MakemineVanilla

21 minutes ago, mjmooney said:

Do I take this to mean that you were a subscriber to the Villa fans mailing list in the 1990s? 

No, he worked near to where I did and we always exchanged Villa banter when we met.

4 minutes ago, mjmooney said:

Michael Ault. 

That's the guy!

On 04/02/2024 at 16:01, mjmooney said:

Inter Villan FC, WorldNet 96, Nottingham, 9 June 1996. 

Is the goalie who I think he is?

27 minutes ago, sidcow said:

Sutton Coldfield. 

It's only Birmingham overspill anyway. 

Tut-tut, the Royal Borough, if you don't mind!

1 hour ago, Xela said:

It sat empty for years, now they are demolishing it, along with the office next door. 

i believe an Aldi will rise from the ashes. The locals will not be amused

So what's the opposite to gentrification?

On 12/02/2024 at 20:57, Xela said:

Maintenance / ground rent / buildings insurance, is the landlords cost, but still, the rental price is a big amount

It would cost me 2x mortgage to rent my own flat! As an owner I pay the above charges, but still works out much cheaper, plus I'm actually paying it off as well. 

That is outrageous and there's not even a Waitrose anymore.

10 hours ago, Marka Ragnos said:

"Believing in yourself" is way overrated.

It's the sort of thing amateur life-coaches tell people when they are being realistic about themselves.

Which brings us back to, You'll Never Walk Alone.

1 hour ago, osmark86 said:

Absolutely. The test was just about more nuanced than say "You believe that Jews are not people".

Couple of questions on there made me laugh.

It is a strong reminder of how far the epithet 'right wing' has shifted in recent times.

55 minutes ago, Anthony said:

If you take it in the right spirit, I think REM's Shiny Happy People is OK.

Only if it is alternated with Everybody Hurts.

17 hours ago, Marka Ragnos said:

Fun self-test time!

Been reading a bit of Adorno, etc. and ran into this:

I was rated a liberal airhead. I guess that's good. It's American-oriented, this rendering of the F Scale.

The questions do seem heavily loaded and exclude all nuance, which seems to guatantee that the vast majority of people will enjoy a trip into smug mode.

It would be far more interesting to have a questionaire which tested for authoritarian attitudes, which both ends of the spectrum might find appealing.

2 hours ago, mjmooney said:

Philosophy, you say? OK, let's start with Pythagoras. The first three rules of the Pythagorean Order were: 

1. Never eat beans 

2. Never pick up what has fallen 

3. Never touch a white cock 

I kid you not. 

I've been reading Russell lately and he gives the whole list, all of which seem equally abitrary.

And, Pythagoras learned his theorem from the Egyptians.

I'll leave the self-flagellation to those who enjoy that sort of thing, and only say Villa were well worth the point they seemed to have in the bag, but they wanted all three.

Definitely lacked someone to organise the defence for corners, and Cash did badly for the killer.

Villa lacked the quality for their final ball and finish.

The referee was inconsistent, but it was United and so you can't expect anything else.

On 08/02/2024 at 08:17, foreveryoung said:

They say shoplifting is not going to be a arrestable offence, as we are in a cost of living crisis. Then cry the place down when the figures for shoplifting have never been so high. Strange that?

I understand that in some states in the US of A, the threshold is something near a thousand dollars, before theft counts as a crime.

In Chicago they have what they call "scarecrow" policing in districts with high-end stores, which basically means police cars parked every hundred yards.

The trouble is that the police can't deal with big mobs and are not allowed to chase suspects.

It sounds like a typical solution thought up by criminologists, and no doubt, coming here soon.

The affect on poor inner-city areas is devestating because the locals without transport pay higher prices for lower quality food.

I see Putin blames Boris Johnson for scuppering a negotiated agreement over Ukraine.

3 minutes ago, bickster said:

Nah, it goes back to some Scottish player in the 1920s, Gordon someone possibly iirc

I can only conclude then, that the lyric sheet was for the edification of the hangers-on!

1 hour ago, mjmooney said:

I'll be even more controversial than that - Keep Right On is also a damn good anthem, and if I'm honest, better than anything we've got. 

I once had a Blues programme from their 1956 Cup Final and inside were the words to Keep Right On.

I have often wondered whether this was the first time the song became their anthem?

I gave the programme to a bluenose and I hope he looked after it.

18 minutes ago, Rugeley Villa said:

YNWA full pelt by The Kop is a sight to behold. It gives me goosebumps and if I was a Liverpool fan I’d almost certainly be in tears singing it on big nights. 

It used to be sung at Villa Park and a lot of other grounds but it seems that clubs and fans alike prefer to establish their own unique brand.

In the days of Villa's struggle when there was the first signs of light at the end of the tunnel, I've seen grown men in tears as they sang along to YNWA.

Ironically it has become an anachronism for Liverpool and especially the younger generation because they've won so much since they were promoted in 1962.

They were always seen as a second-division club before that and the song's pathos was sincerely felt and enjoyed.

They looked like teams from two different divisions at times and as the abpve voting shows, it's just a case of deciding who out of the team weren't crap.

When it came to the pushing and shoving the referee decided in Chelsea's favour, and as decisions consistently went their way, Chelsea grew in confidence and took the piss, slowing restarts and preventing Villa from taking free-kicks. When McGinn got his standing-foot kicked by a defender, on the edge of the box, he waved play on, even though he had a clear sight.

Thomas Bramall looked exactly like the newly promoted referee he is.

Of course, no one involved in the game will tell him he was shite, but his colleagues definitely will.

Remembering the Arsenal final when Villa arrived at Wembley a spent force, and got thrashed, I can't regret the result much at all.

The only positive thing to come out of the game was Diaby scoring a goal, which might just perk him up a bit.

Too many players having an off day and a one-sided referee.

Emery looks on the verge of tears.

1 hour ago, mjmooney said:

Catastrophic for anyone who wasn't a shareholder (and for many who were). 

It was definitely a case of a "gain a little now, lose a lot more later" deal.

17 hours ago, mjmooney said:

I'm curious as to what the right reasons might be. 

The right to buy your council house at a substantial discount seemed to work well, along with free shares in privatised building societies and privatised public utilities.

3 hours ago, Genie said:

I bought my car 4 years ago and popped a cd in the player, that cd is still in there and never gets played  

I watch a lot of YT channels of guys who buy and sell oldish second-hand cars, and discovering what CD is in the player, is often the most interesting part.

It's usually a cue to start guessing the age and profession of the previous owner.

On 27/01/2024 at 16:09, chrisp65 said:

hardback, £3 waterstone’s sale shelf

 

So who is your favourite - Bevan or Bevin?

With certain exemptions: books, plays, musical compositions, paintings and sculptures, are exempt from income tax, in Ireland.

As the old joke used go, you can always tell a Brummie because they'll have shamrock in their turban, and it has long been a mystery to me why there wasn't a a thread on the subject, especially as recent political and social issues have proven so controversial.