AHPP

Don't you work for Halliburton?

As much as army life might be good for a lot of people and might offset some social disharmony (ie taking tearaways away from British council estates and putting them in Iraqi council estates), it produces people who only know how to function with top-down power structures and who will vehemently reject individualism as adults. Weighting democracy in favour of that system is like when something with water in tips over. It starts going, the water runs to the side, weights it more and makes sure it goes. Plus, fighting mindset combined with the standard attributes of the public sector (corruption, mob mentality, lack of accountability etc) is doubly dangerous. Look at Stanford Prison. Imagine if those kids, instead of being told to stop at the end of the week, had been given medals and promotions. Those are the Guantanamo guards of the future, pissing on a caged arab with broken hands and feet. On army raising, I watched The Hunger Games yesterday. It's set in a 'dystopian future' where the rich live in the capital city and the poor live in 12 outside districts and are only allowed food if they work. Every year, the rich pick a couple of poor kids from each district and make them all fight to the death so they can make money from televising it. There is of course a buoyant support industry in arming them, training them etc. It would have been a less depressing watch if it wasn't exactly how countries currently constitute armies.

I decided a while ago there wasn't much point in talking to you about anything like this.

Basically no.

No. I was playing devil's advocate. I don't think anyone should have the vote. But you were going down the right line.

They are. That's what I'm talking about.

Have the voting age at whatever but have the age of legal responsibility match it. Why should anyone be subject to laws they can’t vote on?

Years ago I worked in a small workshop and an 18-year-old came in from a college. He was OK, not brilliant, not bad. He had the opportunity to get into a quite niche industry but his heart wasn't fully in it. He was however bang into his band and had the opportunity to tour the US, take drugs, bang girls etc. I recommended he did that. He did and I bet he had the time of his life. He'll have come back far readier to become a good worker at the age of 20. Not exactly your situation I know but what I'm trying to get across is the importance of seizing the day. I've let a few opportunities pass me by and my life is the poorer for it.

Presumably the gearbox, axles and engine went.

If I'd come to tree work earlier and wanted to do the full adventure, I'd have picked the common destinations (Australia, New Zealand, Norway/Sweden, USA, Canada), some less common ones (wherever you fancy visiting or put up a map and throw darts at it until something seems cool) and tried to plan in three or six month blocks. Aim to hit the correct place in the correct season for business demand and what climates you can cope with. I would want to keep it to the short stints so if you end up in a shit firm or shit accommodation and hate your workmates and/or housemates, you'll only have to suffer it for a short time. If everything is going well and/or you knock up a local, you can always change plan.

Very interesting. I'm absolutely the other way. For important/technical/academic documents, I need it on paper because I can't take it seriously on a screen. How old are you if you don't mind me asking? Sorry no help with your request. Good luck.

I transplanted a pyracantha with the Skidster and a 3 tonne digger the other week. I hope it's died.

Search through my posts on here about battery saws. I’m sure I’ve counted cuts and reported findings before.

It’s a few feet away from the fence.

My mate’s just inherited this at his new allotment. I don’t really know what to do with them at this age. What say we all?

Can you talk me through how to get more than two talking please.

Are you still playing?

Your piano playing?

Gareth, you idiot.

Eucalyptus. I smell good.

No way I’d take the risk. They could just as easily say it was a mistake and yank it.

They don't give a damn how much sense it makes. It's mandatory so they take the piss.

I recently got an e-mail from Hastings, subject line, "Your automatic renewal." "You fuxking what." I thought. I always cancel that straight away. Last year was £292. Opened the e-mail, expecting it to be £1100 or something stupid. It was £310! An increase of only half inflation, a real world reduction. Checked gocompare and the cheapest was £4something. I let it renew. Very weird.

Do you crunch them down with the shells on?

Aye. He puts more effort into it than I did.