And of any other kind, indiscriminately and with as little regard as possible to the consequences. With the help of some ill-gotten money we can make certain the developing nations stay down and cheap and they can provide all the labour we need to live our materialistic "just add water lives". The ecosystem can just go hang too, because what do a few bugs, plants and animals matterwhen sacrificed to the great god Greed... 

Oops, ranting there a little bit. Sorry. Well, no I'm not.

Hooo, that one is a really sticky mess. I know several people with this diagnosis, one of whom is very ill indeed as she already has an existing heart condition. Does exist, but as you say, it's a blanket term.

And there we have proof positive that fish oil does not work, ladies and germs...

Heh  You said it, and I think it's a valid if somewhat harsh point.

I use the gossip interaction as a way of building relationships really quickly if the sim is a friend of the other, as it saves time. All that chatting...dull.

The apologise stuff has always irritated me as it seems to be the wrong way round and it's the sim that hasn't done a damn thing who has to do the apologising.  In real life the only apology a cheating scumbag would get from me is a swift kick to the danglies. Now that would be a great hack! 

Yup. On both counts.

Poor bats. They are fast becoming endangered due to us. That's the problem with being an evolutionary specialist as you fit too neatly into your ecological niche. I mean, look at Homo Sapiens, the best generalist around who can manipulate any environment to suit themselves.

We do place a full stop after titles as they are a contraction, so still not clear what's going on there. Enlightenment is really needed, please.

Thanks, Renatus, for lesson in Anthropology (which I will be pleased to listen to at any time, by the by), as it does kinda make why I was taught "gender" as opposed to "sex" clear/er... Thank all that's good I don't need to write an essay on it again. 

Boggles! The ignorance of some is truly astounding. Does this woman not realise that her daughter is responding to her parents less than excellent parenting skills and that they have had no mean part to play in her illness? Yes, she's crying out for help, but their self-obsession is killing her.

Like you, I counsell people too, and have worked in the Mental Health field for a little while though I've ended up in kids and learning disabilities. My experience has lead me to see that the general populace has little or no understanding of the issues of what are minority groups and no empathy or sympathy. I become depressed about the service I offer as it is underfunded and understaffed and the burn-out is awful. It is unsolvable unless huge amounts of money are to thrown at it, so that there is better education and information available, and staff. Some of the kids I work with are so challenging that they need 4 people with them to access any facilities at all, and how can you sustain that level of staffing when it all grinds back to cash? I worry what will happen to these young people once the magic number 18 comes about as in Britain there is very little care available for adults. I could weep with it all...

Hey, bi-polar has some distinguished people in its midst and many of the greatest artists had this illness. At the peak of the psychotic periods their creativity knew no bounds... Winston Churchill, anyone? Spike Milligan, one of the greatest comics in British history was completely crippled at times but still managed to produce work like Q8 and The Goons.

Hmmm, interesting, but I was taught that "gender" is preferred when speaking to people as their sex is merely a biological issue. Perhaps my head is too full of political correctness and I need a slap to get rid of the shite?

Anyway, a friend has just had her book rejected by an American publisher, and one of the reasons they gave (feedback very unusual has to be said) was that she needs to use American punctuation. What? Could someone enlighten me as to what the difference is between American and British punctuation as obviously we are divided by more than a stretch of water. 

Heh... sorry, but is also my way of saying ta to either gender. 

How about when "right" is interjected at every opportunity within a sentence and has the effect of making the listener feel patronised? "If you take this turn, right, you'll come to some lights, right, then take a left, right..." and on and on ad nauseum.

I have bats in my loft space over the bathroom and I love to stand outside on a summer evening and watch them. They are just such amazing little critters.

Said great tabby idiot is currently trying to tell me that I should be fussing her and is rolling on the keyboard...bloody cats! 

 
Get a male Maine Coon - mine loves chasing anything that wriggles!

One of my cats, a great tabby idiot, is actually scared of creepy crawlies (particularly spiders), and runs and hides behind the sofa whilst the arachnaphobes in the household have to beat it to death with a book or shoe. Unless I'm there when I rescue it and place it outside! My littlest pussa is a mighty hunter and is soooo proud of her kills that she talks to us for ages about them.

Wussy sims eh? I prefer 'em grouchy too as they are far more fun and likely to pick a fight.

Heh. Nice to see some old customs never bite the dust. Wasn't that quaint custom started by the Normans (oh to apostophise or not???) after the invasion of 1066 so they could a)outbreed the Saxons b)make certain they got all the land and was practised regularly to make certain the Lord of the Land had as many bastards as possible to keep any legitimate sons in check? An interesting political strategy, would you not agree?

