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Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense
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Subject: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: George Papavgeris Date: 25 Nov 05 - 05:40 AM (this was sent to me by a friend; I cannot provide links to the various incidents, though I remember several of them from news items over the years) Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn't always fair and maybe it was my fault. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children, are in charge). His health began to deteriorate rapidly, when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition. Common Sense lost ground, when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they failed to do in disciplining their unruly children It declined even further, when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Panadol, sun lotion or a sticky plaster to a student, but could not inform the parents, when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion. Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, churches became businesses and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating, when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar can sue you for assault. Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realise that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap and was promptly awarded a huge settlement. Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by three stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, Someone Else is to Blame, and I'm A Victim. Not many attended his funeral because so few realised he was gone. If you still remember him pass this on. If not join the majority and do nothing. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: George Papavgeris Date: 25 Nov 05 - 05:41 AM Sorry, should have been BS but I could only use one prefix... Would a friendly JoeClone please relocate it below the line. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: Peter T. Date: 25 Nov 05 - 05:52 AM Much of this is not common sense, but pure prejudice, which is some people's version of common sense. Today's common sense is the residue of crap pushed through television and mediocre news. It is hardly the wisdom of generations handed down by elders. The 10 commandments are hardly common sense, which is why Moses had such a tough time. The golden calf is common sense!! Besides, common sense is overrated. Some of the stupidest people I know are ordinary folk. Also some of the smartest. yours, Peter T. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: MBSLynne Date: 25 Nov 05 - 06:03 AM Having just been talking to a lady on a stall at a local farmers market about egg boxes, this is so true. She sells eggs but is now not allowed to re-use the cardboard egg boxes. If you take an egg box back, she can re-fill it for you, but you can't give her any extras you have to use again, cos health and safety says she can't. Also saw a piece last night on how much it will cost people like Punch and Judy Show owners actually to put on public performances. So Common Sense may be dead, but is also still dying.... Love Lynne |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: mooman Date: 25 Nov 05 - 06:07 AM Tend to agree with Peter T on this... Peace moo |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: concertina ceol Date: 25 Nov 05 - 06:52 AM Common sense is dead. We need to look out for his foster child - Common understanding. Common sense often isn't, we need to spend time trying to understand each other and different perspectives more. Peace and goodwill to all |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: breezy Date: 25 Nov 05 - 07:00 AM Thanks El G for passing it on see you later tonight in St Albans at the Comfort for your gig |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: Jeri Date: 25 Nov 05 - 07:57 AM 31 May 01 7 Feb 04 and the Google search Joe posted for the articles. 974 hits. There may be more threads. If one passes on a mass mailing, it would be prudent to look to see how many others have passed it on, because these things (e-folklore?) get bounced around the internet forever. Peter T is right. It's a bit of reactionary claptrap, and one of the big clues that it's propaganda is that you CAN'T check on the facts. I remember the coffee incident and how people ridiculed the woman who sued, but a person shouldn't have to expect their coffee to cause third degree burns requiring skin grafts and a seven-day hospital stay. See "McFacts about the McDonalds Coffee Lawsuit" The rest of the stuff may be equally wrong. I'm not bothering to look it up. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: MuddleC Date: 25 Nov 05 - 09:11 AM I was doing some contract work yesterday, and had need to borrow a step ladder, the site chargehand was on his mealbreak (aka sleeping), so I convinced the nice security man to let me into the inner sanctum to borrow it. This inner sanctum was a generator battery room, and the security man said 'notice that new rubber mat', there was a pristine ridged rubber mat on the floor, 'that's to stop engineer's from being electrocuted when working on the power connections... but they are not allowed to use it, because it is a health&safety risk, they might trip over it you see!!.. ' , chortle, chortle... so I used the ladder, didn't harm myself at all, and when I told the chargehand where I had left it, he said, sorry, but you're not allowed to use it at all, even I have to fill out a risk-assesment form before I can use it........!!!!! crazy crazy crazy world |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of CRITICAL THINKING From: Stilly River Sage Date: 25 Nov 05 - 09:48 AM Commingling right-wing christian umbrage with random unfortunate incidents is an attempt to convince an audience that it is all the same sort of thing and lull the unwitting into false conclusions. Critical thinking is the casualty here, not common sense. SRS |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: Jerry Rasmussen Date: 25 Nov 05 - 10:09 AM Common sense is what I have and others don't. Jerry |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: George Papavgeris Date: 25 Nov 05 - 10:41 AM I bet my common sense is better than yours, Jerry (not!) :0) You're right of course. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: Rapparee Date: 25 Nov 05 - 10:52 AM "Common Sense" never lived at all. If it had, you wouldn't have remarked on it. Even "Good Sense" is all too rare -- and always has been. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: GUEST,Art Thieme Date: 25 Nov 05 - 10:59 AM To quote somebody or other, "What we have here is a failure to communicate." As with the demise of Communism, I feel strongly that we ought not toss the baby called humane Socialism out while getting rid of the real enemy---oppressive totalitarianism. As with everything these day, or so it often seems, one guy's common sense, is the ther gal's H-bomb detonating in their own neighborhood. Art Thieme |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: Jerry Rasmussen Date: 25 Nov 05 - 12:46 PM I wouldn't be surprised if your common sense was better than mine, El Greko. I've made enough mistakes in my life for two people. Is there such a things as a factory recall on common sense? jERRY |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: GUEST,redhorse Date: 25 Nov 05 - 01:06 PM Peter T: Aparently Einstein defined common sense as "those prejudices we acquire before the age of eighteen"................... Nothing much changes nick |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: John on the Sunset Coast Date: 25 Nov 05 - 02:38 PM Jeri - When one opens a hot cup of coffee, placed in one's lap in a moving car, I would say that that person shows a great lack of exercizing ordinary caution. A jury that awards millions of dollars to that person eschews common sense in favoring of sticking it to the big, bad corporation (it's not their money, after all.) It almost amazes me that an appeals court actually drastically diminshed that award. I think the jury award should have been completely overturned; NOW THAT WOULD HAVE SHOWN COMMON SENSE! |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: Don Firth Date: 25 Nov 05 - 05:44 PM Reality CheckNot only did McDonald's serve their coffee much hotter than most restaurants or drive-ins did, their Styrofoam cups were defective. Personal Observation No. 1 — About the same time the law-suit was being filed against McDonald's, but before it hit the news, on a long drive back to Seattle from a day-trip, I stopped at a McDonald's. I was driving, and I felt I needed a cup of coffee so I could stay alert for the rest of the drive. Also in the car were my wife, Barbara, and a friend, Nancy. We all ordered a bite to eat, and large coffees. As we pulled away from the window, the disk, about the size of a silver dollar, that formed the bottom of Nancy's Styrofoam cup dropped out, spilling the entire contents of the cup, very hot coffee, onto her lap (she hadn't put it her lap, she was still holding it), scalding her thighs. Part of the coffee hit the front of her heavy jacket, so she didn't' get the full cup in her lap, but it scalded her pretty painfully. The weather was coldish that day and Nancy had dressed appropriately, so although she was scalded, the fairly heavy clothing she wore prevented her from getting "the full benefit" of the overly hot coffee. She was uncomfortable for several days, but she didn't sue. Personal Observation No. 2 — On a few occasions when I stopped at a drive-in (Jack-in-the-Box on these occasions), they often served their coffee in a cup stuck into a pressed cardboard tray with indentations that gripped and held cups. This made it convenient to set the tray on the passenger's seat, assured that the cup wouldn't tip over while I drove to a nearby park to eat my lunch and watch the antics of the resident squirrels. I acquired a small collection of these pressed cardboard trays. In my perambulations about the city, I once stopped at a McDonald's, ordered a McRib barbeque sandwich and a large coffee. I could tell that the coffee was hotter than hell as I stuck the cup into the cup indentation in one of my trays. Again, I drove to a nearby park. When I parked the car and reached for my lunch, I saw that the passenger's seat was coffee-brown and soaking wet. The coffee had all drained out of the Styrofoam cup. Why? Observations provided the answer. The disk in that formed the bottom of the cup was just set in place. If you squeezed the cup slightly while holding it (hard not to do), the Styrofoam flexed, and the disk could very easily drop out of the bottom. The indentation in the pressed cardboard tray had flexed the cup sufficiently that the disk dropped out and the coffee quickly emptied onto the seat without my noticing it. And likewise, Nancy had undoubtedly flexed the cup slightly while holding it, the disk dropped out, and the hot coffee dumped into her lap. And I'll bet dollars to donuts that this is exactly what happened to the woman who sued McDonald's McDonald's is definitely at fault for not doing something a) about the serving temperature of their coffee; and b) the defective design of the Styrofoam cups they were using. Apparently it took this lawsuit to get their attention. This was definitely NOT a trivial lawsuit! Don Firth |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: Rapparee Date: 25 Nov 05 - 06:47 PM Yeah, Don. Lack of good sense in several ways, especially in faulty design of the cups (or poor quality control in manufacture). |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: The Fooles Troupe Date: 25 Nov 05 - 07:28 PM About