Immediate pluses:
1. Our conservatives are much more interesting than your conservatives.
2. When you watch Cspan, you mostly see empty seats, you don't have to look at those idiots arguing with each other all day.
3. Lose the French, even the French fries.
4. Someone needs to bail out Puerto Rico. And we can combine all those nice Caribbean Colonies, so only one set of Virgin Islands.
5. Need I go on?-- theircompetitor, Jun 21 2016 Tetley Tea Folk http://www.tetley.co.uk/tea-folkVery probably fictional [8th of 7, Jun 21 2016] Orient https://en.wikipedi.../Leyton_Orient_F.C.Mediocre [8th of 7, Jun 21 2016] Mitt Romney Ven Diagram http://www.newstate...s/images/Romney.PNG [Skewed, Jun 22 2016] Canister shot https://en.wikipedi.../wiki/Canister_shotOnly short range, but very effective. [8th of 7, Jun 22 2016] 6-pounder http://steencannons...pounder-circa-1750/It does take a fair bit of polishing to keep it looking nice. [8th of 7, Jun 22 2016] (?) To Wit, or Lack Thereof http://www.nydailyn...g-article-1.2685046 [theircompetitor, Jun 23 2016] Vikings, Normans, Danes, Romans, Goths, later Germans and others tried to save the Celts and later Britons from themselves http://tinyurl.com/hrcojggKing George III and his colonial loyalist tried to save America in the same way, but they would have none of his safety. In the ultimate insult to Britain, even after the sanity of the Pistols Act of 1903, this gun crazy Texas Mayor and other Americans forced the deathly weapons upon the English lands instead. This comment sponsored by: The 50 Cent Party and Trolls from Olgino. Thank you for your support [Sunstone, Jun 23 2016] How Europe's terrorists get their guns http://time.com/how...sts-get-their-guns/And unfortunately, despite the laws, there's no shortage of them. [doctorremulac3, Jun 23 2016] Our future? https://www.youtube...watch?v=YwZ0ZUy7P3ESeems plausible enough. [doctorremulac3, Jun 25 2016] You forgot about the billions of guns. (and of course Trump/Hitler retards) Thanks, but no thanks.-- xenzag, Jun 21 2016 not that I'd want this - but to be honest [Ian] most of those niggles (accept the gun thing maybe) probably aren't that different from the niggles that someone from Utah might have about Maine (or vice versa) - & it all seems to work for them (kinda)-- Skewed, Jun 21 2016 1. xenzag, you are british?? 2. The British say "billions"?-- bungston, Jun 21 2016 Ooh, or it could become a colony of Canada...-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Jun 21 2016 // 1. xenzag, you are british?? 2. The British say "billions"? //
[xenzag] is very british. And what's worse, british billions are bigger than american billions.-- mitxela, Jun 21 2016 Did I say billions? I meant trillions - America has more guns than there are molecules making up Jupiter. Every single person in America has enough guns to reach the moon and back. They need them to protect themselves from each other, because everyone else has so many guns. The only solution to this is to get even more guns of course.-- xenzag, Jun 21 2016 There you are - at last, you understand.
// they don’t have public transport that people like. //
Nowhere in the UK does either (London doesn't count - it's a foreign country)
// Everyone can’t get in an accident or get old, because there’s no health service. //
US healthcare is extremely good. There's really not much of a "health service" in the UK, and besides, the problem in the US only affects people with no money, who everyone knows aren't important anyway.
// Everyone fails to pronounce their speech word talking which will require subtitles. //
Could you explain that again, in a much simpler and substantially less confusing way ?
// Nobody drinks tea correctly or enough. //
But there are billions of guns, which implies the existance of ammunition for same - it's just a matter of sneaking up on the non-tea-drinkers* and shooting them.
*As a goodwill gesture, prior to the implementation of the sneak-up-and-shoot policy, vast quantities of teapots and proper tea would be shipped to the U.S. and distributed free to every household, along with instructions for preparation. The householders will be given the opportunity to prepare and consume proper tea, under the watchful eye of a squad of heavily-armed troops dressed as Tetley Tea Folk. <link>-- 8th of 7, Jun 21 2016 I think the title of the idea is the wrong way around. After all, the UK is more countries than the US.
