terdancam

i`m looking across the rooflines of all the new housing estates in milton keynes--vast expanses of featureless grey and red tiles; and i really mean vast. Not one of them has a solar panel to "assist" the water heating, not one has a rain diverter to maximise efficeincy of rain water run off, not one has a micro turbine to "assist" with power. Now all thses houses are getting crammed with pcs, plasma screens, fone chargers, electric eyebrow pluckers, rechargeable remote control reachers, ad infinitum ad nauseum and we`re now net importers of fuel from mad regimes. Unfortunately we don`t have a long term executive oversight commitee in charge of this stuff that needs long term planning. Just think, if you were in government with the possibility of being voted out every 4 years, why would you bother with planning for stuff 20 yrs hence. Surely you would be in it for yourself? And before you say some politicos are not like that, thats fair enough--its just the vested interest parties are more numerous, have greater resources, shout louder. Now ask yourself this, if you were CEO of Anglian water (or whatever) and had the choice of building more reservoirs, desalination plants etc to accomodate the huge population density in the south east, where there is little room to build capacity anythinh, or you could just tell your customers there was a two week ban on hosepipes, which would you go for, bearing in mind your responsibility to shareholders? :duh: :D Unfortunately in this country, we are very very very non-militant. Remeber the polltax riots? How many years ago was that? And how much do your council tax charges compare to those days and the days of rates? What is it, something like an 84% rise over 5 years--so where are the riots now? Your water company, gas supplier, bbc licence dept, BPI, government, car retailer, (you name it, the rip off list in Britain is huge) are going to p1ss all over you because they know that you aren`t going to do diddly squat about it! Get used to hosepipe bans, we are all just little people................ :o :o :o rant over

http://media.putfile.com/lefortovo22

amen to that brother hippy/facist/commie/liberal/tory/marixist !! and so to that end heres a kiss and a hug, and no doubt a mutual agreement that we`d all be far better off with me and you in charge-armed with really big sticks and no-nonsense attitudes....... :D besides, i fully advocate setting up a M of DGS (ministry of damn good slappings), where the boys would be sent round to deal with most of societys problems,, :D and the labour government still alludes to marxist agendas :winky: after all, why would they tax so much if that wasn`t the case!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 :D :tsktsk:

Communism does NOT work!!!!! China is far from achieveing the equal distribution of goods etc that form the fundementals of Marxist-Lenninism/Communism. China was a dictatorship under the Chairman and is now an oligarchy. The reason for China's ever-growing economic (and therefore power) increase is one factor - resources. Both of material and people. still called a communist government though by all rival countries, and from whos point of view are you saying it doesn`t work, and at what point to you define a dictatorship, by whose definition of absolute power?--and by that reasoning the oligarchy is applicable to many so called industrial democracies that have funds donated by corporations--political or financial power or both? How did a state dictated id card get approved, nobody voted for it apart from politicos who did not have that on their manifesto. the problem with saying communism doesn`t work is the same as saying capitalism works......when historians look back on this age they will probably see that an amalgam of all philosophies is the way forward, as neither can claim oneupmanship, both have their faults and merits, and claiming capitalism works, well..............so does a nuke :duh: and thats fine for the people that own one, but not good for the people on the receiving end :D

You need to take a look up north for the 'far better standard of living' for the poor and you wont be saying that. and also there is a huge, huge, huge difference in scale. There are more people alive today than have ever been alive in the past and so in pure numbers there are far more poor in our so called advanced form of government. granted that in the uk, the poverty line seems to be dictated by the number of dvd players you own and not whether you can get enough bread, but as said earlier the have and have not divide is actually growing!! Globally its getting worse, not better. The fact that middle britain is no longer that great a distnace form the quickly disappearing working class is no indicator. also its not actually communism, its marxism and i wouldn`t go holding up capitalism as a flawed poster boy. History will judge it against other forms, its only the strongest and prevalent at the time that seems to be the best..........in a hundred years time it could be judged as the most dangerous if environmental concerns come true. :duh: oh and communism does work---look at the size of china and the projections of its global power by 2050. It is projected to overtake the US (businessweek online). Who says it don`t work? It ain`t pretty granted but its going stratoshperic!! :duh:

