Walsingham

I don't see much difference between being taught sex ed, and the stuff I got growing up in Africa about not bothering snakes and lions. *laughs* Having said that I've met some damn hippies who try to tell their kids not to treat animals as dangerous because we're all children of the Earth and so on. LOL

Breaking news: I just bit my own finger while eating toast. Man, I have strong teeth. And really painful fingers. Now.

It's to prevent a recession, not help you. True, but wouldn't it make more sense to give out some sort of voucher that works for the most recession hit industries? Rather than oil?

The taxis aren't cheap. I guess I should have clarified that I walk almost everywhere. The taxis are for journeys above 5 miles.

Apparently the shape of a kukri makes a massive differences to the way it cuts. The Greeks and Spartans also used a similar shape. Even inexpertly it can damn near cut a chap in two. I had a great quote on the subject from a manual on jungle warfare, but I've lost the bloody thing. The relevance of this to cooking is that I very much enjoy cooking big feasts for friends, and doubly so over summer. I was thinking about gettinga big cleaver so I can do pig roasts and vension. Then I read the aforementioned quote.

The bits have arrived. Any final advice? Otherwise I'm going to open this sucker up and hammer in the parts with a flyswat.

Overtime and weird shifts rule. I used to enjoy working them. Now I get paid fixed salary. No more fun... Speaking of which we worked out that while doing our Army stufff we earn

That was true twenty years ago, but missile defence and countermeasures have vastly improved. Missiles are great, but they are dumb, and they are flimsy.

Call me cynical old conspiracy tehorist, but doesn't this just siphon cash into the hands of profiteering companies? Shouldn't the gas companies take a hit? I mean they've been making record profits for years...

God no, half the populace would die of heart attacks! Sod dropping Playboys. the last thing a misogynist needs is porn. Drop The Handmaid's Tale

A REBATE?

I don't drive, don't own a car. A long while back I worked out I could travel first class on public transport, and get cabs and it would be cheaper. Even more so now. And of course I get to read/work/fart contentedly while doing it.

I'm with DR on this. You can't spoof, deflect, or avoid a 16" armour piercing shell. Missiles are funky, but give me an old battlewagon as part of the taskforce. It's about covering all the bases. I haven't seen the Gerald Ford class, but will make a note to look them up next chance I get. Sand: you MIGHT be able to make something that could be launched underwater and fly, but like with STOVL aircraft the result would be sub-optimal compared with vanilla planes and carriers. On the other hand carriers are massive missile magnets, so putting them underwater could be cool.

Couple of interesting bits and pieces for you: Our new carriers Our new air defence destroyers

Do you think I could justify this as a cooking implement?

I was extremely lucky in that we had many lectures on advanced stuff at my boarding school. Rape was one of them, where we were exposed (most importantly) to victims of rape. I'm sure (statisticaly) that at least some of the boys probably went on to commit the crime. But it left a lasting impression on me, I can tell you. Rape doesn't just violate teh body, it violates the entire emotional life of the person forever. It's like cutting off their face or something. Not clever, gentlemen.

I am reminded of that classic line in PST in Fallen From Grace's library: What right had we to let him live?

Just as my thrupenny worth of opinion, as a heartless employer I want a workforce who are not sick with STDs and falling over with unwanted pregnancies. I have no problem with preaching abstinence, but kids and society deserve the full range of options.

I think it's really as much a feature of ANY organisation that has no outside oversight. They attract and (more importantly) can't get rid of deviants.

Kettleblack is a fine game for a sunny afternoon, but speaking purely personally I regard it as nothing more than a game. Yes my country is frequently immoral or at least amoral, but I happen to believe that we can and in fact SHOULD feel better than regimes/countries where brutality and corruption ARE the rule of law rather than against the rule of law.

Don't knock yourself, mate. We were discussing this the other night on training. Spending the money wisely is more than half the battle. If you do your job right you make a real difference on the front line.

I cannot tell a lie. My appetite came back when the pork ribs were done. But that's still awful. I've known several women who've been assaulted in this way, and the scars NEVER heal. The only sure cure is awareness, gentlemen. A lot of those crimes are committed by men who don't realise they're doing it, or don't want to see. If you are interested there's an American lady journalist who writes true crime books, and she's done a lot on this subject. Her name is Edna Buchanan, and you should definitely check your local library for her books. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edna_Buchanan

My dear boy. Sneer all you want at how things went after he's gone. We can and do debate it at great length. But tell me for one millisecond that he and his line are not best off gone. I am toasting the fact that I no-longer have to breathe the same air, in a partisan unintellectual feast of home cooked barbecue pork and good English cider. Any problems may be addressed to the Rifle Regiment.

It wasn't a disagreeable situation like that, but I had to do pretty much the same thing when I was in grade school when my dad got MS. Not fun for anyone...but it certainly doesn't sound fair to put you in that situation with someone you barely know. Glad you have a friends you can hide at out for relief. Hiding out at friends houses is one of the best bits of being a teenager. EDIT: I once made my girlfriend so angry that I went to London in the night and hid there for 18 hours. I came back just in time to avoid being dumped and my stuff set on fire. Happy days.

Good grief. I had no idea the percentage was so high of rapes comitted by people the women already knew. That's just awful. Well, I mean not that it would be better if ... you know what I mean. I've quite lost my appetite now.