Thinking of buying diamonds for your Valentine?

[Nick]

Not everyone in the diamond business are crooks or slave masters.

Maybe so, but the vast majority of the industry is ran by one company anyway. The others are insignifigant.

[Nick]

I might not hold conventional beliefs, but they are at least somewhat mainstream

What kind of argument is that?

Most people will tell you Google is your friend. That is the mainstream view. Yours, is not mainstream. And that is NOT to say that your view is not valid. However, by arguing that your view is almost mainstream, you're making a higher importance of that word.

The truth has nothing to do with how popular something is.

[formerly known as hf]

I was simply trying to point out that my views (mostly, google hating and some others excepted) aren't quite as 'out there' as Agar seemingly suggested.

You are right though, popularity is by no means a signifier of importance or validity

[Halley]

On a related note, here is an interesting article about synthetic diamonds, how they're threatening the De Beers monopoly, and how they may replace silicon chips in the future:

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/diamond.html

In my humble opinion, diamonds aren't that special. They're nice to look at in a museum, but I'd rather not have one (especially one on my finger!) because I'd be scared to death of losing it or getting mugged. It would forever be locked up in a safe somewhere, and what's the fun in that?

If someone were to spend that much money on me, why not a down payment on a house? I'd like that much more!

[Crosshair]

The diamond industry has been found to be funding many a bloody African war.

[Stan]

Just thought I'd stir the pot a bit. But, I think the point was valid.

[grrl]

so what SHOULD we do for v-day?? is chocolate still ok???

[Cookie]

Sex. nuf said

[Stan]

No chocolate. There are exploited coco pickers that work their fingers to the bone to make that chocolate.

No cards. Paper takes trees and destroying trees leads to global warming which will cause hurricanes that will destroy New Orleans again.

No shoes. Those are made in sweat shops in Indonesia.

No shirts. See shoes.

No sex. That leads to children and we are already overpopulating mother earth. See cards.

I suggest everyone pat their Valentine on the back (but not too hard) and tell them that you would love them but that the belt they are wearing was a cow that was someone's mother once and you just can't stand to see them anymore.

[Crosshair]

Man that was bleak... ever heard of contraception?

[grrl]

Safe sex is good sex

[formerly known as hf]

Preferably don;t get anything that costs money.

'Holiday's' Have been adopted by retailers as a wonderfully lucrative marketing an advertising opportunity.

Something that hasn't been bought outright, but has had some thought put into it, some care put into it. To me at least, that'd be worth so much more than anything you can buy in a shop.

[Phalynx]

Well someone sent me a card for christmas telling me my chrisse present was three chickens for a farm in Africa...

Very worthy but not much fun to open....

[Crosshair]

Heh... i got a donkey version of that once... except i actually had to pay for the shipment of the donkey... well, my parents did

[Agar]

Heh... i got a donkey version of that once... except i actually had to pay for the shipment of the donkey... well, my parents did

Dude! That's AWESOME! I'm gonna have a donkey shipped to a village in my wife's name for valentines day, so a diamond encrusted warlord can shoot it!!! Roxors!

Seriously. wtf.

*starts another, happier, thread*