nacmacfeegle

Similar story here, from the beeb http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/2860219.stm -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

Har Phree, this is a cunning ploy. By the time they put this crisis resolution to a vote, there won't be enough people left to form an opposition..... -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

Nope sorry guys you are all wrong... I would reach for my laptop, invoke the search facility and find out what the good and wise people of Dropzone .com advised the first time this came up...

Damn Jim, I thought I'd found a kindred spirit in these dark times.....

From the Beeb.... "Some members of the Labour Government are reconsidering their role in Parliament over the issue of a possible war with Iraq. Here is a list of the ones who feel they cannot support the prime minister's position. Sunday Labour MP for Loughborough Andy Reed resigns saying he has no choice but to quit as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett because he feels so strongly about the crisis. Monday 16:17GMT - Leader of the House of Commons Robin Cook resigns after a meeting with Tony Blair at 10 Downing Street. He said: "Neither the international community nor the British public are persuaded that there is an urgent and compelling reason for this action in Iraq." Tuesday 07:00GMT - Lord Hunt of Kings Heath announces his resignation as junior health minister on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, saying: "At the end of the day I don't support this action and it would be hypocritical for me to stay in government." 11:11GMT - Home Office Minister John Denham resigns saying: "I cannot support the government in tonight's vote." 11:39GMT - Bob Blizzard, Labour MP for Waveney, resigns as Parliamentary Private Secretary to work and pensions minister Nick Brown. 11:56GMT - Anne Campbell, Labour MP for Cambridge, resigns from her role as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Patricia Hewitt, secretary of state for trade and industry" -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

I have some great crayon-ing opportunities right here! -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

"NacMac can deal with the tech stuff & I'll concentrate on the "salient points"" Sigh, that figures, I get to miss out on the 'salient points' again, pout, sulk..... -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

"See any difference?" A bit of a misconception there Fallrate, as you correctly point out, he sea locked ice will not change the immediate sea levels noticably, if at all. Its the land locked ice, ie the icecaps over Greenland etc that may add to the volume of the sea, and may increase its immediate levels. But even that isn't considered the most significant effect, which will be caused by changing the way water circulates around the globe. Example El Nino years. The polar ice caps drive the water currents around the globe, these in turn determine weather patterns which, when they change, will cause the most significant effects. And we (well I don't anyways) still don't fully understand the nature or scale of these effects. EG consider the Gulf stream changing direction, cold water is now drawn down from the arctic circle, dramatically changing the weather on the Eastern seaboard of the US, and perhaps even lowering the sea level in the Gulf region, which may cause drought in the Mississippi /Texas/Mexico areas... Like I said earlier, its all pretty much conjecture, but rest assured, climate change will affect us all one way or another, sooner or later. -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

"Here in Houston, a woman had her house vandalized." That is Bullshit indeed, I'm sorry to hear it. -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

Whatever the good folk recommend on the board, buy it in the States. They have much better over the counter drugs than we get! And a errrmmmm...friend told me their under the counter drugs ain't all that bad either. The Sebastian Twin Otter shouldn't give you that many problems...They're not nearly as bad a lightweight 'jobbie', har har .... -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

I like discussing it, I like exchanging opinions on it, I like hearing what people from other countries and cultures have to say about it, but I don't like arguing about it, or mud slinging because of it. And I really detest the hate it has caused. Thats about it. -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

Hah, in the words of the Black Knight.. "Tis but a flesh wound!" Hey Christian, hope you heal well and soon bro. Just think of all those wedding things you can get sorted out now! cya, Nacosaurus -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

"The Englishman looks disgusted, pushes his pint away and demands another... the Scotsman picks out the fly, shrugs, and takes a long swallow." After quaffing the Englishman's pint with glee! NacDave tilts his brimming glass of Guiness in the direction of Texas, the home of his favorite crazy gal and her house of hounds... Slainte. Happy Paddies day Ann. -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

"Where do farts come from? Billions of tiny living bacteria that reside in your large intestine. They eat whatever food is undigested in your small intestine and sometimes that food makes them fart. Their gas builds up inside you and when the pressure is too great, these millions of tiny bacteria farts come out your butt. " MMMM, so what makes the bugs fart? heheh, I can see it now...5k, 'prrrooot'.... "sorry folks not me, its all those bacteria doncha know....." -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

