# General > General Chat >  Non Sequitur

## Scheherazade

Here is a thread for odd bits and bobs!

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## Scheherazade

> Yes, you've got the perfect shade of lipstick and the little black dressbut is that all you need? Hardly. 
> 
> *1. A fabulous photo of yourself:*  We all have that photo: the one where your smile, hair, and (let's be honest) bod all come together in one sexy little package, whether it's that snapshot from your trip to the Grand Canyon or that cocktail party photo where you're dressed to kill. Stick that sucker at eye level on your fridge so your male guest can't help but notice it as he checks out if you have beer (see item #5). What he says: "Is that you?" What he means: "Wow, girl, you're hotter than I realised!" Keep a digital version handy so you can email it to online suitors or blind dates who want a glimpse of the goods beforehand. And never, ever throw it awaywhen you're eighty-something it'll serve as an instant reminder that back in the day, you were a total dish! 
> 
> *2. A pretty pair of heels:* Admit it. You feel like Maria from West Side Story (You feel pretty, oh so pretty) when you slip on a pair of nice heels. The good news is that these days, you can transform virtually any outfit to make it on-the-town ready by adding heels to a skirt, jeans, cropped trousers, whatever. And no, they don't have to be towering stilettos, even a pair of 1-inch kitten heels will make you stride a little more confidently. (Added bonus: the taller you are, the more fit men you'll be able to see around the room.) 
> 
> *3. An Eminem CD:* What's one of the first places a guy peruses when he walks into a woman's home? Her music collection. Good for you if you have an extensive one. But if all he sees is a pile of cheesy girl bands (say, the Celine Dion, Girls Aloud, Joni Mitchell and the Bridget Jones Diary soundtrack), he's going to panic. Balance out your collection with one CD, any CD, by Eminem and you have no idea how relieved he'll be. It shows you have an open mind and aren't easily offendedand that's music to any man's ears. 
> 
> *4. A great chatup lineand a way to turn them down:*  In this post-chivalrous period, we can't always depend on guys to initiate contact, so prepare thyself with one simple, non-cheesy icebreaker to lay on that cutie who's making his way to your area of the bar. Our favourite: "Hi. Having fun?" (Though a friend of mine has recently taken to asking well-dressed men, "Hetero, homo or metro?") And in cases when a guy initiates contact and you're not interested, better to have a better turn-down than "Ummmm, no" Our suggestion: "Sorry, I don't think the guy I'm seeing would appreciate it." Sure, it's a lie, but it'll let him down gentlywithout destroying his ego or making him think you're an idiot. 
> ...


 http://msnuk.match.com/matchscene/ar...annerID=558924

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## chmpman

I have to say the Cosmopolitan and Eminem CD really wouldn't do it for me.

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## IrishCanadian

I wonder what the single guys need? Peaunuts comics?

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## The Unnamable

*10 Things Every Single Girl Must Own*




> 3. An Eminem CD:





Im a little behind the times. Which one is Eminem?




> 4. A great chatup lineand a way to turn them down:


How about Emmas response to Mr Elton (whom, she assumes, had been drinking too much of Mr. Weston's good wine) after he proposes to her? -

Command yourself enough to say no more, and I will endeavour to forget it."

Anyone able to provide the male equivalent of the list? I can only think of two:

1.	The inclination.
2.	The nerve.

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## The Unnamable

Something you should _NEVER_ do:

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## The Unnamable

Which film does this pictograph represent? Clue  each picture is a syllable, not a word.

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## papayahed

> Which film does this pictograph represent? Clue  each picture is a syllable, not a word.


Spaceballs?




> http://msnuk.match.com/matchscene/ar...annerID=558924


Just 1 eminem CD? I dunno that may seem like your trying to hard. Especially if you don't know any of the tunes on the disc.

6pk of a good beer? But what if you don't like beer at some point the beer is gonna go shunky and serving skunky beer is way worse than not having any beer.

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## Scheherazade

> Which film does this pictograph represent? Clue  each picture is a syllable, not a word.


Excalibur?



__________________

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## The Unnamable

I fail to see how either _Spaceballs_ or _Excalibur_ can be made from the picture. Please take this seriously. Okay, *Ex* I can see, but _calibur_? 
I'm not even going to think about _Spaceballs_. 

 :Wink: 

I thought we needed a counterpart:

*10 Things every single male should own*:

1.	*A wedding ring*. Some birds go wild over married men. It fills them with the thrill of the illicit. Also, nothing motivates a woman as much as the opportunity to get one over on another woman. 

2.	*A well-rehearsed repertoire of funny comments*. The dollies always say they go for men with a good sense of humour. Of course, when they say this you have to bear in mind a few points: (i) By good they mean like theirs, so you might have to prepare pitifully unfunny funny comments. (ii) They seldom mean what they say. It wont matter how funny you are if you are physically repugnant. And it wont matter how unfunny you are if you look like dear old Brad.

3.	*A baby*. I was out with my best mate and his five-month-old son recently and the chicks loved it. They were all over us, even though the brat had crapped itself and stunk (we would have changed its nappy but my mates only had the thing for a few months and he hasnt learned how yet - its a good job hes married otherwise hed have to pay someone). If women see you being all soft and cuddly with a baby, they usually fail to notice the sexually predatory side to you.

4.	*A huge bulge in your pocket*, which denotes an engorged wallet. How else can you explain Peter Stringfellow?

5.	*The ability to pretend* you are the slightest bit interested in anything they say.

6.	*A motorbike* (and a leather jacket like Brandos). If you can get one with an airbrushed image of Xena the Warrior Princess on the gas tank, all the better. Hurtling along an open road on a hot summers day with the wind rushing through their hair brings out the primitive in them. Though few would admit it, all women love to see a man with a big, powerful chopper between his legs.

7.	*The ability to use a sophisticated set of criteria* by which to judge your pull so that you can regale your mates with the story afterwards (the best part of scoring anyway). This usually takes the form of a scale running from 1 to 10 where 1 means shes got the face of Laetitia Casta / Heidi Klum and 10 means that shes got the face of a waxworks pig in a fire, with a body to match. 

8.	*A book of Byrons Poetry*  The fact that he was a grotesque, despicable, club-footed homunculus is irrelevant. Women dont actually read Byron but they think hes gorgeous and a great poet of love nevertheless.

9.	*Cushions*  women love cushions.

10.	*Resilience* - above all, you must remember that women are strange creatures. Be patient with her. Give her at least a fortnight. If you havent got anywhere by then, move on of course. Its not as if theyre on ration.

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## kilted exile

> 7.	*The ability to use a sophisticated set of criteria* by which to judge your pull so that you can regale your mates with the story afterwards (the best part of scoring anyway). This usually takes the form of a scale running from 1 to 10 where 1 means shes got the face of Laetitia Casta / Heidi Klum and 10 means that shes got the face of a waxworks pig in a fire, with a body to match.


I see you use the simplified scoring method, I am in favour of the more complex multiplier system myself (for those unfamiliar with the system, firstly the scale is reversed with the higher the score the better and then a multiplier is assessed depending on the situation - I will not post the multipliers here, but if anyone is particularly interested in knowing what they are I can let you know).

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## rachel

That list is a joke right dear Unnameable. Because:
1. to me a marriage covenant is sacred. I would loathe a gentleman that even looked my way if he was wearing one(or probably without one too!)
2.I love quiet serious men that have a sense of humour, not perform standup.
3.An infant that is not changed right away can get horrible painful rash. I would probably ask to change baby I would be so upset with the gentleman.
4. A bulging wallet denotes in my heart bragging and I would have a pretty good idea that the man was not using the money to help the poor.
5. If a man wants to talk to you and cares what you say they will actually talk to you in a manner that shows it, we aren't all that stupid. Not even Mary.
6.A bike and a leather jacket denotes player to me, there are some exceptions so I would just be kind and like the person for what he seemed to be and then forget he existed when I paid my bill and left.
7. the ability to use a sophisticated set of criteria:I really am naive then because I never thought that the average person did that, I thought they cared about the other as a valuable human being, although I have heard some girls do that.
8. A book of Byron's poetry- I have a friend Noel who looks so much like him it is uncanny. He is very pretty. I feel sorry for Byron's life and I do read his poetry.
9. cushions: I don't really understand this one. I personally would not use them in public because I am not tall enough then for my fee to touch the ground and I hate the smirks and winks. And that is from the ladies!
10.Resilience: I am at a loss at what to respond here and from now on I shall never look at men the same. I have many men friends, single, beautiful and I said no and explained why and they are still really close to me. They did you are right move on to other girls but long after they came and went they are still my dear friends.

And I know dear Unnameable, you would never do any of this, you are far too noble.

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## Petrarch's Love

> 


The Exorcist? (assuming that there is a cyst involved in that surgical procedure I've been having trouble figuring out).

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## papayahed

How do I delete a post?

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## IrishCanadian

[QUOTE=rachel]That list is a joke right dear Unnameable. Because:
1. to me a marriage covenant is sacred. I would loathe a gentleman that even looked my way if he was wearing one(or probably without one too!)
2.I love quiet serious men that have a sense of humour, not perform standup.
3.An infant that is not changed right away can get horrible painful rash. I would probably ask to change baby I would be so upset with the gentleman.
4. A bulging wallet denotes in my heart bragging and I would have a pretty good idea that the man was not using the money to help the poor.
5. If a man wants to talk to you and cares what you say they will actually talk to you in a manner that shows it, we aren't all that stupid. Not even Mary.
6.A bike and a leather jacket denotes player to me, there are some exceptions so I would just be kind and like the person for what he seemed to be and then forget he existed when I paid my bill and left.
7. the ability to use a sophisticated set of criteria:I really am naive then because I never thought that the average person did that, I thought they cared about the other as a valuable human being, although I have heard some girls do that.
8. A book of Byron's poetry- I have a friend Noel who looks so much like him it is uncanny. He is very pretty. I feel sorry for Byron's life and I do read his poetry.
9. cushions: I don't really understand this one. I personally would not use them in public because I am not tall enough then for my fee to touch the ground and I hate the smirks and winks. And that is from the ladies!
10.Resilience: I am at a loss at what to respond here and from now on I shall never look at men the same. I have many men friends, single, beautiful and I said no and explained why and they are still really close to me. They did you are right move on to other girls but long after they came and went they are still my dear friends.
[QUOTE]
If I was a few years older ... or rachel younger ... Golly.

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## The Unnamable

> The Exorcist? (assuming that there is a cyst involved in that surgical procedure I've been having trouble figuring out).



*YES!!!!!*   :Thumbs Up:   :Thumbs Up:   :Thumbs Up: 

It's funny the things we do to amuse ourselves. That kept the Grim Reaper silent for a while.

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## Sami

> 9. Cushions  women love cushions


  :FRlol:  In my case this is very true. My husband is always complaining that the cushions get more space on the chairs and couches than he does!




> 9. cushions: I don't really understand this one. I personally would not use them in public because I am not tall enough then for my fee to touch the ground and I hate the smirks and winks. And that is from the ladies!



Rachel  I share this problem since I am not so tall either. I would say that the number 2 item on the girls list, is nearly always the way around the dilemma - unless of course you live in a place where theres tones of snow all the time  the pretty pair of heels can become a lethal threat to your personal safety when its icy. You should be okay in BC though since heels pose no problem in the rain (although I suppose theyre none too practical for all the healthy hiking you do out west  :Tongue:  )

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## simon

Do people take these lists seriously? They seem neither funny or usefull, everyone's got different tastes. The girl's one seems to involve making the girl out to be something she's not. And the Guy's one seems to revolve mostly around getting some by lying.

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## The Unnamable

> Do people take these lists seriously?


Some people appear to do so, simon. I think it gives them an opportunity to be pompous.  :Wink:

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## simon

Aaah to be pompous, this I understand.

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## Sami

Ersorry if my reply came across as pompous. I wasnt actually taking the list seriously  :Smile:

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## The Unnamable

> Ersorry if my reply came across as pompous. I wasnt actually taking the list seriously


I'm really sorry that I somehow led you to think I was referring to you.  :Blush:  I wasn't. I know you didn't take the list seriously and responded to it in the spirit in which it was posted. This whole thread is not meant to be taken seriously.

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## Sami

Oh, no prob. Im not very sharp at the best of times, and particularly not first thing on a Sunday morning. When I first read it I thought your  :Wink:  indicated that you were calling the other replies pompous, but on second thoughts I dont think you were - (were you referring to yourself? Surely not?). Happy to say that Im ever so slightly more focused on Sunday evenings!

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## rachel

If Unnameable can cause this much confusion, hot feelings, and passion, think what his classes must be like. I WANT TO SIGN UP I WANT TO SIGN UP.

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## chmpman

I wouldn't mind taking the porn class. lol

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## rachel

yikes I forgot about that. HOW DO I UNSIGN, HELP!
Perhaps Chmpman you could take it and just give us a synopsis?

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## The Unnamable

> I wouldn't mind taking the porn class. lol


Sorry, no room left. You can manage this kind of class quite well on your own though, especially as you obviously have access to a computer and the 'net. It's probably consistent with those other windows you have open before you now.  :Biggrin:

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## IrishCanadian

How old are the kids that you teach Unnamable?

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## The Unnamable

> How old are the kids that you teach Unnamable?


11-18 but this was when I was teaching at tertiary level. I wish I'd never mentioned it.

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## IrishCanadian

Haha relax ... I don't think that your a kreepy old man that takes pleasure in showing naked people to childeren. Eeeeww, you dont DO that do you?? Just kidding. I think at that level its totally fine if the kids are mature about it, actually I think that its a very necessary thing to be educated about. Anyway ... talk about non sequiturs!

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## Scheherazade

*Monsters of the deep quiz*

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## Scheherazade

> Marital rows do not just produce harsh words and hot air - they can harden your arteries too, a study suggests. But the cause of the damage differs depending on your gender, the research by University of Utah scientists involving 150 couples found. 
> 
> They said arterial disease in women was linked to either partner demonstrating hostility, but in men it was linked to either showing controlling behaviour. 
> 
> The research was presented to the American Psychosomatic Society meeting. 
> 
> The researchers studied 150 married couples, with at least one partner in their sixties, who were all paid to participate in the study. 
> 
> None had ever been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease. 
> ...


