Topic for going off topic

[Leonard James]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-36045987?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_wales_news&ns_source=twitter&ns_linkname=wales

A woman from Powys, Wales has been banned from calling her daughter Cyanide! Poor child having a mother who would even consider doing such a thing.

She would have been the death of some poor guy! 

[john]

Very good Leonard.
For some reason my computer will not insert smileys, you deserve one.

[Rhiannon]

I made my last batch of shortbread on Thursday, which has proved very popular over the years. My arthritic fingers make impossible for me to knead it properly.

What about a food processor with a kneading hook?

[Gonnagle]

Dear Topic,

Has anyone ever heard of this saying,

TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE.

A discussion Death has with his Granddaughter in the book Hogfather, written by Sir Terry Pratchett, when I search on the internet, all I seem to get is references back to the book or conspiracy theories about why NASA never went back to the moon has anyone ever heard a song or a poem containing this line.

Here is the full conversation.

“All right," said Susan. "I'm not stupid. You're saying humans need... fantasies to make life bearable."

REALLY? AS IF IT WAS SOME KIND OF PINK PILL? NO. HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN. TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE.

"Tooth fairies? Hogfathers? Little—"

YES. AS PRACTICE. YOU HAVE TO START OUT LEARNING TO BELIEVE THE LITTLE LIES.

"So we can believe the big ones?"

YES. JUSTICE. MERCY. DUTY. THAT SORT OF THING.

"They're not the same at all!"

YOU THINK SO? THEN TAKE THE UNIVERSE AND GRIND IT DOWN TO THE FINEST POWDER AND SIEVE IT THROUGH THE FINEST SIEVE AND THEN SHOW ME ONE ATOM OF JUSTICE, ONE MOLECULE OF MERCY. AND YET—Death waved a hand. AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME...SOME RIGHTNESS IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED.

"Yes, but people have got to believe that, or what's the point—"

MY POINT EXACTLY.”

Gonnagle.

[Brownie]

Has anyone else had sudden hail, sleet and heavy, cold rain in their area!  i have here in London.  It was quite a shock as it was fine earlier.  I spoke to my old man who is in Norfolk and he said they'd had the same there a little while ago.

[Brownie]

It must be doing the rounds.  Just raining now but sunny.

[Gonnagle]

Dear Brownie,

Also here in sunny Glasgow, but it should not come as a surprise, this is the time of year for hail, also the term hail stones maybe wrong, I don't think we actually get hail, our hail is not proper hail, that wee bloke from Top Gear had a programme about it.

Gonnagle.

[Brownie]

It must be hard going for a hamster.  I only went as far as the dustbin and it felt as though I was being pelted with nails.
Anyway, hail gonnagle.

[SusanDoris]

We had a bit of sleet first thing this morning, but it has been very sunny for the rest of the day,so far.

Yes! A friend drove us both to a reception by the RNIB fund-raising dept, held in the BournemouthAFC's function room this morning. I didn't notice, but my friend said there was a shower of snow, hail and rain at one point. Sun's been out since then.

[SusanDoris]

This morning I am having a new kitchen sink (plus associated drainage)  and a new gas hob fitted, so I have just spent twenty minutes removing all the stuff from the cupboard under the sink!!! I have also phoned my cleaner who is coming round some time to see how much of it can be thrown away ... and that's most of it I think!!

[Owlswing]

I have just upgraded to Windows 10 and trying to get used to the new settings.

I am still using Windows 7 Professional - I was warned by several of the IT professionals at the company I then worked for to avoid Windows 10 like the plague.

Considering the problems that I have heard about from preople who installed it (willinglyor otherwise) it wasn't bad advice, and advice I am glad that I followed.

[Owlswing]

Whilst on the topic of computers - I have got internet access again (I lost my shared access whe n my daughter moved out) and I am glad that I missed nothing that has not been posted by both sides (Christian and non-Christian (of all shades)) at least fifty times before.

I still have hopes (no pun intended) of seeing something new, but . . . .

[SweetPea]

I am still using Windows 7 Professional - I was warned by several of the IT professionals at the company I then worked for to avoid Windows 10 like the plague.

Considering the problems that I have heard about from preople who installed it (willinglyor otherwise) it wasn't bad advice, and advice I am glad that I followed.

Owlswing, I found Window 7 Home Premium the best. With a change of PC I was on Windows 8, which I found a pain. The other day, my laptop decided to upgrade itself to Windows 10. It seems a slight improvement on Windows 8 but I still think I would go back to Windows 7 given the chance.