"a Sikorsky S-76 was on the helideck" Snip "have you ever heard of an incident such as this" I'm pretty sure a helideck crew memeber on one the Norwegian rigs got mashed by the main rotors on a 'Spirit' a couple of years back. We don't have 'hazard areas' on our helidecks, but we do have HLOs (helideck landing officer-the guy in charge of the helideck, normally a helideck crew comprises 3 people minimum) who direct people to and from the boarding doors. We load and disembark 'hot' nearly all the time, and I've even seen hot refuelling with a full PAX compliment on board.... Pretty rare nowadays though. -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

"Not much different than a physical bully, just a different means of intimidation. " Visualising gangs on intellectual ruffians lurking in the hangar, "Handover your jump ticket money, or we'll discuss Bernoulli, Newton, and their application in the theories of lift.."

Its been done Alex, some years ago, everyone (in the UK) was wearing 'Skydiving' shirts which mimmicked the Trainspotting logo on the front, and had similar text to yours on the back...... Not to say that a good idea couldn't be revived though, maybe updated to suit this century's jargon and attitudes And its an easy T shirt to get printed up.

"Reading and posting here is in my job description. " Reading and posting here should be avilable on prescription -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

Contrived threads repilied to :1 Skydiving opportunities expected :0 Bottles of wine already quaffed :1

Its not about oil, Its all about baby oil,

Right now I'm doing an "Aggiedave", kickin' back, listening to choonz, and quaffing a nice Semillion Chardonnay. Me and the boy have been watching Freefly vids. Yay. -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

This is just way too straight for this board...... Maybe re-word the question.... What is the oddest sex you had with a plaice? Gawd its been a long week. cya D -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

"(aka Grauniad)" Kallend definitely knows what he is talking about, the Grauniad is legendary for letting spelling errors slip in unnoticed.

