Today I'm neither Angry nor Happy about....

[malcd1]

There's a headline I've just seen on the BBC. It said 'US prisoner dies in botched execution'. Oh really? And what other possible outcome might have rendered it a success?

It should perhaps have read US prisoner dies after failed execution attempt. The story is rather disturbing although as an opponent of capital punishment I am perhaps biased.

I would suspect this was a perfect execution in parts of America.

Michael Portillo made a TV programme to see if there was a humane way to kill someone on death row. This was following evidence that electrocution and injection are incredibly painful and not always successful. Portillo came to the conclusion that hypoxia was the the best and most painless way to kill someone. Hypoxia is where the oxygen levels are reduced to less than 10% (normally around 21% in air) and basically the person will eventually have a heart attack without knowing they are dying.

When he presented the facts to the Americans (I think they were politicians but could have been state officials) they disagreed as the person had to suffer during the process like their victims.

So a botched lethal injection was probably not such a bad thing in some states.

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

Thriving black market?

Can you use a proxy?

I couldn't possibly do anything illegal

You do hear of raids in Sharjah (the most conservative emirate) where some poor Indian chap has been caught with 2,000 VHS tapes and a copy of Readers Wives

There is loads of innocuous stuff that gets caught up in the filters. Quite frustrating and as a result I'm always getting that Du message. I'm expecting a knock on the door any day now

[Bijou Bob]

My car failed its mot test. Two tyres and two suspension items. That's five hundred quid down the tubes. I'm happy it's not more and mildly pished off its so much. Add the £154 road tax and it's already been an expensive weekend. Feck.

[bobo the clown]

My car failed its mot test. Two tyres and two suspension items. That's five hundred quid down the tubes. I'm happy it's not more and mildly pished off its so much. Add the £154 road tax and it's already been an expensive weekend. Feck.

Good job it's Bruce's round !!

[Bijou Bob]

I'll believe it when I see it!!

[Bruce Rioja]

Well, I hope that they take Euros in Barnstormers, only, I've had a bit of luck.

[Worthy4England]

Well, I hope that they take Euros in Barnstormers, only, I've had a bit of luck.

Things you'd do to get out of a round Mr Rioja...

[bwfcdan94]

You are an accountant aren't you Bruce, come on tell the truth.

[LeverEnd]

I'll try keep this short. Left my car in the restricted zone outside my house and forgot to move it so for half an hour it was contravening the rules. Rushed out when I realised and moved it, was relieved to get no ticket. Got a letter 6 weeks later saying I'd failed to pay my ticket had missed the early payment discount and would be taken to court if blah blah...
Sent in a representation explaining I admitted it but had no ticket so could I pay the discounted £25 instead of £50. Council refused so took it to independent adjudicator which involes a barrister and all sorts of fuss.
Today they wrote to say I can pay £25 after all and I have to now withdraw my appeal.
The fact is they just stick something on a vehicle and leave it unattended in the hope that no-one will nick it etc, and I'll get it. In which case how could my first reasonable appeal to them be turned down? They know full well the adjudicator would have found in my favour. I wasn't even trying to get out of it.
Someone is an absolute fcukwitt and has wasted a lot of my time and possibly some expense on the council's part. I'm now going to have to waste more of my time writing a snotty letter to go with the cheque as well as writing this post!

[Montreal Wanderer]

I see that Jeremy Clarkson's in hot water again. I have no problem with that, it serves him right for being a tedious, boorish prick. However, he's in bother for apparently referring to an Asian guy as a 'Slope'. Well, this is a new one on me. What's a 'Slope' and what's the connection that makes it so offensive?

He also uses another banned word familiar to us all.

[Worthy4England]

Not that you'd want to commit it to tape, but that was the words to the rhyme when I was a kid.

[bobo the clown]

Not that you'd want to commit it to tape, but that was the words to the rhyme when I was a kid.

I honestly used to say "monkey".

[William the White]

Not that you'd want to commit it to tape, but that was the words to the rhyme when I was a kid.

I honestly used to say "monkey".

ALF will be on your tail for that!

[Always hopeful]

Not that you'd want to commit it to tape, but that was the words to the rhyme when I was a kid.

I honestly used to say "monkey".

I was taught "tiger"....

[bobo the clown]

Not that you'd want to commit it to tape, but that was the words to the rhyme when I was a kid.

I honestly used to say "monkey".

I was taught "tiger"....

Yeah ... but you more or less lived in Preston !!!

[Always hopeful]

Not that you'd want to commit it to tape, but that was the words to the rhyme when I was a kid.

I honestly used to say "monkey".

I was taught "tiger"....

Yeah ... but you more or less lived in Preston !!!

...more or less....but it was my Grandad in Adlington that taught me the rhyme.

[TANGODANCER]

Not that you'd want to commit it to tape, but that was the words to the rhyme when I was a kid.

I honestly used to say "monkey".

I think we said monkey, but that was then and it was only ever a young kid's thing anyway. Many wrongs have been righted by the passage of time. Clarkson's a buffoon but I doubt even he would say something so blatantly wrong on purpose on national TV. He's no kid at six-feet nineteen, so why not just toss a coin and have done with it. "Eeny meeny" ffs...

[Prufrock]

To be fair, some of his favourite cars are black.

[Montreal Wanderer]

Not that you'd want to commit it to tape, but that was the words to the rhyme when I was a kid.

I honestly used to say "monkey".

I think we said monkey, but that was then and it was only ever a young kid's thing anyway. Many wrongs have been righted by the passage of time. Clarkson's a buffoon but I doubt even he would say something so blatantly wrong on purpose on national TV. He's no kid at six-feet nineteen, so why not just toss a coin and have done with it. "Eeny meeny" ffs...

You surprise me, Tango, given your age (and mine). We certainly used the 'N' word in the rhyme, as well as 'Ten Little N....', which was actually the title of an Agatha Christie Mystery. This later got changed to Ten Little Indians which is now considered equally wrong (well perhaps not equally). In the excellent war movie the Dam Busters Guy Gibson's black retriever was called N* - it has since been dubbed out. There was a water colour available called N* Black. Basically in the 1940s and 1950s the word was in fairly common usage in England, although it did not have perhaps the same connotation as in the Southern States. Still we have adjusted as time passes...

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

I watched the Dambusters not long ago. I'd forgotten about the dog and I had a WTF moment when the dog was referred to!