[Owlswing]

Owlswing, I found Window 7 Home Premium the best. With a change of PC I was on Windows 8, which I found a pain. The other day, my laptop decided to upgrade itself to Windows 10. It seems a slight improvement on Windows 8 but I still think I would go back to Windows 7 given the chance.

I've been told that there is no Windows 9 in order to distance Windows 10 from  8 which was considered to be somethimng of a disaster and that 10 was written to correct all the problems, hence the free and sometimes automatic upgrade. It was not made easy to find out how to prevent automatic, almost compulsory, upgrading.

I'm pretty sure that there are people who can still install 7 Professional or Home Premium for you, I just don't know where you would go to find them - an appeal on FaceBook perhaps . . .   

[ekim]

See if this cheers you up ..... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-36348013

[Shaker]

I am a little sad that R&E seems to be attracting less posts than heretofore, I hope things will pick up and it isn't a downward trend towards oblivion like so many other forums.

People say that things like Facebook are killing off forums - as a non-Facebooker I wouldn't know, though I find it hard to believe that Facebook allows for the same sort of extended discussions such as you get on a standard forum. I can't imagine the 'Searching for God' thread on Facebook.

Advertising is the key, I think, but tricky to do.

[Nearly Sane]

I am a little sad that R&E seems to be attracting less posts than heretofore, I hope things will pick up and it isn't a downward trend towards oblivion like so many other forums.

It isn't particularly. The numbers go up and down a bit and some days it is quiet around this time but if you look at the stats, this year is pretty much in line with the last two years which were very consistent.

[Nearly Sane]

People say that things like Facebook are killing off forums - as a non-Facebooker I wouldn't know, though I find it hard to believe that Facebook allows for the same sort of extended discussions such as you get on a standard forum. I can't imagine the 'Searching for God' thread on Facebook.

Advertising is the key, I think, but tricky to do.

You could do it on Facebook but you would need a closed group to control the discussion, else popularity just turns it into a messy free for all, and that sort of defeats the point. I suppose it is easier to add people to such groups and would be less likely for people to encounter difficulties joining but not sure that would create much of a difference.


Anyway as the stats indicate it's not a question of numbers of posts in comparison to 2014 and 2015.

[Aruntraveller]

You could do it on Facebook but you would need a closed group to control the discussion, else popularity just turns it into a messy free for all, and that sort of defeats the point. I suppose it is easier to add people to such groups and would be less likely for people to encounter difficulties joining but not sure that would create much of a difference.


Anyway as the stats indicate it's not a question of numbers of posts in comparison to 2014 and 2015.

FB does have discussion groups - indeed one of our members here has started one which I did belong to for awhile. It's ok on Facebook but it is much more difficult to follow the discussions (at least that's what I find) as you tend to have to search more than you do on a traditional MB like this.

[Rhiannon]

We could publicise the forum through Twitter and so on but that requires someone with the time to do it and the right style to get noticed.

[Nearly Sane]

FB does have discussion groups - indeed one of our members here has started one which I did belong to for awhile. It's ok on Facebook but it is much more difficult to follow the discussions (at least that's what I find) as you tend to have to search more than you do on a traditional MB like this.

Yes, Facebook because of its wider remit doesn't lend itself to that type of discussion. It works OK if you are taking a specific point of view or are organising something. I wouldn't be particularly interested in raising the sort of numbers of posts that we have held steady at for over 2 and half years to much. Something like 300 -350 average would be good, i.e. about 100 more than we do average.

I think it's the number of posters that is concerning as at times we could do the threads by numbers.

[Brownie]

You could have it enlarged floo, might mean adding some gold.  I'm sorry you can't wear it any more as it is.

Being sentimental about jewellery is a funny thing.  My mum lost her engagement ring, she thought she pulled it off when taking off her gloves in a department store.  Her fingers had got a bit thinner so it wasn't as well fitted as it had been.  She asked in the shop but no-one handed it in.  She was really upset about it, for goodness knows how long.  She bought herself  a replacement ring but kept saying, "It's not the same".  I felt sorry for her but after a while I thought, "You're fit and well, it's only a thing after all". 

Some years ago we were burgled and my engagement ring was taken.  I still feel a pang when I think of it, I too have replaced it but "it's not the same" and when I go out, I look in second hand jewellery shops in the hope of seeing it which isn't likely.  So I understand a bit more now how my mum felt.

[SweetPea]

The Points of View message-board closed on Monday and people were leaving links to other forums, someone left a link to this board so you may see some traffic coming this way.

[Rhiannon]

Thanks for the heads up, SP. 

[Shaker]

Yet another Beeb casualty