02-22-2005, 05:41 AM | #301 | ||
Lady of Letters
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I did find this funny though: Quote:
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And all the time the waves, the waves, the waves Chase, intersect and flatten on the sand As they have done for centuries, as they will For centuries to come, when not a soul Is left to picnic on the blazing rocks, When England is not England, when mankind Has blown himself to pieces. Still the sea, Consolingly disastrous, will return While the strange starfish, hugely magnified, Waits in the jewelled basin of a pool. |
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02-22-2005, 06:52 AM | #302 |
Elf Lord
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I think there are lots of motives behind this interminable foxhunting debate!
I was a teenager living near Chesterfield when the miners' strike happened in 1984. The miners used the same sort of arguments we're hearing now: they were defending jobs, communities, a way of life. And they said they were resisting unjust laws (secondary and mass picketing had been made illegal). I smile a little when I hear the media talk about 'bitter confrontation' over this foxhunting lark - during the strike one miner was killed when a truck was driven through a picket line and one coal haulier was killed when a breeze block was thrown at his cab. And that was just in our corner of Derbyshire alone. The police presence became so heavy handed that the local amateur football leagues had to start postponing games - teams were being turned back at roadblocks under threat of arrest as the police thought they were groups of striking miners in disguise My sister was very horsey so we knew a few people from the local hunt, and they were pleased, even smug, about the situation. The concept of mining communities wanting to defend their way of life caused particular amusement. I never had that much time for the miners to be honest. Many of them were boorish trouble-makers protected by a too-powerful union which had far too much say in local politics. But having seen them in action, I didn't have much time for those who were so determined to eradicate them either. I've heard it say that the Foxhunting Bill might just be payback from the current crop of Labour backbenchers who can remember 1984 - and to be honest I can believe it. As to losing a way of life - well, yes that is sad. Perhaps Otis Ferry could go and propound on the subject to the residents of any number of former pit towns and villages.
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02-22-2005, 10:26 AM | #303 | |||
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That's really interesting Draken. (We need a more toned down eek smilie.) *goes back to lurking*
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02-22-2005, 11:00 AM | #304 | |
Elf Lord
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Do you think they would know prejudice if it bit them on the arse? Good point Draken. The major difference was that the miners actually were defending their communities, which were devastated as a result. Last edited by The Gaffer : 02-22-2005 at 11:03 AM. |
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02-22-2005, 02:14 PM | #305 |
Lady of Letters
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I think they'd call what you feel about them as prejudice. If you think it's justified, that's fine, but that still makes it justified prejudice (if that isn't an oxymoron), and therefore they do experience prejudice - from you. I think that's ironic. If you'd just said they never experience hardship or the real destruction of a community, like the miners, that's true and provable. But you disproved your own point by being prejudiced yourself...
Q: When is prejudice not prejudice? A: When it's my opinion...
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And all the time the waves, the waves, the waves Chase, intersect and flatten on the sand As they have done for centuries, as they will For centuries to come, when not a soul Is left to picnic on the blazing rocks, When England is not England, when mankind Has blown himself to pieces. Still the sea, Consolingly disastrous, will return While the strange starfish, hugely magnified, Waits in the jewelled basin of a pool. |
02-23-2005, 05:00 AM | #306 |
Elf Lord
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Heh. Prejudice is never justified, IMO, but the potential is always there. We have to be aware of it in ourselves. While I'd accept that I could well be prejudiced against the Countryside Alliance, I would try not to treat them as individuals any differently.
But my observation has been that they tell lies, they think it's OK to kill foxes for fun and they do charming stuff like force their employees to attend political rallies in support of their views. They also seem to think it's OK to take our taxes in subsidies but not obey our laws. |
02-23-2005, 06:53 AM | #307 |
Elf Lord
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Well I just hope these damned tree-hugging do-gooders don't turn their attention to the fine old English sport of worm-baiting. Unchecked worms can cause untold harm to a fine lawn. And nothing beats the thrill of stepping out onto the grass one fine crisp morn and letting slip the wormhounds. It's part of the very fabric of our life. Needless to say the wormhounds are trained to tear the worms to tiny bits in a very humane way - they hardly feel a thing.
And think of the misery a ban would bring! We'd have to put down all the wormhounds for a start. What other use is there for a dog that's a metre long but only 2mm high, I ask you? I blame these townies with patios and decking. They don't understand our ways.
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02-23-2005, 09:12 AM | #308 |
The Intermittent One
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are you being juts a little sarcastic, draken?
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02-23-2005, 09:24 AM | #309 |
Elf Lord
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Sarcastic? Moi?
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02-23-2005, 12:19 PM | #310 |
Lady of Letters
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Apparently there actually is a sport (I use the term loosely) of worm-charming. It's pretty much like you describe, except without the 2mm high wormhounds, which takes all the fun out of it really.
Surely though the most efficient way to hunt worms is with well-trained early birds?
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And all the time the waves, the waves, the waves Chase, intersect and flatten on the sand As they have done for centuries, as they will For centuries to come, when not a soul Is left to picnic on the blazing rocks, When England is not England, when mankind Has blown himself to pieces. Still the sea, Consolingly disastrous, will return While the strange starfish, hugely magnified, Waits in the jewelled basin of a pool. |
02-25-2005, 12:02 PM | #311 |
Elf Lord
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Birds? Charming WITHOUT wormhounds? Begone with your new-fangled ways! You just don't understand our time-honoured traditions!
