JadedWolf

Not sure how this relevant to my point in this thread but I believe abortion in certain cases is fine and the decision should be the women's choice Volourn is, I think, creating an analogy mainly in reply to this: That is, those operating abortion clinics know it will offend fundamentalist Christians...who might conceivably raise hell...so shut down the abortion clinics in the name of making sure potential maniacs are not offended. One could make the argument that by shutting down the abortion clinics, you may similarly be offending militant pro-lifers. However, one can extend Volourn's analogy by simply saying that you might be offending those who fervently believe in freedom and exercising your rights, regardless of whatever silliness it is for. The idea is you shouldn't shut stuff down simply because it might be controversial - that's a pissant way to run a supposedly "free" society. On the other hand, from what I understand, protesters against abortion are free to gather around the people who are seeking entrance to the abortion clinic and shout at them that they are going to hell.

A valid point, though not very helpful to the question. Let's put it a different way, should the protection of free speech be without limits? So should anyone who decides to provoke a group that is easy to antagonize receive protection?

Well, yes, in theory I should probably have to obtain a permit first. Which in reality wouldn't happen.

Hmm, so guys, do you think I should be able to get police protection if I decide to exercise my right to free speech by setting fire to Feijenoord shirts outside of the Feijenoord stadium, while wearing an Ajax shirt? I'll call it an art performance, if that helps. If anyone then attacks the policemen, it won't be my responsibility at all.

Congratulations to both boxers for stuffing their wallets. One may have lost, but they are still both world champions of hype.

No Nonek, your interpretation of what she is saying is lacking...very lacking You can't compare the dead soldier to the grief of surviving family members..the dead soldier is now dead and no longer has feelings, you accept that right? So all that is now left is the residual emotional impact from his death..and only the living will experience that. And everything they are going through is because they loved him. So I'm not sure how you can see this as something "lucky" ..its not a question of luck. There are no lucky people here Nonek...people are grieving There are just different degrees of loss..surly you can empathize with that? So how do you feel about the guy who comes home without his legs, eh? This whole discussion is beyond stupid. What kind of question is that I would treat him with absolute respect and admiration...he was prepared to sacrifice himself for his country. He deserves all the support from society he needs ... I'm getting trolled here, surely? Why do I even bother...

No Nonek, your interpretation of what she is saying is lacking...very lacking You can't compare the dead soldier to the grief of surviving family members..the dead soldier is now dead and no longer has feelings, you accept that right? So all that is now left is the residual emotional impact from his death..and only the living will experience that. And everything they are going through is because they loved him. So I'm not sure how you can see this as something "lucky" ..its not a question of luck. There are no lucky people here Nonek...people are grieving There are just different degrees of loss..surly you can empathize with that? So how do you feel about the guy who comes home without his legs, eh? This whole discussion is beyond stupid.

To be honest, the mere audacity to declare who you think have it worst in the long list of people who suffer from war -those who have to fight it, those who die from it, those whose who come home crippled (be it mentally or physically) and who are often left to fend for themselves, those who lose their husbands, wives, sons, daughters, fathers or mothers- is scumbaggery of the highest order. You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye Who cheer when soldier lads march by, Sneak home and pray you'll never know The hell where youth and laughter go. Of course, we have it better these days, since our technology allows us to kill people from the remote safety of a video screen hundreds of kilometers from the scene, and all we have to do is to push a button while never at any risk ourselves. And even then sometimes those who push the button end up mentally scarred.

More Amiga goodness.

"I'm a self-made orphan. My parents got what they deserved, and now I'm leaving all that behind." That one is brilliant.

Because that's still rampant these days. Besides, what's chancing a little Black Death to have a cuddly rodent to care for and love? http://www.ibtimes.com/bubonic-plague-us-disease-still-present-colorado-madagascar-1729792

Here is a man from Belgium, who was obsessed with penguins. He collected everything to do with penguins, walked through town in a penguin suit, and in the end wanted to be laid to rest with a penguin themed funeral. I like the little buggers myself, but not *that* much. Was he crazy? Maybe. But he was harmless, so people left him alone, and he seemed to get a lot of joy out of it. There are lots of things I don't understand, and find to be "odd", but I am not going around asking for, say, adults who still play with miniature trains to be locked up just because I don't understand why they'd want to do that.

Well, it's not all anti-colonialists. Where I live, we have a street called the Luitenant Generaal van Heutszlaan. Some background on this lovely fellow from Wikipidia: At the advice of an Acehnese noble, he also altered the tactics of the Royal Dutch East Indies Army by introducing small mobile forces which were successful against the guerrilla tactics of the Achenese. Van Heutsz commissioned Colonel Van Daalen with the challenge of breaking any remaining resistance. Van Daalen destroyed several villages, killing at least 2,900 Acehnese, among which were 1,150 women and children. Dutch losses numbered just 26, and Van Daalen was promoted. By 1903, Van Heutsz tactics had succeeded in convincing several secular Acehnese resistance leaders including Sultan Mugammad Daud, Tuanku Raja Keumala, Tuanku Mahmud and Teuku Panglima Polem Muda Perkasa to surrender to the colonial authorities. Having overcome the secular elements of the resistance, Aceh was declared by the Dutch to be officially pacified by 1903. I guess every former colonial power still has relics from former days like this, but I still shake my head every time I cycle through and I see that street sign. There's even a restaurant there named after him, "The General". Heh.

I don't know, I'm not hating it judging it only as a look, but it doesn't seem particularly true to the character to me. The Joker doesn't strike me as someone who can even sit still long enough to have someone tattoo on him, let alone letting them being "badass" tattoos rather than some kind of horrible joke. Looks more like the lead singer of an angsty teen rock band to me.

I like the direction this thread is going!

Well to be fair, the only Dutch history that we were taught in scando-land was the colonizations in Asia and that they sold New Amsterdam for almost nothing Come now, come now. We got Surinam for it. It was a steal! I mean, New York on one side, Surinam on the other... Which would you pick? The choice is obvious.

The trouble with waiting is puberty is extremely traumatic for a person who is struggling with gender identity. It's not an or/or scenario, though. Apparently you can wait with surgery and still avoid at least some of the trauma by delaying puberty with hormone treatment. http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2014/09/16/3567886/transgender-puberty-suppression-study/ (No, this isn't something I knew beforehand, I just looked it up myself because it is an interesting conundrum.)

Probably depends on a woman to woman basis?

I, for one, welcome our furry cat overlords.

I honestly can't even believe how you could hear that as anything else BUT bugger. >_>

Bugger. 100%.

I have a strong dislike for watches*, and was rather glad to see them go. Aside from people who simply have to have the latest gadget, who has a need for these? * Not all watches. Pocket watches are rather stylish.

"A massive chamber holding enough magma to fill the Grand Canyon more than 11 times over is hiding beneath the steaming volcanic system of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. We knew of a smaller magma chamber closer to surface, holding some 10,000 cubic kilometres of magma and feeding heat upwards. The newly discovered reservoir sits under it and has a volume of 46,000 cubic kilometres. Together, the two form the largest known magma reservoir in the world. "We can't say definitively that this is the biggest magma reservoir in the world, but we currently don't know of any other that has been imaged that is as large as the two we see beneath Yellowstone," says Fan-Chi Lin of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City." Source: http://tinyurl.com/o6ftdrs