oisin og

Link please?

Player welfare is the only issue here. It does seem extraordinary however that no one seemed to understand that a pitch that is playable at 7.15 pm, whilst the air temperature is approx -9 degrees Centigrade, will rapidly become unplayable as the night progresses. Heads should roll. It is not as if the privailing weather/temperature came as any sort of surprise. Everyone knew how cold it was going to get.

The question that was being asked was "How did you know that they were ******?" Your answer seems to suggest that anyone who would put lurchers to hares or drive a white van or behave in a manner which you find objectionable must be, by definition, ******. The question was a fair one. Your answer is nonsensical and simply underscores your prejudices.

Firstly, can I thank all those who gave support and/or constructive advice. As regards the other posters, I really have no comment which the site rules would allow me to post. Developments are as follows; The mate saw the FEO two days after he had surrendered his guns. The FEO informed him of the precise location where he had allegedly been unlawfully shooting. The mate reiterated that he had not been shooting there at the time in question nor at any other time. The FEO refused to give him any further information but said that the matter would be investigated. He indicated that he would be in contact with him in a week. A week later the FEO had still not contacted him. The mate phoned the local cop shop every day for the next eight days but could not make contact with the FEO who, he was informed, was on holiday. He was then contacted by the FEO who stated that the matter had now been concluded and he could collect his guns. When he went to collect his guns the FEO refused to give him any information. The mate asked what had changed the situation between the guns being surrendered and the phone call instructing him to get his guns. The FEO said he was not prepared to discuss the matter. The FEO was pressed for further information or an explanation, but none was forthcoming and he was adamant that he would be making no further comment. The mate took his guns and is left with a very, very bad taste in his mouth.

Poontang, I think you are being deliberately obtuse. The case collapsed because of the inability of the Prosecution to produce to the Defence documents which were relevant to the case being made, and which the Court considered were probative. These documents were held in files which were in the custody of the South Wales police. The files disappeared. The Defence sought from the Judge a direction that the the Defendants be acquitted because of the inability of the Prosecution to produce relevant and probative documents and the trial judge acceded to that application. He could do little else. The issue was not that the missing files contained evidence which pointed conclusively to the guilt or innocence of the accused. The issue was that the files were relevant and could not be produced by the Prosecution. Therefore the prosecutorial authorities failed in their legal obligation to provide to the Defence documentation which was condidered relevant. The case stinks. Those who doubt the bone fides of members of the South Wales police might well consider that the files were "disappeared" at the crucial time by members of that force. Furthermore, they were "found" again, after the collapse of the trial. and at a time which would cause maximum embarrassment to the CPS. What message does this send from the Police? Don't mess with us!!

It is trite to say go "private". There are very many people who, through no fault of their own, simply cannot afford private medical care. British people should be rightly proud of the NHS. Is it not wonderful that every citizen can avail of medical treatment free at the point of delivery? The system is not without its faults; it is over bureaucratised and there are undoubtedly those who abuse it. Reform, possibly very extensive reform, is certainly required, and I am not qualified to say how. But the underlying concept is priceless. Those advocates of private medicine should look across the pond and explain to us how the US system is so superior.

I'm not sure that low IQ has much to do with it. Excess alcohol can lead even "clever" people into stupid and/or violent actions.

It is my understanding that the trial judge directed an acquital because the "missing" evidence could not be provided to the Defence. The trial collapsed not because of the centrality or importance of the "missing" evidence but because the Defence persuaded the Court that disclosure of evidence was incomplete and the Prosecution could not be relied upon to disclose to the Defence all relevant documentation. It might be argued that if there were malign persons in the Police Service who wished to bring about the collapse of the trial, then they only had to remove/destroy/hide relevant evidence, irrespective of whether it supported the case being made by the Prosecution or the Defence. Once the disclosure process had been undermined the trial judge had little option but to end the trial.

Near where I live there is a hedge which is largely made up of ivy. At this time of year pigeons come regularly to feed. Whilst there are never the sort of numbers your talk of it is one of those places where you KNOW thay you will find a few birds. When things are quiet everywhere else you can be certain to get some sport there. Many a time I have had recourse to it when there was nothing else doing.

