Bikky

Is that a fact or an assumption? If it were true, things would be a lot worse than they are, I believe. This has been a common Australian attitude to immigration for as long as I remember. Painting all with the same brush to fortify your opinions isn't really helpful. "Immigration is bad!" I was one of those "New Australians" in the very early sixties. Both my my mother and father were fluent English speakers (my father was fluent in three other languages too) with higher education seduced by advertising campaigns in Europe. Come to Australia for a better life. My mother (accountant) never did better there than cleaning others' houses. My father cleaned hospital toilets, worked as a factory hand and climbed the ladder of success to die a humble junior postal clerk. I remember Australian kulture and fine cuisine in those 'good old days'. The six o'clock swill. Meat pies (gravy bags). Ingrained and obvious xenophobia. Think of that when you order your next pizza or go out for Chinese in your new Toyota.

I'm glad I'm not a greenie, leftist, gay, muslim snake!

I've been at the tail end (pun more or less intended) of this type of treatment as a youth and it did me no harm at all. Sometimes a quick and appropriate demonstration of consequences is better than being officially charged, in my opinion!

Hmmm. Many people choose to confuse opinion with fact. Opinions you can either agree, or disagree with. A fact is a fact is a fact. Climate change is a fact. The way we measure it, it's causes, and possible solutions are open to change at any time according to science which by it's nature, is dynamic. Unfortunately, opinions don't tend to change as readily.

Doing a koala. Eats, roots and leaves.

I think it's called hit and run.

The fact that the story of Cinderella is told in many languages doesn't make it any more true, despite it's being traceable to one author - if you could be bothered doing the research. Aesop's writings are recognised as fables. There are words of wisdom there, but only a truly gullible person could believe them to be historical fact. Discrimination can be a good thing when applied to information.

"Anyone who lies with his wife and has an ejaculation, for three days shall not enter anywhere in the city of the temple in which I shall install my name." What the ....? Here's proof atheists have more fun! The antiquity of a text does not make it more relevant or truthful.

Could you please provide a link or other reference? I would seriously like to know more!

I couldn't agree more. Shouldn't be an issue at all, but it's a handy smokescreen diverting our attention from things that really matter. The fact that this is an issue in this day and age reflects badly on us all and stops us moving forward. Bread and circuses.

As Marty pointed out; We can only accept that the moon is not scalding hot because NASA (don't forget, NASA is full of scientists and therefore, can't be believed) tells us so. Crackpot theories are far more interesting than reality and unfortunately, there are too many people on this planet too lazy to think.

I don't see what all the fuss is about. In my opinion, a good parent is a good parent, independent of gender and a sole good parent is better than none. Two good parents are even better, irrespective of gender or sexual preference. Love and commitment are good things and shouldn't be legislated as the exclusive domain of heterosexual couples because it was written in some old book. Can't help but think it's all a bit ridiculous really.

Can't help myself. [ATTACH]47977._xfImport[/ATTACH]

Maybe one more ... [ATTACH]47976._xfImport[/ATTACH]

For the creationists! [ATTACH]47975._xfImport[/ATTACH]

If reality gives no comfort, invent a belief system based on a non-existent entity because it makes you feel comfortable to think that there is more to life than life. Who doesn't want an eternal daddy to look after us? Next, try to get everyone around - especially kids, they're more impressionable - to to believe the same thing. There's safety in numbers and you can get constant reinforcement of your belief system. Build monuments and churches. Print books and pamphlets. They will make everything more real. Use twisted logic to convince and reinforce wherever possible. There must be a god because monkeys can't make watches by shaking the parts around in a bag. Above all - assume and loudly proclaim, that because you believe in something intangible and implausible, so does everyone else. Look, I have a nose and so do you. Therefore, we are the same and you obviously believe in something too. If you try hard enough, you can even deduce (using twisted logic) that not believing in something is actually a form of belief. I love it!

No problem. It's human nature. We have a talent for it. That's why alcohol and religion were invented. I prefer alcohol. I talk shit but I wake up sane. None the wiser, but but sane and atheist nonetheless.

Sorry Dutch. I think your talking sh!t.

No amount of charisma, smooth talk and cheesy humour can compensate for the total lack of evidence for the existence of a god. Belief is not proof of anything. I can't believe I watched that!

Q. How many believers does it take to change a light bulb? A. None. They just sit in the dark and demand you accept the light is still on.

Depends on how open your definition of "off-road" is. Driveways, car-parks and the McDonald's drive-through are technically off the road.

I know it' a "design feature", but it drives me crazy! To pay top dollar for a vehicle only to find it has a defective instrument installed by intent, is a crime in my book. Driving from Melbourne to the Kimberley in a brand new Patrol, I was not impressed to find that after 10 hours, I was was still way short of my calculated overnight stop. The next leg saw the trusty GPS dusted off and turned on and cruise control set accordingly. I had done the same trip many times before (too many times ...) and had always been able to reach my stopover before dark and at the calculated time. Instruments should be accurate. Imagine paying for a litre of diesel and receiving 900 ml. Not good enough.

Yep! Me. I prefer the term humanist to atheist, but there you go. I don't like guns (any more,) or religion so I must be a lefty/socialist. Neocon logic at work, or am I playing the same dirty game?

Bagging the French is fun! Famous for all the wrong reasons. A popular deodorant is sold in France with an advertising claim that it lasts for 72 hours. Leads me to question, why? Soap and water twice daily does the trick for me.

Happy new year Gnu! I can't agree with you most of the time but that's what makes the world an interesting place. Be boring if we all agreed with each other. May your god bless you.