Land Rover Brotherhood

David,

There is another one too....

"We like the idea and are currently in the process of writing up some system where you can plan a route and then pick people close to it or something.

btw: the new system is to be called "OBI-Wan", or "Only Because I'ts Wet And Nasty"

Neil Founder

This statement is NOT true.

Source: Oxfam, "A Fair Chance: Attaining Gender Equality in Basic Education by 2005", April 2003, quoted in the Observer Monthly magazine, 7th December, P12. You can read the summary report on

I'm open to proof that it isn't true, but what makes you say so, Peter?

David.

I am sure the amount is 3 times more than that one if real life Barbie dolls are accounted for.

Take care Pantelis

It sooooo IS.

How nice to see such reasoned argument backed by rational discussion and empirical evidence.

Usenet. Love it or hate it, it'll always be usenet...

Martyn

Well, If Oxfam says it is true it MUST be true. Right, What a twit.

Want proof?

Mattel, Inc (stock symbol MAT), maker of all things Barbie and all accessories had TOTAL WORLDWIDE sales of $4.885 B (American) for the entire year of 2003.

So how could they sell $6B worth of Barbies per year to Americans?

Don't believe everything you read. Especially with people who have an agenda top promote. I am not saying Oxfam is not a worthy organization; I just don't depend on them for my worldview.

Remember the term 'webidence'

i.e. Web + Evidence = True

"I saw it on the WWW so it must be true?"

nuts

Graeme

David- Sorry to call you a twit. It was wrong. It is just that I hate OT posts. Especailly political ones.

That's not what I said. I said I'm open to offers. Please read what I say before making me out to be a gullible fool.

You don't quite understand the market. Mattel don't sell direct to Americans. They sell to wholesalers, who sell to sales outlets, who sell to Americans. Each person makes a markup. So Mattel don't need to shift $6bn of stock in order for Americans to spend $6bn on Barbie. Probably more like $2.5bn.

Plus there's all the spinoffs, theme parks*, promo material, hit singles* etc.

As it happens I think it's quite possible that the Oxfam statistic is wrong. But it's not as obvious as you may think.

At this point I could raise the alternative statistic that Americans spend $28bn on pizza per year. This may be a better one as it's harder to (dis)prove. We Brits spent a billion on a freaking DOME for goodness sake. Bet the 100m uneducated children of the third world are thrilled about our dome.

David

• Before anybody contradicts me, I have no idea whether Barbie has theme parks or hit singles, but I think it's quite likely.

Sorry, but it wasn't an OT post originally. It's a signature. OT, sig or whatever, it's promoting discussion, which was what it was intended to do. I wouldn't be quite so brazen as to post it as a topic in its own right.

Point taken.

Cheers (can we Americans say that?)

I think this is close to the amount I've spent (well it feels like it) and guess what she wants for Christmas? "Baby Annabelle" cos she doesn't like Barbie anymore

Andy

ps English

When you're buying us beers, certainly!

Incidentally, there is a valid argument economically that, if we didn't build Domes (or Barbies - am I really saying this?), we couldn't afford to give to the third world.

Economics is complicated...

Is anyone getting the little wooden Landy kit plans for Christmas (for the children. of course)? If so, would you post how you get on making it please?

Regards,

Simonm. (who, having 'done' the US Toys'r'Us at Christmas, is amazed that Americans spend as _little_ as $6bn on Barbies annually).

Ditto except the 7 year old nagging little !!!!!!!!! sorry got carried away then wants Baby Born Whatever that is

Mike

don't do it you feed the doll with what looks like runny ready brek and it passes it out the other end into a potty looking like runny ready brek and then it gets clogged been there bought the t shirt worn it and washed it

Andy S

Sounds pretty authentic to me.

So the kid wants something to look after...

How about getting her a set of overalls and some Whitworth spanners.

Shades of "Withnail and I" :-)

Martyn

Its a doll that wees on your knee and that you can feed this horrible starchy stuff (similar to wall paper paste) to, so that it not only wets itself, but fills the nappy with what you have fed it.