mercuryg

Good listening, I must say. A friend of mine is guitarist in a very successful rock band, he also builds his own instruments and plays st bluegrass festivals, love to hear him play

They certainly drank a lot of wine!

Indeed, but only Michael, Gabriel and Lucifer are named in the bible.

I did! I believe that, should one smoke, it's not a good sign.

There's one for you Pete - how many Angels are named in the Bible? Can you do it without Google??

That is a good point, Pete, and bears thinking about. I believe that the bible stories are based upon actual events, but that they had been exaggerated or misinterpreted by the time the Gospels were written. Given that it is difficult to pinpoint a firm date, that could be anywhere between 50 and a few hundred years AD.

"Last word!,Men,[and Ladies,and cherubs!]all with white dresses and feathery wings" Now, this is an interesting one! I believe (and correct me if I'm wrong as I'm no biblical scholar) that Angels, being non-human, have the ability to manifest as men (note the distinction - not women, but men) according to the gospels, and that there are several 'classes''of Angel. A quick bit of research shows that, in fact, only two of these classes are ever described as having wings and, as with fairies in folklore, it would appear the popular art across the ages has converted the image of an Angel into a female-like form, always with wings. As for cherubs, they apparently have nothing to do with Angels whatsoever. I see where HPW is coming from, and it is certainly an interesting question: why indeed, where did it come from?

"Finally, can everyone please stop personalising what would otherwise be a great debate!" Indeed, and I'm not singling anyone out with this comment. The great thing about this place is we can all have different opinions, and express them, and accept that others may not agree. We create debates for interest and fun and of course sometimes things get a little hot under the collar. I like to believe we could all meet for a pint (or a pot of tea, HPW) and laugh about it all.

I thought he was having trouble with a BlackBerry

How big?????/

' Symptoms, surely 'points scoring' is a waste of time. I don't want to hear one side tell me what's wrong about tge others, I csn work that out myself. I want to know what they are going to do for the good, which is usually shrouded in the small print.

Willy, you or I could wipe the floor with mr lavery, as you are well aware! I shall give the young lady a hearing

Tony wrote: "f for some odd reason I changed my political views & decided to support B.N.P could I stick it on the the advertising board me thinks not" I questioned the appearance of the ad as I wanted to make sure the moderators were impartial, and knew that one had a strong leaning towards the party. I was assured - as we have been in this thread - that other parties could advertise if they wish. That's enough for me. The above sentence misses the point: the moderator did not single-handedly put up the ad, the party asked for it to be placed. As 3G said before, the others should make use of the facility.

Great discussion indeed! A couple of things you said interested me, HPW: "Did they start with a wood model,then up-scale it?" We don't know that much, I don't think. What we do know is that the Egyptians had been building pyramids of a sort for a long, long time before they built the Great Pyramid etc. I respect your experience and understand how you come to your conclusion - which, I might add, may be right, it's just not one I draw myself - but the problem of comparing pyramid building to your line of work is that we are talking not just many thousands of years ago, but an entirely different environment and method. Someone, a few years back, made great stock of having tried to move such huge stones using modern methods, and found it practically impossible. He missed the point: they didn't use modern methods! "The precision of the placing of every stone throughout the interior of the pyramid left him stunned and in awe,as was everyone else,in the party." I would love to go, and believe it would leave me in awe also, but that doesn't mean it couldn't have been done by mere mortals. I was stunned by the workmanship evident in Durham Cathedral, which is 1000 years old. It's a colossal undertaking, and I can't for the life of me understand how it was done. But I know it was! Similar doubts to those associated with the pyramids have been raised about the great Peruvian constructions such as Macchu Pichu; they were also built by human hands, and exhibit astonishing levels of precision (they also, incidentally, built pyramids). "You just[by a slip of the eye,!!],gave an excellent example of how the bible stories would have been created....chinese whispers!! It wasn't MY Daughter who witnessed the craft....!!" Absolutely; apologies to your niece! "Daniken,in my view,isn't a Deity,he didn't write anything for us to "Believe",he put forward HIS theories and left it for us to think what we will,either agree or disagree!" Well, to a point you are right, but the fact remains von Daniken involved many elements of fabrication in his theories (and that many of them weren't his at all). An example is the famous picture of a Mayan God (I think) which he interprets as being a spaceman in full spacesuit and a rocket; it's nothing of the sort, and Scholars have known for a long time what it is - a Mayan God in traditional head dress. of course, von Daniken is entitled to believe otherwise. "I don't see any massive temples or other architectural achievements on a mighty huge scale in our little island..." There are many, although not from 4000 years hence; cathedrals at Durham, Lincoln, Ely, Salisbury, York Minster, etc.... "...or am I missing something?" Not at all; it's just that the Egyptian civilisation arose and developed long before we reached that level of sophistication, and I'm sure there are those who can tell us why. Perhaps teh aliens liked their climate better! Nothing here to suggest high levels of intelligence from 4000 years ago.

