Malcolm Robinson

**Rrriiiiinnnnggg, rrriiiinnnngg,** **'Hello?'** **'Hi honey.** **This is Daddy.** **Is Mommy near the phone?'** **'No, Daddy.** **She's upstairs in the bedroom with Uncle Paul.'** **After a brief pause,** **Daddy says,** **'But honey, you haven't got an Uncle Paul.'** **'Oh yes I do, and he's upstairs in the room with Mommy,** **Right now.'** Brief Pause. **'Uh, okay then, this is what I want you to do.** **Put the phone down on the table, run upstairs** **And knock on the bedroom door and shout to Mommy** **That Daddy's car just pulled into the driveway.'** **'Okay, Daddy, Just a minute.'** **A few minutes later** **The little girl comes back to the phone.** **'I didit, Daddy.'** **'And what happened, honey?' ** 'Well, Mommy got all scared, jumped out ofbed with no clothes on and ran around screaming.** **Then she tripped over the rug, hit her head on the dresser** **And now she isn't moving at all!'** **'Oh my God!!! What about your Uncle Paul?'** **'He jumped out of the bed with no clothes on, too.** **He was all scared and he jumped out of the back window** **And into the swimming pool.** **But I guess he didn't know that you took out the water** **Last week to clean it.** **He hit the bottom of the pool and I thinkhe's dead.'** *****Long Pause***** *****Longer Pause***** *****Even Longer Pause***** **Then Daddy says,** **'Swimming pool? ...........** **Is this 486-5731?'* **No, Ithink you have the wrong number.......*

Gordon Bennet GGG, you walking around with bread boards on? I do agree we are looking down the barrel though and see the continentals as a powder keg just waiting to be exploded. With the protectionism inherent in a lot of their economies any hopes of a holistic approach to this crisis by the EU is pie in the sky, they just don’t seem to get it? I think this could easily be the end of the Euro as we know it. I think the UK has a more versatile and fluid economy these days and should be able to get through, although I don’t like MR.B’s latest idea of borrowing more and more to finance public sector expenditure, that is storing up problems in the future and makes any recovery a long way off. We either need a novel approach to the problem or strong leadership and I don’t see either at the moment. I am going to come back to your BBC link when I have more time, it looks well worth viewing.

On the face of it this looks like really good news for the town but a little closer inspection maybe needed! Couple of points, why is the new store designed so the main entrance is at the back and what impact will that have on the Front Street, if it is supposed to be all about economic regeneration of Front Street? The car park is to be the normal Tesco jobbie, i.e. only free for so long. There are exceptions of course but the biggest free car park in the town is now private. Maybe the planners need to be a bit more on their game with this one seeing as the Sally Army building is staying as is having just been given retrospective permission! Anyone else a bit unhappy with the much lauded news that Bedders will get a million quid in grant funding one minute then WDC sell land and assets in the town for the same amount without, at present, any more for the town? Looks to be given with one hand and taken with the other, course one is grant funded the other might be used to buy some ‘golden parachutes!’ The questionnaire handed out by Tesco’s, the last question is about the underpass at Glebe road, what on earth has that to do with them? Final point about the development, seems the head honchos at WDC are to step down as directors of W.H., the business set up to take over running of the old council houses, and are now the board of W.L., the company set up to run the likes of the new shops being built at this site. Hmmmm...........

I beleive the Tony guy set him up to be knocked over by a hit and run? Now his sister can do what she does best and have streaming eye make-up!

Lot of fish oil though, just think of all those omega 3's!

Northumberland County Council............23 million in an Icelandic bank??????? Council tax to leap next year??????

Happy birthday GGGG.

Happy birthday Cympil......

Following the problems in the sub-prime lending market in America and the run on Northern Rock in the UK, uncertainty has now hit Japan. In the last 7 days Origami Bank has folded, Sumo Bank has gone belly up and Bonsai Bank announced plans to cut some of its branches. Yesterday, it was announced that Karaoke Bank is up for sale and will likely go for a song, while today shares in Kamikaze Bank were suspended after they nose-dived. While Samurai Bank is soldiering on following sharp cutbacks, Ninja Bank is reported to have taken a hit, but they remain in the black. Furthermore, 500 staff at Karate Bank got the chop and analysts report that there is something fishy going on at Sushi Bank where it is feared that staff may get a raw deal.

