Scottish independence: 'Yes' campaign to be launched

scarter · 2012-05-25T15:51:34.452831+00:00

Actually, in terms of political consciousness, Scotland shares a great deal with the north of England. If you take a look at proportional maps of recent elections, you can see that the political divide in th UK doesn't span the Scotland England border, but rather exists between the urban and rural, UK wide, exemplified in the results from the Scottish Borders constituencies. Also seen is greater Conservative support in the south of England, which is well documented in terms of the enlish north-south divide. Exceptions to tory ruled rural areas exists in both the highlands and north of England.

In fact, as of the 2007 Local council elections (I haven't checked this year's results), the Conservatives held absolutely no council seats in Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle or Sheffield; the metropolitan areas of which have a greater combined population than Scotland.

The political divisions in this country stem from the economic histories of the the areas either side of the chasm, and these economic histories are shared across the Scotish/English border. The north/south divide is observed as running from the Severn to the Humber to a far, far greater extent than was ever observed from Bowness to Berwick.

literallyoverthemoon · 2012-05-25T15:28:49.581479+00:00

I thought about this and I don't think so.

Any Jamie born in 81 who sees this is going to notice it, hopefully anyone who knows a Jamie with birthday 5th October will too.

And anyway, his full name is either the one at the top of the letter, or he shares a surname of one of his parents; I'm not sure which, and if anyone can name themselves as Jamie, they'll be able to confirm it with their surname.

literallyoverthemoon · 2012-05-25T15:16:32.532502+00:00

It is indeed very odd.

It was literally on the pavement, right at the bridge of Kelvinbridge.

It wasn't in an envelope, it is two sheets of A4 paper, typewritten, and was folded quite haphazardly, not neatly. The typing wasn't apparent on the outside of the folds so I don't know what made me pick it up.

There's no address, but it begins Dear Jamie, and Jame's full name is at the top of the paper.

It is a little unclear whether the James refers to Jamie or the writer of the letter, but Jamie's father's and mother's full names are contained in the letter, so if Jamie born on 5th October 1981 confirms his surname, chances are it will be one of the three, or he could at least tell me about his parents and their names.

It ends quite abruptly, so I'm not sure if there is a missing third page (which was not folded up with it) and the sender is not mentioned (unless the sender is james).

I have no idea how it ended up on the street; my best guess is that Jamie, the writer, or someone else had it in a bag or pocket, and dropped it.

marcussantiago · 2012-05-25T14:53:03.736679+00:00

That's why it irks me a little, it's almost as if it's token homosexuality, for the sake of there being a gay character there.

Rictor and Shatterstar in X-Force never got half the publicity or exposure that Northstar is getting, neither have any others.

I think the majority of the publicity is being created by the bigots making a big deal, but I also believe Marvel knows exactly what it's doing; gay marriage is already an 'issue' in the US media right now and they're probably playing into that.

I could be wrong though.

literallyoverthemoon · 2012-05-25T14:48:28.727191+00:00

In what way is my title disruptive or misleading?

He has defended the appointment of Hunt, stating that he maintained impartiality, depite admitting that Hunt previously urged the PM towards one side. My titles sums this up.

marcussantiago · 2012-05-25T14:42:44.455207+00:00

Well, Black Panther, Storm and Luke Cage are big characters, A-listers if you will, Northstar isn't quite up there.

I agree with you, the majority of the publicity is thanks to the bigots who rae making a big deal about it. However, I can't help but feel that Marvel is giving this a big publicity push, that it wouldn't normally, and at a time when gay marriage in the US is already a big 'issue' in the media.

literallyoverthemoon · 2012-05-25T11:14:17.922237+00:00

You're right, I'd bet my watch that nothing comes of it; Hunt's going to be the fall guy, and Cameron will slither out of it.

