Walsingham

Actually, as Rousseau notes, a "citizen" is a member of a city state (city-zen). Similar to subjects of a monarch, or the public in a republic. What if you live in a upturned milk crate?

Gentlemen! There's nothing to be gained by slinging ... erm... I don't know what the analogy demands you to be slinging, but it isn't doing us any good. I think, if we are being generous, that as Aram alludes the debate on slavery and the constitution is relevant to the debate on gun control. I may have misunderstood, but we are saying that slavery was in the constitution, but we have since grown out of it. We can do the same thing, and many would argue that we SHOULD do the same thing, with guns. If we are going to draw on the constittion here I would refer to the fact that the amendment refers to a 'well regulated militia' not random yahoos. The militia is referred to elsewhere in the constitution in ways that implies it is a regulated body of men. I have no great affection or admiration for your 'militias' but they have a far greater claim to the legitimate bearing of arms than any individual. Moreover as I have said before: 1) a regulated militia implies the capacity to vet people who bear arms to see if they are three bananas short of a cupcake. 2) is far more credible defence against oppression by the State than a mess of individuals

Absolutely. The British Empire narrowly avoided a total disaster in the first Boer war because one of the officers was practically a midget. He was the only leader in the force not killed by snipers. Lead his men out of an ambush. Also, midgets rock.

Yeeees. Swimming. I'm 100% with mkreku on the fact that you're swimming in the bathwater of about 1,000 people. Then there's the excruciating boredom! I have to take an mp3 player out on my runs AND vary my routes to avoid tedium. On the few occasions I've tried laps in the pool I became incandescent with the stutilfying process of repeating the same stretch of water/ceiling/ceramic tiles within five minutes. I'd rather be forced to stare at paint drying!

What if there are dancing girls and tasty treats? If you think they can dance around the snare cord then it may work. theres candy on the ledge... Candy? *pitpatpitpatpitpatpitpatsnickt* eeeeeeUUUURGGHHHHHHHH! *zoing* You rotten swines!

I'm amazed we were that convincing! Seriously though, the concept is good, but I reckon you'll be wise to redraft it a couple of times.

...And your llamas. And get aheliograph. We had them in the Sudan, you know.

Children are, by their very nature not osychologically the same as adults. This is one of the reasons that child soldiers are used. They are far lesss likely to disobey orders, and far more ruthless. However, they are also affected in by their own brutality and the brutality around them in ways that an adult is not. Probably because they are encoding those experiences differently at the time. They do not know how to construct defences against what they witness, nor that they should construct defences. The effect of brutality on child soldiers is tantamount to any type of abuse on children. It destroys the mind, stunting its development, and twisting the emotional complex. You destroy the individual who is the soldier, and many absorb the template of abuse into themselves, later going on to perpetrate abuse on others. I have no idea why on Earth anyone would consider these consequences worth the 'benefits'. The use of child soldiers in combat is utterly wrong on almost every level.

Are we not getting a little sidetracked?

I hope you won't be offended if I say I didn't think it was the best poem I've ever read. But it had some fresh ideas, and wasn't completely awful!

Speaking as a man whose knees used to feel 'kinda funny' before I broke them semi-permanently I would encourage you to take hurting knees very seriously indeed. Go see a good physio therapist and have them look at your gait when running, and also your foot/thigh alignment. New shoes may also be in order. And good luck!

I must say that I find that in very poor taste. If we can respect the deaths of 33 Americans in senseless brutality I thin we should give more respect to the hundreds dying monthly in Iraq due to senseless brutality.

I do not agree that human rights are shifting in a vacuum. We may have only arrived at some notion of what the inalienable righst of Man are over time, but it does not mean they have changed. I suggest, for your own edification, that you read: http://www.hrweb.org/legal/udhr.html

It's about 400 pages. I read fast, and particularly fast when something in written in as digestible a fashion.

What if there are dancing girls and tasty treats? If you think they can dance around the snare cord then it may work.

There is taking the role of devil's advocate, and taking the role of cretin's advocate. I leave it to you to ponder which is more appropriate to your behaviour on this particular topic. I must admit I believe it has been the latter, and that you have been wating good debating space. You might as well argue that since the Iraqis are elephants we should concentrate on saving the African elephants first because they were in danger before the Iraqi ones.

Not that this is relevant to the topic, but frankly if the folks that vote go on to vote for the death penalty then that's what democracy gives them. To argue against it would be elitist snobbery and I shall sue you for demarcation.

Neil Armstrong (amongst others) believed that humans have a finite number of heart beats. Get healthy and make them last longer, or clock out early with an express cardiac arrest. Acually all mamals, from elephants to sea turtles that live 200 years, have the approximately the same finite numer of heatbeats. I suppose it is true that a fit person has a lower resting pulse than an out of shape person. but things like diabetes and obesity and lifestyle choices like smoking pose a far greater rist for a slob like me. On the other hand, who wants to live to be old enough waste away in a nursing home with nothing to look forward to but dementia and incontinence. ...When one could inflict the dementia and incontinence on one's least favourite relatives? I wholeheartedly agree.

It was a gut instinct overriding common sense purchase. But thoroughly borne out.

but the pictures are starting to loose their golliness... I don't think it would be so humorous again, because you'd be unlikely to catch my baffled expression as I reached for the pie-bait just as the elastic tightened.

*looks absolutely zonked* Couldn't put book down. So engrossing... Must eat braaaains... NO! Waitaminute. Except for a couple of very minor tweaks this has to be one of the best books I've read in a long whille, and without question the only one in years that I literally couldn't put down. I have now finished it, and heartily recommend it to everybody. Although I should add that I'm utterly fatigued and can barely see straight.

I'm just pleased that as well as the more obvious anglo-saxon words, we've managed to export the word 'fluffy'.

I just bought 'World war Z' by Max Brooks today, and after 100 pages I can't sleep. Absolutely great book, definitely on a par with John Wyndham, even if it was certainly inspired by him. The research and near future aspects are the most scary bits. Anyone else read t, and if so did anyone hate it?

Hah! I must say it's very kind of you all to give me support. But I'm not trying to lose weight per se. I'm afraid the body beautiful just ain't the one I was issued with! I'm trying to get fit so I can feel better, and if all goes well sign myself up for the reserves (being too ancient for the regulars any more). It's all off in the distant future, tho. I'm still pretty pathetic as it goes. But just good by my past standards.

Nuhhuh. There's no way you are catapulting me into the belltower of a church. Again.