The Mad Shillelagh

I have cheddar, edam, gouda, goat cheese, fetta, paneer, parmesan and camembert.

The Lonely Island, "Creep":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLPZmPaHme0

BQ Anyone else having trouble getting their questions to the merry folk of P&S without writing 'poll' on them? Can't access most of the categories I should be able to choose from when I ask stuff.

'Browse Categories' seems to be missing most of them, and the suggested categories are usually irrelevant or just askew from what you want.

It's maddening. Now and then a question provokes thought, and I take some time to give a considered answer, and poof! I hit submit, and the question's gone. And most of the time they weren't even offensive things that would've been reported and removed.

If you don't know what I'm on about, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6FUR_nhGX8&feature...

a) You actually like them

b) You have to

c) You want to show people up with your knowledge

d) You want to refute the pretentious gits that talk about the classics

e) You keep hearing about them and want to know what all the fuss is about

Mostly a and e for me. I haven't liked them all (I gave up on Catcher in the Rye not far in; teenage angst, ugh), but it's nice to get out of my usual comfort zone and learn about history and the way different people think. Even though they are fiction, I think the tales are good historical ethnographies, painting a picture of how people thought and acted in the time/place the story was set in. Reading Les Miserables at the moment; he rambles, but the characters and the overall theme make up for it.

a) You actually like them

b) You have to

c) You want to show people up with your knowledge

d) You want to refute the pretentious gits that talk about the classics

e) You keep hearing about them and want to know what all the fuss is about

Mostly a and e for me. I haven't liked them all (I gave up on Catcher in the Rye not far in; teenage angst, ugh), but it's nice to get out of my usual comfort zone and learn about history and the way different people think. Even though they are fiction, I think the tales are good historical ethnographies, painting a picture of how people thought and acted in the time/place the story was set in. Reading Les Miserables at the moment; he rambles, but the characters and the overall theme make up for it.

I love my Star Trek and my anime and my World of Warcraft. Three cheers for nerds!

I would have to say Fullmetal Alchemist. They have a great mix of pathos and humour, the story is complex and interesting, and they explore shades of grey (i.e. the 'bad' guys aren't just bad for the sake of it, and the 'good' guys sometimes do bad things).

This isn't a relationship question, it's one about broader issues in your community. In another of my questions, regarding whether anyone cares about men's issues, one of the answers posed the question of what men actually care about. So lads, what would you like to see change for the better, for men?

Before I go on, I'll make a note that I am female. I've noticed that women's issue are huge on the public agenda. They're important, so fair enough. But there doesn't seem to be much concern for men, who often say to me they've got no damn idea what their role is in society any more. That says nothing of single fathers and the like who always seem to get a raw deal in divorce and custody battles. I don't think working to better things for women means we should stop caring about our men.

The word on the street is that more and more children are being born female. The Y chromosome seems to be getting squeezed out, which hints that the future is going to have less men in it. Perhaps one day even none. It won't happen in our lifetimes, but it's a scary thought; doesn't it make you stop and appreciate the men in your life?

I hate anger, but I am unfortunately someone with a volatile temper. Those traits combined end in me bottling up my anger until I explode and upset someone or, more often, internalise it and lose a lot of sleep. Usually there's nothing I can do about the source of my anger without making it worse, so what's something constructive I can do to let it out?

For those who would like to suggest something like trying a martial art - I tried that (and loved it) but had to quit because there was no way in hell I could afford ongoing classes.

When explaining things, someone will often say 'well picture this...' Personally, when I 'picture' things, it's vague and abstract and not really a picture at all, though my mind is content to interpret that data as if it isn't abstract. Do you actually picture things, or is my way of processing imagined images common?

Many of us bemoan the actions of the media. Celebrities get stalked, stereotypes get reinforced over and over. For my part, I protest with my feet and won't buy the products or media I don't approve of, whilst recommending to others to follow my example.

But then there's the point that, if one thing sells, they make more, and all of a sudden there's nothing but that one thing. I'll use low fat yoghurt as an example. There was once a great range of full cream yoghurts for those of us who aren't on diets and want our food to taste like something. Now, there's maybe one flavour that's not low fat (usually a boring flavour nobody buys), so if you want yoghurt, you get low fat. 'Wow, look how much low fat yoghurt we're selling!' say the market research people, and they seem oblivious to the fact we don't have a lot of bloody choice. I have since learned to make my own, but most people don't have the patience for that (though it's actually quite quick and easy), and they just buy the one that's closest to what they wanted.

So do we have any real control over the media and companies making yoghurt, or are we just a society of people who are willing to complain but not to do anything about it?

Wouldn't people learn a lot more from the tale of Oedipus if Freud hadn't mauled the point of it for his creepy theories?

Or be crushed,

Be crushed,

By his jolly boots of doom!

Sing for me, Zim fans.

Every time I type something, that little bubble pops up. 'Hmm, it looks like you have a lot of puctuation.' It's like the paperclip in Microsoft Word. All that puctuation's 'cos I have to edit out the profanity! &*^$$%<&^!

I may have asked it before, but the answers are always different. For me, I think crocodile is the weirdest thing I've eaten.