blathin Forum Posts (3,125)

RE: Would you swap your childhood

Yeh, the amount of children that were subjected to the most horrendous depravities is astounding and only really coming to light in the last 20 years or so...Ireland has a shameful history in that respect....My mother always said how lucky we were to have such a great father....but as a child I was totally baffled as to why she would say such a thing...I just took it for granted that Daddy would be ...well....Daddy ...so it never dawned on me to ask her why...I've since learned just how lucky we really were..and blessed too..

I used to volunteer with a children's charity...and some of what the children were going through was heartbreaking. ...I shed many a wet tear over some of those kids...some I will never forget. so it's not in the past...it's well and truly still very much in the present.....At least years ago a lot of the kids could get outside and play...or go to friends...and get away from it..these days they can't even escape for a few hours....and teenagers on the streets are so so so exposed to the risk of drugs now too....


Everyone thinks poverty is the worst thing that can happen a child's life but it's not there are far far far worse things than poverty...

RE: Alien Life

Oh that's a big question. So much to factor in...and out...

Earth's recent history (millions of years that is ) has mostly been one ice age or another.We're only here because this period is a rather long warm period within an ice age. Anthropogenic global warming is, contrary to popular belief, to our benefit, both short term and long term as it's keepng the planet warm, thus extending what should be a decline in the earths temperature. Our being here is breathtakingly amazing...but we are. So what are the odds of another earth being out there where conditions were just right and in the goldilocks zone too..that's crucial to life...

All life on earth can be connected by the commonality of genes, humans share 99% with chimps and we even share about 25% of fruit fly genes...Octopus genes however are a real mystery though as they have no connection with any life on earth..so where did they come from?

The size of the Universe....if earth were the size of one grain of sand on the beach, the Universe (capital U) would stretch to Jupiter, the universe (small u) would stretch to the moon (neither are correct measurements, just designed to give an idea of just fast the Universe/universe is..yes there is a difference in size. Given the sheer scale and abundance of galaxies, the odds are there must be at least one other planet where similar co-incidences occured that resulted in intelligent life...then again...given those set of circumstances, it's equally likely there's no life out there as just one missing co-incidence could mean the conditions aren't right for life to kick off....

Earth is absolutely swarming with life from sea bears to plant life to humans there isn't a square inch of the planet that hasn't been colonised by some sort of liife form....if life can coloniise this planet so easily and quickly...then how hard can it be for life to start elsewhere.

Our solar system is structured in such a way that it acts as a 360 degree protective barrier.. thus really increasing our chances of survival....if e.g. we didn't have Jupiter hoovering up thousands of errant meteors there's be zero life on earth...

We've traced our genesis all the way back to the sea and very simple life form...nature and adversity forced life to continually evolve to adapt...and we are still evolving.unfortunately our cerebellum is evolving far far far faster than our amygdala....hence the constant arguing..and why majority voting is wrong...and we've lost at least 3- 5 other species of human being along the way...Denisons, neanderthal etc....and the planet was far more a volatile environment back then....So if there were mulitiple species of humans here... then.....

Factor in the fact that silicon and carbon are so similar.....carbon being the orangic one and what our life is based on...but who's to say silicon cannot be some other planet;s basis to life if the conditions are right for a silicon based intelligent lifeform...

The octopus is the one that gets me though...where on earth did those genes come from as they are clearly not of this planet....

What worries me, is the fact that we have been sending radio signals out into space for about 100 years now.....so that's 100 light years...Radio tramissions are basically light, so common to every solar system. If that signal is picked up by another life form, and that life form is as aggressive and hostile as humans are..and it manages to get here (expansion rate of the universe might make that impossible though as galaxies are moving further apart at incredible speeds) then we might be in trouble...so lets hope if there is other life out there and it can get here..that it's smarter than us,but a lot less aggressive :)

RE: Would you swap your childhood

I wouldn't swap everything. Just add the internet to my childhood, it's the best library in the world if you want to educate yourself. The only problem is I'd probably never have gone a day to school I'd be too busy learning all the really interesting stuff...oh and the small surf kayaks they have now...and winter wetsuits..... God I really wish we had winter wetsuits back then...

RE: Lucky Vs Unlucky........I have a 12 inch scar on my neck and a 1 inch stab wound in the back

A stab wound..in the back?? Crikey Pedro,I'd say you're lucky.... very lucky..., I hope it wasn't anything too traumatic...

Isn't it interesting how one or two totally ignored your question and made it about all themselves...

RE: Christian Deprogramming

Oh I was raised by Catholic parents Rohann but I'm a total aetheist and have been since I was about 14 or 15. However, in answer to your question...banshees aren't part of catholicism, they're part of Irish folklore (if you've ever heard a cat wailing at night then that's what they used to say was a banshee...and they're letting you know of an imminent death in the family..). I'm not sure what you mean by celestial "signs" ,unless you're talking about the apparitions (e.g. Knock ) and the moving statues... All created by the way just to attract visitors and tourists to areas that were very poor...and it worked too lol...

Us Irish are mostly very moderate bunch and I've never heard of anyone saying they were "bad" or of the occult...so part from true believers most of us just tend to throw our eyes up to heaven or smile politely and mentally dismiss them...the Irish have passive agression down to a black art...lol

RE: Political correctness

No worries..you're welcome :)

RE: Who pays for covid 19?

God 4 euro?? Ah that's sickening lol.......I have long hair so it only needs then ends trimmed about once or twice a year..and that costs me at least 40euro..grrr lol

RE: Who pays for covid 19?

yeh barber is the right word . They cut men's hair

Hairdressers do women's hair...:))

RE: Is physical punishment good for children?

