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    Originally posted by Raoul Duke III View Post

    Are people booking any holidays in joyful optimism or sitting on their hands in wait and see mode? We booked two separate weeks in July\August for Cork and Donegal, plus also flights to Copenhagen in late Oct.

    'Feels' like both should be OK....ish
    Booked holidays for my usual November escape.

    My original plan to go to tanzania is likely out


    Comment


      Originally posted by dinekes View Post

      Watched a couple of youtube vids but get lost quickly with the terminology when they stray from the basic idea of buy token then sell/trade/rent token.

      Crypto punks selling for ridic money!
      Are the prices real? Or are they just being passed been addresses.

      That plus the NBA is just crazy stuff.

      But then again, people were buying $10 bills for $60 with CCIV.

      Comment


        Originally posted by Denny Crane View Post

        Are the prices real? Or are they just being passed been addresses.

        That plus the NBA is just crazy stuff.

        But then again, people were buying $10 bills for $60 with CCIV.
        Can you or anyone else explain this to me please?

        Comment


          Originally posted by Denny Crane View Post

          Are the prices real? Or are they just being passed been addresses.

          That plus the NBA is just crazy stuff.

          But then again, people were buying $10 bills for $60 with CCIV.
          No clue, one guy sold some art for 6 figures apparently (not crypto punks).
          Scan a lot of this stuff as just trying to get the jist of it but they lose me when they get into technical jargon.

          It's an interesting concept though.






          Comment


            Comment


              Long shot but I need a web dev who has some experience in Chrome Extensions.
              Ideally has used Firebase before, node experience and react/react native experience.

              I am fully aware that this is what every company is looking for.

              Upwork has been great to me in the past but its been absolutely garbage lately, one guy tried to convince me I need a chatbot. Sigh.

              If anyone here has exp and wants cash money, or knows of someone who has experience and wants cash money, or could point me in direction so I can find someone to give cash money to. I would really appreciate it.

              In a bit of a hurry as a big sale depends on it...
              This may or may not be an original thought of my own.
              All efforts were made to make this thought original but with the abundance of thoughts in the world the originality of this thought cannot be guaranteed.
              The author is not liable for any issue arising from the platitudinous nature of this post.

              Comment


                Originally posted by Lao Lao View Post
                My equivalent in Tianjin is a right bollix who I regularly have to argue with over sums of money that wouldn't be large enough to get one entry to your legendary Cheltenham competition
                Win the IPB Cheltenham tipping comp and you will be able to buy gin for everyone in Tianjin.
                "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

                Comment


                  Originally posted by Denny Crane View Post

                  Booked holidays for my usual November escape.

                  My original plan to go to tanzania is likely out
                  https://www.ft.com/content/5dd89bb4-...a-ece11993f3b5
                  Win the IPB Cheltenham tipping comp and you could purchase some beautiful tanzanite while there.

                  images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR0vn3GfmODQBg6q1hjmxAUlWB8nnLzv3fWiA&usqp=CAU.jpg
                  "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

                  Comment


                    Originally posted by dinekes View Post

                    No clue, one guy sold some art for 6 figures apparently (not crypto punks).
                    Scan a lot of this stuff as just trying to get the jist of it but they lose me when they get into technical jargon.

                    It's an interesting concept though.
                    Explain to me what I'm missing here:

                    I buy an NBA Topshot pack which effectively features multiple different types of highlights, better highlights cost more and they're meant to imitate collectible cards.

                    You buy and sell on a marketplace just like Fifa Ultimate Team and so forth, difference being, it's not confined to a game.

                    Each element of a pack contains a highlight which is an NFT?

                    **Ah I see now, each is individually shown as 1/x so that's how it's unique.

                    Fuck me
                    Last edited by Guest; 24-02-21, 18:48.

                    Comment


                      Originally posted by Solksjaer! View Post
                      Guitar Wanker
                      Win the IPB Cheltenham tipping comp and you could purchase yourself a fine instrument to musically masturbate.
                      "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

                      Comment


                        Originally posted by Denny Crane View Post

                        Booked holidays for my usual November escape.

                        My original plan to go to tanzania is likely out
                        Has Tanzania been put behind a paywall?

                        Comment


                          Originally posted by Murdrum View Post
                          Reading & Leeds music festivals going ahead as planned in August.

                          That feels so close yet we seem so far away from anything even resembling a music festival.

                          Brexit FTW
                          This is depressing - We had Primavera Sound in Porto booked for last year followed by a few days chilling out drinking wine down by the Duoro. Obviously, that was cancelled but the festival tickets were carried over to this year and we could do the same with flights.

                          I consoled myself that June 2021 would be amazing but now, even it goes ahead (June 10th - 12th) I can't see us making it there based on current restrictions here.

                          It's a very good line up this year too and the festival is just fantastic. It's not as big as Barcelona, weather is amazing, good food, booze, really laid back, chilled vibe.

                          Fuckity, Fuck, Fuck

                          Comment


                            It's not all beer and skittles with art anyway.
                            Saw a guy transferring art on to blockchain which incurs fees for the processing power (gas fees) then listing it somewhere for more fees.

                            Like the idea of buying a gaming token like a snazzy race car or something and renting it out!

                            Comment


                              Originally posted by Murdrum View Post

                              Can you or anyone else explain this to me please?
                              I don't know really, and I haven't watched this, but it probably goes some way towards explaining it.

                              Three market junkies help their fellow degens navigate today's markets for tomorrow...if there is a tomorrow. Appearing weekdays before noon Central US. *NOT...

                              Comment


                                Originally posted by pokerhand View Post

                                You backed it, didn't you?
                                No ticky, no laundry.

                                Comment


                                  Originally posted by Theresa View Post
                                  Long shot but I need a web dev who has some experience in Chrome Extensions.
                                  Ideally has used Firebase before, node experience and react/react native experience.

                                  I am fully aware that this is what every company is looking for.

                                  Upwork has been great to me in the past but its been absolutely garbage lately, one guy tried to convince me I need a chatbot. Sigh.

                                  If anyone here has exp and wants cash money, or knows of someone who has experience and wants cash money, or could point me in direction so I can find someone to give cash money to. I would really appreciate it.

                                  In a bit of a hurry as a big sale depends on it...
                                  I have no idea what any of that means, but I have a mate who helped Lazare with web stuff before and afaik he was happy with the service. I'll send his number now.

                                  Comment


                                    Originally posted by Denny Crane View Post

                                    Booked holidays for my usual November escape.

                                    My original plan to go to tanzania is likely out
                                    I've been talking to a few people in Dar about their covid situation and its batshit crazy there. They are basically ignoring it or at least in a country where life expectancy is less than 65 covid is just a another hazard to live with.
                                    Turning millions into thousands

                                    Comment


                                      A pokemon version of that NBA thing would make a KILLING. NBA thing will too.

                                      Comment


                                        GameStop off and running again.

