Nope, looks like we have found the source of the Labour Party leaks, sadly this poor rodent learned the hard way that no justice driven wee guy can escape the government ordered retribution of 'R-A-K' (Rent a kill) made to look self inflicted, the plot thickens...

Could R-A-K also mean "Rodent a Kill"?

.....! Murkier and murkier, any murkier and I shall need perscription goggles and a head torch!

Ha ha! You say torch instead of flashlight! Ha ha!

*simpsons*

I like it when people laugh, good old Transatlantic English-American...

pavement (side walk), rubbish (garbage), nappy (diaper), shopping centre (mall), petrol station (gas station), torch (flash light), maths (math), fridge (refridgerator), play time/break (recess), holiday (vacation), trousers (pants), crisps (chips), chips (french/freedom fries), rising trot (posting), rubber (eraser), 4by4, (SUV), Philosopher's Stone (Souceror's Stone), accelerator (gas pedal), A&E/casualty (ER), mobile phone (cell phone), motor way

I find the differences amusing aswell, long live The Simpsons!

Hallo everyone... sorry I have been away... I feel like such a retard for not posting in ages... but in truth I haven't had a chance to do so! Can you all forgive me? The work load has lifted and now it is vac.... so hopefully I can get back to posting again. :) Yay for me!

So... what is happening around here?

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"I've always believed that it would be up to the young people to save the Endangered Wildlife for the future." - George Adamson.

Never did get the whole Sorcerer's Stone thing... Is the history behind the philosopher's stone/alchemy etc, also referred to in Merkin texts as Sorcerer's stone etc?

What is the difference in the Sorcerer's stone and a Philosopher's stone?

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"I've always believed that it would be up to the young people to save the Endangered Wildlife for the future." - George Adamson.

The spelling. I suppose it depends on the use of the words though.

__________________________________
'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

I am sure the U.S. posters on this site would have no trouble with either title but I have it on good authority that Scholastic, who did the translation into American English, had concerns over people not understanding the word 'philosopher' and so changed it to 'sorcerer'.

On both sides of the Atlantic the use of 'philosopher' to mean 'alchemist' is uncommon, but 'philosopher's stone' is the term used in every legend that I have read about the search for the object which would translate base metal into gold. (Being picky, shouldn't it be philosophers' stone?)

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My computer beat me at chess, but I won at kickboxing

This is not the place to start into a deeper discussion of alchemy, but since in university I had a professor for the history of science who was an expert on the subject, it cannot be completely avoided. Be aware that this is crudely simplified.

Alchemy is a philosophical-religious system that raised in helenistic Egypt in the 3rd century b. c. For the Greeks, the earth was made up of four elements, mutable to acommodate the ever-changing world. The skies, however were made of christal, a fifth, immutable element, that could not exist below the firmament. Alchemy claimed however that the concept of that element was reachable by the human mind, especially in contemplation. The process to do this was purification, primarily of the soul. But in a mystical sense, this could also be done while working with the earthly matter. While transmuting the elements, personal understanding of everything would grow parallel to the raise in their purity.

All this was never really revealed in clear language. All alchemical texts are murky, to say the least. Thus more practically-minded people began to make money by claiming they really could change matter, especially to gold...the philosophical concept of understanding matter enough to have an idea about the fifth, celestial element beeing replaced by the more hands-down claim to have a stone that could transform lead to gold...

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Skids - I am not sure, cos the title could be refering to Nicholas Flamel so it would be his stone, but then Dumbledore had a hand in making it, so could be their stone. Or it could be refering to the generalised stone of philosophers. Perhaps the American's have it right after all, although I suppose the debate could extend to Sorcerors as well! Tell you what tho, if you ever get to take it up with JK Rowling could you get her autograph for me? ;P

But of course, out here, the only alchemy we really specialize in is turning bullshit into Fool's Gold, pardon the Klatchian.
But then we sell that, so we're okay for another year.
Last week's weapons, anyone? I'll throw them in free with the Tupperware, if you like.

oh, I need some new tupperware to store children#s resources in!

nemades Wrote:
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> Skids - I am not sure, cos the title could be
> refering to Nicholas Flamel so it would be his
> stone, but then Dumbledore had a hand in making
> it, so could be their stone. Or it could be
> refering to the generalised stone of philosophers.
> Perhaps the American's have it right after all,
> although I suppose the debate could extend to
> Sorcerors as well! Tell you what tho, if you ever
> get to take it up with JK Rowling could you get
> her autograph for me? ;P

LOL! It is possible that mrs. SkidMarks can get you an autograph sometime, but I decided after the second book not to bother with any more. I don't have a problem with either title although do tend towards the argument that right or wrong it is the author's perogative to choose his or her own title. (Even though as Mr. Fforde points out with 'First among Sequels' there can be outside influences to consider)

I also apologise to Claus: I was not denigrating the philosophical side of alchemy, just talking about the word in the context of the book title.

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My computer beat me at chess, but I won at kickboxing

I still like Pratchett's take on alchemy.... They have managed to turn gold into less gold.

__________________________________
'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

hehe.... that is funny!

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"I've always believed that it would be up to the young people to save the Endangered Wildlife for the future." - George Adamson.

I like it, Martin.

Gold into less gold.... sweet!

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"I've always believed that it would be up to the young people to save the Endangered Wildlife for the future." - George Adamson.

Skids, I was in no way defending alchemy. Frankly, I think it is nothing more than a jumbled mess. It was only the historian I was once supposed to become running amok. Maybe helped by the fact that I never have read the Harry Potter books, and thus may have missed some of the contents of your post.

And you can turn lead into gold. The same way selling fairy gold can be very lucrative.

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Design #3609494995:
It's a newly-discovered breed of fish that keeps your teeth clean, tastes delicious and dissolves in water.
generated with The Prior-Art-O-Matic