I just hope enough people realise what's going on, and vote differently ( for people slightly less owned by Murdoch) next time.

literallyoverthemoon · 2012-05-25T10:18:49.606470+00:00

I don't know how he can avoid implication; it was his decision to remove Cable for being against the bid, and his decision to appoint Hunt despite knowing he was very much in favour of it.

This is clearly manipulating what is supposed to be impartial adjudication, in order to arrange business gains, media power and financial gains for NewsCorp. It's blindingly obvious, and sickeningly insidious.

marcussantiago · 2012-05-25T10:08:48.293049+00:00

I'm glad someone else has pointed this out.

The marketing seems to be cashing in on it, which is almost as bad as these 'moms' in my opinion.

The best way I can think to describe it is this; if Northstar was marrying a woman, would the wedding get a cover illustration, would it get all this publicity?

If the answer is no, then it shouldn't be happening.

I want to live in a world where a gay relationship is treated exactly the same as any other relationship. I'm sick of non-heterosexual relationships being treated as the issue or theme of an episode, rather than just a relationship like any other.

The only place I've so far seen homosexuality which was written purely as character relationships and not for shock (or similar) value? Doctor Who. Doctor Who regularly features both major and minor characters who are gay/bi/pan/trans, but there's no big thing made about it; Captain Jack is chatting up Alonso (just as he would anything else), the female Silurian happens to have a girlfriend. They are visible to the audiance, but they are normal characters, and are not made an example of or singled out in anyway. It's realistic (as far as a humanoid lizard with a 5 foot long tongue dating a victorian girl can get).

I'm not gay, but what I want to see is equality regardless of sexual/gender orientation/prefernce, not spectacles and sensations made of them.

TrumpetH4X · 2012-05-25T09:33:52.189108+00:00

The only similarities are that they all have wheels and that they are there to sample and analyse.

The analyses being run, measurements taken and science examined will be very different; the rover has different goals and objectives from previous rovers. Have a look at Curiosity's wikipedia page and you'll see why Curiosity is being sent. The instruments on board are what's important, not what kind of vehicle carry them

That and instead of solar panels it's powered by radioactive decay; that's just cool.

toldyaso · 2012-05-25T09:18:43.806225+00:00

I agree with Fetishiste's comment however I think the fact that this is a dating site holds your answer.

If you're meeting people in bars, through friends, or through clubs/teams etc (ie not online), you get to know the person without even thinking about their job, even things like where they come from will have less impact because you're too busy interacting. You might tell the girl you've just met that you're unemployed or have a boring, dirty or unethical job, but unless its really really weird, your personality will still be shown, and ultimately if she likes you, she'll like you (although I'm sure there are some women who will abandon talking to a guy she has a rapport with just because of his job, but these would be a minority you're better staying away from anyway).

When it's an online dating site, and your life is displayed in facts and numbers all to be perused at the one time, rather than be learned slowly while getting to know you; it's different. On a dating site, you are basically choosing a husband/wife. If there's a guy online who ticks every box you have, no matter how unrealistic, then why email the guy who doesnt tick all these imaginary boxes? Following on from this logic, why email anyone who does not live up to a fantastical ideal? "Web programmer? Sounds a bit boring. Bet it involves sitting in front of a PC all day. Maybe he just has his own Buffy website..."

The decision to email you is based on the woman's (or man's) interpretation and perception of the facts and figures of your life, and your profile is but one of thousands to view, and only viewed for ~20 seconds. In real life, the decision to contact you is based on a conversation and the level of rapport between you.

I'm not saying online dating is 'worse' than traditional means, just that it's different. If you don't stand out in some way communicable through words, then you wont even get a chance.

myniceaccount · 2012-05-25T08:51:11.726137+00:00

Don't joke; someone will do it!

"Could we have 2 plates of the deep fried Milky Way, a plate of the Hagis baws, a plate of mini pizza crunch and three Glasgow salad plates please?".

literallyoverthemoon · 2012-05-24T20:49:10.853964+00:00

I agree, with you and Cable. However, he had to go; for every reason. Number one, he wouldn't be impartial in the handling of the bid.

