Lowdark

I think the only general consensus you're going to get on such a massive issue is that no one knows. It is beyond the current scope of human understanding. Do people have the potential to understand it? Definitely. But right now there's too much stuff in the way (obsolete superstitions, a casual disrespect for intellect, etc.). But I don't think any of our current notions of a possible afterlife is close to the mark. If so many people were so certain that there was a blissful, beautiful existence waiting for us beyond the grave, would the sucide rate not be a little higher? Why would so many people fear death so much? Or mourn the dead when they should rejoice at their progression to that Utopia? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying something like that doesn't exist. But no one knows for sure. And no one probably will in our lifetimes (making the point moot). But perhaps it's the mystery that's suppossed to keep us going and striving.

This thinking belongs somewhere about eight centuries ago, used by the cowards who burned women at the stake for witchcraft. The judge is almost as useless a human being as the rapist he managed to convict and excuse at the same time. If Justice is served, he'll be removed from the bench with no severance or buyout and prevented from ever having another judicial job in the entire country for the rest of his small and useless life. And his name will be splashed across every newspaper and news broadcast and website in the free world as a misogynist cretin not worth the skin he's wearing.

I agree with Joyful to an extent. Labour unions were responisble for the middle class, making sure that people doing the actual work not only got resposnsible pay for their labours, but also adequate protection from negligent and often unconcerned ownership. Unions are very unpopular these days (and in many instances, they've earned that that negative rep), but make no mistake, if there were no more labour unions it would only be a matter of years before wages were scaled back and benefits slashed. The recession proved that. How many corporations took chunks of the stimulus money they were given to pay their execs million dollar bonuses while laying off hundreds of workers? The truth is that for corporations and governments, it's all about the bottom line and it becomes irrelevant how many lives may be ruined in that single minded pursuit. Labour unions, as defective as they may currently be, are the only immunity we have against that reality.

This is bound to happen, regardless of how much care you invest. I have never missed a date myself (though I admit to being late once or twice) and I have always contacted the lady in question the day before to confirm. But despite that, I have been stood up a handful of times. But in all but one occassion I was given a prompt explanation. Sometimes there's little you can do, despite tonnes of preparation.

Happy Birthday Bethany. Enjoy it.

This was a question, that to my knowledge, even Einstein ducked when it was asked. He usually referred to one of his scientific laws: energy cannot be destroyed, simply changed into another form.

. . . priceless . . .

The stigma goes both ways. While protraying the men who see SPs as leaches and craven misfits (and make no mistake, I'm sure there is a minority who fits that description), the women themselves are often portrayed as addicts and broken, abnormal people. Most of the women I have met through CERB are smart, witty and charming and I have even had the opportunity to call some friends. And they have treated me with more genuine respect and sincerity than a lot of women in the "outside" world in social situations.

I saw the same thing as Kubrick Fan. Can I assume you were talking about the Libyan pilots being ordered to bomb protesters (and then subsequently defected)?

LOL. I had suspected as much but was too lazy to poke around. Particularly the part about their Conservative PM liking mammary glands.

OK, when I stopped laughing a few questions came to mind. First, do they have a measurement or something for determining if breasts are too small or do they just go with "if-it's-size-A-no-way?" And the article said that this is affecting thousands of women wanting to get into porn. Thousands? Austrailia's population is what, like 16 million? Exactly how big is their domestic porn industry? And I'm going to assume that porn from other countries also makes it's way to Austrailia's sandy shores-how do they "legislate" that? Do they just outlaw or censor anything starring women with "illegal" breast sizes? What about Hollywood movies? Do they determine that some actresses' breasts are too small and therefore ban any films including scenes of her naked? And exactly how would this particular expense show up on the spreadsheet for the Austrailian National Budget? Natural Resource Enhancement?

Good luck and give it everything you've got. She's sounds like she's worth it.

