DZJ

Can't the SAS deflect warheads just by looking at them? They're harder than that, they catch them in mid-air between their muscular buttocks.

I've got a mental image of terrorists wrapping themselves in tin foil to defeat this weapon.

If the reporting is accurate, then good stuff.

Tea time is a tradition. Royalty is silly. Sorry, that's just my opinion. If you want to honor someone for their blood line, have at it. No more silly than making common actors into Royalty. Or treating some slapper who banged an old man till he croaked then pretended to be Marilyn Monroe until she OD'ed like a goddess. Have they finished fighting over her corpse over there yet? At least actors did something for their noteriety other than being born. Royality is silly and outdated. Accept it and move on. Or kiss my "royal" ass. If royalty is so obviously 'silly and outdated', why hasn't it been abolished yet? Or could it be that there are actually good reasons for their persistence? The monarchy was abolished in 1649, but restored in 1660. Yep, because the resulting republic turned out to be a military dictatorship. Under monarchy the British Isles (later the UK) turned out to be the most stable country in Europe. What does that have to do with Britain? (and surely that list is simply more proof that British monarchy is significantly better than a lot of others)

Tea time is a tradition. Royalty is silly. Sorry, that's just my opinion. If you want to honor someone for their blood line, have at it. No more silly than making common actors into Royalty. Or treating some slapper who banged an old man till he croaked then pretended to be Marilyn Monroe until she OD'ed like a goddess. Have they finished fighting over her corpse over there yet? At least actors did something for their noteriety other than being born. Royality is silly and outdated. Accept it and move on. Or kiss my "royal" ass. If royalty is so obviously 'silly and outdated', why hasn't it been abolished yet? Or could it be that there are actually good reasons for their persistence?

The gap between science fiction and scientific fact gets ever narrower.

I know one of the guys that appeared on the British version of that show.

Apparently that thing would make squid rings the size of tractor tyres - sheesh!

What happened and what did you land on? (Send me a PM if you prefer)

Very limited experience here, but I'd say a Fury 220. Maybe it was an old and ragged-out example, or my technique was lacking but it seemed that no matter how I flared it it would either bring me pounding in vertically or screaming in horizontally. The Balance 260 and PD210 I jumped before and after it seemed easy-peasy by comparison, and the Spectre 190 and Sabre 2 170 simply orgasmic.

It would be silly if the system didn't work, but it does, and more than satisfactorily. Do you think the monarchy would persist if it was without any advantage? For me it's a clear case of 'it ain't broke, so don't fix it'. [EDIT - Getting back on topic: Good on Prince Harry, and good luck to him and all his comrades]

I never thought we'd see an argument about Greek myth in Speakers' Corner.

You'll have to forgive us for having traditions.

Marvellous, thank you.

..and no, I don't mean a website that paraglides, more one about paragliding. Something equivalent to DZ.com would be good.

What is your definition of extreme?

Personally I think you've overstated the case. A lot of rules in this sport are the result of years of practical experience and often (sadly) large numbers of injuries and/or fatalities. Of course you shouldn't blindly agree with what you hear from others, but at the same time it's probably worth recognising that conventional wisdom (for example, not exceeding 1:1 on a first canopy, or freeflying with exposed bridle) is usually sound.

I can see an argument for a limited degree of regulation being worthwhile, but I'm not sure how it would be enforced.

Personally, I hate the label 'extreme sport'. It strikes me as a meaningless marketing ploy to sell clothes and shoes and certain foods/drinks. I also seems to be used by people who, for whatever reason, wish to mark themselves out as cooler than the next person. Yes, skydiving is a small minority activity, and yes, skydiving is dangerous. But I still think the 'extreme' tag isn't a very useful one. I for one don't consider myself an 'extreme sportsman'. I'm just a guy that likes to jump out of planes.

I'd like to see a source for those assertions. (Also, isn't that from the same place as that bullshit list of 'Iraq War myths' you posted some time ago?)

I don't know about anyone else, but I find it quite heartening that the most recent example you could find was more than ten years ago.

I imagine that 'if truly pushed' public support would collapse long before US/UK armed forces started getting into high gear.

Please explain what is wrong with the poll options, relative to the original news story. What I expect, is for people to answer honestly. So apparently there are either a lot of dishonest people, or else there are a lot of bigots. A poll on an internet forum, being as inconsequential and anonymous as it is, on a topic as sensational as Muslim extremism is hardly going to attract serious responses. You could just as well have asked 'Are you a Muslim extremist? Yes/No' and got plenty of positive responses.

I'm very pleased to see Kate Hoey take that position, and hope the Home Secretary acts on the recommendation. It's doubly satisfying to see her specifically addressing this as I happened to vote for her in 2005. A shame again, however, to see another selective quotation from you, John. Read in full, the letter points out that "Like me you will remember vividly the horror we all felt back in 1996 when 16 children and a teacher were shot dead at a school in Dunblane by a deranged man with a gun. Politicians reacted in haste to the call for 'something to be done'" which rather undermines your oft-heard claim that the 1997 handgun ban was implemented to address the general problem of firearm-related crime.

What exactly did you expect, with poll options like that?