Well if they were about in the seventies when you started they must surely be in the eighties or nineties now so I'm hardly surprised...

(I'll get me coat.)

IMIGOD, I read that as "not quite reduced to scraping in taverns for a feeble few GOATS to pay for my ale!!   

However, if you are interested in a pension plan I do recommend Anglo-Nubian/Pensions.co.uk.  It has recently been set up by Johannes the Goatherd of Tor-y-Mynnyd Llanvihangel Ystrad Uchaf to take adavantage of his Swiss nationality whilst investing in Welsh off-shore islands and off-setting this against the latest NuLabour tax dodges.  It's a winner - give your assets to Johannes and he will return them three-fold with interest!

Indeed it would be Milly, the  Johannes loved of old on the R3 MB, a bent coat hanger in his hand, clinging to the chimbley, desperate to try and pick up a R3 signal.  But he has now gone into the Personal Financial Advisor thing.

I think his head has been turned by watching the Apprentice.  Why, for goodness, he has even bought a suit!!  He was very fond of Michael Sophocles as well, broke down last night in tears he did when Sir Alan fired Michael.  He thought there was so much of him in that young man.  Of course Gloriana and Phoebe, the goats, laughed hollowly at the very thought, quite frankly they think he is more like Lucinda.  Bit prone to tears.

Right, the time has come to issue what the Victorians would call a Manly Apology.  The excuse "O I didn't mean to offend, don't be so sensitive" is one that others can use on your behalf, but is highly evasive if you use it of yourself.  If I would not have said "Sharon Stone is only a middle aged  bimbo" as I realise the phrase is demeaning to women.  If Ron, as an actor, feels demeaned by what I said, then he can say so, and it is not for anyone to deny it.  And I am very sorry to have offended, although my chief reaction is shame and embarrassment to have gained a public rebuke from someone whom I respect, like and admire.

I know the word mainly from its use in Private Eye, which is hardly a guide to sensitive usage.  I cannot guarantee not to use it in the privacy of my own home, but to be on the safe side I will try not to use it otherwise.

It is not so much camp as mocking.  Mockery can be perfectly healthy, but although self-mockery is perfectly consistent with self-esteem (and may be an expression of it) mockery of others can always drift into malice or contempt.  That was not my intention, but I can see how it would look like that.

 I think if Don B wants to apologise for an earlier comment, then that's fine.
He's not beating himself up, he's just saying sorry and I'm sure that apology will be be appreciated by Ron. After all, we all put our foot in it sometimes don't we?

Since no Chinese cinemas show foreign movies, and distribution on DVD is an exclusively pirate-industry affair from which neither the studios nor stars garner a single yuan,  this sounds remarkably like more of the westerner-bating Communist Party hatred which we saw when their idiotic torch was being run through western cities guarded by a pack of armed thugs.  Stone's remarks might be air-headed, but the Communist Party of China has behaved with its usual calculated jackboot viciousness to any mention of the Dalai Lama in public.  I hope it rains on every single damn day of their stinking Olympics.

I don't think she meant it nastily or to be evil, I just think she hadn't thought it through.  Very unintelligent.  Let's face it, all she's done to herself personally is make herself look stupid.  Unfortunately also she's given the Chinese an opportunity to leap in and diss the Dalai Lama once again - not that they ever need any encouragement.

The poor Dalai Lama.  A man of peace, sitting there, minding his own business and people are stirring up all sorts of trouble and hatred in his name once again. 

She's a complete fool.