As Shakespeare himself said in the oft-overlooked 'Taming of the Worm': "And fine men abed across this parish will forever consider themselves accursed that they heeded not the sounding of the worm horn nor the baying of the wormhound, and slumbered on when they could have come a-worming this April morn." Act III Scene 4 (just before the rather contrived multiple-suicides)
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02-25-2005, 12:34 PM | #312 |
Lady of Letters
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That's the one that goes on:
And hold their manhoods cheap, whiles any speaks That chased with us upon wormhunting day" or elsewhere in the same play I see you stand like wormhounds in the slips, Straining upon the start. The game’s afoot: Follow your spirit; and, upon this charge Cry ‘God for Harry! England and Saint George!’ *wipes away a patriotic tear*
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And all the time the waves, the waves, the waves Chase, intersect and flatten on the sand As they have done for centuries, as they will For centuries to come, when not a soul Is left to picnic on the blazing rocks, When England is not England, when mankind Has blown himself to pieces. Still the sea, Consolingly disastrous, will return While the strange starfish, hugely magnified, Waits in the jewelled basin of a pool. |
03-03-2005, 06:10 PM | #313 |
The Blobbit
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What do people think of the case of the young Muslim woman who has won the right to wear her religious clothes at school?
More controversially, what do you make of her suggestion that she will now sue the school for damages?
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03-03-2005, 06:16 PM | #314 | |
I am Freddie/UNDERCOVER/ Founder of The Great Continent of Entmoot
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Why shouldn't she be allowed to wear her religious garb to school? If you want religious tolerance - than the best thing to encourage that is to see that people are different and not to hide those differences. This is why I think that France's headscarf ban is completely wrong. As for having an opinion on whether she should sue the school for damages - I would have to knwo more about the case - such as did the school harass her, did teacher harass her, did students harass her with teachers or faculty members looking on or knowing about it. etc etc. If those are the cases - then yes - I think she should sue the school.
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03-03-2005, 06:22 PM | #315 |
The Intermittent One
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i don't know the detrails of the case janny, although the law report was in the guardian, too busy looking at the latest satirical offerings in Comment & Analysis, I shouldn't wonder but i see no reason for her to not wear religious clothing if she is from a religious background, i am sure Michael Howerd would disagree on that, though!
< that is at michael howerd, btw (thought i had better add that as there is a lot of anti- going about ) |
03-03-2005, 06:28 PM | #316 | |
I am Freddie/UNDERCOVER/ Founder of The Great Continent of Entmoot
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Come back! Come back! To Mordor we will take you! "The only thing better than a great plan is implementing a great plan" - JerseyDevil "If everyone agreed with me all the time, everything would be just fine"- JerseyDevil AboutNewJersey.com New Jersey MessageBoard Another Tolkien Forum Memorial to the Twin Towers New Jersey Map Fellowship of the Messageboard Legend of the Jersey Devil Support New Jersey's Liberty Tower Peacefire.org AboutNewJersey.com - New Jersey Travel and Tourism Guide |
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03-03-2005, 06:34 PM | #317 |
The Blobbit
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I think the school's case was that what she wanted to wear covered the school tie, thus not distinguishing her as a pupil.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/b...ts/4310545.stm http://education.guardian.co.uk/fait...428552,00.html Neither mention the desire for compensation, but that's the left side for you. Note also, as was missed by today's Telegraph, that the girl was being represented by a one Ms Cherie Booth QC. PS: I dig the whole biting my thumb thing. I do not roll my eyes at thee, sir, but I do roll my eyes. ~ Romeo and Juliet, Act 1, Scene 1.
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Janny's Songs Janny's lyrics and random photographs Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who happen to be walking about. ~ Mercutio... erm, GK Chesterton. Last edited by Janny : 03-03-2005 at 06:36 PM. |
03-03-2005, 06:37 PM | #318 |
The Intermittent One
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is that not a conflict of interests?
what with schools being administered by LEA's, which are technically the Gov'ts representatives |
03-03-2005, 06:40 PM | #319 |
The Blobbit
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No, it's betting on both red and black.
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Janny's Songs Janny's lyrics and random photographs Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who happen to be walking about. ~ Mercutio... erm, GK Chesterton. |
03-03-2005, 06:43 PM | #320 | |||
I am Freddie/UNDERCOVER/ Founder of The Great Continent of Entmoot
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BTW - I just wanted to say that this statement is complete bull... Quote:
Quote:
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Come back! Come back! To Mordor we will take you! "The only thing better than a great plan is implementing a great plan" - JerseyDevil "If everyone agreed with me all the time, everything would be just fine"- JerseyDevil AboutNewJersey.com New Jersey MessageBoard Another Tolkien Forum Memorial to the Twin Towers New Jersey Map Fellowship of the Messageboard Legend of the Jersey Devil Support New Jersey's Liberty Tower Peacefire.org AboutNewJersey.com - New Jersey Travel and Tourism Guide Last edited by jerseydevil : 03-03-2005 at 06:46 PM. |
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