Walsingham

I'm not sure one can really be sure what effect a word or turn of phrase is going to have, even if one restricts oneself to the crudest four letter Anglo-Saxon. Surely that's one of teh things that makes English (among others) such a glorious instrument. One thing I should say is that I have ALWAYS been criticised for writing as if I am having a fireside chat. I've been doing it since I was 9!

Oy vey... Well, at least you've the decency to wince. Anyway, these things do tend to happen if we're honest. I came within an ace of doing the same several years ago. In that case my probity was wasted since the woman concerned got divorced anyway about a month after I moved location. We just re-established correspondence, in fact! I really should find time to go travel out and see her....

Wait... Didn't you just do something similar, is this a common occurrence? not too common dammit, i really need to start behaving myself Well, yes. I'm old-fashioned enough to believe that you don't insinuate yourself betwixt man and his wumman. Of course, if you didn't know she was taken at the time, then fair play.

I'm a big fan of Europeans. I'm utterly confused by the suggestion that we should tie ourselves to an unelected bunch of proven imbeciles.

Roosevelt really did bend over in a compromising fashion for Stalin, didn't he?

That's because your efforts are so durable.

We had the rather ironically named 'Choice' pro-life group give us atalk at my school waaaay back when. They showed film of abortions being done from the 1960s, and lots of gooey cute looking dead foetuses. Unfortunately for them, my school had actual lessons on spotting propaganda (grooming us for runnning the Empire and whatnot). When they asked for questions they got rapidly swamped by a detailed explanation of why what they said was factually incorrect, and clearly intended to insult our intelligence. We also demanded that they apologise to anyone who had been affected by having an abortion. It was in many ways one of our finest hours*. *We were otherwise pretty unsavoury.

It's all well and good saying 'be concise'. But people lack the procedural knowledge to make it happen! I know 'cause I've been there. Teachers say impressive but pointless things like 'be concise', 'have a beginning, middle and end', and 'less waffle'. But unless you know how to move your feet (so to speak) you're no better off. That's why I hope my explanation was clear enough. You follow those steps, and each draft will be better. It's that simple. If anyone still finds starting the first draft is tough, I always recommend writing a 'comedy' first draft. It's easy enough, and you'd be surprised how much good stufff you can get down befoer you even touch a textbook.

Pogo stick?

Thanks for taking the trouble to post at length, Tigranes. Helped me see the alternative angle, and moreover the key point that essay writing is hard. I think a big problem is that writing essays is a distinct skill, that evolves separately from your skills. Or to misquote 11xhooah, clear concise, insightful essays are not crapped magically out of a science rainbow." Or something. I turned my essay writing around from 52% average to 81% average in two years by implementing just a few rules: 1. Accept that writing an essay isn't just about putting your knowledge on paper, it transforms your knowledge. 2. If you accept your knowledge is being transformed you also accept by the end of a first draft you will be attacking from a different angle to when you started. 3. Write your first draft really fast, then write notes on what you've written. Throw the first essay away. Burn it. 4. Reorganise your notes so they flow logically 5. Re-write your essay using these notes. Re-write it from scratch. 6. Note this second essay, and throw it away. 7. Write the essay again. 8. This may seem like it's going to take more time, but because it's low stress it will take LESS time than agonising over a single draft. 9. Exam based essays can be helped by writing a one paragraph answer twice over, then starting.

Yeah. Nice to know all that hard fighting you did was for no reason. Ditto the Poles.

Hey! He's not a bad guy. His only sin is that he put his money where his mouth was. I'd like to see more people do that. e.g. if you believe all differences can be sorted peacefully get your ass out to Iraq.

Exactly. Although it does raise the tantalising question of whether it's appropriate to wear a t-shirt covered in pr0n to school.

Dishonourable discharge? What was it, if it's not a rude question. Which it is.

The design of the t-shirt appeared needlessly symplistic, and the pictures offensive. I don't think they should wear it in school. I would also suggest that any argument which can be fitted on a t-shirt lacks weight. Unless, it was, like in really small writing.

Fair point about student's home cultures, Steve. But surely a lot of the point about going to a UK university should be that it stamps you with different, more robust educational standards.

Yuusha, as a feeling that's valid, but do give us some credit. The wider world may think only Arabs are Muslim and vice versa, but we're a wee bit better informed here. Anyway, and continuing on from your point, what are your feelings on the embassy attack? What are the feelings of Indonesian Muslims in general?

*looks up Bobby Fischer* No. GK was if nothing else a fan of the little guy, and simple decency. I doubt he would have regarded the Holocaust as anything other than a catastrophe wrought by irreligious brutes. Shown the eradication of Gypsy and Jewish culture from Eastern Europe he'd have probably spent the rest of his life trying to nurture what was left. Think big pies, banging on tables while you speak, and waving a stick at the Hun.

Blast. You mean we're both non myspacers? Well, at least he's alive.

Good luck getting any other form of unsecured credit. Credit cards are perfectly fine so long as you treat them with due care and attention. I've totally run off them for short periods in teh past, and would have missed some crucial life opportunities without that option.

I was particularly startled by a comment left which suggested that the pressures on foreign students meant they had no choice but to use essay writing services! What the hell happened to the antiquated notion of working hard to get commensurate rewards?

As an aside, I've been reading The Red Queen by Matt Ridley. It talks about evolutionary theory, and illuminates something that's been puzzling me about the various zombie creating viruses: why don't the buggers rot? It seems that there is a strong tendency in many infections for them to fight amongst themselves. After all, why share the spoils? Indeed in some infections it is the side effects of this fighting which kills the human host. This could explain the fact that zombies rot so slowly. The Z viruses have mastered the business of kicking the competition through production of some toxin or toxins, leaving the z viruses to function without interference. If we assume that the toxins interfere with the proteins in cell lipid membranes it could explain the way complex cell structures like the brain are futzed long before simple ones like muscles (they depend on more complex transmitter proteins).

Section 39....

Phew, thanks, mate. Actually, could you remind him about us? I don't have a myspace account, and it seems a waste to create one purely to reach him. I mean I will if I have to, but not if it's easier for you to ping him.

Am slowly warming to the idea of Obama. I know i don't agree with his views on Iraq and Afghanistan. But there ARE other issues at stake than just the war. It's not so much that I think Obama is a great good man, it's more that I think that he may be forced to act as one, if he gets people's hopes high enough.