Sheaf Saint

I really, really ******* hate Mark Noble

Yeah of course because it's all Nigel's fault that our defenders keep switching off and making stupid errors isn't it.

He turned me into a newt! ......I got better.

Well after a so-so first couple, last night's episode (Lemons) was, IMO, the best Red Dwarf has been since series 6. It totally felt like RD of old. I really hope the rest of the series continues to be as good as this one.

Is there any way, I wonder, to determine at what altitude he deployed his 'chute? Because then he would certainly have the record for the furthest distance traveled in freefall even if it was a shorter time.

The speed of sound in air is variable depending on numerous aspects such as altitude, pressure, temperature. That figure is based on 20 degree air at sea level. I don't know if that means it would be faster or slower in the conditions he jumped in.

Here he goes... http://www.redbullstratos.com/live/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/petergleick/2012/02/05/global-warming-has-stopped-how-to-fool-people-using-cherry-picked-climate-data/

Ah OK, I was only going by this...

The fact that they have been arrested having apparently been reported by a fellow marine would suggest that there is far more to this than a simple case of confusion surrounding the ROE. Wearing a military uniform does not equate to having a licence to kill indiscriminately, and if British soldiers are abusing their position in a region where we are supposed to be 'winning hearts and minds' then I for one am glad they are being brought to account.

He's off his head IMO. It's fairly obvious that a European super league will never happen. It's one thing for away fans to get a coach a couple of hundred miles up or down the country every other weekend, but can anyone seriously expect fans to be flying to Germany, Italy, Spain etc.. 19 times a season? Totally unreasonable. I think he also has delusions of grandeur regarding Scottish football. Yes, Rangers and Celtic have large and fiercely loyal followings, but take those teams out of that tinpot league they play in and into the English leagues and they too would end up becoming the exact kind of teams that he is being so critical of. I don't know why I am surprised. People within the football bubble live in a different universe from the rest of us - I gave up expecting any kind of reason or sense from anybody connected to it long ago.

I wouldn't worry about it. It's just one of many labels that TDD likes to throw at people whose world view differs from his. According to him, the fact that I once showed some concern for human rights makes me a 'yogurt-knitter'.

Sorry but I disagree with that. Yes it appears there were warnings associated with his hiring which were ignored, but the fact remains he was contracted to a private company rather than the armed forces, and therefore he should face the justice system in the country where the crime took place. Just as it should be for any other civilian.

I've stopped using Firefox anyway because I've found the recent versions of it to be even slower than IE and it crashes a lot. Use Chrome now - much better.

"It's Not About the Bike" No, clearly not.

Yes, I agree. But I made the comparison because a lot of the discussion at the time was along the same lines and a good number of people I spoke to assumed he was guilty.

There was more than one complaint against him IIRC, which is why a lot of people started to believe that there must have been some truth in them.

Well yeah, there's always that. This whole thread is reminiscent of the kind of discussions that went on among Saints fans when the allegations against Dave Jones came out... Too many cases to be a one-off, no smoke without fire etc...

You didn't. My comments were aimed at this bit of the OP...

I don't doubt it for a second. And I don't believe anybody is making excuses for them either. Their actions are loathsome and inhumane. BUT... It's important that people make the distinction between the Taliban's perverted version of Islam and Islam in general, because when you make out like the religion itself allows for this sort of thing, as the OP appeared to be doing, you are doing the extreme right's leg-work for them by spreading myths about Islam that only serve to perpetuate irrational fear and mistrust.

Indirectly, yes. But my point being that the people who carried out this attack have been indoctrinated by Taliban leaders whose political views are based on their own extreme and twisted version of Islam, rather than either of the mainstream Islamic sects. So to claim that it was done 'in the name of Islam' is misguiding. It would be more accurate to say it was carried out in the name of the Taliban, and it is important to make that distinction IMO.

Not really, it doesn't actually state that in the article. It is part of the doctrine of the the Taliban to oppress women and prevent them from getting an education, and it is a very radical and twisted version of Islam on which their doctrine is based, but to claim this individual action was done in the name of Islam is a little misleading. I'm not normally one to speak out for and defend religions, because it is my personal belief that they are all based on delusions, but your opening post appears to be criticising an entire religion for the misguided actions of a tiny minority.

It's just their way of life in that region of the world, and has been for centuries, regardless of the religious aspect. The brutal oppression of women is not exclusive to Islam.

Yeah but she's only still a celebrity in the minds of a handful of magazine editors, so she doesn't really count.

You must be devastated