Off Topic Off-Topic Thread (Anything Non-Football Related)

Most likely.

 

Why don't you just ask your carer, or the Meals on Wheels guy to type for you?

 

The value of the naming rights has actually decreased.

 

Weren't the naming rights and shirt sponsorship extended as one deal? It was definitely agreed at the same time and I'd imagine one had a baring on the other. But overall our sponsorship money from emirates went up, not down.

Either way not sure how that changes anything I've said it was extended recently, it is a good stream of revenue and I do imagine we will continue to sell the naming rights...

 

Having done a quick google search I can't find anything that suggests the naming rights went down in value? The increase to the naming rights was for the same length of time as the original deal. And the new deal was £60m larger than the old one... And it seems it was a joint deal for the shirt and stadium rights. Am I missing something?

 

Whilst the overall amount of the sponsorship deal with Emirates has increased the proportion paid for the naming rights has decreased

 

Have you got a source for that? Can't find a breakdown of the sponsorship deal on any of the articles about it.

 

It was mentioned when the new deal was announced.It is something to do with the stadium only ever having been know as the emirates

 

I suppose that'd make sense!

 

If someone asked you the name of Bolton's ground what would your answer be ?

 

Okay this is very off topic does anybody ever think about life at the arsenal training ground who's friends with who etc. personally i think its straight forward as the Spanish guys stick together as the English guys do. Surely im not the only one who has thought of this lol

 

Did anybody else see the Southampton stewards WWE slam on a Liverpool fan ?

 

Interesting to see what the papers are doing with this 'Jihidi John' asshole, they can't get enough of him at the moment, ****ing two page spreads about him, loads of front page covers. Surely this is what that sadist **** wants? I guess the papers needs the clicks and sales to keep their dieing industry going, also this is a simple enough story and not 'unsexy' compared to that story the Guardian exposed about HSBC.

 

Someone I know knew 'Jihadi John' from the age of 11 and was telling me that he certainly didn't have these views or act in such a violent manner when he was a young 'un. Not that I'm in any way condoning what he's done and the crimes he has committed, but what pisses me off is that there is this notion within the media and even people I speak to that Islamic extremism or 'Islamism' is prevalent among younger people and that this ideology is taught to them from a very early age, which is what resulted in Mohamed Emwazi acting like this. Do people actually know that a meagre 0.7% of terrorist attacks in Europe were committed by 'Islamists'?

http://www.counterfire.org/news/175...or-accounts-for-only-0-7-of-attacks-in-europe

From Eric Pickles sending a letter to the Muslim community telling Muslims to 'prove their British identity' following the Paris attacks straight to this ludicrous Counter Terrorism Bill the government have introduced, the way the government have dealt with such issues have been absolutely farcical.

 

Farcical in what way...........?

 

I don't know if this question implies that you agreed with the government on both issues I raised or if you're asking a genuine question.

Let me ask you something. Did you think Eric Pickles' letter to the Muslim communities and the Counter Terrorism Bill were good ideas? And did you think these ideas were executed properly?

 

My personal view on Eric Pickles letter was that it was patronising and ill thought out, if a well intentioned act. Whilst I think the Imams have got a big role to play in ensuring that young Muslims are given a strong moral code about what being a good Muslim means. The issue is far wider in terms of many young Muslims feeling displaced within their societies. Eric Pickles' letter demonstrated just how out of touch the Govt are with the Muslim community in my opinion.

I think it's also interesting to note that whilst Je Suis Charlie are allowed free reign to take the piss out of Muslims, if you even dare mention anything controversial about Jews, you run the risk of being criminally charged under the anti-semitic laws ...... double standards ?

 

It was a genuine question to gain an understanding of why you used the word 'farcical'. But I will answer your questions.

Pickle's letter, in my humble opinion, is a good idea as it offers those in the Muslim community who claim that isis and other so-called terrorist groups are not truly representative of Islam, a chance to become involved in the fight for true diversity and against cowardly thugs. It will be up to those people to help uphold the common standards of decency that I believe we all share along with other right minded people. He was also right to condemn the Briitish right wing extremist parties, as he also did in his letter.

The counter terrorism bill also, on the face of it, seems to be a sensible bill and has cross party support. The powers it offers are, like any other bill of its kind, potentially open to misuse but have only come about because of a steady rise in the number of people whose heads have been turned by extremist vitriol and have decided to join a cause that at best challenges conventional thinking but at its worse presents an evil threat to the way we all live. Based on all the information I have been able to see or read, I believe the powers should be exercised on the three girls who left the UK last week to join isis. The retstraining order should be placed on them if and whenever they try to re-enter the UK,if only at least to set a precedent and to show that this (or any other) government means what it says and is prepared to act. (Whether it will or not is perhaps a different debate.)

My work over the last fifteen years or so has taken me to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait on many occasions and I have met many people who are muslims of differing degrees.To a man they renounce the violence of groups like isis and some of them are quite frightened by the prospect of falling under their power. Balancing this, i have never been to Syria, Iraq, Jordan or any of the other, less prosperous Arabic nations where the conditions are different and therefore more condusive to the persuasions of isis and al queda. I have, though, been to Malaysia and met many more muslims who have very peaceful aspects upon life.

I have to be honest and say that I was pleased to hear what Boris Johnson had to say on the matter today. What did you think about that?

 

I agree about the double standards that abound everywhere we look. I cannot understand why any one group feel that it cannot be criticised at all. There seems to be a 'double standard' about what respect actually means. "I dont have to agree with what you say, but I will fight to defend your right to say it" was said a long time ago by someone better than me, but I firmly believe it to be true.

 

Religion takes itself way too seriously. At the end of the day it's just another belief system, with no more validity than any other system of understanding the world. I think it shows huge a insecurity with your faith when you resort to murder if somebody criticises your religion.

That said, there is a huge inequality when you can freely take the piss out of Islam but run the risk of prosecution and allegations of anti-semitism if you dare to criticise Judaism.