Things Noticeable this week

[Roubignol]

BTW... I was surprised that nobody here mentionned what happened in Gaza on last week?
Are those things no more... "noticable"?

Originally Posted by rupertramjet

Last night we sat and watched the U17 European quarter final, this might seem incredible, but, they played football! They did not argue with the referee, they showed fantastic skills, they played flat out for the whole game, one player got a yellow card for an offence, he opened his hands as if to say that is a bit harsh, but not a word! Brilliant, you know what if the so called adult game goes to this style, it might be worth watching again!

Brilliant game by both teams thank you!

Two weeks ago I watched a friendly game between U16 Switzerland and Italy.
Damned. The technical level and the fighting spirit. Excellent.

BUT, there already were some unfair acts (mostly from the Italian side )... which showed the influence of an adult trainer.

Originally Posted by scoundrel

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-44173954

Here we go again.

America needs more guns, obviously.

Is it America or Texas?
Because if I understood well, in Illinois it's strongly regulated.

[Mal Hombre]

Originally Posted by Rogerbh

However, people going nuts with guns is going to occur randomly in the US for the foreseeable future. That may sound terrible to hear, but actually seeing it or losing someone to such an event is unlikely in your lifetime. So most Americans don't do anything about it. On the contrary, if you study the polls, more Americans seem adamant that no laws get past to ban pistols than ever before. http://news.gallup.com/poll/1645/guns.aspx Note in 1959, 60% wanted to ban handguns, but lately it is under 30%. The number who want no ban on handguns has increased from 36% in 1959 to consistently over 70% currently.

So it is pretty clear to see that nothing much will change. You can blame the NRA all you want, but it is the people in the US who choose this way of life and it is pretty clear that we will not change.

What like the idiot with the Trump hat,Flag and holstered handgun,"Making America Great Again" outside the school while They were still bringing out corpses ?

Originally Posted by treehugger

Originally Posted by KPRC News
"On Friday morning, ten people were killed when a gunman opened fire at Santa Fe High School, in Texas. As details about the incident continue to emerge, a clip of student Paige Curry speaking to the local television station KPRC has gone viral. In it, an emotional yet composed Curry describes the terrifying scene, also explaining that the shooting didn’t surprise her. “I managed to keep calm through it all. There was another girl who was just freaking out; they were struggling really hard to keep her calm. It was really — it was really scary,” Curry says.


“Was there a part of you that was like, ‘This isn’t real. This could not happen at my school?’” the interviewer asks.
“No. There wasn’t,” Curry replies, with a bitter laugh.
“Why so?”
“It’s been happening everywhere,” she shrugs. “I’ve always felt it would eventually happen here too."

That what gets Me,Americans go into paroxysms over Islamic terrorism,North Korean Nukes,Iranian Nukes but the fact that You could go to the mall and some murderous inadequate might blow You away is just a fact of life.The fact that every morning when You send Your kids off to school,You don't know if they will come home again is something You just have to get used to.

[gedly]

They love royal weddings at the BBC. Everybody can just sit around and talk complete and utter bollocks for six hours.

[bcfc23459l]

Very warm today, unseasonably so in London but cooler at night so that's okay to sleep.

[SanteeFats]

Originally Posted by Mal Hombre

What like the idiot with the Trump hat,Flag and holstered handgun,"Making America Great Again" outside the school while They were still bringing out corpses ?



That what gets Me,Americans go into paroxysms over Islamic terrorism,North Korean Nukes,Iranian Nukes but the fact that You could go to the mall and some murderous inadequate might blow You away is just a fact of life.The fact that every morning when You send Your kids off to school,You don't know if they will come home again is something You just have to get used to.

Right or wrong America has a very different attitude about guns that those not raised here will never understand IMO. Just as I can not really understand countries that don't allow their population to have access to guns.
To diffuse the harsh criticism that would surely follow my post I am not saying that better gun control and even banning some types is not something that I oppose but as I said earlier you just have to have been brought up in our cultures.

[DTravel]

Originally Posted by Mal Hombre

That what gets Me,Americans go into paroxysms over Islamic terrorism,North Korean Nukes,Iranian Nukes but the fact that You could go to the mall and some murderous inadequate might blow You away is just a fact of life.The fact that every morning when You send Your kids off to school,You don't know if they will come home again is something You just have to get used to.

Despite the impression you get from the news outlets, such incidents actually are rare given the size and population of the US.

[Wendigo]

Originally Posted by DTravel

Despite the impression you get from the news outlets, such incidents actually are rare given the size and population of the US.

It's all relative to what you class as rare.
https://www.abc15.com/news/data/mass...curred-in-2018

That's 101 mass shootings this year

Of those 40 were in school's
https://www.abc15.com/news/data/scho...curred-in-2018

As a Brit living in a country were guns have never been part of our national psyche those numbers are shocking and impossible to treat as being rare but in a country were guns are pretty much classed as everyday utensils you see things differently

As Santee said we have just been brought up in different cultures and as the saying goes "never the twain shall meet"

[Rogerbh]

Your comparison of stats is off Wendigo, the 101 "mass shootings" uses the definition of four or more people being shot. Your second stat of 42 occurring in a school involves a gun going off in a school setting, no requirement that anyone even gets hit.

With such a definition, it isn't 42 out of 101 but more like 42 out of tens of thousands of non-lawful firearm discharges.

[rupertramjet]

Absolutely agree with Santee, we non Americans will never understand the American attitude to firearms! I am slightly different from many of the non US posters in that I am an honorary US Citizen, an have spent two periods of two years in the US. The first with the US Military at Fort Bragg, and the second as a graduate student living mainly on or near campus, so with real people!

At risk of being repetitive, or appearing to brag, I am highly trained in the use of firearms, not just from my nation, but many others too. I have served in Northern Ireland, where weapons control had got out of hands, but illicit weapons were held in the main, by the terrorists on both sides, a frightening situation for Police, Civilians and security forces. We used to have our weapons attached to our wrists so the could not be pulled away easily in a crowd situation, remember we were not allowed to fire back. I would go home at the end of the tour and never even think I might be in danger of being shot.

There are illegal weapons here, and through out Europe, but the only people who go looking for them are wrong doers, people with nasty things on their minds, normally to deal with their own kind.

We have no fear of guns, at all, and you know what? It is kind of nice!

[Wendigo]

Originally Posted by Rogerbh

Your comparison of stats is off Wendigo, the 101 "mass shootings" uses the definition of four or more people being shot. Your second stat of 42 occurring in a school involves a gun going off in a school setting, no requirement that anyone even gets hit.

With such a definition, it isn't 42 out of 101 but more like 42 out of tens of thousands of non-lawful firearm discharges.

I didn't define the statistics Rogerbh, they were on the same website, however to a Brit whichever way you slice or dice it such shootings are not "rare"

Merriam-Webster - seldom occurring
Oxford Dictionaries - not occurring very often

What is really telling is the comment by one of the students involved that has been quoted already by treehugger

Originally Posted by treehugger

Originally Posted by KPRC News
"On Friday morning, ten people were killed when a gunman opened fire at Santa Fe High School, in Texas. As details about the incident continue to emerge, a clip of student Paige Curry speaking to the local television station KPRC has gone viral. In it, an emotional yet composed Curry describes the terrifying scene, also explaining that the shooting didn’t surprise her. “I managed to keep calm through it all. There was another girl who was just freaking out; they were struggling really hard to keep her calm. It was really — it was really scary,” Curry says.


“Was there a part of you that was like, ‘This isn’t real. This could not happen at my school?’” the interviewer asks.
“No. There wasn’t,” Curry replies, with a bitter laugh.
“Why so?”
“It’s been happening everywhere,” she shrugs. “I’ve always felt it would eventually happen here too."

That is quite tragic when people half expect that some day it may happen to them.

No doubt her opinions will be mocked by some more vocal pro gun advocates but that will say more about those mockers than it does about her.