aerospacemango

I've got a couple of inches here, and more coming down! The college IS open, but I can see us getting sent home sometime soon.... It looks a proper blizzard out there! Yayyyyyyyyyyyy!!! Ok, so we'll be playing catch up (IF we do go) but it's worth it, if my son gets out of school early, so we can go sledging on the farm estate!! (By sledging....I don't mean standing next to an Aussie batsman and calling him a sheila!!!)

This has been pretty clear for many years, that it is only the propaganda of Kim Jung Il that says that N Korea is prosperous..... Who hasn't looked at Google Earth/North Korea/ Night time, and wondered why there are hardly any lights on?

LOL! Nah, mate! Better than that Fosters or Castlemaine rubbish!! coughcough517-1coughcough!!! I reckon your boys are in for a proper beating now! Fortress Gabba is no more, so Adelaide here we come.....

The point is not to outlaw them....but to tax them appropriately. You are right about the difficulty of writing a law to forbid them, but taxing them at a punitive rate would go some way to restoring the balance between those who caused the crash, and those who are affected by it.

Private Eye | Official Site I'd refer you to this link, to suggest that the £6.9bn figure is wrong. If that WAS the case, then I'm amazed to think that nearly ALL of it is due from Vodaphone.....

I'm thinking that the pendulum is swinging slowly back in our direction! (Ever the optimist!) Would love to be in Vic for the Boxing Day Test, at the MCG, Chris! Have a beer (a VB, if you please!) and a sanger for me, will ya?? Love your city, but wanna spank your cricketers, soooo badly, on the cricket pitch!!!!

The fact that the Indy states that " The biggest proportion (£5.8bn) was accounted for by individuals under-declaring on their tax self-assessment forms" and then goes on to state that "Companies underpaid £6.9bn in corporation tax, almost half of which was put down to deliberate avoidance by large firms" makes me wonder at the journo who wrote the piece. Surely £6.9bn is BIGGER than £5.8bn, therefore, the biggest proportion is with Compnies not paying? Shurely shome mishtake????

I rather think that you haven't READ the article properly, and just found it to copy the link............ An estimated £15.2bn in VAT receipts was not collected by tax officials last year – equivalent to one-sixth of the money that should have been due, and a sharp increase on £11.7bn the year before. The finding chimes with a recent study which concluded that the "informal economy" represented about 14 per cent of Britain's gross domestic product. But the figure could also reflect the increasing rate of business failures during the recession. Many companies pay their VAT receipts up to 18 months in arrears, by which time they may have gone bust. The country missed out on a further £14.5bn in receipts from income tax, national insurance and capital gains tax, with about 7 per cent of direct taxes unpaid. The biggest proportion (£5.8bn) was accounted for by individuals under-declaring on their tax self-assessment forms. "Ghost" workers who fail to disclose any of their income dodged £1.3bn in tax, while those not owning up to second jobs evaded £1.8bn. Companies underpaid £6.9bn in corporation tax, almost half of which was put down to deliberate avoidance by large firms. Some startling "FACTS" in there, I think!

Very hard to put proper SOUL into a medium that is crystal clear, and perfect! Vinyl remains the best way to listen to music....even if the tech IS rubbish!!!

Yeeeeeah....but they're not really rubbish things, are they Hightower??? I'd also like the season DVD for QPR from last season.....Now THAT'S proper rubbish! (This seasons' will be much much better!!!)

Me too!!! Me too, again! Was driven in one, once, about 25 years ago, and still want one!!!

These bonuses should be taxed at 65%+ Why should these people get HUGE bonuses, after nearly driving our country to the brink of bankruptcy? The toxic loan fiasco was driven by the major banks....some of which are STILL heavily in debt to the nation, for saving them, and yet at the first sign of profit, instead of paying us back, they whack out huge bonuses to their gamblers. The bonuses, let's not forget, are on top of a six, and sometimes seven, figure salary. More gravy for the elitist express!

This is very true....but people should still have a CHOICE over whether they go to Uni....

I get Private eye every 2 weeks..... Best read around! And, pretty impartial too! They'll have a go at everyone....doesn't matter about politics or belief!!! Oh, and love the Pseudo-names section...... Signed Queen Spar Krangers

Oh of course! That old chestnut! The rich, once you start taxing them properly, will all b*gg*r off to another country! That one is ALWAYS trotted out! Yep, and then they get something like 90 days a year to spend in this country before tax kicks in....All happened in the 70's too! I'm not talking about taxing them until they squeak. They WOULD be counter-productive, but their bonuses should be heavily taxed, and those earniing over £1 000 000 a year should be more heavily taxed (I'm looking at you footballers there!!!).

No...I was using it as an illustration of (MY BELIEF) the Con-Dem attitude towards the students. Also, I have no class hatred....My partner is a former public school pupil, so that would be ridiculous! (Though I do not expect you to know that!)

I'm against a Party going back on their pledge.... If Labour did the same, then I would be just as angry with them. In fact, probably worse, for they would've let down their core vote. I would respectfully suggest that that is a rather simplistic view of things? Unless you have proper evidence that that is the case....then it remains an unknown, and therefore is just conjecture and hearsay. Regardless of where the leaders come from, they have an ethos to look after ALL the voters....not just the rich ones...or "toffs" as you so quaintly put it! Bank bonuses unbound | Comment is free | The Guardian Indeed!

Whilst watching a snippet of the "Young Ones" the other night, I was reminded of, what seems to be, the attitude of the current government........ The episode was "Bambi" In the back of a limo were Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson and Ben Elton..... "We're going to smash the oiks, rar, rar, rar!" Was the cry.............. Seems like nothing has really changed in 30 years. My son is 6....the thought of how high Uni fees will be in 11-12 years.....It's mind-boggling!

Well...that was a bit anti-climactic!! I went to sleep at lunch, after Strauss was out 3rd ball, and Trott got himself out, and we were in a decent position........... I wake up and there's been a hat-trick, and we're all out.... How did THAT happen? :(:( However, as someone very famous once said..... One innings doth not a Test Match maketh.... At least, I think it was that! Onwards and upwards England! Still think we'll win the series! : optimistic:

The Ashes are almost here! Come on England! I realise that there will be some who don't enjoy cricket, but for those of us that do....Here's the thread for your thoughts on the days play!

Wish I'd seen this before...... I went here 2 years ago, and for a holiday, it is fantastic! Me and the OH went, left the son with grandparents, and had a whale of a time! Hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!

Breakfast, Lunch and Supper for me! Although, before I met my OH, it was always lunch and dinner!!! (It's her fault! I even call the front room, the drawing room now, in deference to her!!!)

Interesting...... Our principal wants us to look into the feasibility of using e-readers for the Governors. Turns out that each month, they get sent a mighty batch of papers n stuff. Could this be an easier way forward? Send it ALL out as a PDF, get them to download it onto the reader, and all the info is there? Any thoughts are gratefully received!

Do you mean breeding massive spiders? To spin a strand strong enough for the space elevator? Huge spiders kept in labs? What happens if they break free??? OMG....The day truly has come for us arachnophobes to fear the future......

BBC News - Audio slideshow: Bridget Riley If you like geometric art....... I'd be quite happy to spend a couple of hours wandering round, looking at these!