*"Homo sapiens" have spread to every continent, frequently driving other animal species to extinction in the process*

Absolutaly Lexi. Rather then homo sapiens, we should have been
labelled as homo destructor. If anyone is going to completely stuff
the planet and make it uninhabitable for mammals, we will. Ok,
fair enough.

*The answer in a word - is culture.*

Hang on Lexi, you are showing your suburban, anthropocentric side
here, perhaps you don't know any better.

Do you really think that other species don't teach their young
how to find food, how to make tools, how to behave, how to survive?

Think again, or better still, look up somebody like Frans de Waal
at work, to learn about the culture practised by other primate
species, etc. Even my dumb old sheep, teach their young what to
eat, what to drink, when to drink and eat it. They are just plain
old herbivores.

*Culture is a substitute for "instinct"*

Culture is not a subsititute for instinct, the two are intertwined.
You didn't land up pregnant with a husband and kids because of
culture, instinct played its role, whether you were aware of it
or not. Those motherly feelings are not cultural, they are genetic.

Humans indeed developed a larger brain as a way to compete for
resources with other species. As the Japanese are fast finding
out, its also large enough to stuff the planet eventually, given
our lack of good judgement or need to learn by pain.

Yabby,

Well it was a joke : )

I wouldn't really expect a couple of young whippersnappers like yourselves to aspire to someone of my superior status.
After all, it's quite a responsibility being a doting motherly New Age snob - I'm quite shocked actually, that I haven't noticed it before. The rot must have set in when we tossed out the white bread.

No doubt you picture me in flowing dresses, dripping and rattling with beaded trinkets, candles ablaze and incense wafting with the strains of sitar music in the background.

I know you and Houellie both consider yourselves very clever and insightful, but you're both so far off the mark, it's entertaining.

Btw,I notice that for someone fond of calling others "snob" that you dish out quite a nice line of condescension yourself,(as was admirably demonstrated in your last reply to Lexi) - you should watch that you know, you're prone to that.

Anyway, all in all, top marks for creativity...

'The rot must have set in when we tossed out the white bread.'

That was a good one:-) I'm enjoying this new spirit from POirot.

'You two come across as a pair of smart-arsed know-it-all adolescent schoolboys each clamouring to take the top mantle of working-class hero.'

That's spot on really! I do enjoy championing the working classes, knocking the ABC, Clive Hamilton, tree-changers, sea-changers. Any middle-class pretence, particularly of the baby boomer lot, I'm there to knock it down! I read the Herald letters section just to be outraged by the 'beggars belief' 'de rigueur' Cate Blanchett worshipping Abbott Haters.

Reverse snobbery tickles my fancy.

I hand the mantle to Yabby though, I'm as middle class as they come! I enjoy knocking the Bogans 'Crack open a coldie!', Yea-nah, Bundie rum and tram stamps. ThingsBogansLike is my second favourite site after The Onion.

I'm a social chameleon. I am equally at home taking the piss out of both crowds. I put Poirot in the crowd that makes her protest too much:-)

'No doubt you picture me in flowing dresses, dripping and rattling with beaded trinkets, candles ablaze and incense wafting with the strains of sitar music in the background.'

That's how I used to picture Fractelle! Exactly.

PS: I only own 1 modestly sized 32 inch TV in the house (I don't like a TV dominate my lounge), and my viewing habits consist solely of Cricket, Rugby, House MD, Rake, The Street, Outnumbered, and the occasional reluctant viewing of Better Homes than Yours, Hi-5, Play School and Charlie and Lola (Which I secretly LOVE). My secret shame is I'm one of those people who doesn't watch commercial TV. I only saw one election advertisement though so it has it's rewards.

Houellie,

"...and Charlie and Lola (Which I secretly LOVE)".

Maybe there is hope for us...I used to like that one too. In fact, I'm lamenting not being able to watch all those "little kid" shows now that my son is older.

I do watch telly sometimes, although haven't watched commercial telly for yonks....and I only saw one advert at election time too.

have you an inner sounding of your name?
im trying to make your name 'heard'.. in my mind

trying to sound out poirot
im not happy with the sound poi
followed by sound rot..[it just dosnt fit my mental image of you]

i cant hear the sound poir
except maybe as purr..and the ot as in begot
in the end it might be the sound picture of your name
equates to that of that detective perreau

why am, i sounding your name in my mind?

i just read this

""Letters and words are not only symbols.
They also have a sound.

Words can be considered not just as composites
but as bodies of sound. Like words, bodies are also sounds.

They are bodies of sound
–not audible sounds
but inner soul sounds.



Any thought, unspoken, has an inner sound.
True ‘thinking’ is impossible unless we can clearly hear the mental words of our unspoken thoughts with our inner ear, and fully feel their inner sense..or resonance within our bodies.""

why does this seem nessesary?

""The physical body organism..is the ‘word become flesh’.
It is the embodiment of an inner language
of soul sounds and soul tones.""

extracted from

http://www.thenewyoga.org/mantra.htm

there is a lot of gibberish
but some real gold ammoung the tares

i should sort them more properly
link them to other links i posted re the after life

but hesitate to come
between two lovers

[too much mass
for true creative production]

have you noticed..you only consciously recall..
things you actually recall hearing..or consiously set about reading

[if the dont form a mind/picture
the mind cant see it

what it cant see
[ie hasnt been consiously seen/heard felt..

re-cognised...
em-bodied co-nsciously..within]

it cant recall..
in fact never real-ised
[made real within]

yeah i know
why bother!

Unfortunately, I haven't had time to contribute here, but have enjoyed reading it.
I confess to a secret love of the Toy Story films and Shreck one and two, which, having littlies for the last 15 years, I've seen uncounted times.
I sympathise with Houellebecq's grinchly qualities but his cynicism isn't serious, ergo it isn't cynicism, it's the grumpy old man thing.

Would love to talk more about materialism apropos the intangibles Lexi's been on about. Much more interesting than the sterile subservience to the pseudo-intellectual, cheap-materialistic order Yabby appears to worship.
Unfortunately, I have to deny myself the pleasure of lobbing grenades on this occasion :-(