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People always say Facebook is very dependant on business types, and leans more to social type businesses, pubs, restaurants, and also trades, such as sparkies, plumbers etc.

Would I really look to be posting to my facebook friends or giving a public thumbs up about my latest colonic irrigation? Unlikely  

I'm guessing Clients are going to respond more discreetly to advertising rather interaction on typical social platforms. 

The British Retail Consortium has found in a survey that the average shopper uses cash less and less. Not really that surprising news, and you can even buy a McDonald's burger on your debit card or a pint down the pub these days.

I must admit, I like to keep a tenner in my wallet, but I reckon 90% of anything I buy these days is done with a card, even if it's just a sandwich at tescos.

But how about businesses? Other than just online, are there many businesses that no longer bother with cash? Or can you see a time coming when doing the bank run and cashing up will be a thing of the past?

Content would be interesting, content copying, scraping, wrong use of images etc on websites, and realistic consequences or safeguards. Unless you covered that under IP?

Another original cartoon for the forum from our local illustrator and cartoonist Jan Sitek 

I think you summed it up in the title. Mindless Vandalism.

You've got a nice car, which you've worked hard for, and someone else is jealous of. So they think it's ok to gauge big scrapes down the side.

I would chop their fingers off it was left to me... 

Well according to all the news agencies. Positive headlines are flowing in all directions, crack open the champagne, consign the phrase "credit crunch" and doom and gloom headlines to history (or at least until then next recession), and bask in economic glory 

So some good news from the CBI (Confederation of British Industry) and BCC (British Chambers of Commerce) telling us the economy is growing at the fastest rate for over 10 years and we are expecting a growth of 3.1% this year.

So what about small businesses and owners?

Does this news reflect the reality of small business owners, is it good news all round, or situation normal and you haven't seen any difference either good or bad?

I suspect we may start to see a slow down in new businesses starting up if the economy is stabilising as unemployment and redundancies inn theory should fall. As this should mean fewer people becoming self-employed as a necessity as opposed to wanting to, but that's just my theory.

Guess time will tell over the next 12 months or so.

Anyone got any thoughts?

Bloody hell!!! Makes your blood boil.

I know you get the usual "as long as you are ok" sentiments, and "it can be replaced", which is true. But it still screws your life up while you have to sort everything out, lost revenue for having a van off the road, increased premiums, mental stress...

I wonder if they have the same thing in America, or if the thought of someone blasting away with a handgun is a good deterrent! 

As a nation, we've certainly have had a long and colourful past. Some of it very impressive and fills you with pride, some of it more controversial, and some of it we'd rather forget or not know... especially when it's very recent history 

It seems we are pretty good at torture, and are considered quite talented in certain circles.

According to one of Brazils most notorious torturers, Col Paulo Malhaes:

"The Americans teach, but the English are the masters in teaching how to wrench confessions under pressure, by torture, in all ways.."

He admitted, privately, to the prosecutor, that he himself had gone to England to learn interrogation techniques that didn't leave physical marks...

"The best thing for him was psychological torture. When a person was in a secret place, it was faster to obtain information. He also studied in other places but he said England was the best place to learn."

The BBC has reported that the UK was assisting Brazils Dictatorship during the 1970's with interrogation technique training courses in the UK, and by sending agents to teach in Brazilian prisons. How the UK taught Brazil's dictators interrogation techniques

Should at least address the balance on the previous Should Killers get life thread, and maybe some freelance opportunities for Clive? 

Well after a recent complex European Court Ruling, Google (within Europe) has to give people the chance to remove any information or data about themselves that they aren't happy with.

It's been quite an emotive issue, and only currently applies to Europe, with Google claiming this will stifle innovation, and privacy groups claiming a victory.

Google has just released it's version 1 of it's Forget me form  Search removal request

There's an interesting caveat on the form "We're working to finalise our implementation of removal requests under European data protection law as soon as possible. In the meantime, please fill out the form below and we will notify you when we start processing your request. We appreciate your patience."

I suspect this could mean it will take quite some time before you see any data removed.

So what do people think, good idea and everyone should be allowed anonymity if they want it, or a loop hole for dodgy characters to hide bad past deeds?

This really winds me, staged car crashes and insurance fraud in general. Other than being dangerous when innocent people get crashed into, it impacts all of us as our premiums go up 

BBC News

"Fake car crashes helped to push the level of insurance fraud to a record £1.3bn in 2013, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI)"

Obviously the penalties for tackling this are working well