Youthful vulnerabilityAs a youth, were you ever 'propositioned' while you were still too naive to realize what it was about?
Will UK cigarette ban work?What do you think of the UK govt's new anti-cigarette strategy. Will it work as intended and will there be unintended consequences? https://www.bbc.com/news/health-68825322
Those were the daysSomething sent my memory back to recall, incredibly, that until my mid teens our life was absolutely free of intrusive advertising or uninvited sales pitches*. There were outdoor billboards of course, and ads scattered through the newspapers (real...See More »
Freedom from advertising.I recently recalled that I grew up in a time & place virtually free of unavoidable advertising. There were billboards of course, and some scattered ads in the newspapers (newspapers!) but BBC radio and TV were free & non-commercial and telemarketing...See More »
The alleged "sugar high" - ???I have a question. If children get a lot of sudden energy from eating chocolate & sugar, at what age does that stop working for us adults?
Can we conttrol our thoughts?I guess it's pretty well established that our thoughts originate in our brain. So if we can control them where/what is the controller? And if we can't control them, then what?
Competition - blessing or not?Is the preoccupation with competition, with declaring wiwnners & losers - in sports, cooking, writing, even poetry - a blessing or a blight on the overall health of society?
Is the song romantic or evil?The song "I'll be watching you" - It's been called the stalking song; but I really like it. Good melody & clever lyrics although romantically obsessive. Do you like it; in spite of, or maybe because of, the theme?
That constitution.Has the United States' constitution produced political, judicial and social systems actually worthy of admiration? ETA - has any national constitution anywhere done so?
Imagine if income tax made sense!I'm in Canada so I don't know how US tax filing works. I just finished completing Canadian returns for myself & wife. I'm extremely frustrated & angry at how complex and confusing it is. I'd like to make all members of the government and its...See More »
Great Canadian song writersGordon Lightfoot Stan Rogers Ian Tyson Joni Mitchell Gene MacLellan Stompin' Tom ????
Money/inflation relationWithout some form of money would there be anything we could refer to as inflation; could the concept even exist?
Don't stand on chairs.My wife did that two days ago. Stood on a chair to reach a high shelf, fell off and got a nasty head wound with concussion. I had no idea what the after effects of concussion can be like but I'm learning fast. First lesson is "Don't eat if you start...See More »
Life & death decisions.Annual checkup day. My doctor discussing my 'do not reuscitate' order and I'm asking to remind me of the details and probabilities. Paraphrasing here : "Well, if your heart stopped while you were in hospital, of course they'd restart it. But if it...See More »
What con or scam did you fall for that you're still mad about?I can't believe I swallowed the details of the story he used to get his hands on my money. when I traced his phone no. the woman who answered said "He isn't here, and if I ever get my hands on that bastard ..."
Are these the end times?I'm not religious, not a 'believer' but seeing what is happening in the world it is difficult not to think we're long past the point of no return, and seeing the end of our civilization if not our species.
Compulsory attendance at sentencingThe British govt intends making it mandatory for convicted criminals to attend their sentencing. Do you think there's any point to this? It's proposed after a nurse who killed babies did not attend her sentencing (life in prison).
1001 amazing roothpick uses that will BLOW YOUR MIND!!!!Well .. just one use really. I've discovered that I can use a toothpick at the end Of my gin & tonic, to spear the little cubes of marinaded Santa Rosa plum left at the bottom of my glass. Try doing THAT with a piece of dental floss !
On mortalityLast evening.. I'm sitting out on the deck looking across the garden to the rear wall of tall cedars. It's a warm, late afternoon with a gentle breeze stirring the branches. Sometimes the trees at either end of the row sway in opposite directions...See More »
Conspiracy bonanza!Oh boy - what are the conspiracy enthusiasts going to do with the loss of the Titan ? The mind boggles. Any guesses or examples about how bizarre it could get?
Why can't people discuss civilly?Why is it that so many threads here quickly degenerate into personal criticism with attacks on imagined intelligence levels, motivations, political beliefs, etc etc? Do people resort to this because they lack the stamina, language fluency or...See More »
Which leg first?This morning putting on my underpants, for some reason I decided to put my left leg in first instead of the right leg as usual. It somehow made the whole process quite difficult and caused pains where I've never had them before. Life is full of...See More »
Life without mod. cons.Which of the following have you ever lived without (in your home; not holiday house or temp. cabin etc). What was it like, as you remember it? Piped water & plumbing Mains/grid electricity Central heat Radio or TV signal Telephone service
