RE: What is The Fascination of Beckham as a Footballer?????

Sorry for putting in crudely Kev! But both Best and Dirty Diego will die soon from self inflicted wounds. Bets on Paul Gascoigne, anyone?

Pele is, I’d agree, a good role model. But there’s others, who’s ability is equal to Best or Dirty Diego, such as Ferenc Puskas, Tom Finney, Zico, Stanley Matthews, even more recently Marco Van Basten and Paolo Rossi.

But role model wise, there is only one great player who figures: JUNINHO. That man is a minor deity. This is my homage to my hero, Osvaldo Giroldo Jr. aka. Juninho.

And even though I really dislike Man Utd (my second least favourite club after the damned Blackburn) I’d have to put Becks down as my no. 2 player at the moment.

RE: WORLDS MOST POWERFUL NATIONS – 2003!!!

Twilight, I would just add that the British forces in Cyprus are based in two areas of soveriegn British territory, including the Akrotiri base. It’s the perfect spot for Western eavesdropping on the Middle East.

Also, Cyprus has compulsory military service for young men. I went there on business last year (Limassol) and I have never seen an office full of such fit young accountants!

RE: The BAe ATP – This might just amuse you!

I’m not sure about the technical detail, but from a passengers’ perspective I can identify with a few of the points!

It is not as comfortable as a Dash 8, it is certainly noisier (though it isn’t THAT bad!). I agree about the props windmilling at rest though. In what must be lots of occassions at IOM, the ATP props have NEVER, NEVER been tied down and they always move around in the breeze. The props on British Europen Dash 8’s by contrast, are always tied.

I knew there was a reason why no one bought the ATP!
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RE: Home-cooking

My best simple dish is fresh pasta (something simple, like fusili) served with chopped up bacon and a tomato-based vegetable stir-in sauce.

If I’ve got time, I like shepherds pie. Beef mince, cooked in beef stock cubes and tomato puree. Put in a caserole dish and cover with mashed potato (mashed with olive oil, not milk). Fork over the mash to make ridges over it. Place under the grill until the potato becomes crips. Then serve with gravy or baked beans!

Restaurant wise, I’m partial to a tender swordfish served with vegetabled and a lemon sauce.

RE: What is The Fascination of Beckham as a Footballer?????

Best was a more traditional footballer, but…personality? He’s got so much personality that he’s been dodging coffins for the last decade.

Beckham is always influential, whatever level of the game he plays at. You dis his strike rate Adonis, but can you name either a better dead ball specialist or a better all-round passer in the modern game?

Also, Best was pretty much a forward and Beckham is a midfielder, so Best is bound to score more goals, some of which will indeed be spectacular. That’s like calling Paolo Maldini a poor player because he isn’t as stunning on the ball as Figo!

RE: WORLDS MOST POWERFUL NATIONS – 2003!!!

The intricate linkages of politics, industry and the military is one of the keys to potential, rather than actual, power. On this basis:

1. USA. How can this be doubted?

2. Japan. Not much of a military, but who would mess with them?!

3. UK. Most capitalist economy of the top 3 with best trained army, although generally the most under-funded and with poor equipment. Most likely of the top 12 to blindly follow where led.

4. France. No. 2 in Europe, but they have a lot more backbone and bravery in their leadership than the UK. Good indistrial base, but an unhealthy, stodgy and socialist biased economy.

5. Germany. Stodgy economy as with France, but a large population and Germans tend to get things right when they really need to. Lots of latent potential.

6. Russia. Huge population and battle hardened army, albeit poorly trained and poorly equipped.

7. China. Bad at everything, but the army is simply huge.

8. India. Slightly more developed version of China with the ability to outstrip China in the coming decades.

9. Canada/Australia. Too small, but reasonably well trained and equiped despite a strange obsession with F-18’s.

11. Pakistan. Smaller version of India.

12. South Africa. Army full of hard men who know how to fight – anyone familiar with the Anglo-Boer war? These Afrikaners are tough nuts.

13-20 Any of – Spain, Italy, Iraq, Argentina (they seem to get all motivated at the mention of the “malivnas”), Mexico, Brazil, Malaysia, Indonesia.

RE: The Antonov 148

I still don’t understand…

Why is the AN-148 cheaper than an ERJ? Why would Western airlines not be interested? The obvious inference is that it is lower quality.