I found them to be excellent for site work / long drives home…

… but I think they suffered from adverse “safety” concerns – ie punters burning themselves on something hot 🙄

Seen a few online reviews – looks like a miss, for now. Maybe wait until CoD comes out and MoH price drops or lots of pre-owned around…

I think that you will find that there are wildly differing situations across England & Wales (ignoring Scotland for obvious reasons)

Although mtbers aspirations are likely to be similar across the country, the “countryside” and it’s historical uses vary massively in character and suitability for “open access” mtb riding.

For one thing, mtbs actually do need to have “trails” whereas walkers can just roam without doing massive damage (given care, avoidance of crops, damage to fences etc).

If “access all areas” means mtbers digging new trails where none exist, then open access will not (and probably should not) happen. Access to existing tracks / paths is a different matter and should be opened up as a matter of course, unless thee is a compelling individual case not to.

very similar to MW2 really

No bad thing I guess, although was planning to get the new CoD next month

rkk01,

Why do you …. characterise other people as “ignorant” just because they don’t like something?

I don’t – you have mis-read my post.

I was referring to my own ignorance.

I had made up my mind as an adolescent that ballet was poncy artistic tosh, and that was a view that I carried into adulthood. A view based on ignorance as I had never been to see a ballet.

My views changed after I had been to see a ballet. Yes it was long, not necessarily obvious what the storyline was doing, but, as I posted above, absolutley mesmerising

over enthusiastic “GAME” manager started talking to me about this , stating that It has been made in 3d which looks amazing but the standard game is very unimpressive and really no better than the FORZA series

Really?! Most opinions seem to be the other way around (based on demo video) – ie looks fantastic in 2D, but 3D doesn’t really do much for it.

you tube vid – watch in 720p

Five or so years ago I would have agreed, boring “artistic” tosh for toffs…

… but that was an easy, and ignorant, view to take.

My kids have been doing ballet for a few years, so we took them to see Swan Lake in Cardiff a few christmases ago.

Absolutely mesmerising

Or, equating to a BMI of 27.1

Supposed to be a very mountainous and forested area – and both US and UK have said that intelligence sources indicated the need for an urgent rescue attempt, so direct assault may well have been the only option…

That said, the report linked above suggests that the op was pretty much done and succesful before the grenade was thrown. Sounds like snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Gung ho or not, seems a bit harsh to discipline the soldier concerned

SEAL to be disciplined…

Interested in this. Is the estimated £16 per head unit or per pair (ie one light “block”?

Currently running intermediate on bars and narrow on the lid. Definately interested in upgrading the bar set. Lid set less of an issue because the narrow spot follows your line of sight anyway.

I wouldn’t bother with the Stilton or Cheddar – will play to French perceptions of British cheese. (Although Harlech and Y Fenni are two very nice cheddar blends… horeseradish and mustard / ale respectively)

As above, Cornish Yarg, unusual, subtle flavour.

Celtic Pride – award winning cheese soaked in cider. Reeks to high heaven, which the French admire in a cheese.

Brothers in Arms III was good as a tactical / thinking shooter – but not as good as the initial PC based versions, and the graphics will look dated against MW / MW2.

Much more rewarding though

Google are just at their Windows 3.1 stage. They’ve pretty much sown up what they do well, made (their part) of computing easy and entered the general lexicon.

Now theyre spreading their wings with Chrome, Google maps / street view etc – they’ve launched Win 95, and we’re impressed, but sceptical. Win 98 & ME are just around the corner…

The whole point surely isn’t the principal of using a cage on a wire to go down a hole, but how tiny this one is and how long the hole is!

True. Have just checked the measurements on the Chilean one, and it is 10cm narrower in diameter than the one in the photo, which is still a rescuse cage, but as said, I didn’t have to use it under the duress of an emergency situation.

That said, I was working from within that thing over several weeks!
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Be excellent to see this rescue completed.

These sort of cages aren’t that unusual. Here’s one that I used in 2000 for inspecting 150-180 year old shafts in the chalk in Kent…

It’s a little larger than the Chilean one and we weren’t using it for escape, but essentially the same bit of kit

What if the cable breaks?

The capsule runs tight in the BH annulus, and might have an emergency brake system – they’ve had time to design / build / tweak, after all. The image shown looks like it has some roller guides on the top – spring loaded with sufficient pre-load these could / would control any released descent speed…?

Anthem X

I’m just puzzled by the implication that a conventional grenade was used in a hostage situation…

Indeed, but as we (includes BBC defence correspondent) are all armchair warriors – what do we know / why should we comment?

I don’t think you need to be in the military to ask questions about why a fragmentation grenade was thrown into a room with a possible hostage – apart from the fact that that is what they normally do?

From what has been posted above, many have commented on UK forces views of US forces (eg getting them out of sticky situations etc). What I have been told is that US (regular) forces do things very very well “by the book”, but absolutely do not question “the book” (and from relatives living in the US, this could be used as a sweeping generalisation for the way things are done in the US). By contrast, initiative instilled in all ranks is a quality that UK infantry units rightly pride themselves on.

Tandem with Emily Batty specced as front seat rider? – IGMC

1. – Of course,
2. – Yes, but with night vision
3. – Goes without saying
4. & 5. – Or they defaulted to their normal room clearance practice of fragmentation grenade(s) before entry when they should have used stun grenades ???
6. – Yes
7. – Yes
8. – Wouldn’t we all.

mrsrkk01 got herself a new bike last year after a long absence from mtbing.

