(the following issues inspire such debate and stir such emotion that it's almost impossible not to give them at least some consideration. so, in the "safe harbour" of friday five, i thought we could share our opinions on the current "big issues". hopefully we may end up with a general "consensus" or majority view in some very interesting areas). ... do you approve or disapprove of ... 1/ prostitution ? 2/ drugs ? 3/ pornography ? 4/ ...

celebrity anorexics annoy me. i can't help it. i know anorexia is real. i know it's a disease. i know they apparently can't help it. but i don't care. i think they can . and whilst i have nothing but sympathy for young women (and men) who become ill in this way as a result of trauma or a difficult upbringing, i have nothing but contempt for young (in particular female) "celebrities" who cannot accept the natural development of their female bodies, and behave as if being feminine is a ...

"ask not what your blog can do for you ..." ok, so you’ve been here a while now, you’re enjoying your blog and you’ve decided to make it an ongoing project. me too ! . so, like me, you might be becoming interested in adding some “extras” to your blogging experience. (yet, also like me, you might find that things like “rss feeds” or “offsite posting” sound a little like medical procedures). i admit to reading numerous excellent articles on ways to promote your blog. yet, (th...

unless your intention is to deliberately malign and offend people, delivering your message in an unkind, aggressive or patronising way will not serve you well in this world. no matter how “wrong” someone or something may be, i am yet to see anybody converted to a cause by being ridiculed into it. if what you believe in is important to you, then you owe it to yourself to make sure that your support of it doesn’t leave you blind to it's shortcomings, and to ensure that whatever you say in...

in terms of tourism, australias' rural areas have long fought a losing battle against the sophistication of our capital cities. i think most australians assume that this is because all tourists are spoiled lazy sods who only want to go to posh hotels where somebody will wash their socks. but this is not true !. the real problem seems to be that australias' country areas have, by some bizarre unspoken agreement, apparently decided to rectify the tourist shortage by incessantly buil...

in terms of tourism, australias' rural areas have long fought a losing battle against the sophistication of our capital cities. i think most australians assume that this is because all tourists are spoiled lazy sods who only want to go to posh hotels where somebody will wash their socks. but this is not true !. the real problem seems to be that australias' country areas have, by some bizarre unspoken agreement, apparently decided to rectify the tourist shortage by incessantly buil...

so ... "how was it for you ?" ... what was it like the first time you ... 1/ fell in love ? 2/ got drunk ? 3/ drove a car ? 4/ had sex ? 5/ got a job ? everybody is welcome ... be as serious or as silly as you like ... and if you want to skip (or change) any of the questions for a personal reason, please feel free to do so (ie: you may not be sexually active, but may like to share what happened with your f...

do ranty replies get you riled ? ... are caustic critical comments constantly choking your creativity ? ... do pushy people pelt you with profuse personal put-downs ? ... well, next time a comment offends your sensibilities, don’t go barmy, just go bingo by subjecting it to the “ blog blah blah bingo ” test below. every time the comment commits an “offence” ... it gets a strike ... and if it gets 3 strikes, i think you’re safe to limit your response to one single word ......

do ranty replies get you riled ? ... are caustic critical comments constantly choking your creativity ? ... do pushy people pelt you with profuse personal put-downs ? ... well, next time a comment offends your sensibilities, don’t go barmy, just go bingo by subjecting it to the “ blog blah blah bingo ” test below. every time the comment commits an “offence” ... it gets a strike ... and if it gets 3 strikes, i think you’re safe to limit your response to one single word ......

sent to prison for speaking your mind on your blog ... that couldn’t happen to you , right ? "reporters without borders*" is a group that highlights the plight of people imprisoned and branded as “cyber-dissidents” for publishing their views on the internet. their website reports that 72 online authors worldwide have been charged with being “cyber-dissidents” and are currently imprisoned , with new incidences on the increase. consider the case of the chinese blogger and journal...

... your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to create yourself the closest to your perfect partner you can based on this selection of qualities. but there is a catch ... the qualities below are exclusionary , and in choosing one, you automatically eliminate its opposite. would they be ... 1/ spontaneous or stable ? 2/ passive or aggressive ? 3/ monogamous or experimental ? 4/ material or spiritual ? 5/ talented or driven ?...

“would you rather have critical comments or no comments ?” i was asked this recently in a comment on my poetry. it’s a very insightful question that i was glad to be asked. making a comment on poetry can be difficult. poetry is very personal , so it's not like a "normal" blog in which you can offer actual input . yet, if something you read touches you in any way, it’s a compliment to it’s author and they deserve to know about it. there is the consideration that not all poet...

... (there's something about jesse ... if you don't believe me, see for yourself) ... sld6 : judging your attractiveness on what others think is asking for an image problem miggy: exactly. and there is a vast difference between attractive and beautiful sld6 : im gonna go see if the washer is empty now and then ill be back miggy: how enthralling i must be sld6 : im back miggy : great miggy: i assume that when women talk to you ir...