Oh wait, that doesn't matter; as long as we have Murdoch on our side, everything else goes out the window.

I will be amazed if this doesn't end up on the door step of number 10. Amazed and disgusted.

Perpetuum · 2012-05-24T19:48:33.032823+00:00

A more effective strategy would be to post this image from the Highway Code (UK) on your Facebook.

Better yet, have it on TV, magazine, internet and poster adverts everywhere.

Some drivers are ignorant of the rules and no one gives a shit.

dgodon · 2012-05-24T18:34:13.387597+00:00

The ticker at the bottom of her blog literally spins.

brauchen · 2012-05-24T18:32:54.269511+00:00

I think could be the closest noun we have to describe him.

blue_strat · 2012-05-24T17:40:01.309636+00:00

I found the worst of these to be his attack on Dennis Skinner.

While they all demonstrate a condescending and mildly disrespectful manner, one in which you could also say is not in keeping with parliamentary expectations, using the age of a man, who has served as an MP for over 40 years, in such a scathing, cowardly and undeserved snipe is disgusting.

He is 80, and he knows he is. Such an insidious comment on this fact not only speaks volumes of Mr Cameron, but I bet it was bloody embarassing and ddistressing for a man heading towards the end of a very long career.

literallyoverthemoon · 2012-05-24T17:15:49.153379+00:00

Yet the similarly partisan Vince Cable was removed.

Trishlovesdolphins · 2012-05-24T10:03:30.953152-07:00

Yeah, even ten years is a huge time when it comes to this stuff.

I've no idea about the US and Canada, but here in the UK the support of deaf children, and those with other impairments, is governed by law, as well as local government guidelines, and they all hinge on helping the child communicate and live effectively, to their best potential, not 'normally'.

Communication is seen as being at the heart of child development and education for a while, and so sign lanague has been central to this for many years.

Doctors teachers and carers are always going to take a wide and varying approach to helping a childs development, in the case of hearing difficulties this means sign language will play a part. If a parent is going to atively ignore all those experts, that's one dumb parent, and the kid has more to worry about that just his hearing.

Sometimes utilising schemes like sign language upon advice from careres/experts during teaching in schools requires permission from the parents, but sometimes it doesn't.

Anyway, this boy's mum cares so much about him, and seems to have enough common sense, that she asked marvel if they had any superheroes with hearing aids based on what he cares about; I'm sure she's going to agree with what the experts have to say about the development of her sons communication skills.

Trishlovesdolphins · 2012-05-24T09:24:19.217457-07:00

On what are you basing this assertion that doctors do not value the use of sign language? What country do you live in?

Having taught and known children with hearing as well as speech and language difficulties, and liased with the relevant experts and specialists, the reality is nothing of the sort. The teaching and use of sign languages are considered extremely effective and important steps towards both developing communication skills and improving the use of hearing for communication, and is considered integral to their education and care.

(There's actually a growing movement that believes all children should be learning forms of sign language alongside spoken language, the belief being that it improves language and communication learning for all children, not just those with sensory impairments. Not sure how much I buy into this myself).

And anyway, when a child is identified as having a hearing difficulty, any number of experts become involved in improving their quality of life; educational psychologists, speech and language therapists, sensory impairment teachers, their own teachers, and others where appropriate, not just Doctors.

No child with a sensory impairment such as a hearing difficulty is treated as faulty, and not since the 1960s, in the UK at least, has the notion of making a child 'normal' been considered.

No carer of a deaf child is going to leave them with only one means of communication either.

BreathlessFlame · 1 day

No, but we do occasionally make love on top of the washing machine, could this have any bearing on the matter?

Secret Santa 2011	Summer Santa 2011
One-Year Club	Secret Santa 2010
Verified Email

literallyoverthemoon

TROPHY CASE

you'll need to login or register to do that

create a new account

login