where he has a home. We are obviously not the only folk waiting patiently or not so patiently.

Oi! What about the rest of us? I have just spent 20 minutes in the bath pondering the fairest division of the spoils. Divided equally between the remaining 360 members would be fine, but extra rewards for long service or quantity (?quality) of postings might be in order. I'm sure we could come to some sort of agreement. .....now how much did he get away with?????

That's Python... That works, but putting a space after the P-word (even in bold) triggers the error message. So... That's Python, isn't it? What dreadful secret have we stumbled upon? (Is it something involving PHP?) Or is it a lesson in punctuation?

so it works now?

Exactly! Welcome. (A bit of an old nag, that Notapotato )

Yes, sadly, "justice" is something that he can probably afford - if he gets on with it before the creditors get him.

So do you really mean 'less'? ..or 'fewer'?

Economic Theory, like Political Theory, is an excellent thing in a controlled laboratory environment (ie nowhere that really exists for these subjects), but just add real live humans into the experiment, then any claim to Scientific Method is rendered laughable. Milton Friedman is a very bright bloke - but a historian and theoretician. It's up to the rest of us to make the real world tick.

Do you really think that would happen? I suppose the die-hard protestants could gradually be forced (democratically!) into an ever-smaller geographical area and eventually dropped off into the sea, like fleas off the end of a dog's nose.

Thank you Sir J. It's a good link ! (I also got there, eventually, by following links in the error message.)

Can't get that link to work, even with a bit of judicious editing... Is it just me? Congratulations on your new signature! Very much in the spirit of... er.. Sir Josco The Brave. Incidentally, Sir Arnold Bax, although an Englishman was inspired by the west of Ireland and spent much time there.

That would be Captain Haddock???

Your signature is personal to you, but using a quotation is a popular choice. Some suggestions on the topic of death or a few other subjects.

Portuguese is a crazy language. Sounds like Russian to me! Oscar still working at 97 (Born 15th December 1907) Save yourself the journey - some nice pictures here.

My point exactly ! Bugger! I forgot to log in again. (Too much Josco gin, probably.)

These are the ones who give astrology a bad name. Is there anyone out there who has made a deep study of astrology? Fascinating subject*, isn't it? Fodder for the grey cells. "Long experience has taught me this about the status of mankind with regard to matters requiring thought: the less people know and understand about them, the more positively they attempt to argue concerning them, while on the other hand to know and understand a multitude of things renders men cautious in passing judgement upon anything new. " "Mathematics is the language with which God has written the Universe" Edit: Otherwise reported as " The laws of nature are written in the language of mathematics." I prefer this version. Galileo * Just don't start "believing" in it!!

Oh deary me, that's obscene. I like it. But it somehow lacks the refinement and satisfaction of the real live original!

That is a generalisation that is rather hurtful some of us who are not yet dead! As a musician, I would like to give Mr H the opportunity to re-consider. Sorry Captain, I'm afraid that I tend to agree with Mr Honez, although not with out some reservations. There are many professions that are desperately underrated and a more enlightened society would correct this imbalance. I do think that musicians, and music, contribute to the sum of human happiness. (Does this include Eminem?) However, I do think that some of them get paid (not earn) an amount out of all proportion to their contribution. Some of the sums are obscene; does that McCartney* fellow really deserve such a colossal amount? This may appear to be a socialist rant that belies other members’ impressions of me, but it is not. Oh no, it is pure unadulterated envy. I sit here in a job that I do not enjoy, watching my life dribble away, wishing to be able to be in a position where financial woes are a thing of the past. *At least Mrs Josco has two legs! If it is riches that you envy, then look somewhere other than the music profession. I know of several excellent musicians who have even strayed into IT in order just to keep paying the mortgage. Most musicians are honest (yes!), conscientious, extremely hardworking, and dedicated. The majority of working musicians have to work very long and anti-social hours and only rarely are publicly credited for their work. But having to actually pay to have a musician perform, teach or accompany is too much for some folks. "Do you mean I have to pay for you to 'play'?" (The Small Claims Court comes in very handy here.) Recorded music is so much cheaper to use, and so the big corporations and a few "celebrities" get rich while the rest of us struggle on. There ought to be another word than 'musician' for those high profle entertainers whom you mention and others like them. (Most of the words that come to mind would not survive the filter!) - Don't be too hard on Eminem: not music to me, but he's not the worst out there, by a long way. .......So there you go. Now for my first taste of H******k's Gin. Sir Josco has truly earned his knighthood for this recommendation. With cucumber! A touch of Pure Genius.

A neat idea that might work if you could find a TV company willing to take the insurance risk!

Certainly a 20th century classic performer.

That is a generalisation that is rather hurtful some of us who are not yet dead! As a musician, I would like to give Mr H the opportunity to re-consider. Were it not for the fact that I have to hurry off to work (in a school, where my pupils would not be helped by the above remark) I would have plenty more to say. Come on Mr H.........

Great movie, but I'm not sure if animals are worthy of being mentioned here Except Amanda's dog.....

I can't find it anywhere, but it sounds like a useful word to describe a politician!

So that's how it's done!