Heartland

Heh. There's a guy who's apparently famous among the curry chefs in Leeds and Bradford for being immune to curry heat. He came in our local (The Bengal Brasserie) one time and Ikky the assistant manager made him a "special" phaal.

He let me try a bit of the sauce and just a minuscule amount made me go red and run for the water jug (and I'm a guy who likes my curries.)

The guy just shovelled it down with no apparent ill-effect. He'd have stormed this competition.

http://www.conservatives.com/News/News_ ... ments.aspx

Pista wrote:Seems this guy was "a bit miffed" about a few things

F is for fired, boetie

http://www.timeslive.co.za/entertainmen ... red-boetie

Somehow it sounds so much better with a sithifrikin accent

EvilBastard wrote:sithifrikin

Pegged it, spot-on. Nice.

Dan wrote:http://www.conservatives.com/News/News_ ... ments.aspx

Behold the glories of coalition government. It's not a Conservative government they'll tell you.
I'm a little more bemused as to Cameron telling people to pay off credit card debt when according to Osbourne increasing consumer debt is part of his grand plan to save the economy. Answers on a postcard as to how people buying products with money they don't have is good for anyone to Tory HQ.

Can anyone explain to me how the following is a coherent and consistent argument:

The rich need tax cuts (i.e. more money) to encourage them to work harder. The economy can afford these tax cuts.

The poor need benefit cuts (i.e. less money) to encourage them to work harder. The economy cannot afford benefits.

markfiend wrote:Can anyone explain to me how the following is a coherent and consistent argument:

The rich need tax cuts (i.e. more money) to encourage them to work harder. The economy can afford these tax cuts.

The poor need benefit cuts (i.e. less money) to encourage them to work harder. The economy cannot afford benefits.

I suppose the idea is that the rich with their extra money will use it to finance new ideas, investment, jobs etc and that will more than make up for the original tax loss. Whereas any money given to those on benefits makes no return.

Of course where it's all balls is that most of the tax cut money will end up in the Caymans, and at least 20% of benefit money finds itself back in Treasury hands as VAT anyway. Mind you, I think inflation will make benefits and the minimum wage for that matter impossible to live on within a year or so.

DeWinter wrote:I suppose the idea is that the rich with their extra money will use it to finance new ideas, investment, jobs etc and that will more than make up for the original tax loss. Whereas any money given to those on benefits makes no return.

Ah yes. The "trickle-down" theory. Pity that whenever it's been tried the practical effect is, like you say,

DeWinter wrote:...most of the tax cut money will end up in the Caymans,

And you won't get any argument from me about the regressive (and therefore unjust) nature of VAT.

Vaguely on the same topic, I'm sure people have seen ads for payday loans companies? How are they allowed to get away with charging APRs of 4000% plus? It's naked usury.

Isn't usury quite legal?
They've sprung up like fleas in the town I used to live in, along with those places that offer to cash your wage cheque for you at once for a 25% cut. They seem to prey on the people with insecure or "ad hoc" labouring work who find themselves short of cash on a regular basis. The cheque cashing places seem the preserve of the migrant workers with dodgy papers who can't get a bank account.
It is fecking outrageous, but it'll be defended with the same drivel spouted about unauthorised overdrafts I suspect.

DeWinter wrote:Isn't usury quite legal?

Yes, there are no laws against usury in the UK (the last one was repealed in the 19th century).

There have been some calls for a new law against usury (more specifically, against charging interest rates over a certain threshold) but nothing is in parliament yet, and I don't think there's any real political will to pass such a law.

Legal maybe, but 4000% APR? I know of loan-sharks who would blush at that.

markfiend wrote:Legal maybe, but 4000% APR? I know of loan-sharks who would blush at that.

True, but the payday loan people are less likely to force-feed you your own testicles if you miss a payment!

Okay, so terror & all that, but isn't this headline a tad sniggerworthy?

'Underpants bomber' pleads guilty

Methinks the "celeb" correspondent of the Canadian 'Globe and Mail' might perhaps be pushing a subtle political agenda:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/art ... le2197635/

The real Guitar Hero...



IZ.

Pista wrote:Okay, so terror & all that, but isn't this headline a tad sniggerworthy?

'Underpants bomber' pleads guilty

What was his plan?

1: Bomb in underpants
2: ?
3: Prophet

markfiend wrote:

Pista wrote:Okay, so terror & all that, but isn't this headline a tad sniggerworthy?

'Underpants bomber' pleads guilty

What was his plan?

1: Bomb in underpants
2: ?
3: Prophet

4: Think about how stupid you were when you come at the Pearly Gates and your promised virgins are waiting for you to fulfill all your needs...erhhh...

IZ.

Saddam's butt cheek for auction

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/sa ... 6165450776

Izzy HaveMercy wrote:The real Guitar Hero...



IZ.

... times have changed. Drums heve been outsourced to computers ...

Izzy HaveMercy wrote:

markfiend wrote:

Pista wrote:Okay, so terror & all that, but isn't this headline a tad sniggerworthy?

What was his plan?

1: Bomb in underpants
2: ?
3: Prophet

4: Think about how stupid you were when you come at the Pearly Gates and your promised virgins are waiting for you to fulfill all your needs...erhhh...

IZ.

It's very simple: a crotch full of exploding semtex is small price to pay when your reward will be an eternity spent among beautiful and willing virgins who, because of their virginity, will not be able to tell how lousy you actually are in the sack.

So, there we have it: heaven is whorehouse. It's like Charlie Sheen designed it.

sultan2075 wrote:

Izzy HaveMercy wrote:

markfiend wrote: What was his plan?

1: Bomb in underpants
2: ?
3: Prophet

4: Think about how stupid you were when you come at the Pearly Gates and your promised virgins are waiting for you to fulfill all your needs...erhhh...

IZ.

It's very simple: a crotch full of exploding semtex is small price to pay when your reward will be an eternity spent among beautiful and willing virgins who, because of their virginity, will not be able to tell how lousy you actually are in the sack.

So, there we have it: heaven is whorehouse. It's like Charlie Sheen designed it.

I read somewhere it's actually a mistranslation and it's not virgins you get but raisins...As my Ancient Arabic isn't as good as it could be I can't vouch for this of course...

I've heard that as well.

I don't know which is worse, raisins or prostitutes. Nonetheless, it's a pretty low or vulgar vision of heaven.

sultan2075 wrote:I've heard that as well.

I don't know which is worse, raisins or prostitutes. Nonetheless, it's a pretty low or vulgar vision of heaven.

... other religions are no better. In Christianity, everything will be alright in heaven, so we have to endure all suffering here to pay for someone who had eaten an apple milleniums ago ... or with all this Karma stuff ... you pay here, because you or something formerly made of you, behaved badly within an existence you can't even remember ... sorry, no, thanks.

* well, of course, I don't want to embarrass anybody! Just for me, such believes go beyond my common sense. Apart from the fact that people get abused, mistreated, tortured, excluded, starved, killed under some more or less complete ignorance based only on the assumption that nothing can be done about it and that paradise were something to earn by behaving according to say, god-given common basic values ... ...

OK, I know we had a thread called Vent your spleen ...