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From The Times 17 April 2004 'THE taxman is trying to claw back £10 million a year from charities that employ street fundraisers, The Times has learnt.' 'Although one high street fundraiser can cost as much as £100 a day, charities say they are good value for money. Now customs officers say that charities must pay VAT on monies paid to chuggers. This could cost major charities at least £1 million each. The better news: 'Charities are planning to take their grievances to a VAT tribunal at the end of the month, with the Children’s Society leading the test case. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,175-1077413,00.html' target='_blank'> Basically, the plan is to charge VAT (currently 17.5% in Britain) on any money one of these street fundraisers collects from members of the general public, all because the Inland Revenue are trying to claim it's a form of a sale - and it's the same reason they currently charge VAT on income raised from those who fundraise by running the London Marathon. Can our [british] government be that desperately in need of income sources that they need the comparitively miniscule amount of money that this badly thought out plan will raise? If they do, can I suggest that the Queen be paid less, or maybe the MP's could start paying their way, instead of eating at subsidised restaurants, drinking in subsidised bars, and avoiding paying tax themselves because they have exempted themselves from certain income-tax schemes. Maybe they could then leave the charities alone, particularly as some charities are only in existence because of the inadequacies of the Government to address certain social problems. I don't know what the situation is in the US, or elsewhere in the World, but in Britain it fucking stinks, and now charities are being expected to cover the bar-bill of the allegedly socialist Government. Heads on pointy sticks is quite an appealing idea at the moment.

Depends on the definition of 'perfect' To be error-free is easily possible - after all, computers only understand 2 things - '1' and '0'. So if you make a program and there's an error in it, then at it's most basic level you've either not accounted for converting an input into one of the two states, or you've instructed your software to do something stupid once it's in that state. However, if by 'perfect' you're referring to software that can do everything I want in a way I find easy to use and in a timescale that suits me, then I agree, 'perfect' isn't always possible. My firm belief is that, unfortunately, M$ falls into the first definition of imperfect, and because there's little competition, it get's away with being coded in a way that isn't fault-free. To my mind, the fact that it's popular, should make Microsoft even more wary of the quality of it's products, and make it's testing procedures even more rigorous so that more exceptions can be handled in a more acceptable way. However, to be slightly fair to M$, it's operating systems sometimes rely on third-parties to provide an error-free solution (drivers and firmware for periperals, coding in web pages, anti-virus software etc) that M$ doesn't always have the capability nor licensing power to change, and in a number of instances it may well be the falibility of these third-party solutions that cause the collapse of Windows. Eitherways, M$, IMO, could and should do more, but they don't.

I think, instead of the stupid taskbar-mounted windows globe thingy proudly announcing that there are 'updates to install', I think it should just say something simple like 'we fucked up - click here and we'll put it half-right' Obviously, the word 'again' could be inserted after the word 'up' to add more accuracy to the statement, but you get the idea. I do think it's clever the way M$ market them as 'updates', when most of the time it's a fix for an error or bug that wouldn't exist if Windows was coded and tested properly. Oh well, when you've got a monopoly, these are the liberties you can take.