I've an idea Tony. Have a chat with someone from the Labour party and ask if they want an ad on here, and the mods will sort it for you?

"What would you do if somebody from the NF or B.N.P put a request in what would you do?? Looking forward to your answer on that one." if I may interject, surely it's up to the mods to decide what is and what is not suitable for advertising on here? Personally, as the parties you mention are legitimate, whether we like it or not, I'd say they have as much right as anyone else. I questioned the advert originally as I'm aware 3G is a staunch UKIP man; he didn't deny that at all, and has made it clear that other parties are welcome to advertise. Surely that's fair all-round?

I already touched on this in a different thread, and to his credit 3G gave a fair response. Anyone can advertise here, it's up to the other parties to get in touch and request it. Fair enough.

"Merc,what proof do we have about Daniken?." Well, HPW, quite a lot! The man himself has admitted in various interviews that some of his 'facts' are not quite so, and his track record for fraudulent behaviour is hardly a testament to his honesty. I admit his books contain some interesting stuff, and theories abound in there that I can see are attractive given the alternatives, but I simply don't buy the Ancient Alien theory in any way, shape or form, as it does not make sense (nor, I must clarify, does the traditional view of God). I grant anyone the right to their beliefs however, and would clearly enjoy discussing such things with your good self. After all, what a boring world it would be if we all agreed on everything! "Do you really believe they used thirty thousand slaves to pull 200-ton stone blocks up the stone hill on pit props,for rollers?" A misconception that rears its ugly head often here, HPW; they were not slaves, they were employed to do the job. It puzzles me how the myth that 'we don't know how the pyramids were built' continues to thrive: we do, the very building of pyramids and transporting of stones as described is depicted on both heiroglyphs and pictures within many of the constructions, and there are tools that have been uncovered in museums in Egypt. Contrary to popular belief, there is no mystery. Indeed, it's even been discovered, from such pictorials, that at the front of the chain pulling the blocks would be a team pouring water in the path to make the passage across the sand easier. I'm afraid the pyramid myth is perpetuated by those who wish us to believe that ancient Egyptians were stupid: they were an advanced civilisation with impressive astronomy skills and scientific knowledge that was impressive for the time. The Nazca lines are equally impressive, but have been dated to a few hundred years after Christ, not concurrently. They are on my 'bucket list' of places to visit. It's all fascinating stuff. As for your daughters 'sighting' I have absolutely no doubt she saw something unusual. How big was the craft? Google Taranis, BAE's new pilotless future drone, officially only having flown in Australia, but rumoured to have been performing around the UK routinely. Also, could it have been a drone of the quadcopter sort? They make the sort of noise described, but are very small.

