Hard to ban domestically, but to exclue cousanginous marriages from abroad should be possible. Though why arranged marriage from abroad is permitted when we have a substantial community of several million domestically eludes me.
* And for another reason that should now be clearer if you got to the end of the post: the 6s and 7s in London who you're in the same league as, also have the option to "marry up" in the old country.
I would have thought that something akin to the primary purpose rule is needed here. We are never going to integrate a Pakistani heritage community into this country if in every generation spouses are coming from a country which is so far apart from ours in terms of values/laws etc. What chance of the children being brought up as British if they are simply seen as items with a value to be married off to people in their "home" country who then come here? It is this sort of attitude which leads to grotesque crimes such as the parents who killed their British born daughter who wanted to choose her own boyfriend for being "too Western". How can someone born and brought up in this country be thought of as "too Western"?
If they're living here and born here their "home" country should be Britain not Pakistan. If they consider Pakistan to be home - even if they've lived here for generations - then that attitude is a problem, frankly. It is what led to the judge in the Rahman / Tower Hamlets case to describe a Bangladeshi community living in London where a significant proportion, despite living here for years and decades, did not speak English and were therefore easy prey to the type of corrupt politics imported from Bangladesh. That is intolerable.
My mother was Italian. She never took British citizenship. She considered herself Italian. But she chose to live here and stayed here even after she was widowed because this was now her home, however much she loved her native country, because she had been Anglicised in ways which meant that she could not and did not want to go back, because she loved this country for what it had offered her, because she had made a life here and because she had her family, both immediate and extended here.
We should not tolerate some immigrants and their descendants living here in name only. We should have more self-respect as a country.
According to the beeb, one of the notes on the talking points on hotel notepaper was "don't sound triumphant".
Presumably an instruction for the actual negotiations and not the public relations exercise I guess; I assume similarly the talking points for the other sides included "don't sound condescending and arrogant".
Hard to ban domestically, but to exclue cousanginous marriages from abroad should be possible. Though why arranged marriage from abroad is permitted when we have a substantial community of several million domestically eludes me.
* And for another reason that should now be clearer if you got to the end of the post: the 6s and 7s in London who you're in the same league as, also have the option to "marry up" in the old country.
I would have thought that something akin to the primary purpose rule is needed here. We are never going to integrate a Pakistani heritage community into this country if in every generation spouses are coming from a country which is so far apart from ours in terms of values/laws etc. What chance of the children being brought up as British if they are simply seen as items with a value to be married off to people in their "home" country who then come here? It is this sort of attitude which leads to grotesque crimes such as the parents who killed their British born daughter who wanted to choose her own boyfriend for being "too Western". How can someone born and brought up in this country be thought of as "too Western"?
If they're living here and born here their "home" country should be Britain not Pakistan. If they consider Pakistan to be home - even if they've lived here for generations - then that attitude is a problem, frankly. It is what led to the judge in the Rahman / Tower Hamlets case to describe a Bangladeshi community living in London where a significant proportion, despite living here for years and decades, did not speak English and were therefore easy prey to the type of corrupt politics imported from Bangladesh. That is intolerable.
My mother was Italian. She never took British citizenship. She considered herself Italian. But she chose to live here and stayed here even after she was widowed because this was now her home, however much she loved her native country, because she had been Anglicised in ways which meant that she could not and did not want to go back, because she loved this country for what it had offered her, because she had made a life here and because she had her family, both immediate and extended here.
We should not tolerate some immigrants and their descendants living here in name only. We should have more self-respect as a country.
[Random aside II: a Cambridge research geneticist of my acquaintance was always dating guys several decades - 20 or 30 years generally - older than herself. This was partly because she was into the whole 50 Shades dynamic in the century before it became popular, but also partly because she felt we should completely restructure our partnership lifecycle. Older guys were great for financial security, emotional maturity and she reckoned would form a good base for child-rearing. Her cunning plan was then to switch, once the family business was all sorted out, to breaking in the nice young men. Then if she found one she liked, keep him - until she was elderly and he was middle-aged. Once she popped her clogs, the cycle would complete itself when - with the advantages of experience and wealth - he would be unleashed on the young women who were 20-30 years younger than him.
Her theory was that if everybody did this, there would be none of that hassle "saving up until we can buy a house/afford a family" - women would breed in the prime of their lives (men would be a bit older but she thought that was a risk worth taking). Assuming people remained loyal to elderly partners (an assumption she made that I don't think would translate well to the real-world) it would save a fortune on OAP-care, and particularly avoid the often tragic situation of two people growing frail together, with one being struggling left to die alone once their partner succumbs. More generally she thought that younger people were wasted on younger people, when older people had so much more to teach them. Which I thought was a surprisingly cynical review, coming from a younger person - 30ish - at the time. I'm sure there must be sci-fi stories where civilisations practise this kind of social structure, but I've never heard of a real culture that does. I ought to ask an anthropologist, if I ever happen across one.]
Juvenile marriage to older men is quite common in some advanced parts of the world like Afghanistan.