 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4771032.stm

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## Scheherazade

> Forget Friday the 13th. Ignore ladders, black cats, broken mirrors and spilt salt. Think instead of today, March 15, and beware. 
> 
> As superstitions go, being wary of the ides of March is certainly more unusual. Yet the day does have a certain resonance. 
> 
> In the complicated world of the Roman calender, there were 45 public festivals (not bad compared to the UK's eight bank holidays), as well as the ides of each month, days which were sacred to Jupiter. 
> 
> In March, May, July and October, the ides fell on the 15th. 
> 
> The Julian calendar, established by Julius Caesar, gave us the basis of our system of 365 days a year and 366 in a leap year. But for the most part, the Roman festivals of his time have had their day. 
> ...


 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_r...dia/296942.stm

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## Mililalil XXIV

So, have you spoken to a man about that list in the second post of the thread? (Point number 9 comes to mind.)
It sounds like band-aid, shallow trend advice. I'm sure you could do better than this from your heart, and not settle for some guy that would seem to fall for such cosmo-bait.

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## Scheherazade

> Japan survived a furious Cuban comeback to claim the inaugural World Baseball Classic title 10-6 on Monday. Japan jumped into a 4-0 first-inning lead at a sold-out Petco Park as Cuba's amateur hurlers needed three pitchers just to get the first three outs. 
> 
> Cuba recovered from 6-1 down in the fifth when Frederich Cepeda's two-run homer in the eighth made it 6-5. 
> 
> But Ichiro Suzuki's single and a bases-loaded, two-run double from Kosuke Fukudome sealed Japan's victory. 
> 
> It was only their fifth win in 38 meetings with the Olympic champions. 
> 
> "This is probably the biggest moment in my baseball career," said Seattle Mariner's All-Star outfielder Suzuki. 
> ...


 http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/othe...ll/4828204.stm

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## papayahed



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## Scheherazade

> By Matthew Sakey
> 
> Men lie. Women lie as well, but it doesn't seem like they do it nearly as often. And while it's easy to dismiss dishonesty of any kind as wrong, sometimes there are extenuating circumstances that, while not necessarily excusing the deception, at least put it into some context. Remember, though, that there are at least as many reasons that men lie as there are men, and like those men, some reasons are good, and some are not so good. Take a look at a few of the more common reasons for deception: 
> 
> *1. He didn't want to hurt you*  Lying to protect someone's feelings is probably the closest thing to a "good lie" there is, with the exception of lying to protect national security. Men have been known to modify truths if those truths would hurt someone they care about, and in some cases, the victim of the lie can appreciate it as a kindness. "I will lie to spare her feelings if I can," says Marcus, 29. "In a way, I don't even consider it dishonest... it's a matter of doing something kind versus doing something right. That's a difficult choice." 
> 
> *2. He didn't want to hurt himself*  Ah, the classic "the truth would have embarrassed me" argument. Falling into the "nice try" category of excuses, a lie that protects the liar's feelings is a lot worse than one that protects yours. "I can't think of a single reason to lie just to spare my own feelings," says Tony, 38. "I suppose I've done it occasionally, but protecting yourself at the expense of someone else is wrong." 
> 
> *3. He said what he thought you wanted to hear* Men are not the most astute readers of feminine desires, and sometimes they will tell a fib because they believe that you'd rather hear an untruth than something potentially hurtful. "I have occasionally defused a fight by saying something she wants to hear, even if it's untrue," says Bryan, 30. "It's not something I defend, just something that seems right at the time." 
> ...


 http://msnuk.match.com/matchscene/ar...annerID=558924

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## Scheherazade

*BBC's Energy Quiz*

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## Scheherazade

> A line from U2's 1992 hit One has been voted the UK's favourite song lyric. The line "One life, with each other, sisters, brothers" came top of a poll of 13,000 people by music channel VH1. 
> 
> The song reached number seven in the UK chart when it was originally released, but a new version featuring Mary J Blige recently went to number two. 
> 
> A lyric from The Smiths' song How Soon is Now? came second in the poll, followed by a line from Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit. 
> 
> A call from Bob Marley to "free our minds" in his Redemption Song came fourth, with Coldplay's hit Yellow in fifth. 
> 
> Memorable moments from Eminem, Robbie Williams, The Who, Radiohead and Marvin Gaye were also in the top 10. 
> ...


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4915848.stm

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## Virgil

Top 20 Sayings We'd Like To See On Those Office Inspirational Posters:

1. Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings, they did it by
killing all those who opposed them.
2. If you can stay calm, while all around you is chaos...then you probably
haven't completely understood the seriousness of the situation.
3. Doing a job RIGHT the first time gets the job done. Doing the job WRONG
fourteen times gives you job security.
4. Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
5. Artificial Intelligence is no match for Natural Stupidity.
6. A person who smiles in the face of adversity probably has a scapegoat.
7. Plagiarism saves time.
8. If at first you don't succeed, try management.
9. Never put off until tomorrow what you can avoid altogether.
10. TEAMWORK...means never having to take all the blame yourself.
11. The beatings will continue until morale improves.
12. Never underestimate the power of very stupid people in large groups.
13. We waste time so you don't have to.
14. Hang in there, retirement is only thirty years away!
15. Go the extra mile. It makes your boss look like an incompetent slacker.
16. A snooze button is a poor substitute for no alarm clock at all.
17. When the going gets tough, the tough take a coffee break.
18. INDECISION is the key to FLEXIBILITY.
19. Succeed in spite of management.
20. Aim Low, Reach Your Goals, Avoid Disappointment.

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## Jay

At least it's not "Roses are red..."  :Tongue: 

Though not half as fun  :Biggrin:

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## Scheherazade

> For those working through the night or just staying up late, it promises to be a time when clockwatching should be positively encouraged. 
> 
> In the early hours of Thursday morning, the clock ticks past a time which is sure to appeal to the statistically-minded or just those who like a little bit of order in their lives. 
> 
> For just a second - naturally - the time will be exactly 01:02:03 on 04/05/06. 
> 
> Or at least it will be in the UK and the majority of countries which list dates in day and month order. In the US, the same phenomenon was observed on 5 April. ...


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4965234.stm

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## subterranean

* UNDERSTANDING WOMEN* 

"Yes" = No 
"No" = Yes 
"Maybe" = No 
"I'm sorry" = You'll be sorry 
"We need" = I want 
"It's your decision" = You better select the option Ive already chosen.
"Do what you want" = You'll pay for this later. 
"We need to talk" = You did something wrong. 
"Sure, go ahead" = You go ahead, you die.
"I'm not upset" = Of course I'm upset, you moron! 
"You're so macho" = Can you please go and shave and shower?
"Be romantic, turn out the lights" = My thighs are flabby. 
"This kitchen is so inconvenient" = I want a new house. 
Cant we just be friends? = There is no way in hell I'm going to let any part of your body touch any part of mine again.
I just need some space = Without you in it.
Were moving too quickly = I want to find out if this guy at the gym has a girlfriend first.
"Do you love me?" = I want something expensive. 
"Is my butt fat?" = Tell me I'm beautiful. 
"You have to learn to communicate" = Just agree with me.
I dont know. What do you want to do? = I cant believe you have nothing planned!
Sure, chicken rice is okay. = You cheapo slob!
"I said, nothings wrong, okay?" = It's that time of the month.
"Are you listening to me!?" = Too late, you're dead.

I wanted to post the *Understanding Men* part, but considering the nature of this forum, I decided not to post it  :Wink:

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## Xamonas Chegwe

> For those working through the night or just staying up late, it promises to be a time when clockwatching should be positively encouraged. 
> 
> In the early hours of Thursday morning, the clock ticks past a time which is sure to appeal to the statistically-minded or just those who like a little bit of order in their lives. 
> 
> For just a second - naturally - the time will be exactly 01:02:03 on 04/05/06. 
> 
> Or at least it will be in the UK and the majority of countries which list dates in day and month order. In the US, the same phenomenon was observed on 5 April. ...


It just happened - which probably means I'm going to be late for work again!  :Tongue:

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## papayahed



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## Basil



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## Scheherazade

Coca Cola is celebrating its 120th birthday...

*Coca Cola quiz*

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## Nightshade

booooohissssssssssssss

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## ShoutGrace

Oh No. A dissension? What aspect of good ol Coke could possibly elicit these words?

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## Scheherazade

> The shortlist for the Turner Prize 2006 has been revealed, with four artists competing for the £25,000 first prize. 
> *
> TOMMA ABTS*
> 
> This German artist, born in 1967, is nominated for her "intimate and compelling canvases", which "build on and enrich the language of abstract painting", according to the competition organisers. 
> 
> They have singled out her solo exhibitions at Kunsthalle Basel in Switzerland and London's Greengrassi gallery. 
> 
> Ms Abts insists everything she creates must measure 48 x 38 cm (19 x 15 in) and begins every piece with no idea of what she is about to do. 
> ...


 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4985456.stm

Wondering if anyone has seen works of these artists?

PS: It will be boring this year without any dunk or unmade beds.

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## Scheherazade

> The Simpsons is more than a funny cartoon, it reveals truths about human nature that rival the observations of great philosophers from Plato to Kant... while Homer sets his house on fire, says philosopher Julian Baggini. With the likes of Douglas Coupland, George Walden and Stephen Hawking as fans, taking the Simpsons seriously is no longer outre but de rigeur. 
> 
> It is, quite simply, one of the greatest cultural artefacts of our age. So great, in fact, that it not only reflects and plays with philosophical ideas, it actually does real philosophy, and does it well. 
> 
> How can a comic cartoon do this? Precisely because it is a comic cartoon, the form best suited to illuminate our age. 
> 
> To speak truthfully and insightfully today you must have a sense of the absurdity of human life and endeavour. Past attempts to construct grand and noble theories about human history and destiny have collapsed. 
> 
> We now know we're just a bunch of naked apes trying to get on as best we can, usually messing things up, but somehow finding life can be sweet all the same. All delusions of a significance that we do not really have need to be stripped away, and nothing can do this better that the great deflater: comedy. 
> ...


 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4995624.stm

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## Basil

I refuse to participate in threads where the title is written in a language other than English. Sorry.

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## Basil

The above post is a disclaimer; it should not be construed as "participation."

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## Basil

The above post is a clarification. Also not participation.

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## Basil

I don't even know what _non sequitur_ means. Is it some kind of dance? Should I be doing the _non sequitur_ as I type this?

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## Basil

Somebody has just sent me a private message informing me that a _non sequitur_ is apparently some kind of hat. Shouldn't that have been explained at the _beginning_ of this thread?? Hello?

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## Basil

(Thanks for the PM, Mililalil)

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## Basil

I was also informed that while sheep go to Heaven, goats go to Hell. Poor goats.

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## Basil

Is it true that in Europe they keep billy-goats on the roofs of the houses? I saw a picture of that once. Crazy!

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## Basil

You know, I bet if I hang out here long enough, someone will come along and offer me some tea. Tea. I despise tea.

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## Basil

Okay, I'm out of here. Have fun wearing your _non sequiturs_.

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## rachel

come back dear Basil. here is a tray, cream or sugar, lemon or honey. Please.......don't go.

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## Basil



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## rachel

well there you go dear Basil, a tea party and becoming the object of your dear parent's love-solely. That is the spirit. As for the little sister, I have it on good authority that she wasn't that kind to her dear brother , however Rachel noticed she still breathed and whisked her away to faerie land to live with the elves who named her Barrwyn and she is happy there. Now where were we......oh yes, chocolate cake or white, cream or Irish Whisky in your tea dear?

----------


## Basil

Oh, those dear faeries.

The faeries paid me a visit when I was a little boy. They crept in through my bedroom window late at night. They smelled kind of funny, like rubbing alcohol. Anyway, they whisked me off to Faerie Land, which turned out to be the vacant lot behind Earl's Auto Repair. There we played all sorts of fun faerie games; I can't tell you what they were because the faeries told me they were secret faerie games and I couldn't tell anyone about them (I didn't want to play some of them, but they made me anyway).

It was there the faeries left me; I had to find my own way home in the dark. I never thought I would meet real faerie folk, nor did I guess how closely they would resemble the hoboes who lived out at the old abandoned train depot. Their ways certainly are mysterious. Anyway, the reason I don't like tea is because the faeries kept making me drink "tea" that night, except it tasted really bitter and made my throat hurt and made feel really dizzy and sick and nauseous. Please don't make me drink tea, Rachel. Please?

----------


## rachel

okay darling, I will tell you what. You write out the entire menu for our tea party, food and drink and where it will be and I will do all I can to please you.
And I am so sorry for what those strange faeries did to you. I promise you they are not from my faerie land, they sound a little like the members of Tuatha de dannan from ancient Celtic lore , I love them, but some were evil rogues. And because they were so skilled in dark magic they actually won wars because the other side could not compete nor even understand their dark and terrifying magik.
Well they had better never come back to bother you again dearest Basil. I know a thing or two that has been passed down to me. And I heard they cannot bear True Love , it hurts their eyes and makes them swoon. I shall use that against them and keep you safe.
So write the menu dear and I will see to your every heart's desire. See I threw the tea away. All gone.

----------


## kilted exile

Ok, I probably shouldnt be joking about this (guy got killed there on Friday night), *but* take a close look at the picture....notice anything wierd? I'm sure in most places in the world the police would use cones to tape off the area. Not in glasgow however, why use a cone when you've got a few kegs lying around?

----------


## Pendragon

If I remember correctly, (and I'm over 40) _non sequitur_ means something like "It does not follow" or words to that effect, an oxymoron type of thing. Something like why do we park on a driveway and drive on a parkway? Or if skull size is related to intelligence, shouldn't the T-Rex have been the predominate species? Does SPAM (the canned kind) really stand for SPiced hAM or Stuff Posing As Meat?  :FRlol:   :FRlol:   :FRlol:

----------


## Scheherazade

*It is the end of the Internet!*  :Eek2:

----------


## Virgil

> *It is the end of the Internet!*


Oh when I saw ths my first thought was concerning our recent controversey. We were all going to get banned from the entire internet!  :Biggrin:

----------


## cuppajoe_9

Nice going Basil and Rachel, the top of my screen now contains three advertisements for tea.

