Zombie

Ah, but manipulation and control are key attributes of sociopaths, or psychopaths as they're generally termed in the UK. Another key attribute is charm and, as we all know, charm can be devastatingly effective - it's a door-opener to all sorts of opportunities to manipulate, control and exploit. And the big company corporate structure is the perfect environment for psychopaths/sociopaths. You will almost certainly know some. Robert Hare has done a lot of well-publicised work on the prevalence of such people in companies and in the general population as well as "tests" that can help you spot them. They are not generally axe-wielding serial killers BUT given the right circumstances they will kill much more readily because they don't have the psychological controls that someone with a well-adjusted personality has, and which prevent us all killing each other http://www.hare.org/

Worth reading the whole page 2013 is apparently the gayest year in gay history! Interestingly next month will be the 50th anniversary of this famous song being recorded.

no need to be surprised - they have Madeira Funchal Airport Boeing 727 - 164 killed Caravelle - 36 killed Kai Tak Airport accident Ketchikan International Airport accident Boeing 747 - only 1 person killed! Ron wasn't exaggerating (the airport has since closed - where's the fun in that? ) But a big danger at any airport is wind - cross winds, wind shear. Imagine being a passenger on this Lufthansa as the 24 yo novice pilot makes her first landing attempt ...

ignoring the irony about lampooning sterotypes on a gay site, all Englishmen obviously speak like Brian Sewell ...

No-one would sneer at you for eating a quality snack like this. Yummy! So is this what I ate over the weekend? No. I raided my mother's fridge. And stole this. Then I switched on X-Factor and squirted the stuff into my mouth as I watched the desperate and the deluded ... the judges squabbling and bickering *was very happy * Nope, Mickey - you either love it or hate it

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The history books never date ... the IT books are soon history

Marmite!!!! *jumps up and down excitedly*

For your delectation *brain now short-circuiting ... *

What would be a perfect pig-out for you? Something that's probably bad for you but makes you feel good? Something other people might sneer at but you couldn't care less as you stuff yourself full of crap? For me a pork pie, pickled onions Twiglets and wobbly blancmange would do the trick. As well as the food itself I love the words too - you just know you're gonna pay for it later :funny:

Gadzooks, Ron, now you've awakened my inner geek! *reaches for specialist magazines ...*

Bullitt From the classic 1968 Steve McQueen movie, Lalo Schifrin's iconic jazz soundtrack. Because it's movie music it was written for the screen action not as a standalone piece. But it's still worth listening to Shotgun - Jr Walker and the All Stars [1965] Some may say this is R&B ... but ... OMG that squealing raspy tenor-sax jazz riff!Junior Walker [Autry DeWalt Mixon Jr] was a Motown session musician who became a big name Motown star with this, their first hit, on which Walker sang as his vocal debut only because the session singer failed to show Lucky for you the pan piper was off sick that day Sorry, Ron, overlooked this Nothing special. Used to have turntable, tuner and analogue amp separates but all thrown out years ago. Currently looking at the best way to link Blu-Ray, PC and digital downloads but digital quality just ain't the same

Happy birthday Lacey

Happy birthday Mark - time to update your profile again!

Interesting, but lots of caveats there. Assumes, too, that the guinea dogs saw the silhouette as front-facing when it could equally be rear-facing... and we all know dogs like rear ends More importantly, though, I think we need some more cute pix of Otto and Nox

A beautifully crafted story, rustle. No question that was truly excellent writing, so much said with so few words. And so sad - made me cry. Like the others I didn't see that coming

well that was a cheery tale for a cold dark All Hallows' Eve ...

That was great fun addy!

Guess paya spared you a savaging from Westie Every country has a constitution, even rickety ole Britain. What we don't have is a codified constitution like the US - it simply evolved over the centuries. It means less business for greedy lawyers and less grief from squabbling politicians - which has to be a good thing

in the original it was a girl - your version's better

Happy Birthday Bee!

Interesting career. He was once asked about his lack of commercial success in the music business and he said "I'm not in the music business! I'm not a businessman, I'm a musician!" He was given electro-shock "treatment" when he was just 14 to "cure" his bisexuality. Jeeze - maybe it helped make him become the original artist he was. Perfect Day was a 1997 #1 hit in UK for 3 weeks - raised over £2m for charity. A one-off. R.I.P.

I fear I'm repeating myself, but the subject of this thread is "Are we as gay men and women, in order to normalize ourselves to the greater world, supposed to censor ourselves?" It is not about women as a "minority group". So, to answer clumber, when Persinette continued to develop her views I simply acknowledged the divide and suggested the reference be ignored because this was clearly straying into politics. And to answer Thorn, brink's reference to women was in respect of historic discrimination against women in the time of George Eliot. As you know politics is not allowed in the forums. That's why I am not going to discuss this any further. If you have an issue with this then you must take it up with site admin not here.

OK, there's clearly a male / female divide here which is outside the scope of this thread. You'll understand I'm unhappy about this being brought into the discussion in your previous post hence my response. So may I suggest we ignore your reference to women as a minority group, together with this post and #51 and 52, and return to the subject which is about "we as gay men and women" as the minority group?

The only point I would pick up on is women as a "minority group". Certainly they are not a minority in the general population, unlike "queers" who very clearly are. Nor in the publishing world - a brief scan of the local lending library and bookshop will confirm this. And certainly, for at least a generation, not in terms of their ability to write from a female perspective in whatever form they wish - assertive, pornographic, iconoclastic, whatever ... because there are no limits for female writers, and if they do get criticised or lambasted it is as individual writers not as "women". .