Scott, thanks for that. I got sucked into the train man story too. And now i'm going to spoil it for you all. Can you find one plot element introduced that was irrelevant to the overall arc of the story? The publishers of the book claim to have contacted the real train man, but i'm not so sure.

I also find the "I read a couple of negative, once-sided arguments against Scientology on the internet, therefore I have the moral right to attack people who don't have the same beliefs as me" attitude absolutely disgusting.

This child is being totally moronic..

Could you be any more condescending? All the evidence suggest that this guy has thoroughly researched the activities of the cult and has taken to the streets to display his opposition to them. He even read out the ruling of a High Court Judge in support of his stand against the City Police's innapropriate use of the Public Order act.

The protestors are not attacking the abstract beliefs of Scientologists, they are attacking their real world policies and actions.
The April protest was themed around opposition to the CoS's Disconnection policy, which encourages Scientologists not to speak to people who question their beliefs. This has broken up families. Just search Youtube for testimony.
The May protest was themed around CoS's Fair Game policy in which scientologists are taught that it is OK to use any means necessary to discredit critics. Search for the testimony of ToryMagoo44 on Youtube, who talks about how when she was in the cult she took part in a picket outside the house of a prominent critic, holding signs accusing him of paedophilia.

Some sects of the world's major religions may have carried out actions similar to these, but the difference is that in Scientology this behaviour is policy.

As an atheist who has lived in a small village where the Anglican church infinitely enriched the life of the community, it makes me sick to hear Scientology appropriate the language of Anglicanism, calling their members 'parishoners' as if they were serving their immediate community. Instead they specialise in displacement, shipping the vunerable around the world to purchase the next morsel of truth.

Those are some of the reasons why Scientology is not a religion but a dangerous cult. If we think that a Scientology HQ is a nefarious presence in our community we have a duty to say so.

Why, why is telepathy,clairvoyance,precognition, astral projection and some other phenomenon considered by many bright, rational people to be outside the purview of science?

Most people who dismiss the above see them as inside the purview of science and completely understood. If there were any kind of mystery you would see thousands of scientists instantly pounce on it and invest huge amounts of money in working out how the laws of nature as we know them have been broken.

No Fry and Laurie

No Harry Enfield

Still, there are some good clips in the 50.

No Peter Cook and Dudley Moore

No Fast Show

No Goodness Gracious Me

No Two Ronnies Mastermind Sketch

No League of Gentlemen

Yes it is a classic, although Goodness Gracious Me was a comedy sketch show, not a variety show. 'Variety' makes me think of comedy, tap dancing and singing live on stage - like the Royal Variety Show.

The Bugle ('Audio Newspaper for a Visual World' feat. Daily Show's John Oliver. Funnier than the Daily Show)

Entitled Opinions (Stanford Lit Prof with a smooth voice and poetic sensibility interviews other academics. Check out episodes "The Historical Jesus", "Dante" and Orhan Pamuk interview.)

Here is the Top Gear review on Youtube.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=HYtro7PnBA8

It's really funny. And he does drive it on the road - through central London in fact!