Iun

Happy birthday to everyone for the next three months that has a birthday. Right, that's me done with then. So everyone who has a birthday between now and the 4th of February should check this thread, because I'm not saying it again. Except for me. It's my birthday in that demarcated period and I don't expect to say ittomyself. I do expect presents, however.

I will give you two pandas. Don't ask where I got them from.

Belated happy birthday wishes, you odd fellow.

BI-SICKLE BI-SICKLE! God, I miss Freddie Mercury...

I have to put my tuppence in here: Both my grandmother, mother, great grandfather and uncle all knew the date and specifics of their own deaths. My grandmother knew that she would die early September, from something unknown - she had an undiagnosed micro tumor pressing on part of her brain, and she knew my uncle would be the last person to see her. It happened, bitches. My mother - and I find it hard to type this - told everyone she would die alone, and before her 33rd birthday. She did. Great grandfather begged us not to put him in a home as he had spoken numerous times of his firm belief that he wouldn't see out a week there. Six days after he moved in, he passed away in his sleep. My uncle, died at 12, of a heart attack. He always told my father that his greatest hope was to one day be a teenager - they all laughed, but he said it would never happen as he couldn't see past the July of that year. He died on July 31st. And yours truly, is absolutely convinced that he doesn't see 42. It'll be cancer. Anyway, moving on. These TV psychics are all pretty much BS-artists, cold reading, being fed information, audience plants... but people need it sometime. Because if religion fails us, and there is nothing after death. Then that's terrifying, isn't it? Nevertheless, there are genuinely people who are in contact not simply with the deceased, but with the world as a whole on a different plane. There are these people who seem to float in and out of reality, they have partial contact, but only see glimpses of this place. It's like they're laying across leylines (boo!), one toe in the water. They're conduits for this information, but also not exactly ideal for communicating as they are barely lucid, with flashes of madness. It's the difference between riding a moped and rocking a Harley... sometimes the shit needs to get through, and there's no other way. The real psychics, the ones who can, never really do. Speaking as a Shaman, I've not spoke to my animal guides in a fair while. Perhaps I should, I felt a lot better when I did. Not much sense there - broken finger and early morning, yo.

Getting Away with Murder in China This article was picked up by CDT http://www.chinadigitaltimes.net, a prominent pro-democracy movement in the US written by exiled Chinese. They have a lot of links with the NYT and the WSJ, so that was a massive boost. I was sitting there at breakfast yesterday casually reading the site when I thought "...hang on a second... I recognise that writing.... That was me!" I didn't even know the editor had accepted it. China's Halting Response to Libya This one was actually two articles that the editor ripped to shreds and re-pasted. I'm not proud of the finished product, but it's more exposure.

Here we are, recruits: as you can see, the truly insane may have moments of startling lucidity. But don't let them pull the wool over your eyes: they are at their most dangerous when they appear their calmest.

That's a whole lot of shaking going on... ...sorry... Feel for you.

I loved B-K, and my thing was a nice sit down for an afternoon of gaming and a bag (or two) of Haribo Starmix. No cups of tea, just some squash and Starmix. Banjo-Kazooie is still awesome. As is Starmix.

Someone should yell at you for spoilers, but seeing as Rare basically SPOILED THE ENTIRE GAME BY MAKING IT, we can let it go.

Oh lawks, another one..

Oh-oh-oh RUN WITH US. Lisa Lougheed - she was about 17 when she recorded that song and others for the soundtrack. She released two critically acclaimed solo albums then disappeared. Shame, because she had such a fantastic and distinctive voice.

Jesus, Danny... Get help.

Ah, at last! A confession! Let this day be remembered as the the day Danny finally admitted the Matrix sequels were bollocks.

*snickersnickerhnorfhnorfBLORT!* Vagina beats tea! Penis beats vagina! Tea beats penis!

Grabsolutely. My two fabourites from Sylvester McCoy were The Chains of Fenric and Remembrance of the Daleks. Two series that showed a much darker and more complicated side to the doctor.

It's so strange, everyone talks about Dr Who these days as if the whole thing began with Chrisopher Ecclestone. The original series were incredibly arc-heavy and the true mysteries were not revealed until a few episodes into the run. To tell the truth, I actually enjoyed that more than these self-contained little things.

Sincerest condolences Ganepark. In many ways, the peaceful way is the best. Grandma Iun has Parkinson's, and when I went back to the UK this Summer she was just a skeleton, can barely walk, memory is going... It's just awful. I feel it will be worse for my granda who is 80 and is there watching her slip away.

Sorry, I thought you were going to be talking about our beloved Cube's female equivalent here. My mistake.

I am, just not about this. It's a lengthy treatise on the importance of needle widths in early-model Victrolas.

I feel you, man, I feel you. I travelled halfway across the world to be with a girl I was in love with. When I got there, I realised she was just getting off with the attention, the emotions, the love, the self-sacrifice... It just didn't appeal to her as much as having this guy who was crazy about, but at arms length. Days into my stay, I found that there were four or five other guys in the same position. And she was LOVING it.

Yeah, I'll go with the "this sucks" line. It seems a massive reversal of gender roles that the man is pursuing the relationship, but when you want something,its hard to shake that feeling. However, if she's not willing to commit and she's just happy with casual sex...that says something about her character that needs to be considered. It's hard to break away from those overpowering feelings you're having, but try and look objectively for a moment. I've been there, and with hindsight, I wish I had not wasted so much time. You want to give them the world, but they want the twat their mate lives with who never shaves, bathes or cuts his toenails. It hurts.

er, I think we agreed in another thread that use of the un-word "jokes" was to be punished with immediate acid testicle bath?

That makes no sense - for your passport you have to have certified and stamped change of name deeds. I mean, Christ, anyone could just write to the paper and say "John Peterson wishes to be known as Crepuscular P.N.S. Erection". And frankly, there is FIFTY POUNDS for anyone who does that, with proof. And doesn't change it for two years. And it's legal.