Why, thank you kind sir... 

With regard to spoken English, the thing that bugs the hell out of me most is the over use of the word "what" as in "like what she did the other day..." Grrr. The combination of those two small words "like what" make my teeth grind together.

Asperger's certainly exists and I can attest to the issues it has for anyone living with the syndrome, but it is certainly not a "disease". I work with a number of young people with this diagnosis and they all present very similarly in that they have a lack of empathy, a need to control their environment, some ritualistic behaviour and intense sustained interest in odd subjects. Some may even have a second diagnosis bolted on to their condition and have a learning disability as well, maybe even mental heath issues. However, it is not an effort to label people (a mighty task that all social workers avoid to the point of sometimes being too phlegmatic), particularly children, but a short hand method of understanding WHY someone has the behaviours. Understanding means that better behavioural plans can be developed, and changed as the young person begins to work towards better social skills.

The inbreeding in the royal families of Europe is something to behold, and something to make certain you try to avoid unless you're attracted to horses, flippers and wing-nuts (the ears, oh lord, the ears!). Anyone taken a long hard look at Camilla, the latest wife in the Windsor stable, and I do use that word advisedly? Still, Charlie loves her and they seem suited, if somewhat odd.

Am glad they're past the breeding stage however, as  they're prob cousins somewhere down the line...

Mostly those that have no idea about possession or contraction, I think.

Interesting about the accents. I'm from the Midlands (UK) and have very little accent, according to the people I work/live with, but as someone pointed out, the minute you remove yourself from the local area someone will immediately point a finger and go "oooh, you're from Brum, aren't ya". Brummie accents are considered to be the most unattractive in the UK, even more so than Black Country (Dudley/Walsall, so called because of the industrialisation of the area, mining etc). I can, however do a very good West Country and Manc accent which confuses people. 

Sos, taken so long, but yeah, Pratchett is cool. As for Good Omens, it is one of my favourites, making me laugh out loud. Must look at it again... *runs off to rifle through boxes of books (decorating)*

Of course... LOTR is THE finest fantasy book/s ever written and is the standard upon which all others hang their colours. Aragorn is the character I fell in love with (thus setting an impossible standard for boyfriends and partners), and as I've never met anyone like him and won't, I shan't be bothering (again) with the whole relationship thing. It blew me away the first time I read it at 13, and on subsequent rereads have been similarly affected.

A note of interest...I live within a mile of where Tolkein grew up, and walk around the area he frequented as a child. It's very industrialised now, but there are remnants of what he based The Shire on, namely, Moseley Bog. Sarehole Mill has regular events, and readings, plus there's the chance of a decent beer.

You know, this is sooo one of my pet hates. I even spell things properly on my mobile as I can't stand the goddamn 'speak' that passes for language these days. I'm such a pedant that misspelt words on signs make me want to bite chunks out of a wall, and apostrophes... well, if I see any more in the wrong place I won't be held responsible for my actions.

Couldn't have said it better myself. There's no way I would cold read as it serves no purpose other than to piss people off. Plus, you rarely get to the gist of what is going on in the life of your punter, and that is what they want to know about.

A Scorp with Virgo traits and all your planets squashed into two houses...! My, that's a bit of a bugger aint it? 

Couldn't agree more. Too many times authors forget that what a reader wants is to be able to identify with the protagonists. I have some aspirations as an author myself (unrealised mostly, I'm afraid), but have had a couple of shorts published in magazines. Lots of ideas for stories but no time to develop 'em. Damn this job...!

I actually do Tarot readings for people, and while I am a pretty good psychologist I would never use that skill as a way of cold reading a person. I'm not interested in anything about the person before I meet them and only use my ability as an interpretor to answer questions they might ask the cards. If there's nothing there for 'em, then that's what I tell them whether they like it or not.

I'm a Scorp - a double as my Ascendent is Scorpio too. And you're right about not being nasty. Generally. Unless someone really needs it. But Scorps are also, under the lashing tail, ferocious claws and thick armour plating, complete pushovers for those they love. Generally...
Leo males are some of the most self-obsessed idiots I've ever come across, and if you can't give 'em the attention they need...well, you can't so you might as well stop trying. Narcissistic don't even come close. The females have similar needy attention issues too.

  That's him. Miserable sod with loads of attitude and hard-donebyedness (? heh) Will deff look out for Robert Holdstock, and give him a whirl.