Area54

I am very interested in clarification, it's just that I have seen no evidence of it from you. You have moved the goalposts, but you deny this. You misapply poll results to support assertions that seem to lack any sound basis. Your posts continue to have more than a whiff of aggression. All of this you seem to be unaware of; as I noted previously this makes it difficult for readers to take your arguments seriously. You do them a disservice by your approach. Why not go back to square one and restate your argument with accompanying support, then we can debat whether there is anything of substance there.

It definitely doesn't read that way. Based upon a very high count of negative adjectives. Those are typically associated with arguments that are closer to the hysterical rather than the objective end of the spectrum. Which is why it is a good idea to choose ones words carefully.

That appears to be a concession that: you have moved the goalposts such an action lacks integrity Your arguments would carry more conviction if you could turn down the burning outrage a little. Merely a suggestion.

I did not get that impression from @dimreepr's posts. He seemed to be holding the view, which I share, that those charged with upholding the law must be scrupulous in following it meticulously themselves. This must not only be a matter of following the letter of the law, but the spirit of the law also. Not only should there be no bending of the rules, but every effort should be made to be demonstrably fair and equitable in discharge of their duties. I am not sure how you have misread dimreepr's stance (I hope I have not), but the result is that you have constructed a strawman.

I'm not sure exactly what you are asking. Yes, we can travel to Mars and have done so many times, in the sense of sending robotic craft to orbit and land upon the planet. Yes, we can travel to Mars in the sense that the technology to do so either exists, or is capable of being developed in reasonable time frame (one or two decades) No, we cannot send people to Mars today, or within the next couple of years with any expectation they might arrive and survive. Which sense of the question did you intend?

Excellent points. In consequence I've deleted my draft reply to Moreno, which fell into the "Yes, there is category". I think it will be a step in the right direction, but a much smaller step than many hope for, or expect, but a step nonetheless. We whould be glad of that step, but we should insist upon more. I'm not American, but this death has highlighted the injustices that exist in all countries towards minorities. A good starting point for change is to examine to what extent we are personally complicit in benefiting from, or maintaining the status quo where we live.

Just for the record, the Wikipedia article on the beast. It has a neat animation constructed from the radar observations by Arecibo.

You should watch them. The rise they cause in blood pressure and vigorous exercise, thumping the wall with ones fists and kicking the furniture to pieces, obviate the need for regular exercise.

The behaviour would be inappropriate if the partner felt uncomfortable about the comments. If they felt very uncomfortable then the behaviour would arguably be immoral and certainly crude and uncaring. However, as String junky and Prometheus have pointed out, most (many) people are not concerned by it. One could use this argument. If one is in a positive and rewarding relationship, this relationship has arisen because of our ability to find individuals attractive. That ability is an innate and instinctive part of our make up and as such is an integral part of our character. To deny that ability now would be dishonest and undermine the foundation of the relationship. People are diverse. Don't sweat it.

I thought about this and reached the conclusion you can legislate for better culture. To avoid off-topic discussion I've opened a new thread on the subject.

Agreed. Your argument appears sound to me. I'm not sure why MigL is missing its essence.

I was in a very metaphorical mood. By more I also meant better, more effectively applied, more strategically targeted, etc. But on the literal front, more guns allowed the Russians to win WWII in Europe. Doubtless there are many more examples.

1. Since they are martyrs they can neither agree, nor disagree. 2. Statistically, do you have evidence that more martyrs have enabled victory for their viewpoint than not? 3. I intended that guns could be taken metaphorically as well as literally, and that the ambiguity of that dichotomy would say something significant about the issue; that significance being left to the reader to create.

Gun Control. Which side wins? I have not read the entire thread so someone else may already have said this: the side with the most guns.

Dogged determination?

Is it ethical to view men and women as different? It can help avoid embarrassment when selecting a public convenience.

And this new knowledge didn't phase you?

No. Before steam railways, but after railways, which have been around since at least 600 BC, as per the wikipedia article. I knew that railways in mines and quarries long pre-dated the introduction of steam, and were therefore in use when cattle had a wider meaning, but I only learned of the Greek example today. I have a cattle grid, but sadly neither cattle, nor hedgehogs. Edit: I know you were meaning mechanically powered railways, but I just wanted to be pedantic.

No. I credited everyone with the smarts to see that on line could refer to computers, forums and railway lines, or even on topic, leaving them the freedom to go in their preferred direction. Had we been talking about sheep rather than cattle, there would have been the option of discussing rams.

The angular placement of the two blades imparts a sideways motion. Unless you were unfortunate enough to hit it when negotiating a very tight bend, combined with an equally unfortunate independent velocity of the buffalo, this would be very unlikely. Babbage was English. There are more cows in England than buffalos or bisons. As Babbage himself may have said in his Engish accent, "What's the difference between a buffalo and a bison? You can't wash your hands in a buffalo."

Today I learned that the cowcatcher device fitted to the front of railway locomotives to displace any objects blocking the line was invented by Charles Babbage, the same Charles Babbage who designed the first (mechanical) computer. "A well made cow-catcher could throw a buffalo weighing 2000 lbs some 30 feet." Source: The Historical Atlas of North American Railroads ISBN 978-0-7858-2781-8 page 44. Prizes on offer for whomever comes up with the best "on-line" pun!

The top fifteen one-liners from the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, courtesy Reuters and the Sydney Morning Herald. 1. "I'm not a fan of the new pound coin, but then again, I hate all change." – Ken Cheng 2. "Trump's nothing like Hitler. There's no way he could write a book." – Frankie Boyl 3. "I've given up asking rhetorical questions. What's the point?" – Alexei Sayle 4. "I'm looking for the girl-next-door type. I'm just gonna keep moving house till I find her." – Lew Fitz 5. "I like to imagine the guy who invented the umbrella was going to call it the 'brella'. But he hesitated." – Andy Field 6. "Combine Harvesters. And you'll have a really big restaurant." – Mark Simmons 7. "I'm rubbish with names. It's not my fault, it's a condition. There's a name for it…" – Jimeoin 8. "I have two boys, five and six. We're no good at naming things in our house." – Ed Byrne 9. "I wasn't particularly close to my dad before he died... which was lucky, because he trod on a land mine." – Olaf Falafel 10. "Whenever someone says, 'I don't believe in coincidences.' I say, 'Oh my God, me neither!'" – Alasdair Beckett-King 11. "A friend tricked me into going to Wimbledon by telling me it was a men's singles event." – Angela Barnes 12. "As a vegan, I think people who sell meat are disgusting; but apparently people who sell fruit and veg are grocer." – Adele Cliff 13. "For me dying is a lot like going camping. I don't want to do it." – Phil Wang 14. "I wonder how many chameleons snuck onto the Ark." – Adam Hess 15. "I went to a Pretenders gig. It was a tribute act." – Tim Vine

Sadly, or perhaps proudly, all I know of Kanye West is that they are some form of modern celebrity, probably American and either a musician or actor. I don't even know which sex, if any, they are. He or she probably knows the Kardashians, because apparently everybody, apart from myself and my aunt Ethel know the Kardashians (and she's dead). I only know of them because I read of them when confirming the seemingly implausible story that Bruce Jenner, outstanding Olympic decathlete was now transgender. What does all this have to do with the OP? Precious little, but I got up late and needed to spout nonsense to clear my mind. Also, celebreties in general seem likely to be the very antithesis of people who don't lie. Discuss.

I've found the response "Your bum looks big in anything" is not always the best choice.

That's how forum discussions should be conducted. +1 to each of you. (Hope that doesn't come across as patronising, it's just that I've seen situations like that rapidly deteriorate.)