Yes fear is important, it's called self preservation. Even the most courageous experience fear, but they don't let it stop them from pursing whatever goals they're focused on...they just know when to listen to the fear and when to ignore it..#

If everyone was afraid of doing wrong we'd still be in caves.....

The kind of fear I think you might be talking about too is the kind of fear parents instill in their child for just being a child...making a mess, getting dirty, breaking something....saying something wrong...the parent who contantly needles their child isn't instilling fear they're terrorising their child and.that's a deeply insdious fear that will follow that child for the rest of it's life, and probably ruin that child's life, and then their own children's lives...it's a nasty poison.

The kids (and adults) that are out of control.....they're crying out for help and are the ones who need real help, love, kindness, tolerance, patience and a strong hand to guide them....not a beating....

There;s nothing wrong with aspiring towards a high bar..or as you call it Nirvana....we might never reach it, but it might mean a lot of children's lives..and by extension, a lot of adult's lifes are far happier...

RE: Who pays for covid 19?

In Ireland a barber charges about 10euro , northern Ireland they're more expensive (when exhange rate is taken in account)...ditto almost everything else except junk food...I dunno about the UK...

I don't know about barbers in Czech..but hairdressers are way more expensive in Czech than here in Ireland...In Ireland a wash and blowddry..no cut, costs anything from 10-15e..in Czech I've been to a few and was charged mostly 25e....The Czech people are really lovely once you get past that sour puss lol...but Czech can be greedy... the Italians however (in Rome anyway) are pure vultures....for money

RE: Political correctness

I can't type for laughing here.....

Trust me Mikey, if I was interested in propogating propaganda, the last place I'd go is some obscure online dating site....

RE: Is physical punishment good for children?

What a dreadfully sad (and appalling) thing to say. My heart goes out to any child who has to grow up with any parent who would think the above....

RE: Why is SWEDEN not under lockdown?

RE: What's famous in your country?

Ah sure I'd be here all day the list is so long..this is Ireland after all lol....

RE: Who are these people?

ahh the good ol' days... when Star Trek was worth watching...

RE: If you were suddenly and unexpectedly transported back to the stone age

There are guarantees about a civilised world???

Ya wha??? lol... Guarantees from whom? where? Tefal?

RE: If you were suddenly and unexpectedly transported back to the stone age

:roll...that'd be one very very veerrry dead flying dinosaur you'd be trying to drive Tomcatty...lol

RE: Why is SWEDEN not under lockdown?

Get over yourself!

RE: Why is SWEDEN not under lockdown?

Ah that's good to hear....sorry..I can't read Swedish lol...or speak it :)

RE: Why is SWEDEN not under lockdown?

The Swedish Government said there last week that they made a mistake and should've locked down the country when they had the chance...I've no idea what the numbers are but I believe they're fairly climbing...

RE: Explain This To Me

Oh god...another man-eejit...

As long as there are men like this, women who "don't know what they want" will always exist too lol.....

RE: Is physical punishment good for children?

Aww that must've been really awful for you Miss C...you were a five year old little girl at the mercy of two adult bullies..one an emotional terrorist and the other physical...and probably ne'er one person to ever stand up and defend you against that.... I know you say it made you stronger, but i'm not sure i'd agree with you entirely there..tougher yes for sure, but stronger? I dunno....

God it's awful what some parents will do to their chidren and then make out what great parents they were/are...Everyone is all about rules and how chldren should be discipline/raised when really all kids need is kindness, tolerance and acceptance...Kids aren't the problem..it's the parents who're the problem...

RE: Is physical punishment good for children?

No. There's no need to hit a child. Ever. Hitting a child is so very primitive.

However, that said there are children( today) growing up in far more deeply insidious environments where ne'er ever a hand is raised to them and have far worse long-term consequences than any slap/beating ever would..

RE: Question, what happens if Biden drops dead?

To protect against China and Russia??

Good god you must be seriously arrogant and deluded if you think China and Russia have any interest or notion of attacking the US..The real danger is the USA....And everyone knows it, except you Americans yourselves..Give it another 10-20 years and the US will be rendered totally impotent by it's own arrogance..because almost every nation are sick to the back teeth of you.....

RE: US, SETS HIGHEST CORONA RATE INCREASE YET (And Deaths) Just overnight..

It's not like we didn't get years and years of warning...we've had enough viruses come out of china for the last 20 years to let us know that one day one of them is going to be serious. The French minister of health ( a woman by the way) knew it, stocked up and was laughed at...then they let the stock of PPE deplete..if memory serves, that was back in 2009...

RE: US, SETS HIGHEST CORONA RATE INCREASE YET (And Deaths) Just overnight..

What's more interesting is how ungrateful, ungracious and sneering the least informed people are...

I know some of those research scientists, and I can assure you the last thing they have is time for any kind of circuit..other than the circuit to and from work..where they go every day to work ungodly hours so that they can come up with a vaccine that might one day save your life.

The few that are on some sort of talk show circuit aren't the ones who will come up with the solution..they're just egos in search of glory.....

RE: US, SETS HIGHEST CORONA RATE INCREASE YET (And Deaths) Just overnight..

I totally agree Rizlared..

RE: Alabama Covid parties.

Yep, that's what I thought too when I heard it..selfish stupid fools who think they're being smart and/or funny....

The thing is, they might think it's hilarious now...but what they don't know is how this virus could affect them later on down the line..They could catch it, be asymptomatic. and not have any problems for years..then suddenly.............

RE: If you were suddenly and unexpectedly transported back to the stone age

You probably wouldn't last long enough to miss anything. Your immune systems wouldn't be able to protect you for much more than a couple of weeks...if even that. Any food you might find would be marinaded in microbes that could make you seriously ill very fast and even if you survived all that and you had the misfortune to bump into stone age man...they'd probably batter you to death...

I'd give you two weeks at the most lol...

RE: Music game

Yola