Topics

This is unbelievable, girl gets beaten by 4 other girls in a racially motivated attacj yet no jail sentence - you have to laugh at the judge mentioning the victims boyfriend as if he was some instigating factor. 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2070562/Muslim-girl-gang-kicked-Rhea-Page-head-yelling-kill-white-slag-FREED.html

Anyone bought any of these devices?  Looking to get one for a 3 year old, but not sure what the big differences are between the two.

Anyone know of anywhere cheap around the Armagh/Craigavon area for tyres?

The trial of Robert Black has been on for a few weeks now and I was slightly bemused by the prosecutions lack of progress over the course of the trial so far.  All they were seemed intent on proving was that Black was in Northern Ireland near the crime scene around the time of the murder, which is surely nowhere near enough to convict him for murder.  I see they also revealed his past crimes, which were sickening.  I though this was not allowed, with Robert Howards past not allowed to be revealed during the Arlene Arkinson murder trial.  I hope that Black rots in hell for what he has been convicted of doing, but it seems that the prosecution in this murder trial are basing their case so far on circumstantial evidence.

Anyone know what the best site is for downloading good quality music files at a quick rate?

I see there is going to be a new digging effort in September for Arlene Arkinson.  Always been amazed at the fact that Howard was never convicted of this crime even though he was the last person with her on the night she went missing, especially given his track record.  Came across this article which is frightening when you think of the potential number of victims he could be responsible for that nobody will ever know of - why doesn't he just admit his crimes now as he will never see the light of day again.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2006/mar/25/northernireland.ukcrime

A scrape has appeared on the wooden floor in the house across two of the wooden floor panels.  Has anybody ever used anything to try and reduce the appearance of a scrape apart?  I see there is Rustins Plastic Wood and Colron Liquid Scratch cover out there, anyone used them and are they any good.  Sanding and repainting are definitely out the window.  Any advice welcome.

I read article recently on both a Chimp and Lion who were raised in an urban environment for a period of their lives.  One story pans out quite sadly while the other has a much happier ending.  Not much of an animal lover but I have to say both stories touched me.

]http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2018391/The-extraordinary-experiment-chimp-raised-human-child.html[url]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14240681[/url]

I am not much of a DIY expert, and I am about to try and touch up the decking (ribbed) in the garden.  Any experts out there care to advise on the best way and products to use.  I simply want to paint/stain it, but I have been told that I either have to sand it or powerwash it before hand - is that completely necessary or can I not just slap the paint on?

Surprised a Topic has not been started yet, Season 3 coming to an end.  Brilliant show, the highlight of my week TV wise.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1357217/Boss-frogmarched-worker-police-station-stole-845-forced-pay-THIEF-13-000-humiliating-him.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1357217/Boss-frogmarched-worker-police-station-stole-845-forced-pay-THIEF-13-000-humiliating-him.html

How the hell is there no way of getting someone out of your property and how can the boss in the first case be the one punished and the real culprit let off.

The woman bought a Blackberry Curve at around £150 the other day.  She wasn't told that it wasn't 3G, but when she wanted to have the 3G version they wanted an extra £50. 

Is this right?  What real benefit will she have from the 3G version?  She will use it mainly for taking pictures and sticking them on facebook or general browsing online.  Is there much of a difference between the 3G and non-3G version?

Any DIY entusiasts on here?

I have a problem with my Mira Sport electric shower.  When I have the water set to warm the flow is pretty poor, it's weak and water does not come out through all the holes in the shower head, it just comes out through the holes on the outside.  However, when I turn the shower to cold the water flows out at a high pressure and does come out through all the holes.  Anybody experienced anything similar or have any idea what is wrong?  I intend on 'trying' to clean the inlet filter when I get home, hopefully I don't kill myself in the process. 

In different parts of the world over the past few weeks the weather has gone wild, from the floods in California and Australia, the snow and big freeze in the UK and the Blizzard that has hit America's East Coast.  On top of this we now have Earthquakes in England, on top of the recent disasters in Pakistan and Haiti, so are all these events signs that Roland Emmerich's most recently released movie might not be that far off the mark?