I am watching the BBC News Channel. The newsreader (the one in Singapore) said about 2 minutes ago that President Obama had met the leader of the Japanese Communist Party. He said it about 2 or 3 times. The subsequent report revealed that it's actually the leader of the Vietnamese Communist Party. Is his pronunciation really weird, or am I getting deaf?
...Talking of which, why does the BBC News Channel do that really weird split-screen thingy with one newsreader in London and one in Singapore? I find it really weird, somewhat annoying, and convolutedly patronising.
Hard to ban domestically, but to exclue cousanginous marriages from abroad should be possible. Though why arranged marriage from abroad is permitted when we have a substantial community of several million domestically eludes me.
* And for another reason that should now be clearer if you got to the end of the post: the 6s and 7s in London who you're in the same league as, also have the option to "marry up" in the old country.
Can't we just apply Norman Tebbit's Cricket Test?
Which team someone supports in a sport whose attractions seem baffling to me is of no consequence. Nor is it of any consequence what food someone eats or whether they wear a sari or a dirndl skirt or those strange green Loden coats worn by middle aged men from Continental Europe.
But the separation into mental as well as, in some parts of the country, actual ghettos of separate communities has been and continues to be disastrous for the life chances of people within those communities and our social cohesion. And, frankly, it has provided the conditions in which extremist views and terrorism can more easily flourish.
We can either pretend it is not happening (evasion), throw up our hands and say that there is nothing we can do (not true and also evasion) or try and do something (difficult but necessary).
I love this country. I don't see why a girl the same age as my own daughter and a British citizen like my own daughter should be denied the possibilities that life as a British citizen offers just because her mother or granny or Dad was from Pakistan and she has to live her life as she were a Pakistani citizen living in Pakistan. And I refuse to accept this. Why should that girl be treated differently because of the colour of her skin and her or rather her ancestors' "culture"? Why isn't that racist? Why isn't that the racism of low expectations?
[Random aside II: a Cambridge research geneticist of my acquaintance was always dating guys several decades - 20 or 30 years generally - older than herself. This was partly because she was into the whole 50 Shades dynamic in the century before it became popular, but also partly because she felt we should completely restructure our partnership lifecycle. Older guys were great for financial security, emotional maturity and she reckoned would form a good base for child-rearing. Her cunning plan was then to switch, once the family business was all sorted out, to breaking in the nice young men. Then if she found one she liked, keep him - until she was elderly and he was middle-aged. Once she popped her clogs, the cycle would complete itself when - with the advantages of experience and wealth - he would be unleashed on the young women who were 20-30 years younger than him.
Her theory was that if everybody did this, there would be none of that hassle "saving up until we can buy a house/afford a family" - women would breed in the prime of their lives (men would be a bit older but she thought that was a risk worth taking). Assuming people remained loyal to elderly partners (an assumption she made that I don't think would translate well to the real-world) it would save a fortune on OAP-care, and particularly avoid the often tragic situation of two people growing frail together, with one being struggling left to die alone once their partner succumbs. More generally she thought that younger people were wasted on younger people, when older people had so much more to teach them. Which I thought was a surprisingly cynical review, coming from a younger person - 30ish - at the time. I'm sure there must be sci-fi stories where civilisations practise this kind of social structure, but I've never heard of a real culture that does. I ought to ask an anthropologist, if I ever happen across one.]
Juvenile marriage to older men is quite common in some advanced parts of the world like Afghanistan.
Historically marriage was a contract where a woman reared the children in exchange for the man paying a dowry for her wellbeing during old age post childhood duties. The average age between men and women before the 20 th century averaged between 10 and 20 years for the reasons mentioned above fascinating to see how the notion of marriage has altered in relatively recent history. Your aquaintance obviously fits into the historical model!
...Talking of which, why does the BBC News Channel do that really weird split-screen thingy with one newsreader in London and one in Singapore? I find it really weird, somewhat annoying, and convolutedly patronising.
It used to happen at 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning. For some reason they moved it forward to midnight a couple of weeks ago. I agree it's awful; the two newsreaders have an oddly self-congratulatory attitude towards each other.
Do my ears deceive me? ...Talking of which, why does the BBC News Channel do that really weird split-screen thingy with one newsreader in London and one in Singapore? I find it really weird, somewhat annoying, and convolutedly patronising.
I am watching the BBC News Channel. The newsreader (the one in Singapore) said about 2 minutes ago that President Obama had met the leader of the Japanese Communist Party. He said it about 2 or 3 times. The subsequent report revealed that it's actually the leader of the Vietnamese Communist Party. Is his pronunciation really weird, or am I getting deaf?
I assume you're referring to babita Sharma (sp?) and somebody Hixon (sp?).
Yes, it is somewhat odd - another thing that annoys the viewer is that other newscasters stand or sit holding sheafs of papers to which they never refer. Are they scared of teleprompter failure?
The other odd thing about it is that the opening shot shows the two of them side by side on separate screens, and two remote control TV cameras in front of them, both of which are always in lateral motion during the twofer shot, and neither of which is pointing at either screen.
...Talking of which, why does the BBC News Channel do that really weird split-screen thingy with one newsreader in London and one in Singapore? I find it really weird, somewhat annoying, and convolutedly patronising.