I for one would prefer that the lady I have the privilege of sharing company with (for any reason), was feeling 100% and our interaction was sincere and genuine. That she was perhaps not wondering in the back of her mind how long she may have to pretend-smile, especially if she's feeling uncomfortable or a little sick. I think that if someone really wants to enjoy the company of that particular lady, they should have no problem waiting a few days. I doubt most guys would cherish the idea of seeing a lady after taking a soccer ball to the "manhood" so badly they were feeling nautious. Maybe that's just me.

I believe the Supreme Court also shares some power until democratic elections are held in September. A lot of people are fear mongering over the possible replacement in power. That may possibly happen, but to jump to illogical, nervous reactions based on inherent fright about the uncertainty of the future or even vague biggotry/racism ruins the relevance of such historically important moments.

has this issue been getting any significant media attention?

Happy Birthday. Enjoy!

Good idea as well. Why not both?

Good point. I wonder if it might be because of the increased traffic that may have resulted from the closing of CL? There were no connections or sense of community there, so perhaps . . .

The videos have pretty much proven to be a hoax. Other than the logic issues surrounding the videos themselves, it's been proven they were manipulated by semi-sophisticated editing software. Like the bard once said, the fault lies not in the stars . . .

Perhaps there is some miscommunication, I'm not saying to ban this word, but as some have pointed out, this word is used most commonly as a mean and cruel term towards ladies in this business. And as others have pointed out, the true measure of a word is intent. There are plenty of words in the English language that I choose not to use, but would never support removing. My perspective is this; how would you react to someone who uses that word (or any other deragatory term) against a female friend? Or family member? What if someone called your daughter that? Would any father or mother be so forgiving? The women here on CERB should be admired and respected and many times that word is used as a dirty insult. And truly, it reflects on the ignorance and lack of character of anyone who uses it in that fashion. Remember when the Ottawa Sun ran the article on CERB's fundraising efforts for Haiti. The title was "Prostitution Site Raises Money for Haiti," or something very similar. Plenty of CERBites were justifiably upset with the language in the article. To me, this is little different. Again, I'm not saying get rid of it (how else would we refer to politicans?) but that's it's a dirty, hateful little word that serves only to demean those it's used against. Intelligent people would never use an ethnic slur casually and I see little difference between the two.

There have beena few threads lately about words; the controversey over lyrics in a Dire Straits song and a recent conversation about the "C" word. But there's one other word I would like to see erased from our modern vocabulary. The word Whore. It's an ugly word that describes only the most base and vile of people and has no place in the same sentence as the ladies, on CERB or anywhere else. We can't eliminate it from use by the masses, ignorant and uneducated about the quality of the women found in communities like this one, but we can express disapproval when someone uses it, no differently then if they had used the "C" or "N" words. And unless they're using it to describe someone in politics or shoveling nonsense for sensationalist media (looking at you US and Fox), people should realize how dirty the word is. Most of the ladies here on CERB are smart and charming and have huge hearts. CERB raised plenty of money for Haitian relief after the devastating Earthquake last year while Rush Limbaugh, with his 400 million dollar deal, refused to donate a single dollar. Some of the ladies assist charities all year long, have gone out of their way to help people in tough situations and the list could go on all day. Suffice to say, it's one word I'd like to see disappear forever.

Happy Birthday. Hope you had a good day.

Happy Belated Birthday Emma! Hope you had a good one!

Wow. Tough one. After a lot of thought I realized that there were simply too many historical figures I'd want to talk to on my final day to narrow it down to one person. So I settled on someone who would make my final moments enjoyable; my best friend. Someone I can have intelligent conversation with as well as plenty of laughs and whose company is always welcome. We've managed to keep in touch but distance means we really only get to see each other for a few days every year (if that). You can remember old times, rehash old arguments and shake hands like equals, sharing plenty of genuine laughs along the way.

Tough question but here goes; Beverage: Unlimted OJ Appetizer: Ceaser Salad and Tomato Bisque Main Course: Chicken lasagna, Fedeccini Alfredo and steamed green beans Desert: Black Forest Cake and Vanilla Ice Cream