UN involvement? That worries me as well, after all, it was their involvement at the end of the Gulf War that allowed Saddam to stay in power. It was their involvement that imposed sanctions that seemingly every communist state disobeyed, as well as some EU countries, most notably Spain. It was also the UN who allowed Saddam to carry on as he always had done after the end of the Gulf War. The UN also allowed Iraqi troops to shoot down planes patrolling the UN-imposed no-fly zone. It was also the UN who sat by and watched Saddam eject UN inspectors from Iraq on numerous occasions. The UN are also responsible for allowing Saddam to use the proceeds of oil sales, not to invest in Iraq and the wellbeing of it's people, but to acquire yet more personal wealth, whilst the people of his nation continued to struggle in poverty. The UN also stood-by and watched as the people of Iraq were subjected to the regime of a dictator who did not suffer objectors lightly - in fact torture followed by a slow death was normal for anyone who spoke out. The UN also stood by and allowed allied forces to enter Iraq, even though the UN did not sanction the action and the forces were made up of nations signed up to the UN charter, and consequently, agreed to be bound by any decisions and rulings that the UN reached. In conclusion, the UN under the 'guidance' of Kofi Annan is a pointless entity, with absolutely no power nor jurisdiction and should be abolished until such times it can actually enforce anything it believes in. Don't misunderstand me, the war in Iraq is completely unjustified, but the removal of Saddam IMO needed to happen - I just happen to believe that there were other options available - all of which would have avoided a war, and one of which the UN should have enacted a long time before GWB decided to try and take over the world. I also think that US, British and any other allied forces need to withdraw from Iraq asap, however, I have absolutely no confidence in the UN, particularly as some of the UN forces would be expected to include troops from the very same nations that are the ones that are already occupying Iraq, and who have already acted against the UN's judgement, and consequently, should be barred from the UN. But the UN being the pointless UN that it is, will still welcome US, British and other allied troops amongst it's numbers. The problem will always be that any force that enters Iraq will be seen as oppressors by Saddam supporters. This leaves the only solution, therefore, as being Iraqis policing Iraq. I appreciate this is extremely simplistic but whilst foriegn troops (under any banner) remain in Iraq they will always be in a state of occupation, and this will only ever increase resentment the longer the state of occupation continues. I also believe that with the correct training, and the provision of proper equipment, married with the establishing of a democracy, the withdrawal of foriegn troops, and close monitoring, the situation in Iraq will improve. Regrettably, there will always be those that were profiteering under Saddam's regime and they will always try and undermine whomever and whatever happens to try and rebuild Iraq, but, which nation hasn't had, or doesn't have terrorist problems? Unfortunately it's a fact of life, and one which Iraq and the rest of the World will never be free from.

I was surprised they chose BBC4 first, but I s'pose the BBC need to invest in quality programming for digital TV to justify the licence fee increasing year-on-year. And yeah, it's kind of a bad thing it's on BBC4, but it does mean the BBC have rights to show it, so BBC2'll soon have it, I'm sure.