And we will only even begin to think about the possibility of considering this if you guys are all made to eat real chocolate and admit, publicly, that Hershey's tastes of vomit.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 21 2016 /Every single person in America has enough guns to reach the moon/
I can testify this is not true. We shoot at it all the time and only my old neighbor Turret could ever reach it. I think it was more the quality of his guns than the quantity though.-- bungston, Jun 21 2016 // Hershey's tastes of vomit //
Rubbish. Vomit is much more palatable than Hersheys.-- 8th of 7, Jun 21 2016 //The thing is, this can never work, because the US is incorrect in so many ways.//
Moving from the UK to the US, almost every prejudice I had was unfounded. Most of the things I laughed at... well, I'm better educated now.
"look at all those uncouth Americans, a baseball cap is barely acceptable headgear for baseball"....
"How have I got sunburn through my hair? How is this possible? I should obtain some form of hat to prevent this..."
"Ha! look at these stupid wood houses... no wonder they all rot/get eaten/fall over in a modest breeze"
"Wow, the winter freezes really made a mess of those bricks... they're not gonna last long at this rate"
"heh, look at all those silly SUVs unnecessary 4wd, heavy slow, too big, I mean, they plough the roads..."
"They ploughed the road, now my parking space is 3 ft deep in snow... luckily my 4wd and extra clearance means i can force this thing in and that tougher suspension's going to come in useful in the spring when the ice-damaged roads have got a million craters in them"-- bs0u0155, Jun 21 2016 //Vomit is much more palatable than Hersheys.//
Depending on the vomit, the nutritional profile might be very good, much better than Hershey's. Actually, all the chocolate bars are crap, about 50% sweeter with much less classy wrappers. I spend the money on higher quality gin instead.-- bs0u0155, Jun 21 2016 Always a wise investment.-- 8th of 7, Jun 21 2016 Assuming a gun stacks an average of three inches each American has 16,254,000,000 guns. There are 322 million Americans, meaning we have 3,301,000,000,000,000,000 guns. Jupiter is nearly all hydrogen and helium. I'm going to avoid a whole world of complexity and assume Jupiter never nearly underwent fusion. This lets me disregard helium hydride and just count the atoms. Wolfram Alpha gives me the number 1.349*10^45 just from Hydrogen (90% hydrogen so 90% times the weight of Jupiter in grams times the number of hydrogen atoms in a gram)
That means you're off by a factor of roughly 3,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000-- Voice, Jun 21 2016 Fully aok with England joining the US. Scotland will take back Canada and recapitulate then north American political geography on a smaller scale.-- calum, Jun 21 2016 // policy input from the Orient. //
They're only in Division Two, what do they know ?
<link>-- 8th of 7, Jun 21 2016 //3,301,000,000,000,000,000 guns// I'd say that was about right, give or take a billion or two AR17s. As for Hershey Chocolate - isn't this made from liquefied horse hooves?-- xenzag, Jun 21 2016 Maybe it should be virtual real tea then ?-- 8th of 7, Jun 21 2016 Did Irish, Welsh, Scottish, Navajo, and Newscasters sign off on this ? No ? Wonder why ?-- popbottle, Jun 21 2016 No.
The Irish are too busy getting plastered on Guinness and fighting amongst themselves.
The welsh are preoccupied with how many more sheep they might get access to.
The Scots are still recovering from their Burns Night hangovers - the only thing they're interested in is more paracetamol, keeping the damned curtains SHUT, and perhaps a wee hair of the pack of rabid wolves that savaged them.
The Navajo have lots to say, but as they insist on using their native language, which only they understand, their views remain unknown.
