Ela James

Great ideas, thanks very much to Detetcive and CaptainSwing. And thanks in advance to those adding their comments

I am planning to visit Southampton in 10 days time … are there, or near it, old villages/ towns? … beaches .. safe with easy parking? places you recommend, please Thanks! :)

Jews are viewed most positively by Americans among the major religious groups, according to a survey released Wednesday. The Pew survey asked participants to rate their attitude toward different religious groups on a “feeling thermometer” on a scale of 0 to 100 with 100 being the “warmest, most positive” rating. The 3,217 respondents rated Jews, Catholics and Evangelical Christians scores of 63, 62, and 61, respectively. On the other end of the spectrum, Muslims were rated least favorably, with a score of 40. http://www.time.com

I was watching this discussion on TV between a number of Europeans , .. some of them were Muslim Europeans … To cut the story short, terror and suicide bombings killing innocents were mentioned … One of the guys present said: If I were a Muslim European I would feel it necessary to apologise … My question: when we hear of someone of Islamic background or Islamic connections committing a terrible act, do you think it necessary an innocent Muslim ought to apologise for the pain and stress caused? I hope we can have an informed and civil debate, thanks!

Just wondered, are there people here familiar with… or perhaps even experts on the Peak District? Do you like to share your thoughts, passion, visits etc etc ..? I really like to learn from your opinions and experiences … thanks

The reason why the public do not agree on whether joining Europe is good or bad for UK is simply because it depends. Some UK businesses are actually benefiting from Europe and would like the UK to join, or get even closer And some other businesses are actually hurt by Europe .. they would prosper even more if UK got less involved with the continent .. I think it is very selfish to think one’s benefit is the right one for the UK … in my opinion!

no payment is offered so please no need to waste time or

Sorry folks, this is a serious question and for those who have artistic skills/ imagination, etc … no payment is offered so please no need to waste time or disturb, thanks! might offer a wonderful present

A European political figure is saying “ if political leaders do not tell the people of the UK the facts in advance of the planned in/out referendum, many will vote to leave, unaware of the devastating consequences. .. the ability of British people to travel as freely as they do now, and to work and buy homes in other EU countries, would also be lost, and that UK businesses would suddenly face new problems, ……. So .. … Is UK really better out of …, Do we really know the costs …, do we know the facts???? Some think not!

Do you agree and why

“ Comedian Sandi Toksvig has revealed that she quit BBC Radio 4's News Quiz to set up a new political party named the Women's Equality Party.” Asked why the party was specifically campaigning for women's equality, she replied: "There's a huge issue. Women are certainly not equal. How is it that we still have a pay gap? What is it, 45 years since the Equal Pay Act? BBC website Any thoughts ... thanks!

Yes, I am interested in stockmarket with some years experience plus moderate success …. Always open to new well calculated ideas and risks … looking forward to see and follow this topic

Someone suggested buying shares of some well established companies as a sensible investment … do you agree what do you recommend? Thanks!

Thanks to all of you for your help, I really did learn a lot from your comments Last few days I have planted seeds of: * Calendula * Nigella * Fleurs Parfumees * Impatiens ---------- Post added 12-04-2015 at 09:37 ---------- Got a question: Do you guys believe what’s written on the seed packet … eg: 30cm wide, 90 cm height, … from May ..till ..Oct etc.. ? Any brand you trust? Thanks again!

Thanks very much Mayfly182 for your honest and generous response. update: Yesterday I went to 2 major garden centres trying to buy Fuscia and Budlia seeds - I found none, they do though sell plants of those, about £9 each, so I left them and decided to try something modest until I feel able with learning and skills. - a week ago I bought 20 viola plants, £6.99, plus multi-purpose plant food, they seem fine but too small for my liking - yesterday I bought seeds of: * nasturtium * larkspur * sunflower + composite Ideally, with my limited situation I want to spend ( money and effort ) as little as possible, and get the largest and most colourful plants and within weeks from now - for a soil that is pretty heavy I know it is probably impossible but I’ll try

many many thanks!!

Hi, I hope someone can suggest some seeds that I can buy and plant this month that will hopefully grow into fairly large plants that give beautiful colours Thanks a million

I was reading about the tragic loss of life of Flight 4U 9525 that crashed on Tuesday … from the Deutsche Welle website “ German prosecutors' revealed Friday that co-pilot Andreas Lubitz had hidden a serious illness from his employer.” Could you suggest practical ways of encouraging staff not hide serious and critical info from the management? Many thanks!

My readings led me to suspect that the co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, was feeling insecure about his job: I read somewhere that his training was stopped for a while for assessment

It is a new group of people who have a keen interest on different cultures, different food, music, dance, history, travel, languages, etc etc The multicultural club is new so we are able to shape it the way we like, so if you are interested please send a private message, with many thanks!

Is there anyone here willing to take a challenge … I mean losing weight? I have decided to lose weight and thought by writing my decision on here it will make my commitment stronger and hopefully help me lose weight even faster…. Do you want to join? .. but you have to be honest ... otherwise

The question is clear and simple And the answer is obvious so why this storm?

I was going through various news websites trying to be updated with the latest and so forth … until I came across a headline saying: Americans tourists in Cuba are now allowed to fly back with $100 worth of Cuban tobacco and alcohol. Exactly! Americans tourists allowed to fly back with tobacco and alcohol. Have we, the readers, become so trivial and shallow to the point that we, now, consider it important to learn that Americans tourists allowed to fly back home with tobacco and alcohol?

Thanks all for taking part in the discussion related to the creation of the group “ The Arabic Cultural Club”. As mentioned earlier, the Arabic Cultural Club aims to promote awareness and understanding of everything Arabic with different activities and events such as - language - food - history - customs and traditions - travel - music & dancing - etc How to join : The club welcomes every person who is interested to join by sending a private message. Thanks to all for their support! Ela

Thank you Solomon1 and Stranza very much for the encouragement. Perhaps it is worth adding that the suggested group will likely be covering various interests such as - language - food - history - customs and traditions - travel - architecture - costumes and fashion - social concerns, beliefs and values, attitudes and motives - music & dancing - etc Right now it is at the very beginning so any help, ideas and suggestions will be welcomed and warmly received.