Anthony

Even the commentators are embarrassed about how poor the game is.

Who were bottom of the league, and are now 18th.

Time for boxing gloves then. Stop you biting them. Or a tramp's bottom. Works equally well. As for the game, I think this is possibly one of the most unpredictable ones of the year. It's close, with a high standard deviation.

Yes. But I refer you (and non goddies) to my previous post that appealing to science to explain things is somewhat missing the point. One has to appeal to the heart and offer reassurance acceptance and love. I reckon I'd be a really good Christian if I didn't have to believe in God and all those ridiculous 'miracles'. Most of the rest is spot on as a guide to living my life.

Random mutations of genes when replicating. Most of the time they just clone themselves perfectly. Every now and again they make a 'mistake' and mutate. Sometimes it results in a 'runaway' growth (cancer) sometimes it results in something that is non-viable (dies). Sometimes it results in a slight enhancement, but always there's a slight change.

Sometimes I wonder why I bother posting at all.

Looking through the eyes of science I see plenty of evidence for hte theory of evolution and therefore the non existence of a god, and I am happy with this. Trying to convince a religious person of the non existence of god through science and logiacl argument is completely missing the point. Ironically, of course, one has to speak to the heart. One has to say, "Don't be afraid, there is still deep meaning to your life, past, present and future."

I'm with you on that one. Amen even. And the only real area where I split with people like that is the whole imaginary friend thing. I always thought (cynically) that it was a convenient crutch this whole god business, filling in a psychological and emotional gap. Then I read the Voltaire quote and realised that I wasn't the first to come up with it. "If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him."

Ah, bollocks, gotta explain myself now! The way science works is that you come up with a theory, then 'test' it. A theory is an explanation to a set of observations. For example, "This apple fell down on my noggin, so I reckon there is a force (and I shall call it gravity) that pulls things to the Earth." So what happens is you then come up with scientific experiments using available knowledge to prove/disprove it. The starting point of science is to believe nothing (although one does have to make some basic assumptions about one's senses) and slowly through the above method try and explain the world around us. A dogma style approach would be, "This apple fell down on my noggin, so I reckon there are weeblies inside all things that are in love with the Earth that God created and want to be close to it at all times." You then write this down in a book, people believe it and accept it. If you submit the dogma to testing using scientific method you may or may not find it to be accurate, although seeing as somebody tried to explain it using their prejudices, fears and imagination the likelihood is it won't hold up to scrutiny. The starting point of dogma is quite the opposite of science; believe what you're told and do not question. Rereading the above makes me sound like some kind of evangelical fundamentalist atheist, which I guess I am, but if you choose religion then that's fine by me; you won't get me shouting at you how I'm right and you're wrong.

No, but it's not about belief, it's to do with scientific method (eg hypothesis testing). Religion is dogma, atheism is a method.

Oh yah. Sure. I recently watched 'Don't mess with the Zohan' I was stunned to find that it was bloody funny. And I like houmus.

It ain't R&B. It's R&B tinged pop. If you don't like it that's fine; it's not your thing. It DOES NOT mean it's 'shit'. Please understand the difference.

I could point to the way they've used melodies and harmonies, we could discuss what makes a good hook. We could talk about what makes a great pop song (for that is what it is, a pop song) and see the elements at work in songs from the Beach Boys, through Duran Duran to Rhianna's Umbrella. Lots of good stuff in all of them. And NO, I'm not saying Rhianna is as talented as the Wilson, just that it's POP MUSIC! When people start shouting about how shite some pop music is it really does say more about the shouter than the music.

It's really, really, really not shite. You may not like it, but it's not shite.

It's pop music and great. Nicely produced, great hook, what is there not to like? Sure, if the radio DJs are showing their lack of imagination by playing the thing constantly, by all means vent your anger, just point it in the right direction though. I think the R&B popularity in the states has nothing to do with the quality of the music, more with the distribution of it (Rhianna to me is pop music, not R&; go into a shop (anywhere) and the music you often hear is what the people working in the shop want to hear. And in the states the people working in the shops are often the kind of people who like R&B. In NY I asked my mate to take me to a dance club. It was playing R&B stuff. They insisted it was dance music. I put it to them that it was a type of dance music, but they didn't really understand what I was on about. This was the time when Timberlake's Sexyback was around. Even without listening to the radio I heard it 3 or 4 times a day just wandering around the shops. And in the aforementioned club they played it twice in the hour and a half I stuck it before having to leave and scream.

The fourth one which is... Nadine. Number two has a funny chest. I can see her ribs ABOVE her boobs. That's not normal. Or maybe it's just the pic.

Don't have issues with Fiats, just Renaults. That's actually not entirely true. I just have issues. EDIT: Oh yeah, and I live in a 2 bed flat. Big, but not much natural light.

Nice chaps. Although I have to take issue with Mike's Renault.

I admire your honesty and self awareness! Good on yer, keep it up. There'll come a point when you go, 'hang on, why AM I doing this?' but non smokers shouting at you won't bring it around any quicker.

The reason smoking makes one feel relaxed is because one is addicted to nicotine; withdrawal from nicotine makes one irritable. Smoking a cigarette when you're addicted to nicotine is a good way of feeling what non addicts feel. I find the best way of combatting the irritability is quitting.

Michelsen, condoms were illegal in Ireland for ages and may well still be for all I know. Never stopped 'em though!

I smoked briefly in my youth, but stopped cause it's **** pointless. Smoking is a 100% waste of human endeavour and the planet's resources from the beginning of production through to stubbing a fag out. If you want to smoke, then fine, but expect no sympathy or quarter from me and don't even THINK about justifying it to me.

I could've written that post myself Ian, albeit with better proofreading. At the time I felt that I didn't enjoy them, mainly because I was always in trouble for not doing homework and perpetually in fear of the upcoming lesson where I had to hand it in. That said, I miss the cameraderie and the banter. I remember when Blackadder was on, we'd all talk about it and quote it for the following week until the next episode.

Brian, I'd never wear a top that colour when calling you.

Would've given it back to him (all of it), but having read of the Police option, would plump for that. Maybe he didn't earn the money, but I certainly **** didn't.