the time of the 'coffee incident' many Aussie places, including Macas used to sell the stuff at near boiling. After that, most places began to monitor the temperature of their coffee - some places even had thermometers permanently placed in their serving jugs. In Australia, takeaway coffee was often sold in single piece blown Styrofoam cups. I noticed an occasional weird effect. Some cups (obviously from a 'faulty' batch!) would weep clear water when left to sit for a while. The foam must have had tiny capillaries which were actually filtering the coloured stuff out and letting clear water pass! |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: leftydee Date: 25 Nov 05 - 09:18 PM I think it was Mark Twain that said that common sense wasn't ever really all that common. I agree. Lefty |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: M.Ted Date: 25 Nov 05 - 11:21 PM >It declined even further, when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Panadol, Paracetmol, one of the active ingredients in Panadol, has been found to damage the liver and kidneys and a number of deaths in children have occurred because a toxic dose can be fairly close to the therapeutic dose. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: GUEST,DB Date: 26 Nov 05 - 06:20 AM In my opinion it all comes down to the most deadly phenomenon of the Twentieth Century - the substitution of ideological models of reality for rational thought. In many parts of the world this led to millions of people dying horrible and painful deaths. In the English speaking world I suspect that many problems, that we experience today, are due to those in authority appearing to espouse a vaguely lefty, liberal philosophy in their public utterances whilst, in practice, trying to run things according to the mad principles of free-market capitalism - two mutually incompatible ideologies. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: David C. Carter Date: 26 Nov 05 - 11:06 AM A guy here in France,is taking a chain of gambling casinos to court for"allowing"him to carry on losing all his money.His continued presence in these places obviously had nothing to do with it. A local council here, voted to hack down all the trees lining one of its avenues,because people,in cars,would insist on crashing into them,mostly late Saturday night.Cynics might think:Saturday night/alcohol/speeding/cars too big to handle etc.No way.Not at all.Are you crazy!!!!! I've heard of people,who,for no reason,took up that dangerous act of breathing.After all,it can get to be quite addictive.I've seen people in the street doing it!!!! I even heard that if you suddenly stop doing it,you could eventually er DIE.Perhaps we should ban it.I think we should be told..... |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: Stilly River Sage Date: 26 Nov 05 - 11:13 AM I just posted an article to my "I Read it in the Newspaper" thread so I won't put it here also. About a couple of folks who were apparently as dysfunctional as the day is long who won a huge lottery in Kentucky a few years ago. What sad story. Common sense nowhere to be found with either of them. SRS |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: GUEST,Art Thieme Date: 26 Nov 05 - 12:00 PM Common sense tells me that everyone, including M.G., ought to agree with moi! ;-) Art |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: John on the Sunset Coast Date: 26 Nov 05 - 02:12 PM Don Firth- In all I read about the case way back when, there was no mention of a defective cup; there was a description of the person involved having placed the cup between her legs (or in her lap) whilst driving. I stand by my criticism of that driver. This does not sound like what happened to you and Nancy; I would support a finding of liability against McDonald's and/or their supplier if the facts are as described. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: Don Firth Date: 26 Nov 05 - 03:08 PM That may be true, John. I haven't read the actual details of the case. But the fact remains that at least until after that law suit, whenever someone in a paper hat handed a cup of coffee to you through a McDonald's window, it was an accident just waiting to happen. On the inside circumference of the bottom of the Styrofoam cups McDonald's used there was a narrow lip. The disk that acted as the bottom of the cup was just set in—not attached in any way whatsoever. If you were to poke the bottom of the cup, it would just lift up, and if the cup contained anything, it would allow the contents to dump out. Or, as I said, if the cup flexed a bit, there was a good chance that the bottom would simply fall out. When news of the lawsuit broke and it became a topic of discussion, and I mentioned what had happened to Nancy and me, several people told me that the same or similar things had happened to them or to someone they were with. Speculation: consider for a moment getting handed a cup of coffee through the drive-thru window. If you are alone in the car, are you actually going to drive away from the window with your one hand on the steering wheel and your other holding the cup of coffee? How about if you're driving a stick-shift? I venture to say that unless their car has a cup-holder, most people set the cup into their laps, steadying it by holding it between their legs as they drive off to park somewhere. I've done this dozens of times (not at McDonald's) with no mishaps. This could be enough to flex the cup and allow the disk to drop out. Considering the fact that the woman's groin and thighs were scalded so badly that she needed skin-grafts, it seems very likely to me that that's exactly what happen. Whether or not this actually was what happened to the woman who filed the suit, if it took a lawsuit to draw McDonald's attention to the fact that they had a problem, I still say it was worthwhile and not at all trivial. Don Firth |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: M.Ted Date: 26 Nov 05 - 05:58 PM John on the Sunset Coast--The details of the legal proceeding in the "Coffee Cup" case are at the link provided by Jeri, above--rather than "standing by" the conclusions you drew after reading a newspaper article several years ago, you should read the actual details of the trial, the as well as the actual conclusions of the jury, and the actual legal settlement in this Wall Street Journal article-- McDonald's Callousness Was Real Issue Says Jury You will find, among other things, that McDonald's Coffee was, by company policy, kept at a temperature level significantly higher than other restaurants, that McDonalds knew this temperature produced third degree burns and blistering of the skin within 2-7 seconds, that the woman, Mrs. Liebeck, required skin grafts and surgery, and that McDonald's was aware of this risk, had payed damages in many previous cases, and had made a decision not to give customers any warning, even though people generally had no idea that the coffee was heated to such a high temperature and that it was so dangerous. Furthermore, you will find that, rather than the substantial punitive damages that the jury recommended, the actually damages awarded were $200,000, reduced by 20%, because the judge felt that Mrs. Liebeck had some responsibility because she'd place the cup between her legs. You jumped to conclusions, like everybody else, and, like a lot of people, you stick by your erroneous, early conclusions, because you assumed, for some reason, that you had been given an accurate picture of what had happened--- |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: GUEST,Sleepless Dad Date: 26 Nov 05 - 06:15 PM I had the idea that the jury awarded one days coffee profits { not costs } from all of McDonalds. Am I wrong about that ? I have no facts to back that up. Just my memory which is flawed. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: Joe Offer Date: 26 Nov 05 - 06:32 PM I think I'd say the award was compared to one day's coffee income by some commentator - I doubt that the court would link the award to that figure. But I still think McDonald's coffee is too darn hot, too darn weak, and too darn expensive. -Joe Offer- |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: GUEST Date: 26 Nov 05 - 06:52 PM Common sense - park the car and drink the coffee in the cafe. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: M.Ted Date: 27 Nov 05 - 12:36 AM The jury's original award, the high number, was based on one day's coffee receipts, and was intended to be punitive. The judge has the discretion of adjusting the settlement amount, which he did, but that wasn't nearly as interesting a story, so no one heard about it-- |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: Strollin' Johnny Date: 27 Nov 05 - 01:44 PM Anyone reckless enough to try to drive whilst holding a cup of coffee deserves everything they get. Anyone reckless enough to allow anything McDonalds sells to pass their lips also deserves everything they get. It's all shite. |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: M.Ted Date: 27 Nov 05 - 04:14 PM That is the most vicious Anti-American statement I've ever heard, Strollin' Johnny ;-) |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: Don Firth Date: 27 Nov 05 - 04:16 PM How about drinking a cup of coffee, eating an egg McMuffin, talking on a cell phone, and checking e-mail on a laptop sitting on the passenger's seat while hurtling down the freeway at 60 mph? Darwin Awards, anybody? Don Firth |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: M.Ted Date: 27 Nov 05 - 07:50 PM I'd say that's about normal around here, at least if you raise the speed to 80--How about adding a DVD player along with all the rest? As they say, "It's out there"-- |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: Doug Chadwick Date: 28 Nov 05 - 03:21 AM Sorry, should have been BS but I could only use one prefix... There should have been no conflict. It is BS – it is not an Obit. In my opinion, the Obit prefix should be reserved to mourn the passing of noteworthy people and salute their achievements in life. It should not be used to add gravitas to cut and paste articles or to groups of thoughts not related the loss of an individual. To do so belittles the sentiments in the true Obit threads. It only takes a bit of common sense to see the difference. DC |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: GUEST,noddy Date: 28 Nov 05 - 05:14 AM What about this case A man buys a new car and on the way home the engine cuts out and cars stops. He restarts the car and drives on a short while later it happens again. He returns to the garage where he bought it and explains what happened. they tell him to leave it with them and they would fix it. Next day he goes to collect it and is told they can find nothing wrong with it. They tested everything and nothing showed . They suggested it was an intermittent fault and would disappear with use . If not bring it back and they would try again. He left the garage and drove home ,on the way the car cut out again this time on a crossing. he could not get it to restart and could not push it off the railway lines. Noticing a phone box nearby he went to phone the garage to come and help and collect the car. While making the call a train came down the line hit the car ... the car hit the phone box and him killing him. His relatives sued and won. Who did they sue. The car manufacturer, the garage, the railway, the train driver????? They sued the phone company. The decision was based on that if a car was on the line and hit by a train it was likely the car would hit the phone box and should not have been put there. True case |