As for the newscasters, they have no views or opinions of their own and simply parrot whatever scrolls up on the autocue.-- 8th of 7, Jun 21 2016 What is this tea thing? In the US there is only coffee. All else has faded into obscuri T.-- whatrock, Jun 21 2016 Coffee (rotten for the most part compared to what we are used to in Europe) and guns - lots and lots of guns, and lots of cretins like Sarah Palin to operate those guns.-- xenzag, Jun 21 2016 Yes but, to be fair, they did invent the light bulb and the motor car, and recovered that Enigma machine from the German U-boat.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 21 2016 So that was you on the grassy knoll, then ? We did wonder...-- 8th of 7, Jun 21 2016 I think we should all be ruled by Luxembourg. When was the last time you heard of anything horrid happening there?-- RayfordSteele, Jun 21 2016 // 5. Need I go on? //
well.. you may have forgotten one major point in it's favour (still don't want it myself mind)
6. despite any faults it may (or may not) have still a far more democratic system than the EUs-- Skewed, Jun 21 2016 // Luxembourg. When was the last time you heard of anything // // happening there? //
that would be [8th]'s iron grip on the news outlets & media since the Borg annexed the place-- Skewed, Jun 21 2016 you're welcome, [blissy] :)
I'm finding it somewhat ironic that brexit support venn diagrams populist support here.-- theircompetitor, Jun 21 2016 //they did invent the light bulb// I thought they actually invited light itself, but the inventor was sadly dispatched when his offspring "took him out" with a gun wielding cuddly toy.-- xenzag, Jun 22 2016 Hershey's tastes like that because they make it with sour milk. Next time you accidentally taste a piece of Hershey's chocolate you'll be able to easily identify the taste as sour milk. Very strange, but true.-- hippo, Jun 22 2016 Now that Craft own Cadburys it now tastes like sticky muck too. This is because they changed the formulae by adding tons more sugar and probably some Frankenstein GMs for good measure. No wonder most Americans are so dim, when they eat so much poor quality food.-- xenzag, Jun 22 2016 // most Americans are so dim, when they eat so much poor quality food //
You may be confusing cause and effect there.-- 8th of 7, Jun 22 2016 I can't believe how far down this idea has gotten without one mention of dentistry. But [xenzag] may yet get us there, it must be some sort of dickheadedness gift-- theircompetitor, Jun 22 2016 Thank you, I don't watch the news and what I said was very insensitive. Thank you for editing.-- blissmiss, Jun 22 2016 //No wonder most Americans are so dim//
Just looked at a list of the top 25 high tech companies in the world. 6 are Asian, 1 is German and the rest are American. Not one is English I'm sad to say.
Xenzag, have you ever been to this place you seem to occupy so much of your time thinking about? Perhaps if you came and visited and made some American friends you could lose some of this searing hatred.
That's why I encourage kids to travel the world early in their youth so they meet different people and experience different cultures so they don't get caught up in this kind of xenophobic stuff. This is how it works: you start off with a mindset that "All (fill in the blank) are horrible and should be wiped off the face of the Earth." But you meet one person from that group that turns out to be really nice. Then you change your mindset to "All (fill in the blank) should be wiped off the face of the Earth except for Bob." Then that sort of opens the floodgates to being tolerant like "Well, let's not kill Bob's family either." Next thing you know you're doing something more interesting on a Saturday night than sitting home alone thinking about how much you hate everybody from (fill in the blank) such as hanging out with and being friends with (fill in the blank).
Xenzag, I assure you, I'm intelligent, very trim and athletic, eat a very healthy diet and am quite socially responsible. If you like, I'll be your first American friend, but if I'm not your cup of tea, there are plenty of others over here from all stripes that would love to be friends with you.
It's better than being filled of hate, I assure you.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 22 2016 // I encourage kids to travel the world early in their youth //
Oh, it's your fault is it ? All those loud, brash irritating young tourists ? You actually do that deliberately ?
There's a special place in Hell for people like you ...
// It's better than being full of hate //
NOTHING is better than being full of hate. It's the best there is.-- 8th of 7, Jun 22 2016 Have you ever tried being in love?
What's the point of being strong if you don't have anybody you love to be strong for?-- doctorremulac3, Jun 22 2016 // ironic that brexit support venn diagrams populist support here //
I sometimes wonder just how much utility venn diagrams actually have.. finding stuff like this [linky] when I'm looking for something serious may not be helping with that thought ;D-- Skewed, Jun 22 2016 // to be fair, they did invent the light bulb // etc. // recovered that Enigma machine from the German U-boat. //
hmm.. if we did this all of that could be considered retroactively true - I'm almost persuaded it's a good idea now, just so I don't have to get all patriotic & annoyed whenever I watch one of those movies-- Skewed, Jun 22 2016 Spelling: c'mon, or come on, not Common ?
I only have a few guns, and one of them is a WWII refugee from a British arms manufacturer. If you want to come over it can be yours free of charge as a welcoming gift.-- normzone, Jun 22 2016 /What's the point of being strong if you don't have anybody you love to be strong for/
Because someone will ogle your rippling pecs and say "now that one could use my lovin!".-- bungston, Jun 22 2016 Lol. Hmm. Good point.
But are pecs supposed to ripple? Pretty sure mine don't. They just sort of sit there.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 22 2016 (examines [bungston] and [doctorremulac3] for rippling abs, decides neither of them is getting any loving)-- normzone, Jun 22 2016 Oh well.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 22 2016 //have you ever been to this place you seem to occupy so much of your time thinking about?// Been there many times. Don't like much. Idiot land. Idiots with guns; many many guns - scary. Place is also falling apart. New York is ok though - like a trip into the 80s each time I go - silly city that no one takes too seriously and a good contrast to places with a real edge like London or Berlin.-- xenzag, Jun 22 2016 Ok.
