Walsingham

IIRC from our last discussion I settled on two points: 1) Private health care in the US costs significantly more than anyone else's government managed healthcare, but isn't proportionately better 2) Gfted1 made what I thought was an interesting and compelling point: that the US government is uniquely rubbish for various reasons, and wouldn't be able to match the performance of other governments managed schemes.

My dear Krez, it is precisely because f*** is so commonly used that it is good to have it banned here. Forces one to think a little more than usual.

Good call. I actually think you've a fair point here, I have nothin in common with pretty much everyone, except for the fact of being a Yorkshireman gives me something in common with other, Yorkshiremen. Past that, I just wish everyone would feck off. Seriously though, I do think you're onto something with the rate of change observation. I saw Bradford change from a white working class city into Bradistan over a period of about 10 years. That kind of stuff is going to cause riots, far as I know, now most of the white folk have moved out they've begun turning on each other. To those reading this and thinking "Nightshape's gone mental", go to Bradford. Look at it, and tell me honestly you don't think it's a bit damned strange. It's not that I don't think the infusion of new cultures won't be beneficial in the long run. I myself come from continental stock back in the 1600s. But I do think that in general system terms rapid change of any kind provokes system instability and in extreme cases total system collapse. The trouble is that the 'solution' is completely beyond me. Although I rather like the notion of accepting anyone into the country provided we turf out some wanker instead on a like for like basis.

I will do so myself. Although ideally I should be meshed into some sort of throne made of tubes hooked up to my spine, and wearing a cowl.

+1

I dimly recall this not being the case. On the subject of *ahem* romance, my main trouble at the moment is that at least three women have expressed a keen interest recently, but IMO they're far too mad. Evidence 1: they are keen on me.

Firstly, good luck getting that volunteer fire department to handle a major industrial chemical spill. And especially good luck with all the weird chemicals you'd have being made if your NATIONAL government wasnt able to keep big corporations in line. You need to get out of the USA and spend a little time in places where they actually have to get by with **** all national government. See how they muddle along famously, getting raped by every two bit corporation and neighbouring proper state. Local government my arse. Secondly, I'd like a straight answer from you on whether you accept that national infrastrcuture exists and would have been built at all without national investment.

My advice: when you want to charge someone but are chickening out, go hungry for about a day first. You get hungry, you stop letting people take the piss.

I do often think that tolerance of multi-culturalism is in directly inverse proportion to how actually multi-cultural a place is. Everything's hunky-dory until suddenly 40% of people don't agree with your notions on birth control or nepotism or paying taxes. Amd I'm specifically talking culture here, not how one dresses or the colour of skin. I often find I have more in common with Indians than I do with Middle England. You know, that makes think. Perhaps multi-culturalism is as much a function of the speed with which society is changing as a whole, with technology and the media as it is with mass movement of people.

For me, that city was Santiago Chile. The people were so incredibly nice that the suspicious side of me kept waiting to get shanked in the ribs. Awesome. I've been wondering about Chile. Now I shall have to go.

But what if - and I'm simply speculating here - some eastern European woman wants to show me something artistic? Wouldn't NoScript disable that?

You realise that bar a few niceties these are the words of a communist. People who didn't earn it? You'll start waffling on about sweat next. 'Government' can and has spent money well in ways which enrich everyone because there is this thing we call 'society' and this other thing we call 'culture'. Oh, and 'national infrastructure'. It can act to develop these because it can take a long view which corporations could, but would be insane if they did. This doesn't alter my feeling - shaped by discussion on here more than anything else - that many governments are spending at a level which is fundamentally unsustainable, precisely because the payoff is illusory. Essentially voters are treating themselves on credit at a national level rather than using personal credit . In the UK this would be because we've all maxed our credit cards. But that doesn't mean the payoff is always illusory.

I have managed to disable those annoying flash ads by restricting the space used by flash in my computer's memory to 1kb. I now get a surprisingly large number of little permission screens, but this pleases me.

Sacked work today. Went out and lay in the sun for a while. Tidied up some odds and ends.

Sneaky ole bastard aren't you I was wondering if you'd get the allusion.

I'm often quite cheerful. It's just recently what with all the economic stuff, and my nation apparently deciding that spending money on and attention on celeberities and nasal tanning spray is more important than fostering democratic ideals or plain human rights, and not getting any ****ing (as you so delicately put it). Plus I might finally have to get glasses, when I've always been proud of my good eyesight... I'm bummed out.

I'm part of the refined and European 'slow electron' movement.

Just to get the ball rolling: if the nuclear reactor near me does suffer a containment failure then I can finally indulge in smoking.

Death is the servant of the righteous. Also, randomly quoting 40k at work does make people think I'm koo-koo Trying to get focused again, been rather aimless for the last couple of months. Not really suceeding but ah well. Answer is easy: "It is better to die for the Emperor than live for yourself".

The City I liked best for the people, hands down, was Juneau, Alaska.

1) Worked out that I among the groups of people in my phone there are twe in particular. One is work people, and th eother is people I am to avoid, exes and so forth. The number of people in both groups equalised for the first time last week. 2) Admitted that I am depressed and fixated on death. the clues were subtle. The thinking about death, the seeing death, the talking about death. Note sure how to get out of the habit. I may need to dial down the intellectual honesty a couple of notches.

Fredrich Schlosser, from the 19th century? Because if so - I can tell you that we've learned quite a bit since then. Ssssh. Lasers. *points*

New york, baby. New York.

You son of a bitch. I have to learn to sing this.

There is always Australia. If I've got to live in a country full of venomous insects and reptiles, with **** lager and worse TV then I'll take bloody Rwanda. At least the scenery is nice.