                                        Comment


                                          Originally posted by Tar.Aldarion View Post
                                          A pokemon version of that NBA thing would make a KILLING. NBA thing will too.
                                          Crazy Rich Asians. I remember playing bball with a US guy who was obsessed with Japanese culture.
                                          He taught himself to read Japanese and played all the Pokemon games in the original Japanese versions.

                                          I really like the concept that a new golf brand is running with to push in on the industry, they're called Swag, specialise in putters.
                                          They signed a few instagram models to promote their stuff. People got nuts for the gear especially headcovers, upwards of 2.5k for some on resale.

                                          They do this thing where you purchase the headcover upon release for somewhere around $100 but around 5% are a scarcer alternative colourway which sells for 5x to 10x the price of the standard.

                                          Comment


                                            Would anyone have subscription access to the Indo?

                                            I need a scrape of this article, but doesn't seem worth the €60 annual sub


                                            Buy now, pay later… four easy instalments… why wait? Consumer credit isn't new. For years we've been able to split the cost of big ticket items - sofas, TVs, cars. Recently, however, you're just as likely to be offered this option when buying a €99 dress as a €999 holiday. In-store and online, instalment repayment is no longer only for one-off big ticket items or luxury occasion wear, it's for trainers, headphones, make-up, skincare (marketed as 'self-care'); sorted in seconds, and, for some, there's no credit check.
                                            "We're not f*cking Burundi" - Big Phil

                                            Comment


                                              Originally posted by Raoul Duke III View Post

                                              Are people booking any holidays in joyful optimism or sitting on their hands in wait and see mode? We booked two separate weeks in July\August for Cork and Donegal, plus also flights to Copenhagen in late Oct.

                                              'Feels' like both should be OK....ish
                                              Booked for ferry to France, Vendee in August. Looking about 50:50 at this stage whether we can go. But thats up from long odds a few weeks ago. Its hard to imagine a situation where we are all vaccinated in July, which we will be, and still can't leave the country in August. The 50:50 odds is just because there might be lingering stupidity on both sides (as in, French stupidity or Irish stupidity) - I'd imagine not though.
                                              Last edited by Hitchhiker's Guide To...; 24-02-21, 22:13.
                                              "We're not f*cking Burundi" - Big Phil

                                              Comment


                                                Originally posted by dinekes View Post
                                                Like the idea of buying a gaming token like a snazzy race car or something and renting it out!
                                                Somehow I ended up through a link today about Tony G (who is now an MP in Lithuania) buying a virtual F1 car for 75k in the F1 Delta Time blockchain virtual racing game.

                                                Comment


                                                  Originally posted by dinekes View Post
                                                  Been humming this all evening. Damnnnn you Dinkieeeeess

                                                  Comment


                                                    Only came across a show on Prime this evening, London irish, think its from 2013 but the first episode was a cracker.
                                                    This too shall pass.

                                                    Comment


                                                      Originally posted by Raoul Duke III View Post
                                                      Mrs D3 currently in jabbing centre for jabbage.

                                                      Will report of side-effects such as extreme impatience with spouse\children.
                                                      Headaches and 'achey' today and one of her team is puking. Although apparently they were all told this was possible and no-one else has called in sick.

                                                      Let the anti-vaxx conspiracies commence!
                                                      "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

                                                      Comment


                                                        Originally posted by Hitchhiker's Guide To... View Post

                                                        Booked for ferry to France, Vendee in August. Looking about 50:50 at this stage whether we can go. But thats up from long odds a few weeks ago. Its hard to imagine a situation where we are all vaccinated in July, which we will be, and still can't leave the country in August. The 50:50 odds is just because there might be lingering stupidity on both sides (as in, French stupidity or Irish stupidity) - I'd imagine not though.
                                                        If you look at the trends in both case numbers (deaths look alarming still but are a lagging indicator) and the predicted explosion in vaccinations in Q2, then I think July-Aug is indeed an evens shot for foreign holidays.
                                                        It all come down to two factors - the ability of governments to vaccinate quickly at scale and the take-up rate among the population. I would have more faith in the latter than the former, although I think everyone, including the people who work in it, have been (pleasantly) surprised by how the HSE has performed during the pandemic

                                                        "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

                                                        Comment


                                                          55,000 people at the cricket in Ahmedabad. A different world!

                                                          Hope none of them bought Day 3 tickets as it's a bowlers paradise.
                                                          "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

                                                          Comment


                                                            Originally posted by Raoul Duke III View Post

                                                            Headaches and 'achey' today and one of her team is puking. Although apparently they were all told this was possible and no-one else has called in sick.

                                                            Let the anti-vaxx consipracies commence!
                                                            My partner got the astra one last week. Sore arm and tired for 2 days then fine after.
                                                            Jayzus, Sheila! I forgot me feckin' trousers

                                                            Comment


                                                              Originally posted by oleras View Post
                                                              Only came across a show on Prime this evening, London irish, think its from 2013 but the first episode was a cracker.
                                                              LOL, watched the first scene where the father won't drop them off at the airport because of car parking charges and its about me.
                                                              They all slag me mercilessly but I have it down to a fine art when anyone is arriving in Dublin where I can leave home based on looking at flight radar 24 to arrive in time to meet my m8 who works in the Radisson for a coffee and then I get them to call me when they are at the exact right spot on their way out and all they have to do is walk down to the departures drop off and I slide up in perfect time and we are on our way before the hi viz lads patrolling get a chance to shoo me away.

                                                              Would give anything for the chance to be doing it anytime soon

                                                              Turning millions into thousands

                                                              Comment


                                                                I's say the wifi wasnt great either



                                                                Comment


                                                                  Analysis from Public Health England has shown the vaccine manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech reduces the risk of catching infection by more than 70% after a first dose.

                                                                  That risk is reduced by 85% after a second dose.

                                                                  The public health body's study of real-world data also showed vaccinated people who go on to become infected are far less likely to die or be hospitalised.

                                                                  Hospitalisation and death from Covid-19 is reduced by over 75% in those who have received a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, according to the analysis.
                                                                  Surely this suggests you should lash out as many first doses as possible instead of second dosing?
                                                                  Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. ~Eleanor Roosevelt

                                                                  Comment


                                                                    Originally posted by Strewelpeter View Post

                                                                    LOL, watched the first scene where the father won't drop them off at the airport because of car parking charges and its about me.
                                                                    They all slag me mercilessly but I have it down to a fine art when anyone is arriving in Dublin where I can leave home based on looking at flight radar 24 to arrive in time to meet my m8 who works in the Radisson for a coffee and then I get them to call me when they are at the exact right spot on their way out and all they have to do is walk down to the departures drop off and I slide up in perfect time and we are on our way before the hi viz lads patrolling get a chance to shoo me away.