actually communism has long been debated as the ideal form of community, but it has had the unfortunate side effect of being completely corruptable by the clever and powerful--exactly the same as modern capitalism!! :duh: however, capitalism has now taken a nasty form that people are beginning to rebel against as it encourages the perverse situations as the starving in africa and the mega rich in newyork. It is well documented that the divide between rich and poor has never been greater, with fewer people owning the wealth. obviously the ramifications of killing world debt has been glossed over, population and resource wise--if all the people stopped dying in africa how would the 6.5b population cope in such matters such as energy. nonetheless, people such as Bill Gates, although obscenely wealthy, donate stupendous amounts of money to charity (steve jobs of apple doesn`t though). But we do live in times where charity workers, firemen, cancer researchers, doctors and so forth are paid a relative pittance compared to people who have their moment in a heat magazine or on big brother. We have sportsmen paid more money in one week than most peole do in a few years. interestingly and regardless of what form of government you advocate, we will either have anarchy when the energy runs out or close to utopia if energy is free and limitless. Comms, energy, politics and military is where the power is and this ain`t set to change anytime soon. Capitalism at the lower end, your local butcher, it provider, garage or electrician is a whole world away from corporate capitalism that can affect whole generations. And check carefully the CSR reports--don`t believe the hype as there are some extraordinarily cynical ones. Scotchguard by 3M is an amazing example--all done in the name of profit. and 90% of people live on 10% of the land in the uk....... we live in a murky world, but sometimes there is a break in the clouds.. :winky:

you are offending my religion........... it`s 11th commandment is "thou shalt not touch vbh, she is too lovely" i declare fatwah on all people slating vbh, and my jihad has lots of soldiers :D as for jc......well he`s just a lovable beurk...............godd entertainer but i wouldn`t go to him for advice on any motor car less than 150k!!!!

did anyone spot the is250 being driven by warren clarke in Dalziel and Pascoe--pascoe drives a blue audi, so his boss is in a better car!!! :D

spotted my first new shape IS on "Desparate Housewives"........!!!!!! when the lawnmower boy goes off to shag another housewife , you can see parked in the drive a gold coloured one....couldn`t tell what engine it was, as it didn`t zoom in close enough Anybody elese spooted any yet? on another note, there was a prop mistake in that a big blue postal box was left right in the middle of a path so nobody could walk round it!!! eagle eyes action man here :duh:

i undertake all the time, 'cos quite frankly the highway code/'law and normal modes of driving haven`t matched up for about 40 years. i`m looking for the neon sign you can put in your car windows that flashes up as you pass by "what exactly are you overtaking D***head?" And b4 people say "but undertaking is wrong", who is wronger (!) the guy sat in the overtaking lane, or the one who is actually awake and making progress. And by progress i don`t mean getting in front of one car, i`m talking a whole bunch in free moving traffic, whether fast or slow. Don`t forget none of these rules have been updated since they came out, yet we have far better cars and a far greater number of them, and i would venture driving dynamics have changed. The fact that 22 million car owners flash their headlights to let people out is seen as a big no-no in the HWcode--you should only use them to warn people you are there...........................bang. what we need is more jam-sandwiches on the roads, driven by big sergeants with mustaches called Steve who carry big batons and handcuffs---not revenue generating boxes or half arsed schemes. :D

