Baldrick

Excellent post by NickInTheNorth & one that got me thinking...a novelty in itself. This post is likely to ramble but bear with me The US/UK have stated that they "know" Iraq has WMD's, he's used them before, don't want them falling into terrorist hands etc etc etc. So, let's lets assume this "knowledge" is correct & based on up to the minute intelligence.... the US's excellent surveillance sats, agents in the field, informers etc. Even the SAS, who must have been there for quite some time. It must be up to date because no idiot any where would start a war based on intelligence thats 12-14 years old right? Right, we've got the intel, we know Iraq has them...erdo we must also know where they are. The sites holding these weapons must be under constant watch from the above mentioned sources & any attempt to move them would be reported in an instant... after all you can't put 20 tonnes of anthrax in your pocket & walk out with it! Now I'm not stupid enough to expect any government to release it's intel sources to the general public, but.... After seeing the fiasco with the US/UK on one side & France/Germany on the other surely a fone call to Hans Blix from George/Tony the Tiger saying something along the lines of.... "Ok Hans get your guys to these map co-ordinates pretty sharpish, we've had it watched for some time & you'll find what you're looking for. When you've found it, report back to the UN asap & we've got him! Saddam is proved to be a lying toad, me & Tone are proved to have been right all along, France/Germany don't have a leg to stand on & the action kicks off on Sunday" would stop all the bickering? Maybe the above is showing how naive I am but it makes perfect sense to me The fact that this isn't happening leads me to believe one of two things.... 1) Saddam doesn't have any WMD's & Bush/Blair are pushing this for other reasons not covered by resolution 1441 (or any other resolution) 2) Saddam does have WMD's but we don't know where they are! If this is the case then surely it's a highly dangerous situation? All the "legitimate" targets will have already been pin-pointed, what if one of them, close to a border contains VX nerve gas? One bomb could release this agent over a vast area & I'm pretty sure Turkey, Kuwait etc would be full of praise for the US/UK as the gas drifted across their countries! It's not possible, even Bush/Blair wouldn't be so stupid. If the WMD's are there, they must know where they are. They couldn't afford not to! The only research I have done on this subject is to watch the news, listen carefully to Bush/Blair & everyone else & make my own mind up! My conclusion is, & until I'm proved wrong always will be, that something is not right here!

We can all only work with the information we are given, there will always be different interpretations of that info, leading to different opinions. It's what makes the world go round (or not in this case). The fact that I disagree with those advocating war, based on what we know now, doesn't mean I think they are "thick". I will continue to try & put my point across but, in the end, if Bush/Blair won't listen to the millions who marched then I don't see what good it's going to do? For what it's worth, I agree with all you've said... I would just prefer it without the insults

"soundstream" & "spindoctor" as supplied with Adaptec Easy CD ver 5+ allows you to moniter the input levels & clean the resultant file of hiss etc but I think you have to convert to mp3 using another prog.

yoxer, it's obvious that you are passionate in your beliefs & I would agree with all of them, except this "I don't know whether to roll around laughing at the obvious lack of intelligence that you people display" This is a discussion forum & others are entitled to their opinion, whether you or I agree or not. I don't see that insults further our cause, do you?

Thanks to yoxer for the excellent post above I also find myself agreeing with chesters more & more, is there a cure for this? Bush & Blair are looking increasingly desperate, they've been rumbled!! They expect us to "Trust them" while all the time moving the goalposts! UN resolution 1441 is aimed at removing Weapons of Mass Destruction from Iraq, not removing Saddam Hussein from power! Yet yesterday we have Tony Blair telling a conference that " There is a Moral case for removing Saddam " & it would be "Inhumane to leave him in power"... it would seem that there is a hidden agenda here, one that resolution 1441 does not cover! After Sept 11th Bush declared a war on terror & promised to "hunt the terrorists down"... Bin Laden is still unaccounted for, no-one knows where active Al Queda cells are, we have tanks at Heathrow & the British population worried to say the least. Some one please tell me how destroying Saddam/Iraq will prevent a terrorist attack on Britain/USA????? It's utter nonsense!

Have a look at this page http://www.audiotools.co.uk/recgen.shtml you get a brief rundown of each prog & most are available as trial versions/shareware.

Sorry mate but I've just watched Tony Blair (AKA Puppet) on ITN news (sky, 15:35 21/01/03) & he's just admitted that there are no links between Saddam & al queda!!!!! & that we should concentrate on the real issue, which is the weapons of mass destruction held by Saddam. Yeah right. Don't believe everything you read in The Sun!!!! [ 21. January 2003, 03:49 PM: Message edited by: Baldrick ]