Well, it looks like this re-union of the US and UK doesn't have a lot of supporters.
I think we should just remain friends and see other countries. Besides, if this UK / EU breakup happens, rebound relationships are never a good idea.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 22 2016 [xenzag] you're awfully free with the use of some labels, and I am getting a bit tired of it. A bit of self-analysis might be in order, otherwise people might think you're like that person who likes insulting people and put them in groups using generalities.-- theircompetitor, Jun 22 2016 // New York is ok though //
You should seek professional help immediately. You have a seriously abberant world view. NY is the pits.
// Idiots with guns; many many guns - scary. //
Scary is relative.-- 8th of 7, Jun 22 2016 Mine certainly are.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 22 2016 I'm starting to think that a shot gun wedding might actually be the only option. Now who might have a few guns they could bring to this unlikely union?-- xenzag, Jun 22 2016 <raises hands>
Do you just mean small arms, or can we bring artillery too ? We have smoothbore stuff, capable of firing canister- just like big shotgun <link>. Old, but still in proof and perfectly serviceable.-- 8th of 7, Jun 22 2016 I wouldn't bother......the Americans already have all the guns and we can only dream of what that's like. We could bring Morris dancers or mummers.-- xenzag, Jun 22 2016 [xen], you should remember that every gun that's in the US is a gun that's not in England.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 22 2016 For now.
I do believe there's been several plans devised through history for the invasion of England. I assume Churchill (half American by the way) reviewed contingency invasion plans with the US if England had been invaded during WW2. I wouldn't be surprised if there were cold war plans made as well should England have been invaded by the USSR.
That being said I think planners come up with contingency plans for just about every scenario. Greenland gets lippy. Bora Bora gets out of line. We discover oil in New Caledonia.
Hell, we might just get butthurt from all the insults and surprise you guys. ;)-- doctorremulac3, Jun 22 2016 The yanks already invaded a couple of times, Whitehaven in 1778 which was a total debacle, and then again in 1942 ... only three years late, but then who's counting ? And if you visit Stratford-on-Avon, or Canterbury, or numerous other places, you'll realize that there's nothing stealthy about an American invasion. You can hear them from miles away, and that's just the loud shirts.... the places are infested, and apparently it's still illegal to cull them or put down traps.
If you're formally going to invade, it would help if you could send a letter a few weeks beforehand giving the date and time, otherwise no-one will notice.-- 8th of 7, Jun 22 2016 "At 8 a.m. one day in 1778, John Paul Jones, with 30 volunteers from his ship, the USS Ranger, launches a surprise attack on the two harbor forts at Whitehaven, England. Jones’ boat successfully took the southern fort, but a second boat, assigned to attack to the northern fort, returned to the Ranger without having done so, claiming to have been scared off by a strange noise. To compensate, Jones decided to burn the southern fort; the blaze ultimately consumed the entire town. It was the only American raid on English shores during the American Revolution."
I'm not sure if I'd put this in the victory category or not. Certainly you'd take points off for some of our guys being "scared off by a strange noise", but points added for burning down the entire town.
We'll call it a draw.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 22 2016 Ugh, no thanks. If we let them in, they'd probably want to vote and stuff. We didn't fight a revolution just to have a bunch of Brits tell us what to do.
I'mma stir my coffee with my Glock .45 if I damn well please. Anybody that don't like it is welcome to have some freedom delivered right to their doorstep courtesy of Uncle Sam.-- ytk, Jun 22 2016 It may only be a characterless lump of Eastern European mediocrity, but it deserves just a bit more respect than being dipped in coffee...-- 8th of 7, Jun 22 2016 I was thinking of this posting while listening on the radio about how the Brexit-favoring crowd have many of the same motivations as the Trump favoring crowd. I checked and am happy to confirm that one need not be English born to be prime minister! The UK even had a Canadian.
