Aye or Nay?

[Bleeding Pawn]

Surrealistic.

Shopping till you drop?

[XaSp18]

Aye

Having a library at your own house?

[Bleeding Pawn]

No, I'd better donate it (and do) to the local library/school where its beneficial for public use rather than biting bust on the mantle piece or book shelves.

You?

[tonywalt]

No, I'd rather donate it to African orphan kids who love to read. I'd also like to donate houses for them.

Large weddings?

[Bleeding Pawn]

Extravagant? Nay.

Dr.Who?

[tonywalt]

nay

Eventually saying Aye to one of my questions:) ? (And I will stop saying nay to yours:) lol

[The Kid]

Aye.

Che Guevara?

[tonywalt]

nay (interesting guy, mean to dogs/animals - reads many bios on him)

Punk rock?

[The Kid]

Nay. I'm pretty agreeable regarding music, but here ignorance is at fault- I don't know it enough to like it.

John Coltrane?

[Chance33]

I like some good jazz, and he can have his way with a sax.

Indie music?

[Bleeding Pawn]

Nay.

Buildering?

[tonywalt]

Nay

Calling Call centers?

[Bleeding Pawn]

Nay.

12 course meals?

[Chance33]

Aye, If I have 12 hours to eat it!

Classical music?

[The Kid]

Aye, especially if it is played by Heifetz.

Chess?

[Bleeding Pawn]

Aye.

Mahjong?

[tonywalt]

and that would be a video game of some kind.

[Bleeding Pawn]

Mahjong???

[Bleeding Pawn]

Aye...

[lilimarlene]

Mahjong: Nay

Blackjack?

[tonywalt]

Aye (Have I met you before?)

Mens's cologne (if male: wear it?, if female like it?)- and no, not the musky stuff, but the new light stuff.

[lilimarlene]

If it's the right combination of man and fragrance , then yes...and yes.

Firing someone?

[Hawkman]

Aye, especially if I can use a cannon :D

Squid?

[lilimarlene]

aye

dim sum?

[tonywalt]

Aye

Extensive diary/reminder usage on your smartphone?

[lilimarlene]

Aye

Cats?

[Hawkman]

Aye, the bigger the better...

Hairy caterpillars...

[lilimarlene]

Nay

Stilettos?

[Hawkman]

On you? Aye! :devil:

Pink elephants?

[stephofthenight]

Nay...
Tattoos?

[Bleeding Pawn]

Nay.

Binge eating?

[stephofthenight]

Aye. Oreos man, they get you every time!

Pets

[Bleeding Pawn]

Aye.

Nitpicking?

[stephofthenight]

nay

coffee?

[Bleeding Pawn]

Nay.

Are you a team player?

[stephofthenight]

Nay- I prefer to work alone

Cotton Candy

[Bleeding Pawn]

aye.

Anti-depressant medications?

[tonywalt]

brilliant question, and one that the average guy would certainly be very honest about. The answer is naturally: no.

Anti anxiety mediation?

[Bleeding Pawn]

Nay.

Listening to loud music before going to bed time?

[tailor STATELY]

Nay

rain ?

[moonless-sky]

Aye.
Serious the whole time?

[lilimarlene]

nay

ambition?

[tonywalt]

Aye (within my terms).

Same question

[lilimarlene]

Aye

Eccentrics?

[tonywalt]

aye.

Machiavellian tactics?

[Hawkman]

Sure.

How about Von Clausewitz?

[tonywalt]

Aye - war is an extension of politics.

Ipads/talblets, smartphone, and laptops - all together owned?

[tailor STATELY]

Nay (desktops, laptop, dumbphone, and a bunch of iWants)

Vacation this year ?

[lilimarlene]

Aye

The circus?

[Hawkman]

Nay, if you mean big tops and clowns, that is. If you mean John Le Carre's circus then aye!

Potholes?

[tonywalt]

aye

Contrarian tendency?

[tailor STATELY]

nay............................................... cup runneth over kinda guy

chxn ?