There isn't a shred of evidence that Iraq has any connection with Osama bin Laden, in fact 90% of the terrorists involved in the Sept 11th attack were Saudis. The US has constantly moved the goalposts during this whole issue. The weapons inspectors were ordered in to find evidence of weapons, in all the time they have been there all they have found 11 EMPTY chemical warheads. Now the weapons inpectors "inspecting" isn't good enough, now the Iraqi's have to "prove they haven't got them"! As stated by Chesters somewhere in this forum it's a lot easier to prove you have something than to prove you haven't. We have all been told (constantly) by Britain & the US that they have "evidence" the Iraqi's have these weapons, why aren't they telling the inspectors where to look? If they have the evidence then it shouldn't be too difficult to direct the inspectors to the stockpiles surely? According to the US & Britain Iraq is in breach of the UN resolution for "not actively co-operating"! What the hell does that mean? From what I have seen Hans Blix has no real concerns about Iraqs co-operation. Certainly Hans Blix has said that "some issues have not been resolved, some questions have not been answered" but then thats why he's there, to find the answers. While I agree that Saddam isn't the nicest guy on earth & that, yes he's used wmd on his own people, I can't see that a war is justified. A lot of people are going to be maimed & die, many of them civilians who oppose Saddams regime! I read an article from a specialist in modern warfare who stated that should the fighting get to the "house to house" stage in Baghdad, then the US & Britain can expect 30% casualties! It will be nice to see the body bags unloaded, NOT! After the Sept 11th attack the US were "going to kick bin Ladens butt", Their main priority was to capture him & destroy al queda, have they accomplished this? Nope, & they haven't got a clue where he is! al queda is still a threat & they don't know how to deal with it! Millions of dollars spent in Afghanistan with no real result... could the war against Saddam be a smokescreen to divert attention away from the failure to acccomplish what they set out to do? Of course it could. Is this current venture about controlling oil supplies? Maybe! One things for certain, it's got sod all to do with weapons of mass destruction. Sorry for the rant

This might be worth looking at "Any Recorder" here http://www.zj-fountain.com/ .

OOoops.... apologies, didn't notice that one

After every flight pilots complete a gripe sheet which conveys to the mechanics problems encountered with the aircraft during the flight. The mechanics respond in writing on the lower half what remedial action was taken and the pilot reviews this b4 the next flight.... Keep in mind that Quantas is the only airline that has never had an accident.. P=The problem logged by pilot S=The solution and action taken by engineer P:Left inside main tyre almost needs replacement S:Almost replaced left inside main tyre P:Test flight OK, except autoland very rough S:Autoland not installed on this aircraft P:Something loose in cockpit S:Something tightened in cockpit P:Dead bugs on windshield S:Live bugs on back-order P:Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 fpm descent S:Cannot reproduce problem on ground P:Evidence of leak on right main landing gear S:Evidence removed P:DME volume unbelievably loud S:DME volume set to more believable level P:Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick S:Thats what they're there for P:Suspected crack in windshield S:Suspect your right P:Number three engine missing S:Engine found on right wing after brief search P:Aircraft handles funny S:Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right and be serious P:Target radar hums S:Reprogrammed target radar with words P:Mouse in cockpit S:Cat installed

Fraid so!! I don't think that track days/outings encourage safe riding. They may offer a safer way of riding faster than you could on the road but then look at the downside.... the circuit is surfaced for excellent grip (giving a false impression of your & the bikes capabilities), there are (in most cases) ample run off's for any mistakes, all hazards are static (no little old dear pulling out in front of you) & worst of all...most people go with mates & end up racing....it's inevitable. You will end up going faster than the road, or your skill, can cope with. On a track you may end up with a broken fairing (not covered by your usual insurance), on the road you will end up dead! After many visits to Mallory/Oulton park etc I've learned 3 things.... 1)Don't try to keep up with with Sean Emmett, you end up dumping the bike & it costs!!!!! 2)I'm nowhere near as good as I thought I was, demonstrated by Michael Rutter passing me on the outside whilst giving me the bird with one hand 3) That track days, while they are a blast, are no comparison for everyday road riding. You may learn a little bike control (or not in my case) but it does not prepare or help in dealing with the hazards we face every day. Especially for young, novice riders! Just my opinion & each to their own etc. Seems we have drifted a little from the the topic, sorry Richard But if you can sift through the posts above I think you will find that Bridgestone & Pirelli are a good choice [ 07. October 2002, 10:21 PM: Message edited by: Baldrick ]

Nurses & prison officers... The way things are going, we'll never have enough of either

Sorry I don't agree...track days are ok for a bit of fun but teach nothing when it comes to riding on the road!It's ok pushing on a track with 40m of soft grass to crash into should you make a mistake, it don't compare to making a mistake on the road with lamp-posts, fiat punto's or buses comimg the other way! Ok it may teach a little bike control but on the road?? There's no time or space to use it... too many cans not knowing what day it is never mind which lane they should be in! Put your boy through an approved training course....it will teach him 100% more than any track day. Tyres & training, you need both with todays traffic...

Bridgestones are my personal choice. I've tried a lot of other brands, with Pirelli coming a close second, but I now stick with Bridges (pun intended). Look for "sport" tyres, not "race"...the compounds are totally different. I'm not sure what is available for your sons bike but Bridgestone make excellent "dual compound" tyres for bigger bikes. With these you get a harder compound in the center of the tyre for longer life but a softer, stickier, bit on the sides for good cornering grip. Might be worth checking out Hope this helps