CHAPEL END CHARLIE

Oh the US has its share of defence procurement problems I'd say - the KC-X tanker fiasco and the VH-71 helicopter programme (which bares close comparison to the Nimrod MRA4 folly) being just the latest examples . To the outsider it does seem this subject is more of a party political/special interest football in the US than it is in the UK , with the losing bidder for any DOD contract always ready to take to the courts and enrich your vast army of lawyers .

There's a new regional footy show starting in the new year 'Late Kick Off' , which hopefully should provide better coverage of SFC than we're recieving now . http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2009/12_december/10/league.shtml

Of a similar vintage to 'The Last Starfighter' (but rather better methinks) I revisited that 80's Si Fi classic 'Enemy Mine' the other day - a tad sentimental perhaps but still pretty watchable I thought .

If we're talking about recent/current programs then I'd say 'Dexter' is the finest series to emerge from the USA for some time - if you like to walk on the dark side anyway . A longer term view may well conclude the 'Star Trek' in all it's many manifestations has been both the longest lasting and quite probably the most influential TV series ever produced . Gene Roddenberry = Genius .

With apologies to William : “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers . For he today that drags his sorry carcass down to St Marys with me shall be my brother ; be never so vile . This day shall gentle his condition . And Saints fans at home now sat in front of a television set shall think themselves accursed they were not here , and hold their manhood's cheap whiles any speaks that fought with us upon Saint Liebherr's day.”

Agreed , a interesting but flawed film . 'Gangs of New York's lead Danial Day Lewis on the other hand is without flaw and surely among the very best actors of his generation - or any other generation for that matter . I had the privilege to view 'There Will Be Blood' recently and I can only say his brilliant performance was the work of a actor at the very top of his profession . You may not appreciate the violent ending but don't miss this incredible movie anyway - you won't be disappointed .

I know - let's volunteer to accept relegation from whichever division we're in at the end of every season and then before very long we might end up winning 42 games a season in the Blue Square South . (assuming we can overcome mighty Weston-Super-Mare that is) Let joy be unconfined

Grizzly Bear mothers are notoriously inattentive , I wouldn't be at all surprised if baby bear wasn't even missed until called for his/her tea , by which time junior might well be reduced to shark sh1t . I'm sure we can all agree you can get much lower than that .

You'll have to be more specific , fresh water favors the Grizzly I'd say as the Shark would surly be at a disadvantage while in salt water the Shark must have the edge . But if the Shark is a fully mature 20ft long adult and the bear is just a 2 week old cub then all bets are off - even in estuarial waters .

You're quite right , on second thoughts my ill advised attempt to come on here and compare different cars from different era's competing in differing competitions was an entirely pointless exercise and indeed a stupid waste of time . My apologies .

It was James Maybrick I tells ya .

I was wondering if a 2009 Brawn Formula 1 car driven by Jenson Button would beat Hannu Mikkola's 1983 Audi Quattro rally car in a race around the M25 on a wet Tuesday afternoon , nonsensical comparisons being just one of my many hobbies .

Our 7 game drawn run was specifically noted as being in the 'top flight' - do any of the other contenders fall into that definition ?

The Saints should never lose at any stadium where the roof is still supported on pillars , this is my new rule of thumb .

What do you lot make of this ASBO story ? http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Asbo-man-39breaks-law39-by.5887681.jp I'm in two minds on this , a grown man (allegedly) trying to intimidate a child is contemptible but what price basic human rights ?

Agreed , pretty embarrassing but let's face it we just don't do humility . Better let the team's performances do the talking I say .

Bernie Ecclestone is such a ruthless money grabbing little so and so I had feared he'd use Donnington's problems as an excuse to cancel the British GP and hold a extra (and very lucrative race) in the middle/far east - the news we've apparently been spared that fate is good news for Silverstone , the UK , and motorsport in general . I still prefer Spa Francorchamps though from the spectator's point of view anyway .

I started this thread with a complaint against wasteful MOD overspending but it's equally true the results of underspending can be even more disastrous . Had the RN's Type 42 Destroyers been equipped with modern radars and Phalanx CIWS systems before the Falklands war instead of after it then HMS Coventry might well have been saved and possibly the Sheffield as well . Good ships and fine men were lost because of that little exercise in penny pinching , and I'm sorry to say exactly the same mistakes are being repeated today .

