DJKillaQueen

Huguenot is absolutely right in that the Israeli finds have yet to be corroborrated and verified by outside scientific organistations but if they do point to earlier evidence of mankind and migration then science will embrace it as will I and every one else who is interested in Science and truth. There is no issue there. I don't care if we began in Africa, Asia or the planet Zog.....just long as it's not the Garden of Eden. And I totally agree with MP, that those that have issue with the 'Out of Africa' theory are often thoses with either religious, racial or or other philosophical or moral preoccupations. Let's be clear, the Out of Africa theory relates to us today and the earliest remains/ fossils of mankind that relate to US. So we CAN say that x amount of years ago OUR ancestors migrated out of Africa. That doesn't mean that THEIR predacessors didn't migrate from somewhere else, just that we don't know what happened before that. We wait to see if the new finds have any connection to the Africa relics and then through to ourselves, or indeed show a new origin altogether for some of us. Incidently you yourself have said that: The theory of humans originating from Africa is based on bone fragments and teeth found in Africa. As a result of recent discoveries some scientists think one group of early human ancestors left Africa between 300,000 and 400,000 years ago and quickly split up. One branch evolved into the Neanderthals who spread into Europe, while the other moved east and became Denisovans. That theory IS based on sound evidence. mtDNA is perfectly usuable for this work. And yes, while we don't yet fully understand why all the various mutations of evolution have happened as they do, to give us different 'looking' sub-species we know that evolution can generate such differences (looking at anything from birds to fish shows us that). Evolution is a slow process and has taken an incomprehensible amount of time to get there.

If their child was being targetted to order (as one line of investigation by Scotland Yard was pursuing).....then it wouldn't have made any difference if the McCanns had been in the apartment. The criminal organisation involved would have found another way to take the child....they always do.

The only thing that makes me angry at a cashpoint is when the letters OD follow the balance and it won't give me any money! ;-)

There's a difference between being given the option and being conned. After all, you have to answer a fair few questions anyway before you get any money.....one more option isn't going to hurt anyone. It all depends on how it's done. If donate is an aditional option on the menu of services then fine. If it's a single question on it's own that you have to answer before getting to the menu of available options then I think many would see that as intrusive.

Ha ha lol .....good one!

I totally agree with all of that Impetuous and yes, the impression is given that the 'no comment' interview was an early one. It changes everything when you realise it took place four months after initial interviews (and again, something conveniently omitted by those seeking to implicate the McCanns). It is perfectly understandable why 'no comment' was used given the change in direction of the investigation. The timeline is very important in something which you aptly describe as a quagmire.

Spelling mistakes and poor sight due to having the lurgy at the moment ...lol.....

All I got was a pack of cards and then was held hostage until I taught those that gave me them how to play poker!!!! ;-)

But the theory of humans originating from Africa IS based on DNA exploration. It's not dream't up out of thin air! Basic expanation of why mitochondrial DNA tells us we migrated out of Africa And note the important point that we are talking about the species of human we are today and it's origins....not the origins of the other know groups/ species of mankind that died out (although even the article you reference shows the other species as migrating out of Africa too). And did you not close your op with the following statement? Commonsense tells us humans didn't all evolve in Africa and somehow colonise the world (a scientific myth). An opinion made by you that shows an ignorance of broadly accepted scientific evidence...... You've only got to look around you to tell we're not all from the same stock. A common claim of the ultimately discreditted Eugenics theory....I'll take scientific explanation over your version of common sense any day!

Very interesting points Louisiana and I can totally understand the issues regarding translation - speaking two other european languages fluently and having seen for myself just how bad auto translation machines are. It seems to me as though there were two parallel investigations ongoing anyway. Scotland Yard seemed to be more concerned with the abduction theory and pursuing interpol intelligence (much of which has not been released into the public domain) and the Portuguese were more concerned in the end with the immediate scene, including the parents. I take Impetuous's point on the Wiki overview not having been updated recently as well, although that doesn't change anything with regards to the poor process followed by the Portuguese Police in the immediate aftermath of the disappearance. And also still leaves questions regarding Amaral's comments, behaviour and dubious selection of evidence for his theory intact. The Wiki overview does seem to be a well researched, balanced and considered overview, as opposed to some of the biased sensationalist blogs presnted elsewhere on this thread.

Well said Mockney and the evidence I'm afraid silverfox IS overwhelming. DNA in fact was the final nail in the coffin of those determined to dismiss Darwin as 'fantasy'. What I often find with those that easily dismiss science is that they are lazy in their beliefs as well as misguided. There is tons of evidence, and scientific process that works again and again and makes sense if only they look for themselves. After all, science comes up with a theory and then tests that theory by trying to disprove it. Scientists are way more skeptical than theologoians, but the difference is that whilst one works hard to find the truth, the other lazily takes for truth the views of a belief system that is based on very little truth and worse still shamelessly thinks that is somehow superior to the hard work of science.