"Bedlingtonshire Development Trust" My sincere apologies Malcolm, this is what I meant, I should have checked before typing. That's all great to hear, and I look forward very much to more such events at the park, the Bandstand looks superb these days. I can understand that Woodhorn is not as profitable as may be, but it really wasn't profit I was getting at (though of course it is desirable) rather the subject of attracting people to the town, people from other areas who would then spend money here. "TWO COMMUNITY GROUPS MAKING A REAL PHYSICAL DIFFERENCE TO BEDLINGTON!" ...and of which we should be proud. It's a great town, with great people, a surprisingly illustrious past and potentially a lot to offer. Let's see what further ideas come about from the good folks on here.

"One of the things we found was if you involve the youth in problem areas they don't usually vandalise their own projects, instil some pride!" Very true. It's a sad fact that today's younger generation are viewed by many (and I am not referring to any on here) with such a dim view. In my past I've been involved in youth projects that showed just how willing the 'yoof of today' are to get involved and help. I find the youngsters in these parts to be, on the whole, a great bunch and, as Canny Lass mentions, they are the 'future Bedlingtonians' for whom the town needs to provide. There's an interesting contrast between this area, where I have now lived for 22 years and from whence my family originates, to the area in which I grew up in the North West. That was, by and large, an affluent area (still is - find me a house in my old home village that is not now lived in by a premier league footballer - the wrong sort of affluent) with a demographic different to here. To visit their grown up children my neighbours would undoubtedly have had to travel, usually to the bright lights of the capital. There was no community spirit at all. Here, I know of several families (and relatives) where grandparents, parents, children, even grandchildren live with a short distance of each other, and often on the same street. My friends from 'over there' think it short sighted; I find it comforting having family close to hand, and can see where such commitment to community spirit comes from. Back to - sort of - on topic! To me, it doesn't matter if there's no Tesco in town; I can hop on a bus or borrow a car and pop to Asda at Bebside. What Bedlington needs, from my point of view, is not what all the surrounding towns and shopping centres have to offer, but something different, a Unique Selling Point if you like, something that makes people want to come here especially for it. That's not a Tesco, a Waitrose, or anything like that; that's been done, bigger and inevitably better, just a short drive away in Cramlington, or wherever. My line of thinking is that the town could play more on its rich historical heritage; visitors flock in their thousands to Woodhorn Colliery all year around; what if we could provide an attraction such as that, perhaps with the Ironworks as a central focus point? Yes, of course, it costs money, which we don't have, but i'm just putting it out there. Here's another thing: Attlee Park, thanks to the work put in (I believe? Malcolm?) by the Heritage Trust, is a stunning venue; last year's 'Big Event' was a great day out for all, the place was packed, and watching keith and malcolm trying in vain to run a burger stall was a genuine pleasure. Could the park be used for more such events? I'm sure I'll get an answer to that one.

"Bet You and Me could while away a happy evening mercury,if we were sat around a comfy table with a pot of tea...[me being a complete tee-totaller!!" I believe we could, HPW! I have a heart interest in all things 'unusual' and have my own theories on the biblical stories. I am what you might call a UFO 'enthusiast' (although must stress I believe them, on the whole, to have been built here on earth and originate from military projects) and avidly read anything related to the supernatural etc. One thing I must take issue with is your description of von Daniken as a Scientist; he has no scientific background at all, the science in his books is actually where he falls down, he was merely a hotelier with a dubious record of fraud and tax evasion! On that note, it's interesting that his books were (and are) massively successful where others that went before, from which it is widely believed he pinched most of his ideas (i.e ancient astronauts, the nazca lines, et al) were not. How did he manage than with no history of publishing and no credentials as an authority on the subjects within? That in itself is a mystery!

Wonderful stuff!

'Becoming' a commuter town? Its been one for decades. No transport? I can get an x21 or x22 to Newcastle at least three times an hour.

It better not, where would I live? I have asked them if I could move into the little snug behind the fire; I could easily fit a bed and a desk in there.

I used to have a to do a similar thing to get my old Mini to start! bang the starter with a hammer