I believe that there should be a serious public debate about this issue and, I further believe that currently unlawful drugs should be "legalised". However, unlike other posters I arrive at this conclusion from an anti corruption/law enforcement perspective. The value of the illicit drug market is extremely difficult to estimate. The few serious attempts which have been made have resulted in widely varying figures. A United Nations publication of 1998, "Economic and Social Consequences of Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking," states that: "With estimates of $100 billion to $110 billion for heroin, $110 billion to $130 billion for cocaine, $75 billion for cannabis and $60 billion for synthetic drugs, the probable global figure for the total illicit drug industry would be approximately $360 billion. Given the conservative bias in some of the estimates for individual substances, a turnover of around $400 billion per annum is considered realistic." The majority of this money is paid out in the developed world and, if anything, this figure has increased in the last decade. With this sort of money available the capacity of the illegal drug industry to corrupt is virtually infinite. It corrupts all that it touches; individual users, politicians, law enforcement personnel, customs officers, judges, legislators,local communities ect. etc. It has an inexhaustable supply of persons willing to risk long periods of imprisonment because the rewards it offers are so enormous. For so long as this continues to be the case society is fighting a losing battle. The addicts and users are victims. The manufacturers, importers, distributors etc. are criminal thugs, even those who are reputedly upstanding members of society but secretly fund the illicit drugs industry. We need to try something different.

Utter garbage.

I would never underestimate what the British are capable of.

This whole question of dependancy is becoming a real issue. It appears to be the norm now that ordinary citizens expect the State (or its organs) to provide for all of their needs in every emergency. The notion that there might be an expectation that individuals assume responsibility for their own well being is so "yesterday". I'm not referring to a real emergency where life and limb are in jeopardy, when the State clearly has a role. Rather I'm referring to a blip such as a power cut for a day or so. If individuals are in good health I do not see any problem with them being expected to have made some preparations in order to survive a couple of days discomfort. If they have not made such preparations it is unrealistic to presume that the State will provide and, frankly, I do not accept that it is a function of the State to so provide.

I despair when I read the majority of posts on this thread. What precisely is the impetus that drives American Marines to **** on the bodies of dead Taliban fighters? This appears to have been done at leisure, in the bright sunshine and was a considered act of desecretion. Is it any different from Afghanis mutiliting and/or dragging the bodies of dead American servicemen behind vehicles? Is it any less worthy of condemnation? A significant number of posters appear to suggest that the actions of the Marines were acceptable but the filming of the event was wrong or stupid or ill considered. Is it being suggested that actions such as these, and others like them, are acceptable as long as one is not caught? Is that why Western forces are in Afghanistan? Ultimately an accommodation will have to be reached with the Taliban. Such an eventuality will not be popular on this forum but it will happen. Crass and unworthy acts such as those depicted in the offending photograph will not make this any easier and will simply prolong the conflict.

Mate got a phone call yesterday from his local FEO. He stated that a complaint had been received that morning that he, the mate, had been shooting, that morning, on land for which he had no permission. The Officer directed that his guns be brought to the police station that day and made it clear that if the mate was not prepared to bring them, then a car would be sent out to collect them. The mate brought the guns to the cop shop within the hour and met the FEO. The Officer emphatically refused to identify the person who had made the complaint and would only indicate in the most general way the vicinity in which the alleged shooting took place. There are a number of land owners in this area and it is not possible to identify the land owner concerned. The mate adamantly denied that he had been shooting in the area identified but, notwithstanding this, all his guns were taken from him; 1 x 12g o/u, 1 x 12g s/s, 1 x .22 LR and 1 x air rifle. Although he had not been directed to bring with him any ammo he held, he was chided for not having done so and instructed to do so the following day. The FEO would give him no further information and simply stated that the complaint would be investigated. He would give no assurance about the length of time this would take and when it was pointed out to him that there was only three weeks left in the season the Officer was unmoved. He said that the mate could phone him in a weeks time. The mate has had his licence for about twenty five years and nothing like this has ever happened before. Any advice?