It used to happen at 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning. For some reason they moved it forward to midnight a couple of weeks ago. I agree it's awful; the two newsreaders have an oddly self-congratulatory attitude towards each other.
The very odd behaviour which I find most annoying is the way the BBC's correspondents have this way of nodding when asked asked a question, before commencing their reply.
...Talking of which, why does the BBC News Channel do that really weird split-screen thingy with one newsreader in London and one in Singapore? I find it really weird, somewhat annoying, and convolutedly patronising.
It used to happen at 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning. For some reason they moved it forward to midnight a couple of weeks ago. I agree it's awful; the two newsreaders have an oddly self-congratulatory attitude towards each other.
The very odd behaviour which I find most annoying is the way the BBC's correspondents have this way of nodding when asked asked a question, before commencing their reply.
I asked a local newsman I know as to why that happens - it's almost universal with satellite links.
It's feedback to the studio that he/she is receiving the question in their IFB - a visible sign that the link is working.
The very odd behaviour which I find most annoying is the way the BBC's correspondents have this way of nodding when asked asked a question, before commencing their reply.
I asked a local newsman I know as to why that happens - it's almost universal with satellite links.
It's feedback to the studio that he/she is receiving the question in their IFB - a visible sign that the link is working.
Pardon me for asking, but isn't that obvious? They need to indicate that they are hearing and receiving the link, in order to allow for the one-or-two-second delay in transmission times, otherwise there is an awkward gap in between question and answer. If the person on the other end is not hearing the studio person, they would have to wait for a further several seconds before realising that the link isn't working.
Speaking of Trump, whose somewhat extreme statements about Mexican illegal immigrants being all murderers and rapists have been universally vilified, then this happens....
The very odd behaviour which I find most annoying is the way the BBC's correspondents have this way of nodding when asked asked a question, before commencing their reply.
I asked a local newsman I know as to why that happens - it's almost universal with satellite links.
It's feedback to the studio that he/she is receiving the question in their IFB - a visible sign that the link is working.
Pardon me for asking, but isn't that obvious? They need to indicate that they are hearing and receiving the link, in order to allow for the one-or-two-second delay in transmission times, otherwise there is an awkward gap in between question and answer. If the person on the other end is not hearing the studio person, they would have to wait for a further several seconds before realising that the link isn't working.
Also, its an interview technique carried out by BBC journalists (at least). Ive been interviewed by several different journalists, local radio, radio 4 and regional bbc tv. Every one of them has, when asking questions, nodded repeatedly and emphatically to every word said. Its slight disconcerting but you see why they do it (with radio interviews they can often be very very close to you as they move the mic between themselves and you).
The very odd behaviour which I find most annoying is the way the BBC's correspondents have this way of nodding when asked asked a question, before commencing their reply.
I asked a local newsman I know as to why that happens - it's almost universal with satellite links.
It's feedback to the studio that he/she is receiving the question in their IFB - a visible sign that the link is working.
Pardon me for asking, but isn't that obvious? They need to indicate that they are hearing and receiving the link, in order to allow for the one-or-two-second delay in transmission times, otherwise there is an awkward gap in between question and answer. If the person on the other end is not hearing the studio person, they would have to wait for a further several seconds before realising that the link isn't working.
My earliest memory of the news is Sue Lawley and Nicholas Witchell presenting the BBC Six O'Clock News in the 1980s. I don't think either of them smiled during the 10 years or so that they presented the programme, which was a thoroughly commendable state of affairs in my opinion. In their capable hands the news was icy, methodical, logical, no-nonsense, etc: the complete opposite of what it is today.
Do my ears deceive me? ...Talking of which, why does the BBC News Channel do that really weird split-screen thingy with one newsreader in London and one in Singapore? I find it really weird, somewhat annoying, and convolutedly patronising.
I am watching the BBC News Channel. The newsreader (the one in Singapore) said about 2 minutes ago that President Obama had met the leader of the Japanese Communist Party. He said it about 2 or 3 times. The subsequent report revealed that it's actually the leader of the Vietnamese Communist Party. Is his pronunciation really weird, or am I getting deaf?
I assume you're referring to babita Sharma (sp?) and somebody Hixon (sp?).
"First cousin marriages in Pakistani communities leading to 'appalling' disabilities among children
Baroness Flather, a cross-bench peer, says it is 'absolutely appalling' that first cousin marriages in Pakistani communities are leading to 'so much disability among children'"
I only know one person whose parents are first cousins and both him and his brother have various disabilities. Doesn't seem fair to condemn children to a lifetime of suffering just because the parents want to embark on some weird incestuous relationship.
My parents are second-cousins. The problem that you refer to is not just one isolated first-cousin marriage, but a long line of them for several generations, compounding the problem cumulatively.
Hard to ban domestically, but to exclue cousanginous marriages from abroad should be possible. Though why arranged marriage from abroad is permitted when we have a substantial community of several million domestically eludes me.
* And for another reason that should now be clearer if you got to the end of the post: the 6s and 7s in London who you're in the same league as, also have the option to "marry up" in the old country.
