Zombie

for anyone stumbling on this thread by accident and not understanding what it's about, these college guys are wrestling er, at least I think they are...

I don't fully understand the circumstances here but in answer to the more general question raised it is not appropriate for a business person to use their company or position within that company to express their personal view on a political matter that has no direct relevance to their business's operations or policy. It's unprofessional, unbusinesslike and an abuse of their office. I've no sympathy with individuals who do so and come a cropper.

Elements of Gladiator, the Borgias and fantasy are combined to create a rich world full of danger, scheming and intrigue. I hope Taranis will get to relax a little and maybe get some food inside him in the next chapter... if he survives the cliffhanger

The words are really about recognition. And once you have recognition you can have understanding ... or persecution

No, not satire. Satire uses humour to mock its target, this was a straight up hoax. Nor was it an April Fool as it was published March 29th and claimed a May 1 commencement. Britain has Private Eye - anything sourced to that magazine will be satirical

you've had a rough time simply trying help kids who need help I hope you make a full physical and mental recovery and can turn your bad experiences to advantage

I want him to be employed as a counselor for the Arachnophobia Society...

It's interesting that many "American" words are in fact old Middle English words that have been preserved on the west side of the pond, like "gotten" which was common in Shakespeare's time and is still used in some English dialects but has otherwise died out. Another one is diaper (used in England in the 16th century) which has now been replaced by nappy (the thing LBO wears ). There are plenty of booby traps for English learners to fall into. Fag is a good one, as already pointed out, and rubber is another It's interesting that those on the west side have great difficulty with "irony" - it's ironic that they almost always get it wrong Here's an example that should make it clear... Tom: Was the conference guest speaker any good? Jess: He was late. His flight was delayed. It's ironic, his subject was The Early Bird Catches The Worm...

Speaking for myself I have to say the body bits are fairly important too... But I agree that the labeling thing is simplistic. It's a crude attempt to pigeonhole people, and people are more complicated than that.

it's depressing that voters in a mature democracy choose to elect ignorant and dangerous child abusers into public office

John Coffey and his partner, Bernardo Marti, who live in Pimlico, central London, are booking a slot at one minute past midnight on Saturday 29 March with Westminster city council – the day gay marriages are recognised in law. They hope to make history twice by becoming not only the first same-sex couple to wed but also to do so in a double ceremony with friends who are straight. "We will be their witnesses, and they will be ours. In my mind, that will be a true symbol of equality – a straight wedding and a gay wedding at the same time," said Coffey. http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/dec/11/couple-plan-uk-gay-marriage-legal Here's to both happy couples If you want to make a comment other than just congratulations, or ask a question, please do so in a blog I've set up to avoid any problems with GA rules. Thanks. https://www.gayauthors.org/forums/blog/504/entry-14426-uk-first-gay-marriage-on-saturday/ .

Gay marriage becomes legal in Britain as from midnight tomorrow, 28/29 March. Here's a commentary from The Daily Telegraph: Why gay marriage deserves to quietly disappear Much has been written about the importance of this weekend and rightly so but once we have seen the inevitable ‘first couple’ on the news, this story deserves to quietly disappear. Whilst it has been wonderful to hear the positive debate, the debate has inevitably brought out the ugly and I for one will be glad not to have to listen to the well-rehearsed anti equality arguments anymore. There will come a day and I do not believe that day is very far off, when we won’t even be able to imagine that we had this debate. We baulk now when we remember those signs in the ‘60’s that read: ‘No Blacks, No Jews, No Irish’. Soon we will baulk at the fact that not so long ago gay couples did not have the right to formalise their love in the same way as everybody else. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/10727517/Gay-marriage-deserves-to-quietly-disappear-says-Alice-Arnold.html

signed it - dunno if it'll count, being an alien an' all anyway, the count is now 103,718

I want one is confused - Daddy's link calls it a 2015 Anniversary model - it was launched April 1964 and we're not yet through the first quarter 2014...

guess we'd all like one guardian angel let alone three

A truly vile man who spawned a mostly vile brood. No need for any afterlife Hell - he died in his very own Hell on Earth, alone and unloved, excommunicated from his own "church", hated by many of his own family whom he'd taught so well how to hate. To use a Biblical metaphor he would have known and understood, he reaped what he sowed. On the other hand there were some positive outcomes from his life: he helped bring down America's shameful and disgusting Jim Crow laws, and he has shown Americans and the World the face of hate: what hate means and what hate does. If it has made some think again about their own hateful beliefs then some good will have been done.

