Walsingham

I have to say, you're like my American blue collar idol, man. You get knocked back, you just pile back in. I'm not sure I'd have your grit, if I'm honest. You keep working hard, I hope you get rewarded.

What, is that like a New Year's Resolution? Nope, just me being unable to find another one since I got fired. I'm at the point where I have to either get something NOW or figure out how the hell to move back home with my parents to find something in California. Watch Fight Club.

Well, since posting I've found some pretty ambivalent reviews on them. I guess several companies have had similar ideas. Any more perspectives?

What, is that like a New Year's Resolution? Fwiiw I finally cracked and signed up to online dating. At first it was super cheesy, then I got all these contacts in only about an hour. So now I'm all for it!

Jura's a good direction to head in, but I think it's neither clean enough, nor flavoursome enough to be a real contender. Have you tried Balvenie?

Has anyone here used one of these heider light whatsits? http://www.heidertorch.com/?gclid=CJn29J7368UCFQrKtAodO3EAwA The pictures on their website look rather ...imaginative. But the concept is interesting. I still have friends in the Forces, and am always looking for neat presents.

About to crack open some lunchtime red. Listening to orthodox Russian church music, and reading a book on Stalin.

Let me take a look at that... HEY! THAT@S MY MOTHER!

I don't mean to sound aggressive, but you are CLEARLY on some sort pf prescription drugs. I only mention this in case you didn't realise you were, and that woman with the twitch who cleans your house isn't making oddly metallic tasting soup by mistake.

I'm a fine one to talk, since I've been coughing like a Hollywood zombie for the last few days. Finally knuckled under and reprised my old breathing and focussing techniques. I hate them because they make me feel the way I imagine cocaine makes you feel.

Is anyone else going to tell Woldan that's blood vessels exploding in his brain, like the 4th of July? No? Ok, I guess he'll find out soon enough.

Even though you were joking there is still some truth in this, fighting terror with terror can be very effective. Really? I believe there was a book out last year which precisely analysed this statement and disproved it.

I'm just working up a Bretonnian castle in Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. It overlooks a small harbour, and town, of around 4,000 souls, which trades in hides, vellum, and a small quantity of agricultural produce. Thanks to regressive taxation the output of the multiple smallholdings is extremely weak. Since every peasant has insufficient capital or incentive to improve their methods. My question is, how large a force should the castle command? I'm assuming that the number of skilled men at arms that can be supported is roughly equivalent to the number of skilled tradesmen the town can support. And the number of knigfhts should be 1/20th this number. Thus our castle contains between 80-100 men at arms, and 5 knights. To which I've appended (for narrative reasons) 4 templars, and 6 squires. At rumour of war the Visconte can call up maybe double this number of inferior quality troops with the same classifications, as well as perhaps 50 crossbowmen and artisans to construct a trebuchet, with which to guard the harbour. Plus 2,000 fuedal levied peasants. Thoughts? Looks pretty weak tea.

We just had lamb chops seared in smoked garlic, rosemary, and maldon sea salt. Mashed spuds, steamed broccoli.

All I'm pointing out is that this should not be even a story. To me it's evidence of how far the BBC has drifted from its notional emphasis on quality reporting. Either that or it's evidence that the British public don't give a **** about ISIS unless they're killing four endangered birds, at which point it's a big deal. So of of my nation's greatest achievements is ****ed, or my nation as a whole is.

I'm amazed we have so many old skool players new to the forum.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-32872350 ISIS are about to callously wipe out a "tiny" bird sanctuary, in Syria. I'm just so ****ing glad that the BBC and the great British public have come together to make this a front page headline. This, my friends, is the true cost of extremism, and civil war.

- Wealth inequality- Unsustainable resource exploitation - Poverty - Racism - Sexism - The continued erosion of our civil liberties For the Love of God and all the little pixies... wealth inequality is not a bad thing. Poverty is a bad thing. Starving is a bad thing. Having no prospect of ever having a job is a bad thing. I'd be depressed about this particular meme, but it died out in the eighties. Mainly BECAUSE WE COULD DIRECTLY LOOK AT COMMUNISM AND SEE IT WAS BULLS***. It can die out again.

If it's a matter of offspring I could care less about how happy they are. What I want to know is: can gay couples raise children who don't use their ****ing mobile phones in cinemas? CAN THEY? BECAUSE IF THEY CAN THEN I SAY WE ONLY HAVE GAY MARRIAGE.

I find marriage far more weird than gayness. Apart from the kilts. That s*** is just wrong.

You seem to confuse it with an extreme pessimist, here. Isn't being a cynic just being distrustful of others actions and so on? Besides it can be amusing to assail people's dreams and world view Given the posts about terrorists, war and suspicious government laws I am not too sure people raising those are cynical or immature for doing so. Good question. I draw a definite distinction between applying critical judgement and being 'cynical' as a position. But can't you see that a cynic's reaction to terrorism, bad laws etc is to view them as an overall trend that cannot be fought, as opposed to abberations which should be tackled?

Ok, so assume play time should be about an hour. Let's pitch for five objectives to win/spaces to cover. How about we try five topics which are always on the intehwebz? Then players have to 'win' all five. ...I'm thinking now maybe something like a game of caravan? Players can put gambits into each argument. The goal is to win as many as possible.

Me too. Very unusual virus storm track this time. No nasal zombie apocalypse, persistent sore throat and dry cough. That is PRECISELY what is wrong with me. Really odd dry cough, too. It's moving like stink on a skunk, too. On Monday I knew one guy with it. By Wednesday 50% of my office had it.

*preamble snipped* Overall I think the depressive tone is due to the domination of electronic media by teenagers. Teenagers, and a worrying number of 'grown children' think being cynical about things they've never experienced shows how mature they are. Maturity comes with getting s*** done. And nothing stops you getting s*** done like sitting around on your arse saying nothing will ever work and we're all doomed. And nothing inoculates against you sitting around talking doom like achieving goals and setting high standards. So why the seventeen vibrant shades of f*** would you be proud of being a cynic???

How big a deal is immigration in Canada? I only ask because in the last couple of years we've seen several stories implying issues with recent ballooning second gen immigrants. Similar stories to what you're seeing across the border in Minneapolis and Chicago.