A year ago, I was firmly in the "all about the oil " camp. Recently I have had a wee bit of a think about this, and so have some others. It may be an influence, but I no longer think its the main one. See, debate can sway opinion. Okay, anybody who is interested have a look at this. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2847905.stm I'll replicate the text...... The fight over Iraq's oil The threat of war in Iraq has just one reason, say many critics: Western hunger for oil. Daniel Yergin examines whether the claim stands up. Oil figures large in the debate over the current crisis with Iraq. How could it not? Yet, when it comes to oil, there are two decidedly different points of view. According to some, the Iraq crisis has been created as a pretext and cover for an "oil grab" by the United States, Britain and the international oil industry. According to others, Iraq, once liberated from the current regime, will flood the world market with cheap oil, boosting economies and providing a quick fix for concerns about our energy security. Although there is a wide gulf between them, both these points of view have one thing in common - basic misapprehension about the scale of Iraq's oil industry and the timing for new production. A second tier oil producer No question, Iraq is a very big oil country. Its reserves are the second largest in the world - behind only those of Saudi Arabia. But the real picture is different. Iraq represents just 3% of the world's total production capacity. Its oil exports are at about the same level as Nigeria's. In contrast to the 1990-91 Gulf crisis, which was more about energy security, this current crisis is focused on overall security, and it requires several leaps of logic to conclude that the current Iraq crisis is "all about oil". Physically, Iraq could double its current capacity, but that could well take a decade or more, and would still leave it in the second tier of oil nations. No US administration or any British government would launch so momentous a campaign - and take such risks - just to facilitate a handful of oil development contracts and a moderate increase in supply half a decade from now. The 'day after' Saddam Hussein What would be the future of Iraqi oil without a Saddam Hussein? War could damage Iraq's output at the very moment when a new regime would desperately need oil revenues to secure its own stability. Saddam could also torch Iraq's oil facilities in a pyrrhic defeat, although the prospect of post-war tribunals in Iraq might deter some Iraqi commanders from obeying any such orders. And there is the critical question of authority. Who would be making decisions? If there were a temporary military government, it would be preoccupied with establishing firm control over Iraq's weaponry and laying the basis as quickly as possible for a new Iraqi government with broad representation. The country earns the bulk of its living - $15bn (£9.5bn) in 2001 - by exporting oil. For that reason, any temporary military authority would be keen to see the "new" Iraq maximise its oil earnings and would be loath to get much involved in the decision making about the future of the industry. For its part, any new Iraqi government will be intent on getting its arms around its number one economic resource so that it can generate as much revenue for reconstruction and development as quickly as possible. Following Kuwait's example? Iraq is not Afghanistan. It has the means, through oil, to pay for rebuilding the country. But a new government will also have another priority. It will be determined to bolster its sovereignty, legitimacy and nationalist credentials - all of which will be essential requirements for holding the country together. This ensures that when the time comes to sit down with the oil companies, Iraq will be a tough negotiator. There should be no assumption that Iraq will welcome foreign investors on a reasonable timetable. History warns that such is not a foregone conclusion. After the 1991 Gulf War, Kuwait said it would open its oil industry to foreign investment; 11 years later that has yet to happen - because of nationalistic opposition in Kuwait's parliament. The limits of Iraqi oil One of the reasons that the "It's all about oil" discussion gets off on the wrong track is that it makes the assumption, often without realising it, that Iraq would turn over its current 2.8 million barrels per day of production capacity to international companies. But that's a misleading assumption. Why would a new Iraqi government want to split revenues? It does not need the international companies' investment for fields that are already developed, and can simply purchase technology and equipment for existing fields. However, for its undeveloped fields, a post-Saddam government will need capital - lots of it - for exploration and new production. And that is when a new regime is likely to turn to international oil companies. Weighing investment risks Which ones? It will have no shortage of suitors. Companies will be eager to get in line to sign contracts with a country that has 11% of the world's proven reserves. (Saudi Arabia, the highest, has 25%; the North Sea has just 1.7%). But they will be cautious when it comes to spending billions of dollars until they are pretty confident about security and stability. And, for the companies, "stability" applies both to the new regime itself and also to the contracts they sign with it. Companies from several countries - Russia, France, Italy and China, among others - already hold contracts, but because of UN sanctions they are not operational. Companies without contracts, including the British and American ones, will have to assess how much time and trouble they are willing to bear. For the oil companies, the big issue is how to manage the range of risks - from the geological to the fiscal to the political. In response, they often work together in consortia and partnerships, and that's likely to be the way things work out in Iraq. The companies with existing contracts will likely team up with other companies - American, British, European, Canadian, Australian, Japanese - to form new partnerships. Three years to restore output Any new Iraqi regime has to face the stark reality - the deteriorating condition of the Iraqi oil industry. Production capacity has dropped from its peak of 3.5m barrels a day in 1980, before the Iran-Iraq War, to about 2.8m barrels per day and continues to fall. Reservoirs have been damaged by years of mismanagement. The infrastructure - whether wells, pipelines, pumping stations or ports - is in poor shape and environmental considerations are widely ignored. To get back to 3.5m barrels a day could take three years or more, at an estimated cost of at least $7bn. The next hurdle is to increase production above that. Another two million barrels per day would require a major push and would still leave Iraq several rungs below the capacity of the big three producers - Saudi Arabia, the United States and Russia. Making that leap to 5.5m barrels a day would come some time after 2010 - at a cost of upwards of $20bn. Some assume that Iraq could turn into an Opec-buster as its output increases. But its likely growth in output would not give Iraq that kind of clout. It would not have the ability to "flood" the market. Nor would it have the desire. Its intense need for revenues would make it much more interested in selling oil at $20 or $25 a barrel, rather than at a bargain basement rate such as $10. Competing with the Caspian countries World oil demand is growing, driven by countries such as China and India. The competition is shaping up: On one side are Russia and the Caspian countries, primarily Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. Standing on the other side is the Middle East, including Iraq. The race to supply growing world demand has a clear and tangible prize: by 2010 the growth in world oil consumption could mean an additional $100bn or more a year in oil revenues flowing into the treasuries of nation states. After "the day after", Iraq will be better positioned - and highly motivated - to compete for its share. It will be a strong competitor. But it will also be only one of several strong contestants. Daniel Yergin is author of the 1992 Pulitzer prize-winning "The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power" and co-author of "Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy" BBC 4 is currently showing a series of films based on "Commanding Heights". The programmes will be broadcast Thursdays on 13 March, 20 March, 27 March, 3 April and 10 April at 2030. So now that is settled, can we please get back to umm, errr, Boobies.

"BTW, Who's the lucky girl?" Its not WeeBucket, Lindsay, I don't think the intended is a jumper. -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson