Meenzer

The Germans recognised the bloated nature of their system to some extent with the implementation of the Hartz IV recommendations on unemployment and social security benefits. Huge controversy at first, particularly at the tabloid-driven end of the market, and there's no doubt a lot of "good" people got caught up in the fallout, but the end of their several years of economic stagnation seems to be gradually persuading people of its merits. They've got just the same culture of "sponging" that we have here (to whatever extent you consider it to be real/problematic), anyway.

Slobodan Trkulja & Balkanopolis - Nebo A fine bit of Serbian doom.

Especially after Al-Fayed tampers with them.

The king is back.

Eh

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7350193.stm What the fuck is it about the French and protectionism? It's only bloody Eurovision (and you don't hear me saying that very often ).

Christ, I'd forgotten that song actually existed. But yeah, pretty safe call where Popstarz (cough) is concerned.

Aye, it recently moved to somewhere in Soho. Never particularly enjoyed it, but hey, it's rare to have any kind of diversity in the ghey scene so it's all good I suppose. I predicted before I went that there would be one specific song that they'd definitely definitely play. Can you guess what it was? (they did, too.) Depends when you went I suppose. "Filthy/Gorgeous"?

Aye, it recently moved to somewhere in Soho. Never particularly enjoyed it, but hey, it's rare to have any kind of diversity in the ghey scene so it's all good I suppose.

1. I'm proofreading a 50-page piece translated by an utter fucktard and my brain hurts. 2. After that I'll be making some Sveeeeedish Meeeeetbålls for tea. 3. I'm sure this guy I know from school is cheating in our Scrabulous games but I've no idea how to raise the matter tactfully (or at all). 4. The downstairs neighbours keep complaining because our toilet flushes too loudly. 5. On MSN.

1. El Breikindans 2. El Crusaíto 3. El Maiquelyason 4. El Robocop 5.

And aye, good work on the unpinning. Not that the summer piss-up is going to happen at this rate, but it's still marginally more likely than this ever actually taking shape.

See I have a hessian bag with the Hessen Kassel logo on it. Superhessiantastic tbh. SuperWolfgangHessiantasticPlasticIsAtrocious tbh.

I remember when I moved back from Germany and I took fabric bags - not hessian, mind - with me to the supermarket for the first time. I soon realised I was committing a terrible social faux-pas. Who'd have thought I'd end up being the trend?

I hope so. Soon the only products sold by supermarkets will be huge balls of labels.

On that point M&S can't afford to do it packaging wonderland dontcha know... Of course they can afford to do it, they're just busy working out the logistics of printing the relevant data onto a label that they can attach to a piece of cling film that gets shrink-wrapped to the outside of the carton holding each single Gala apple on its own individual polystyrene tray.

I'm amazed it's not Sainsbury's doing it first. They're clearly betraying the middle classes.

Cheers lads, plenty of food for thought there.

I've always liked the album more than a lot of people seem to, though it helped that "Summersong" triggered an instantaneous and thoroughly messy folk explosion in my heart, whereas it seems to pass most people by. It's only the "When The War Came"/"Shankill Butchers" run that does very little for me. The rest of it I still really like, especially on days like today with the sun pouring through the window and not too much work on my plate.

LIVE FOR YOUR TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOYS EVEN THOUGH THEY MAKE NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOISE

Emre? Emre is coming close, but doesn't reach the necessary level of twatness. Twaterazzi on the other hand... There's even a clue in the name and everything.

More likely to many visits to Mr Pharmicist. Did he take the Sunday Times like? Ridiculous number of supplements, I'm not surprised he needed to make several trips.

A mate of mine might be coming over from Germany for an event in Lahndan and he needs to stay in and around the Kings Cross area. Obviously parts of Kings Cross are ropey as hell, but given that the trains from civilisation arrive there, I was wondering whether any of you clever folks might have any recommendations for not-too-shit and not-too-expensive hotels in that area?

He had a tough paper round when he was a kid.

"I know you are, but what am I?". Truly the last refuge of the scoundrel.