                                                                    Would give anything for the chance to be doing it anytime soon
                                                                    Oh shite the second scene is about me as well

                                                                    I did that thing at Southampton airport where I took out a load of extra gear from my bag and wore, carried and stuffed my jacket pockets all the time grunting at the wagon from flybe who was absolutely taking the piss. Problem was it was the day after some lad drove a car into Glasgow airport and I ended up with an overzealous cop pointing a gun in my face.

                                                                    Turning millions into thousands

                                                                    Comment


                                                                      Originally posted by Wombatman View Post

                                                                      Surely this suggests you should lash out as many first doses as possible instead of second dosing?
                                                                      is any other country taking this approach?
                                                                      "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

                                                                      Comment


                                                                        The thought process for booking holidays abroad was an interesting exercise in self-delusion\logical thinking (delete as appropriate). Starting with the premise that 'it'll all be grand by the autumn', so decided on the week of the October bank holiday.
                                                                        Then it was a case of not 'where do we want to go?' but rather 'where would be nice to go but is also located in a country that will likely have its shit together by then?' and we landed on Copenhagen. Think we booked the only seats sold on the plane both ways.

                                                                        "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

                                                                        Comment


                                                                          Originally posted by Wombatman View Post

                                                                          Surely this suggests you should lash out as many first doses as possible instead of second dosing?
                                                                          This is a hugely difficult question IMO.

                                                                          The English numbers are looking great but the virologists and vaccine experts seem to be genuinely concerned that this strategy increases the risk of mutations that are successful at getting past the defences created by the vaccine. If that happens it is a absolute catastrophic disaster that brings us back to square one looking for new vaccines.

                                                                          UK is taking a monster gamble on this and so far it looks like it will pay off. I'm not certain that anyone really has the information or experience to properly quantify the level of risk involved but it is certain that if it goes wrong it will be a very bad thing.

                                                                          My instinct is RTFM. While I know that following the manufacturers instructions will be a conservative approach the downside risk is too great to be messing about with. On the other hand I need to be in London this August
                                                                          Turning millions into thousands

                                                                          Comment


                                                                            Originally posted by Raoul Duke III View Post

                                                                            Are people booking any holidays in joyful optimism or sitting on their hands in wait and see mode? We booked two separate weeks in July\August for Cork and Donegal, plus also flights to Copenhagen in late Oct.

                                                                            'Feels' like both should be OK....ish
                                                                            If you notice loads of banners in donegal quoting your disparaging remarks about donegal over the years it wasn’t me

                                                                            Comment


                                                                              Originally posted by Goodluck2me View Post

                                                                              If you notice loads of banners in donegal quoting your disparaging remarks about donegal over the years it wasn’t me
                                                                              I'm sure I was disparaging about Donegal people, rather than the county itself.
                                                                              "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

                                                                              Comment


                                                                                Brief hope for England when they managed to skittle India for a slender 33 run lead earlier but now looks like they'll struggle to even make 33 in their second innings.

                                                                                Batsmen look like they're being bowled hand grenades.
                                                                                "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

                                                                                Comment


                                                                                  Originally posted by Raoul Duke III View Post

                                                                                  I'm sure I was disparaging about Donegal people, rather than the county itself.
                                                                                  Ah, that’s because you’ve only seen the text, you couldn’t hate anyone with our accent?!

                                                                                  Comment


                                                                                    Originally posted by Strewelpeter View Post

                                                                                    This is a hugely difficult question IMO.

                                                                                    The English numbers are looking great but the virologists and vaccine experts seem to be genuinely concerned that this strategy increases the risk of mutations that are successful at getting past the defences created by the vaccine. If that happens it is a absolute back to barely past square one catastrophic disaster.

                                                                                    UK is taking a monster gamble on this and so far it looks like it will pay off. I'm not certain that anyone really has the information or experience to properly quantify the level of risk involved but it is certain that if it goes wrong it will be a very bad thing.

                                                                                    My instinct is RTFM. While I know that following the manufacturers instructions will be a conservative approach the downside risk is too great to be messing about with. On the other hand I need to be in London this August
                                                                                    I think if you ban outside travel it’s the right approach so you can open up your economy, then don’t open international travel until everyone is double dosed?

                                                                                    Comment


                                                                                      Originally posted by Goodluck2me View Post

                                                                                      Ah, that’s because you’ve only seen the text, you couldn’t hate anyone with our accent?!
                                                                                      I have met you in person.

                                                                                      Then there's Daniel to consider. And Jim McDaid. And Dana.

                                                                                      You've a lot to answer for really
                                                                                      "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

                                                                                      Comment


                                                                                        Aha, my Ooni, which I had pretty much completely forgotten about after ordering in November, is now about to ship.

                                                                                        What other shit do I need to purchase in order to make myself a pizza master?
                                                                                        A peel and a yoke for turning, is my dim recollection. Anything else essential.
                                                                                        "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

                                                                                        Comment


                                                                                          Have a weekly Thursday training call with an Indian at 4pm (he's the trainer, me the trainee). Don't enjoy it as he enthusiastically goes on for hours.
                                                                                          Assumed it'd be cancelled this week as he's cricket mad. This test being potentially over by tea on Day2 is killing me.

                                                                                          Comment


                                                                                            Originally posted by Lao Lao View Post
                                                                                            DeadParrot - I presume you will be the 1st person online for this one

                                                                                            THE IRISH TIMES
                                                                                            Dear XXXXX,

                                                                                            Join us on Thursday, March 11th at 7.30pm for an exclusive interview with nutritionist, model and TanOrganic Brand Ambassador Rosanna Davison.

                                                                                            Sit down and put your feet up as Irish Times columnist Jen Hogan chats to the new mum of three for an open and honest conversation on family, the challenge of balance in life, pregnancy, keeping fit during pregnancy, nutritional foods to eat, tips on coping with pregnancy in a pandemic, self-care & life as a new parent.

                                                                                            Each attendee will receive a voucher redeemable on online orders from TanOrganic and, on the night, we’ll give away a TanOrganic hamper to one lucky attendee. Each attendee will get a €5.00 voucher redeemable on TanOrganic.

                                                                                            Best wishes,
                                                                                            The Irish Times

                                                                                            * TanOrganic voucher not valid on minis or tanning accessories
                                                                                            ** No refunds.


                                                                                            WTF is that all about
                                                                                            That's hilarious
                                                                                            People say I should be more humble I hope they understand, they don't listen when you mumble
                                                                                            Get a shiny metal Revolut card! And a free tenner!
                                                                                            https://revolut.com/referral/jamesb8!G10D21

                                                                                            Comment


                                                                                              Originally posted by Hitchhiker's Guide To... View Post
                                                                                              Would anyone have subscription access to the Indo?

