Is civil law inherently more positive than common law?

Ah, the joys of a federalist system--which might sit easier within common law than civil law. The EU comprised of mainly what civil law states? Is the UK the only common law state in the EU?

As well, while the rest of the EU ( except I am not sure about the Republic of Ireland) drives on the right hand side of the road ( and presumably then duck right on the pavement), the opposite is true in the UK.

Do you ever pick up a text and after about three sentences, flee from it as fast as you can because the author has strung together an impossible mass of long words that do not seem to mean anything? Ahhhh!!!!! I have expanded my (passive) vocabularly to take on such words as "hegemony" ( even when not discussing French food) and "hermenutical", which appears to simply mean interpretive???? So if I were to say that I had located the liminal geospacial hermenutics of hegemony, what would I have actually said? (if anything)( or would I be ordering starters and wine at a French eatery in Provance?)

The UK is of course an EU Member--but it has a distinct political and legal existence apart from the body of the EU. Being a Member does not make it the same as the EU itself--members of the EU can well differ in their views from EU positions-take the pound/euro debate for instance.

I just saw an online advert offering loans at--183% APR!???? One hundred eight three percent??!!!!! is this right??!!!

Another etiquette question...when you are on a crowded sidewalk..I mean pavement..and you can see someone coming at you head on, should you duck right or left? I tend to duck right, but that sometimes to create confusion and that awkward shuffling of two people trying to not bump in to each other while not admitting the other person is there. Is the appropriate thing to do duck left? Barrell straight on and not mind, knowing the other person will get out of the way and apologise?

I agree, Tricky, in my limited time here, that its either roasting hot or freezing cold! There seems to be no gently regulated constant temperature...whatever that desirable temperature might be.

The website, www.patioheatersareevil.com offers tips on how to live without patio heaters. One of them is to stay inside--because that is why there are houses...but what about heat INSIDE? Another tip is to move somewhere warm, a third to wear a jumper and a fourth, to show some grit!

The second option is tempting--but the PhD is a minor obstacle. Field work on the equator might become a new facet of my research. Wear a jumper? How about two or three and long underwear and polar fleece besides? Showing grit? Not with a flu coming on....

Can you thank her graciously for her offer to move, ask her when she expects to have it done, and then just say no more, and start moving YOUR stuff back to where you want it? I wouldn't worry too much about perceptions...you have the right to have YOUR workspace not disturbed by a space hungry colleague. YOUR work is important to YOU, and she did not respect that. I think you have done the right thing, and since she has seen the light and offered to fix the mistake, I think the ONLY course of action is that one.

I have a question about lift ( elevator) etiquette. Bleak Towers is a several story tower block, with lifts where one is sometimes out of order--as in not working, not as in being unruly or objectionable. There can be a long wait for a lift. When I am on the ground floor, and hear people coming in, I generally hold the lift door and wait for them. People always seem amazed--and grateful--and thank me for waiting for them. Is this not appropriate lift etiquette? Are you supposed to just glide away, and let them wait, or is it OK to hold the door and wait for other people to get on?

Perhaps the Evil Fuzzy could help her move.

Move back. Its the principle of the thing!!!!!

Was she part time when she moved your stuff in the first place?

Of course the object is not to create tropical indoors, and certainly not a tropical outdoors in winter, or in non tropical northern European climes...but surely a happy medium exists?

This written as I down copious amounts of citrus fruit and huddle over warm drinks hoping to fend off what feels like an impending case of a bad flu, which I am blaming on the drafty conditions in Bleak Towers.

My little heating unit in Bleak Towers sputters to life about five minutes a day. It reluctantly sends a small stream of tepid air about two millimeters from its vent, and then chokes to a halt, having done its job. Stand three milimeters from the vent and you are in immediate danger from frostbite. The room is occassionaly clogged up with intrepid souls training for a South Pole expedition. THAT IS NOT HEAT!!!!

Fortunately, my little fan heater comes to the rescue and produces a more generous amount of heat--it sometimes manages to bring the entire room to a comfortable level. Comfortable is a relative thing, I have taken to wearing 3 layers of long underwear and polar fleece to sleep!