[lilimarlene]

aye

World Cup finals?

[Hawkman]

Nay!

Political Death squads?

[tailor STATELY]

Nay

wristwatch ?

[Sido]

Aye! Won’t leave home without it :D

wearing pink t-shirts?

[tonywalt]

nay (i do have pink polo shirt)

Thunderstorms?

[Sido]

Nay...terrified of those.

Rainy days?

[tailor STATELY]

LOVE THEM !... I mean aye

Scorching days ?

[Sido]

NAY!!! I have a low heat tolerance level.

Stargazing?

[tonywalt]

yea, sometimes I smoke and gaze at the stars like forrest gump on the window of a short yellow bus. Other days I play tennis.

Saying Nay, rather than saying Yay?

[free]

Nay, unless in self-defense.

Being good rather than being bad.

[Sido]

Yay,under most circumstances...

Playing video games?

[Bleeding Pawn]

Nay.

Playing games on your smartphone or watching videos?

[Sido]

Aye to both, but not much ...

Have you ever wielded a sword ?

[tailor STATELY]

Aye.......... albeit wooden

Doing Family History / genealogy ?

[Hawkman]

Aye, especially if I can wield a sword while doing it :D

Pandas?

[tailor STATELY]

Aye, especially if I can wield a sword while doing it :D

... revisionist family history? :(

Pandas ? ... Yea....... they're kinda cute.

Buying thrift store paintings ? (and perhaps painting/adding monsters or what have you in the scene as a bonus question)

[tonywalt]

Aye.

Have a routine in the morning?

[tailor STATELY]

Nay................ Morning is a concept best ignored.

Growing any of your own vegetables/fruit ?

[Sido]

Aye....though not always successful...

Singing in the shower?

[tailor STATELY]

Aye............... I love to sing, and keep a song in my heart alway.

Handy with repairs ?

[Sido]

Aye.....tinkering is what I do best :D

Cooking ?

[tonywalt]

aye

daydreamer sometimes?

[Bleeding Pawn]

Nay ,get nighmares.
Plagiarism?

[papayahed]

Nay

Pea Soup?

[Hawkman]

Yea.

Cheesecake (strawberry).

[Bluehound]

Aye , could eat a whole one right now.


Gin & Tonic ?

[Bleeding Pawn]

Nay.

Burp in public?

[tonywalt]

nay.

blockbuster sequels with loads of animation and unknown directors?

[Hawkman]

Nay.

Toads?

[Bleeding Pawn]

Nay.

Making up your own dance steps?

[Sido]

Aye! To me, that's the best thing about dancing :)

trick or treating?

[Calidore]

Aye; went with my neighbor's kids when they were little, and they always gave me a cut of the haul.

Thrift stores?

[Bleeding Pawn]

Aye.

Making excuses to skip work?

[Calidore]

Nay. Need the money more.

Independently wealthy?

[Hawkman]

Aye!

Ferrets?

[Bleeding Pawn]

as a pet, nay

Hamster?

[Pompey Bum]

As breakfast? Nay!

Make a sound like a horse?

[Bleeding Pawn]

Nay.

Tit for tat?

[Pompey Bum]

No. I've invested a lot of love (not to mention birdseed) on my tits and I wouldn't sacrifice one of them, no matter how hungry your puddy tat is.

Gambling?

[Bleeding Pawn]

as in gambling? nay

Machiavellian tactics?

[papayahed]

nay


sequin dresses?

[Hawkman]

Not on me.

Archery?

[Pompey Bum]

Nay.

Give affirmative responses like Lieutenant Worf?

[NikolaiI]

Aye.

"It seems that some creatures have the capacity to fill spaces I never knew were empty." Capt. Jean-Luc Picard, about horses.

Horses, aye or nay?

[papayahed]

neigh. hahahahaha See what I did there?

Christmas?

[Hawkman]

The religious festival or the annual worship of Mammon?

[papayahed]

yes


Blood letting?