Wikipedia overview Take a look at the wiki overview of the case. It makes for very interesting reading and demonstrates better than anything that the Almara theory selectively ingnores many credible factors and isn't close to being most likely at all. The Portuguese Police's failure to quaratine the flat and forensically search it properly are a major reason why anything offered on a forensic level can not be considered. The opportunities for contanimation are numerous. The villa was even rented out again after the disappearance and before the dogs went in. And consider this statement... John Barrett, a former Scotland Yard dog handler, said that the dogs used to detect a 'death smell' on Kate's Bible and clothes were brought in too long after Madeleine vanished since the crucial scent lasts for no longer than a month. There are however other factors to support the theory of abduction....like the burglary that used a key and the speck of DNA found in the bedroom (by the dogs) that did not belong to the McCanns or their three children. My view is that there is some truth to the criticism that Portuguese Police, instinctively wanted to avoid yet another emabarassment regarding peodophile rings and abduction (the country doesn't have a great record on that) and so preferred to look for a way to implicate the McCanns if they could, but in doing so neglected to run the investigation properly, collect reliable forensic material, and so on.

Oooooh no that thread really will be the death of me.... Genuine prediction for 2011 is that the EDF Dynamites ladies team will win their first trophy at a tournament!

DulwichFox Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > DJKillaQueen Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > I will be annointed a saint! > > You have to be dead to be annointed a Saint. :( In line with Narnia's prediction it'll probably go like this..... I'll emerge from the Boho Bar one evening after winning a game of poker and drinking one too many Sambuccas. Climb onto my Harley and start tearing down Lordship Lane, only to see Sue emerging from the East Dulwich Tavern. The throttle will open to full, I'll head straight for her and end up impaled on the optics of the EDT bar to die an almost instant but pleasurable death from alcohol poisoning...... The ghost of Sue will roam ED forever with many sightings and for my sins I shall be made patron saint of Sambucca and a thread discussing what happened, why and who was to blame will run for years with the Boho bar being blamed for everything. Hmmmmm....so glad that's only a theory lol......

Ha Ha Ha...just fell off my chair with laughter..............lol.....and couldn't agree more!

I did watch it and was thrilled to hear the Queen ramble on about sport and the importance of all those people who give their time for free to teach/ run sporting activities.....hey that's me! Excellent speech I thought ;-)

More in line with my thinking of the case. Discredits any theory Almara may have for me. Notably also the words of the dog handler that so much credance to Almara's theory hingese on..... The case file contains documents showing that Mark Harrison, the British search expert, and Martin Grimes, the dog-handler, warned that the results should be treated with caution. They insisted that ?corroborating evidence? was needed and that no ?intelligence reliability could be placed on the results?. Even the expert can see the flaw......

It's a very good article. The way TV companies are run, staffed and managed has also changed beyond recognition since the 70's and that in my view explains far more the demise of terrestial broadcasting. Producers can not take the risks they could then and everything has to be far more 'pleasing' than 'edgy' into todays market of idependent (outside) production, where the business is as dependent on after sales as some broadcasters are on advertising revenue and ratings....oh and add to that that some of todays commissioning editors started as PA's rather than being intellectual creatives who were driven by a real desire to do something with the medium. In short...what do you expect from a medium managed by former accountants, and office mamagers. I watched the 'Onedin Line' again recently (for nostalgia) but had forgotten that it was made on the cheap and actually is no better than soap drama.....albeit with ships. My mother loved it though.

It's funny you should say that because I've noticed that over the past five years I listen more and more to radio and watch less and less tv. Yesterday I read an article that explored just how dire the Christmas TV schedules had been. I'm not adverse to repeats but given how huge the tv and film archives are, surely they can do better than repeating the same repeats. Either the schedulers aren't knowledgeble enough about the archives or they lack imagination.

46. I'm giving you the money instead because you'll get a bicycle for a better price in the sales.

Yeah I think they all borrow from 'Upstairs Downstairs' and the success of 'Gosford Park' is what brought the genre back to life. They are all good though and I loved 'Larkrise to Candleford' too. Thought that one was original and well written/ cast/ acted etc. Another one I loved as a kid was 'The Duchess of Duke Street'......wonder if that will ever be revived?

I loved it........ Can you at least get the names right lol. A simple google search would tell you it is NOT written by the same writers. 'Downton ABBEY' is written by the prolific Julien Fellows and 'Upstairs Downstairs' is written by Heidi Thomas. Downton Abbey is also set some 20 years before Upstairs Downstairs too, although both periods are at the dying days of 'Empire'.

I hadn't even considered a religious motivation, probably because, in spite of missing links, the evidence for evolution is so overwhelming.

And then there are people like my neighbours who have been looking for work for two years and are struggling because they are now considered LTU by employers. We can always drag up examples of the 'workshy' but often it is with the sole aim of tarring the bulk out council tenants with the same brush. Many council tenants do in fact work in London, but they are often doing minimum wage jobs like cleaning and shock horror, they have to get up at 4am - yes the poorest paid do often work some of the longest and most unsociable hours. And in spite of the fact they work full time, some 700,000 workers across the country still need housing benefits because their minimum wage doesn't pay them enough for them to pay their rent. I too have grown up on a council estate and as an adult, deal with people every day on a council estate but curiously am witness to a more balanced cross section of tenants than the daily mail readership seem to observe!!!!

And settled along rivers etc....of which many very long ones run through some continents. Yeah I conceed my timeline of techtonic plate momvement is way out lol..... But I still hold that where we originate from holds no real significance apart from if one is a member of the BNP (and really do believe that modern man began with the Saxons) it seems.