This is Japanese company AutoWay's latest commercial for selling its car tyres. It's an interesting idea, because a lot of its customers will have died from shock before they had a chance to buy the product...

For switching to Linux http://betanews.com/2014/01/30/windows-xp-home-users-should-upgrade-to-linux-not-windows-8-1/ Against switching to Linux http://betanews.com/2014/01/31/from-windows-xp-to-linux-youd-have-to-be-mad/ I'll probably stick with XP and avast for a while, but I like the idea that Linux has been around for years - has anyone here actually done the switch? And what about all the basic essential tools like printer drivers, router connection, Firefox and plugins?

blame the baby milk industry and their propaganda that breast milk is bad and bottled milk is good... good for their profits The switch to formula milk has been a disaster - culturally (what you've just seen on your ward), economically for families (good for those companies though...) and healthwise - studies have shown beyond doubt that breastfed babies are healthier babies. As if any reasonable person would expect otherwise...

my brain hurts

Transcendental. Like going on a trip. Without the chemicals

Interesting question. What is evil? Is evil inherent? We could have some fun with that one Sexual violence - mostly against women - is a real problem in society. I don't want to repeat myself so I'll just refer back to what I said in #58 and #66 It makes no difference that viewers are not watching real sexual abuse, rape or murder - which would be illegal anyway - and Cia has already accepted this point.

I've not seen the Cadinot movie so I can't comment on it specifically, but I'll try to answer your question "Is simulated rape wrong in porn?" Cia had it absolutely right when she said "context matters". The 1988 movie The Accused includes a simulated but very realistic, graphic, violent and obviously non-consensual gang-rape of Jodie Foster's character in a bar. It goes on for 5 minutes during which time several other male patrons stand by, watch the rape, even cheer it on. It's an intelligent film. The viewer is forced to watch not only the rape but also the others who just stood by and watched. By implication it makes the viewer feel like those who are standing around and doing nothing except "enjoy the show". I think the director intended this - as an indictment of attitudes in society to rape. That scene, in the context of the movie, is good - because in the context of the movie it is absolutely necessary to show the viewer the brutal reality of violent rape so that the viewer can then understand the movie's point about social attitudes to the violent abuse of women. That same scene taken out of the context of the movie, viewed in isolation and used by viewers to sexually stimulate themselves and connect their arousal specifically with those scenes of violent gang rape, would be evil. Context is everything. .

Yeah I did. Sorry about that. But that is the question in the title of this thread So to answer that question... I think most porn is not just bad it's crap, some porn is good - in quality and also for those excluded from a sex life maybe because they're disabled or elderly, as well as horny teenagers - and some porn is evil. You also said "Context matters". I agree with you. Which is why, unlike you, I do worry about simulated videos that realistically portray people being subjected to violent non-consensual sex - violent rape is apparently popular - or murdered, and which are made to sexually stimulate and arouse viewers and to connect their arousal specifically with those scenes of violence and murder. You may say there's no proof that videos like this have ever changed or corrupted anyone. But it's incontestable that they portray behaviours. Terrible social behaviours. And human social behaviours are largely learned, not innate. So if society at large takes the view that it's fine to enjoy what you enjoy and don't worry about what someone else enjoys watching, or making for people to watch, then at some level this is tacit endorsement that these videos and these behaviours are OK. There is no social upside with these videos but a real social downside that puts everyone else at risk.

This thread simply invited others to chime in about whether porn is evil, good or none of the above. It isn't about reporting, or acting as policemen, or actively looking for bad stuff so I'm a bit puzzled where this has come from. Your view about child porn is now clear - makes no difference whether it's real or not - but not for the other two areas: simulated violent abuse and simulated snuff. You've only given your view on "live" abuse or "real" snuff.