[Pompey Bum]

No. Lease on own.

Hats for men?

[Hawkman]

Yea!

The Pale Rider...

[Snowqueen]

Yeah!

Unforgiven?

[Pompey Bum]

Aye.

Aye or yeah?

[Pendragon]

Aye (kind of redundant)

Sherlock Holmes books?

[Pompey Bum]

Aye (kind of redundant)


Merely eliminating the impossible, my dear fellow.


Sherlock Holmes books?

Indubitably.

[Pendragon]

How about MacGyver shows?

[qimissung]

A big aye. Not to mention he's easy on the eyes.

Duct tape?

[NikolaiI]

Aye

A sail-boat made out of duct-tape? (re: Mythbusters) [additional: it floats!]

[qimissung]

Aye, aye, matey!

How about sailing across the Pacific Ocean in a kon tiki boat?

[NikolaiI]

Aye - if you made the boat.

Sailing to Philadelphia? (the song)

[bounty]

don't know the song, so I'd have to say aye just to be able to listen to it. I like trying new music!

peanut butter with cucumbers?

[Pompey Bum]

Nay. Two great tastes that were never meant to meet.

Capital punishment?

[Clopin]

Uggggghhhh, aye.

Modernist architecture.

[Pompey Bum]

Nay.

Disciplining children with spanking?

[Clopin]

Nay for myself but I don't really have a problem with it, besides thinking it's a bit silly.

Minimalism as a design philosophy?

[Pompey Bum]

Well, simplicity, Classicism, all that's desirable, but it needs to enrich the human experience, not impoverish it. So I don't know if that's an aye or a nay--it depends what you mean by Minimalism. Baroque as a design principle is an atrocity (nice music, though).

Special parking privileges for pregnant women?

[Clopin]

Pared down, less is more, etc. I was sort of specifically referring to interior design however.

Aye. I'm around pregnant women pretty much every day and it really doesn't seem very pleasant; they deserve a lot of consideration.

Carbon offsets as a purchasable product?

[Pompey Bum]

Well, in principle it's not such a bad idea, but in practice I don't see how you could regulate a market like that--and there is some potential for abuse. I don't know, I guess I'm skeptically open minded about it. How's that for a hedge?

Expansion of fracking?

[Clopin]

Aye, but I don't know too much about it so I'm open to suggestion either way.

Green taxes?

[Pompey Bum]

China first. ;-)

Pope Francis (as an arbiter of morality)

[Clopin]

Naaaaay

The forty hour work week?

[Pompey Bum]

Nay. Everyone work from home. Get your work done, do it well, and throw supervisors to the weasels.

Six-pack tummies on women?

[Clopin]

Nay for sure.

The nation state of Sweden?

[bounty]

aye, I like Sweden---although I know they are having a tough time with immigration and im not a fan of big government socialism...

all-nighters?

[Clopin]

Nay, but I pull them all the time due to insomnia. Really horrible.

Universal public bathrooms.

[bounty]

if I am understanding that rightly, you mean mixing genders in the bathrooms---I lean towards nay. too much room for problems and I don't see any potential benefits.

the new krispy kreme donut dog stuffed with bacon and raspberry jam?

[Clopin]

Yes, that's what I meant.

Aye! Why not.

Babies.

[Pompey Bum]

Aye, for breakfast.

Theme parks?

[Clopin]

Nay.

Public displays of affection?

[Pompey Bum]

Nay. Save it for your wedding night, cuddle bunny.

Texting while driving

[Clopin]

Nay of course.

Artwork produced by children?

[Pompey Bum]

Sure, as long as my tax dollar ain't payin' for it.

Gun control

[Clopin]

Nay.

Waterbeds?

[bounty]

aye sporadically, nay for keepers.

home garden?

[Pompey Bum]

Nay.

Oxford shoes?

[bounty]

yay but only used ones for me (the whole vegetarian thing for me extends to clothes)

movies with subtitles?