A review I wrote a while back (as some of you may guess it was posted on a fansite, hence it's overbearing bias)... "Power In The Blood" is an Alabama 3 classic in my opinion being a fantastic dance-oriented piece which shows the band have sacraficed nothing and have stuck true to their previous achievements and show instantly that this is really a track ONLY the A3 (I hat callin' them 'A3' but it's just easier) can perform - "There is power in the Blood, justice in the soul, when the call it comes, I will be ready for war" and as fans will know this isn't done in a 'preachy' way but with a chorus that is memorable and the verses being steeped - and I mean foot-in-mouth, dead animal pyres steep - with meaning that only one or two groups (in the world) could perform successfully without seeming pretentious. "Reachin' "strikes me as gospel and consequently blues influenced piece initially and before long Larry Love's distinctive bourbon soaked vocals can be heard and just further illustrates the A3's dexterity and vast musical influences. "Woody Guthrie" is a sign of just how intelligent the band and its followers need to be and without a doubt illustrates the difference between hearing music and actually listening to it - how many other groups would even dare thinking about using the lyric "some mother in Jakarta, lays down her weary head, In some free trade-zone compound where they work you 'til you're dead" let alone setting it against the back-drop of a fantastic country-music inspired melody, in particular the chorus, which if the words were removed would have redneck hill-billies dancing round the campfire with their banjos until someone's brother and sister married. "Year Zero" carries on the rudimentary style of lyricism that people don't like because they never take the time to actually listen to them or try to understand them - "Every winner is a villain, every loser is a hero" - how true, we all think? "The Devil Went Down To Ibiza" and "Strobe Life" are both influenced by dance music yet neither are over the top and both hold their own musically when compared to dance acts and track six shows its sheer comparabilty with dance music as many remixes are being produced and certain DJ's are even being referred to as "...of Ibiza remix fame" an accolade no doubt especially when you consider that the A3 sacraficed nothing as far as the lyrics are concerned - this illustrates the quality MUST be good and rest assured it sounds fantastic turned up your stereo! "R.E.H.A.B." is a great track which is a far more serious effort than Exile's "Hypo Full Of Love" to illustrate the difficulties with drug use, abuse and the struggle with rehabilitation but also comments on the social acceptance of drugs and the hypocritical stance displayed by many and again features a truly unique combination of musical styles. "The Moon Has Lost The Sun" is a true A3 track and requires a LOT of play to hear the lyrics but once they are clear I guarantee you will have goose-bumps the next time the track starts such is the graphical imagery used. The next track is a simple affair and the chorus (for me, at least) conjours up images of a black slave worksong and shows the emotional bond needed to understand the A3 (I appreciate that was a bit deep but if you get the A3 like I do, you'll understand what I mean! - I hope). "Yellow Rose" is a complicated track and is one that I still am struggling to comprehend so I feel it unfair to pass comment on at the moment. My listening has been somewhat comprimised as I keep skipping to "Bullet Proof", which by no means is my fave A3 track but the sexy female rock inspired vocals mixed with Larry's distinctive voice are a winner and the lyrics are extremely catchy and I can see that this track could be radio-friendly and potentially be a single release. "Badlands" is a somewhat basic country inspired partial cover of Bruce Springsteen's track "Nebraska" - be warned, the track sounds like it's been recorded in a cave and track 14 will blow your speakers to bits because the over-exuberent production leaves the track in a very quiet dynamic (as is track 15 - be warned!). "Lord Have Mercy" is another amalgamation of styles in true A3 style and requires a couple of plays to fully appreciate but give it time and the chorus will hook you and the verses will become explanatory and certain lines in the song will give rise to hairs on neck activity such is the harsh reality of the lyrics. The final track - "Come On Home" seems tacked-on and probably wouldn't be missed if it wasn't there - which it might not be depending on how loud your volume control is set. All in all the Alabama 3 have done themselves and us (their ever so loyal fans) extremely proud. The album does take a good half-dozen plays to pick up the meaning of some of the lyrics and the humour contained therein but rest assured for those of us occasionally looking for more than the same old commercial-radio pop-music tripe, the A3 are a fantastic diversion - the massive amount of musical styles - some of which probably aren't even intended, the fantastic musicianship of the band - we all look forward to the accoustic based album in Sept/Oct, some of which was playing intro at Hay (great gig guys!! - nice castle) the depth of lyrics that even traditional blues musicians and punk groups would envy to have thought of and perform but fortunately for us it was the Alabama 3 that have conjoured the musical and social commentary masterpieces that have been 'Exile on Coldharbour Lane,' 'La Peste' & now 'Power in the Blood' The album itself is perhaps not as inspirational as Exile, or as well produced as La Peste but there is no doubting this is still the no compromise Alabama 3 that we all love and there are some new styles and techniques that prevent our beloved A3 from becoming stale - and I for one am looking forward to the accoustic album which is due for release in Sept/Oct (see Alabama 3's Website and details of US release of PITB). I would like to add that this isn't really an impartial review, merely a lowdown of what the tracks said to me, but hell, if you liked both/either of the other two albums or just fancy something different from all the monotonous pop-groups you WILL love this new(est) album.

This thread in itself has proved your point Umma. With the exception of this (my) post, all your other replies are from the more regular members. Just something I found to be quite amusing as I was reading through it. I think though, that whilst the base of members is increasing I'm sure there's no cause to worry too much - at least while new members are joing there's a chance that a few more will post.

I need a lot more sleep than I can get and usually only manage a max of 4 hrs a night, and that's if I'm lucky, but enough of my insomnia. From the article: '...People who slept only 7 hours each night also said they had more trouble falling asleep and feeling refreshed after a night's sleep than 8-hour sleepers. Wow, that must mean they've either found a way to quantify tiredness, or, the 'results' are purely subjective and meaningless. You really should let her get more sleep ;) :rotfl:

From The Times, 17 April 2004: 'CATS really can have nine lives. Or ten or 11, or however many their owners choose, after a Californian firm began offering the world’s first cat cloning service for $50,000 (£27,700) per animal. 'Nine cloned kittens are expected by November, five of them for paying clients. A similar service for dogs is likely to follow And more worryingly for anyone actually interested '... John Sperling, who decided to use the fortune he made ... to research the cloning of his dog, Missy. So far his “Missyplicity project’ has failed to reproduce his husky cross pet, which died in 2002, aged 15. Full story:here

'Seven illuminating films about a musical genre that has influenced everything from rock 'n' roll to hip hop. Each programme is a very personal exploration of the blues by directors including Wim Wenders and Martin Scorsese. Think of it as a musical adventure... http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/music/features/blues.shtml Also check out the official site: http://www.pbs.org/theblues/index.html Looks to be a great series identifying the massive influence of blues on modern music and musicians.

