Walsingham

I see what you mean, Architect. However, I'm objecting precisely because artisits get given preference because they 'taste sweeter'. Not every wise or right person can speak in a strong compelling way. I worked with cerebral palsy kids many years ago and I had a hell of a time understanding what they were going through, but a couple left me with more profound insights into life than any book or pop song. Hell Kitty, you are of course correcty to bring me up on that point. We are endowed with imagination and empathy and reason prescisely so that we can renedr judgements on things which we have not directly epxerienced. It is basically what makes us special. However, it is my argument that there are limits to teh distance you can cover by pure thought. I'm not objecting to someone who has only driven in a cadillac singing about driving in a porsche. I'm bitching about people who've only seen a car on TV singing about driving a porsche AND people taking them as authorities. It's not the singing I mind, it's the audience credulity.

Discretely moved to C&C

True, Architect. True. But ... I don't know... I agree we tend to only accept things from individual artists that fit our notion of common sense. But who shapes our common sense? Artists are a big percentage of our background noise. It's not just a question of sense, IMO, but of emotion and ppower in the art itself. I mean who sings better about bad love? Ella Fitzgerald or the 'original' Britney Spears?

I agree with taks. Just because boys are conditioned to accept a more aggressive stance doesn't mean they can't get fethed up by premature congress. I also think there's a big difference emotionally and growth wise between congress with someone who is equally as confused and someone who is much more experienced. The latter stunts the natural maturation process by short circuit if you like. I think it's also important to point out that typically when an adult seeks a sexual relationship with a minor they are not doing so with 'healthy' intentions. They are generally acting out some pretty messed up personal issues, and this further damages the child.

True. But I do think in general we give artists far too much credibility. We accept their pronouncements on medical and scietific issues they haven't even a school grade education to understand, and accept tehir advice on drugs, love, sex, and life in general. I mean, if you went to your doctor and he said "Actually I'm not qualified as a doctor, but I can play guitar" Would you be very happy?

I was about to weigh in with some statement or other, then I realised it probably wasn't that special. This is one hell of a complex issue.

No Wals, that elasticity thing was just you. Maybe so.

Happy Birthday. Be sure to eat massive quantities and drink. Because when you hit 25 you'll suddenly lose all elasticity.

One of my professors once observed that if you want to know what it is like to be crazy imagine everyone else is crazy instead. Because mostly you don't realise you are the one who is mad. I reckon it would be bloody awful.

One should think before they post. Anyone with an imagination can write something about war by watching the bloody news, footage after a battle or images from pictures. Or do research and interview people who actually been on the front lines. They can certainly try. But I refute the notion that one can do justice to a situation with absolutely no experience of it. Would you accept the opinion of a farmer from the Congo on the life of an inuit? How much more extreme will be the disjunction when the phenomena in question is as dramatic as warfare? Moreover, I do not simply reference the logical failure, but can compare such work with the opinions of my many friends who have actually been in combat. As Gromnir would say; Hah! Good fun!

That was perfectly clear. No personal censure was implied.

Back on the subject, I think it is interesting that we find it difficult to know how to react in abuse cases involving women. There was another case in the UK recently of a gang of abusers that included a woman. The judge was far more forgiving of her than the others. In a way that was unjustifiable in my opinion. This links to another observation in criminology that I'm awre of (and thus may be very outdated) which is that juries tend to view women as "mad rather than bad". This tends to land them softer sentences.

That's really interesting about Hendrix. I'm thinking I completely misunderstood him.

I hope Eddo will not be offended that I have pre-empted his own decision to alter the title to better suit the boundaries of good taste. I am sure I am merely speeding the process rather than going against his wishes.

Almost every single United States war was about oil. This is not a new concept. Even the Civil War was about the oil manufacturing in the south. Lincolin just used the premise of 'Civil Liberties For All' to bolster support for attacking the south. After our initial attack on Iraq, I knew we were going for the oil refineries. Iraq holds 20% of the oil supplies for the world. We should have seized them sooner. Alan Greenspan Rules! Granada was about oil?

I applaud your instincts. However, if you must attempt to draw fire, surely it would make more sense to abuse him at a distance he is likely to shoot you over than point blank? Besides how cool would it sound if it said on the news that you saved the day by hurling nuts and shrieking "Go for the eyes, Boo! Go for the eyes! Raaaagh!" While the gunman ran after you blazing inefectively away with his overcompensation .44 magnum.

Elvis? Jimi Hendrix as your PTI? Somehow I can see that. It's terrifying. "Squad! See that mountain? You will chop it down with the edge of your hand! NOW!"

Indeed. Not directly relevant, but a neat film about underground mine fires.

Don't use such reasoning, please... It's a) certain not to be always true b) actually good to know war only from film c) probable that not many people having survived a war are able to express that in music. Anyway, I'm glad that you have had success in what you wanted Would you accept songs about sex written by virgins? I appreciate the good wishes, tho!

Ya gotta love rock songs about war written by people whose only knowledge of war comes from watching Hollywood movies. Anyway, nuts to alla youse. I passed with flying colours! Thanks for all your support (or otherwise, Gorgo). I have to tell you that it's worth doing if only for the experience, especially you young chaps. ..Oh I nearly forgot. Physical Training Instructors are neither born, nor excreted, they are condensed balls of misery.

Right. I'll check that when I get back.

Right I'm off. I'll see you the other side of pain.

Arming the campus police isn't the whole solution. Universities need a comprehensive plan for handling emergencies, including mustering points, and information channels. Mustering opints can be screened and guarded by police, and information is crucial to keeping people informed and calm.

To give some idea (the TA are actually sent on deployment, not just sitting at home these days): http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7005126.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7006505.stm Let me get this straight. There's been another shooting, and the reaction of the authorities has been to do PRECISELY the same as they did at Virginia Tech. It makes me sick to see how academic institutions simply refuse to act responsibly towards their students. I said last time that there should have been a national, even international, review of how large campuses cope with crises.