So, if Trump fails in his effort to be President, he could cross the water and take a swipe at the #1 spot in the UK. Or #2 - not sure if the Queen counts but I am sure they would get along famously.-- bungston, Jun 22 2016 //It may only be a characterless lump of Eastern European mediocrity, but it deserves just a bit more respect than being dipped in coffee...//
The coffee is Folger's instant, BTW.-- ytk, Jun 23 2016 Instant coffee stirred with a gun. No wonder America is being left behind and falling apart. Why not just fire bullets into the cup to add some vitality and agitate the feeble brew? That would be more American would it not?-- xenzag, Jun 23 2016 special cups would be required, steel perhaps, I advise the use of a shotgun, you could empty the bird shot out of the cartridge & replace it with sugar thus sweetening the drink at the same time-- Skewed, Jun 23 2016 If the shotgun is close enough to put most of the charge into the cup, the muzzle blast sprays the coffee everywhere.
9mm parabellum rounds from 5m cause a lot of splash (after two rounds, about 20% of the coffee remains in a 350ml container with a similar form factor to a mug) and what's left tastes awful.-- 8th of 7, Jun 23 2016 I'm thinking now that you lined up five hundred armoured cups of that typically awful wishy-washy America coffee, you could fire one of those gattling type multi barrel guns at them to both stir and heat them up in the space of a few seconds. I'm sure every American must have at least one of these weapons in their arsenal - possibly even in their arse-en hole? (sorry, but couldn't actually resist)-- xenzag, Jun 23 2016 // muzzle blast sprays the coffee everywhere //
a screw on top for the cup with a hole to insert the barrel might help there-- Skewed, Jun 23 2016 The problem there would be back-pressure. The propellant gases have to vent somewhere, or the barrel will rupture. Nasty ...-- 8th of 7, Jun 23 2016 //The coffee is Folger's instant, BTW//
Oh. I tried that once as a late-night emergency measure. Purely as a source of caffeine. If it had caffeine it only served to make me more aware of the surrounding dreadfulness of the whole experience.-- bs0u0155, Jun 23 2016 //America is being left behind and falling apart.//
Did you miss my post?
//Just looked at a list of the top 25 high tech companies in the world. 6 are Asian, 1 is German and the rest are American. Not one is English I'm sad to say.//
18 of the world's top 25 high tech companies are American, not one is from your "edgy" (as you called it) country. The future is in high technology, always has been. Not sure where you think your country is going but yes, please, leave us behind.
By the way, it must be said that some of the most brilliant people who have ever lived are English. You madam, are clearly not one of them.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 23 2016 Not sure I have ever liked the name: "BREXIT", anyway. Maybe "EUgenic" is better, but I'm not sure which side is becoming purer.-- Ling, Jun 23 2016 Well, quite a historical day today. If England leaves the EU Texas might be inspired to consider leaving the US again.
Very interesting. Hope you guys make the right decision. Whatever that may be. Despite the sparring back and forth, England was the home of my ancestors and it'll always have a place in my heart, reciprocated or not.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 23 2016 //Just looked at a list of the top 25 high tech companies in the world// You don't really know what "edgy" means do you? [doctorremulac3] Hint - it's got nothing to do with making plug-in plastic boxes filled with wires and sporting cooling vents.-- xenzag, Jun 23 2016 I'm pleased to say, I neither know, nor care what you mean by "edgy" and to belittle the amazing advances of science because its mechanisms may have some identifiable characteristics is like calling the amazingly complex human body a bag of meat. It betrays ignorance.
You're insulting a bunch of people when you say xenophobic stuff like you do. Might want to consider just being nice. A bit of fun ribbing is one thing but sheesh. This is just nasty.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 23 2016 [doc] may be right. Even the American half of me is starting to feel a little defensive.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 23 2016 //I'm pleased to say, I neither know, nor care what you mean by "edgy"// Then why make comments about something you don't understand? Come back when you have recovered your humour. This is not a scientific journal - it's the halfbakery! - you know for halfbaked foolery - so sorry if I've hurt your feelings.-- xenzag, Jun 23 2016 //...the American half of me...//
Hey Max, were you born on the border? Which end? (of both yourself and the country)-- Loris, Jun 23 2016 So happy to discover MB is half USian. I find his sense of humor hysterical. Must be where he got it.-- blissmiss, Jun 23 2016 He's a quark of fate.-- xenzag, Jun 23 2016 Oh that's a lovely little piece of historical trivia [Sun], nice link
like food aid parcels but with guns, I used to live in Sudbury ("comparable in size to"), is Victoria really that small?-- Skewed, Jun 23 2016 No use shipping tea to the Yanks; they would throw it overboard when it reached port.-- Sunstone, Jun 23 2016 If they also tarred and feathered someone from the IRS at the same time, it would be worth it.-- 8th of 7, Jun 23 2016 Good link TC. Added a follow up link.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 23 2016 I must be an oddity. I don't own a gun, and only rarely drink coffee.-- RayfordSteele, Jun 23 2016 The pretty much clinches it. American coffee causes gun ownership.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 23 2016 //So happy to discover MB is half USian. I find his sense of humor hysterical.// Aww, thanks [bliss]. I put my personality down to combination of my American mother, my English father, and my generic pharmaceuticals. And somewhere in the mix is Swiss-German and Jewish, so I'm never sure if it's OK for me to tell Jewish jokes or not.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 23 2016 Oh for Pete's sake... now Vancouver Island wants to become its own province.
