Hamilton Saint

Lower taxes for the rich; lower taxes for corporations. Freedom from money-market regulation for the banks; freedom from environmental regulation for corporations. Lower taxes means poorer public services and more user-fees. Greater freedom often means more greed and exploitation. Lower taxes sounds good - but what are the practical effects on society as a whole? Greater freedom sounds great - but who is it, specifically, getting this new "freedom"?

It's starting to sound like a slogan. Any other examples?

You've used that example several times before - you seem to be fixated on it. Of course, there is a different perspective - a different way of characterising things. Workers are taxed by government in order to provide services that the public demands. Some idle people take advantage of the social safety-net. So do some rich people. Many individuals and many corporations cheat on their taxes. They take advantage of tax loop-holes. They hide their assets in overseas bank accounts in order to avoid taxes. How would you characterise that? If a Liberal government imposes a health "surcharge" on every citizen in order to pay for a publicly-funded health-care system, is that socialism? If a Conservative government increases the amount that employers and employees have to contribute to the employment insurance scheme, is that socialism? If a Conservative government bails out major banks with public money, is that socialism? If Conservative governments give subsidies or tax-breaks to assist faltering industries, or to entice them to settle in their jurisdictions, is that socialism? If Conservative governments pump billions of dollars into the economy in order to counter the negative effects of the recent recession, specifically, in order to create jobs, is that socialism?

Did you take your Mum to Bingo yet?

Actually, to be fair, I was not "trying to justify the blatant hyocrisy of UAF"; I was primarily criticising your debating tactics and your political labelling techniques. Blair and Gordon are not "socialists", no matter how many times you insist on saying it. To debate politics, use correct political terminology - that's my main point.

A typically dishonest tactic. If very different groups come together on an ad-hoc basis to participate in the same protest, it doesn't mean they agree with each other's policies or tactics. I have been at anti-war marches (first and second Gulf Wars) which included participation from the Canadian Communist Party and the Canadian Communist Party Marxist-Leninist. That doesn't mean I agreed with, or sympathised with, their manifesto or political tactics. It just means we agreed (for very different reasons) in our opposition to those wars. It's a simple concept, really. You're trying to use a cheap guilt-by-association technique. It's a form of McCarthyism. Furthermore: just because you insist on using the label "socialist" when talking about the leaders of the labour Party, that does not make it so. To debate honestly and clearly about politics you ought to be accurate and fair in the terms that you use - otherwise it's sheer propaganda.

I read somewhere on a thread here that the pitch was being relaid just for the JPT final.

Yes, I was. And now that you mention it, I do recall playing for the school team during First Form at a tournamant; unfortunately, we had to play lightning chess - not my forte.

Chess is great - the ultimate board game. I don't play much any more, but I have been running a Chess Club for abouit five years at the school where I teach. Interestingly, the club consists mostly of kids with an Asian heritage - Chinese, Indian, Pakistani. Same constituency of kids that excel in my maths classes.

Congratulations and best wishes. :smt038

The Jesus of Cool by Nick Lowe. [Released in North America as Pure Pop for Now People.]

She was driving with a suspended license, had no insurance, and had been convicted of drunk-driving the day before.

Mistakenly posted twice. Excuse.

It's very logical: the streets run west-to-east and increase by one as you move north (like lines of latitude). One street south of 42nd Street is 41st Street; one street north of 42nd Street is 43rd Street. The avenues run north-to-south (like lines of longitude) and increase by one as you move east. So, Sixth Avenue is one avenue east of Fifth Avenue. And so on. Not very romantic, but extremely logical and very easy to get around.

Actually, Keillor is from Minnesota. Not my cup of tea, either, BTW.

A valid point. The temptation is often just too tremendous.

Pathetic. They call it clutching at straws. You know what, I'm not interested in your games. If it makes you feel better about yourself by putting me down, go for it. Bully for you (literally). If you think that ridiculing posters because of the "undesirable" sub-group they belong to "bigs" you up in the eyes of fellow cyber-warriors on here, go for it. I just can't compete with your scintillating wit, sharp repartee and incredible debating skills. [You could try getting your facts straight, though, and working on your logical thinking.] Meanwhile, have a nice, un-boring, non-Canadian day.

Listened to all four Simon and Garfunkel albums in a row last Sunday, whilst preparing a beef stew for dinner. Paul Simon is a great song writer. Bookends is quite brilliant! Check out Simon's fairly recent album collaboration with Brian Eno - Surprise. Excellent - if you're a fan of his stuff!

Cheers to you and good luck! I was back in Southampton last August. Saw two games - the League Cup game at home to Northampton (a happy experience), and the league game away at Swindon Town the following week (horrible!). I picked up my own Saints mug at the St. Mary's Megastore - along with a couple of other Saints' souvenirs. Hope you're able to get to Southampton yourself in the not-too-distant future. You're obviously a "real" fan.

An article about the series in today's Toronto Star (March 8th.). http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/television/article/776391--new-spielberg-series-explores-wwii-in-the-pacific

No tour this year; the team will stay in So'ton - where the real fans are.

Nothing's guaranteed. Who knows what will happen next season? Many people assume it'll be a bit of a cake-walk next year. Not necessarily. So, it's not a matter of being in a rush; it's a matter of just wanting to grab at any chance to be promoted, however slim the odds.

One of the worst penalty decisions I've ever seen. A classic case of an under-pressure, nervous ref, not taking those extra few seconds needed to make the correct decision.

Recently watched My Life In Ruins starring Nia Vardalos. It's billed as a "romantic comedy" and considered a sequel to My Big Fat Greek Wedding (which was not a bad, little, independent film). Unfortunately, this film is - to quote one of my least favourite personalities - "the pits of the world". Being a Grecophile, I watched it primarily for the Greek scenery. Imagine my disgust when I discovered that, apart from scenes in Athens, Olympia and Delphi, most of the film was shot in Spain! Avoid.

The U.S. has never had troubling dealing with (and assisting) one-party states, dictatorships, and military juntas - as long as they're far-to-the-right, as opposed to far-to-the-left.