                                                                                              I need a scrape of this article, but doesn't seem worth the €60 annual sub


                                                                                              https://www.independent.ie/life/buy-...-40097315.html
                                                                                              SPOILER

                                                                                              Buy now, pain later? The rise of easy credit for online shoppers

                                                                                              Scrolling through Instagram and see something you like but can't afford right now? With just a few clicks you can have it - and a loan to pay for it too. Deferred payment is nothing new, and it offers genuine benefits for buyers and businesses alike. However, its increasing prevalence for online shoppers is raising questions about dispersed debt and the risks of encouraging younger generations to use credit


                                                                                              CEO of Huuum, previously known as Flexi-fi, PJ Byrne
                                                                                              Regina Lavelle

                                                                                              February 21 2021 02:30 AM

                                                                                              Buy now, pay later… four easy instalments… why wait? Consumer credit isn't new. For years we've been able to split the cost of big ticket items - sofas, TVs, cars. Recently, however, you're just as likely to be offered this option when buying a €99 dress as a €999 holiday. In-store and online, instalment repayment is no longer only for one-off big ticket items or luxury occasion wear, it's for trainers, headphones, make-up, skincare (marketed as 'self-care'); sorted in seconds, and, for some, there's no credit check.

                                                                                              This isn't your outlet furniture store or frumpy catalogue brand, either - it's being used for aspirational homewares and electronics and the fashion juggernauts that have captured the young adult market. These fashion brands, in particular, have masterminded the online shopping experience; initially web only, and now also on social media, where slick user journeys allow viewers to buy straight from the post. Combined with a credit provider, customers can have those strappy mules with just a few clicks, and pay months down the line. 'Buy now, pay later' has joined the mainstream.

                                                                                              Deferred payment is obviously not a new phenomenon, but the game-changer here is that the line of credit is no longer provided by the retailer. Instead, retailers sign up to a 'buy now, pay later' (BNPL) service, which sits on their website and is often offered as a payment option at the checkout. Shoppers can then use the finance product to buy purchases and stagger the repayment. If the value is under €500, there is no hard credit check. Registration only requires some personal details.

                                                                                              "It's your usual website, you've got your email there. All I have to do is click on the picture in the email and I can get into it straight away and it's done," explains RTÉ presenter, » » financial advisor and author of How To Be Good With Money, Eoin McGee.
                                                                                              Financial adviser and author of How To Be Good With Money, Eoin McGee
                                                                                              "There are no barriers there. We have to remember that there are marketing departments all over the world that are spending millions and millions to convince us to take money out of our pocket and put it into theirs. And if they can sell you a dress with a loan attached to it, they've got a double whammy on it."

                                                                                              However, these payment services weren't designed to be predatory. "They are there to solve a problem," explains Michael Dowling, DCU Professor of Finance, specialising in fintech and personal finance.

                                                                                              "They're huge in China, for example, where there are few credit cards, because most people don't have credit histories etc. So they came up with this new form of financing and now it's popular all around the world.

                                                                                              "This is handy. It's at the point of purchase. It's easy. There's less work. And I'm not trying to fully defend the product but I think it's a better form of financing because it forces you to repay, whereas the credit card's model is about encouraging you to just let the debt go forever.

                                                                                              "If you buy an e-scooter for €400, you'll have it paid over the next four months. If you buy it on a credit card, you could still be paying for it in 2030, when we're all on hoverboards."

                                                                                              So who are the companies facilitating this payment revolution? Klarna, the Swedish company, is probably the best known BNPL provider in the UK market. Though it doesn't yet operate in Ireland, the name is so ubiquitous online - for Instagram users in particular - that it is becoming a verb. It has been hashtagged almost 100,000 times on Instagram, has over 10 million UK customers and services around 5,000 UK retailers. Other players in the sector include Clearpay and Laybuy.

                                                                                              In Ireland, humm (previously known as Flexi-fi) offers BNPL. It is a subsidiary of hummgroup, listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, and serves 73,000 businesses worldwide - 1,000 of them Irish. CEO PJ Byrne told Life that despite a "challenging 12-month period", the company's customer base was up 136pc on 2019. Retail partners were also up 63pc, and transaction volumes up 57pc.

                                                                                              "Our digital products helped many of our partners to enhance their online cart sales and helped keep their businesses trading successfully. As a consequence, this resulted in demand for our 'buy now, pay later' offering," Byrne says.

                                                                                              For sums of between €80 (the smallest amount humm finances) and less than €499, there is no interest charged. To sign up, users have to provide proof of identity, be over 18, earn a minimum of €1,000 per month and provide documentation to support their suitability. The application is then considered by humm's credit and risk team. For sums of greater than €500, humm says there are further checks.

                                                                                              It turns out €500 is not an arbitrary number. "If it's under €500, you don't have to register it as a loan, and companies don't," explains Professor Dowling. "So it's unregulated. That's because for a lot of people - not everybody - it's not too significant. So the central banks choose not to regulate it. I think the first port of call [for non-payment] is, if it's not too much, they just ban you from their service."

                                                                                              Over €500, a Central Bank spokesperson explains, there is some official oversight.

                                                                                              "The Central Credit Register (CCR) stores personal and credit information on loans of €500 or more. Since 30, June 2017, lenders - including banks, credit unions, and any other lender that provides consumer loans for €500 or more - have submitted personal and credit information on those loans to the CCR on a monthly basis," the spokesperson says.

                                                                                              There can be little doubt that BNPL can be hugely beneficial to businesses.

                                                                                              Primarily, such services make money by charging retailers a percentage of the purchase, generally in the five to six per cent range. The cost to the retailer is claimed to be offset by increased purchases - there have been claims that purchases can increase by up to 40pc. At a time when Covid-19 has virtually paralysed retail, it's little wonder that adoption has increased.

                                                                                              This is no accident, either - humm says part of its Covid-19 response was to "move fast to ensure retail partners had e-commerce functionality compatible with our technology... thereby ensuring disruption was minimised."

                                                                                              Among the pandemic purchases being made through the system were "athleisure wear, gym equipment, technology items, homewares and desks for working from home". The company also noted that there had been a notable increase in finance for garden offices.

                                                                                              The benefits were also felt by retailers that had already adopted the payment systems. Among humm's Irish retail partners is McElhinneys of Donegal. The department store told Life that it had adopted humm two years ago to keep pace with its UK competitors. This year, humm sales increased 900pc year-on-year. The store attributes the increase to the ability to stagger online payments helping customers, (they operate a pay-in scheme of six to eight weeks), especially at a time when many are struggling financially. McElhinneys report that people are mostly using this option for homewares and luxury brands.

                                                                                              The payment model fits well with many different consumer offerings, Professor Dowling cites the example of dentists offering BNPL. "I've seen a fair few offering [humm]. That would be quite useful because it costs a lot to have your teeth fixed and you really need your teeth fixed. Similarly, if you're buying a laptop, not many people have a spare grand in their bank account."

                                                                                              But the sector has not been without controversy. In the UK, where BNPL products are marketed heavily on the millennial and Gen-Z honeypots like Asos, Boohoo and NastyGal, there have been allegations made that the sector as a whole is insufficiently regulated, lacks transparency and uses questionable marketing techniques. In December, the UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled to ban an influencer campaign which ran in April and May and urged shoppers to "boost their mood". Influencers had boasted of lockdown splurges on skincare and clothes using Klarna. Klarna denied the posts were irresponsible and said the key theme was "taking care of one's self during the Covid-19 lockdown period".