It would seem to be the cost of 'zero tolerance' but then it probably has more to do with boys and their toys!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/23/business...ss/23krona.html

Looks like it might not be as straightforward as it at first seemed, the guys who have to agree it need votes off J.Public and once they see how much it will cost them.......... The Swedish answer looks worthy of closer inspection though, if it has to go that way.

No takers........how about this then. If you had purchased £1,000 of Northern Rock stock one year ago, it would be worth ziltch today. With HBOS, you would have £16.50 left of the original £1,000. With XL Leisure, you would have less than a fiver. And if you had purchased £1,000 of Seguro Air Lines stock, you would have a measly 49p. However, if you had purchased £1,000 worth of Tennent's Lager one year ago, drank the lot of it, then re-cycled the cans at an aluminium plant for a cash refund, you would have £214. And so, based on the above information, the best current investment advice is to drink heavily and recycle

Xmas is coming anyone for sprouts? http://www.christmastimeuk.com/game/

Has the Fed just made the stock markets a one way ride, in the short term anyway, or has the USA now got the biggest council estate in the world?

Thanks again, eveyone now on the road to recovery! Now where did I put that bottle..........

Thanks very much everyone (for reminding me I am another year older!). Bit of a downer though, MIL in hospital yesterday and FIL big op today so no celebrations, YET!

Wee Hughie adored and loved his girlfriend, Lorraine, to whom he was engaged to be married. Wedding plans were well underway and he was looking forward to spending the rest of his life with Lorraine. However, a beautiful young lady called Clearly came to work in his glen and they found that they got on together very well. As time went by, Wee Hughie realised that he was in love with Clearly and that the love was reciprocated. Being a gentleman he decided that as he had promised to marry Lorraine he would do so and steadily removed himself from his other relationship. One day, he and Lorraine were walking along the banks of the River Tay. As they walked, Lorraine slipped and fell into the river and was swept away and drowned. He stood on the bank for a few minutes feeling very sad before walking away singing happily. "I can see Clearly now Lorraine has gone"

I think Mr. D has a point and it seems we have had 2 replies from local businesses with one reinforcing Mr.D’s concern? Of course there should be a place for lively/fun banter but that isn’t all this site is about. Every newspaper has a comic section! So maybe demarcation along the lines of what Mr.D suggests is needed? With the soon to be change in local gov and Bedlington being split into 3 separate parts, a backward step if there was ever one, the Town needs an open and accessible portal more than ever. I would like to see the minutes of the soon to be Parish meetings published here, the minutes of all the voluntary groups operating in the town etc if only so anyone can drop in and see what is proposed for the future or how issues are being dealt with. There should also be the possibility of replies/suggestions/debate for these topics but that will take serious and constant moderating. I know what you are saying GGG but for whatever reason, and you may be right most have their heads in the sand, they have made a call and that is they wont come onboard as it is now.

Congratulations Toyko Girl, although it sounds like quite an ordeal but as you say the end result was worth it. All the best for your recovery.

I think quite the opposite Mr D. I would hazard a guess that Tesco have seen the possibilites Bedders has to offer being in the middle of Ash,Mor,Blyth and Cram! Might just be that Bedders gets the one big new one?

So Tesco have bought the 'Gap site' and the old 'Presto's car park' for a million, but I wonder where the money goes? Included in any future development are small retail and office units managed exclusivley by Wansbeck Life Ltd. Now just who runs Wansbeck Life again............ This is the same carve up as the housing stock, Bedlington is being asset stripped before WDC disappears!

That isn't my info sizsells, seems the planners have become retrospectivley involved!

May well be problems with this building...............

Happy birthday Mr.Darn, hope you have a good one........