I had a "full English breakfast" for supper last night with bacon, pork sausages and black pudding. I knew it was haram, but I just went ahead and ate it anyway. Don't spread it around, though. I don't want to cause any offence.
Good question. I think it's better with an English Ale, like Fullers London Pride. Or it's perfectly acceptable with just tea. I think we had a cheapish red, though. It's funny like that. The Chinese don't really drink wine (well, the rich ones do now) and their food doesn't need it. I don't drink wine when we do Chinese. Ditto Japanese food. It's either sake or tea or nothing. Indian food doesn't need wine - waste of wine. For French food, it's essential. English food? I don't think a lot of it requires wine really. You can drink a red with a steak and kidney pie, but a Guinness would be better in my view. Swiss food always requires wine. What's a fondue without fendant?
Well said again Glid. Do you want to have my babies? Joking aside, I wonder whether Mr TT will spend so long in the dark licking his wounds after reading your post that we shall never hear from him again. Wouldn't that be a shame? Come on TT, reply. I assume you have well researched points with which to counter Glid's demolition of your specious arguments.
The immediate change in the Saudi leadership will have no change on anything. This is the way it works in Saudi Arabia: As the name suggests, the country is the personal fiefdom of the House of Saud. They are kings in the old sense (funny how Muslim countries always seem to be "in the old sense"). The Saudis have an understanding with the ultra conservative clergy in the country. In return for doing nothing to upset the status quo which keeps the Saudis as "absolute rulers" and their considerable family (think thousands) in possession of all the wealth, the mad clerics are allowed a free hand to impose their fundamentalist, Sunni credo. Everyone is happy (ish - unless you're a woman). The Saudis are against ISIS because ISIS want to impose a caliphate over the whole of the middle east (followed by the world). And where would that leave the corrupt House of Saud? Out of power, out of a job, out of the money. The Saudi clerics are probably in favour of ISIS, but they can't say so - that would betray the arrangement. The Saudis are also against Iran, naturally, because the Iranians are Shia (apostates!) and the Saudis Sunni. Also, I suspect, that if Iran got its shit together, it could be a lot more powerful than Saudi Arabia (more diverse society? Big place). Now, when the geriatric new King shuffles off this mortal coil, there could be a bit of a shake up - princes jockeying for position may undermine the whole edifice. But if this happens, reckon on more ISIS, more fundamentalism, more caliphate. Liberal moderates haven't got a hope there. Syria? No one likes Assad, but compared to ISIS he's a lamb.
Well, you might, but as you won't be allowed to have them with wine, you're right. There will be no point in having them. Did you know that drinking water with a fondue is inadvisable, as it creates a ball of rubbery cheese in your stomach (most indigestible) whereas the alcohol (kirsch is also recommended for the "coup du milieu") dissolves it?
Ian McEwan - "A world city like Paris, London or New York... | Facebook You'd expect an intelligent and gifted writer like McEwan to say something important on the subject and he has. I can't think that anyone could put it better.
No one dares post pictures of boobies in case it offends the wrong group. You could get killed for that ,easily.
I think we have a misunderstanding Loz. By "not being surprised" I am coming from the following. But first, we must remember the majority of Muslims are peace loving and want a simple life. We can't tar them all with the same brush. We have much to be ashamed of ourselves. 1) elements of Islam preach zero tolerance. I think JohnV touched on this. 2) physical violence against people by the state is prevelant in many Muslim countries. One guy had his sentence commuted from crucifixion to beheading. Limbs are chopped off, people lashed etc. I assume the authority for states to do this comes from the Quran. I don't know. These countries today, are like ours was a few hundred years ago. It will take time for their societies to mature as ours has done, and if truth be told, still needs to continue doing. 3) From what I see on the net Charlie Hebdo was continually issuing these cartoons. One or two could be seen as humour. A long line will be seen as provocative. Have seen the youtube video of the woman kicking snow at the cat? Poking snakes with a stick is not clever. 4) if you look at any society in the world, where there is high unemployment amongst young men, low self esteem follows. These young men want to be somebody, so they get picked up by the hate preachers and told they can be a hero and have 72 virgins. You see the same result in young black Americans in gang culture, Mexican gang culture. You see it in the UK and USA, where the profile of young white men who go off to fight for the Taliban or ISIS. They have mental health issues involving self esteem. They have nothing to lose. So they do it. So for all these reasons, I am not surprised it happened. I don't approve of it. I don't know what the answer is, as I believe in free speech, and I don't believe in having cameras all over our streets, I am very much a liberal with a small "l" Maybe we have to accept it as the price we pay for living in a free democracy and multicultural society? What do people see as practical solutions?
