Posts by Rich Lock
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
Santa perpetuates class division by giving expensive presents to rich kids, cheap presents to poor kids. All these fabled creatures are clearly inveterate Tories
Well, we're clearly meant to take the legend of St Nick and the three bags of gold as an example of trickle-down economics in action
-
As a sometime Catholic, reared by Jesuits, I don't find the slogan on the bus particulary sensible. I know too many atheists who suffer from persistent anxiety and too many theists of all sorts who seem to be enjoying life already.
Yeah, but since you mentioned Catholicism, it's hardly as if all Catholics are a happy bunch of chilled out bunnies, is it? I mean, it's not as if putting the words 'Catholic' and 'guilt' next to each other is exactly unknown, is it?
Western society swims in Christian religion like a fish swims in water. We are so surrounded by it in one aspect or another that most of the time we don't even notice. Churches, holidays, weddings, funerals and so forth. It's so common that mostly it goes unremarked.
The assumption by society at large used to be (and to a great extent still is) that more or less cradle to grave you will adhere to some sort of Christian belief system. I can remember going on a school trip (and it wasn't that long ago) and having, along with my parents, to fill in paperwork that included a 'religion' box. There wasn't an option for 'none'.
My point is, it's subliminal peer pressure on a grand scale. If you're brought up in that kind of all-pervasive atmosphere, it is that much more difficult to break ranks and tell people that you think that belief in their bearded sky god is just as ridiculous as belief in the tooth fairy and Santa Claus.
So while I'm not too bothered either way about the atheist bus, I'm far more in favour of it than not, because it does at least publicly and visibly offer a counter-option to the all-pervasive assumption of some sort of belief. I'm quite happy for the seeds of doubt to be planted.
-
I didn't realise Don Brash was an underpants gnome.
It all makes far more sense now.
-
Some more info on the Devonport wind turbine, including a small photo, here (scroll down to the 5th August entry).
-
Well, this chap was in our very local newspaper recently.
Unfortunately, the main article is not online, but apparently his grid electricity consumption is now zero, and he has made a small profit ($11) selling electricity back to the energy company.
Unfortunately, he may not be granted planning permission for a permanent turbine. Apparently, the neighbours think the blades are 'too shiny'.
-
nuke stations are simply not built any more, and havnt been for ages, including by countries without any anti-nuke dogma.
Apart from the UK, where louder and louder noises have been made by the govt about building a whole bunch of new nuke power plants.
This is in spite of small matters like the cost, and the fact that the people in charge of the ones they already have, have shown they couldn't correctly dispose of a used chip wrapper, let alone horrendously toxic and dangerous waste. Which not coincidentally has led to entrenched public opposition to the new ones. Not that the govt appears to give a stuff.
And no-one has yet mentioned that if the world builds a whole bunch of reactors to solve the pollution and energy crisis, we will quite rapidly use up all of the available uranium and end up back where we started. Except with the added bonus of several thousand tonnes of nuclear waste to dispose of, as well as an energy crisis.
-
When you're no longer living it, you can leave out all the angst, all the crying and crockery-smashing. The point becomes the funny sides, which sometimes weren't even visible at the time.
Ah, what I call the 'dine-out' principle. Turn your unpleasant life experiences into amusing anecdotes which can be dusted down and trotted out for years afterwards.
Not exactly a sleazy story, but I was once woken from a deep and restful slumber by what at first appeared to be rain, but actually turned out to be a Dutch gentleman of my acquaintance urinating copiously on my bed. Not nice at the time, but telling the story down the pub generally raises a laugh or two.
Megan gets bonus points. But Tom's story involves a life-sized cardboard Wolverine, so also accrues bonus points.
So, how many bonus points if the deed took place with both participants in full, authentic English Civil War costume? And, if I recall correctly, by the time battle was joined, we were up against the wall of the stables of a stately home somewhere in the UK Midlands. Being at the time somewhat the worse for wear on authentic old-timey mead, I can't recall if we actually reached the stage of...um...'push of pike'... before the cavalry, in the form of her boyfriend, turned up, and I had to beat a hasty retreat from the field of combat, desperately trying to retrive my authentic lace-up breeches from somewhere around my knees.
Certainly added something of a frisson to the next days proceedings, given that he was on the opposing side for the main event, and there wasn't exactly a shortage of authentic edged weapons or firearms at the time. Still, I lived to tell the tale.
-
@DeepRed, I've also heard it put like this:
By the curious standard of the GDP, the nation's economic hero is a terminal cancer patient that is going through a costly divorce. The happiest event is an earthquake or a hurricane. All these add to GDP, because they cause money to change hands.
full article here
-
I suspect someone with a high media profile like Latta was necessary (whether it was intentional or not) to offset the stream of shite issuing from Family Fist's arsehole.
Someone more qualified but anonymous would have been easily overlooked by the headline-skimming majority of the population.
Latta did strike me as being someone likely to be far more subtle than his show was able (or intended) to show
Personally, I hated his recent series on 'how to state the bleeding obvious', and 'how to demolish a straw man'. But I happened to pick up and read his book recently, and consequently I've got a lot more respect for him than I did previously.
-
NatRad was still going on about the Adagio fiasco on Midday Report. There were gasps, apparently, from members of the audience, when the offending words were spoken and the offending orgasm faked.
In other news, pantomime audiences were heard to say "ooh" in response to innuendo spoken by men dressed as women and women dressed as boys.
Yes. What they should really do is put is all BEHIIIIIND THEEEMMMM!!!!!
Coat, getting, etc.