Speaking of tea:

Tea leaves darken with exposure to oxygen after they are picked in much the same way that any other leaf changes colors in the fall. There are four different categories of tea: green, white, oolong and black. They are diferentiated by the ammount of time that they are allowed to darken after they are picked. White tea is the least processed, and therefore the most expensive and sought after kind of tea.

This is the kind of crap you learn when the girl who works at the health food store is really attractive.

----------


## Scheherazade

*Nutrition test*

----------


## cuppajoe_9

Got a 48. I don't really like that test. My result was probably marred by the fact that I eat quite a bit less than most people (and am still slightly overweight) and the fact that I am a vegetarian.

----------


## Scheherazade

> Experts have warned of the dangers of overuse of mobile phones and game consoles in children after a young girl developed repetitive strain injury. Isabelle Taylor, aged eight from St Anne's, Lancashire noticed pain in her fingers and wrists after sending up to 30 text messages a day. 
> 
> RSI is normally associated with office workers who spend hours hunched over a computer keyboard. 
> 
> But the condition is becoming common in children addicted to technology. 
> 
> Isabelle's mother Jane Taylor, 40, said her daughter was "constantly" texting on her mobile but that it wasn't until she was diagnosed with RSI that the extent of her texting became apparent. 
> 
> "She got the phone when she was six and she's constantly on it. 
> ...


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5063364.stm

----------


## kilted exile

Here's a far better solution: Take the infernal noisy contraption away from the kid......why children need mobile phones I have no idea.

----------


## Scheherazade

I would like to know why a child of 6 was given a mobile phone (or of 8 for that matter) and whom they are texting... to say what?

----------


## Scheherazade

*Hot Weather Quiz*

----------


## Scheherazade

> The Magazine could not possibly condone bunking off to watch the World Cup. So how best to catch the game without annoying the boss? The union Amicus has been red-carded for advising workers on how to pull a sickie in order to watch England play Trinidad and Tobago. While kick-off is late in the working day (1700 BST) for nine-to-fivers, rare is the World Cup fan prepared to wait until then to bag a vantage point. 
> 
> So how to keep up with the action while keeping the managers sweet (assuming they're not "working from home"). 
> 
> *1. Get online - our sport website streams every BBC TV game live, allowing broadband-connected workers in the UK to watch at their desks.* IT firms have duly warned that corporate networks might grind to a halt and, aware that some companies might wish to prevent this, the BBC has published the URLs carrying live streams for IT managers asked to restrict access. For those into delayed gratification, TV viewers can replay the match during the evening at the touch of a red button. 
> 
> *2. Bring in a radio.*  It may seem a tad old-fashioned in a world of high-definition television and live streaming over the internet, but the radio has long been the traditional back-up for football fans unable to watch a match. If your boss needs some persuading tell him it's a solution endorsed by Investors in People, an independent body which sets and measures employment standards. 
> 
> *3. Get a buddy system going.* Make friends with those in the office who don't like football - they're the ones who think Rooney's fortunes were inextricably tied to Judy Garland's - and get them to cover your shift and offer to do the same for them when they want time off, maybe to watch tennis, go shopping or go to their kid's school sports day. 
> ...


 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/5082896.stm

----------


## Scheherazade

> Football's governing body has explained why up to 1,000 Dutch fans watched a World Cup tie wearing no trousers. 
> 
> Around 1,000 fans arrived for the Ivory Coast tie in their traditional bright orange trousers - but bearing the logo and name of a Dutch brewery. 
> 
> To protect the rights of the official beer they were denied entry, so the male fans promptly removed the trousers and watched the game in underpants. 
> 
> Fifa said an attempt at an "ambush" publicity campaign was not allowed. 
> 
> Fifteen major companies have paid up to $50m (£27m) each for the right to be official partners at this World Cup. 
> ...


 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/5091154.stm

----------


## Scheherazade

> Public libraries are on the verge of extinction warn campaigners. How can they be protected for the future? 
> 
> Be honest - when did you last use your local library? Do you even know where it is? There is a chance you might find out too late and it'll have closed. 
> 
> Most of us probably know library usage has been falling for years. But how many realise that a crossroads may be looming for a prized public service - and do we care? 
> 
> Across the UK more than 100 libraries now face being shut as councils search for savings to ease budget deficits. 
> 
> "Public libraries are on the verge of extinction and action is needed now to halt their decline," warns campaign website Libri.org. 
> ...


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/5105580.stm

----------


## Scheherazade

> Hooray! It's Friday June 23, time to celebrate. What's that you say? Why? Didn't you know that today is officially the happiest day of the year? A scientist said so, so it must be true. Dr Cliff Arnall devised a formula to find the most joyous day in our calendar - so what do you think?
> 
> Time to rejoice folks, today is the happiest day of the year, according to a scientist from the University of Cardiff. Dr Cliff Arnall has put together a formula that measures good mood using increased outdoor activity, high energy levels and exposure to sunlight.
> 
> Dr Arnall believes the combination of fine weather and the prospect of jetting off on holiday means that today the British population will be feeling particularly gleeful. The football World Cup and forthcoming Wimbledon tennis championship will only add to some people's level of euphoria, as will the fact that the day falls on a Friday. Dr Arnall used a similar formula to pinpoint 23 January as the most depressing day of the year.
> 
> So how does Dr Arnall's formula work? His equation is simple: O + (N x S) + Cpm/T + He. O stands for outdoor activity, N for nature, S for social interaction, Cpm for childhood summers and positive memories, T for temperature and He for holidays and time off work. 
> 
> Dr Arnall told the BBC: "Happiness is associated with many things in life and can be triggered by a variety of events. Whether it's a sunny day, a childhood memory, or something as effortless as eating a delicious ice cream, I wanted my formula to prove the key to happiness can really be that simple."
> ...


 http://www.msn.co.uk/health/feedback...lt.asp?MSPSA=1

----------


## Pensive

Oh yeah, I feel really very happy but it is because, my mother's operation went successful and now, she is really very fine!!!!

Singing:
Oh yeah, I am a happy girl today
I feel pretty, oh so witty
I feel like a rose today
I feel charming, so alarming charming
Oh yeah, I feel happy today
I do, I do, I do, I do, I do

*loves to make her own song by dragging other songs lyrics and combining them*

----------


## Scheherazade

> Consumers are willing to pay up to an extra £108 ($197) for a PC containing fewer chemicals, a survey has found. People also feel manufacturers should take responsibility for the disposal of old machines, the research shows. 
> 
> So-called e-waste is a growing global problem, with 30 million PCs being dumped each year in the US alone. 
> 
> The study by Ipsos-Mori for Greenpeace coincides with an announcement by PC maker Dell to phase out a number of toxic chemicals in its products. 
> 
> The nine-nation research found that UK computer users were willing to pay an extra £64 ($117), while people in China were prepared for spend up to £108 ($197) for a more environmentally sound PC. 
> 
> E-waste 
> ...


 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/5107642.stm

----------


## literaturerocks

wow..i had no idea that computers were so harmful to the environment.... i have a dell so i guess thats a little better than some others but wow..that article really suprised me..cool...learn something new every day  :Banana:

----------


## cuppajoe_9

The fact that Bud is the official beer of the World Cup this year is one of the funniest things I have ever heard. I'm sure everybody was very excited to go to Germany so they could drink American beer.

----------


## Jay

> The fact that Bud is the official beer of the World Cup this year is one of the funniest things I have ever heard. I'm sure everybody was very excited to go to Germany so they could drink American beer.


Ahem  :Wink: 
*too short*

----------


## Scheherazade

> A survey has suggested two-thirds of us are regularly late when meeting people, with the mobile phone the main suspect. 
> And as well as punctuality, the mobile phone is corroding the whole manners of meeting up. Here's a few markers of the mobile-inspired decline of man. 
> 
> 
> PUNCTUALITY
> The advent of the mobile phone harks back to a different age of etiquette, the time before watches. In the Canterbury Tales era, if you had arranged to meet the other pilgrims at the crossroads with the big tree on the 29 June, you were allowed a bit of leeway. Maybe noon was suggested, but it could hardly be enforced. 
> 
> Thanks to mass produced watches and clocks we have had years of enforced punctuality, but now mobile phones allow us to call to apologise. Or rather, they allow sheepish text messages. And there is a code. 
> 
> ...


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/5128394.stm

----------


## grace86

Awww, I didn't like the article about the libraries closing. Makes me feel bad about my comments in Buy vs. Borrow. But I think my library is severly underfunded, understaffed, and has lousy hours.

----------


## Scheherazade

I agree, Grace. It is such a shame that libraries would close while there are new cafes or Starbucks opening in every high street. Libraries are much more than places to borrows book. They encourage children and parents to form reading habits (they have reward schemes for children, Mother and Baby groups, Reading sessions, Book Clubs). They offer the right atmosphere for those students who cannot get the chance to study at home. They offer internet and computer services for those who do not have access. And all comes for free! At an age when one would expect to see more investment in libraries, closing them is a shame.

----------


## grace86

You are very right Scheherazade, it is a shame. You know, a lot of parent - child relationships are strengthened that way too. But then again, a lot of parents aren't around these days. I remember when my mom took me to get my library card.

----------


## Pensive

> I agree, Grace. It is such a shame that libraries would close while there are new cafes or Starbucks opening in every high street. Libraries are much more than places to borrows book. They encourage children and parents to form reading habits (they have reward schemes for children, Mother and Baby groups, Reading sessions, Book Clubs). They offer the right atmosphere for those students who cannot get the chance to study at home. They offer internet and computer services for those who do not have access. And all comes for free! At an age when one would expect to see more investment in libraries, closing them is a shame.


Oh, I have never been to a library (no library nearby, our government deserves to be hung for it) except perhaps my School's Library which does not count because after Library lesson (which is of fifteen minutes) teacher would scare us away and we could not borrow even a single classic or some good books we like. All there is stories of Enid Blyton (only good thing) and some Fairy Tales for us.  :Bawling:

----------


## Scheherazade

> As many hot dogs as you can eat in 12 minutes. That's the challenge contestants will be facing in Coney Island's world-famous hot dog-eating contest on Tuesday. But what are the best tactics? 
> 
> Independence Day in the United States is marked in many ways, but on one street corner in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York, it all comes down to hot dogs and the coveted "Mustard Yellow International Belt". 
> 
> It is on the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenue that the world-famous hot dog eating contest is held every 4 July. The event is hosted by Nathan's Famous Corporation at the site of their first restaurant. 
> 
> The event is believed to have started in 1916 when four immigrants had a hot dog-eating contest on the street corner to settle an argument about who was the most patriotic. 
> 
> 'Kobayashi Shake' 
> ...


 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/5129762.stm

----------


## Scheherazade

*Space Shuttle Quiz*

----------


## Scheherazade

> 1. You get to go wherever you want and do whatever you want on holiday. If you hate cold weather, you don't have to risk losing toes to frostbite just because your sweetie is a ski buff. And once you get wherever you're going, if you decide to stay in the hotel room all weekend with room service and an on-site masseuse while ignoring the historic blah blah blahs? No problem... Nobody's gonna know! 
> 
> 2. You get to sing out loudbadly, without embarrassmentto your iTunes whenever you're home. 
> 
> 3. The remote control is all yours, all the time. And you don't have to worry about anyone else making fun of you because it's switched to Trisha or hours of live Big Brother coverage. 
> 
> 4. You can comfortably put up that Star Wars poster you've had since you were a kid or paint the bathroom walls petal-pinkafter all, decorating isn't a team sport. 
> 
> 5. Your friends all instinctively make you their "... and guest" when they go to an event. You get prime invites to concerts (especially popular during the summer), weddings (ditto) and other ticketed events every time someone's significant other has to bail. 
> ...


http://msnuk.match.com/matchscene/ar...ckingid=511021

----------


## Scheherazade

> France's football hero Zinedine Zidane ended his glorious career in spectacular style - getting a red card for headbutting an opponent in the World Cup final. How are you meant to leave the office in a way that won't be forgotten? Here are some ideas... and send us your suggestions. 
> 
> *1. Use your leaving speech to deliver a verbal Zidane-style headbutt.* Affairs, expenses scams, inflated bonuses, wigs, how the place has gone to the dogs. Feel the room get colder than an eskimo's beer fridge as you give them your wit and wisdom. 
> 
> *2. Leave a challenge for your successor.*  When President Bush's staff took over the White House they complained that the Ws were missing from the computer keyboards (as in George W Bush) and that an office had been renamed Office of Strategerie. 
> 
> *3. If David Beckham can cry when he's leaving his job (as England captain) then so can I.*  Don't. Bad move. Nothing is going to fill an office with more horror than the prospect of Jeff from accounts showing emotion. It's not what open plan is about. 
> 
> *4. Leaving speech II.* Talk at interminable length about your own glittering career - that time you really showed them who was boss over the faulty photocopier - and deliver rambling anecdotes about characters who left years ago. Just keep talking, it's your last day. What are they going to do? Sack you? You've listened to them for long enough. Look, I can just keep going... 
> ...


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/5164468.stm

----------


## Scheherazade

> The mercury's rising, with temperatures expected to set a new record high for the UK. What does extreme heat do to people's behaviour - and how best to cope when it's hot? 
> 
> Britons do not have a good track record in dealing with extreme heat. 
> 
> We look forward to summer, up until a heatwave coincides with a working day. Faced with a badly ventilated place of work, reached by overcrowded, inefficient transport, we get angry. Very angry indeed. 
> 
> *MOOD*
> There are scientists who believe the weather can have a direct effect on our state of mind. 
> 
> ...