Why am I not surprised at this reaction!

Was that the programme in which they mistakenly referred to Loch Lomond as "the largest inland body of water in the UK"?

The string of five asterisks in my previous post was what appeared when I attempted to use a particular work which began with the letter "P" and ended with "K" and rhymed with the word "stick". It is a type of pig. Must be the obscenity filter!!

Good man yourself. Anyone who has an acre or so should think of keeping a few pigs. The breed is a matter of choice and availability. The lop eared types are considered more docile than the ***** eared varieties. Don't be lulled into a false sense of security however, they all need good, well maintained fencing. If you are buying in weaners they should be about eight weeks old and, preferably, they should be trained to electric fencing. If they are not used to it they may take a short while to get used to it and that can be fun. If you are keeping them purely for meat you should consider buying cross breeds. They are usually cheaper and as long they are from out-door raised stock there will be no problem. Personally, I would recommend that you should get gilts (females) on your first attempt. For out-door traditional type pigs you should plan to keep them about six months. I find they get to killing weight at aroung eight months old. Slaughter and butchery issues you should think about well in advance of when they will be necessary. If you are thinking about home slaughter be aware of the law. Good luck.

What utter tosh! The Frozen Planet series positively trades on the absolute authenticity of their filming. So much so that, unlike any other wildlife programme of which I am aware, they conclude each programme with a lengthy "how it was done" sequence which recounts the skill and endeavour required to capture the footage. Often the most absorbing part of the show. For me the use of the polar bear footage did not detract from the brilliance of the programme. Likewise no attempt is being made to undermine the deserved reputation of David Attenborough or belittle his achievements. Most people are aware that wildlife photography sometimes uses "staged" or "manufactured" sequences. But to weave footage shot in a zoo into a sequence shot in the Artic without comment is at worst, deceitful or at best, ill judged. Some attempt should have been made by the production team to bring this to the attention of the viewer and the failure to do so is worthy of adverse comment.

The Frozen Planet series is superb and lives up to the extraordinary reputation of BBC wildlife broadcasting. I do think, however, that the programme mislaid viewers when they did not make it clear that the polar bear sequence was not filmed in the wild. The inclusion of the shots does not take from the programme at all, but the absence of candour is what irks. My view for what it is worth!

Dr. Scholl I see isolationism is alive and well in the US of A. Easy, is it not, when you have not had the experience of having a modern war fought on your home territory. It has been said that the Tory attitude to the EU has been characterised by an impulse to wave distainfully as the Euro train leaves the station and then to scramble frantically to get aboard the last wagon. So it may prove in this instance also. Europe needs the UK as much as the UK needs Europe. Infuriating as our mainland European cousins can be it is not in the interests of the UK to be outside a formal euro alliance. Cameron's determination to go to extraordinary lenghts to protect his friends in the City is at odds with Tory willingness to roll-over on other issues which affect ordinary people. There can be no doubt that other European states very much want the UK to remain as an active members of the EU; Germany and Ireland in particular. I hope and expect wiser counsel will prevail between now and next March, which is the earliest that any new treaty can be put in place.

Excellent vid FB. Very many thanks. Looking forward to the next installment.

Most Lighr Sussex in this neck of the woods appear to be from Show strains. The look wonderful but are not paricularly good layers. It is now very difficult to get a good Utility strain in these old breeds. I had RIR's some time ago and they suffered from the same problem. If it is just the eggs your want it is very hard to beat the modern hybrids bred exclusively for laying; ISSA's, Black Rock etc. Unfortunately when they come to the end of their productive lives (which are quite short) you can't breed effective replacements and you must buy new ones. It is this aspect of the modern layers I so dislike, so I stick with the old breeds even though they are not so good. At least you can breed your own replacements.

Very sad story. Sometimes people making the transition from military life to civilian life find it extremely hard to make the adjustment. Whilst I am always extremely loathe to blame social services perhaps their plight should have been picked up earlier and acted upon. I do think that individuals are sometimes overwhelmed by their circumstances and do not act rationally. It is very easy to criticise!!!