Iceni warrior

My point was, why does the US pay twice what it needs to unless they want to? You think they will pay less if Germany coughs up a little more?

I get a little tired hearing how America is paying more than its fair share for defence. As I understand it, the buy in to sit down at the NATO table is 2% of GDP. The UK pays this and the US pays 4%. Why should I feel shamed into paying more than my obligated buy in just because the US pays twice what it needs to?

Yet the majority of Brits are sympathetic towards Meghan and Harry and would never link her to gang crime just because her mother lived 4 miles away from Compton. Unless they are dickheads.

Only the dickheads.

We were always taught that it's not about whether you win or lose but how you play the game. Good sportsmanship and enjoying yourself being the most important thing. Very different from the second place is just the first of the losers attitude.

She's been treated a lot worse than Catherine and the tabloids weren't nasty to Fergie from the start. Fergie got great press until her toe sucking ''financial advisor'' came onto the scene. Meghan recieved a ''straight outta compton'' headline in the Mail before the relationship had even got fully off the ground.

It's true what they say about hockey players then?

For a more serious answer to your question. As briefly as I can put it. In the 5 day game, or test cricket as it's known, for a game to have a result both teams have to have 2 complete innings. The team who score the most runs is the winner. However, if either team fails to get all of the opposition out (take their wickets) twice then the game is a draw. This can be acheived by defensive batting where you protect your wicket rather than try to score runs or by praying to the Gods of rain. Runs can be scored in 3 ways. Hitting the ball and running between the stumps (wickets) placed 22 yds apart. Stopping before the fielding team recovers the ball and hits the stumps at either end of the pitch (also known as a wicket). Hitting the ball over the boundary rope either after hitting the ground (a four) or without hitting the ground first (a six) similar to a home run. When the bowler bowls too wide (a wide) or releases the ball after crossing a line known as a crease (a no ball). A player can be ''got out'' in several ways. The batsman can be caught out after either hitting the ball or ''nicking'' it to the wicket keeper. The bowlers can hit his stumps (or wicket) knocking the horizontal stick known as the bails off the top of the 3 upright sticks known as the stumps (known as being bowled out). The fieldsmen can hit the stumps while the batsman is running between the wickets trying to score runs or if he steps out of his crease while attempting to hit a ball. (Known as being stumped) The batsman can knock his own bails off with his bat or any part of his body. The bowler can hit the batsman's leg in front of the wicket if the umpire has decided it would have hit the stumps otherwise, known as an LBW or leg before wicket. A bowler gets six balls (not counting no balls or wides) per ''over'' which are bowled from one end of the pitch. When his over is over another bowler comes over and bowls another over from the opposite end.. Simple really.

I hope that clears it up for you.

No, rounders is a kid's game that you only play until you are old enough and sophisticated enough to play cricket. I believe it is the game from which softball and baseball derive.

I'm new to hockey. Where I'm from it's played on grass mostly by girls. For team sports I played rugby and basketball and a children's game called rounders which is similar to baseball. So the rivalries and history of the game are still pretty unknown to me. I'm only just learning about the ''curse'' of Harold Ballard. I am learning to appreciate the game though and unlike many of my favourite sports here in the UK it is readily available to stream online for free. Matthews does seem to make scoring look effortless compared to others and his puck skills , timing and positional play make him exceptional.

Talking of hot enough to melt a glacier, hat trick for Matthews.

I know, it's amazing that a sport like ice hockey ever got off the ground. Talking of which, Leafs v Devils is about to start.

Best to have an open mind about these things. I wouldn't want to miss an opportunity to learn.

Yes but I'm waiting to see why ''it's cold in winter'' is compelling evidence that increasing greenhouse gases don't melt glaciers.

Indubitably. I take simple pleasures in life though.

Do they even recognise Her Majesty as the head of state in Colorado? Bunch of occult worshipping heathens. I want nothing to do with your witchcraft and curses.

Well that's just blasphemy. God is clearly a Leafs fan. It's as obvious as the fact he's an Englishman. He's just testing our faith. In fact, it's probably your apostasy which is responsible for all the years in the wilderness. Repent before it's too late. Save your soul (and the playoffs) by returning to the flock.

Yes but deep down you know that you will be damned to Hell for all eternity for what you have done. I can't risk that with my fair skin. I get sunburnt just watching Beau Geste on TV.

Nope, can't do it. They've been a part of my life for a whole 2 months now. It would be like renouncing my own mother and begging to be adopted by Theresa May. Besides which, ''you know who'' would hunt me down like a dog and pull my fingernails off one at a time. Once a Leaf always a Leaf.

Yeah, following a team which doesn't know how to spell the plural of leaf is starting to feel like a rash move. However, there's no going back once you choose. Only a glory hunting Judas would do that. Go Leaves.

It's no bother really. I'm not going to run around in circles finding links to supporting evidence that will be ignored or discredited for no good reason. I think that just letting him talk is enough to demonstrate his lack of knowledge. Not understanding how sea levels fell dramatically during ice ages or that Africa is a continent not a country that kind of guff. I may be new here but this is not my first rodeo. It took me no time at all to recognise who the forum's biggest troll is. I'm not expecting rational dialogue but I am hoping for a little entertainment.

My suspicion that it wouldn't be worth my time getting into a serious debate has been confirmed by the fact you believe Africa is a country. Enjoy your coffee.

Change your mind? Now we all know that isn't going to happen whatever evidence I show you, is it? Not even if I showed you how glaciers are disappearing.

I've never even been to Leeds never mind Elland Road, but yeah, once you choose there's no changing your mind. I've been to British juggling conventions in York, Huddersfeild, Doncaster and Pickering though and find Yorkshire to be very pretty.