alkan

But the "Laws" did not come first. They are descriptive not proscriptive, and as our knowledge changes, the Laws can be adapted and rewritten, as with the speed of light statement.

Like @Avalon, I find the broad question very interesting. Can I ask you though, as you bring up the Bible, whether you count animals as a "life form"? Since God's anger was directed at Mankind, to consider destroying the animals for the sins of Man seems a little harsh. Of course one could argue that he owns his creation and can do what he wishes. But that means the sins of Man fall on his shoulders as he owns them as well. And, perhaps also we have to ask, if we are alone in this unimaginably vast (and getting vaster by the second) god-created Universe, how likely is it that it would have been created just for us. And if it was, how can we possibly make assumptions about the intentions and wishes of the mind that created it?

Perhaps saying we needed the right set of circumstances to develop life is the wrong way of looking at it. The kind of life form with which we are familiar developed from those particular circumstances. If the conditions are different, perhaps a different life form could occur. I think it is extremely unlikely that "we" are alone in the Universe, using the widest possible interpretation of "we". Or to put it another way, will we recognise the "others" when we meet them?

Yes, if they reach us, they will be technologically superior. If we reach them first, we will be. What would you give for the chances of survival of the weaker civilisation in either event?

Those photos are making me feel very nostalgic.

Well yes. He created a fantasy for himself and when the practicalities of real life prevented him from living the fantasy, he retreated from the real world rather than give up the fantasy. (This is almost exactly how you could look at his architectural creations.) I don't suppose that that is a technically sound psychological description but it is how I think of it. The investigation of his death was somewhat blurred by the need for discretion but he seems to have killed someone and then committed suicide. Before the last few days though he seems to have had lucid times when he was conscious of the pain of the struggle.

We lived in an apartment just beside it, looking onto the north door. Very beautiful. Why did you choose it?

His unhappy personal life is well documented, his sensitivity to Wagner and his own form of creativity make him fascinating. We also should perhaps admire the technical skill of the men who built Neuschwanstein in spite of the huge difficulties created by the site and the whims of the inspirer. And remember too on this day the servant who died with him. All right, a slight euphemism there. https://dryaskulk.tumblr.com Two other buildings which may have had some influence on the Sleeping Beauty story. Tyn church may have had some influence on the Disney design, and Usse, lost in its dreaming woods, may have helped with the formulation of the original story (or someone thought that was a good marketing ploy).

Unripe avocados can be cooked. They lack some of the flavour of raw ones so light frying works best as you can infuse them with taste, eg chilli or curry spices (though not all-out curry flavour, I think).

I worked in an end-of-life care team for a while and it was mandatory for us to attend therapy sessions. As far as I remember we were assigned a therapist (we did not have to pay) and in other ways the sessions were very carefully structured. Looking back on it now, I suspect it was all the more useful because of the structure. But I have also been to several other types of therapy for other reasons, as I posted in another thread, with mixed results. The least successful was hypnotherapy (c $50 for a forty minute session in 1990ish). I think the course was supposed to last for six sessions and I think I got to four before giving up. I didn't blame the therapist (much), I just don't think I am a good hypnoclient. Has anyone here experienced hypnotherapy and what did you think?

I was only thinking about 6/11/28 being ten years from now, that's all.

I am sure there is a pun there about "decayed" and "decade" but I am too stupid to formulate it.

Intriguing musical taste. (And completely different from mine, for what that's worth. Aside from the bit about the harpsichord.) How can you have an acquaintance with Berlioz's work and yet not have much interest in Romantic music! Did you mean Martini, or perhaps Martinu? I am not familiar with Martino, apart from one very short song. I find it much more difficult to talk about musical interests, or perhaps I mean more difficult to defend my taste, than to discuss painting, probably because it seems more personal. Anyway, because of the aforesaid differences, I am afraid that nothing I would recommend would have any appeal to you so I look forward to the contributions of the other enthusiasts in the forum.

Many of them would seem to be non-gender-specific unless you know the background. But presumably that was true of all names when they were first introduced.

I make hotel beds if we are staying more than one night. I know perfectly well that housekeeping usually remakes them but I can't help myself.

They always did, surely? Not, of course, someone literally going through every email but it is a programme which picks on keywords and phrases. I keep one email address for sensitive material which is supposedly encrypted at both ends. I am not sure if it really is secure but I at least am doing my poor best. And when it comes to it, most of us have little to hide.

I used to dream very vividly, long dreams connected over many nights, in which I was living a totally different life. In that life, I thought my real life was the dream. These dreams stopped comparatively abruptly when I started to talk about them and never resumed but I can still remember some of the details very clearly. I am presuming for the sake of clarity that this forum is part of my real life! And yes, I did have therapy which brought out a cause but not an explanation.

Best hotel because of the view - Le Meridien in Giza, Cairo. We arrived at night, opened the curtains and realised that the shapes blocking out the stars were the Pyramids. I think we decide on hotels because of the location rather than any consideration of levels of service or amenities.

Interesting building. (Is the rather similar tower behind and to the left part of the same complex or entirely separate?) I think to be pure churrigueresque the windows would not be embedded within the decoration or would appear merely as spaces. The belfry itself looks more rustic-classical, I think it is called Gibbsian in English architecture. Were the bells meant to be hung within the space created by the arches or in the storey above with the oculi? I think it is fair to call the roof a "dome", just not a very big one. Was there originally a different design? It does not look well integrated.

I had to see if I could do it! So I have avatarred the Isle of Avalon

The phrase "reach out", used instead of "contact", has spread from the US to the UK now. At first it seemed to carry the implication of "without success" but lately I have heard "attempted to reach out" which seems to muddy the waters. Of course language does and perhaps even should evolve but at the moment of transition it would seem some degree of meaning or precision is lost.

As the thread title says it is very much in public. It is quite astonishing in a city that is not short of gob-smacking moments.

I'm told people get tired of how often I use the word "'Strewth" (as an exclamation of surprise) but I think they just can't handle the

I don't think that there is a rule that life has to be fair, either financially or sexually. Personally though, I have never understood the word "total" in this context. Obviously I know what it means and I know people apply it to themselves with intention but surely "top" or "bottom" can only describe preference because of past experience and therefore does not need the qualifier "total". Or am I just being stupid?

I left a set of very compromising papers under someone's carpet once (I was very young) knowing she wasn't particularly houseproud. She then acquired a stern and uncompromising Ulsterwoman to do her housework and I wondered when she would get round to taking up the carpets to clean underneath. Nothing was ever said.