Halo Stickman

Really pleased you had such a great day!

That struck me as an interesting question hutch, so I’ve spent a few minutes searching for the answer. The nearest I’ve got so far is the link below, albeit for Northern Ireland – it would be interesting if someone could find the figures for the rest of the UK. Obviously, there are various categories of manslaughter but I’ve flagged up the one I think is most relevant to the Pistorius case. http://www.jsbni.com/Publications/sentencing-guidelines/Documents/Hart%20J%20Sentencing%20Manslaughter%20Att%20Murder.pdf

Agree Wes, those photos on the wall are excellent psychology – whoever is responsible take a bow.

An interesting passage from The Believing Brain by Michael Shermer (a well known Skeptic, ref link below) * Personally, I would be happy to add “or mental illness” here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Shermer

“Joe Allen and Coutinho coming on gave us that real technical lift in the game” – Brendan Rodgers

I had exactly the same response from Mrs Stickman when I told her it wasn’t everyday you get the chance to photograph tigers in your local back-street.

Shows was a great performance that was when Tadic can equal the Premier League record for assists, as well as score a goal himself, yet not be the only contender for Saints’ MOTM! http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/southampton-8-sunderland-0-dusan-tadic-equals-premier-league-assist-record-as-saints-decimate-black-cats-9803884.html

Have I died and gone to heaven?

Jeff, the problem can often be that the more reasonable you are to some people, the more they walk all over you. I certainly found this to be the case several years ago when I had a long running battle with a neighbour over his leylandii hedge; back then there was virtually nothing I could legally do to prevent him growing it as high as he ‘damn well chose’. This dispute seriously blighted the time we spent living in that house, and played a part in our decision to move to another place. ‘But that’s just letting the other bastard win!’ I hear people shout – well, to a large extent I agree; but if you’re not careful, disputes like these can escalate and cause a lot of unhappiness, not to mention frustration, irrational behaviour, wasted time and, if lawyers become involved, money. OldNick also makes a good point, above, about having to declare these types of dispute to future buyers (although I think that may only be the case if legal letters have been exchanged). Anyway, good luck, I hope you get it resolved soon.

Pap's mental ma lady

Great news!

I was a young man living on the Isle of Wight at the time of the Falklands’ conflict and my local pub overlooked the Solent. I still remember the evening that the landlord announced the MV Norland – a requisitioned car-ferry carrying British troops to the South Atlantic – was passing by. Every man and woman, young and old, went outside to cheer, clap, shout and wave. Only when the ship had disappeared into the far distance did we return to our seats. For a brief period everyone was quiet, as all of us, especially those with family and friends serving in the forces, contemplated the days ahead. I remember my overriding emotion at the time was envy. How I envied those blokes destined for glory, fighting for their country on the other side of the globe, and when I watched them return to Southampton through a sea of Union flags; streamers; a flotilla of little boats decked out in red, white and blue; military bands playing Land of Hope and Glory; and civilian girls wearing Rule Britannia tee-shirts getting their t its out for the lads, my envy knew no bounds. Thirty-two years on, books have been written and films produced (although in many respects, surprising few of the latter). The moment that will stay with me from the re-enactment film linked in the OP is the one when the sailor describes the screams of his shipmates as they burnt to death in the computer room. For anyone like me who wasn’t there it’s impossible to fully understand what effect witnessing that kind of horror must have on an individual. Anyone remember the re-enactment film Tumbledown? When asked what it was like to kill a man, the young Scots’ Guard replied: “They take so long to die.” – about 50 stabs with a broken bayonet as I recall, and all the while the teenage Argentine conscript pleading in the few English words he knew: “please”, “no”, before finally reverting to his mother tongue and crying out for his “mama”. Again, it’s impossible for people like me to fully understand what effect witnessing something like that has on an individual. When does the war end for those that have experienced these kind of horrors? When the adrenaline stops flowing, when their comrades are no longer at their side, when the military band marches on to a new conflict, when their political masters get rich making after-dinner speeches, when arm-chair pundits start questioning the value of what they achieved, when doing what once earned them a medal now earns them a prison sentence, when dead colleagues scream out to them at night; or when they glimpse the terrified gaze of an enemy combatant in the eyes of their own child? I’ve heard veterans say, at times like these, their battle rages with a terrible intensity. How many have succumbed to suicide in the past 32 years? And how about the loved ones of those that never return; when does the war end for them? “They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old” runs a line from Binyon’s famous epitaph. Yes, those that return from conflicts, and those like me that never experience conflicts, are left to grow old; and sometimes the process of growing old changes us; it did me – I still have, and always will have, the utmost respect for the Falklands’ veterans … but I stopped envying them long ago.

Yet the Board of Inquiry into the loss of the HMS Coventry absolved the crew from blame … still, I suppose that wouldn’t be the first time a board of inquiry verdict was at odds with the general consensus in the fleet.

Again very interesting stuff VTTF – much appreciated. The film showed Hart making some of these points to Woodward over the secure phone, before saying to camera that he thought Coventry was regarded by those in charge as a sacrificial pawn. I’m intrigued as to why your instructor at Dryad was scathing of Coventry – it seemed to me they were acting under orders as regards to their position. Or was he scathing about their manoeuvre that rendered Broadsword’s weaponry redundant? Or the decision not to accept assistance from the harriers?

Thanks for that badgerx16. That seems to me – admittedly speaking as a layman – like a perfectly valid reason, albeit, very sadly, one with regrettable consequences. I imagine it must be extremely difficult to make these split-second decisions in the heat of battle, let alone make the right call each time.

Some of my most memorable moments – sailing at sunrise through the beautiful archipelago of islands into Stockholm, peering through the eerie mists at the hulks of the former Soviet fleet in St Petersburg, watching flying fish skimming the bow waves in the Caribbean, or marvelling at the Aurora borealis in Norwegian skies – have all occurred whilst I’ve been standing on the deck of a cruise ship, and all at the cheap end of the market. There really are some very reasonable deals on offer these days, especially if you are able to be flexible with your departures dates etc

Over 450 cruise calls to Southampton in 2013, apparently. http://www.discoversouthampton.co.uk/visit/cruise

Interesting stuff VFTT. Any idea why Coventry and Broadsword turned down assistance from the harriers?

That is one big ship – well over four times the tonnage of Titanic! Good point. It would be interesting to see figures of how much money cruise passengers actually spend in the city.

Interesting article in the National Geographic about the search for a vaccine http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/10/141014-ebola-vaccine-treatment-history-health-medicine/

Education that sometimes involves dispelling traditional beliefs, for example: The above is an excerpt from an article linked below: http://www.okayafrica.com/news/ebola-crisis-sierra-leone-lockdown/#slide1

Batman, a friend of mine was on the Coventry when it was hit; fortunately he was one of the survivors, but he never talks about what happened. I hadn’t seen that film until tonight; it certainly gives me a better insight into what he and the rest of the crew went through; thanks for posting.

Only 22 percent according to this 2013 survey. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22555659

Assuming every player does a different match, it will be interesting to see which one out of Holmes, Rodrigues and Channon does the ’76 Cup Final, and which matches the other two do.

Agree. These international breaks have become a total bore-fest imo.