I would have thought that something akin to the primary purpose rule is needed here. We are never going to integrate a Pakistani heritage community into this country if in every generation spouses are coming from a country which is so far apart from ours in terms of values/laws etc. What chance of the children being brought up as British if they are simply seen as items with a value to be married off to people in their "home" country who then come here? It is this sort of attitude which leads to grotesque crimes such as the parents who killed their British born daughter who wanted to choose her own boyfriend for being "too Western". How can someone born and brought up in this country be thought of as "too Western"?
If they're living here and born here their "home" country should be Britain not Pakistan. If they consider Pakistan to be home - even if they've lived here for generations - then that attitude is a problem, frankly. It is what led to the judge in the Rahman / Tower Hamlets case to describe a Bangladeshi community living in London where a significant proportion, despite living here for years and decades, did not speak English and were therefore easy prey to the type of corrupt politics imported from Bangladesh. That is intolerable.
My mother was Italian. She never took British citizenship. She considered herself Italian. But she chose to live here and stayed here even after she was widowed because this was now her home, however much she loved her native country, because she had been Anglicised in ways which meant that she could not and did not want to go back, because she loved this country for what it had offered her, because she had made a life here and because she had her family, both immediate and extended here.
We should not tolerate some immigrants and their descendants living here in name only. We should have more self-respect as a country.
Do my ears deceive me? ...Talking of which, why does the BBC News Channel do that really weird split-screen thingy with one newsreader in London and one in Singapore? I find it really weird, somewhat annoying, and convolutedly patronising.
I am watching the BBC News Channel. The newsreader (the one in Singapore) said about 2 minutes ago that President Obama had met the leader of the Japanese Communist Party. He said it about 2 or 3 times. The subsequent report revealed that it's actually the leader of the Vietnamese Communist Party. Is his pronunciation really weird, or am I getting deaf?
I assume you're referring to babita Sharma (sp?) and somebody Hixon (sp?).
Babita Sharma and Rico Hizon.
Now (nod) you have to admit, (nod) that's a pretty good on-the-fly guess!!!!!! (nod furiously)
Looks like all that chatter that the referendum would give Greek a 'strong hand' in negotiations, was a load of rubbish, then. It looks like they'll either need to produce a plan more radical than previously offered - that may include pension reform - or it's a Grexit. That you have the likes of Juncker and co. talking of a Grexit as a serious possible, IMHO is indicative of how far the situation has escalated.
Interesting conversation on here, meanwhile. I think the lady who suggests dating older men, may perhaps underestimate that most women my age don't really fancy dating someone in their 40s/50s. Not in the least because we're at a different stage in life, and also because well not many twenty-somethings are attracted to men 30 years older than themselves. 10 years, maybe, but 20, 30 - that's pushing it a bit!
Parents may well want their kids to marry 'up', but ultimately as far as I can see among my own social group, parents have very limited power in choosing what exactly qualifies as what the 'best' for their children actually is. I certainly wouldn't want my mother interfering in my relationships - I'm certainly glad she has pressured me to be a certain weight to attract men. I diet and exercise because it's healthy for me, first and foremost. Everyone may want a '9', but given most people are average looking, it's unlikely that many are going to get with gorgeous blokes, or stunning girls.
On the subject of subcontinental marriage, well, it's been almost 4 months since my sister-in-law scarpered off back to India without telling me or my parents. She was in the UK for only two months.
Do my ears deceive me? ...Talking of which, why does the BBC News Channel do that really weird split-screen thingy with one newsreader in London and one in Singapore? I find it really weird, somewhat annoying, and convolutedly patronising.
I am watching the BBC News Channel. The newsreader (the one in Singapore) said about 2 minutes ago that President Obama had met the leader of the Japanese Communist Party. He said it about 2 or 3 times. The subsequent report revealed that it's actually the leader of the Vietnamese Communist Party. Is his pronunciation really weird, or am I getting deaf?
I assume you're referring to babita Sharma (sp?) and somebody Hixon (sp?).
Babita Sharma and Rico Hizon.
I quite like Rico Hizon as a reporter. He appears to know his onions about business reporting, at least more so than many business reporters. But the split screen is weird and the time delay makes uneasy viewing (and listening). It would be better to present the whole show from London, or from Singapore, or just split it into two chunks one from each!
I see this show on BBC World News - what channel is it on in the UK?
On the subject of subcontinental marriage, well, it's been almost 4 months since my sister-in-law scarpered off back to India without telling me or my parents. She was in the UK for only two months.
Looks like all that chatter that the referendum would give Greek a 'strong hand' in negotiations, was a load of rubbish, then. It looks like they'll either need to produce a plan more radical than previously offered - that may include pension reform - or it's a Grexit. That you have the likes of Juncker and co. talking of a Grexit as a serious possible, IMHO is indicative of how far the situation has escalated.
Interesting conversation on here, meanwhile. I think the lady who suggests dating older men, may perhaps underestimate that most women my age don't really fancy dating someone in their 40s/50s. Not in the least because we're at a different stage in life, and also because well not many twenty-somethings are attracted to men 30 years older than themselves. 10 years, maybe, but 20, 30 - that's pushing it a bit!
Parents may well want their kids to marry 'up', but ultimately as far as I can see among my own social group, parents have very limited power in choosing what exactly qualifies as what the 'best' for their children actually is. I certainly wouldn't want my mother interfering in my relationships - I'm certainly glad she hasn't pressured me to be a certain weight to attract men. I diet and exercise because it's healthy for me, first and foremost. Everyone may want a '9', but given most people are average looking, it's unlikely that many are going to get with gorgeous blokes, or stunning girls.
*hasn't*
I wish the editing feature on this would last for more than six minutes.
Do my ears deceive me? ...Talking of which, why does the BBC News Channel do that really weird split-screen thingy with one newsreader in London and one in Singapore? I find it really weird, somewhat annoying, and convolutedly patronising.
I am watching the BBC News Channel. The newsreader (the one in Singapore) said about 2 minutes ago that President Obama had met the leader of the Japanese Communist Party. He said it about 2 or 3 times. The subsequent report revealed that it's actually the leader of the Vietnamese Communist Party. Is his pronunciation really weird, or am I getting deaf?
I assume you're referring to babita Sharma (sp?) and somebody Hixon (sp?).
Babita Sharma and Rico Hizon.
Now (nod) you have to admit, (nod) that's a pretty good on-the-fly guess!!!!!! (nod furiously)
Sorry, Tim, I didn't get that! Apologies to our viewers for the quality of that transmission
Do my ears deceive me? ...Talking of which, why does the BBC News Channel do that really weird split-screen thingy with one newsreader in London and one in Singapore? I find it really weird, somewhat annoying, and convolutedly patronising.
I am watching the BBC News Channel. The newsreader (the one in Singapore) said about 2 minutes ago that President Obama had met the leader of the Japanese Communist Party. He said it about 2 or 3 times. The subsequent report revealed that it's actually the leader of the Vietnamese Communist Party. Is his pronunciation really weird, or am I getting deaf?
I assume you're referring to babita Sharma (sp?) and somebody Hixon (sp?).
Babita Sharma and Rico Hizon.
I quite like Rico Hizon as a reporter. He appears to know his onions about business reporting, at least more so than many business reporters. But the split screen is weird and the time delay makes uneasy viewing (and listening). It would be better to present the whole show from London, or from Singapore, or just split it into two chunks one from each!
I see this show on BBC World News - what channel is it on in the UK?
Do my ears deceive me? ...Talking of which, why does the BBC News Channel do that really weird split-screen thingy with one newsreader in London and one in Singapore? I find it really weird, somewhat annoying, and convolutedly patronising.
I am watching the BBC News Channel. The newsreader (the one in Singapore) said about 2 minutes ago that President Obama had met the leader of the Japanese Communist Party. He said it about 2 or 3 times. The subsequent report revealed that it's actually the leader of the Vietnamese Communist Party. Is his pronunciation really weird, or am I getting deaf?
I assume you're referring to babita Sharma (sp?) and somebody Hixon (sp?).
Babita Sharma and Rico Hizon.
Now (nod) you have to admit, (nod) that's a pretty good on-the-fly guess!!!!!! (nod furiously)
Sorry, Tim, I didn't get that! Apologies to our viewers for the quality of that transmission
Do my ears deceive me? ...Talking of which, why does the BBC News Channel do that really weird split-screen thingy with one newsreader in London and one in Singapore? I find it really weird, somewhat annoying, and convolutedly patronising.
I am watching the BBC News Channel. The newsreader (the one in Singapore) said about 2 minutes ago that President Obama had met the leader of the Japanese Communist Party. He said it about 2 or 3 times. The subsequent report revealed that it's actually the leader of the Vietnamese Communist Party. Is his pronunciation really weird, or am I getting deaf?
I assume you're referring to babita Sharma (sp?) and somebody Hixon (sp?).
Babita Sharma and Rico Hizon.
I quite like Rico Hizon as a reporter. He appears to know his onions about business reporting, at least more so than many business reporters. But the split screen is weird and the time delay makes uneasy viewing (and listening). It would be better to present the whole show from London, or from Singapore, or just split it into two chunks one from each!
I see this show on BBC World News - what channel is it on in the UK?
It's shown on BBC One and BBC News 24.
It's odd - the Katty Kay hosted BBC News program from Washington DC is produced for PBS yet also airs on BBC World News.
Interesting conversation on here, meanwhile. I think the lady who suggests dating older men, may perhaps underestimate that most women my age don't really fancy dating someone in their 40s/50s. Not in the least because we're at a different stage in life, and also because well not many twenty-somethings are attracted to men 30 years older than themselves. 10 years, maybe, but 20, 30 - that's pushing it a bit!
She had pretty weird tastes and assumed the rest of society would just accept them on grounds of their efficiency and practicality - judging from the current state of the TV schedules, I am kicking myself for failing to pitch a sit-com about the impractical ideas about love, life and relationships that are possessed by otherwise perfectly intelligent early-career scientists ... that would have put an couple of extra O's on my bank balance.
Actually I reckoned the fatal flaw in her idea, was that it assumed a woman in her 40s/50s would be so devoted to her increasingly incontinent/dementia-suffering partner that she would care for him until death, even though a woman of that age was also assumed to be irresistibly attractive to 20 year old hunks. To be fair, she wasn't a great believer in monogamy, but she was making some big assumptions there. More worryingly, she assumed the 40/50 year old men would be utterly devoted to their incontinent and dementia-wracked 80 year old wives, enough that they wouldn't run off with the hypothesised older-man-adoring twenty-something lasses. Which suggests that her already substantial depth of cynicism about the human race had yet to catch up to levels consistent with social reality.
Good for you re diet and exercise by the way. I think you are just trying to guilt out the rest of us
Last weekend, Billy Joel married his long term (pregnant) girlfriend, who is over 30 years younger than he is, and exactly half his age.
On the subject of subcontinental marriage, well, it's been almost 4 months since my sister-in-law scarpered off back to India without telling me or my parents. She was in the UK for only two months.
Couldn't stand the weather?
Once Sunil heard there was a train on her wedding dress he became obsessed
On the subject of subcontinental marriage, well, it's been almost 4 months since my sister-in-law scarpered off back to India without telling me or my parents. She was in the UK for only two months.
Couldn't stand the weather?
Don't think so. She took eight months to arrive here in late January - she and my brother got married in May 2014. How long does it normally take for a UK spouse's Visa?
She had pretty weird tastes and assumed the rest of society would just accept them on grounds of their efficiency and practicality - judging from the current state of the TV schedules, I am kicking myself for failing to pitch a sit-com about the impractical ideas about love, life and relationships that are possessed by otherwise perfectly intelligent early-career scientists ... that would have put an couple of extra O's on my bank balance.
I think she's incredibly naive to think most 40-50 year old women will want to be carers for potentially 10-20 years of their lives, and well 'misguided' to be polite - that 40-50 year old men will want to be in relationships with 80 year old women! In any case, from what I've read a large amount of these age-gap relationships don't tend to last long, anyway. There are significant risks in marrying someone only ten years your senior, let alone marrying someone 20-30 years older. You already see people growing a part in relationships were the ages are close - let alone in these kinds of marriages.
I also think although she may not be a great believer in monogamy, most people do tend to still believe it. Personally, I believe in monogamy, but if you're going to reject it then monogamy needs to be rejected for partners, as opposed to just one. I can understand being cynical about humans, but a lot of our choices tend to be restricted by our circumstances, anyway. Not only will most people date within their peer-group, but these days households need two, and not just one income. With that in mind, it's unlikely most will be able to have a situation where mother stays at home, while older man earns the money. I also think that a lot of women in general like having their own money, and not always having to ask someone else for some cash!:D
On my diet and exercise, well part of it is keeping my spirits up, too. I struggle with anxiety and depression, and so the endorphins gained from it make me feel good mentally, too. I'm not perfect on dieting, but do generally try to eat healthily, and limit take-outs to once a month or so.
Interesting conversation on here, meanwhile. I think the lady who suggests dating older men, may perhaps underestimate that most women my age don't really fancy dating someone in their 40s/50s. Not in the least because we're at a different stage in life, and also because well not many twenty-somethings are attracted to men 30 years older than themselves. 10 years, maybe, but 20, 30 - that's pushing it a bit!
She had pretty weird tastes and assumed the rest of society would just accept them on grounds of their efficiency and practicality - judging from the current state of the TV schedules, I am kicking myself for failing to pitch a sit-com about the impractical ideas about love, life and relationships that are possessed by otherwise perfectly intelligent early-career scientists ... that would have put an couple of extra O's on my bank balance.
Actually I reckoned the fatal flaw in her idea, was that it assumed a woman in her 40s/50s would be so devoted to her increasingly incontinent/dementia-suffering partner that she would care for him until death, even though a woman of that age was also assumed to be irresistibly attractive to 20 year old hunks. To be fair, she wasn't a great believer in monogamy, but she was making some big assumptions there. More worryingly, she assumed the 40/50 year old men would be utterly devoted to their incontinent and dementia-wracked 80 year old wives, enough that they wouldn't run off with the hypothesised older-man-adoring twenty-something lasses. Which suggests that her already substantial depth of cynicism about the human race had yet to catch up to levels consistent with social reality.
Good for you re diet and exercise by the way. I think you are just trying to guilt out the rest of us
Last weekend, Billy Joel married his long term (pregnant) girlfriend, who is over 30 years younger than he is, and exactly half his age.
My earliest memory of the news is Sue Lawley and Nicholas Witchell presenting the BBC Six O'Clock News in the 1980s. I don't think either of them smiled during the 10 years or so that they presented the programme, which was a thoroughly commendable state of affairs in my opinion. In their capable hands the news was icy, methodical, logical, no-nonsense, etc: the complete opposite of what it is today.
In the 1970s we grew up on John Craven's Newsround. The earliest news item which I remember directly and to which I can put a date was the meeting, in space, of American astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts, when their spacecrafts docked together, in June 1975. My favourite fact about that meeting was that it happened 140 miles above Bognor Regis.
On the subject of subcontinental marriage, well, it's been almost 4 months since my sister-in-law scarpered off back to India without telling me or my parents. She was in the UK for only two months.
Couldn't stand the weather?
Don't think so. She took eight months to arrive here in late January - she and my brother got married in May 2014. How long does it normally take for a UK spouse's Visa?
A month or three, I think. But not my area of expertise. One thing I am aware of is the income requirement - someone on a low income basically can't bring their spouse over, which in some circumstances can be a bit harsh. (As I mentioned downthread, there are some weird loopholes about EU freedom of movement sometimes making it easier to get a spouse into another EU country as "spouse of EU citizen of a different country" than it is into the UK.)
Your mum not had any luck marrying you off yet Sunil? I'd have thought the "PhD from Global Top Three University" would have been a seller.
Unfortunately, my Tebbit Chip precludes me from believing in Asian "marrying off" culture
And I'm gonna turn 40 in a few months, which I fear pegs me down a few notches on the PB's Most Eligible Bachelor List
More great BBC News coverage - some BBC folks went to see a demo of Microsoft's Hololens. Cameras weren't allowed in, so the two guys talked about what they'd seen in a hot tub.
On the subject of subcontinental marriage, well, it's been almost 4 months since my sister-in-law scarpered off back to India without telling me or my parents. She was in the UK for only two months.
Couldn't stand the weather?
Don't think so. She took eight months to arrive here in late January - she and my brother got married in May 2014. How long does it normally take for a UK spouse's Visa?
A month or three, I think. But not my area of expertise. One thing I am aware of is the income requirement - someone on a low income basically can't bring their spouse over, which in some circumstances can be a bit harsh. (As I mentioned downthread, there are some weird loopholes about EU freedom of movement sometimes making it easier to get a spouse into another EU country as "spouse of EU citizen of a different country" than it is into the UK.)
Your mum not had any luck marrying you off yet Sunil? I'd have thought the "PhD from Global Top Three University" would have been a seller.
Unfortunately, my Tebbit Chip precludes me from believing in Asian "marrying off" culture
And I'm gonna turn 40 in a few months, which I fear pegs me down a few notches on the PB's Most Eligible Bachelor List
You just need to find a girl with an Ian Allen trainspotting book!
I think it's fine not to eat out - everyone is different afterall. I do think there is too much of a pressure to 'conform' in our society! On cooking: the recipes in many cooking books, are fairly straight-forward...so maybe you could start there...:)
On Hollywood men, I think you may be on to something, actually. Especially when you think about politicians: looking at their affairs, many of the women (e.g Prescott, Huhne) aren't objectively, the most stunning women out there. In many cases, it's actually the opposite, something which I've been rather puzzled by, if you go by the rich men = gorgeous women idea of the way things work. So I do think the fame, status, and charisma of movie stars probably does allow them to date the most beautiful women. Your average businessmen, by contrast is unlikely to have the same status (in terms of fame and popularity) and the same charisma. Indeed many CEOs, don't seem to have the most pleasant personalities, either. I guess if you're a young, up-coming actress or model it makes far more sense to hook-up with a famous Hollywood guy (e.g Johnny Depp's fiancee Amber Heard) than a businessmen who Hollywood hasn't heard of, as well.
Comments
If they're living here and born here their "home" country should be Britain not Pakistan. If they consider Pakistan to be home - even if they've lived here for generations - then that attitude is a problem, frankly. It is what led to the judge in the Rahman / Tower Hamlets case to describe a Bangladeshi community living in London where a significant proportion, despite living here for years and decades, did not speak English and were therefore easy prey to the type of corrupt politics imported from Bangladesh. That is intolerable.
My mother was Italian. She never took British citizenship. She considered herself Italian. But she chose to live here and stayed here even after she was widowed because this was now her home, however much she loved her native country, because she had been Anglicised in ways which meant that she could not and did not want to go back, because she loved this country for what it had offered her, because she had made a life here and because she had her family, both immediate and extended here.
We should not tolerate some immigrants and their descendants living here in name only. We should have more self-respect as a country.
I am watching the BBC News Channel. The newsreader (the one in Singapore) said about 2 minutes ago that President Obama had met the leader of the Japanese Communist Party. He said it about 2 or 3 times. The subsequent report revealed that it's actually the leader of the Vietnamese Communist Party. Is his pronunciation really weird, or am I getting deaf?
But the separation into mental as well as, in some parts of the country, actual ghettos of separate communities has been and continues to be disastrous for the life chances of people within those communities and our social cohesion. And, frankly, it has provided the conditions in which extremist views and terrorism can more easily flourish.
We can either pretend it is not happening (evasion), throw up our hands and say that there is nothing we can do (not true and also evasion) or try and do something (difficult but necessary).
I love this country. I don't see why a girl the same age as my own daughter and a British citizen like my own daughter should be denied the possibilities that life as a British citizen offers just because her mother or granny or Dad was from Pakistan and she has to live her life as she were a Pakistani citizen living in Pakistan. And I refuse to accept this. Why should that girl be treated differently because of the colour of her skin and her or rather her ancestors' "culture"? Why isn't that racist? Why isn't that the racism of low expectations?
