Whitey Grandad

No necessarily. It usually means there is something else that you haven't though of.

Rest in Peace, Brian. You will always be part of the history that you reported.

This is my view too.

It's usually cold in winter. HTH

I was always told that we are in a short inter-glacial warm period. Volcanoes can be just as nasty, I'll grant you. Even though we may not be affected climatically by Yellowstone, the economic fallout would be very nasty.

Not if we are overdue an ice age. We can survive global warming but we cannot survive an ice age (and by 'we' I mean us in Britain, not those in Uganda.

But what if you live in Australia?

Oops - glad I missed it.

It's the cold weather.

Have you asked the bank? That would be the first place to go.

Exactly. And that is the problem.

Oh yes there are!

Not if you are out of the country it isn't. The stupid idiots in the ticket office has ballsed up again.

Communism has failed in every instance.

I would certainly argue against that. The public sector includes the Health Service, Fire, Police, Defence and Social Services. The wealth-creating part is tiny as a proportion of government expenditure. Nationalised industries don't create wealth because they don't have to - they know that they cannot go bust. Every country in the world produces world-class engineers and scientists. In Britain it is often despite the comprehensive education system. Just a look at the government's own figures for the sources of the money it spends will show how little is generated by its own operations.

He was subbed during half time?

It's true that our government can occasionally turn a profit, although I'm struggling to remember any of the nationalised industries ever doing so. We should make a profit out of the banks that we have effectively bought when they are eventually sold and there should also be a couple of a percent return on the money we are lending to Ireland, but these amounts are very small compared to the bulk of the governments tax-take.

I hear she does a great lunch in Sweden.

Ah, thanks for that. My son talks about these things all the time and I pretend to listen. He's nearly 40.

It could be. I'm looking forward to the day when I can get a coloured rinse. Do you think I should have blue or a pink one?

I knew that really. Is it still the cheapest way to get a BlueRay player?

I'm pleased for you, Tartanowl. Now you can sleep at nights.

What's an 'XBox' ?

Well, 'every little helps'.

Interesting indeed. Perhaps that explains my increase in mass in recent years? Or maybe my gravitational mass is attracting everything towards me at cosmic speeds? My mind is boggling.