Nick O'Ftime

[quote name='interestrateripoff' date='24 February 2010 - 08:25 AM' That is one of the only serious options I can see out of this mess to bring growth back to the global economy to start trading with aliens, although I'll be honest and admit I can't work out what an alien species would want to trade with us for it they have interstellar trav The Aliens will solve all our problems with ******** probes and mind control. No worries!

Yes, every 2 weeks. Having said that, I have been moored at Hackney Wick for 4 months without any problems. If you are east of Victoria Pk they tend to be more leniant. In Paddington, Camden etc you have to obey the rules. I'm number 4 on the waiting list for a secure residential mooring at South Dock, £45 per week for a 30 by 11 foot river cruiser. Good transport, nice showers and toilets, shore electricity and 12 foot security fences. I would not have to pay for a license unless I cruised the canals or non tidal Thames. I got a bargain for 11 grand, it can cruise all the London canals and go coastal cruising, Its small enough to be cheap to moor but large enough to live on comfortably. The catch is it will take me another year and another 10 grand to restore it. I may have been better of spending 20 grand in the first place.

You can get a boat for 5 grand but at that price you will have to be good with engines and carpentry and prepared to rough it. 20 grand will buy you a boat you could live on indefinitely. I cruise the canals in London, £500 river license, £120 insurance, no poll tax/tv license. My savings are earning almost nothing but I can survive on a part-time job and have reduced my tax/national insurance to £15 per month. I'm almost out of the system. Its not all beer and skittles though. Security is an issue so you cannot have too many possessions or you will lose them. You also have to budget for electricity and heating. If you want to be warm and electronically entertained it will cost £30 to £50 per week although some of my friends subsist on candles and a woodburner. I failed to sort out my heating before winter and I nearly froze to death. On the plus side you can live a pleasant comfortable life on a £100 a week and if you get any aggro you simply sail away. When you're standing behind the wheel on a sunny day with the stereo up loud you really do feel completely free.

The best defence against natural and man made disasters is a strong society with values and compassion. Without this no amount of money or international aid will make any difference. So we'll be ok when its our turn and the poo hits the fan, wont we?

Lower houseprice?

I live in Hackney and work in Barking. I cannot remember the last time I saw a genuine pound coin.

Done it already . Cheap as chips, but rent first, If it was that easy everybody would be doing it. If youre a dysfunctional no-hoper the river is the place for you. I aint never going back to dryland. Capitaine Mambo. aka Nick o'ftyme. xxx

Back in 1968 the headmaster at Langley Grammar school used to teach us 'current affairs', it was like a classroom prototype for Housepricecrash.com. He told us that the Oil bonanza was a curse that would destroy our economy. I didnt have a clue what he was talking about as I was too busy staring out of the window, but, in retrospect, he was damn right. Maybe I should have paid more attention.

Darwin's first law of evolution - Survival of the thickest!

Coral Telebet - Tories 1/12. We may not get a House price crash or a 'W' dip but Gordon is going down. Happy days.

Does Yogi defecate in Jellystone Park? Actually I dont have a clue so I bought a nice little boat and now Im a river gypsy. Out of the system. Self sufficent with a strong community around me, in my view the two best investments you can make. If the market goes up Im living a good life that I can afford indefinitely, if it goes down Im upgrading to a 45 foot motor sailor and off to see the world before it all goes up in flames.

Frozen shoulder, in both shoulders. For the first 18 months there is not much you can do as all your muscles go into spasm. After that, physiotherapy and exercise (if you can bear the pain) will restore your mobility. My condition was complicated by chronic rhinitus (like bad hayfever all year round) which meant I couldnt sleep lying down without choking on my own mucus, and eventually brought on pleurisy as well because of the non stop coughing fits. I was worried about exacerbating an earlier back injury which left me paralyesd for a year back in the 70's, but the biggest danger was malnutrition and hypothermia as I had not eaten for some time and I looked like a walking skeleton. The point I was trying to make was that if your choice is work or die it is amazing what you can achieve. It sounds harsh, but it worked for me. The sheer awfulness of that warehouse job gave me the motivation to turn my life around. I'm now as fit as a fiddle and living the good life. What doesnt kill you makes you strong.

I was in this situation 6 years ago. Off sick for 2 years, in a lot of pain, and hardly able to dress myself let alone work. I was put on one of these courses and after 3 months I realised that I was unemployable, nobody would even give me an interview. Understandably this was a little depressing, however, not as depressing as what happened next. As I was looking after my sick mother, I had my benefit suspended because my name was on her bank account. Even though I could prove I had no financial benefit it made no difference - I was facing starvation and a 6 month prison sentance. After 6 weeks I was down to 7 stone (normal weight 11 stone) and seriously malnourished. The only 2 jobs I could find didnt actually pay me any money. Luckily one agency noticed how desperate and hungry I was and gave me the job that nobody wanted, heavy lifting in a warehouse for minimum wages, with compulsory unpaid overtime. The first week nearly finished me off as I was still too sick to work let alone lift heavy boxes all day, and of course no money to buy food or catch a bus. But desperation is a great motivator, within 9 months I was 8 stone of pure muscle, the relentless hard work cured my back problems, and I was able to get back into the real world. As the welfare state failed me when I most needed it I dont see why I should pay my taxes to support feckless chavs and feckless bankers. Desperation is the best motivation, not nu labour con tricks. Being thrown off the dole was my salvation, otherwise I would still be sick, in considerable pain, and poor.

Gosh, I really am living in the past!