thelibrarian

A shop keeper who was attacked by an attempted robber with a knife manged to turn the knife on the robber and stabbed him through the heart, may find himself prosecuted for murder. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/02/21/ncrime121.xml Absolutely ludicrous.

I think people have to be restrained at work and nice to their colleagues etc and diplomatic to members of the public. They can use the internet to let off steam and be rude etc.

Well not everyone of course. But you get a lot of newbies to the internet apologising and so on initially if they think they've been rude. But a few years on and many become more blase. Though you'll always get people who retain a sense of civility and decency, in general most people will be ruder on the internet than what they are in the real world. You know yourself what bear pits forums with minimum or no moderation are like. Women in particular I'rd imagine who are used to courtesy in life will find such environments off putting.

And that isn't just a particular anti-cruelty video. People don't seem to realise what bull fighting consists of. People seem to think it's just a man with a cloak luring a bull on some skillful manoeuvres like some sort of harmless play you' rd do with your pet. Every Spanish bullfight consists of the bull having a lance gouge a six inch hole in it's neck and six harpoons embedded in it's body designed to cause as much internal damage as possible to increase the sight of blood for the thrill of the crowd. The bull is always killed in the end after about twenty minutes charging about with the spikes in it's body- this is meant to be as a result of sword plunged through it's neck into its heart. Generally however this never succeeds and the bull has to be repeatedly stabbed in the neck with a small knife in which it visibly winces in pain or javelined in the belly. And without even talking about the horse which has its vocal chords cut so it can't scream when the bull charges it. In all the creature's agony must be unimaginable. I don't know how anybody who supports bull fighting can sleep at night.

You're average bill will be about £30 per person. Apart from the snob value, for those on average wages- that's the equivalent of half a dozen or more CDs. Is a restaurant meal really that much more enjoyable that a decent pub meal? I mean grub is grub isn't it at the end of the day.

The only genuinely Indian run curry house in Sheffield and being run by practising Hindus specialises in vegetarian dishes, for those with a conscience.

You can always notice people who are new to the internet because they're always so polite and considerate. When they've been on a year or two they've then got used to being obnoxious. I mean you don't need moderators in real life groups of people to lay down the rules to stop them abusing each other.

Well it depends how you look at it. The internet fosters freedom of speech which is good. Cyber bullying is one extreme, but it's arguably a good thing that if someone talks s*it in an anonymous medium someone will soon tell them. And you can make comments at people which in a pub might result in blows being exchanged. And it's good also that you're judged on the quality or the pithiness of what you have to contribute. And secondly the internet is a means where shrinking violets can suddenly gain the confidence to state their views and disagree with people. Indeed some people's internet personas are effectively alto-egos. On the other hand the downside which is the brusqueness and lack of consideration for one another, starts to become endemic and wearing. So much so I'm starting to enjoy being with friends in the flesh again and to start appreciating inconsequential chit-chat in which people are polite and diplomatic.

Well what I mean to say your car has more chance of being vandalised on an estate than by some student pranksters.

Why does the forum keep sending me these messages? Old Title: Why do the forum keep sending me these messages? Doesn't this depend on whether the forum is considered people in the plural?

I accept the thread on cyber bullying has been closed. But just in a more general sense are we starting to appreciate the down side of chatrooms/internet forums more and more? The plus side and the basis of their appeal is obvious - you can talk with less inhibition than you would in face to face situations. But is the novelty of that starting to wear thin so much so that we'll start re-appreciating face to face contact with real people again and the traditional courtesies, diplomacies and respect that make chatting in a pub with real people that bit pleasanter than interactions with anonymous monikers on chat forums? I predict anyway that the popularity of the internet will start tailing off. The thread on cyber bullying was significant in that the first serious grumbles and dissatisfaction with cyber reality are starting to become apparent.

Your car shouldn't be in the city centre in the first place unless you're old or disabled. That's why we have trams and buses.

I hate it when mine becomes unresponsive. You pour your heart out in a long post and click send then you get that stupid egg timer and the possibility it's just going to seize up.

Going back to seriousness I think you've got to keep internet forums in perspective and make sure you get out and meet real people. There is a type of sneering and scoffing on these chat forums that isn't always desirable. I put that down to the possibility they attract rather some social inadequate people who try and compensate for the lack of esteem they receive in the real world. To paraphrase Morrissey >>if you're so witty and clever how come you're on your own in front of your computer tonight.

yes I know. I'm off work with flu-and not exactly in hyperstimulated state of mind. You could show some sympathy instead of being so criticial