Zombie

Um, just exactly what kind of "actors" are we talking about here

There's loads on eBay e.g. http://www.ebay.com/...r-/330794579245 Yikes, now you've got my inner geek all excited about retro kit ...

Maybe George was ill / infirm and it was a kindness to have him euthanased? Maybe if you feel conflicted you could tell your cross door neighbour it's wrong to ask you not to tell your mum and dad the truth? It's very upsetting when you lose a loved companion. I've had three pets euthanased since childhood - all dogs - to stop their suffering due to infirmity. I held and comforted them and then buried them in the garden. I don't think I could go through that again. So I know how you're feeling *hugs*

It's also a significant anniversary for these - 50 years since they were invented by Dutch company Philips in 1962 and you can still buy 'em. Personally I like owning the physical recording. It's nice to handle something, you get the design cover and the leaflet / booklet often tells you interesting and useful stuff about the artists and recordings and you own it for ever, which you don't with the likes of iTunes - when formats change you'll have to buy it all over again [bruce Willis is threatening legal action against Apple cuz of this] and Spotify isn't a total solution cuz you won't get a broadband connection when you're treking to Everest Base Camp

Ryder Cup 2012 Bad luck USA. Never mind, maybe next time in 2014

Nicely handled Andy Would be a bonus if you could just "happen" to be in the vicinity to witness your manager's nice tan turning a deathly white when she breezes back and gets her P45

I can't repeat what he said here but the first word started with an "f" and ended in a "g", the next word was the opposite of white, and the next word began with a "c" and had four letters. A bit ,more than an "epithet"

True, Andy. But it's the shame. Can't put a price on that.

"Chelsea captain [and former England captain] John Terry has been banned for four matches and fined £220,000 for racially abusing QPR defender Anton Ferdinand." http://www.bbc.co.uk...otball/19723020 Good. This follows other moves to stamp out homophobia in football and other sports http://www.gaystarne...nti-gay-charter

Zombees! - the apocalypse has started!!! zombie bees were the first to be confirmed in Washington state, the Seattle Times reported. San Francisco State University biologist John Hafernik first discovered zombie bees in California in 2008. Hafernik now uses a website to recruit citizen scientists like Hohn to track the infection across the country. Observers also have found zombie bees in Oregon and South Dakota. Aaaahahahah - this is just the beginning! http://www.weather.c...ington-20120925

You mean like this?

Fair enough

I'm sure they made a lovely couple

You must live a very sad and distrustful life if your reaction to everthing you don't have personal experience of is that it's "bull****" Presumably you wouldn't believe elephants have trunks unless you'd seen one with your own eyes Fyi [and presumably Googling it yourself was just too much hard work - much easier to tap out "bull"] here are some sources http://www.niaaa.nih...ollege-drinking http://www.collegedr...ntbrochure.aspx http://www.collegedr...kForce_TOC.aspx http://www.collegedr...0.aspx#hing2005 Maybe you need to be reminded now and again that you live in a society. Your breathtakingly cynical response "That's Darwin sorting out the heard" so why should I care?, apart from being callous, ignores the deaths and injuries caused to all the others by those drink drivers: passengers, pedestrians, and other road users. Never mind their distraught families and friends. "Beyond the personal cost to the individual, society as a whole also pays. Half of all persons who die in traffic crashes involving drinking drivers under the age of 21 are people other than the drinking driver (NHTSA, 2003). The social costs of underage drinking are estimated conservatively at $53 billion, including $19 billion from traffic crashes and $29 billion from violent crime (Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, 1999)." [source US Dept of Health and Human Services "A Comprehensive Plan for Preventing and Reducing Underage Drinking " report 2006] So you see you should care. Because you could be the one injured or killed by a drunk driver. Or someone you love. And even if you still have no compassion, these deaths are costing you money - because you have paid for the education of these students through your taxes and all that money's been wasted because these people have died before they've been able to pay back those costs through their taxes.

And here he is!

Hmm, alcohol suppositories. Neat way to get around the breathalyser

So many! Not got the brains of a caravan site = won't be winning Mastermind anytime soon Mad as a box of frogs = self explanatory Face like a bag of spanners = won't be winning any beauty contest Like a rat up a drainpipe = it moved fast Gone to the dogs = got into a bad state [from dog race betting?] Face the music = accept bad things coming your way Pig in a poke = a bad deal Yank his chain = provoke You can whistle for it = you won't get it Wrong end of the stick = misunderstanding [from Roman toilet wipes?] Chew the fat = gossip Mutton dressed as lamb = oldies trying to look young Go bile yer heed [go boil your head] = go away [heheh maybe something a bit stronger than this] Never had an accident, but seen plenty in her rear view mirror = the kind of driver you'd rather take public transport than ride with A real toilet blocker = visitors unlikely to be invited back

Happy birthday big guy Sending you this NY fireman to help blow ... *mops brow* ... blow out the candles

No pressure then Andy Seriously, though, you shouldn't do the QA. QA is a key process control - it has to be done independently otherwise it's not a control but a fudge. Email your Risk Manager or Internal Audit and request a speedy reply to get something suitable in place. You need to protect your back. If it goes pear-shaped QA is your protection. Oh, and the general public's. Not that we count of course. Being only the customers ... I'm serious, this is a horror story. Your manager should be fired - what an irresponsible d*^@head - and you should be given the job. Good luck!

I've been enjoying this thread. Now you just ruined it!

Seems like there's a difficulty in understanding what's " political" or "controversial" enough to be banished to the wastelands of the Soapbox. I've not found it clearly explained anywhere. The Lounge has lots of threads on gay and social issues and for some people these could be political / controversial - "Gaybies" [eeek!], "Teachers", "Bullying" "Disability Prejudice" etc. Maybe this is more about US sensitivities and members in countries that have stronger legal protections aren't always tuned into these? Whatever, some guidance would surely be helpful.

I just googled "gay hispanic sportsmen" and, er ... let's just say it came up with a load of stuff not allowed in The Lounge

Um, there's already a thread on this but it's been moved to Soapbox

Happy birthday Daddy! Here's a special low-cal treat I made just for you