                                                                                              The ASA said: "We acknowledge that purchasing non-essential items was likely to be a source of comfort for some people during the national lockdown. However, each ad promoted the use of Klarna's deferred payments services."

                                                                                              "We concluded that in the context of the challenging circumstances caused by the lockdown at the time, including impacts on people's financial and mental health, the ads irresponsibly encouraged the use of credit to improve people's mood," the agency added.
                                                                                              Home & Property


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                                                                                              In June 2020, financial campaigner Alice Tapper launched #regulateBuyNowPayLater in the UK. The issue has been debated in the House of Commons and the subject is currently under review.

                                                                                              "I run a financial news and personal finance website, mainly based on Instagram, and a big part of that is people sharing their financial stories. It's about 80pc women," Tapper says. "About a year-and-a-half ago, the topic of 'buy now, pay later' kept coming up. People fell into one of two camps: either they had racked up sizeable debt, or they would fall into the category where something had gone wrong on a customer service/operational issue basis. Maybe a return hadn't been acknowledged or they had used the payment product accidentally, because it was the default payment option. Or they had been the victim of some kind of fraud when someone used their email address and got into debt.

                                                                                              "I started doing a bit more research into it. It transpired that the reason this was able to happen was because of a lack of regulation. To get specific, the [UK] Consumer Credit Act sets out that if a financial product carries no interest and it's repaid over a short period of time, it doesn't have to be regulated," explains Tapper.

                                                                                              "It's pretty much the case that you can click on a picture of a top you like on Instagram and then, probably within three clicks, maybe less, you can be signed up to a financial product."

                                                                                              In addition to working with the Labour MP Stella Creasy on a » » cross-partner amendment to the Financial Services Bill, Tapper has herself submitted evidence to the UK's Financial Conduct Authority Woolard Review which is examining regulation in the unsecured credit market. It is due to report back shortly. Among those sitting on the advisory panel are representatives from debt organisations amid concerns that BNPL products are contributing to household debt.

                                                                                              The Financial Services Bill had its third reading in the House of Commons last month. UK Labour MP Yvonne Fovargue told the House that she had "looked into the business model for one company and found that 25pc of its income is predicated on late fees and people being unable to pay on time". She added that despite the highest rate of growth being in the over-40 market, "younger customers represent the majority of those missing payments".

                                                                                              Figures released in December by the UK debt advice agency Financial Wellness Group said that 42pc of new customers in 2020 had BNPL and online shopping debts, up from 28pc in 2019. The issue was not the sums themselves, but the dispersed nature of the loans - the average amount was £250, but some had up to 10 different loans. It is this spectre of individuals accumulating distributed pools of debt - albeit relatively shallow ones - that is a cause of concern.

                                                                                              "I'll be honest, I've used some of these 'buy now pay later' products myself," says Daragh Cassidy, Head of Communications at Irish financial comparison site bonkers.ie. "But sometimes people can be a bit 'out of sight, out of mind'. Because when you have a credit card, the debt can be quite visible - you get your letter or your statements every month, or if you get a loan, it's there every time you log in. That's not necessarily a bad thing, because it helps you keep on top of your debt and you know what you owe. If you're not seeing it all the time, you can end up building debt without realising.

                                                                                              "And while no one really loves to open up their credit card statement every month and see that there's a grand that still needs to be paid off, at least it visualises it for you. It says, 'Hang on, Daragh, you're down a grand, do you really need to be buying more stuff?' So there's a case that these products might encourage people to get credit a little bit too easily. You don't want to have to jump hoops to get things and sometimes people need short-term access to credit. It's just we shouldn't be making getting into debt too easy."

                                                                                              But, if you pay on time, and given most people do - humm says its level of defaults remain "remarkably low" which it attributes to a rigorous checking process - what does it matter? Is what we're witnessing a mere evolution of finance, a slick application of technology? Perhaps, but there is a question of the consequences of encouraging younger people to use a credit product.

                                                                                              "Anecdotally, those people who take on debt very, very young tend to get very, very used to it," says Cassidy. "Whereas people who don't will be very, very frugal and learn to live within their means. That's not to say there's anything wrong with debt, or someone has failed. Modern society, even capitalism, pretty much works on debt and being able to take on debt.

                                                                                              "The key thing is to always make sure you pay everything back on time and you don't take on too much so that you don't get a bad credit rating. As you get older, you need to start worrying about health insurance; if you have kids, you need to start worrying about educational costs, and if you want a house, you need to get a mortgage. So as you head into your late 20s, and your 30s, that almost unavoidable debt is only going to increase."

                                                                                              This year, draft legislation with a "broad regulatory scope" proposing to tighten authorisation of hire purchase, PCP and other credit arrangements will be presented to the Oireachtas, and it looks as though BNPL agreements will be in its remit.

                                                                                              A spokesperson for the Department of Finance told Life that the "draft legislation will provide any entity involved in the business of directly or indirectly providing credit, hire purchase or consumer hire… will fall within the scope of the authorisation and regulatory remit of the Central Bank".

                                                                                              That's all very well. But what if, like many of us, you've succumbed to lockdown boredom and now perhaps there are a couple of unnecessary purchases, and attendant bills, that need to be dealt with?

                                                                                              Eoin McGee has some advice. "Go up to your wardrobe and see what has labels on and check if there is actually a problem. If you have clothes that are still in the returns period, send them back and get a refund. If you can't, sell them on Depop or wherever, and when you get the money in, clear off whatever loan you've accumulated. Then make a commitment to yourself to say, 'I'm not doing that again. The next time I'm buying something, I'm going to buy it with my money, not with their money.'" l

                                                                                              cheapskate
                                                                                              People say I should be more humble I hope they understand, they don't listen when you mumble
                                                                                              Get a shiny metal Revolut card! And a free tenner!
                                                                                              https://revolut.com/referral/jamesb8!G10D21

                                                                                              Comment


                                                                                                Originally posted by DeadParrot View Post

                                                                                                SPOILER

                                                                                                Buy now, pain later? The rise of easy credit for online shoppers

                                                                                                Scrolling through Instagram and see something you like but can't afford right now? With just a few clicks you can have it - and a loan to pay for it too. Deferred payment is nothing new, and it offers genuine benefits for buyers and businesses alike. However, its increasing prevalence for online shoppers is raising questions about dispersed debt and the risks of encouraging younger generations to use credit


                                                                                                CEO of Huuum, previously known as Flexi-fi, PJ Byrne
                                                                                                Regina Lavelle

                                                                                                February 21 2021 02:30 AM

                                                                                                Buy now, pay later… four easy instalments… why wait? Consumer credit isn't new. For years we've been able to split the cost of big ticket items - sofas, TVs, cars. Recently, however, you're just as likely to be offered this option when buying a €99 dress as a €999 holiday. In-store and online, instalment repayment is no longer only for one-off big ticket items or luxury occasion wear, it's for trainers, headphones, make-up, skincare (marketed as 'self-care'); sorted in seconds, and, for some, there's no credit check.

