miga

uncleglen Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I meant to say 'dissemination ....' how it came > out as 'desemination...' probably unconscious > reference to other 'faith' goings-on. > R. Dawkins is not arguing against the past because > the religious beliefs of the past are alive and > well today. Faith schools are still operating > using dogma from the past, much of it > fundamentalist, and it is just as bad as it was 30 > years ago- if not worse. > All faiths are self-serving. The leaders are just > the same as politicians...instead of crosses on > ballot papers, read 'bums on pews' or whatever. > It's all just a way of keeping the poor and needy > satisfied with the promise of this 'heaven' ffs I have similar misgivings about organised religion (and faith schools) as you, but I think faith or spirituality are a different category, and not indicative of irrationality or ignorance. When Dawkins speaks to someone like George Coyne, then it's an interesting conversation about faith or lack of it, but all too often he concentrates on weird fundamentalists who deny evolution, themselves a minority of a minority. In this country less than 10% of people go to Church weekly (according to the Humanist society).

AGW3 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > miga Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > nowhere to buy a > > decent coffee, > > there are 2 Costas where you can get decent > coffees There definitely are 2 Costas, I can't disagree with that.

Jah Lush Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Surely The Bliar should know by now that The > Labour Party were annihilated at the last > election. A discredited ex-Prime Minister who > should be up on war crimes charges is a fine > endorsement for the left. > > http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/08/12/tony-bl > air-has-launched-another-attack-on-jeremy-corbyn_n > _7978188.html?1439402796 As someone much wittier than me said, "Neil Kinnock and Tony Blair rally against Corbyn - how much endorsement does one man need?".

There are plenty of mainstream Christians who don't have those views of LGBT, and denominations which have lesbian/gay pastors. Let's also not forget that, for better or worse, the institution that fostered that development of philosophy (and art, and science) was the Church for long stretches of history. I guess my problem with those blanket statements about the Church and the aggressive approach ofsomeone like Dawkins is that there's no nuance, it's predictable. I agree in principle, but I think he's arguing against the past and there's probably a better conversation to be had.

red devil Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Or you could split the difference on what you can > get locally on the high street... This spread is a bit skewed (much wider when selling EUR), and it would be skewed the other way in Euroland. Spot/midmarket seems fair to me. Either way - glad some FX place will miss out on some/most of their ?75 :-)

If you take the spot rate you both win.

Cyclemonkey Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > It does sound a little petulant I am afraid. At > your age most people in London are still renting > and haven't managed to buy their first place let > alone their second. It can be hard to come to terms with the idea of moving to a neighbourhood you wouldn't have even contemplated. I know this is probably awfully shallow, but for a lot of (most?) people, the kind of area they live can feel like a reflection on who they are - isn't this why different clusters of people (ethnicity, class, sexual preference, age etc.) form in different areas of London? It takes some re-training of neurological pathways to accept that ultimately a house is "a machine for living in". And on these boring, practical grounds somewhere like Catford ticks the boxes (Kings X, green space, even somewhere to go out and eat), but it requires a big shift in thinking if you've got a sizable budget and are used to living in ED.

I don't think you sound petulant. It's hard coming to terms with how little you get for your ?. Sobering to remember that being able to afford a family home anywhere in London is something of a privileged situation. FWIW Catford (and Crofton Park, Nunhead etc.) are on a direct train line to Farringdon and Kings X in less than 30 minutes.

This old chestnut. We moved to Catford. It's not as bad as people (including me) sometimes say it is. "Probably not the worst suburb in London". Pros: space for ?, transport, some decent primaries, Sapporo Ichiban, Catford Constitutional, massive green space in Mountsfield and Forster parks (great for kids who scooter, dogs, semi-permanent accomodation etc.), TFC on Bromley Rd (with sensational prices on Kalamata olives and a strong bakery selection), Aldi, Lidl, Homebase and a myriad of warehousy DIY shops, a lot of long time residents who look after their houses. Quite suburban. Much handier to 2 (two) branches of Waitrose than ED (Beckenham and Bromley North). Cons: concretey ugly town centre, nowhere to buy a decent coffee, bit stabby (allegedly). Quite suburban. Lewisham Council pretty useless. Some locals feel obliged to drive their "worked" Corsas playing urban hits at ~140dB with windows open. Bit of agg round the train stations. Massive gardens = massive garden labour required....flipping weeds.

Louisa - is maybe what you're trying to say that the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence? Which is the scientific/logical position. But still, the onus of proof is on the person making the claim.