This seems a rather serious limitation in stealth technology , and difficult to solve I'd imagine . :-k

It always pays to invest in quality , if you want something that will last any decent typical Japanese designed Nissan/Honda/Toyota ... etc are unlikly to let you down and a much better bet than a chronically unreliable Renault Laguna or some rubbish Vauxhall . Another route is to do what I have and get yourself a old Volvo 850 or V70 wagon - 7 seat versatility and 150,000 miles counts as nicely run in .

This guy reckons it's a great idea . What a cruel mistress Mother Nature is , you would have thought if she was going to turn your hair grey she'd have the common decency to do your eyebrows at the same time .

I understand the aircraft in question (the F117) has been withdrawn from service now but as the US still persists with expensive stealth technology (B2/F22/JSF & even ships) I can only conclude it must work to some extent . The story of the original F117 being susceptible to Radar detection may well be true as one of these aircraft was definitely downed by a relatively unsophisticated Russian made SAM system during the 1990's Yugoslavian conflict . Going back to the RAF's remarkable 'Black Buck' Vulcan attack on Port Stanley airfield during the Falklands War , I understand at the time these were the longest range air attacks ever undertaken - although during the Iraq war he record was broken when USAF bombers launched sorties from their mainland USA bases - flew half way round the world and back again to bomb Saddam !

Not only a great film but perhaps the greatest pure Science Fiction work ever committed to celluloid in my opinion , with talents of the magnitude of Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C Clarke behind it it could hardly fail with hindsight . Based on a original screenplay inspired by a AC Clarke short story called 'The Sentinel' (much of the script is Kubrick's work in truth) the story's intelligence and breath of vision is truly remarkable almost unique in fact . What I particularly enjoy about this film is that it never talks down to you , the effects of zero gravity for instance are not just ignored as it is in countless inferior movies and major elements of the script aren't even fully explained to the viewer - you have to use your imagination or at least read the book . I strongly recommend anybody who enjoys this to find a copy of it's criminally underrated sequel '2010' - a fine film in its own right . Thinking back on it now images flood my memory , the unknowable Monolith , HAL 9000 , that incredible ending - what a magnificent piece of work this truly is .

Rational thought is not a quality often associated with your typical 'social justice' enthusiast . I must confess however that I did once see the appeal of vigilantism myself - but then I had to grow up and put childish things behind me .

I agree wholeheartedly with this , Arizona's suggestion of employing ex airline (or even new) Airbus A330/A340's seems suitable and would have almost certainly worked out to be much cheaper for the nation in both the short and long term. The heart of the matter is that many in the defence establishment still cling to the mindset that we are still a major military/industrial power in the world and as a result we should normally develop our own 'bespoke' weapon systems at every feasible opportunity . This is all well and good if the projects we initiate provided the services with world class equipment at a reasonable cost and our industry with an exportable product , but to be frank that happy outcome seems to be the exception to the rule rather than the norm especial in complex air and naval systems . Some examples : Type 45 Destroyer/PAAMS - A vital programme to provide the RN with new air defence ships and their associated missile/Radar systems . A combat proven US destroyer design is readily available (the DDG51 'Burke' Class) but instead of adopting this simple solution as the Japanese and Spanish navy's have done we went ahead (with France and Italian assistance) with our own design - resulting in a late , expensive ship with an (as yet) nonoperational missile system that we can only afford to buy 6 of instead of the planned 12 . Lets hope the Argies don't try to re invade the Falklands . Nimrod AEW - The sorry saga of a 1980's requirement to equip the RAF with new surveillance aircraft . A perfectly good US aircraft (the Boeing E3 AWACS) could have been procured 'off the shelf' but instead in order to support UK industry we tried to graft a unproven Marconi radar system onto aging Nimrod airframes . Naturally it never worked properly and the vast sums spent (c £1000m IIRC) on developing it were entirely wasted . (humiliatingly we had to go back to Boeing and do what we should have done in the first place and buy AWACS) Enfield SA 80 Rifle - A relatively simple new 5.56mm 'bull pup' rifle design for the army . It took decades to develop this gun and we still ended up with a shoddily made piece of kit than melted in the sun and would frequently jam/fall apart on it's unfortunate user . Any number of efficient NATO 5.56 assault rifle designs could have been procured easily (FN/H&K/M16 ..etc) but that would have been far too simple . Now working well after after the Germans showed us how to build it properly ! Our defence budget is always severely limited , we should spend it on buying the best possible / most cost effective equipment for our long suffering armed forces , that is the very least they deserve . If we really want to prop up failing British industry's and provide nice (corrupt) little earners for retiring civil servants and military chiefs than use the industry budget for that folly - not the defence budget .