Was looking to go to the store today, I see there are two in the North.  Which one is the biggest or best to go to or are they both basically the same?

Does anyone know how the most efficeint way to use the oil to heat the house?  As it is a wee bit cold these evenings, is it better to keep your heating on for say 3/4 hours in the evening and hope that the thermostat works well and your oil is not constantly being used during that period once your house reaches the designated temperature or is it better to put the oil on for an hour here and there?

Could anyone confirm that the form accessed via the link below is the correct form to be completed if looking to transfer to another club in a different county (same province).

http://www.gaa.ie/content/documents/publications/club_transfers_and_sanctions/Inter_County_Transfer_Form_100111153410.pdf

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-11735734

[Fair play to the son-in-law]

Fair play to the son-in-law

Robbers threatened to break a girl's finger unless her father told them where his safe was hidden, Londonderry Magistrates' Court heard on Monday.

The claim came as Simon Timoney of Leckpatrick Gardens, Artigarvan, Strabane appeared in court.

He was charged with attempted robbery, false imprisonment, going equipped for theft and aggravated burglary.

The charges relate to the attempted robbery of a house in Limavady on Friday.

A police witness said two masked men had forced their way into the property.

Mr Timoney was remanded in custody to appear by video link on 18 November.

The court was told that at about 9pm BST on Friday, police received a report of an incident at a house in Limavady.

When they arrived they saw the defendant being restrained on the ground by a man and his son-in-law.

The householder, a 61-year-old man, his wife, their daughter and 20-year-old autistic son had been in the house when two masked men entered by the front door.

The court heard that when the mother confronted them, they pushed her into the front room and made the family kneel down.

Struggle

They asked where the safe was and the householder told them he did not have one.

The two males then tied the daughter's hands with cable ties and threatened to break her fingers one by one.

At this point, the son-in-law arrived at the house and saw the two masked men, the court was told.

He challenged them and jammed one of their arms in a door.

The intruders told him "if you don't get inside we'll shoot you".

A struggle ensued, one man escaped and the defendant was detained by the father and son-in-law.

Under questioning by police, Mr Timoney said he was told he had thought he was going on a legitimate job to "get money for Christmas".

He also claimed that he had been approached by what he described as "paramilitary types."

A police officer told the court that Mr Timoney had admitted being in the house and gave the names of three other males who have since been arrested but released pending further inquiries.

He added that a search of Mr Timoney's address had revealed a cable tie similar to those used in the robbery.

A defence solicitor said if his client had realised what was going on, he "would not have been within one hundred miles of it".

He said that Mr Timoney had been drinking heavily recently following the death of his parents last year, and described him as "a pathetic figure."

Remanding him in custody Deputy District Judge Ted McGill said he was concerned the defendant may commit further offences and there were legitimate fears he may not turn up for his trial.

Just saw this on BBC Sport and was wondering if these two really were the best?

They are, quite simply, the two greatest footballers of all time. So it only seems right to wish them both a happy birthday.
On Saturday, Pele celebrates his 70th and exactly a week later Diego Maradona turns 50. Between them they have won four of the last 14 World Cups and taken part in another four, and in the process they have not only helped to redefine the boundaries of their sport, but they have become a part of all of our lives.
Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento in Tres Coracoes in Minas Gerais state, Pele first wowed the world as a 17-year-old by helping Brazil win their first World Cup in 1958. He went on to help them defend their trophy in 1962 and then, in 1970, led the greatest team of all time to victory in Mexico to win the tournament for an unequalled third time.
A striker with blistering pace, fearsome physical power, clinical finishing and the ability to head a ball as hard as most players could kick it, Pele was a force of nature on the football field. He scored more than 1,000 goals in his career, mostly for Brazilian club Santos, and retired after a two-year spell in the United States at New York Cosmos in the mid-1970s.