We considered the buy a small SH frame (SC Juliana) / parts bin build, but chose not to.

Best bet is to try a selection of ready built bikes and see:

a) What fits best
b) What captures her imagination / desire the most.

We typically get to the point of bike builds after having tried a few bikes and knowing what sort of size / handling / spec we are after….

mrsrkk01 ended up with a lovely Canondale HT, which had a good end of season discount.

First year she ran it as spec, but this year has put some lighter wheels on (surplus from my broken bike :() The light wheels have made it into a really responsive, flickable little bike.

Important thing is that she chose it herself and loves it to bits

The Mokka is a brilliant piece of functional, minimalist design. Cheap, robust, simple.

Part of the rkk01 family essential camping kit

Well, I seem to have let the lighting arms race pass me by…

AyUps on bars and lid for me. Simple (crude even), robust, never run out of juice (yet)

Lights have been on for the last few commutes – mainly am before it gets light, but also for the evening commute, under the trees and at the end of the ride home.

Clocks will go back soon, that will up the demands on batteries and charger…

13-14 on the way to work, 10-12 on the way home.

but the fact is they were prepared to die to rescue the hostage.

+1

Or more accurately, a senior field commander (and staff) assessed the risks and decided to issue orders for a rescue mission, having weighed up the chances of success against the risks to the team??

Rkk01

Man you really need to chill out , I love that you think that a snap comment
About a fat footballer and his desires is tantamount to bringing down the country,

I was just pointing out that we are not privy to such matters
And will never be and rightly so, we as a populace could not stomach the
Truth or make the decisions that others do,

We only know what we read and what we see on the box ,

You keep on thinking you are informed m8 , the real truth would make your
Pi55 boil

Err, you’ve made some pretty big assumptions about what I do know, don’t know or need to know… And, I’ve deliberately not commented on the rescue attempt, for reason of not wanting to fall back on assumptions and pre-conceptions.

Regarding needing to know, this…

not privy to such matters
And will never be and rightly so

… is utter nonsense.

It is what leads a country to re-elect a leader that “lied” (misrepresented?) about the reason to go o war in Iraq.

It is one reason why the Americans failed in Vietnam against the rising tide of the anti-war movement.

Arguably, it’s why the issue of UK eqpt provision and helicopters / flying hours didn’t become a major political issue much, much earlier than it did.

Too much detail can get into the media, too close to the event, and that can undermine operational procedures and security – but the UK Government media clampdown / blackout in Afghanistan protected the politicians arses rather than protected service personnel lives.

We only know what we read and what we see on the box ,

You keep on thinking you are informed m8 , the real truth would make your
Pi55 boil

Which makes my point, really.
I don’t claim to be informed, but I do know that what I have read and heard ought to shame UK politicians and journalists for keeping the public in the dark.

Yes, the real truth should have boiled the public’s piss – and that should have been routed back to the decision makers to get their bloody finger’s out.

the rest of us are better of focusing on Rooney and scanky prostitues

At which point we should kiss goodbye to democracy and any illusions of the educated, well informed populace that should be the cornerstone of our societal values – FFS 👿

This sort of disengaged ignorant nonsense makes me very angry. Probably the sort of detached indifference that allowed Blair to be re-elected after lying his way into Ws Iraq war

I would have probably agreed with the OP if it wasn’t for the work of one Massimo Tamburini.

A cliche of cliches, but the appearance of the 916 was a sort of holy shit, what is that…

Brechfa is worth it just for the green / blue Derwen trail – fantastic fun

I can understand the decrying of “keyboard warriors” etc, but in reality, very, very few people are going to be qualified to make a valid judgement based on first hand experience – and they tend to keep a low profile.

Having no direct experience of an issue is rarely a bar on commenting, and doesn’t necessarily indicate ignorance. There have been plenty of balanced “broadsheet” news coverage and in depth analysis of the recent “wars on terror” and other military operations and the underlying politics, along with other media reportage and published factual accounts from current / former serving personnel. “Casual” observers / commentators need not be badly informed….

Radiators at work do the job nicely.

Re tumble driers – some older kit does, esp baggies, BUT, a big NO for base layers, lycra tops / shorts and bib tights etc…

Frequently have this argument with mrsrkk01. Helly Hansen base layers are particularly prone to shrinkage in the drier.

Yay – fantastic day out. Parked at GC and rode down to do the Wall. Well chuffed that the kids managed it all (well youngest pushed some of the last descent on zig zags)

Ohh, and it was pretty much exactly as I remembered it 8)

No recent harvesting so pretty much identical to the last time you rode it.

I didn’t say “recent” harvesting…. I last rode it before the circa 2 year closure – 2007 or so??

Used to occasionaly see one of the square headlighted versions – I think it used the supercharged engine that later appeared in the Corrado??

talk about living life on the edge… you are flippin c.r.a.z.y.. the stories you’ll be able to tell..

The alleged hand gesture was just one of those things… it was the response and the copper’s face that had us all in stitches

Yes – as posted above, loss of compression

Just seen the “on bike” qualifier 👿

Well, like I said, memory hazy, a bike might have been involved…

On my 21st (??? memory hazy) birthday I had to explain to an irate (then bemused) copper that I hadn’t actually made a rude hand gesture at an hoffizer of the law, from the back seat of my mates Orion 1600i Ghia… 😳 *

No hoffizer, what I was actually doin was scrathing me kneee with me elbow.

That cleared that up, then
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ETA * Ahem, celebratory “day out” to Newquay