...it's all getting a wee bit silly-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Jun 23 2016 I didn't even know Vancouver had an island.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 23 2016 It has an island with a lake in it, and an island in the middle of that lake. This geographical mise en abyme is known as a stutteration.-- xenzag, Jun 23 2016 Yep, Vancouver Island is pretty sweet. Old growth Sequoia forests, prehistoric looking spiky rhubarb plants that dwarf a man, and something in the air and water that seems to make the locals very... friendly.
It's Canada's only rain forest, just four hours drive away from Canada's only desert.It's like a little slice of the whole planets' geology and weather in one little slice of Gods' own country.Had to migrate a few thousand miles to find it.
I highly recommend a visit.Look me up if you ever find yourself on this end of Canada.
P.SThat goes for any halfbaker making it this far north... or south as the case may be.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Jun 23 2016 I was woken up in the middle of the night by a massive explosion in Vancouver once. Everybody walked into the streets in their pajamas to see what was going on. Big mushroom cloud rising up from downtown.
Turns out somebody was cleaning an oven with some kind of solvent that went gaseous and blew the whole restaurant up. Sounds fishy to me but that's what I was told.
The non blowing up parts of Vancouver are pretty beautiful though.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 23 2016 Are you in Vancouver then? If so, I would very much like to attend another west-coast half-con.It's very cool meeting the people behind the monikers you've read for years.Every halfbaker I've either met, heard or seen on video gets their voice pasted over their written words in my head as I read them.
Sometimes I can peg an author by the voice that pops into my head as I read an idea.
I hope that's not too creepy, there's not much I can do about it if it is though... it just happens.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Jun 23 2016 //prehistoric looking spiky rhubarb plants that dwarf a man// Wow. Who knew Vancouvrians were so short?-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 23 2016 Since we have not met you will just have to keep using the voice of Neil Young for my posts.-- bungston, Jun 23 2016 //Vancouvrians were so short//Lower center of gravity = better hockey don'tcha know?
Like Neil Young but a bit less nasal and with a tone that gets lost in background noise.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Jun 23 2016 //Lower center of gravity = better hockey don'tcha know?// But surely also shorter legs=slower running?-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 23 2016 I find the best pucks have no legs at all.-- RayfordSteele, Jun 23 2016 //Are you in Vancouver then? If so, I would very much like to attend another west-coast half- con.//
I'm down south in San Francisco thereabouts. I'd love to actually meet some of the people I feel like I've known for years. Some of them are legends in my mind. I've probably even got mental images of what they look like that have absolutely no basis in reality. I think I'd be kind of star struck. Crazy eh?-- doctorremulac3, Jun 23 2016 The only halfbaker I've met irl is Ian W., who lived down the street from me for a good while until he moved to Italy.
If you're ever anywhere near Motown, for god's sake get out of there and go north a county to mine where it's much better.
I have to say that if Brexit wins and Trump loses, I'll just about lose my respect for your little island snd claim bragging rights on the nation with a hair of common sense.
A long time ago we had a birthday calendar with users pics gracing it.-- RayfordSteele, Jun 23 2016 up late watching the results come in here, could still go either way
[doc] suggested somewhere up there that if we do jilt Europe it might encourage Texas to make a break for freedom
I can see it now - UK leaves Europe, Texas leaves the US, the US & Europe get together to bitch about their ex partners over a bottle of Chablis get drunk & end up cutting one arm off all of Texas & the UK's suites then throw them out the bedroom window-- Skewed, Jun 23 2016 huh.. I'm stunned, the votes aren't all in yet but the BBC has called it for leave, looks like we're leaving
{later edit]
yup - we're leaving her, just all the boring paperwork & divorce settlement to get through now (so that could take years then) & a couple of the kids might ask to stay with mum (Scotland & Northern Ireland)
there's a chance the Netherlands may be next-- Skewed, Jun 24 2016 Leave: where to?
Options that seem to satisfy: EEA, EU Customs union, EFTA, Council of Europe, something new, or completely out.