You don't need to have been alive while Pele was in his prime to appreciate the impact 'The King' - who scored 77 times in 92 games for Brazil - had on the beautiful game. As a young boy, I remember having to give a speech on a famous person to my class at school and I chose Pele. In the days before the internet, the football knowledge I'd soaked up in my formative years were enough to tell the great man's story.
Little did I know at the time that the captain of Argentina, who I then hated for knocking England out of the 1986 World Cup, would finish his career as Pele's only real rival for the title of football's greatest player.
Growing up in desperate poverty in the shantytown of Villa Fiorito in Buenos Aires, Maradona's was the classic rags-to-riches story. Similarly outstanding in his teens this was a boy clearly touched by genius, making his international debut at 16 and scoring 34 times in 91 games for the country he was so passionate about.
Unlike Pele, however, much of Maradona's career was tainted with controversy. For every wonder goal there was a scandal to match, with the 1986 quarter-final against England perfectly encapsulating El Diego. Four minutes after his 'Hand of God' put Argentina ahead, he wove his way through the England defence to score, at least in my opinion, the greatest goal the game has seen.
As a five-year-old who didn't fully understand what had happened, I cried at the unjust nature of Maradona's victory and rejoiced when he lost the final four years later, delighted that this time his World Cup had ended in tears too.
These days, I own a T-shirt with a graphic illustration of THAT goal - a moment of such hypnotic, artistic beauty I could watch it a million times over. Time truly is a great healer.
He almost single-handedly won the 1986 World Cup as well as two Serie A titles with unfashionable Napoli and his breathtaking close ball control, allied to a warrior's determination and a wonderful arrogance in front of goal made him as near to unplayable as a footballer has ever been. Think Lionel Messi, only better.
Of course, no Maradona discussion can ever take place without mention of the drug abuse that nearly cost him his life or the multitude of controversies that seem to follow his every move. That much was highlighted during his spell as Argentina coach, which ended in typically furious fashion after the World Cup in South Africa when his side were humiliated by Germany in the quarter-finals.

But that only seems to intensify the debate as to who really is the best football player ever. Everyone has an opinion and it is a debate that even the sport's world governing body, Fifa, has been unable to settle convincingly.
In 2000, Fifa decided to have a vote to find the 'Player of the Century', which took the form of an online poll. Maradona won it comfortably, which led to concerns that the age of internet users meant more people who saw the Argentine play would be able to cast a vote than those of an older generation who saw Pele.
So Fifa asked its "football family" to decide, which consisted of two components - ballots sent in from subscribers of the organisation's quarterly magazine and those cast by a special international Fifa jury. Pele won that one by a landslide.

When it came to the Rome gala, Fifa decided to split the award in two and announced Pele and Maradona as the two greatest players of all time. "I had the vote of the people, Pele won by forfeit," said Maradona, who walked out of the auditorium before watching the Brazilian collect his award.
Their so-called feud has gone on for years, but is it borne out of genuine animosity or it is nothing more than fabricated fun? It threatened to get serious in 2000 when Maradona accused Pele of letting his former Brazil team-mate Garrincha "die in misery", which Pele put down to Maradona being "an ill man".
However, when Maradona began a new career as a chat-show host in Argentina in 2005, Pele was the first guest he invited on, the pair chatting away amiably and even indulging the audience in some head tennis. Pele congratulated Maradona on beating his drug addiction, telling him: "You are an example because you are a conqueror".
On the show, Maradona body swerved the question of who was the better player. "My mother says it was me and Pele's mother says it was him," he said.
For the record my mum reckons Pele edges it, but it is a debate that will run for time immemorial. As we celebrate milestones in both of their lives, it seems like a good time to reflect on the incredible memories both Pele and Maradona gave us and, for the umpteenth time, ask ourselves one of football's favourite questions.
I'd love to hear your favourite stories of both men. But who do you think is really the greatest footballer that ever lived?