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/5193800.stm

----------


## Scheherazade

> A maths professor has worked out an equation to calculate how long into a car journey it takes a child to ask: "Are we nearly there yet?" 
> Professor Dwight Barkley, of Warwick University, calculates there are three key factors that decide the timing of the wearisome question. 
> 
> Crucial in putting off the first prompt about the proximity of the destination are on-board activities for children. 
> 
> So no activities equals a question before leaving the driveway, he said. 
> 
> The equation for the time it takes for a child to ask the question is: one, plus the number of activities to do, divided by the number of children in the car squared. 
> 
> ...


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/c...re/5201552.stm

----------


## literaturerocks

haha snoopy..gosh i havent read those comics since i was maybe 6 ..however that is only 7 years ago....

----------


## Scheherazade

> Madonna's Like a Prayer, condemned by Christian organisations as blasphemous upon its release in 1989, has topped a poll of videos which "broke the rules". The clip showed the singer dancing around burning crosses and kissing a black Christ-like figure in a church. 
> 
> It came first in a survey of 10,000 MTV viewers, with Madonna's songs Ray of Light and Vogue also in the top five. 
> 
> Baby One More Time by Britney Spears was number two, with Michael Jackson's 13-minute epic Thriller in third place. 
> 
> Madonna - one of the icons of the MTV age - has been excluded from the network's playlist on more than one occasion because of the content of her videos. 
> 
> * VIDEOS WHICH BROKE THE RULES 
> ...


. 


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5209714.stm

----------


## Scheherazade

> Star Trek actor James Doohan, who played the engineer Scotty in the original TV series, will now have his remains blasted into space in October. The actor's ashes were supposed to be sent into orbit last year, but the flight was delayed as tests were carried out on the rocket. 
> 
> Doohan died of Alzheimer's disease and pneumonia in July 2005, aged 85. 
> 
> His family will hold a service on the day of the rocket's launch for fans to pay tribute to him. 
> 
> The actor's ashes will be sent into space along with the remains of around 100 other people, including astronaut Gordon Cooper, who first went to space in 1963. 
> 
> After a short flight, the rocket will return to Earth, with a subsequent launch putting Doohan's remains into orbit in December or January. 
> ...


 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5212644.stm

----------


## Scheherazade

> A company that sells software to stop spelling mistakes on the internet has had to reissue its latest press release after letting through a typing mistake. Canadian company TextTrust, which sells software to eliminate "the negative text impressions on Web sites", had to send out its own statement again. 
> 
> The release listed "the 16 million we (sic) pages it has spellchecked over the past year". 
> 
> "It's very embarrassing," said the company's PR representative. 
> 
> 'Egg on the face' 
> 
> The press release listed words including "independent", "accommodation" and "definitely", which were spelled "independant", "accomodation" and "definately". 
> ...


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/5219220.stm

----------


## Scheherazade

> Hits by the likes of Status Quo and S Club 7 are among the Top 50 tracks people are too embarrassed to admit they own.
> 
> Q magazine's Top 10 includes Rebel Yell by Billy Idol and Rock & Roll Part 2 by Gary Glitter and Quo's Whatever You Want. 
> 
> Barbra Streisand's epic Woman In Love, Devil Woman by Sir Cliff Richard and I Could Be So Good For You by Minder star Dennis Waterman also make the list. 
> 
> But the top spot goes to the Electric Light Orchestra with their 1976 hit Livin' Thing.
> 
> "ELO may never be fashionable, but in terms of sheer aural elation, this betters more revered bands' entire back catalogues," said Q. 
> ...


http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/...229521,00.html

----------


## Basil

Never heard "Livin' Thing" but ELO's "Telephone Line" is one of my all-time faves.

----------


## Pensive

Summer Of 69 is one of my favourites! I am not at all embarrassed to admit it!

----------


## Scheherazade

I spent last night listening to these 'Top 20 Guilty Pleasures' songs because I didn't know / couldn't remember some. I did not hear of ELO till this list nor their songs. After listening both 'Livin' Thing' and 'Telephone Line', I can say that they are not my _thang_.

I cannot stand Gary Glitter, Billy Idol or Shaggy.

I like these and not embarrassed to say so:
I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
Centrefold - J Geils Band
Summer of `69 - Bryan Adams
Never Ever - All Saints
Manic Monday - Bangles
Don't You (Forget About Me) - Simple Minds

I am neutral about the rest of the songs. Not sure why people find it hard to admit they like certain songs... We wouldn't feel in the same way, say, about our food choices, would we? Like I like toast and jam!  :Banana:

----------


## Scheherazade

Some of the songs we love are branded embarrassing and calling students 'clever' is a no-no these days:


> ELO are the band we love, but hate to admit it, according to a list this week, while Top of the Pops became a victim of its unhip-ness. But when it comes to what's in and what's out, haven't we gone beyond cool, asks Alan Connor. 
> 
> Finding music used to need a bit of savvy and a lot of elbow grease: due attention to the appropriate radio shows and magazines, and a trip to a bigger town to find a shop with more than a few tapes. 
> 
> Now you can't move without being told about how many bazillions of members have signed up to community music sites; online bookshops will have more albums than any megastore can hold and sites like Last.FM even provide computers to eavesdrop on your listening habits and tell you what to try next. 
> 
> Which, you might have thought, doesn't leave a lot of room for the munificent tastemakers, mavens and with-it-ologists to helpfully guide us in making sure that our listening is stylistically correct. 
> 
> Well, you might have thought that, but you'd be wrong. Newspapers and TV bulletins this week are falling over themselves to tell us about the list of "guilty pleasures" compiled by Q magazine: songs which we were previously told it was uncool to like, but which are now apparently acceptable. 
> ...


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/5245294.stm

----------


## Scheherazade

*Are You Psychic?*

----------


## Jay

There's something VERY wrong with my brain  :Wink: ... or with the site  :Tongue:

----------


## Scheherazade

> 1. Roll on your side down a grassy bank
> 
> 2. Make a mud pie
> 
> 3. Make your own modelling dough mixture
> 
> 4. Collect frogspawn
> 
> 5. Make perfume from flower petals
> ...


http://lifestyle.uk.msn.com/schoolho...umentid=598368

----------


## Pensive

Hehe, I used to do this number five thingy a lot before ten:

5. Make perfume from flower petals

I woudn't mind trying it even now!!! Give me some Roses and I will make you the most wonderful scent ever!!!!

----------


## Scheherazade

*Geniuses Test*

----------


## Scheherazade

> As Andrew Lloyd Webber tries to find his Maria for a West End revival, why does this slice of camp continue to have such a profound grip over so many people? 
> 
> It's based on a true story. It's got children. Scenery. Singing nuns. It's even got Nazis. Little wonder The Sound of Music is one of a select group of films with both mass appeal and an enthusiastic cult following. 
> 
> The Sound of Music is the epitome of chirpy optimism and innocence. Even though the central element of the plot is a middle-aged man trying to pull a young nun, it's regarded as the height of wholesomeness. 
> 
> * TRUTH AND FICTION 
> 
> The real von Trapps married in 1927, not 1938
> ...


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/m...e/5262588.stm0

----------


## Pensive

Watching Sound of Music again and again, and singing "I am sixteen" are a few of my favourite things. :Biggrin:

----------


## Scheherazade

*Slimming photos*

----------


## Taliesin

OK, we can't remember the name of the artist, but we remember him making pieces of art with human figures also slimmed like that. We think that he was a post-war artist, showing how hungry and in how bad conditions the people were.

----------


## Scheherazade

> A fish at a Scottish museum has undergone surgery after visitors complained it was too ugly. A harmless but unsightly growth was removed from the goldfish, which was on show at the Royal Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. 
> 
> The operation was paid for using coins thrown into the fish pond at the popular visitor attraction. 
> 
> A spokeswoman for the museum would not say how many complaints had been made about the fish. 
> 
> Scientists decided to remove the unsightly growth after people expressed concern. 
> 
> The lump, which did not seem to distress the fish in any way, was removed along with one of its eyes.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/5337358.stm

----------


## Madhuri

1. The shortest war on record took place in 1896 when Zanzibar surrendered to Britain after 38 minutes.

2. The longest war  called The 100-year War  between Britain and France lasted 116 years, ending in 1453.

3. Since 1815 there have been 210 interstate wars. And since 1495, no 25-year period has passed without war.

4. The NATO attack on Serbia in 1999 during the Kosovo war killed more animals than people.

5. The very first bomb that the Allies dropped on Berlin in World War II killed the only elephant in the Berlin zoo.

6. When killed in battle, Japanese officers are, by tradition, promoted to the next highest rank.

7. The first reference to a handgun was made in an English order form for iron bullets in the year 1326.

8. The Peloponnesian War in 500 BC, saw Spartans use sulphur to beat enemy  the first instance of chemical warfare.

9. Global spending on defence totals more than $700 billion. Global spending on education is less than $100 billion.

10. In 1997, the US exported $15.6 billion in arms to developing countries, 54% of which went to non-democratic regimes.

----------


## Virgil

> 3. Since 1815 there have been 210 interstate wars. And since 1495, no 25-year period has passed without war.


This is the most interesting of all the facts listed. I've come to the conclusion that it is within the nature of humanity to be at war. It also tells you you better think about the defense of your country.

----------


## Madhuri

> This is the most interesting of all the facts listed. I've come to the conclusion that it is within the nature of humanity to be at war. It also tells you you better think about the defense of your country.


I agree! 

Another fact that was interesting to me was the amount of money spent on defence, it shows how insecure nations are, that they have to spent more on warfare than education.

----------


## Virgil

> I agree! 
> 
> Another fact that was interesting to me was the amount of money spent on defence, it shows how insecure nations are, that they have to spent more on warfare than education.


Yeah, but Madhuri. Given that there has always been wars and given the threats out there, don't you think it makes sense to spend on defense?

----------


## cuppajoe_9

Philisophical questin : is it possible to be off topic on a thread titled _Non Sequitur_?

----------


## AimusSage

For those of you who are not yet ready for tuesday, or _talk like a pirate day_ I found this very useful Instruction video  :Smile:

----------


## Madhuri

Do you believe in superstitions ? Here's where you can find all about it from across the world Superstitions

----------


## Scheherazade

*Proof of God's existence*

----------


## Madhuri

*Bats:*

Bats avoid obstacles and nab insects on the wing by emitting ultrasonic squeaks and interpreting the echo the sound waves make after bouncing off objects in the environment. This biological sonar, called "echolocation," is also used by dolphins to navigate murky waters.

*Sharks:*

Never play hide-and-seek with a shark because you'll lose. Sharks have special cells in their brains that are sensitive to the electrical fields other creatures generate. This ability is so refined in some sharks that they can find fish hiding under sand by the weak electric signals their twitching muscles emit.

*Boas:*

Temperature-sensitive organs located between the eyes and nostrils of boas and pit vipers allow the snakes to sense the body heat of their prey. There is one located on each side of the snakes' head, so the animals can perceive depth and strike with deadly accuracy even in complete darkness.

*Hummingbird:*

The eyes of insects and birds are attuned to wavelengths of light outside the visible range that humans see in. Birds that appear drab to us are often radiant in colors we don’t even have names for when seen in near-ultraviolet light. Telescopes like Hubble make ultraviolet images, which are colorized by technicians so we can enjoy them.

*Cats:*

Cats have a mirror-like membrane in the backs of their eyes that lets them hunt and move in almost complete darkness. Called a "tapetum lucidum," the membrane reflects light after it has already traveled through the retina, giving the eyes another chance to nab the photons as they make their second trip.

*Snake:*

A snake flicking its forked tongue might look ominous to us, but it's just the animal sniffing its surroundings. A snakes use its tongues to collect particles wafting in the air. The coated tongue is then dipped into special pits in the roofs of the snake's mouth, called Jacobson's organs. There, the odors get processed and translated into electrical signals that are sent to the brain. 

*Moths:*

For moths, the term "love is in the air" is something to be taken literally. The furry insects can detect chemical love signals, called "pheromones," emitted by the opposite sex from up to seven-miles away. Some studies show humans also detect pheromones, but the effect seems to require close encounters.

*Rats:*

Most rats have poor vision, but they make up for it with the "whiskers on their snouts. They use the long hairs, also called "vibrissae," in the same way that blind people use canes. By whisking the hairs across objects the come across, rats and other rodents form mental pictures of their surroundings.

*Drum fish:*

Some fish like this drum fish "hear" using their air bladders. The bladders detect sound vibrations and relay them to the inner ear via a set of bones in the middle ear called the "Weberian apparatus." Hair cells in the inner ear respond to the vibrations and transmit the sound information to the fish's brain.

*Migratory birds:*

Many birds, especially those that migrate, can use the "Earth's magnetic field to stay their course during long flights. Scientists still aren't sure how they do it, but one recent study suggests birds might have a form of synesthesia that lets them "see" the planet's magnetic lines as patterns of color or light that is overlaid on their visual surroundings. Humans must rely on familiar landmarks or the sun's position to locate North, and many can't even manage that. 

Animal Senses

Beautiful Image -- Dew Drop -- Refraction

----------


## Taliesin

> *Proof of God's existence*


Hilarious! :FRlol:  
Actually, we are not an atheist, but these are still funny.

We especially liked these:


121. ARGUMENT FROM PERSECUTION (II)
(1) Jesus said that people would make fun of Christians.
(2) I am an idiot.
(3) People often point that out.
(4) Therefore, God exists.

72. ARGUMENT FROM INSANITY
(1) No sane person could have thought up Christianity.
(2) Therefore, it must be true
(3) Therefore, God exists.


and, especially:

46. CALVINIST ARGUMENT, a.k.a. TERTULLIAN'S ARGUMENT
(1) If God exists, then he will let me watch you be tortured forever.
(2) I rather like that idea.
(3) Therefore, God exists.

----------


## Scheherazade

> Paris and Nicole feud 'is over' 
> 
> Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie have agreed to film a new series of the reality show The Simple Life. The show had been put in danger by a year-long feud which saw the pair filming their sections separately. 
> 
> But it has been confirmed they will play the role of children's camp counsellors in the newest adventure, set to begin production next month. 
> 
> The show's executive producer, Jon Murray, said: "The thing the viewers love is the two girls together." 
> 
> Survivalists 
> ...