[Pompey Bum]

Aye

Belief in hell?

[tailor STATELY]

Aye............. although I prefer "outer darkness" as the term

Star gazing ?

[bounty]

aye, but I do too little of it. I like that captain picard's first command was the stargazer.

square dancing?

[Sido]

aye, to any kind of dancing! :D

Learn to juggle?

[bounty]

very ever so slightly on the aye side...I can juggle a little and its fun. but people who get really good at it...oh my are they fun to watch. a major aye for them!

caffeine after a certain time in the afternoon?

[tailor STATELY]

Aye........... but only in the form of chocolate... anytime, well, after Easter anyway (I'm abstaining).

♥ dandelions ?

[Sido]

Aye! I used to love blowing them as kid. Can't seem to find them as much now.

Picnics?

[tailor STATELY]

Aye

trains ?

[Sido]

Aye! I love travelling by trains... but they should not be crowded..

Going to the beach?

[tailor STATELY]

(sigh)... Aye

fog ?

[Sido]

Aye... If I'm at home and cozy, or generally at a cozy place... :)

Dancing in the rain?

[tailor STATELY]

Aye....................... (reference: "happy dance")

R.E.M. ?

[Sido]

Assuming you mean the band...Aye!

Reading science fiction?

[bounty]

if its predominantly star trek, aye squared!

polar bear club?

[tailor STATELY]

Aye

Owls ?

[bounty]

I love all critters, so aye.

rap music?

[tailor STATELY]

Aye..........................in small doses

Balloon pants (a la MC Hammer) ?

[bounty]

nay for me, aye for mc hammer and maybe a very few other people!)

harlequin romances?

[tailor STATELY]

nay...... more of a sc-fi, poetry, fantasy genre reader

Alternative rock ?

[bounty]

totally aye, I love diversity in music---and I love Florence and the machine, the black keys, imagine dragons, of monsters and men, lana del ray---have a whole alternative rock Pandora station.

(I hope someone else joins in, im feeling guilty!)

lime jello with little bit of celery and carrots in it?

[tailor STATELY]

Aye............(lol); it goes with the territory

Plum pudding (Plum Duff) ?

[bounty]

interesting---do you work in food services maybe? or have kids you make that for? or eat in a cafeteria where they serve it?

being American, I don't know that ive ever had the opportunity to try plum pudding, but on principle im going to say aye (it sounds good too), and for its place in british lore also.

adam sandler movies?

[tailor STATELY]

My Mother was an British citizen to her dying day, in point of fact she died an illegal alien; her plum duff was always a treat.

Aye

The latest incarnation of Dr. Who ?

[Clopin]

Someone else will have to answer, I've not seen it.

Victorian era English novels.

[Sido]

My Mother was an British citizen to her dying day, in point of fact she died an illegal alien; her plum duff was always a treat.

Aye

The latest incarnation of Dr. Who ?

Aye! To be honest, I wasn't awfully thrilled at first. The 11th was my first; and favorite. But I've grown to like the 12th :)

And,
an Aye for Victorian era English novels as well...Some of my favorite authors and books are from that period including Jules Verne :)


Dark chocolate ?

[Clopin]

Aye!

White chocolate?

[Pompey Bum]

YAAAR!

Marshmallow Easter peeps?

[Clopin]

Nay, and screw white chocolate lol

The widespread use of Internet abbreviations and emotes in conversation?

[Pompey Bum]

Nay, and screw white chocolate lol

The widespread use of Internet abbreviations and emotes in conversation?

Oh white chocolate is so good, especially on those little over-salted pretzels. Salt and chocolate together is the best kept secret of our times.

Emoticons are lame but helpful. It's too easy for people to mistake you without them--especially if you've got a sharp sense of humor. Internet abbreviations are okay, but text talk (u no wat I mean?) just looks ignorant.

Bald or short?

[Clopin]

It's hard... for most men I would say bald is better than - really - short, but on me, fully bald would not be a good look. Anyway how short? 5'4? I think I'll take bald anyway but man, fuuuuuck that.