Hmmmm, Dr Raj Persaud? In Britain he's very much a showbiz psychiatrist - I take anything he has to say with a (very large) pinch of salt. Ignore him - he evidentally has never heard of anyone who can enjoy more than one type of music - I enjoy Classical and Pop, and both for very different reasons (as well as loads of other musical 'genres') and resent that because I like pop music I can't enjoy classical as well. Evidence that not all 'Dr's' are intelligent.

From: http://www.besonic.com/BeSonic/News/0,4756...o0i22398,FF.htm 'Aiwa just released a new set of headphones to the Japanese market, which sports digital audio recording facilities. It plays and records music from other sources, in MP3 format and demonstrates why copy protection technologies make no sense. 'The UZ-PS128 version comes with 128 MB of imbuilt memory for up to two hours worth of music, which can comfortably be transfered to your PC hard disk via a USB port. 'The headphone-MP3-recorder is currently available in Japan for 15 000 Yen or 115 Euros and is a handy alternative for those, who want to record music from Internet Radios without having to deal with additional software programmes. 'On top of its manifold usabilities the UZ-PS128 headphones also prove what opponents of copy protection technologies have long been saying. Whether legal or not, it can store whatever it plays and circumvent any digital right laws. So who needs copy protection technologies? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It seems, to me, that (theoretically) the recording quality will eventually (if not already) be comparable with what the human ear can hear and be a fantastic shortcut around the 'copy-protection' techniques employed on modern releases. Perhaps then, the record companies will see file-sharing as a viable means of promotion instead of seeing it as some sort of bastard-child, and dismissing it as a risk to the industry. Whatever the eventual result - here's to Aiwa :good job: :righteousdude:

From BBC 12.04.04 'Canadian sealers have pushed out to sea for the largest cull in 50 years despite protests by environmentalists and animal rights groups. 'The government is allowing more than 300,000 seals to be killed, arguing that the campaign is both ecologically sound and economically justified... '...Under new guidelines, most seals are meant to be shot and not clubbed to death in a bid to make the killing more humane. BBC

Isn't hypocrisy wonderful? No one is allowed to copy Bill's software, nor change their computer components without his say-so, but good ole Bill was quite happy ripping other people off. I suppose he thought that he could abuse other software developers the way he's been abusing the consumers of his products for all these years. Thankfully, these companies weren't put off by M$'s lawyers, nor it's financial potential. Unfortunately this: "The company, however, should have no trouble paying its settlements or fines as it has a cash pile of more than $50bn." from the BBC's reporting of the story (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3619923.stm) has put the sums talked about into perspective. The phrase 'small change' springs to mind. Oh well, I suppose it's a start.

Maybe the reason oil prices are rising is becasue GWB doesn't want to admit he invaded Iraq for oil, so he's colluded with OPEC to keep the prices high so when he gets accused of the aforementioned he can claim that oil prices are rising so there's no justification in the accusation. Mind you, he claims he went to war for WMD, and there's no justification for that either, so it begs the question W exactly TF are we doing there? No WMD and no oil, but tens of thousands of innocent people dead - good job George [2finga'salute] :reallymad: :reallymad: :reallymad:

Hmmm, methinks you people don't know you're born - Petrol, is currently 78p a litre in Britain, and as anyone will know, that equates to about £3.47 per gallon, which at today's exchange rate is roughly $6.30. What's worse is that Britain actually has the cheapest pre-tax petrol in Europe, but post-tax has the second-most expensive. It works out that about 75% of the petrol cost is tax, and when you add to that that BP are the most profitable British-based company yet the remaining 25% of the petrol cost has to cover BP's cost of purchasing, and all their other operating costs, I have to wonder just what the UK govt is doing with all this money. :reallymad: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in...of_fuel/tax.stm Oh well, that's today rant.

The things I forget that I've done - must stop using the internet when drunk, or maybe I should at least make a note somewhere so that I remember the next day But I'm not stalking, or at least I don't think I am, or that I was... hmmm, forgot where I was goin with this now...