What Do You Think Today?

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Strange how it takes public outrage to motivate them to do anything...

--A

[peter]

This week is the Scottish Nationalist Party's conference week and consequently the political shows on TV have had interviews with the leading politicians from north of the boarder as their main feature's. I have to say, watching both Ruth Davidson [leader of the Scottish Conservative Party] and Nicola Sturgeon, I was mighty impressed with the clarity and reasoned arguments that both advanced in support of their relative positions across the board. The Scottish are very lucky to have such talent at their disposal, and seeing them cross-examined brought the comparatively low-grade nature of our own equivalents into sharp focus. I've watched Corbyn and May repeatedly and neither of them hold a candle to these two in terms of answering questions in an honest and straightforward way.

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Well, to be fair, there are probably greater consequences for the latter if they're honest.

--A

[peter]

Sad but true Av; it's almost as if they are afraid to answer any question put to them!

I'm saddened to hear that a woman fell to her death from the Whispering Gallery that runs around the inside of the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral yesterday. A rare, if not unprecedented occurence, it reminds us of the care we need to take when visiting even the most frequently attended attractions both at home and abroad. Tragedy for all concerned.

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I always think of the quote by old Edward Whymper, one of the pioneering alpinists:

Climb if you will, but remember that courage and strength are nought without prudence, and that a momentary negligence may destroy the happiness of a lifetime.

Do nothing in haste; look well to each step; and from the beginning think what may be the end.

Words to live by.

--A

[Kizza]

Hey Peter, and Av,

With the likes of Theresa May and Peter Cameron dwelling to the left a long time (and please note I am a moderate so not criticising things left or right) may be a point which means a change - albeit not a good one even - becomes necessary?
Also, that reference you make to a 6 week hiatus in payable benefits cannot possibly be allowed to happen. I would anticipate at a guess that would affect at least a million voting people.

I had an organised robust discussion - in a pub -with a couple of mates in the past week about Labour and Liberal in Australia, left and right and who`s up who and who`s paying the rent. I admitted that as a 14 year old at a Christian School I was convinced that Karl Marx had it right and that that the world with one class would be happy and fair. This perception took a turn when I was working with a fellow who would watch me do the heavy lifting and still put his hand out to be paid the same as me, while I wanted to get paid more for working smarter and getting better results for the boss so I could buy my girlfriend an above average gift. Then the discussion turned to `I pay more tax than you earn`, and so on.
I grew up in the left, and have been moderate leaning right in more recent years. There is so much can be said for charisma in a leader.
These mates I caught up with are funny(one carries a photo of Gough Whitlam, and another quotes John Howard just to piss him off). One said that socialism will rise in the US due to the fact that Trump is a buffoon.

I watched Assassins Creed last night. My younger son warned me that it was terrible, but I enjoyed it!

Hope all is well.

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Haha, nice to see you around Kizza.

Don't watch Assassin's Creed, play the games.

A world with one class would be happy and fair. But people always want to be a higher class than their neighbours/rivals/whatever.

--A

[peter]

Hi Kizza! I'm going to watch the film and play the game, so I score on both fronts. Good to hear that at least someone has enjoyed the film - gives me hope that I may possibly be the second person!

[Kizza]

Ha! I will attempt the gamer this weekend. I am told once I play it I will be disappointed in the film?

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Almost certainly. If you are going to play them, strongly suggest doing so in order, as they do tend to get better over the series for the most part. (Except 3...3 was pretty bad...)

--A

[peter]

I've said it before and I'll say it again.

THE INTERNET IS NO PLACE FOR KIDS!

A report out in the UK today shows that incidence of seriously malicious posting offences are up by over forty thousand this year on last, to a total of over three hundred thousand per year. This occurs almost exclusively amongst the juvenile users of the net with orchestrated campaigns of bullying, posting of fake obscene images and online revelations of private information and telephone numbers featuring among the list. This is no more than what used to happen in terms of the passing around of vicious notes and tittle tattle when I was at school - but of course the consequences now are hundreds of times worse. Kids driven to the point of breakdown, lives ruined, even suicide - how many of these tragedies must occur before society gets it that no kid, no kid, should be allowed anywhere near the internet [except in the strictest of controlled settings] until they reach the age of eighteen. It's just plain common sense; kids just don't have the mental apparatus to deal with the internet and it's world of possibilities in the manner which responsible usage demands. These figures merely demonstrate the fact in a palpable form.

[Kizza]

The internet bullying scenario is frightening. Particularly for kids.
Then again, I watch the behaviour of people on news feedback columns - www.news.com.au - and it blows me away how people readily pigeonhole others.
Some of the articles related to Trump threatening NK recently saw people calling for peace referred to as leftwing spineless snowflakes who don't belong in this country, or you're a socialist rat, or a capitalist pig, and so on..... Almost disturbs me as much as the threat of war! Almost.
And I have noticed they prey in packs. Never on the people who straight up question the worth of what they are saying, only to people who react.

[Kizza]

That Assassins Creed game is a keeper.

[peter]

Absolutely agree Kizza; the internet can be a hostile place, even for adults (author Jon Ronson wrote a book on it). How much more dangerous then for kids?

Quick change to the Assassin's Creed game - is Florence featured in that one? I've just returned from there and would be interested to see how well they stick to the actual geography of a place.

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Florence features in Assassin's Creed 2, AC: Brotherhood and AC: Revelations, the 3-part storyline of Ezio Auditore da Firenze.

And yes, the Net can be dangerous. More so now than it used to be when we were all anonymous.

Problem is, we're in a period of such rapid change that we have neither the skills nor the frameworks to respond appropriately to such changes and the challenges they represent.

--A

[Kizza]

On AC I am just getting the hang of the control and diving from great heights. Need to be careful, I was going to start on the weekend but took over the games tv in the shed and lost 3 hours playing that damn thing. We have the first one, ACII, and AC black flag. I would say I could disappear up my own backside for a month.

On a separate note: Do you find some reality tv like watching a car crash unfold?

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2 is only the first of that 3-part series set in the Renaissance, and Black Flag, (AC IV) is probably one of the best. (The Renaissance trilogy is pretty good too.) AC 3 is, as I mentioned, probably the worst I've played of them.

I don't really watch reality TV for the most part. It's too annoying, and it's "realness" is pretty questionable.

--A

[Kizza]

Definitely probably a leading question on my part.
I find Donald Trump to be like reality tv. With the advent of the release of almost all of the JFK files, it is like a media spin bowler throwing down googlies.

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He actually is sorta like reality TV.

--A

[peter]

DT is reality tv! I'm beginning to notice that thing he does when he is talking where he makes a circle with his forefinger and thumb with his other fingers sticking up in the air and find it .... amusing[?]; I don't know - I just notice it.