Dangerously overweight or dangerously underweight?

[bounty]

speaking about my own body, i think id go for the underweight and hope it would help with running and cycling...

x-men or fantastic four?

[Pompey Bum]

Oh wait, I messed this one up yesterday. It's supposed to be Aye or Nay. So, um, nay. Neither one. :)

Licorice?

[bounty]

oh heck then I messed up too!

major aye, I licorice...

abridged versions of books?

[tailor STATELY]

Aye

bugs ? (non-arachnid)

[Sido]

aye...I guess...I mean I don't mind them as long as they are not flying towards me...

Spiders (the big ones) ?

[bounty]

All things bright and beautiful
All creatures great and small
All things wise and wonderful
The Lord God made them all

so aye...smiles...

the retelling and changing of classic stories--maybe like maleficent.

[tailor STATELY]

Aye................. all's fair and all that in fiction or fantasy

Raking leaves ?

[bounty]

aye...theres something peaceful about the rustling noise, and satisfying from a cleaning up and organizing perspective, and then making good use of the leaves from a stewardship view (this year I put them all in the garden over the winter), and the good exercise too.

music that makes you cry?

[Pompey Bum]

Well, aye in principle, although it would have more to do with me than the music. I don't like maudlin tear-jerky music, for example, but then again, that doesn't make me cry. And I don't like to cry around other people. I'm not ashamed, it's just too personal.

Target practice (with a gun) as recreation?

[Clopin]

I've never done it, but it would probably be fun, so aye.

Wearing real fur?

[Pompey Bum]

I wouldn't buy real fur, but if someone gave me a fur hat, and my head was cold, sure I'd wear it.

Lying to a child about Santa Claus?

[bounty]

im moved to tears sometimes by the maudlin stuff (like angie by the rolling stones), but more often by the beauty of the music, or a human-relational reason given certain contexts. the x-factor tryout a few years ago by paul potts is a good example of the combination of those latter two causes.

id say aye, but only small caliber and quiet. id rather bow and arrow.

fasting?

[bounty]

dag nab it! I take so long to answer that I miss a couple of posts!

if it were my own kid, id say nay, id rather tell the truth and pretend about santa.

fasting?

[Pompey Bum]

Aye. I do it all the time for religious reasons. Okay, weird, but I do.

Driving around 5 mph over the speed limit ?

[bounty]

aye and nay---2-3 mph over if the limit is 30, 2-3 over its if 35, 4 over if its 40-50, 5 over at 50 and above.

singing in front of other people?

[tailor STATELY]

re: driving +5 - Nay....... not consciously, and I have anxiety issues with driving anyway. Fasting: both thumbs up.

Singing ? - Aye. I miss singing in the choir.

Brussel's sprouts ?

[Pompey Bum]

Nay for singing (I sound like Dylan); aye for brussel sprouts--very underrated.

Women in their 40s for men on their 20s?

[Clopin]

Preferably not.

Same question but gender swapped?

[Pompey Bum]

Nay. Nice to think about (for the guy), but nothing but trouble in reality.

Greek salad (with extra feta cheese)?

[Clopin]

Aye, it's probably my favourite salad.

Salad (as a main course)

[Pompey Bum]

Aye. If you get sick of it, you can just put different stuff in.

Really, really hot peppers?

[Clopin]

Nay, I never really saw the point and I do like spicy food in general.

T.V preachers?

[bounty]

nay---too much heat takes away the flavor, and I really like peppers. so plain ol' "hot" would be the rare upper limit.

being fed a grocery store free sample, by a friend, with your eyes closed?

[bounty]

okay theres a conspiracy afoot or something! laughs...

aye to some (DJ Kennedy {though he is deceased}, or Charles Stanley for instance), nay to some (joel osteen).

being fed a grocery store free sample, by a friend, with your eyes closed?

[Clopin]

Well nay because why are my eyes closed? Is my first hint that something might be amiss.

