johnnyshape wrote:

toomanyhelicopters wrote:okay, gotcha. just looked him up on google. yeah, a joke about some soccer player, eh? hrm...

I was almost going to explain it for the benefit of you americanos, but decided not to - cos let's face it, if you don't laugh straightaway, you ain't never gonna.

Also (not that you or anyone else outside the UK should be expected to know this) calling Paul "Gazza" Gascoigne a soccer player is like calling The Pope a religious man. The man's iconographic status in the UK as the fallen hero, the flawed genius, the primal Englishman and much more, threatens to eclipse his more than astonishing footballing achievements. The joke would be a hundredweight short without it.

exactly, famous soccer player, joke was hilarious, gotcha.

I felt for this man. He finally was able to bring himself to issue a pact with Israel even though they stole a huge portion of his country's land and it became nullified by radical groups. Israel natuarally blamed him for it. He was a bad man, but for the Middle East, he was an exlempory man. I know there is at least one spelling error in here.

I think Arafat was towering figure of the late 20th century. He was the embodiment of the aspirations of the palestinians to have their own state. Although often flawed and autocratic in style he can hardly be blamed for the break down the Oslo accords, peace treaties which were designed to fail. He showed resolve in the face of huge adversity. His death leaves a worrying vacuum of power. The next most popular leader in Palestine is the leader of Hamas, closely followed by Marwan Barghouti the imprisoned commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. I don't think we'll ever see these guys shaking hands with Mandela , Clinton, Gorbachev, or an Israeli Prime Minister. History may remember Arafat as a moderate. The Israelis must be rubbing their hands with glee.

And while all this is happening:

Mordechi Vanunu, Isreali nuclear whistleblower, is re-arrested

I thought that in appearance, he was a near-twin to Ringo Starr.

caffeine head wrote:I thought that in appearance, he was a near-twin to Ringo Starr.

I can see what you mean!