                                                                                                This isn't your outlet furniture store or frumpy catalogue brand, either - it's being used for aspirational homewares and electronics and the fashion juggernauts that have captured the young adult market. These fashion brands, in particular, have masterminded the online shopping experience; initially web only, and now also on social media, where slick user journeys allow viewers to buy straight from the post. Combined with a credit provider, customers can have those strappy mules with just a few clicks, and pay months down the line. 'Buy now, pay later' has joined the mainstream.

                                                                                                Deferred payment is obviously not a new phenomenon, but the game-changer here is that the line of credit is no longer provided by the retailer. Instead, retailers sign up to a 'buy now, pay later' (BNPL) service, which sits on their website and is often offered as a payment option at the checkout. Shoppers can then use the finance product to buy purchases and stagger the repayment. If the value is under €500, there is no hard credit check. Registration only requires some personal details.

                                                                                                "It's your usual website, you've got your email there. All I have to do is click on the picture in the email and I can get into it straight away and it's done," explains RTÉ presenter, » » financial advisor and author of How To Be Good With Money, Eoin McGee.
                                                                                                Financial adviser and author of How To Be Good With Money, Eoin McGee
                                                                                                "There are no barriers there. We have to remember that there are marketing departments all over the world that are spending millions and millions to convince us to take money out of our pocket and put it into theirs. And if they can sell you a dress with a loan attached to it, they've got a double whammy on it."

                                                                                                However, these payment services weren't designed to be predatory. "They are there to solve a problem," explains Michael Dowling, DCU Professor of Finance, specialising in fintech and personal finance.

                                                                                                "They're huge in China, for example, where there are few credit cards, because most people don't have credit histories etc. So they came up with this new form of financing and now it's popular all around the world.

                                                                                                "This is handy. It's at the point of purchase. It's easy. There's less work. And I'm not trying to fully defend the product but I think it's a better form of financing because it forces you to repay, whereas the credit card's model is about encouraging you to just let the debt go forever.

                                                                                                "If you buy an e-scooter for €400, you'll have it paid over the next four months. If you buy it on a credit card, you could still be paying for it in 2030, when we're all on hoverboards."

                                                                                                So who are the companies facilitating this payment revolution? Klarna, the Swedish company, is probably the best known BNPL provider in the UK market. Though it doesn't yet operate in Ireland, the name is so ubiquitous online - for Instagram users in particular - that it is becoming a verb. It has been hashtagged almost 100,000 times on Instagram, has over 10 million UK customers and services around 5,000 UK retailers. Other players in the sector include Clearpay and Laybuy.

                                                                                                In Ireland, humm (previously known as Flexi-fi) offers BNPL. It is a subsidiary of hummgroup, listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, and serves 73,000 businesses worldwide - 1,000 of them Irish. CEO PJ Byrne told Life that despite a "challenging 12-month period", the company's customer base was up 136pc on 2019. Retail partners were also up 63pc, and transaction volumes up 57pc.

                                                                                                "Our digital products helped many of our partners to enhance their online cart sales and helped keep their businesses trading successfully. As a consequence, this resulted in demand for our 'buy now, pay later' offering," Byrne says.

                                                                                                For sums of between €80 (the smallest amount humm finances) and less than €499, there is no interest charged. To sign up, users have to provide proof of identity, be over 18, earn a minimum of €1,000 per month and provide documentation to support their suitability. The application is then considered by humm's credit and risk team. For sums of greater than €500, humm says there are further checks.

                                                                                                It turns out €500 is not an arbitrary number. "If it's under €500, you don't have to register it as a loan, and companies don't," explains Professor Dowling. "So it's unregulated. That's because for a lot of people - not everybody - it's not too significant. So the central banks choose not to regulate it. I think the first port of call [for non-payment] is, if it's not too much, they just ban you from their service."

                                                                                                Over €500, a Central Bank spokesperson explains, there is some official oversight.

                                                                                                "The Central Credit Register (CCR) stores personal and credit information on loans of €500 or more. Since 30, June 2017, lenders - including banks, credit unions, and any other lender that provides consumer loans for €500 or more - have submitted personal and credit information on those loans to the CCR on a monthly basis," the spokesperson says.

                                                                                                There can be little doubt that BNPL can be hugely beneficial to businesses.

                                                                                                Primarily, such services make money by charging retailers a percentage of the purchase, generally in the five to six per cent range. The cost to the retailer is claimed to be offset by increased purchases - there have been claims that purchases can increase by up to 40pc. At a time when Covid-19 has virtually paralysed retail, it's little wonder that adoption has increased.

                                                                                                This is no accident, either - humm says part of its Covid-19 response was to "move fast to ensure retail partners had e-commerce functionality compatible with our technology... thereby ensuring disruption was minimised."

                                                                                                Among the pandemic purchases being made through the system were "athleisure wear, gym equipment, technology items, homewares and desks for working from home". The company also noted that there had been a notable increase in finance for garden offices.

                                                                                                The benefits were also felt by retailers that had already adopted the payment systems. Among humm's Irish retail partners is McElhinneys of Donegal. The department store told Life that it had adopted humm two years ago to keep pace with its UK competitors. This year, humm sales increased 900pc year-on-year. The store attributes the increase to the ability to stagger online payments helping customers, (they operate a pay-in scheme of six to eight weeks), especially at a time when many are struggling financially. McElhinneys report that people are mostly using this option for homewares and luxury brands.

                                                                                                The payment model fits well with many different consumer offerings, Professor Dowling cites the example of dentists offering BNPL. "I've seen a fair few offering [humm]. That would be quite useful because it costs a lot to have your teeth fixed and you really need your teeth fixed. Similarly, if you're buying a laptop, not many people have a spare grand in their bank account."

                                                                                                But the sector has not been without controversy. In the UK, where BNPL products are marketed heavily on the millennial and Gen-Z honeypots like Asos, Boohoo and NastyGal, there have been allegations made that the sector as a whole is insufficiently regulated, lacks transparency and uses questionable marketing techniques. In December, the UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled to ban an influencer campaign which ran in April and May and urged shoppers to "boost their mood". Influencers had boasted of lockdown splurges on skincare and clothes using Klarna. Klarna denied the posts were irresponsible and said the key theme was "taking care of one's self during the Covid-19 lockdown period".

                                                                                                The ASA said: "We acknowledge that purchasing non-essential items was likely to be a source of comfort for some people during the national lockdown. However, each ad promoted the use of Klarna's deferred payments services."

