Bigthink - User Ideas Feed

Do we always get what we pay for?

Bigthink — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 11:09:50 +0100

: Is there anybody in the audience who has been following up on the latest events of Italian politics, inclusive of the not so edifying example of verbal exchange which has the taken place in the Upper Chamber (Senato, these are the elected individuals of socalled senior stature and maturity) after the vote which has brought down the Government coalition?Here comes a question found in the mail from Gilgamesh, a friend of mine:Do Italian politicians represent a mere distortion of the Italian Electorate or ratheraren’t they the true mirror of the Italian people …and their character?Generalizing is an old evil but the picture of the political Italian scene over the years speaks by itself. If “we get what we pay for” “what to do” in order to make a wiser investment?

Drink and Forget or Pain kills Pain?

Bigthink — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 11:05:12 +0100

: Once upon a time there was a friend of a friend of mine who all of a sudden was abandoned by his wife. Ever since he has been getting drunk at night, every single day of the week, while crying and moaning about his runaway wife. Fist observation: while he is drunk and drinking, he is totally absorbed by the thought of his wifeIn the morning, every single day of the week, he can be found in the coffee shop drinking gallons of black coffee, with a squeeze of lemon, which is known to take care of hangover and headache from the excessive drinking of the night before. Second observation: while he drinks gallons of coffee he is solely absorbed by the need to get rid of his headache and does not even remember his runaway wife.Now comes the question which I have received in the mail from Ipotetico, this friend of mine, and an acute observer of human behaviour:Is it true that “one drinks in order to forget” or rather isn’t it true that “one drinks in order to have that type of headache which does help to forget the reason why one wanted to get drunk in the first place?“Coffee better than alcohol” or“Pain kills pain” as the old sage would say?

Re: Re: How do you contribute?

Bigthink — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:22:45 +0100

: the idea that language is made much more powerful by unique recombination of words in creative ways is to me the very essence of (good) literarure, whether it be prose or poetry. This might also explains while extensive, if not compulsive, reading helps anyone develop one's own writing skills, though only a few are bestowed with the gift of the art of writing.

Re: Time's Down

Bigthink — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:05:38 +0100

Time is nothing else than the contrary state to stillness. Hence the owner of time is anything or anybody that introduces a change in the state of things. What does time's down mean? As a non-English native speaker I don't think I have come across this expression before.

Re: How globalization is changing the way we eat

Bigthink — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 02:44:18 +0100

: Tanya, very pleased to hear that in your opinion what globalization has brought about is in fact the need to rediscover and appreciate the beauty of one’s own culinary culture, taste and flavors. It might be far fetched but what if this could set the stage for the new modus vivendi of the melting pot which the world is turning into? Also thanks to the Internet. I also love what you said about bread and the uniqueness of old recipes. A staple food which survives the storms of human history.

Re: infinite knowledge

Bigthink — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 01:31:08 +0100

: My personal feeling is that there cannot be a final piece of information which explains it all because that would mean coming to an end. Without drive to discover, uncover and understand there would be no meaning to human life any longer. I also agree that perception is what makes the difference between you and I. Again, if perception would become one with absolute knowledge the human kind, and mind, would die of pure boredom

Re: Why won't my comments post?

Bigthink — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 17:51:38 +0100

Hi Pete, thanks for the input. I have just started navigating here and already encountered the issues about lost comments. I do have a few more question of practical nature and hope your team can have those answered:

a) Do i get an alert in email when comments or responses are added to an idea of mine posted on the site?

b) is there anywhere where a track record is kept about my own comments or responses to other ideas?

I think I am going to like this site and hope that, sometimes soon, it can be opened up to non English speakers. I am Italian, by the way. Thanks a lot, keep it up! Mary