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Subject: RE: Obit: The sad passing of Common Sense From: GUEST,noddy Date: 28 Nov 05 - 05:21 AM Another true case. A man buys a bag of coal and puts it on his fire in his house. Amongst the coal was a detonator. It blew up taking out a potion of his wall and making a bit of a mess in the process. He tried to sue the coal merchant under the Trade decription Act and lost. The defence said that The merchant sold a hundred weight of coal to the man and thats what he got. The coal was supplied in accuratly weighed bags and the coal did as it was supposed to do and burned. The detonator was a free gift. It did what it was supposed to do and caused small explosion. So under the Trade Description Act both items did as they were supposed to do. |
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Subject: Common Sense From: Lizzie Cornish 1 Date: 04 Dec 08 - 04:38 AM I found this today on someone's Myspace page and thought I'd pass it on. It seems there are several versions around, some a little longer than this. The author is unknown. Obituary for Common Sense Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge). His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition. Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion. Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault. Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement. Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim.. Not many attended his funeral, because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing. Threads combined. -Moderator |
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Subject: RE: Common Sense From: melodeonboy Date: 04 Dec 08 - 04:55 AM I've heard rumours that the black sheep of the family, Whatever (Common Sense's ex-brother-in-law), is still alive and in good health. It's also been said that he recently fathered a daughter by the name of I Aint Dun Nuffin. |
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Subject: RE: Common Sense From: Les in Chorlton Date: 04 Dec 08 - 04:57 AM Common sense would tell you the Earth is flat and the Sun goes round the Earth, neither of which is true. Les With clearly nothing better to do |
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Subject: RE: Common Sense From: GUEST,Raggytash Date: 04 Dec 08 - 05:10 AM Common Sense would do no such thing Les, climb a hill near the sea and you can see that the Earth is curved, it amazes me that the belief that the earth was flat was ever given credence, did the ancients believe it to be so? |
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Subject: RE: Common Sense From: Spleen Cringe Date: 04 Dec 08 - 05:22 AM Common Sense would tell you to shut up, keep your nose clean, don't rock the boat, say your prayers, read the Daily Mail and vote Tory. Common sense is not to be trusted... |
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Subject: RE: Common Sense From: Paul Burke Date: 04 Dec 08 - 05:38 AM I know that common sense means being suspicious when something sounds like it was written by Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells. I also know (because I looked it up in response to another rant elsewhere) that back in the "safe" 1950s, kids may have had more freedom etc., but the death rate aged 0-18 was almost TEN times its present level. And as for the churches not being businesses, when exactly did they stop collecting tithes*, legacies, the pennies of the poor, rents from property or income from investments? *1977 in England |
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Subject: RE: Common Sense From: Lizzie Cornish 1 Date: 04 Dec 08 - 05:44 AM "I also know (because I looked it up in response to another rant elsewhere) that back in the "safe" 1950s, kids may have had more freedom etc., but the death rate aged 0-18 was almost TEN times its present level." I'm intrigued. Due to what, Paul? |
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Subject: RE: Common Sense From: GUEST,Betsy at Work Date: 04 Dec 08 - 05:50 AM Common sense told the boy that the Emperor had no clothes. Pity the same boy wasn't around to advise our leading Bankers not to buy (for huge unimaginable sums of money) useless WORTHLESS worthless pieces of paper which were nicely packaged - US sub prime mortgages. I find common sense a most agreeable thing , have you noticed how many times so-called highly educated individualls have the opposite point of view when asked their opinion about a Subject in which they "qualified" as an Expert?. Thanks Lizzie for bringing it to my attention. |
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Subject: RE: Common Sense From: VirginiaTam Date: 04 Dec 08 - 06:06 AM The topic prompted me to do a browse of Thomas Paine's COMMON SENSE PERHAPS the sentiments contained in the following pages, are not yet sufficiently fashionable to procure them general favor; a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defence of custom. But tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason. Even though paper is argument for American Independence, sacry that long habit makes a wrong thing seem reasonable and time makes more converts than reason [paraphrase] is applicable to so many things in life and threads on the Mudcat. Common Sense is and has been sadly absent. However, there is hope (tongue firmly implanted in cheek) as shown by this Common sense breaks out at Harvard signed LosingTheWillToLive |
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Subject: RE: Common Sense From: Chris Green Date: 04 Dec 08 - 06:56 AM The idea that the ancients believed in a flat earth is questionable to say the least. When kings were crowned, the golden orb they held represented the world. Presumably if the common belief had been that the world was flat they'd held a golden disc! And the idea of a flat earth certainly didn't seem to prevent the Vikings from sailing as far as America. |
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