Medical marijuana?

[Pompey Bum]

Well nay because why are my eyes closed?

Clopin, you are a riot. :)


Medical marijuana?

Yes, for any who need it. Otherwise I advise keeping well away from the stuff.

US ground troops against ISIS?

[Clopin]

Nay, and cut and run from everywhere else.

U.S.A/Israel/Saudi Arabia (as a package deal)?

[tailor STATELY]

Nay......... I'll hold out for the sequel.

Kite flying in perfect kite flying weather ?

[Clopin]

Nay, I hate wind.

Really humid weather?

[bounty]

the kite runner is a great book!

very much nay on the humid weather, with the possible exception of days dedicated to be in the cool water.

grapefruit juice?

[Clopin]

Aye, it's pretty good.

Cold water swimming.

[Pompey Bum]

Nay! Volcanic hot springs!

Pepperoncinis?

[Clopin]

Never had em.

"Cleanse" diets?

[bounty]

hmmm, fasting is like that to an extent, but id say nay for me because ive never tried them specifically, and don't have an interest apart from fasting. though I do have some "natural detox tea" that I enjoy from celestial seasonings; its got chicory, vanilla flavor, licorice, sarsaparilla, rooisbos, and carob. but id also say aye for anyone who wanted to try them.

and I love grapefruit juice, you just don't see it much, or its very expensive.

raisins on a green salad?

[tailor STATELY]

Aye. Not my choice, but if they're there, they're fair game.

veggie pizza ?

[bounty]

aye, animals don't want to be on pizza.

sun dried tomatoes, banana peppers, green peppers, onions, pineapple, broccoli, spinach---yum yum!

thunderstorms?

[Clopin]

Broccoli on pizza? I don't have to listen to this...

Aye

Dying your hair?

[bounty]

laughs...its a rare topping, but still a good one!

me dying my hair, nay.

someone dying her hair very temporarily for a part (Halloween, a play, for quick fun, some other transient occasion), aye.

someone more or less living her (or his I guess) life with constantly dyed hair, nay.

cell phones in the classroom?

[Pompey Bum]

Unfortunately they are necessary in the event of school shootings. But they need to be turned off and those caught cheating with them need to be expelled. So aye.

Ay-ays?

[bounty]

I had to look that up...and I don't have a definitive find.

I have a choice between some "repetition of the Spanish word 'ay'" or if the images search is correct, some little marsupial looking creature or a Chilean song, or something im missing entirely.

[Pompey Bum]

The critter. Cute (aye for an ay ay, despite the teeth) or repulsive (to be a nay sayer).

[bounty]

I like all animals, so id say aye to the little ay-ay's! and yes, cute in an odd sort of way.

reality tv shows?

[Pompey Bum]

Nay.

Belief in reincarnation?

[Clopin]

Aye... d like to... but nay (though it's a nice possibility).

Avant garde (by today's standards) music?

[Pompey Bum]

Aye for avant garde jazz; I don't know the rest that well.

Should splinter-group Mormon communities be allowed to practice polygamy?

[Clopin]

Aye.

Does religion have a place in public schools?

[Pompey Bum]

Not in a proscribed "official" fashion. Students should be allowed to pray (silently), though.

Should children learn about sex from their teachers?

[Clopin]

Nay, sex ed is something much better left to the parents.

Haha should homeschooling be illegal to prevent parents from indoctrinating their children and to promote equality of education (this is the case in Sweden).

[Pompey Bum]

Yikes! Parents indoctrinating children? Not in my soviet!

As far as sex Ed goes, even my Dad did a better job than Mr. Hunt, my 7th grade gym teacher. "Now diss heah is cawlled ya d*ck!"


Should Jews be compelled to attend Christian chapel services (as they often are) in private schools?

[Clopin]

Aye. It's up to the school if it's privately owned, by my conception of ownership at least. Don't like it? Lump it.

That Indiana 'Religious Freedom Act'?