What colour car do you want: Black or not black?-- Ling, Jun 24 2016 don't know which of us is keeping the car yet so the question may be moot ;P-- Skewed, Jun 24 2016 // Leave: where to? //
Nowhere. Britain stays put- the rest have to pack thrir bags and go.-- 8th of 7, Jun 24 2016 //Leave: where to?//
Take this island to Cuba!-- Loris, Jun 24 2016 // Take this island to Cuba! //
You have that the wrong way round [Loris]
The EU as a political system is functionally closer to Communist government structures than Democracy as most people understand it
So "Take this island away from Cuba!" would be closer the mark
Though if you're referring to that rather amusing little cartoon of the UK sailing away from Europe it looks likely we might be headed for Canada to me :)-- Skewed, Jun 24 2016 Hence once more the idea.
It's quite evident, chest beating anti-Trump sentiment non-withstanding, the same forces are at work around the planet, like a fractal algorithm running, producing variations but also producing a recognizable pattern. Trump is crude and repellent, while British politicians have that nice accent. Otherwise, a majority of the people are concerned about who is eating their cheese, and once that number rises above a certain percentage (or every 50 years) strange things start happening.-- theircompetitor, Jun 24 2016 // Trump is crude and repellent, //
Hilary is slick, oily, sophisticated and even more repellent.
//while British politicians have that nice accent. //
Some do, some don't.
// Otherwise, a majority of the people are concerned about who is eating their cheese, //
Who wouldn't be ? Cheese is IMPORTANT !
// and once that number rises above a certain percentage (or every 50 years) strange things start happening.//
Yup.
<loudhailer>
"[ytk], PUT THE GLOCK DOWN AND STEP AWAY FROM THE COFFEE. NO-ONE NEEDS TO GET HURT HERE"
</loudhailer>-- 8th of 7, Jun 24 2016 // concerned about who is eating their cheese //
I paid for that cheese, I was kind of hoping to eat it myself..-- Skewed, Jun 24 2016 [8th] I'll grant you Hillary is quite repellent, statistics tells us a bit less so than Trump, but time will tell. I'm certainly not supporting either.-- theircompetitor, Jun 24 2016 //You have that the wrong way round [Loris]//
Skewed, it's (derived) from a Monty Python show. In one scene there's a man trying to divert a plane (which is on its way to Cuba) to Luton. In a later scene, a bus going to Luton is hijacked with "Take this bus to Cuba!"
I've been commanding things which couldn't possibly go to Cuba ever since I saw it, so this was too good an opportunity to pass up.-- Loris, Jun 24 2016 ;D-- Skewed, Jun 24 2016 <Blackbeard>
"Sail this galleon to Cuba ! "
</Blackbeard>-- 8th of 7, Jun 24 2016 Well I say good for you guys. It's not like "How will Britain survive and thrive without Greece and Croatia?"
That being said, British politics are really none of my business.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 24 2016 You could always rename the Southern half as Judah, and the northern half as Israel. The British living overseas could become known as the lost tribes.
And then vote in Trump as your PM of the new un-UK. That would solve our current headache here. I can hear his anthem now. Britain needs an official one anyway...
And did those feet in recent time, Walk upon England's mountains green: And was the holy King of Debt, On England's pleasant pastures seen!
And did the orange Countenance Divine, Shine forth upon our clouded hills? And was Trump Tower builded here, Among these dark Satanic Mills?
Bring me my Brow of burning gold; Bring me my hat of Crimson fire: Bring me my hair: O locks untold! Bring me my list of crooks and liars!
I will not cease from Mental Spite, Nor shall the hoard sleep in my land: Till we have built an EU Wall, In England's green & pleasant Land-- RayfordSteele, Jun 24 2016 //NO-ONE NEEDS TO GET HURT HERE//
Hmm, are you sure you can't think of anyone here that needs to get hurt?-- ytk, Jun 24 2016 A wall is a good idea. Combine the Antonine and Hadrian walls, work them along the current southern Scot border, post guards and make sure nothing gets through.
We have a Wall Builder that we'd be glad to give you when we're done with him. It will be the best wall. Scotland will pay for it.
(edit) okay, we're done. Take him. Please.-- whatrock, Jun 24 2016 Pretty sure we could buy the commonwealth.
United States: 16.77 trillion USD (2013 GDP)
Commonwealth Of Nations: $10.450 trillion (GDP 2014 estimate)
But we're all on our way to third world status in ten generations or so. Who'll get there first? Dhunno. Whoever collapses last wins. I guess.
