Ian84

I think its a step in the right direction. If you want a gun badly enough and can convinve a judge that you are competent and trustworthy then you can have one. It almost makes too much sense.

Most of the paramilitaries in Ireland have turned to organised crime in the absence of conflict. So that would be the PIRA, CIRA, RIRA, UDA, INLA, UVF, LVF etc. Most of them pay lip service to their respective republican/loyalist ideals but in reality they're just a bunch of crooks. You won't find much support for them, at least not south of the border.

I'm not sure how useful this is for you but I'm in my final year of an aerospace engineering degree in the UK and have never undertaken a unit that wasn't related to my degree subject. I'm baffled as to why you would be made to study arts subjects as part of an engineering course.

Squadron Leader to me in the Officers' Mess at Waddington: "How much to tarmac my drive then paddy?" Classic ethnic banter.

When people who wish to express disinterest in something say "I could care less". People who wait until they're on some form of public transport to choose their ring tone. The fact that finding a decent sandwich without mayonnaise on it is ridiculously hard in my city.

I just watched it last night and loved it too. I wonder if the aerial photography at the start was authentic footage.

Good luck to your son. I hope he gets home to you safe and sound in the near future.

Seems a little ambitious given some of their recent spectacular failures. It looks like all the clever ones have blown themselves up already. Lets just try not to inspire too many more to have a go.

The Big Lebowski

Having poor fashion sense is crime now?! WTF

Any word on what happens to te girl who made the accusation in the first place? It seems to me she's just as guilty as Nifong.

It's funny because it's true

United Kingdom = the union between what were once four separate countries; England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland (Northern Ireland actually, since 26 counties of the south became an independent republic). Great Britain refers to the island which comprises England, Scotland and Wales. The reason people get upset when these terms are confused is mostly because each of the countries have distinct cultural identities and fairly fierce historical rivalries in things like rugby and war.

That would be telling....but then I'd have the DVA going through my finances. Imagine the faff that would cause

They are Catholics. For the most part but not exclusively. I know many protestant nationalists but have not as yet met a catholic unionist. I'm sure they're out there though.

Keep you're head down and get yourself home safe mate! Good luck!

Fair enough I suppose. It's just frustrating to hear it used as an argument sometimes.

I think NCclimber has it right when he says that because of the economic autonomy of the US and the global impact of the US's actions the rest of us are somewhat forced to take note. That said, I'm struggling to understand why so many american's are of the opinion that the rest of us are jealous of them. It simply isn't the case and to state otherwise only serves your own ego. Disagreement and jealousy are quite different things.

Again you're wrong about my view of religious people. I just think that because of their strong belief that premarrital sex is a sin that they are less likely to inform their children about condoms. In some cases the information they do give is incorrect and would lead someone to the conclusion that they flat out don't work. I doubt many parent are "willing to harm their children" but as a result of their belifs and the information that they give or don't give a lot of kids are exposed to a greater risk. Hopefully this clarifies what I'm trying to say. I have many Christian friends, I have nothing against religious people. I'm just commenting on a trend that has become apparent to me regarding this particular issue.

No juanesky, I'm not equating religion with lack of education. Some of the most highly educated people I know are religious. I think religious people are more likely to beleive and disseminate false information about condoms though.

This seems to be the major difference and to me indicates that many of the more religious parents tend to prioritise their children's moral well being at the expense (potentially) of their physical/mental health.

That's how it was in my school. Religious studies consisted learning about the beliefs and traditions of Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity etc.... It was interesting and not the least bit controversial.

Best film of the summer!

True enough, but are they kidding themselves or are they going out of thier way to mislead others? Thought it was worth asking here anyway. Thanks again.

Maybe if I explain what spurred me to ask the question, it might help clarify what I'm looking for. There was a conversation about a young man who's mother had dicovered he was sexually active when she came accross an empty condom box. She asked for advice and was promptly given responses along the lines of: "Condoms don't protect from STD's or pregnancy" "There is a lie circulating that condoms are effective at preventing infection" "Perhaps you should explain to your son that condoms don't work and have him memorise scripture regarding self control" Stuff like that. When I challenged those responses with statistics such as those available from the World Health Organisation a woman promptly informed me that she had statistics from multiple sources which called into question those which I provided (which were basically the same as those you posted here earlier). She has so far been unable/unwilling to provide a reference to her sources which got me wondering where people with similar opinions are getting there facts. So I guess my question is this: Is there any legitimate research which suggests that condoms are only 75-85% (stats she said she had found) effective when used consistently and correctly or are they just giving out false information with the aim of trying to scare people out of having sex for moral reasons? She was adamant that such statistics demonstarted that condoms were not worth the effort. I realise that I haven't been very clear in my previous posts and if I've failed to articulate my question adequetely yet again then just ignore it because I think thats the best I can do. Thanks for the response anyway.