                                                                                                "We concluded that in the context of the challenging circumstances caused by the lockdown at the time, including impacts on people's financial and mental health, the ads irresponsibly encouraged the use of credit to improve people's mood," the agency added.
                                                                                                Home & Property


                                                                                                Get the best home, property and gardening stories straight to your inbox every Saturday.

                                                                                                Sign Up





                                                                                                In June 2020, financial campaigner Alice Tapper launched #regulateBuyNowPayLater in the UK. The issue has been debated in the House of Commons and the subject is currently under review.

                                                                                                "I run a financial news and personal finance website, mainly based on Instagram, and a big part of that is people sharing their financial stories. It's about 80pc women," Tapper says. "About a year-and-a-half ago, the topic of 'buy now, pay later' kept coming up. People fell into one of two camps: either they had racked up sizeable debt, or they would fall into the category where something had gone wrong on a customer service/operational issue basis. Maybe a return hadn't been acknowledged or they had used the payment product accidentally, because it was the default payment option. Or they had been the victim of some kind of fraud when someone used their email address and got into debt.

                                                                                                "I started doing a bit more research into it. It transpired that the reason this was able to happen was because of a lack of regulation. To get specific, the [UK] Consumer Credit Act sets out that if a financial product carries no interest and it's repaid over a short period of time, it doesn't have to be regulated," explains Tapper.

                                                                                                "It's pretty much the case that you can click on a picture of a top you like on Instagram and then, probably within three clicks, maybe less, you can be signed up to a financial product."

                                                                                                In addition to working with the Labour MP Stella Creasy on a » » cross-partner amendment to the Financial Services Bill, Tapper has herself submitted evidence to the UK's Financial Conduct Authority Woolard Review which is examining regulation in the unsecured credit market. It is due to report back shortly. Among those sitting on the advisory panel are representatives from debt organisations amid concerns that BNPL products are contributing to household debt.

                                                                                                The Financial Services Bill had its third reading in the House of Commons last month. UK Labour MP Yvonne Fovargue told the House that she had "looked into the business model for one company and found that 25pc of its income is predicated on late fees and people being unable to pay on time". She added that despite the highest rate of growth being in the over-40 market, "younger customers represent the majority of those missing payments".

                                                                                                Figures released in December by the UK debt advice agency Financial Wellness Group said that 42pc of new customers in 2020 had BNPL and online shopping debts, up from 28pc in 2019. The issue was not the sums themselves, but the dispersed nature of the loans - the average amount was £250, but some had up to 10 different loans. It is this spectre of individuals accumulating distributed pools of debt - albeit relatively shallow ones - that is a cause of concern.

                                                                                                "I'll be honest, I've used some of these 'buy now pay later' products myself," says Daragh Cassidy, Head of Communications at Irish financial comparison site bonkers.ie. "But sometimes people can be a bit 'out of sight, out of mind'. Because when you have a credit card, the debt can be quite visible - you get your letter or your statements every month, or if you get a loan, it's there every time you log in. That's not necessarily a bad thing, because it helps you keep on top of your debt and you know what you owe. If you're not seeing it all the time, you can end up building debt without realising.

                                                                                                "And while no one really loves to open up their credit card statement every month and see that there's a grand that still needs to be paid off, at least it visualises it for you. It says, 'Hang on, Daragh, you're down a grand, do you really need to be buying more stuff?' So there's a case that these products might encourage people to get credit a little bit too easily. You don't want to have to jump hoops to get things and sometimes people need short-term access to credit. It's just we shouldn't be making getting into debt too easy."

                                                                                                But, if you pay on time, and given most people do - humm says its level of defaults remain "remarkably low" which it attributes to a rigorous checking process - what does it matter? Is what we're witnessing a mere evolution of finance, a slick application of technology? Perhaps, but there is a question of the consequences of encouraging younger people to use a credit product.

                                                                                                "Anecdotally, those people who take on debt very, very young tend to get very, very used to it," says Cassidy. "Whereas people who don't will be very, very frugal and learn to live within their means. That's not to say there's anything wrong with debt, or someone has failed. Modern society, even capitalism, pretty much works on debt and being able to take on debt.

                                                                                                "The key thing is to always make sure you pay everything back on time and you don't take on too much so that you don't get a bad credit rating. As you get older, you need to start worrying about health insurance; if you have kids, you need to start worrying about educational costs, and if you want a house, you need to get a mortgage. So as you head into your late 20s, and your 30s, that almost unavoidable debt is only going to increase."

                                                                                                This year, draft legislation with a "broad regulatory scope" proposing to tighten authorisation of hire purchase, PCP and other credit arrangements will be presented to the Oireachtas, and it looks as though BNPL agreements will be in its remit.

                                                                                                A spokesperson for the Department of Finance told Life that the "draft legislation will provide any entity involved in the business of directly or indirectly providing credit, hire purchase or consumer hire… will fall within the scope of the authorisation and regulatory remit of the Central Bank".

                                                                                                That's all very well. But what if, like many of us, you've succumbed to lockdown boredom and now perhaps there are a couple of unnecessary purchases, and attendant bills, that need to be dealt with?

                                                                                                Eoin McGee has some advice. "Go up to your wardrobe and see what has labels on and check if there is actually a problem. If you have clothes that are still in the returns period, send them back and get a refund. If you can't, sell them on Depop or wherever, and when you get the money in, clear off whatever loan you've accumulated. Then make a commitment to yourself to say, 'I'm not doing that again. The next time I'm buying something, I'm going to buy it with my money, not with their money.'" l

                                                                                                cheapskate
                                                                                                Thank you! Weirdly the uni had no subscription to the paper. I think my points are the best, but need to work on my quotes. They don't sound great even if they make sense.
                                                                                                "We're not f*cking Burundi" - Big Phil

                                                                                                Comment


                                                                                                  Originally posted by Hitchhiker's Guide To... View Post

                                                                                                  Thank you! Weirdly the uni had no subscription to the paper. I think my points are the best, but need to work on my quotes. They don't sound great even if they make sense.
                                                                                                  Ya witty hoor: "If you buy an e-scooter for €400, you'll have it paid over the next four months. If you buy it on a credit card, you could still be paying for it in 2030, when we're all on hoverboards."

                                                                                                  Comment


                                                                                                    I gave a great quote yesterday for an article in the Indo this coming Saturday, on how we'll live post-pandemic. Not sure if it'll make the final cut, but it was on the economy and I said "governments have spent generations investing all their capital stock in commuting, we now need to start investing in community". Or something along those lines, I remember it being smarter than it reads in that written sentence.
                                                                                                    "We're not f*cking Burundi" - Big Phil

                                                                                                    Comment


                                                                                                      Originally posted by Goodluck2me View Post
                                                                                                      I think if you ban outside travel it’s the right approach so you can open up your economy, then don’t open international travel until everyone is double dosed?
                                                                                                      I just do not buy the idea that we can shut down international travel.