Interestingly enough, the old EU (feels weird to say that) was (US$16.8 trillion in 2014) almost the exact same as the US.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 24 2016 The singularity will likely outrace the Social Security crisis, [dr], so no worries :)-- theircompetitor, Jun 25 2016 Yes, I would like [po] on my team, finally. Yes.-- blissmiss, Jun 25 2016 //Pretty sure we could buy the commonwealth. United States: 16.77 trillion USD (2013 GDP)//
US National Debt: $US 17.8 trillion.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 25 2016 ^ That figure is too low by now...-- 8th of 7, Jun 25 2016 Yes, I referred to that in the 4th sentence.
Corrupt mismanagement of the economy isn't the real problem. For the first time in history, something that's driven civilization has been removed: a challenging environment for survival that in the past forced the individuals that make up that society to be strong and much better off if they were intelligent.
Societies are powered by people and we get people from via two different routes: K strategy mating parents and r strategy mating parents. K strategy being like a bear or an elephant, small litters raised to adulthood by the parents vs r strategy, large groups of babies largely abandoned at birth like salmon or mice.
K strategy is the way to go in a harsh environment, r is the way to go in times of plenty. Due to advances in technology, we've never had more plenty which is great, but there's a downside. As humans increasingly adopt the r strategy of mating, the offspring may get progressively more stupid. The movie "Idiocracy" covers this better than I can.
Controversial I know, and I'm also aware that there's one scientist that says IQs are increasing but he fails to give a good reason why. I obviously don't know if any of this is true or not on either side but humans moving into a different mating strategy to match the changing environment seems pretty plausible.
Interesting stuff anyway. Check out the link. Right or wrong, it pretty much sums up this theory.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 25 2016 //there's one scientist that says IQs are increasing but he fails to give a good reason why.//
It's called the Flynn Effect, and has been well- known and heavily researched for many decades. Whatever it is that IQ tests measure has increased steadily and very significantly over the last few generations.
Explanations for the Flynn Effect range from better education (IQ tests are supposed to be education- neutral, but may not be); through greater mental stimulation (kids exposed to puzzles from birth develop better puzzle-solving skills); to better nutrition and disease prevention (the brain is the hungriest and most delicate organ, so childhood malnutrition or repeated infections will stunt its development).
In the most developed countries, the Flynn Effect seems to be levelling off; it is largest in developing countries, where education, mental stimulation, health and nutrition are all improving fastest.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 25 2016 I favor a 3rd theory: we' re splitting.
Nature does this a lot. "Hmm. Fins or feet, which are better? Well, I'm nature so I always throw both into the arena and let the victor take over."
So you may think "Well, that's a forgone conclusion who will win that evolutionary battle. The smart group."
But what if the smart group does something like destroy itself with nuclear weapons or AI programmed deathbots and the de-evolution group looks up from foraging grubs one day and says "Ug, what that mushroom cloud on horizon? Me see lot of those from smarty pants areas these days." (Good grammar and contractions are the first thing we lose when we de-evolve.)
Nobody knows which path is best. Maybe sort of smart is better.
The only thing I'm pretty sure of is that we are changing very quickly. Divergence that used to take hundreds of thousands of years is now going to happen in mere tens of thousands or even thousands of years.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 25 2016 [dr] human manipulation will outrace any natural process, and very soon (in geological terms, it's already happened).-- theircompetitor, Jun 25 2016 Good point.
And we'll be merging with or changing via, I'll call it "man made life technology" pretty soon. Then you're talking overnight changes.
Of course you know some people think biological life will spawn something completely different that takes the forefront of evolution. Getting a little above my brainpower to speculate on such things though. I can throw out ideas and get most of the spelling right but it's just wild guessing at that point.
Kind of interesting to think about though.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 25 2016 //biological life will spawn something completely different that takes the forefront of evolution.// By most measures, that would be "management". However, management is a bit like viruses - nobody is quite sure if they meet all the criteria for life.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 25 2016 // are you sure you can't think of anyone here that needs to get hurt? //
Not at this time ... we can think of many who do deserve to get hurt, but specifically, we just want to persuade you to stop mistreating your personal weaponry, for its own good.-- 8th of 7, Jun 25 2016 I suspect the Flynn effect is just due to the pressure of a more complex environment. We are forever being removed from Plato's cave, into ever more broad and nuanced situations.-- RayfordSteele, Jun 25 2016 random, halfbakery