[Pompey Bum]

If I understand it right it says (or originally said) that private shop owners can make up their own minds who they do business with. It's not a popular opinion, but I don't have a problem with that.

Mandatory crotch pat downs (formerly "third base") before boarding an airplane?

[Clopin]

I agree, and yes, it's a very unpopular opinion.

Nay, and deregulate all airlines so more efficient companies which don't sexually assault their customers will drive everyone else out of business. Profiling is also a good idea.

Affirmative action? ;)

[Pompey Bum]

NO EFFING WAY.

Martinis without olives?

[Clopin]

Never had a martini with or without :(

Chocolate milk?

[Pompey Bum]

Sure. I keep forgetting how young you are; which you should take as a compliment. You, too, Lykren. (WITH olives, though).

If you had to live in a country in the Southern Hemisphere, which would you choose?

Edit: oh wait, that's not aye or nay. Um, grass skirts?

[Clopin]

New Zealand. Though I want to move to Vietnam for a few years pretty soon; I love it there.

And this is aye or nay!

The British Empire?

[Pompey Bum]

Naye? I mean, it was a good and bad thing both, wasn't it?

Have you been to Vietnam? I was in Cambodia few years ago and it was awesome. Best archaeological sites I've ever seen. Better than Egypt.

Do you feel that money stuffed in a stripper's garter is money well spent?

Alternately: grass skirts?

[Clopin]

Yeh I've been there, nice people, nice climate, nice food.

Haha nay, strippers are for suckers. I've never seen one in person anyway.

Bachelorette/Bachelor's parties featuring strippers?

[Pompey Bum]

Good for you. Yes, it's all one big sucker's game.

Only to support a buddy--and I never knew a guy who didn't regret getting drunk before his wedding.

State sponsored lottery tickets?

[Clopin]

Uh, I'm neutral on that unless there is some issue around it I'm unaware of. Aye?

And aye on grass skirts.

Octavian "Augustus" Caesar?

[Pompey Bum]

A mixed bag. A political genius, but then so was Mao. On the whole, probably aye-ish.

Gerbils as pets?

[Clopin]

But poor Ovid though :(

And nay for me, I don't like indoor mammal inclosures for the smell they produce.

The nation state of Austria?

[Clopin]

Also I am aware that I am a mammal in an indoor inclosure...

[Pompey Bum]

But poor Ovid though :(

And nay for me, I don't like indoor mammal inclosures for the smell they produce.

The nation state of Austria?

Well, Augustus ended a generation of civil war and prolonged Roman imperium for 400 years (and 1000 years longer than that in the East, although that was mostly Constantine's doing). The Republic was moribund and Rome would never have survived without him. Most Romans at the time resented and feared the Senate, whose members had divested their families of their land over the years. All but the senatorial families themselves saw the emperors (at least in principle and usually in practice) as their protectors against the Senate. But yes, Ovid's case was a grim bellwether that freedom of speech from an artist was incompatible with the new way. Less than a generation before, Catullus had said what he liked about whomever he felt like talking about--including Cicero, Caesar, Crassus, Pulcher (Caesar's muscle in the city and his own married girlfriend's dangerous brother), and many others. By the end of the first century (after the Ovid business), the poet Martial used a savage toward private citizens, but only nauseating panegyric for the emperor and his family. Juvenal, a satirist, made a crack about Domitian's sister's abortion, but he was certainly dead and gone by then, and despised by the regime in power. So that's why Augustus only got an aye-ish from me. Maybe it should have been a nay-ish, but he was a political genius and a kid with b*lls, at least when he started. No one ever thought he'd win (at first), least of all Antony.

So Austria? Well, if it's the nation state, that leaves Mozart out. And the Anschluss in--I mean, it was the nation state that decided to collaborate like that. So nay? On the other hand, every Austrian I've known has been cool. So I guess I don't know.

Same question.

[Clopin]

Nay, one of the lamest countries in the world, alongside Sweden.

And I like Augustus to be honest, it was a different time.

