Lets get one thing out of the way before we start: that cockpit head protection thingamajig thats been delayed till 2018 is no Halo. Its a flip-flop (or thong, if youre Australian), and nothing anyone can say will convince me otherwise.Following the publication of (some of) the results of the F1 Strategy Group meeting that took place in Geneva on Thursday, there has been some muttering about Formula Ones tendency to change its mind, flip-flopping here, and U-turning there.But is it such a bad thing for an individual or an organisation to change their minds as situations change?As a private individual, if I stuck dogmatically to my opinions come hell or high water, ignoring new information or editing it to suit my preconceptions, people would think I was an idiot. As soon as one enters the public sphere, however -- as a celebrity or politician, for example -- changing your mind is no longer a sign of personal growth, changing circumstances, or new information, but instead is seen as a sign of moral or personal weakness.True, Formula One has introduced and then eliminated things that werent popular: the double-points season finale; that qualifying shake-up; restrictions on radio communication... But is it better to try new things and ditch what doesnt work, or to sit happily in a rut persisting in doing things that either dont work or never have, just because you dont want to admit that trial and error involves endless trials and quite a lot of error?Speaking to the media in an open Q&A session held between Friday practice sessions in Hockenheim, FIA race director Charlie Whiting reflected on F1s recent mistakes.If you look at the qualifying procedure, I think everyone -- I say everyone; Im talking about the Strategy Group and the members of the F1 Commission, which comprises all of the great and the good of Formula One -- felt that this was a good idea, Whiting said.It didnt work, I think we can all accept that, and we felt that the most grown-up thing to do would be to go back. I think that was that, really, with qualifying. It dragged on a little longer than it could have -- sorry, than it need have -- but there you go. I think someone asked me yesterday: Do you remember that qualifying? I couldnt actually remember what we did in Australia straight away. These things disappear.I dont feel that the radio thing is a U-turn as such. The original things were requested of us for a good reason, and it kind of worked at the beginning but it was beginning to mean that the spectators and the fans are not getting quite what they could. I think that that is why they thought it was a good idea to try and go back to something that gave them more. I think we have to respond to those sorts of things; I dont think its a bad thing at all.Several of F1s recent reassessments of new regulations or regulatory adjustments have taken place with a view to improving the fan experience, Whiting explained with reference to the radio traffic rules.We have to look back to when the Strategy Group decided that there was too much radio traffic and it was detrimental to the sport, he said. We were getting quite a few complaints, if I remember, from fans saying Why are they being told all these things? They should be driving them for themselves.In the August of 2014 the Strategy Group decided that we should cut out nearly all radio conversations. We issued a note reflecting those views and everyone said Oh, its too much, its too much. So we scaled it right back and we introduced bits and pieces and then we went to single clutch paddles and those sorts of things.Now the feedback is that weve gone too far and this actually has not been the best thing and the Commercial Rights Holder feels he can improve the content for the fans with the radio conversations. This is contingent upon the teams providing all the content from their discussions with the drivers, because before they had privacy buttons and they were chopping out great big chunks of it. So now theyve got to provide everything to the broadcasters and this is seen as a way to improve the experience for the fans and spectators.Both Formula One in general and the FIA in particular have, in recent years, been subjected to widespread criticism for their readiness to try new things and abandon that which does not work. Instead of seeing that flexibility as a personal affront, perhaps the time has come for fans and spectators to acknowledge that several recent rule adjustments have come about in response to fan feedback, and that every attempt to spice things up -- successful or not -- has been done with a view to improving fans experience of the show. Stitched Flames Jerseys . - Levi Browns tenure at left tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers is over before it even began. Calgary Flames Pro Shop .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. https://www.cheapflames.com/ . Westbrook has missed 27 games since having a procedure on Dec. 27 to deal with swelling in his injured right knee — the third operation on the knee in nine months. Flames Jerseys 2020 . The move comes after the Canadiens were approached by the Buffalo Sabres for permission to speak to Dudley - a former Sabres player and head coach. "The Sabres called for permission and I appreciate that, Im flattered, Dudley told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. Calgary Flames Shirts . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. ISTANBUL -- Turkey declared a national day of mourning and paid tribute to the dead Sunday after two bombings in Istanbul killed 38 people and wounded 155 others near a soccer stadium. The carnage was claimed by a Turkey-based Kurdish militant group.The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons, or TAK, said two of its members had sacrificed their lives in the Saturday night attack that targeted security forces outside the Besiktas stadium shortly after the conclusion of a match.Two of our comrades were heroically martyred in the attack, according to a statement posted on TAKs website.It described the blasts as reprisal for state violence in the southeast and the ongoing imprisonment of Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK. TAK is considered by authorities as a PKK offshoot.The twin car-and-suicide bombings near the stadium enraged top officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who vowed to hunt down the perpetrators. The attack was the latest large-scale assault to traumatize a nation confronting an array of security threats.Turkey is a NATO member and a partner in the U.S.-led war against the Islamic State group.The attack targeted police officers, killing 30 of them along with seven civilians and an unidentified person, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told reporters. He said 13 people had been arrested in connection with the terrorist act.In an address at a funeral for the slain police officers before TAKs statement was released, a furious Soylu condemned Kurdish rebels and their allies in the West, referring to the PKK as animals.Have you accomplished anything beyond being the servants, pawns and hit men of certain dark forces, of your dark Western partners? he asked.Turkish officials didnt make any further comments after the TAK claim of responsibility was posted.The battle between the PKK and the Turkish state has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of citizens. Turkish officials frequently accuse the West of supporting the Kurdish insurgency and of interfering in Ankaras fight against the militants.Erdogan vowed his country would fight the curse of terrorism till the end after paying a visit to some of the wounded at Haseki Hospital in Istanbul.Hundreds of flag-carrying demonstrators marched along Istanbuls coastline toward the stadium at the heart of the blast area. Flags flew at half-staff across the country and at Turkeys foreign missions. Passers-by placed flowers on barriers surrounding the soccer stadium.The first and larger explosion took place about 10:30 p.m. Saturday after Besiktas beat Bursaspor 2-1 in the Turkish Super League. Erdogan said the attacks timing aimed to maximize the loss of life, but most fans had left before the detonation.Soylu said the first blast was caused by a passing vehicle thaat detonated in an area where police special forces were located at the stadium exit.dddddddddddd A riot police bus appears to have been the target. Moments later, a person who had been stopped in nearby Macka Park committed suicide by triggering explosives, according to the minister.He said 136 people remained hospitalized Sunday after the attack, including 14 in intensive care.TAK claimed the Turkish people werent their target but warned no one should expect a comfortable life as long as the ruling party continues to torture the mothers of Kurdistan every day.Armed conflict between the Turkish state and Kurdish militants resumed in July 2015 after peace talks unraveled. While much of the violence has concentrated in the impoverished and pre-dominantly Kurdish southeast, it has also spread to other cities, including the capital, Ankara, where TAK has claimed February and March suicide bombings.Experts have determined that up to 400 kilograms (880 pounds) of explosives were used in the car bomb, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told CNN Turk.To the mournful sound of trumpets, funeral services were held at Istanbuls police headquarters for some of the slain officers. Their comrades solemnly carried the coffins, which were draped in the Turkish flag, as a sea of mourners wept around them.Erdogan presided over a security meeting after the funeral ceremony and hospital visit.Soccer fans proved their resilience by showing up to watch a game pitting Istanbuls Galatasaray and Gaziantepspor at a different stadium.What happened last night was extremely saddening but they need to know that Turkish people will not yield to such things, Galatasaray supporter Erkan Duman told The Associated Press. Its not like we will give up things, especially things we love, just because they want us to.Turkey has witnessed a spate of IS and Kurdish-linked attacks this year. Saturdays bombings were one of the bloodiest to hit Istanbul, a city at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, until recently a popular tourist destination.That changed after a series of IS-linked suicide bombings targeting tourists, including a sophisticated attack on the citys Ataturk Airport in June that killed 44 people and wounded scores of others. PKK-linked militants have claimed other deadly attacks in Ankara, Istanbul and areas in southeast Turkey.A state of emergency is in force following a failed July 15 coup attempt and the resulting government crackdown on alleged coup sympathizers has landed thousands in jail and forced tens of thousands of people from their jobs. Critics call the move a witch hunt.---Cinar Kiper, Ayse Wieting and Bulut Emiroglu contributed to this report. ' ' '