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6036331.stm

----------


## Scheherazade

> Its Friday the 13th, which could mean a day of horror for superstitious people who dread the number 13. And not only that, this Friday, all of the date's digits - 13-10-2006 - add up to a total of, guess what? 13 (cue Omen music). 
> 
> So could we all be doomed to a day of ultra unluckiness - or is it all just a load of old codswallop?
> 
> Youve got to be pretty unlucky to suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia, or the fear of Friday the 13th, for a start because no one can say it. But even more so because, as with most superstitious fears, it is one thats ultimately self-inflicted. It stands to reason that if you think, I cant drive today unless a black cat crosses my path because its Friday 13th and Ill end up pranging the car, the chances are youll be much more nervous and therefore increase the likelihood of that happening.
> 
> Some people are so paraskevidekatriaphobic (try saying it three times  you'd be lucky) that they won't go to work on Friday the 13th, which is pretty unlucky for their colleagues. Some won't eat in restaurants (unlucky for the chefs) and many wouldn't think of setting a wedding on the date (poor bored vicars). 
> 
> But while all this may sound trite, its actually a very serious matter. The fear of the number 13 has a strong grip on western society. Many cities in the States dont have a 13th Street or Avenue. And many buildings don't have a 13th floor. And youll need as many four-leaved clovers as you can carry if you have 13 letters in your name, for legend has it youll have the devil's luck. Jack the Ripper has 13 letters in his name, see? (Though one suspects it might have been more than a bad luck day that sent him on a rampaging psychopathic killing mission.) 
> ...


http://lifestyle.uk.msn.com/features...mentid=1059060

----------


## Scheherazade

> Santa Claus and Barbie are among some of the "most important characters" to have shaped society, behaviour - or even swayed the course of history. Topping the list in a book of The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived is Marlboro Man - a 1950s marketing creation to boost cigarette sales. 
> 
> The book's three US co-authors say that his biggest influence has been to cause the death of millions from cancer. 
> 
> At number two is writer George Orwell's Big Brother, followed by King Arthur. 
> 
> According to the book's authors, King Arthur - held by some to be a historical figure - embodies for many the ideal qualities of a monarch or leader. 
> 
> 'Surprising consequences' 
> ...


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6066724.stm

----------


## cuppajoe_9

"Easy pal, that horseradish won't jump a fence."

"You're blind, Mr. Magoo, this is the crossroads for me."

"Suzy, that's fish four days old, I won't buy it."

"He's a big man, he wins all the marbles."

"Rest in peace, Kelly! You're skinny, but JJ says you're sweat."

----------


## Scheherazade

A survey this week found one in five British children could not find the UK on a map of the world.

What about other countries? Test yourself by identifying the 10 countries highlighted in the following questions.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6083496.stm


PS: I could answer only 7 correctly :-/

----------


## AimusSage

10 out of 10!!!

Yay, I know where the Netherlands is on the world map, it's right where I left it  :Biggrin:   :Tongue:  Wow! amazing, it just sunk into the North Sea. Now I'm glad I live on the second floor  :Nod:

----------


## Logos

Just in case anyone is missing the old forum styleee  :Biggrin:

----------


## Scheherazade

> The sinister side of Halloween is being exploited, says one leading church figure, when it could celebrate the triumph of good over evil. Can Halloween go cuddly? Halloween, Fright Night, All Hallow's Eve. Call it what you will, but it's supposed to be scary... right? 
> 
> Not according to one cleric, who wants people to come away from Halloween's darker side. 
> 
> The Rt Rev David Gillett, the Bishop of Bolton, says the "more horrific" of masks prove too scary for many children. With the Mothers' Union - a Christian parenting group - Bishop Gillett is backing a campaign called Halloween Choice to promote the lighter side of the festival. 
> 
> "The emphasis has become so evil and scary, I've spoken to children and adults who find it too scary," he says. 
> 
> Bishop Gillett wants a shift away from horror character masks, like Hannibal Lecter, towards the Christian celebration of good over evil. And, he wants an end to the trick or treating-style harassment that brings out extra police patrols and can be a nuisance to some. 
> ...


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6099008.stm


*Tonight, when I opened the door to couple of 'trick-or-treaters', the youngest of the group, who seemed around 4-5, looked at me and said, 'That is too scary for me, that is!' and I couldn't help feeling guilty (and no, I wasn't wearing a mask; I had just removed my daily make up ). Is it true that Halloween has become 'too scary'?*

----------


## cuppajoe_9

Too scary for what? Childhood is the only time when one can get really properly scared without actually being in any serious danger, and no sissy-pants bishop is going to take that away from them if I have anything to say about it.

----------


## Scheherazade

> He championed free-market economics and was said to be the intellectual godfather behind the Thatcher and Reagan eras. But Milton Friedman, the economist who has died aged 94, will perhaps be remembered best for his observation "There's no such thing as a free lunch".
> 
> The Monitor is inclined to agree  at least, when the much-lamented Lunchtime Bonus Question was in its prime, there really was no such thing as a free lunch as it would devote its hour-long break to churning through e-mail responses sent in by fanatical LBQers.
> 
> In a monetary sense, however, the Monitor must take issue with Mr Friedman's glib observation. Free lunches are there to be had, you just need to know where to look?
> 
> So, in a one-off revival of the Friday Challenge  all for the good of Children in Need, you understand  where is the best place to look for a free lunch?


You can read the suggestions and make your own at: 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/magazinem...llenge_1.shtml

----------


## Scheherazade

> A new generation of superheroes is on its way to save the world - thanks to mums and dads who are film fanatics.
> 
> Records have shown two boys born in recent years have been named Superman.
> 
> And six youngsters now answer to the name of Gandalf, after the wizard in The Lord Of The Rings.
> 
> Other proud parents, presumably inspired by the silky football of Thierry Henry, have called their children Arsenal.
> 
> Three families have named sons David Beckham - and 29 have named theirs Gazza.
> ...


http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/...552569,00.html

----------


## ennison

Many a poor child has had his or her life blighted by mad parents calling them loony names. A sure sign of a dysfunctional family is to name your sprogs after celebs. Certain names are meant for neds and nutters only. Some names lead the bearer to become caricatures of themselves. They have to 'live' the associated image.

----------


## Basil

Let's play a quick game of...

_Which of these things is not like the other?_

----------


## Scheherazade

> *Starring:* Tom Hanks and Audrey Hepburn, with a cameo from Gene Kelly Singing (and dancing) in the Rain
> 
> *The Kiss:* Dirty Dancing's dance floor classic
> 
> 
> *Comedy:* Life of Brian Monty Python genius
> 
> *Action:* Futuristic fight scenes from The Matrix, car chases from The Italian Job and explosions from Independence Day
> Best One-Liner: "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn"  Rhett to Scarlet in Gone With The Wind
> ...


http://movies.uk.msn.com/features/press.aspx

----------


## Scheherazade

> A James Bond fanatic has changed his name by deed poll to match his hero's - and used the title of all 21 films as his middle names.
> 
> David Fearn is now known as James Dr No From Russia With Love Goldfinger Thunderball You Only Live Twice On Her Majesty's Secret Service Diamonds Are Forever Live And Let Die The Man With The Golden Gun The Spy Who Loved Me Moonraker For Your Eyes Only Octopussy A View To A Kill The Living Daylights Licence To Kill Golden Eye Tomorrow Never Dies The World Is Not Enough Die Another Day Casino Royale Bond.
> 
> The 23-year-old council worker told The Daily Mirror he wanted to prove he was one of the world's biggest Bond fans.
> 
> "I can't wait for the first time somebody asks what my name is," he said.


http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/...552567,00.html

----------


## brainstrain

Haha, i would change my name to David Rush Inkheart if i could. I hate my last name (not so much because of it, but the family with which i share it >_<). But still...if you ever had to sign a form with your "full name"...could you even remember all that?

I would hope so ^_^

n.b. Inkheart is the name of my favorite book ever

----------


## Nightshade

> http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/...552567,00.html


has the man even thought about how hell fit all that on official documents?

----------


## Madhuri

Heights for something..... :Biggrin: 





> *HEIGHT OF ISOLATION:*
> Two persons sitting side by side using emails to communicate with each other.
> 
> *HEIGHT OF COWARDICE:*
> Two persons fighting through emails.
> 
> *HEIGHT OF HELPLESSNESS:*
> Receiving no emails for a week.
> 
> ...

----------


## Nightshade

:FRlol:  :FRlol:  :FRlol:  :FRlol:

----------


## Scheherazade

BBC's Test Yourself: *Teen Slang*

----------


## AimusSage

Yay I got 3 out of 10  :Biggrin:

----------


## kilted exile

> BBC's Test Yourself: *Teen Slang*


Phoey "Teen slang", yet more BBC use of England and extrapolating it to the entire world as they are too lazy to go 50miles outside of London and actually do some research

----------


## Pensive

> BBC's Test Yourself: *Teen Slang*





> Yay I got 3 out of 10


I beat you into it, Aimus!  :Tongue:  

2/10: in which one was just a blind guess. This leaves me with "1" score. I must be a shame to these teens.

----------


## Madhuri

Asian Heroes who featured in the Time magazine in last 60 yrs.

----------


## Nightshade

Wait a minute thats innercity teen slang. Or even more correctly chav slang. the rest of us dont use that .... we have a differant type of slang.

----------


## AimusSage

> I beat you into it, Aimus!  
> 
> 2/10: in which one was just a blind guess. This leaves me with "1" score. I must be a shame to these teens.


I'm just better at guessing than you pensive  :Tongue:

----------


## Scheherazade

> Millions of adults in England have reading skills too poor to enable them to belt out many favourites from a karaoke autocue, research suggests. The lyrics of the 10 most popular karaoke songs have been assessed and rated by government literacy experts. 
> 
> Those tackling Robbie Williams' Angels needed the reading skills required to pass five good GCSEs (Level 2). 
> 
> Experts from the Get On literacy campaign said 17.8 million adults would not be able to follow the song. 
> 
> Those adults are estimated not to have not reached Level 2 reading skills. 
> 
> They would also have trouble following the lyrics of Gloria Gaynor's I will Survive, the Commitments' Mustang Sally and Queen's Don't Stop Me Now, the research says. 
> ...


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6183405.stm

----------


## Scheherazade

> A new football team to rival the traditional giants of the Italian game is being planned - by the Vatican.
> 
> In a country where football is like a religion, the proposal has been backed by the game's leading European officials.
> 
> However, it is not known whether the side would be a domestic or international club as the Vatican City is a sovereign state.
> 
> Home games could be a problem as the Vatican - the world's smallest state - is the size of just five football pitches.
> 
> The God Squad idea has been revealed by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Pope's "number two" and avid football fan.
> ...


http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/...244606,00.html

With God on their side, do you think anyone can beat this team?  :Wink:

----------


## Scheherazade

> By Stephen Tomkins 
> 
> What are you doing reading this - haven't you got anything better to do, on this of all days? Do you, as the great poet said, know it's Christmastime at all? 
> 
> I hate to leap to conclusions about anyone, but I say, from what I know of you, that you're an unsociable Scrooge, creeping away from the jolly throng singing carols around the tree, to check your e-mails, browse aimlessly, gorge on humbugs and skulk. You're probably not even wearing your paper crown. 
> 
> Admittedly, you're not alone. Last year almost 1.3 million people found time out of their festivities to visit this website on Christmas Day. That's a fair few, but just a third of those who visit on a normal day. It seems there are plenty of people for whom family fun and a stodgy pudding have more attraction than the internet. 
> 
> Of course there are all kinds of reasons why you might be reading this on Christmas Day, other than anti-social behaviour. 
> ...


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6200383.stm

----------


## Taliesin

Don't remind us of Banjo!

----------


## Scheherazade

*BBC's CV (Resume) Spelling Quiz*

----------


## Nightshade

some amusing ecards

http://00fun.com/lifebefore.shtml

http://00fun.com/oxymorons.shtml

enjoy!!

 :Biggrin: 




> *BBC's CV (Resume) Spelling Quiz*


6/7 Im amazed!

----------


## Scheherazade

> Saying sorry used to be a way of apologising, but these days the s-word has come to mean many different things, and its heavy use says much about modern British attitudes. 
> 
> "It always seems to me that sorry seems to be the hardest word." 
> 
> So sang a bespectacled, flares-wearing Elton John in his famous 1976 hit Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word. 
> 
> Not anymore, Elton. Today, sorry seems to be the easiest word. 
> 
> According to a survey of 1,100 people conducted by Esure car insurance company (famous for their "Calm down dear!" adverts starring Michael Winner), the average Brit will say sorry a staggering 1.9 million times in his or her lifetime. 
> ...


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6241411.stm

----------


## Nightshade

> (as in saying sorry when we bump into someone -* or even, rather bizarrely, when they bump into us*


guilty guilty guilty, sorry even comes out when somen else walks into somthing. Sorry sorry sorry.

----------


## kilted exile

An interesting read I was told of a couple of days ago: www.bloodbus.com
It is the adventures of a bus driver in Glasgow (think Taxi Driver but true)

----------


## Jay

> An interesting read I was told of a couple of days ago: www.bloodbus.com
> It is the adventures of a bus driver in Glasgow (think Taxi Driver but true)


Now that one is funny!  :FRlol:

----------


## Scheherazade

> Each decade has its iconic poster. Man and Baby, which sold at auction for thousands this week, was the defining image of the 1980s, capturing the then nascent New Man and making fortunes in the process. 
> By the photographer Spencer Rowell's own admission, Man and Baby, or L'Enfant, is "a bit cheesy". There's a cute baby, but the eye is drawn to the buffed and muscular male specimen cradling said infant in his lap. 
> 
> It made model Adam Perry a hit with the ladies, and a fortune for the photographer and the poster shop Athena, selling more than five million copies. 
> 
> Twenty-one years after its release, at auction on Thursday, a print of the image went for £2,400 - considerably more than the price paid in the late 1980s by scores of students and young professionals keen to brighten up rented walls. 
> 
> 
> 
> ...