Well isn`t that a marvellous first impression from a NEW dealership........ Phoned up yesterday at 12/30 for a 50000 service+ brake pad quote. My details were taken, car reg etc which is on their database, and was told i`d be called back. About 20 mins later i got another fone call from Lexus asking if i could verify my details as they were updating etc. I explained i had already made a fonecal and was waiting a call back but had already gotten a quote from fast fit in bletchley at £75 service +£70 brakes. The lass then said it was £160 for service, she didn`t know what the brakes would be but she would fone up Milton Keyens and see what she could do. I was to expect a call 5 mins later.................. 24HOURS later i called them and said i was a little bit annoyed that no-one had bothered calling me back, especially given that prior to xmas somebody from there rang us up on a preemptive strike regarding the service anyway!!! Put through to service desk, no apology, was asked my details yet again ('cos they`re a ford dealership and have loads of customers i guess), and was quoted 160 +106. I signed off saying "i won`t be using you then, as i have a cheaper quote" to which the reply was "oh ok, bye"................................................ :tsktsk: :tsktsk: :tsktsk: Apart from Glenn who works there, i am not impressed at all. Its not as if its rocket science is it??????? :tsktsk: :tsktsk:

happy birthday---bet you got more bling..........................and a jumper

My Sky+ box has been 'upgraded' and i got some literature through the post telling me this, as obviously the vast swathes of repetitve advertising featuring a frickin frog and gitting goose have meant i don`t understand the concept.............. :tsktsk: But heres some feedback on the the new functionality---------------what the frack was the point?????!!!!! i`ve lost count how many times i`ve done the 'tv services', 0 button, only to go onto the 'more' screen, instead of the new 'tv services. green button' way. But even without cocking it up, tvservices then green button is still the same amount of button presses.HOW IS THAT FASTER?????????????!!!!!! You still end up pressing the same amount of buttons!!!!!! :tsktsk: :tsktsk: :tsktsk: ANd why have they not added pageup/down to the useless a-z listings?????? If you want to find a program beginning with M, write your day off, 'cos thats how long it takes...........suffice to say i never use it. And then they pin enable pre watershed stuff, and say if you don`t want it, tough, but we`re working on a fix for later in the year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can control what my kids watch thankyou very ruddy much, its called being a dad........... And the "international" channel must have been concocted by an american...................there is one chinese channel and all the rest are hindu/muslim etc. How is that international? Where is spanish, french, german, australian, russian etc? Or are they so insignificant they don`t exist ( :duh: :o )??????? Holy sassasfract Batman, how much of my already exorbitant subscription went on that upgrade and junk mail deforestation? Where is my press red to record from trailer? Where is my press green from the handset to go to my recorded programmes? where is my press something to add to favourites, instead of traipsing through the services list? Which focus group did you use to rubber stamp these changes? Kermit the frog and his neighbours? I`m now off to breathe into a paper bag, and take far too many happy pills....................... Anybody would think i had just caught cancer from the upgrade.....

its a good lucky one for me today, as i just got the results back from my final exams in my MBA and i passed safely!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! just the small matter of the final project now............. :duh: :duh: :duh: :tsktsk:

excellent, and i an`t wait for the impending additions like the saxo one! :D

good lord chap it looks like a max power explosion, if you`ll forgive the insult............. :D :D guess NP is going to be a louder town pretty soon. oh and by the way i`ll take any charity!!!!!! and have you noticed how many frickin Lexussssssssss are around our town all of a sudden? Theres 3 my colour IS200, a frick load of old GSsssssssss and plenty of green is200 and they are all seemingly driven by overweight 40+ women. sod american sci-fi, we have our own bona fide invasion right here........... :o :o :D

Hence the reason why customer loyalty/cost to change+retention etc is such a big area of marketing then? It is a funny paradox, but it is a legacy of preinternet days where a fone call was all the ammo consumers had, and when tesco or your local chip shop were not offering insurance! It does make you wonder how much the inertia has changed, given the advent of comparison sites and more information/more providers and whether the insurance market is just typically slow to react positively. Having said that, there are times when i can waste an entire day shopping for the best price, only to miss out on cost savings better met by just spending a little more in the first instance and using my time in other avenues. A downside to having this modern cornucopia of choice in everything is that you have to suddenly research everything !!! It makes me wonder what i would be doing now had the t'internetty not been invented

