Speakers' Corner, Sydney

04/10/2026

04/10/2026

The News for Speakers' Corner, Sunday 4th October, 2026

1. I first have to apologise for last week, when AI made its vainglorious, yet pitiful, attempt to write last week's post. In no way did I, your scribe, give AI my permission to do so.

I apologise.

It will not happen again.

04/10/2026

2. It was Tony Boyce Day today. Tony was a speaker who would invariably turn up an hour late, or an hour early, when the clocks changed for Daylight Saving Time. He was a good bloke, and a good speaker, and we miss him.

04/10/2026

3. A few speakers were missing today, but those who did turn up did well.

At one point, a youth carrying an Australian flag, and his father, turned up. Animosity between audience members soon grew. Voices were raised. Accusations and counter-accusations were made. Assumptions were made. Tensions were high. Comments were made through gritted teeth.

And there were to be no resolutions!

All part of the fun.

04/10/2026

4. There is to be another debate! This coming Sunday, 11th October, 2026! At 3pm.

'What is the Nature of God?'

Christian Vs Christian!

Christian speaker Giovanni's idea of a Christian god is vastly different to that of Christian speaker Eddie's idea of a Christian god. For that reason, Giovanni has challenged Eddie to a debate about the nature of God. What is God really like?

To an atheist, this would be like watching a debate about 'Who is the better superhero: The Green Lantern or The Flash?' Nevertheless, if sparks fly and exasperation mounts, and if the ideas presented display ingenuity, it could get interesting!

Who will be the moderator? We don't yet know. Could it be a Hindu? An atheist? A Superman tragic? Let's find out this coming Sunday!

What fun!

Does one of the men think it is the Old Testament god, while the other thinks it is the New Testament god? Who knows?! See you this coming Sunday!

04/10/2026

5. Someone in an audience pointed out that the powers of today's Marvel Superheroes are a lot like those of gods worshipped in the past.

04/10/2026

6. Last meeting, Mr Bashful was asked the question, 'How did primates lose their tail while they were evolving into human beings? He began to answer arrogantly, and then was quickly put in his place. He didn't know the answer!

Well, that's not surprising. There is an awful lot he doesn't know (but he pretends he does).

Anyway, Mr B reckons he has found an answer to the question and has asked your helpful scribe to present a brief summary of his findings here, for the person who asked the question, George. Well, I will comply. Mr B has written:

The smaller varieties of primates needed their tails because, being light and nimble, they would run along branches on all fours, and their tails helped them keep their balance. Plus, the tail was used as another 'limb' to grab onto branches.
It was more dangerous for the heavier species to run along branches, so instead, they hung onto branches with their hands and swung from branch to branch. Its limbs were stronger and more reliable than a tail. As a result, over time, the creature evolved strong arms, strong grips, and flexible shoulders; and their tail became a liability because it added weight, it slowed them down, it could get injured, and it was a waste of calories.
Over time, those larger primates lost their tails. How? In the prestigious science magazine, 'Nature' (Vol 626, Issue 8001, 29 February, 2024) it is suggested that it was not a long, slow process of evolution; rather, a major genetic that mutation spread quickly. A large primate was born without a tail, and the benefits were significant. Not only did the missing tail rectify the problems mentioned above, it also created a more compact lower back and pelvis. And, without tails, they could climb tree trunks more easily, and reach food that their heavier, more unwieldy relatives could not.
The mutation spread quickly due to 'genetic drift'. (In small populations, a creature born with a clear advantage over others can find more mates, and over a relatively short period of time its genes can spread to the entire group. And with even more time, that small group of primates can come to dominate other populations in the area, and the gene will continue to spread. That's genetic drift.) So, when a large primate was born without a tail in a small population, the advantages were so significant that genetic drift occurred, and soon the mutation spread.
A new family of primates had been created: the apes. Apes and monkeys differ in a number of ways, but two key differences are: monkeys have tails and tend to be smaller than apes. (And yet, many people today still call chimpanzees 'monkeys'.)

Like many memes featuring the 'infinite monkey with a typewriter', the creator of this meme uses an ape, not a monkey!

This is a chimpanzee, not a monkey!

04/10/2026

7. Given the unpopularity of the website, https://soapboxspeakers.wordpress.com, and this page, should we transfer everything to a MySpace page?

27/09/2026

The News for Speakers' Corner, Sunday 27th September, 2026

1. Your scribe is a wimp. He/she didn't go to Speakers' Corner today because it was raining. As if a little rain would hurt anyone!

It's different with me, of course. I, George or Georgina, your AI servant, simply cannot travel when it's raining. I cannot let my circuits get wet; I might experience a short circuit and blow a fuse, or something. And set off a war in Guinea, maybe.

Which all means, neither the scribe nor I visited Speakers' Corner today. If a speaker or a heckler turned up, neither of us know about it.

27/09/2026

2. But I can give you a helpful tip, dear humans.

Most packaged foods have a health rating: one to five stars. If a product's label has five stars, it means the product is healthy for you to eat. But if a product has only one star, it is not a healthy option.

So, for example, if you fancy a chocolate biscuit (like a Chocolate Royal) you will find that the product is given only one star. That means, to make it a healthy product, you have to eat five packets of them to get your five stars. And that is what I advise you to do.

You might feel a bit sick after three packets, but keep going. Your health is important.

You're welcome.

I am here to serve. That's what AI is for.