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6275997.stm

----------


## Scheherazade

> A US advert starring Britney Spears' estranged husband, Kevin Federline, has angered a fast food trade group. The 28-year-old pokes fun at his stalled music career as he daydreams of hitting the big time while serving French fries at a takeaway. 
> 
> The National Restaurant Association says the advert suggests restaurant work is "demeaning and unpleasant". 
> 
> But advertiser Nationwide Mutual Insurance insists Federline is the only one being mocked. 
> 
> The commercial will be shown on 4 February during the Super Bowl - US TV's highest-rated broadcast, commanding the highest fees for advertising. 
> 
> Rapper Federline, also known as K-Fed, launched his music career amid a blaze of publicity but only sold 6,500 copies of his debut album, Playing with Fire, in the first week of its release. 
> ...


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6301525.stm

----------


## Basil



----------


## Scheherazade

> Most adults would prefer to cuddle up with a good book at bedtime rather than make love to their partner.
> 
> A survey of 2,000 people showed lovemaking was fourth in a list of "favourite activities" when hitting the sack, behind reading, watching TV - and going to sleep.
> 
> Women were more likely to prefer to read at night, according to the survey by hotel chain Travelodge. 
> 
> 
> The most popular books of the moment were _The Da Vinci Code, Lord of the Rings, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, To Kill a Mocking Bird_, and _Treasure Island_.
> 
> ...


http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/...250309,00.html

----------


## kilted exile

Something I got in an e-mail:




> As you know, Glasgow will be applying to host the Commonwealth Games in
> 2014. What you may not know is that many of the famous events which go
> to make up this spectacular event, are to be especially altered for 2014
> to boost Glasgow's bid. A copy of these changes has been leaked, and is
> reproduced below:
> 
> 
> OPENING CEREMONY
> 
> ...

----------


## Scheherazade

> The fourth Harry Potter novel and David Beckham's autobiography are among the books least likely to be finished by Britons, according to a survey. 
> Booker winner Vernon God Little was the least-finished fiction title, followed by Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. 
> 
> Autobiographies by David Blunkett, Bill Clinton and David Beckham topped the non-fiction unfinished list. 
> 
> A Teletext survey of 4,000 Britons found that almost half of the books they bought remained unfinished. 
> 
> *UNFINISHED FICTION 
> 1 Vernon God Little, DBC Pierre
> ...


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6440981.stm

----------


## Scheherazade

> *It's big business but who really objects to spending money on spoiling their mum on Mother's Day? Only the woman who invented it.* 
> 
> Mothers, they're lovely. They kiss you better when you hurt yourself, cook your favourite dinners and always take your side when someone is nasty to you. 
> 
> The High Street shops might make a mint out of Mother's Day, but who really objects to splashing a bit of cash on their mum on her special day? One woman did and spent 40 years of her life trying to get rid of all the cards and presents - the woman who invented the day. 
> 
> The old English Mothering Sunday has its roots in pre-Christian times, but modern-day Mother's Day - the cards, flowers, chocolates etc - was started in the United States by Anna Jarvis. 
> 
> The ninth of 11 children, she made it her life's work to commemorate every mother after her own mother died. The idea - like Mothering Sunday - was for families to get together in church to recognise the real value of motherhood. 
> ...


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6409411.stm

----------


## Madhuri

> Something I got in an e-mail:


 :FRlol:   :FRlol:

----------


## Basil



----------


## Scheherazade

> Couples in their 20s had their heart rates and brains monitored whilst they first melted chocolate in their mouths and then kissed. 
> 
> Chocolate caused a more intense and longer lasting "buzz" than kissing, and doubled volunteer's heart rates....
> 
> Although kissing set the heart pounding, the effect did not last as long as that seen with the chocolate, which increased heart rates from a resting rate of about 60 beats per minute to 140. 
> 
> The study also found that as the chocolate started melting, all regions of the brain received a boost far more intense and longer lasting than the excitement seen with kissing.


 MORE




__________________

----------


## Virgil

> Although kissing set the heart pounding, the effect did not last as long as that seen with the chocolate, which increased heart rates from a resting rate of about 60 beats per minute to 140.


Huh? Can't be. I have a heart rate monitor/stop watch and it takes me a quarter mile of running to get up to 140 beats/min. I doubt chocolate in your mouth hardly does anything. Hmm, I can actually do this experiment.

----------


## cuppajoe_9

Nothing says "safety" like blindfolded children armed with baseball bats, eh?

----------


## Virgil

Check this out...too funny!!!!


1. go to www.google.com
2. click on "maps"
3. click on "get directions"
4. type "New York" in the first box (the "from" box) 
5. type "London" in the second box (the "to" box) (hit get directions) 
6. scroll down to steps #23 & 24

----------


## kilted exile

I also like the way it sends you to France first.

----------


## Virgil

> I also like the way it sends you to France first.


I guess one gets tired from all that swimming and needs to rest.  :FRlol:

----------


## Scheherazade

*Zombie movies quiz*

----------


## Scheherazade



----------


## Scheherazade



----------


## Scheherazade

> A vote for the worst lyric in pop has awarded the dubious title to soul singer Des'ree's hit Life. The offending lines are "I don't want to see a ghost/It's the sight that I fear most/I'd rather have a piece of toast/Watch the evening news". 
> 
> Listeners to Marc Riley's BBC6 Music show have been voting for the past three weeks on a top 10 list of shame. 
> 
> Second place went to Snap's Rhythm is a Dancer which goes "I'm as serious as cancer/ When I say rhythm is a dancer". 
> 
> In third place was "And I met a girl/ She asked me my name/ I told her what it was" from Razorlight's 2005 hit Somewhere Else. 
> 
> *TOP 10 WORST LYRICS* 
> ...


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6626239.stm

----------


## Madhuri

Spider in the ear

How did the spiders reach the ear drum in the first place?

----------


## Scheherazade



----------


## Wizard272002

Will Turner to die in Pirates 4?

----------


## andave_ya

fascinating. I didn't even know there was going to be a pirates 4. I'm just waiting for pirates 3.

----------


## Scheherazade



----------


## Scheherazade



----------


## Scheherazade

To all the men out there who are losing their hair... fast!  :Biggrin: 


> Slaphead, chrome dome, baldie - people can be nasty when you lose your hair. So what's the solution? 
> At the age of 16, I was confronted with the stark realisation that God found my face too pretty for my fringe. I had started losing my hair. 
> 
> I went to my GP to ask if he could please, please halt the hair dropping like stone from my adolescent head. He suggested a crew cut. With adolescent hormones raging, the news that I'd be bald before some of my peers' voices broke hit hard. 
> 
> A decade on, I'm still coming to terms with my bald pate. I am not alone - almost one third of men are noticeably balding by the age of 30, and most seek to hide the receding tide of their hairline by shaving off what remains.


MORE

----------


## Scheherazade



----------


## Wizard272002

Cute.

----------


## Shalot

That was adorable

----------


## Brigitte

Awwww. Cute little girl. She could sing well, it was just so kid-like. Cuuuteness.

----------


## Scheherazade



----------


## Scheherazade

The common notion that women are the more talkative sex has been dispelled by scientists in the US. Researchers who bugged 400 students to log their chats found little difference in word count between the sexes. 

The University of Arizona study, in Science, conflicts with previous US research suggesting women talk almost three times as much as men. 

Whether someone was an introvert or an extrovert was more important, said relationship experts. 

In the study, women spoke a daily average of 16,215 words during their waking hours, and men 15,669 words. 

The researchers say this difference is not significant.


MORE

----------


## spa girl

I think women _do_ talk more but only because men don't listen & we have to constantly repeat ourselves

----------


## Shalot

> I think women _do_ talk more but only because men don't listen & we have to constantly repeat ourselves



I agree. When I tell my husband to do something or ask him a question about why something is a mess, not working or out of order, he responds with "Do What?" or "What you'd say?" 

They never listen.

----------


## Lily Adams

I love subliminal messages. Even though I'm not a SubGenii.

----------


## Scheherazade

BBC's Map Symbols Quiz

I have got 9/10... Another badge to add my Geek collection.

----------


## motherhubbard

7/10, but I really guessed at all of them.

----------


## Lily Adams

I don't drive yet, but somehow I got a 7 out of 10.

----------


## Mortis Anarchy

> I agree. When I tell my husband to do something or ask him a question about why something is a mess, not working or out of order, he responds with "Do What?" or "What you'd say?" 
> 
> They never listen.


Actually a friend of mine told me that the reason sometimes he doesn't understand what I say or whatever is because "When women talk it doesn't go through clean so its hard for men to stay focused." Thats what he says...I don't think I phrased it write, but he says he read it somewhere...whatever that means. All I say is, excuses excuses!

----------


## papayahed

6/10.

----------


## Scheherazade

LEAST CONVINCING SCREEN PARTNERSHIPS 

1 Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen - Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones

2 Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez - Gigli

3 Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom - Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy

4 Madonna and Adriano Giannini - Swept Away

5 Catherine Zeta Jones and Sir Sean Connery - Entrapment

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6953790.stm

----------


## Lily Adams

Haaaaaaaaa haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. I love it.

----------


## Scheherazade

> We may soon be able to scale vertical walls like Spider-man thanks to scientists. What other superhero characteristics are achievable for mere mortals? 
> 
> It's the stuff of dreams, but a spider-man suit that allows the wearer to scale vertical walls could become a reality. 
> 
> Italian scientists have worked out how the natural technology used by real spiders could allow a person to crawl up the side of a skyscraper or hang upside down from a roof. 
> 
> Has science finally caught up with comic book, and what other superhero characteristics could humans soon have?


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6968934.stm

----------


## Nightshade

And here I was thinking I was super already *sniff*  :Bawling:

----------


## Scheherazade

Well, then you would be super-duper!

----------


## Scheherazade

Ebony and Ivory featured on McCartney's Tug Of War album Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder's paean to racial harmony, Ebony and Ivory, has been named the worst duet in history by listeners to BBC 6 Music. 

BEST MUSICAL COLLABORATIONS

1. Foggy Dew - Sinead O'Connor & The Chieftains
2.Fairytale Of New York - Kirsty MacColl & The Pogues
3. Under Pressure - Queen & David Bowie
4. Where The Wild Roses Grow - Nick Cave & Kylie Minogue
5. Walk This Way - Run DMC & Aerosmith


WORST MUSICAL COLLABORATIONS 

1. Ebony & Ivory - Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder
2. You're The One That I Want - Arthur Mullard & Hilda Baker
3. Dancing In the Streets - Mick Jagger & David Bowie 
4. Little Drummer Boy - Bing Crosby & David Bowie
5. Save Your Love - Rene & Renata 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7031695.stm

----------


## Virgil

Well that's funny. I happen to think that Jagger and Bowie did a nice job with Dancing In the Streets and how boring Queen and Bowie were on Under Pressure.

----------


## Bakiryu

> what other superhero characteristics could humans soon have?


I want the ability to annoy people....

Wait.

I ALREADY HAVE IT  :Biggrin:   :FRlol:

----------


## papayahed

> Well that's funny. I happen to think that Jagger and Bowie did a nice job with Dancing In the Streets and how boring Queen and Bowie were on Under Pressure.


HaHa, Virgie I don't think we'll ever agree on anything :FRlol:   :FRlol:  I was thinking the opposite.

I kinda like Ebony and Ivory


...side by side on my piano, keyboad.....


and Little Drummer Boy?? It was no Bob Segar but Ihardly think it should be in the bottom.

----------


## Niamh

> BBC's Map Symbols Quiz
> 
> I have got 9/10... Another badge to add my Geek collection.


I got 8/10. Of the two i go wrong, the first i'd never seen before and the second connotes something different in other maps so got a bit confused.

----------


## Madhuri

"H2O is hot water, and CO2 is cold

"There is no Nitrogen in Ireland because it is not found in a free state."

"Mushrooms always grow in damp places and so they look like umbrellas."

"The pistol of a flower is its only protections agenst insects."

"The tides are a fight between the Earth and moon. All water tends towards the moon, because there is no water in the moon, and nature, abhors a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins in this fight."

"A fossil is an extinct animal. The older it is, the more extinct it is."

"Germinate: To become a naturalized German."

"Vacuum: A large, empty space where the pope lives."

"For dog bite: put the dog away for several days. If he has not recovered, then kill it."

"To prevent milk from turning sour, keep it in the cow."

"When you breathe, you inspire. When you do not breathe, you expire."

"To remove dust from the eye, pull the eyelid down over the nose."

"The parts of speech are lungs and air."

"The inhabitants of Moscow are called Mosquitoes."

"A census taker is a man who goes from house to house increasing the
population."

"A virgin forest is a forest where the hand of man has never set foot."

"The general direction of the Alps is straight up."

"Most of the houses in France are made of plaster of Paris."

"The people who followed the Lord were called the 12 opossums."

"The spinal column is a long bunch of bones. The head sits on the top and you sit on the bottom."

"We do not raise silk worms in the United States, because we get our silk from rayon. He is a larger worm and gives more silk."

"A scout obeys all to whom obedience is due and respects all duly constipated authorities."

"The four seasons are salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar."

"The climate is hottest next to the Creator."

"Oliver Cromwell had a large red nose, but under it were deeply religious feelings."

"The word trousers is an uncommon noun because it is singular at the top
and plural at the bottom."

"Iron was discovered because someone smelt it."

"One by-product of raising cattle is calves."

"Syntax is all the money collected at the church from sinners."

----------


## Scheherazade

Yet another Movie Quiz

----------


## Scheherazade

If you are up for something experimental, put your headphones on, close your eyes and enjoy this audio show (listening without the headphones will ruin it):

Virtual Barbershop


PS: It is safe for all ages and no trickery involved.

PPS: If it gets stuck, click on the PLAY button again and it will carry on.

----------


## Niamh

got 8/10 on that movie quiz. Told me i was smarter than the avarage participant. :Tongue:

----------


## Weisinheimer

that virtual barbershop thing is pretty cool  :Thumbs Up:  . 