Rhubarb?

[Pompey Bum]

Hell yeah. Great pie.

Raw shellfish (like cherrystones, if you know what those are)?

[Clopin]

Mhm, never had raw shellfish though I do like cooked shellfish.

Nay just for the prospect of eating them, right now at least, I'll try a raw oyster eventually.

The South rising again?

[Pompey Bum]

Oh they're soooo good, Clopin.

No to the South rising again. They completely deserved to lose that war.

No taxes for churches?

[Clopin]

Provinces, states, etc voting to secede from their parent nation (Quebec, Scotland, Texas, etc)?

[Clopin]

Aye, no taxes for churches.

Haha whenever I see someone call for churches to pay taxes they INVARIABLY just hate religion and want to do the institution harm. I say no to tax policies designed as some sort of... punishment.

[Pompey Bum]

Possibly, but in my make believe republic, it would have to be ratified by the other states or provinces. And succession is not why our Civil War was really fought; it was over the expansion of slave economies into the northwest (per the Kansas-Nebraska act); despite the myth, the Confederacy was a highly expansionist proposition)

Choice of celibacy or no celibacy for Catholic priests?

[Clopin]

I'm not a catholic, no celibacy makes more sense to me but I don't know how important that doctrine is to their faith.

Best book to read on the civil war?

Titus Andronicus (the play)

[Pompey Bum]

I just read a great book on the Civil War, part of the Oxford History of the United States, and Pulitzer Prize winner, with the unfortunately dorky name: Battle Cry of Freedom. It's a political history and covers the period from the end of the Mexican War to the end of the Civil War. I recommend it highly, although be warned that it's 900 pages or so. I'll probably write a review sometime next week.

Aye to Titus Andronicus.

Asking a post-operative transexual on a date?

[Clopin]

Nay, sorry. I might change to aye if the surgery really worked, but I doubt I could get past it.

Plastic, different coloUred money?

[Pompey Bum]

Money here is pretty much symbolic as is (as opposed to real metal based), so why not?

Smoking a cigarette just for the hell of it now and then?

[Clopin]

Aye, looks cool. I've smoked maybe thirty cigarettes in my life haha, all of the anti smoking lectures we had ministered to us in elementary school really worked on me.

Drinking (alcohol) alone?

[Pompey Bum]

Yes. I drink very very little because of a problem I have with balance. But when I do drink, it's at home, to be safer. And since my wife doesn't drink at all, that means it's just me (usually listening to music with her). In the immortal words of Rogers and Hammerstein: drink on, drink on with love in your heart and you'll never drink alone. :)

Lowering the voting age to 16?

Raising it to 21?

[Clopin]

Young people don't vote anyway and nearly everybody votes tribally or is a single issue voter, so who cares? Anyone who can't vote shouldn't pay any taxes though. Nay, keep it where it is, but I wouldn't be scandalized if it were raised or lowered. It was lowered I believe for the referendum on Scotland? I could be mistaken, but that I do agree with.

Homeschool?

[Pompey Bum]

Big yes. Public education is going Hindenburg, and every one's in a happy or defensive denial about it.

Foreign language starting in third grade?

[Clopin]

Nay, start it in preschool. Actually a woman who runs a home daycare in town just straight up speaks French to all of her kids, whether they like it or not, with the result that uh... they all learn French.

I would want to see incredibly high standards for advancing through public schools, largely private education or homeschool; the current state of public education is an utter joke. And we absolutely need to do away with any nonsense about "no child left behind" and provide opportunities and incentives for merit.

Corporal punishment administered to (your own) children? Answer for yourself and for legality.

[Lykren]

No for both considerations, for the same reason NCLB is bad.

Is veganism more ethical?

[Clopin]

Yes I think it is.

Would you rather compete for something desireable or take an assured something which is somewhat banal?

[Lykren]

In banality is the sublime.

Wealth redistribution yea or nay?

[Clopin]

Ahaha, by the government? Nay.

Green smoothies?