Seeker

I, too, prefer to just go by my given name. When people insist on calling me Mr X, I then will usually say it should be Rev. X, but I prefer you just to use my name. Organization types seem to freak out a bit at that for some reason.

I quite liked the term "differently abled", but since I'm mundanely abled, I don't think it's any of my business to choose. Again. it's almost certainly well meant, but renaming a group of people to "protect" them seems awfully patronizing to me.

OK, thanks for the quick response. I'll see how things develop.

Interesting tangent. I'm mostly a conceptual thinker. There is a sort of conceptual "space" involved, and I can often sense where two ideas don't "fit", but I don't "see" it as such. I have to translate when I want words, or pictures or actions. Music is probably my most direct form of output, bu even there, there is some post-processing involved. Back to PC. Firstly I agree that there have been a variety of ideas referenced under the term. Some with quite good intentions, others less so. I hear it most often used as a set of rules for not referring to anything which causes dissent. As such, I am strongly opposed to political correctness. An ex-forces friend of mine told a story about the Falklands war. An officer had overheard the men calling the locals "Bennies", a reference to a special needs (PC) character in a British soap opera. He considered this unacceptable, and issued an order to the effect that the term should not be used. A while later, he became aware that the locals were now called "stills". When the men were pressed for an explanation, they said "well sir, begging your pardon, but they're still Bennies." The point I take from this is that it is the attitude, not the terminology which is the problem. Excessive zeal in the policing of language can be counter-productive, in that it makes it hard to even refer to a topic, let alone get to grips with the underlying problems. I understand the need for courtesy and consideration, and I will try not to be gratuitously offensive. On the other hand, if a subject needs to be talked about and I have to use an occasional "bad" word or phrase to do so, then full steam ahead and damn the torpedoes!

I just started a new topic and decided to try the "add a tag" function. There seems to be a very arbitrary and restricted set of tags available, with no option to create new tags. What are your plans for this?

Why was the old one closed? Perched on their long legs A brace of cranes are busy Fishing for girders.

I'm sorry, but I really dislike it. Cluttered, and reduced functionality. Popups asking if you want more popups, ... Everyone is doing it, but that doesn't make it right.

For the festive season and the new year, best wishes to you all .

That's a large part of the reason for the emphasis on especially in my sig. I'm glad your hand improved, however it came about. Best wishes for your health in general.

Happy Solstice, Gruffydd.

Ce n'est pas un jeu Que chacun peut gagner Peu importe la cause Par nouvelles de Stade de France Tout le monde sera blessé

Distant lawnmowers busily producing the scent of summer

If you haven't already come across it, I would recommend you read The Prophet by Kalil Gibran.

I never worked out how to throw a curve bell. Boom tish!

Maybe admins can reply...?

My landline exists 99% for one purpose - to provide access to teh intawebz.

But you are God, Brother K. What do you think we should be thanking you for?

I think they should spell it Faux News. That would be a lot clearer.

From the article I see no contradiction between these two statements. In fact, since the dating was done on the paper rather than the ink, it seems that the evidence shows the book to have been written no earlier than is claimed.

Isn't communion symbolic cannibalism?

Beat the drums slowly Evening marks the passing time A candle's-worth of love

Sorry, I think my comment came across much harsher than I had intended. I mostly wanted to point out that even the well-intentioned (such as yourself) can easily fall in to the standard rhetoric that the homeless are in some sense undeserving.

Or as it has been put before: "love the sinner, hate the sin".

Good thought, but "even" the homeless??

I'd rather take in the Bock of the day.