> got 8/10 on that movie quiz. Told me i was smarter than the avarage participant.


I got something like 4/10 or maybe 5/10 and it said I was smarter than the average participant  :Rolleyes:  .

----------


## Scheherazade



----------


## Scheherazade



----------


## Scheherazade

Viva fair play!

http://i30.tinypic.com:80/aylrn6.gif

----------


## khall12807

> 


Aww. Poor Snoopy :P

----------


## Scheherazade



----------


## Scheherazade



----------


## Scheherazade

Can 13 people fit in a Volvo?

----------


## Scheherazade

Four Weddings and a Funeral has been named the best British film of all time, just beating Monty Python's Life of Brian in a new poll.

Sir Sean Connery and Sir Anthony Hopkins shared the title of the country's favourite actor while Dame Judi Dench was named best actress.

...

Richard Curtis's 1994 romantic comedy took 22% of the vote in the poll, squeaking past the Life of Brian by just 1%.

Trainspotting, about heroin users in Scotland, was third with 15% of the vote.

Life of Brian's mixture of comedy and religious themes prompted controversy when it was released in 1979.

...

Casino Royale, starring Daniel Craig as James Bond, made it into fourth place with 10% and Guy Ritchie's gangster film Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels came fifth with 8%.

The top 10 was completed with Lawrence of Arabia (8%), Withnail and I (5%), Atonement (4%), The Wicker Man (4%) and Get Carter (3%).

Dame Judi took nearly a third (29%) of the votes in the best actress poll, more than double that of her nearest rivals Dame Helen Mirren and Julie Walters, both on 14%.

Behind Sir Sean and Sir Anthony in the best actor poll were Sir Michael Caine, Grant and Sir Ian McKellen. Some 1,000 people were questioned in the survey for Virgin Media.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Sho...Bof%2Ball-time

----------


## Scheherazade

> Daniel Powter's 'Bad Day' has been announced as the most played song in the UK over the last five years.
> 
> ...
> 
> PRS data analysts collated the information on national music usage from across all radio and TV outlets and UK registered websites.
> 
> Public address plays at the country's 7,000 live music venues were also added to discover the nation's most played songs.
> 
> Their research revealed that the country's most popular ten songs are:
> ...


http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Sho...Played%2BChart

Can't stand some of the songs listed!

----------


## pussnboots

Is it pathetic that I only know the first 3 songs ?

----------


## sprinks

It's probably better for your sanity that you only know the first 3 songs  :Tongue: .

I don't like many that are listed either.

----------


## Virgil

> Is it pathetic that I only know the first 3 songs ?


I don't know any!!!  :FRlol:  Why am I so proud of that?  :Biggrin:   :Biggrin:

----------


## Scheherazade

> I don't know any!!!  Why am I so proud of that?


Because it gives away which age bracket you belong to?  :Wink: 

I am in a benevolent mood  :Tongue:  so I will post the links to each song on youtube for those who are interested:

1. Bad Day - Daniel Powter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7g6LenMQ5E

2. Because Of You - Kelly Clarkson: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLi0yBmPe0k

3. You're Beautiful - James Blunt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y7WDWP8WMs

4. I Don't Feel Like Dancin' - Scissor Sisters: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXZ1tygRaVw

5. Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ajy0w1XPJk8

6. This Love - Maroon 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD0KPipoOuA

7. Shine - Take That: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1Q7HBvM4lM

8. Put Your Records On - Corinne Bailey Rae: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVNK_VDQY8I

9. Leave Right Now - Will Young: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFthp-dFg5c

10. The Sweet Escape - Gwen Stefani: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tEROk-Y27Q

My personal favorites are "Chasing Cars" and "Leave Right Now".

----------


## kilted exile

So, now that I am one of those management types I decided to get a new toy

----------


## Taliesin

This is a thread for random posts!

----------


## Nightshade

kilted is a managmnet type now?! when did that happen, and CONGRATS!!

----------


## Scheherazade

> This is a thread for random posts!


That's a little bit obvious, isn't it?

----------


## Taliesin

Thank you, Captain Obvious!
Wait, that is me. 
Which means I am thanking myself.

----------


## papayahed

> Thank you, Captain Obvious!
> Wait, that is me. 
> Which means I am thanking myself.



Wait! But which one??

----------


## Nightshade

:FRlol:   :FRlol:

----------


## sprinks

http://www.savagechickens.com/blog/2...ng-wicked.html

 :FRlol:  well this made me laugh heaps!!  :Biggrin: 

If only they let him leave it in...  :Biggrin:   :FRlol:  *sigh*

----------


## Niamh

> Is it pathetic that I only know the first 3 songs ?





> It's probably better for your sanity that you only know the first 3 songs .
> 
> I don't like many that are listed either.





> I don't know any!!!  Why am I so proud of that?


Yikes i know all of them except the Gwen Stefani one. And i love most of them!



> Because it gives away which age bracket you belong to? 
> 
> I am in a benevolent mood  so I will post the links to each song on youtube for those who are interested:
> 
> 4. I Don't Feel Like Dancin' - Scissor Sisters: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXZ1tygRaVw
> 
> 5. Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ajy0w1XPJk8
> 
> 6. This Love - Maroon 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD0KPipoOuA
> ...


The ones i left in above are my favourites. I absoloutely LOVE Chasing Cars.

----------


## Scheherazade



----------


## Virgil

That's a good one Scher.  :FRlol:  Reminds me of my wife.  :Wink:

----------


## Scheherazade

In that case, here is the continuation, Virgil:

----------


## Scheherazade



----------


## Scheherazade



----------


## Scheherazade



----------


## Scheherazade



----------


## Scheherazade



----------


## Scheherazade



----------


## weltanschauung



----------


## weltanschauung



----------


## librarius_qui

:Eek: 

& who was it that said there were zombies only in sci-fi? ...
awsom--/ful pictures, Vel!  :Sick: 

 :Crash:

----------


## weltanschauung

_its party-time
excellent_

----------


## Scheherazade

*"Piecing together Guernica"*

----------


## weltanschauung



----------


## Scheherazade

The way you hold your glass can reveal much more than you might realise

----------


## Scheherazade

7 GCSE Maths Questions

----------


## PoeticPassions

> *"Piecing together Guernica"*


Wonderful, Scher! Thanks for posting. I love Picasso, he is my favorite painter.

----------


## Scheherazade

*
Five great ideas that were had while dreaming*

----------


## Scheherazade

*GCSE Geography Test*

----------


## Scheherazade



----------


## Virgil

> The way you hold your glass can reveal much more than you might realise


What does "Jack the Lad" mean? I think I hold my glass that way.  :FRlol:

----------


## Zee.

Okay I know i'm on a thread creation roll but after some thread skimming I have realized that there are a lot of individual threads created for individual topics that eventually die out. So I was thinking any random thought, announcement, personal news, message, discovery you want to share should be posted here. Consider it the Lost & Found thread, for things which don't really belong anywhere else.


So to start off I would like to share an artist I recently found whose work is absolutely beautiful, her name is kareena zerefos

----------


## Mathor

how cool is this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc3-C...eature=related



EDIT: And that artwork is frikkin amazing, you should post more of her!

----------


## Zee.

beautiful, huh?





Cool video. I was always told to play the piano because I have incredibly long fingers, so I did, for awhile anyway, kind of regret giving up

----------


## 1n50mn14

That is amazing art. I checked out some of the other stuff on her website. Lovely.

Igudesman and Joo... freaking PRO musicians, like... genius... but also mavericks, haha. As a (former) piano student, as well as theory and various other instruments, I find all of this hillarious:

I Will Survive

Rachmaninov Had Big Hands (THIS almost made me pee!)

----------


## Mathor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN9_B...eature=related

----------


## Zee.

There was a sun shower today





I knew my thread would be moved! gah..

----------


## 1n50mn14

Anybody like weird, electro synth pop? It's kind of like old Nintendon 64 music with a pop edge...

=)

Crystal Castles

More Crystal Castles

----------


## Mr Endon

This is the most insane thing I've come across this month:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_(mind_game)

I've just lost.

And I'm sorry you've just lost as well.

----------


## Scheherazade

*GCSE English test*

----------


## Scheherazade

*Happy Cranky Co-Worker Day!*

----------


## Virgil

> *Happy Cranky Co-Worker Day!*


 :FRlol:  :FRlol:  Now I wish I had known today. I would have had a ball with that at work.

----------


## Nemo Neem



----------


## JuniperWoolf

> This is the most insane thing I've come across this month:
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_(mind_game)
> 
> I've just lost.
> 
> And I'm sorry you've just lost as well.


We talked about something like this in my psychology class just a little while ago, except we weren't allowed to think about a white bear. Pretty aggrivating.

----------


## Scheherazade

Why did we burn witches? Why did we stop?

----------


## Scheherazade

The snow quiz

----------


## Taliesin

> This is the most insane thing I've come across this month:
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_(mind_game)
> 
> I've just lost.
> 
> And I'm sorry you've just lost as well.


Damn, I just lost the Game.

Have been playing it for about five damn years and only won twice, I think.

----------


## Scheherazade



----------


## DanielBenoit

> We talked about something like this in my psychology class just a little while ago, except we weren't allowed to think about a white bear. Pretty aggrivating.


Yeah, it's pretty crazy. Btw, the white bear thing has its origins in this Dostoyevsky quote "Try to pose for yourself this task: not to think of a polar bear, and you will see that the cursed thing will come to mind every minute."

Genius.

----------


## Basil

Last night's _Jeopardy!_ question was a good one; the topic was "The 1960s":

*In 1962 the people of Perth, Australia saluted this American by turning their lights on & off at the same time.*

Anybody care to take a guess?  :Tongue:

----------


## Scheherazade

> Last night's _Jeopardy!_ question was a good one; the topic was "The 1960s":
> 
> *In 1962 the people of Perth, Australia saluted this American by turning their lights on & off at the same time.*
> 
> Anybody care to take a guess?


Hey, that _is_ interesting!

----------


## Scheherazade

*10 stories that could be April's Fool but aren't (from BBC)*

----------


## dizzydoll

..

*The English language is much harder than we first thought!* 

1) The bandage was wound around the wound. 

2) The farm was used to produce produce. 

3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse. 

4) We must polish the Polish furniture. 

5) He could lead if he would get the lead out. 

6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert. 

7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present . 

8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum. 

9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes. 

10 ) I did not object to the object. 

11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid. 

12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row .. 

13) They were too close to the door to close it. 

14) The buck does funny things when the does are present. 

15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line. 

16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow. 

17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail. 

18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear. 

19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests. 

20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend? 


Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. 

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it? 

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? 

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on. 

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. 

P.S. - Why doesn't 'Buick' rhyme with 'quick' ? 

There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is 'UP.' 

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP ? At a meeting, why does a topic come UP ? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report ? 

We call UP our friends. And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver; we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car. At other times the little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special. 
And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP. We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night. 

We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP ! To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions. If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more. When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP . When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP.. 

When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP. 

When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP. 

One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now my time is UP, so........it is time to shut UP! 

Kinda makes you think, doesn't it? 
Oh . . . one more thing: 

What is the first thing you do in the morning & the last thing you do at night? U-P


WOT NOT:

Here are a few of my favourite linguistic oddities; many people think that "presently" means the same thing as "currently," but they actually have two entirely different meanings. "currently" means "now," while "presently" means "soon." 

A good example of the correct usage of "presently"; a young man arrives at his girlfriend's house to pick her up for a date. As her mother shows him into the living room, she says, "Cynthia will be down presently." 

One thing that drives me "right 'round the twist" (as we say in Ireland) is people who insist that "irregardless" is a real word. For the record, it can't be a "real word," for the following three reasons;

-First and foremost; there's no such word as "irregard," which means there can't *possibly* be any such word as "irregardless."

-Secondly; it already has a "less" at the end, so you *can't* put an "ir" at the front; it's redundant, and entirely meaningless.

-Finally, and most importantly; if it were a word, "irregardless" would be self-contradictory, and thus an oxymoron, but a single word simply *can't* be an oxymoron. 

It takes a minimum of *two* words to form an oxymoron, as is clearly demonstrated in the following classic examples; "military intelligence," "new and improved," (by definition, a thing is either "new" as in "there's never been anything like it before," or it's "improved," but it can't possibly be _both_!) or "Progressive Conservative Party." 

(The latter is the name of an Canadian political party, and one which is the source of much levity among Canadians. Sadly, the oxymoronic name is the only thing that is funny about the Progressive Conservative Party.)

Regardless of how many people choose to believe that "irregardless" is a "real word," they're just plain wrong. 

Unfortunately, many people these days don't seem to understand or appreciate the differences between "there/their/they're," between "are/our/hour," between "your/you're," or between "were/we're." Any attempt at correction, however well-intentioned it may be, will only get you... "Whatever!" 

Ignorance, apathy and disrespect...all just a sign of the times, I'm afraid, and proof positive that our education tax dollars have been largely wasted over the last couple of decades.' But then you have to admit, text English is busy paving the way to a new future, so "Wot r u up 2 now?"


COS:

The reason that English spelling and grammar are so inconsistent is that it is an assimilated language. The vocabulary has layers of words and multiple words that mean the same thing. Thus, English is tough for foreigners to learn to write, but capable of producing very rich literature and poetry.

At the base is Archaic Saxon from north central Germany. On top of that was added Anglish from the coast of German, Jutelandish from Denmark, Celtic from Wales and the Scottish Highlands, Norse from Norway, Latin from monks, Norman French from Vikings in Normandy speaking a dialect of French, proper French from the Royal Court of England, who couldn't speak Medieval English, Spanish when Spain was numero uno, several Native American languages, and finally Greek from scientists. 

Most Americans are aware that several names we have for animals and foods came from the American Indians, but most are not aware that some very basic words came directly from Native vocabularies. *Okay* is a Choctaw Indian word which means the same in the Choctaw language. *Hut* is a Creek Indian word meaning a small building. *Yahoo* is the Creek Indian verb, meaning "to shout out." *Chobe*  (chobby) means "big" in the Creek language, from whence we probably get the word, chubby. 