                                                                                                      Even if you put aside the herd of oversized elephants in the room that are the border what are you going to do about normal exceptional travel?
                                                                                                      For instance are all truck drivers to spend two weeks in a hotel for each journey or do we switch overnight to 100% container traffic? How about other exceptional but semi essential travel in and out of the country, births deaths and marriages, essential skills and urgent engineering, professional sport etc. ? If you do close the country down completely what are the criteria for opening it up again?

                                                                                                      No matter how you look at it we are not NZ and we simply cannot act as if we are as self contained as them.
                                                                                                      Turning millions into thousands

                                                                                                      Comment


                                                                                                        Originally posted by ArmaniJeans View Post
                                                                                                        Have a weekly Thursday training call with an Indian at 4pm (he's the trainer, me the trainee). Don't enjoy it as he enthusiastically goes on for hours.
                                                                                                        Assumed it'd be cancelled this week as he's cricket mad. This test being potentially over by tea on Day2 is killing me.
                                                                                                        He'll be a happy man for sure. But a happy training man. He'll be so happy he'll probably go on for hours.
                                                                                                        "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

                                                                                                        Comment


                                                                                                          Originally posted by Raoul Duke III View Post
                                                                                                          Aha, my Ooni, which I had pretty much completely forgotten about after ordering in November, is now about to ship.

                                                                                                          What other shit do I need to purchase in order to make myself a pizza master?
                                                                                                          A peel and a yoke for turning, is my dim recollection. Anything else essential.
                                                                                                          00 flour they have good stuff at €1 a bag in tesco and top quality ingredients (will be ordering some fresh salami soon and will drop some off when I can seeing as how I missed you at Christmas).
                                                                                                          Look out for Sheridan's selling off the good mozzarella and buratta's cheap as they often do as they approach sell by date... they are perfect for weeks afterwards as long as they stay sealed
                                                                                                          Mutti pizza sauce or just their chopped tomatoes are actually plenty good enough for most occasions, keeping the sauce simple is better than making an elaborate sauce IMO.
                                                                                                          Overall the KISS approach is best - fewer better ingredients.

                                                                                                          I still enjoy the zen of kneading but I am also thinking of buying a Stand mixer, there is a 1000W Kenwood one for 299 but I'm stuck trying to decide if I should go to 419 for the kenwood chef which is the same spec but I can add attachments to and get more use out of.
                                                                                                          Turning millions into thousands

                                                                                                          Comment


                                                                                                            Originally posted by Strewelpeter View Post

                                                                                                            I just do not buy the idea that we can shut down international travel.

                                                                                                            Even if you put aside the herd of oversized elephants in the room that are the border what are you going to do about normal exceptional travel?
                                                                                                            For instance are all truck drivers to spend two weeks in a hotel for each journey or do we switch overnight to 100% container traffic? How about other exceptional but semi essential travel in and out of the country, births deaths and marriages, essential skills and urgent engineering, professional sport etc. ? If you do close the country down completely what are the criteria for opening it up again?

                                                                                                            No matter how you look at it we are not NZ and we simply cannot act as if we are as self contained as them.
                                                                                                            The bolded part is a hard no. Simply not possible.

                                                                                                            Comment


                                                                                                              I see Gamestonk is at it again. Will it be as fun this time around?

                                                                                                              Originally posted by Strewelpeter View Post

                                                                                                              00 flour they have good stuff at €1 a bag in tesco and top quality ingredients (will be ordering some fresh salami soon and will drop some off when I can seeing as how I missed you at Christmas).
                                                                                                              Look out for Sheridan's selling off the good mozzarella and buratta's cheap as they often do as they approach sell by date... they are perfect for weeks afterwards as long as they stay sealed
                                                                                                              Mutti pizza sauce or just their chopped tomatoes are actually plenty good enough for most occasions, keeping the sauce simple is better than making an elaborate sauce IMO.
                                                                                                              Overall the KISS approach is best fewer better ingredients

                                                                                                              I still enjoy the zen of kneading but I am also thinking of buying a Stand mixer, there is a 1000W Kenwood one for 299 but I'm stuck trying to decide if I should go to 419 for the kenwood chef which is the same spec but I can add attachments to and get more use out of.
                                                                                                              Good tomatoes are super ultra mega important. San Marzano tomatoes have virtually no acidity and are the gold standard for Neapolitan style pizzas. Next time you see the cans in Dunnes/Tesco just fill your boots. They don't need much seasoning or prep at all. A can would easily do 8x 10 inch pizzas.

                                                                                                              Comment


                                                                                                                Originally posted by DeadParrot View Post



                                                                                                                WTF is that all about
                                                                                                                That's hilarious
                                                                                                                Maybe I'm confusing you with somebody else but in my head, you always had an irrational hatred for her, no?

                                                                                                                Comment


                                                                                                                  I would not thank you for a Pizza . Much like the Godfather, it insists upon itself. I would especially not thank you for a goodfellows Pizza . I have had pizza in various parts of Italy , I find its popularity as a food to be overated in the extreme
                                                                                                                  My wife buys me pizza as a treat and I sigh heavily. I think its retribution for closing my ears when she talks shop .
                                                                                                                  As for noodles..fk you noodles.

                                                                                                                  Comment


                                                                                                                    Originally posted by coillcam View Post
                                                                                                                    I see Gamestonk is at it again. Will it be as fun this time around?



                                                                                                                    Good tomatoes are super ultra mega important. San Marzano tomatoes have virtually no acidity and are the gold standard for Neapolitan style pizzas. Next time you see the cans in Dunnes/Tesco just fill your boots. They don't need much seasoning or prep at all. A can would easily do 8x 10 inch pizzas.
                                                                                                                    we tend to use the cirio passata rustica with a generous dose of oregano, and it's delish

                                                                                                                    Comment


                                                                                                                      Originally posted by Lao Lao View Post

                                                                                                                      Maybe I'm confusing you with somebody else but in my head, you always had an irrational hatred for her, no?
                                                                                                                      Likely someone else.
                                                                                                                      My hatred is a hard earned thing. Youd have to do much worse than be a De Burgh offspring selling fake tan to deserve it.
                                                                                                                      People say I should be more humble I hope they understand, they don't listen when you mumble
                                                                                                                      Get a shiny metal Revolut card! And a free tenner!
                                                                                                                      https://revolut.com/referral/jamesb8!G10D21

                                                                                                                      Comment


                                                                                                                        Originally posted by DeadParrot View Post

                                                                                                                        Likely someone else.
                                                                                                                        My hatred is a hard earned thing. Youd have to do much worse than be a De Burgh offspring selling fake tan to deserve it.
                                                                                                                        isn't she the one who cheated at the marathon (or a charity 10km) also, and just popped out of a house, all made up looking fresh, with 1km to go?

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                                                                                                                          Originally posted by shrapnel View Post

                                                                                                                          isn't she the one who cheated at the marathon (or a charity 10km) also, and just popped out of a house, all made up looking fresh, with 1km to go?
                                                                                                                          Ha no way ? Legend . A real life wacky races .

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