Yes, it is somewhat odd - another thing that annoys the viewer is that other newscasters stand or sit holding sheafs of papers to which they never refer. Are they scared of teleprompter failure?
The other odd thing about it is that the opening shot shows the two of them side by side on separate screens, and two remote control TV cameras in front of them, both of which are always in lateral motion during the twofer shot, and neither of which is pointing at either screen.
It's feedback to the studio that he/she is receiving the question in their IFB - a visible sign that the link is working.
Series winner:
Australia 1.45
England 5.2
Draw 8
https://www.betfair.com/exchange/plus/#/cricket/market/1.113071675
First Test, Cardiff:
Australia 2
England 4.3
Draw 3.65
https://www.betfair.com/exchange/cricket/event?nodeId=MENU:27458861&id=27458861
New Gravis national poll has a Bush-Trump race, certainly Trump is making an impact but also muddying the waters for the rest of Bush's opponents
Bush – 22%
Trump – 15%
Carson – 10%
Huckabee – 10%
Rubio – 8%
WALKER– 8%
Christie – 5%
Cruz – 5%
Paul – 4%
Perry – 4%
—————
Fiorina – 3%
Graham – 2%
Jindal – 2%
Pataki – 1%
Santorum – 1%
Undecided – 0%
http://www.oann.com/poll/
http://news.yahoo.com/deported-man-charged-murder-san-francisco-shooting-003632460.html
OK I'll pardon you this time
http://www.renewables-map.co.uk/windfarm.asp
Come on, Australi... er, I mean England
Interesting conversation on here, meanwhile. I think the lady who suggests dating older men, may perhaps underestimate that most women my age don't really fancy dating someone in their 40s/50s. Not in the least because we're at a different stage in life, and also because well not many twenty-somethings are attracted to men 30 years older than themselves. 10 years, maybe, but 20, 30 - that's pushing it a bit!
Parents may well want their kids to marry 'up', but ultimately as far as I can see among my own social group, parents have very limited power in choosing what exactly qualifies as what the 'best' for their children actually is. I certainly wouldn't want my mother interfering in my relationships - I'm certainly glad she has pressured me to be a certain weight to attract men. I diet and exercise because it's healthy for me, first and foremost. Everyone may want a '9', but given most people are average looking, it's unlikely that many are going to get with gorgeous blokes, or stunning girls.
I wish the editing feature on this would last for more than six minutes.
http://www.people.com/article/billy-joel-married-alexis-roderick
Why don't you ask him if he's going away?
Why don't you tell me what's going on?
Why don't you tell me who's on the phone?
Why don't you ask him what's going on?
Why don't you ask him who's the latest on his throne?
Don't say that you love me!
Just tell me that you want me!
Tusk! Tusk! Tusk! Tusk!
Tusk! Tusk! Tusk! Tusk!
Tusk! Tusk! Tusk! Tusk!
Tusk! Tusk! Tusk! Tusk!
Tusk!
I also think although she may not be a great believer in monogamy, most people do tend to still believe it. Personally, I believe in monogamy, but if you're going to reject it then monogamy needs to be rejected for partners, as opposed to just one. I can understand being cynical about humans, but a lot of our choices tend to be restricted by our circumstances, anyway. Not only will most people date within their peer-group, but these days households need two, and not just one income. With that in mind, it's unlikely most will be able to have a situation where mother stays at home, while older man earns the money. I also think that a lot of women in general like having their own money, and not always having to ask someone else for some cash!:D
On my diet and exercise, well part of it is keeping my spirits up, too. I struggle with anxiety and depression, and so the endorphins gained from it make me feel good mentally, too. I'm not perfect on dieting, but do generally try to eat healthily, and limit take-outs to once a month or so.
And I'm gonna turn 40 in a few months, which I fear pegs me down a few notches on the PB's Most Eligible Bachelor List
I think it's fine not to eat out - everyone is different afterall. I do think there is too much of a pressure to 'conform' in our society! On cooking: the recipes in many cooking books, are fairly straight-forward...so maybe you could start there...:)
On Hollywood men, I think you may be on to something, actually. Especially when you think about politicians: looking at their affairs, many of the women (e.g Prescott, Huhne) aren't objectively, the most stunning women out there. In many cases, it's actually the opposite, something which I've been rather puzzled by, if you go by the rich men = gorgeous women idea of the way things work. So I do think the fame, status, and charisma of movie stars probably does allow them to date the most beautiful women. Your average businessmen, by contrast is unlikely to have the same status (in terms of fame and popularity) and the same charisma. Indeed many CEOs, don't seem to have the most pleasant personalities, either. I guess if you're a young, up-coming actress or model it makes far more sense to hook-up with a famous Hollywood guy (e.g Johnny Depp's fiancee Amber Heard) than a businessmen who Hollywood hasn't heard of, as well.
Ian ALLAN with an A!
http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-deaths-that-were-overshadowed-by-other-peoples-deaths.php