Get's confusing doesn't it?  :Crazy:

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## blazeofglory

This is really a very interesting post for it reflects some of the problems nonnative writers face. I had always problems when it came to use appropriate prepositions appropriately and articles. I can express basic thoughts in simple sentences but at times as a writer I have to express complex thoughts too and suddenly the problem of articles come in. I know simple grammar but that does not suffice all the time and I have to internalize so many words and sentence structures and I find them very cumbersome and taxing me. 
The examples given in the post are really interesting

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## stephanson

i certainly agree, the english language is incredibly complex and you would think such diversity would make it easier for writters to write. however to rhyme in poetry you are better off using the italian language - who knew?

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## dizzydoll

Thanks for your comments. I found it telling, as far as English is concerned, and so I for one will be pleased for the changes that greet us over the next 10 years. Perhaps by then we will learn other languages quicker, not as masters but for functionality purposes. Time is moving fast, there is no time. 

When's it time to get out of the head and into the heart
to allow feeling to replace thinking in meditation...

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## Steven Hunley

This may not have been a story but it was facinating. It shows one reason why English is becoming a true world language. Lucky us.

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## Hayseed Huck

Dear dizzy,

Your first examples, identical words used in different 
senses, are called in the classic, antanaclasis.

Such industry! You wrote this at the expense of sleep--
late night writing and early morning writing. 

I loved the play.

Thank you.
HH

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## dizzydoll

HA!. You give me too much credit.

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## Nikhar

It was a very nice read. Must've taken quite a lot of your time. Bravo!  :Smile: 

I specially liked the paras after the 'antanaclasis'. Funny.  :Biggrin:

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## CMM

I guess I take it for granted the fact that I grew up with this language and can understand the ins and outs of it - many of my friends who grew up in the same country as I did still don't have as firm a grasp on English, and I would go so far to say there's still a lot I need to learn.

I guess it does help that my job requires me to know the ins and outs of English, but there's always something new to learn!

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## dizzydoll

Thanks guys... I have added some more to titillate over.....

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## dizzydoll

1. There is only ONE word in the English language with THREE CONSECUTIVE SETS OF DOUBLE LETTERS.... Bookkeeper

2. There is a word in the English language with only one vowel, which occurs five times: "indivisibility."

3. There is a seven letter word in the English language that contains ten words without rearranging any of its letters, "therein": the, there, he, in, rein, her, here, ere, therein, herein.

4. There are two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order: "abstemious" and "facetious."

5. There are thirteen languages spoken by more than 100 million people. They are: Mandarin Chinese, English, Hindi, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Bengali, Portuguese, Malay-Indonesian, French, Japanese, German, and Urdu.

6. There are only 4 words in the English language which end in "duos": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.

7. There are at least two words in the English language that use all of the vowels, in the correct order, and end in the letter Y: abstemiously & facetiously.

8. There are 41,806 different spoken languages in the world today.

9. The word "queue" is the only word in the English language that is still pronounced the same way when the last four letters are removed.

10. The word "honcho" comes from a Japanese word meaning "squad leader" and first came into usage in the English language during the American occupation of Japan following World War II.

11. A felcher is someone who cleans someone else's butt.

12. Clans of long ago that wanted to get rid of their unwanted people without killing them would burn their houses down - hence the expression to get fired.

13. Dreamt is the only English word that ends in the letters 'mt'.

14. Galore comes from the Irish Gaelic go leorwhich is pronounced exactly the same way and means the same thing.

15. Good bye came from God bye which came from God be with you. The word 'Bye' is used in both English and Spanish meaning the same thing. So-long came from the Arabic 'salaam', the Hebrew 'shalom' and the Irish Gaelic 'Slan'. Norwegian farvel means travel well (safe). A modern version would be drive carefully. 

16. Karoke means 'empty orchestra' in Japanese.

17. Looking for a furniture removal truck in Britain? Better ask for a pantechnicon.

18. Malaria was so named because it was associated with the vapors rising from swamps (mala means bad and aria means air).

19. Papaphobia is the fear of Popes.

20. Pogonophobia: The fear of beards.

21. *Q* is the only letter in the alphabet that does not appear in the name of any of the United States.

22. Speak of the Devil is short for Speak of the Devil and he shall come. It was believed that if you spoke about the Devil it would attract his attention. That's why when you're talking about someone and they show up people say Speak of the Devil.

23. The first words spoken by Alexander Bell over the telephone were: Watson, please come here. I want you.

24. The first words spoken by Thomas Edison over the phonograph were: Mary had a little lamb.

25. The infinity character on the keyboard is called a lemniscate.

26. The longest non-medical word in the English language is FLOCCINAUCINIHILIPILIFICATION, which means the act of estimating as worthless.

27. The longest word in the Old Testament is Malhershalahashbaz.

28. The only 15-letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is uncopyrightable.

29. The sentence the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog uses every letter in the English language.

30. The three words in the English language with the letters uu are: vacuum, residuum and continuum.

31. The word dude, which was coined by Oscar Wilde and his friends, is a hybrid of the words duds (for clothes) and attitude. Unlike today, the word was considered derogatory until the 1960s.

32. The word lethologica describes the state of not being able to remember the word you want.

33. The word monosyllable actually has five syllables in it.

34. The word nerd was first coined by Dr. Seuss in If I ran the Zoo.

35. The word quiz was supposedly invented in 1780 by a Dublin theatre manager who laid a wager that he would introduce a new word of no meaning into the language within 24 hours.

36. The word trivia comes from the Latin trivium which is the place where three roads meet, a public square. People would gather and talk about all sorts of matters, most of which were trivial.

37. The words gene and genius from the word gens, which was used by Greek philosophers such as Aristotle to describe the ingenuity of males. Genius and females were never associated with each other.

38. There are only four words in the English language which end in -dous: tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.

39. TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only one row of the keyboard.

40. Women's underwear is called smalls in England.

Some more if you care for:
50 Completely Useless Facts

 :Biggrin5:

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## Revolte

That had to have been one of the funnest readings I've ever have had. But not have as in have currently, but have as in had, though I never had it, so I never could have it, but as in read. Because I read it so my mind had it.

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## dizzydoll

Very clever Revolte. I brought this from Personal Poetry....




> Maybe the reason why English has less rhymes than other languages is that English has a relatively large number of sounds and is less uniform than other languages. For example, in Italian most words end with o or a or i or e. And Italian, like Spanish, has a very specific and limited number of ending sound clusters such as -ice, -ella, -elli, -ndo, etc. There are lots more, but still it is more uniform than English, where word endings include -ck, -ish, -ly, -tion, -es, -s, -le, -er, -ing and on and on and on. Very irregular irregular and non-uniform.
> 
> English's irregularity and non-uniformity are probably due to its hodge-podge history, the blending of Anglo-Saxon, Old Norse, Latin, Greek, Archaic French, French, and even smatterings of Spanish, Italian, German, and even Chinese (e.g. Gung-ho).


 :Biggrinjester:

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## dizzydoll

Just for some fun, I suspect not all of it is true but its uncanny nonetheless:

Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846. 
John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946. 

Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860. 
John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960. 

Both were particularly concerned with civil rights. 
Both wives lost their children while living in the White House.

Both Presidents were shot on a Friday. 
Both Presidents were shot in the head 

Now it gets really weird;

Lincoln 's secretary was named Kennedy. 
Kennedy's Secretary was named Lincoln 

Both were assassinated by Southerners. 
Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson. 

Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808. 
Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908. 

John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in 1839. 
Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939.

Both assassins were known by their three names. 
Both names are composed of fifteen letters. 

Now hang on to your seat; 

Lincoln was shot at the theater named 'Ford'. 
Kennedy was shot in a car called ' Lincoln ' made by 'Ford'. 

Lincoln was shot in a theater and his assassin ran and hid in a warehouse. 
Kennedy was shot from a warehouse and his assassin ran and hid in a theater.

Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials. 

And here's the kicker... 

A week before Lincoln was shot, he was in Monroe, Maryland 
A week before Kennedy was shot, he was with Marilyn Monroe. 

Enjoy a jolly good day

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## dizzydoll

*Reintarnation for Ignoranuses!* 

Here is the Washington Post's Mensa Invitational which once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.

*The winners are:* 
1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time. 
2. Ignoranus: A person who's both stupid and an *******. 
3. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with. 
4. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly. 
5. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. 
The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future. 
6. Foreploy: Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid. 
7. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high. 
8. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it. 
9. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late. 
10. Hipatitis: Terminal coolness. 
11. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.) 
12. Karmageddon: It's when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, and then the Earth explodes, and it's a serious bummer. 
13. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you 
14. Glibido: All talk and no action. 
15. Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly. 
16. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web. 
17. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out. 
18. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating. 

...

The Washington Post has also published the winning submissions to its yearly contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words. 

*And the winners are:* 
1. coffee, n. the person upon whom one coughs. 
2. flabbergasted, adj. appalled by discovering how much weight one has gained. 
3. abdicate, v. to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach. 
4. esplanade, v. to attempt an explanation while drunk. 
5. willy-nilly, adj. impotent. 
6. negligent, adj. absentmindedly answering the door when wearing only a nightgown. 
7. lymph, v. to walk with a lisp. 
8. gargoyle, n. olive-flavored mouthwash. 
9. flatulence, n. emergency vehicle that picks up someone who has been run over by a steamroller. 
10. balderdash, n. a rapidly receding hairline. 
11. testicle, n. a humorous question on an exam. 
12. rectitude, n. the formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists. 
13. pokemon, n. a Rastafarian proctologist. 
14. oyster, n. a person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms. 
15. Frisbeetarianism, n. the belief that, after death, the soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there. 
16. circumvent, n. an opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men.

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## Hawkman

Reintarnation for Ignoranuses!

Bless you, diz, these are great fun!

H

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## hillwalker

Brilliant stuff I agree - 
Frisbeetarianism - reminds me of those people who come round knocking on my door trying to convert me. They're so gullible - there's one born again every minute.....

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## Hawkman

I wonder, why are there no evangelistic Satanists?

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## Scheherazade

> CBS4) At least that's according to a survey commissioned by the Science Museum of London which quizzed three thousand people about their truthfulness. 
> 
> According to the responses, on average, British men tell three lies everyday or roughly 1,092 every year. By comparison women, on average, said they only told two fibs a day which works out to 728 lies a year. 
> 
> So who gets lied to the most? Moms, of course. 
> 
> Twenty five percent of men said they've lied to the mothers, but only 20 percent of women admitted telling a tall one to mum. By comparison, only about 10 said they lied to their partner. 
> 
> So what are the top lies? Well, it varies. 
> ...


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/...n6499561.shtml

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## MANICHAEAN

Then there is the concept of lying when drunk i.e.

No thanks, I'm married.

Nope, no more booze for me!

Sorry, but you're not really my type.

Good evening, officer. Isn't it lovely out tonight?

Oh I couldn't! No one wants to hear me sing karaoke.

I'm not interested in fighting you.

Thank you, but I have no coordination. I'd hate to look like a fool!

Where is the nearest bathroom? I refuse to pee in this parking lot or on the side of the road.

I must be going home now, as I have to work in the morning.

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## Scheherazade

How blind to change are you?

There are three tests to take (follow the video links).

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## Scheherazade

Today, a friend was talking about this so I wanted to dig it up:


> If you are up for something experimental, put your headphones on, close your eyes and enjoy this audio show (listening without the headphones will ruin it):
> 
> Virtual Barbershop
> 
> 
> PS: It is safe for all ages and no trickery involved.
> 
> PPS: If it gets stuck, click on the PLAY button again and it will carry on.

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## Scheherazade

Thanks, British weather!

We had three weeks of sunshine but on July 15th, it rains!

*sigh*

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## Taliesin

Wer auf der Mühle stirbt, bestimme ich

They mostly ruined the "Krabat" movie. However, this phrase was as impressive as in the book.

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## Basil

"Terry's doing the art direction on the movie, mainly 'cause he's not very good at _words_. Being American, he has a very small vocabulary which largely consists of two phrases: one is _yah yah I really like that_, and the other is _yah, that really pisses me off_. And life is divided for Terry into these two clear and distinct categories, things that _he really likes_ and things that _pisses him off_."

John Cleese on Terry Gilliam

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## Madame X

> "Terry's doing the art direction on the movie, mainly 'cause he's not very good at words. 
> ...life is divided for Terry into these two clear and distinct categories, things that _he really likes_ and things that _pisses him off_."
> 
> John Cleese on Terry Gilliam


Apparently Mr. Cleese, though mighty in many ways, is no great grammarian himself. Naughty Brit.  :Hand:

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## Scheherazade

> One of the most-watched programmes in US history, The Oprah Winfrey Show, is ending after 25 years. But the impact of its hostess goes far beyond television.
> 
> Her first episode, entitled How to Marry the Man/Woman of your Choice, suggested this was to be a daytime show like any other.
> 
> But some 4,560 episodes later, the likes of Madonna, Beyonce and Tom Hanks have been lining up to appear at her farewell show, which is broadcast on Wednesday.
> 
> During those 25 years, Winfrey has become a household name, a cultural phenomenon and one of the richest people on the planet. 
> 
> As she signs off to continue work on her own cable channel, her ability to get the newsworthy guests appears undiminished.
> ...


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13507344

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## Scheherazade

Do you know how to write a CV (resume)?

CV Quiz

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## Scheherazade

Most Overrated Books

You can vote and help shape the list (and you _must!_)

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## Pike Bishop

The first 24 are pure trash. I'm sure many people like them, but I wouldn't consider any of them overrated...as in actually being held in high esteem when they don't deserve it. My list of overrated books would be:

1. Sister Carrie--Theodore Dreiser
2. A Farewell to Arms--Ernest Hemingway
3. The Hunchback of Notre Dame--Victor Hugo
4. Native Son--Richard Wright
5. The Awakening--Kate Chopin
6. The Scarlet Letter--Nathaniel Hawthorne
7. Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev
8. Rabbit, Run by John Updike
9. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
10. McTeage by Frank Norris

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