Blah Blah Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > That he gets hate mail tells you everything about > the mental state of some religious people. There is an overlap. There are also plenty of atheist sociopaths. Some religious people I've met are deep thinkers, and widely read - and most have at least some passing interest in philosophy. One of them pointed me to some essays about Derrida and religion, as well as much older stuff like Aquinas which in my fairly technical education I hadn't come across. They were interesting and sometimes mind bending reading, though I remain an atheist. The benefit of Dawkins is that he attacks irrational thought and extremism in a funny and acerbic way. He doesn't half go for some low hanging fruit, though. Yeah, we get it, there are people who think humanity is 2,000 years old, and refuse to believe in the evidence of Evolution.

And actually, the reason I imagine people being "super excited" in an American accent is because that's where that particular recent use of the word comes from - a particular strand of American youth culture.

Perhaps I didn't express myself clearly. I didn't intend to describe the whole set of American accents as gormless sounding, but rather one particular gormless version of the same. Think Frank Zappa's "Valley Girl". But thanks for being super defensive.

tfwsoll Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > >>Yes!!! Do you pronounce it with a "gee golly > gee" gormless American accent whenever you read > it? It's become such a commonly used little > helper, especially in "youth" publications, social > media etc.... These nachos are suuuper nice, just > sayin', amirite?... > > It comes down to us living in an age where > hyperbole rules...the most mundane singer is > 'awesome', the most average talent is a 'genius', > something sad is 'heartbreaking' and a crispy > chemical-laden snack is 'super nice'. I can't > work out whether it is because people can no > longer distinguish between mediocrity and > genius/great talent or it's just a lazy way of > using a rich and varied language. Yeah, probably hyperbole is a part of the picture. There's also the obligation people feel to be positive.

???? Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > miga Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > re: "Big State"...here's a handful from the > > quickest of googles, used as a phrase. > > > > > http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/david-cam > > > > eron/9171481/Brick-by-brick-were-tearing-down-the- > > > big-state.html > > > http://www.reform.uk/reformer/the-return-of-the-bi > > > g-state-incomes-policy-and-the-trimmings/ > > > http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/9 > > > > 559810/Douglas-Carswell-Bad-news-for-the-big-state > > > .html > > > http://www.jubilee-centre.org/all-in-this-together > > > -the-big-state/ > > > > Or do you mean that it never annoys you when > you > > see this frequently used phrase? > > > No. I meant that those who bang on about big > Pharma, big business, big etc seem to be anti-big > apart from the state which they seem happy to run > almost anything, dictate how we live our lives, > think they know best how our money is spent etc. > big is bad...apart from government where suddenly > big transforms into efficient, benevolent, > paternalistic, force of good and dictator of > what's best for the likes of us Ah, I see. I guess I don't get wound up by ideas as much as oversimplification. The way phrases like "big state" or "big pharma" are used isn't dissimilar. It's shorthand for a scary idea that cuts out a lot of thinking for a receptive audience. Fair enough, the audiences might be on different parts of the political spectrum, but the nuance killing phrases have a similar effect. For every time a naturopath rails against "big pharma", there's a died in the wool libertarian crying "statist". The trick, in my view, is to skip over the yellow press and CiF nonsense. Although I suppose it is nice to have one's prejudices confirmed, it's one of the pleasures of getting old.

Ah, fair enough. We did two from kits + two tomato planters from old shelving. I reckon getting gravel board or similar cut to size + using pegs/posts for support is probably not too much more effort. I'm sure there are a few dab hands on this forum who'll shortly be along with some good advice.

My other half bought me one of these courses (DIY in a day) for Crimbo, and it covered a few very useful things at a basic level, the lady that ran it was great. https://www.thegoodlifecentre.co.uk/diy-in-a-day/ As far as raised garden beds, the kits you can buy are usually very straighforward with pre-drilled holes and such.

I call BS on Dulwichlad850 - must be one of the kids or a mate. 1) The cops warned the kids in the midst of doing the same. 2) No one who's finished high school would write that badly.

But is it Waitrose or Ocado?

goosey-goosey Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I'm super sad when I read "super" used as an > adverb. Yes!!! Do you pronounce it with a "gee golly gee" gormless American accent whenever you read it? It's become such a commonly used little helper, especially in "youth" publications, social media etc.... These nachos are suuuper nice, just sayin', amirite?...

Person sounds like a sociopath.

re: "Big State"...here's a handful from the quickest of googles, used as a phrase. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/david-cameron/9171481/Brick-by-brick-were-tearing-down-the-big-state.html http://www.reform.uk/reformer/the-return-of-the-big-state-incomes-policy-and-the-trimmings/ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/9559810/Douglas-Carswell-Bad-news-for-the-big-state.html http://www.jubilee-centre.org/all-in-this-together-the-big-state/ Or do you mean that it never annoys you when you see this frequently used phrase?

"well-meaning liberals"

"Lurch to the left" "The loony left" "The chattering classes" "Benefits scrounger"

I tend to get hayfever at its worst round about June.....i hate that.