You'd have to favour Djokovic quite strongly. If he can beat Nadal on the clay, as he did in the French not so long ago, then he can beat Federer on the grass.
Federer is a phenomenal player, but he's not quite at his best any more. I'm not sure anyone can beat Djokovic here really.

As everyone expected, too easy for Verstappen. There is no-one to challenge him, unless Mercedes can come up with some big improvements to their car very quickly... but they've said they're focusing on next year's car, which suggests that this year's title race may be as good as over already. But let's see, it's a different track next time out, and maybe Mercedes can come up with something.

The ever-increasing gap between Mercedes and Red Bull makes me much less interested in the race. We got bored sometimes over the last years when a race was just a Mercedes procession... a change is welcome, but this is too far. Unless he makes a stupid mistake or there is a problem with the normally perfect Red Bull pit stop, then Verstappen will lead from start to finish without being challenged. I really hope that at some point we can have a season where it's unclear which team has the best car, and there is real competition. All hopes on the rule changes next year...

We're all fans.

Well, you may be right. It's too late to argue now, as it appears that finally, after much waiting, the terrifying Kraken has emerged from the briny depths to wreak its aquatic vengeance. Shame on those of you who thought that this was just wild unsubstantiated nonsense.

No, we haven't. We have very high vaccination rates, but also rapidly rising case numbers due to the more transmissible delta variant. Essentially it's a race between the virus and the vaccine to see whether or not we can achieve effective herd immunity. I think the rest of the world probably views the UK as a test case.

The good news though is that because of the high vaccination rate, it means that the rising case numbers are generally amongst unvaccinated people, which means mostly young people who on average have less sevre symptoms. This is why although case numbers are high and increasing, hospitalisations and deaths remain very low.

As an England fan I always want England to win, but it's difficult to be objective and understand whether the England squad is actually good enough. I mean, I think they've looked quite good so far, but for me I always thought the winner of the Belgium - Italy match would go on to win the tournament, and I'll probably stick with that. Italy look very good.

I don't know. England have a tendency to make things difficult for themselves, particularly when they are clear favourites... anyone remember how England got knocked out of the last European Championships?
It was England 1, Iceland 2.

And for a weird coincidence, the other match on that day, Monday 27th June 2016, was Italy 2, Spain 0... a prediction for this year's first semi-final?

It's weird, isn't it? Almost as if it's not true at all...

Yep. Please provide a link to 40 seconds of truth, and I'll be happy to watch.

Unfortunately I only have the link you posted, which takes me to some guy who feels the need to have 'TRUNEWS' displayed in huge letters behind him... just to emphasise that he isn't, you know, talking absolute nonsense.





Still waiting for this kraken to emerge...

If you understood how population change works, and the reasons behind it, then you'd understand that there is no need to devise an artificial mechanism to reduce population.

Besides, how does this fit with other conspiracy theories? I do agree to an extent that the rich and powerful manipulate and control the rest of us... but this has always been the case, and they always prefer to have more ordinary people to exploit, as this increases their wealth and power. I mean, going back to the days of slavery... someone who owns 100 slaves isn't going to come up with some secret plan to reduce his own slave population, is he?

Well, thanks anyway. I got some wider perspective for some of my questions, even if you weren't able (or didn't want to try to) answer others.
And don't worry... I'm sure we'll be back to our usual position of disagreeing on everything soon enough

Belgium and Italy are I think the best two teams in the competition. I'd say the winner of this match is probably favourite to win the whole tournament.
The other side of the draw looks weak. England are perhaps the strongest there, but I don't think they're as good as Belgium, Italy or Spain... and I say that even though I want England to win.

Thanks for the explanation, that's helpful. One problem I've always had with religion is that it can feel like a refusal to accept responsibility - if God created everything and is directing everything, then none of your actions (or inactions) are really "yours" at all... you are behaving, for good or evil, exactly as God made you to behave.


I know you're talking about free will, but is anyone truly free if they have a brain that has been built for them by God? And thought patterns that arise in that brain?

Similarly, if heaven is the reward for living a good life, can your actions really be considered "good", if you know that you'll be rewarded for them? How do we distinguish between a religious person performing a good act because a) they are genuinely being kind and simply want to, or b) they have an expectation of being rewarded for it in the afterlife, and are willing to do anything it takes to get that reward?

Spain certainly improved during the group phase... but they so nearly threw away their chance in the last 16. That first knockout round had some weird matches and weird results, but no team really looks invincible at the moment. So I'd definitely agree that whilst Spain should be favourites, we certainly can't say that Switzerland have no chance.

I don't believe in God, and I wouldn't worship him/her even if they were proven to exist... but as an outsider I'm curious as to how Satan is perceived by those who do believe. If God is everything, then Satan is an aspect of God, right? Is that what you're alluding to? I mean, if God is 'good', then 'good' doesn't mean anything without 'evil' also existing, so Satan is a necessary aspect and manifestation of God, because if he didn't exist, then God couldn't be conceived of as being 'good'? Or don't you see it like that?

Difficult to say. 70 is the limit, but in all the time I've been on motorways, the fast lane is always well over 70, unless there's heavy traffic, roadworks, or a police car. So a sizeable proportion of drivers go well over 70 anyway.

If people drive at 80 when there's a 70 limit, then would they drive at 90 when there's an 80 limit? Or 100 with a 90 limit? I don't think we know. Presumably some people who are comfortable driving at 80 wouldn't feel safe at 100... so the higher the speed limit is, the fewer cars exceed it.

But if someone is willing to go 105 in a 70 limit, 50% over the limit, then I'd say he's likely willing to go as fast as his car will let him, and is probably a danger to other drivers, whatever the speed limit.




I'd imagine they help you to swim faster, but they're probably banned in the Olympics.

Well, you implied it, surely, by using the phrase 'gene therapy'? If it doesn't alter DNA, then how is it gene therapy? An mRNA vaccine can't alter your genes, and so can't be gene therapy.


Okay, you can argue that... but where does gene therapy come into it?


No comment.

You're right, this is how you win tournaments.
England have failed so often in the past by playing reckless attacking football, trying to cram in as many creative players as possible... and then getting ruthlessly eliminated by more efficient teams.

Southgate has specifically been studying how teams win tournaments, and the strategies and formations they use. And he's been trying to shape England into a tournament winning side. It seems to be working well. England aren't as fun as usual, but are far more efficient. Zero goals conceded so far in four games, and they've now a) won a Euros knockout match for the first time ever without going to penalties, and b) beaten Germany in a knockout match for the first time since 1966.

He thinks Biden is a hologram. And also, simultaneously, a puppet who is secretly controlled by Trump. I'd link to one of the posts, but it's really not worth my effort to get the link, or anybody else's effort to read it.

What? An mRNA vaccine can't alter DNA; that's a crazy idea. The vaccines simply provide your body with instructions for fighting Covid. They don't turn you into Spiderman or something.

Yeah, I thought that would be the response, which is why I made the point about what the government in my country have been doing. The NHS is publicly funded. Through our taxes, yes. But the money doesn't go straight from us as taxpayers to the NHS, it goes from us to the government to the NHS. And the government has been bleeding the NHS dry (pun intended) for over a decade. They are taking massive amounts of money out and leaving a minimum, barely viable service. Given their aim is quite clearly to take money away from hospitals and medical practitioners, why would they create a fake vaccine in order to give money to the same people and institutions that they're trying so hard to take money away from. That makes zero sense.