You need a massage parlour to loosen you up ! househusband+kids+lexus+wife=no spare cash........... and i don`t really want to increase the lean period should i come home with a smile on my face and a wistful look in my eyes 'cos the wife would probably guess............!!!!! :D now, back to the paul mckenna diet because i`m hungry

terdancam Meldrew ! :P I found last year that by getting insured ONLINE with MoreThan (who I've been with for about the last 4 years) I saved approx £150. I rang them and queried why they have sent me a quote for the Lex for near on £500, and when I used their website I got it for about £350. The bloke on the end of the phone told me that it's because the online service is really only there for NEW customers, and they therefore get a discount on their insurance. He did say hand over mouth that if I was to cancel my old policy and then take out a new one online that this would make me a NEW customer with a NEW policy number and a £150 saving. But like you put - why didn't I get offered the discount as surely I am what you would consider a loyal customer ? :duh: The mind boggles ! i haven`t had s*x in a few days, so i`m a wee bit tense......................... :D but you`re right about the meldrew accusation, i`m 34 years old and wound up tighter than a really wound up tight thing...........the world is full of feckers like insurance companies unfortunately :D

cheapest we`ve found is for the wife to be main driver (she has full ncp) as women get cheaper insurance anyway, then add me the hubby on as named driver. as we`re with direct line, who have always been the cheapest btw, i still get ncp added. however, what really winds me up is having to go through all companies as though you are a new customer to get the lowest quote eg :online, new customer etc. there is no reduction for loyalty, and even if you get a cheaper rival quote you still have to argue your loyalty. have these companies not heard of the costs involved between customer retention and attracting new customers; its far cheaper to keep old customers!!!!!!!!!!! no wonder we need websites like confues or uswitch because there is no effort to keep customers. Plonkers.

or could it be 4x4 + transit van= british roads not wide enough???????? :D :shutit: :shutit: seriously though, i take my kid on the bike to school down a typical country lane, yet i`m the one who has to brake/move over/ let the vehicle through!!!!! I`ve even been hit in the back the other day by a wing mirror on a toyota landcruiser that was trying to squeeze past!!!!! And yes, it was a clean vehicle, one driver, and yet the 4x4 capabilities of the damn thing meant that he couldn`t possibly have gone up the grassy verge, oh no. Buerk.

AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Where the flibbity gibbet have all these ruddy aussies come from????!!!!! Not only do we have to see them all sporting lovely new is250s, cooking themselves in 42 degree heat, and generally ruddy well enjoying life but now they`ve invaded UKLOC!!!! After seeing the "visit western australia" quantas tv advert, it raining and gray outside and both my kids have that delightful Xmas bug, and my sister and her fiance spending 3 months there in march as part of a year trip around the world the absolutely last thing i need to see to remind me of the fact that i can`t emigrate yet is some cheery aussies........................ thank heavens for rugby and the ashes..........!! seriously though, and pretend whinging pom put aside, its nice to see how we can talk to our fellow enthusiasts clear across the other side of the world via this marvelous internetty thing!! :D

Found this linky: http://www.saynoto0870.com/ Saves paying those darned expensive helpdek numbers (skyplus anyone?!! :tsktsk: )

before i go spending hours on the fone to sky, can anybody advise on these symptoms? fone line connected ok, can still watch all sky channels, but cannot record or set reminders, manual record etc. Drive has been wiped (poss as a result of the full reset i did) have done housekeeping+various different repowers etc but still comes up with the "call the helpdesk" box. has the drive had it? and if so canst thou recommend a drive i can whack straight in without a) spending hours shopping around and B) don`t have to mess around with upgrading fans etc oh, and seasons greetings :D

Its well documented that their management technique of putting their people first has put them where they are today. All the modern management speak about 'empowerment' etc over the past decade or so originates from them. ← Yep the japanese management styles treat employees as part of the family with life long careers, rewarding hardwork etc.. I've got a whole exam on various types of management styles on monday ANYWAY Well done Lexus/Toyota, about time japanese cars got recognition, i'm sure there are still many out there that will tell you euro cars are the leaders tho ← What: autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire management styles? :D :D :D