bernieszu

Is it possible to plumb an electric boiler into an existing solid fuel central heating system? My house is centrally heated from a solid fuel fire with a back boiler. It is a very good system and I like having a real fire. However, I would like to be able to 'set' the heating to come on at regular times in very cold weather, when my work takes me away from home for more than 24 hours and the fire goes out. I don't want to install oil heating and gas is not available here (rural area), so an electric boiler seems like the best option. I know running costs are higher, but this would not be a big issue since it would only be used for an hour or two a day and not even every day. I know it is quite easy to plumb an oil boiler into a solid fuel system, but can't find any information about whether you can do it with an electric boiler. Anyone out there who knows about this?

My friend needs to go to the dentist. Can anyone translate this into Mandarin for me?

"He had a cap on this tooth. He lost the cap when he was eating yesterday. He would like a new cap if possible. Otherwise, he would like a crown."

Does anyone know of a really good dressmaker or tailor in Guangzhou? It doesn't matter if they can speak English, but experience of dealing with European styles and sizes would be an advantage.

Have used Epson printers for years - never again after this printer! Has anyone else had problems with it and, more importantly, have you had anything other than PR blah blah from Epson customer services?

Is it just me or does anyone else find the Florette salad ads extremely offensive? Given the low wages and horrible working conditions for most of the people who pick the salads, I think the image of eccentric, somewhat foreign and happily exploited pickers is disgusting. What's your opinion?

My local hairdresser in China is very nice and cuts my hair well, but I need to explain some things about colouring non-Chinese hair - can anyone translate these sentences into everyday Mandarin?

1. My hair / foreigners' hair absorbs colour very easily and quickly, so please put the colour on the roots faster. Taking more than an hour to apply the colour is too long and damages my hair.

2. Please let the colour stay on the roots only 10 or 15 minutes, then colour the rest of the hair.

3. Rinse off the colour after another 20 minutes.

4. Never leave the colour on for more than 40 minutes in total - it damages my hair!

5. Foreign hair is never the same colour all over the head, so don't worry if my hair is darker underneath or at the back - that's natural for me.

If anyone can translate this into good Mandarin you would save me, and many other Lao Wei women here a lot of stress - and help a good local hairdresser to gain a new market and improve her income. Thanks.

Though, of course, the fact that he's such a Joyce fan should be warning enough, I am still shocked by the fact that the news agencies seem to think his petty and mean-spirited reaction to Doris Lessing's Nobel prize is almost more newsworthy then the award itself. I'm not Doris Lessing's biggest fan, but she has made a serious contribution to 20th century literature. What a pity it has upset the old boys so much!

"The teacher face plenty of problems such as lateness, foul language and desrespect."

I got a last minute air ticket to Philippines - arrive Fri 22 dec at Clark, depart fri 29 from Clark. Any suggestions for where to go and stay? I'd like a couple of days in Manilla, maybe visit Taal for one day, but I'd love to go to Boracay or another island where I can snorkel or dive for a few days. Is it possible in the time on a limited budget? Any other nice beaches for snorkelling nearer Manilla? If I go to Boracay is it better to fly or go by ferry? Can I book tickets at the airport when I arrive? Any good budget hotels you'd recommend?

Be specific and win ten points!

Three questions in one. 1. Why do creationists even bother looking at this kind of question? 2. Will they be able to resist posting an answer claiming there's no such thing as human evolution. 3. Is it okay to call creationists non-evolved humans?

I know that a man's x chromosome comes from his mother. I read somewhere that his mitochondrial DNA is therefore purely from his mother. Does this mean that his daughter has no genetic connection to his father (her grandfather)? Or am I getting confused (or just plain ignorant) about the role of mitochondrial DNA?