QUOTE OF THE DAY. TRIPPS ORIGINAL

[PanBiker]

Turing realised that the encryption was only as strong as the weakest link in creating it. That was the chink that was exploited to perfection. Our DF stations could identify individual German encoding teams and would listen specifically for their signals and the more inept operators. Crack a single code and you have 70% of the traffic for the day as they only changed the ring and plugboard settings once a day (with perfect German efficiency) at midnight, another chink to our advantage.

[Tripps]

David Buik - financial expert on Sky News

"They're breathing down his neck like a ton of bricks"

[plaques]

Something I came across today. The Prince of Wales Pub in Nelson, now closed down. I've never taken much notice before but the sign shows the three feathers plus the motto "Ich Dein". Wiki gives several versions of the meaning. What does the "Team" think?

[Tripps]

Surely it means " I serve " in German. ( Forget about the medieval Welsh angle ).

I can't believe I'm doing this at 10.00pm on a Friday night.

[Stanley]

And they pinched the feathers from France....

[Tizer]

Plenty more to mull over here...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_of_ ... s_feathers

[plaques]

Although The Wiki answer makes very interesting reading I’m inclined to place it in the “mythology” class. The Kings of this period where very challenged in the literacy department and it would be doubtful if they could read never mind translate “German?” or whatever the local dialect was at that time into anything meaningful. Possibly attracted by the Ostrich plumes it would have been a nice little war trophy, but more likely to have been a bedroom trophy.
On the same theme, I think the “Jock” strap was passed to the second in line.

[Stanley]

"The Kings of this period where very challenged in the literacy department and it would be doubtful if they could read never mind translate “German?”"
No too sure about that P. Alfred (871-899) books from Latin into English, French was the official court language until the Plantagenets and many 'British' were of Saxon descent. On the whole, the educated classes were more multi-lingual than we are.

[Tardis]

Journalism is printing something that someone else does not want printing. Everything else is public relations - George Orwell

[Tardis]

Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative - Oscar Wilde

[Stanley]

"Our conscience declared against the honest workman¹s becoming a pauper, but our eyes told us that he very often did". Frances Perkins.
(See today's Bob's Bits. Could equally well apply to our present condition)

[Tardis]

Liberals don't care what you do as long as it's compulsory. - M. Stanton Evans

[Stanley]

But remember that Mr Evans is using the American definition of 'liberals'. Quite different from ours.

[Tardis]

But remember that Mr Evans is using the American definition of 'liberals'. Quite different from ours.

You could probably write a thesis on what 'Liberal' actually means both then, now and within different societies. I would doubt today, that many hold the Liberal views of a few hundred years ago.

[Stanley]

Heard on Woman's Hour yesterday. Grayson Perry and his wife Philippa were getting dressed for a night out. Grayson says to her "Do you think this is appropriate?" She says, "Grayson Dear, you're a middle aged man in a frock, I think we left 'appropriate' behind a long time ago!"
I like Grayson Perry......

[Tizer]

Jilly Cooper, Today programme, in a discussion about what defines a `gentleman': "He doesn't jump off a bus without paying, and doesn't jump on you without asking".

[Tardis]

It is always helpful to remain honest and truthful in the face of difficulty - Dalai Lama

[Stanley]

I listened to that as well Tiz. One of the questions I used to ask of informants to the LTP was "Who would you consider to be a real lady or gentleman?" The answers usually came down to how well they treated people around them, how nice they were.

[plaques]

The optimum population is modeled on the iceberg — eight ninths below the water line, one ninth above. Aldous Huxley.

[Stanley]

London Transport spokesman on R4 this morning commenting on the closure of all ticket offices on the Underground. "The modern ticket machines give all the services that a ticket office does". Really, so an old lady can ask for advice on which ticket to purchase?

[Tardis]

The free market punishes irresponsibility. Government rewards it. - Harry Browne

[Stanley]

"the power of markets is enormous, but they have no inherent moral character. We have to decide how to manage them... For all these reasons, it is plain that markets must be tamed and tempered to make sure they work to the benefit of most citizens. And that has to be done repeatedly, to ensure that they continue to do so.”
Joseph Stiglitz, 'The Price of Inequality'.

[Tizer]

People in financial institutions treat `the market' as if it's a supernatural being that has limitless power and can be relied upon to sort out all our troubles, yet it has been thought up by man to suit his desires...reminds me of something else, I wonder what?

[Stanley]

One of my favourite books is Thomas, 'Religion and the Decline of Magic'. I think you are quite right Tiz and there are definite parallels between the invention of religions and economic theory. In both cases, basic concepts are manipulated by prophets and teachers whose views reflect the times in which they live. Another similarity is the intransigence of the prophets and teachers because many of them refuse to entertain the concept that they might not have the ultimate truth. In religion we are watching the rise of Islam as western religions decline, in economics we are seeing the rise of critics of free market economics. I'm trying to keep track of both of them!

[plaques]

Karen Armstrong's quote, "religion is about other people telling you what to do" just about sums it up.
With finance it would seem that its those will the money who tell you what to do.