Walsingham

Interesting point. But really it seems to me you're saying the slaves are the logistical support, not the fighting arm. We already have robots doing logistical support.

Steam has a sale on Defiance for the next two days. It's cheap enough that I'm considering buying. Anyone play regularly and do we have a group going yet? Is it worth 19 quid?

Well, I'd respectfully disagree with your dismissal of the hoplite phalanx as an factor in democracy. Slaves don't matter in the equation because they didn't bear the brunt of fighting - even if helots did get used. Equally, war being middle class is exactly why politicians argued the people had to be allowed to own land and generally BE middle class*. That's kind of the point. (Which I thought your last observation was consistent with. ) *There's quite a long discussion of this in Persian Fire by Tom Holland.

I'm being very lazy in my search, because of the OP, but there seems to be some shake at present about Russians getting upset by militant Islam in what they see as their soft underbelly. The Kazan Khanate and the tartars come up. Oby posted some material from a film a while back which was a kind of Apocalypto for the Monghol Horde - called Horde. That's all central Asia blah blah weren't the monghols crap, good thing we're all orthodox Christians blah. So I guess I should award XP for staying in character.

I do like the idea of ringing up her lawyers, pretending to be a firm of no win no fee lawyers and trying to steal their client. But truth to tell I keep remembering that somebody died over this. As I think has been said before, I'd like to see the family sue this cretin for real damages.

I assumed it was the straight 20 round stanag mag. Obviously, I've never seen one up close, not being a party to STANAG. But it looks like a dusty AK, judging by the glove and the banjo'd bullets. Plus it does have a lot of AK hallmarks, like the groove for the magazine catch. I am such a trainspotter.

Supplemental: According to many books, including notably The Art of War in the Western World, democracy itself owes much to the tools of war. The ancient Greeks and Spartans only moved towards egality (non slaves) when they saw the potential of the hoplite. Every man has to be able to rely on the men next to him, or the power is crippled. Arguably the same is true of conscription and the levee en masse.

MERP was great. Pitty that Christopher Tolkien and that bunch pretty much forced ICE to close shop. Not a good thing for pen&paper RPGs or fans of middle earth that a bunch of talented, enthusiastic fans were forced out to make room for the merchandising lot. Basically the reason I just couldn't get excited about any of the recent movies. I hadn't heard that. But the new (ish) films brought bucketloads of new people to the hobby. You can't hate them for that.

That's cool, Rosti. I was just hoping you had something to hand other than the CIA factbook or whatever. I enjoy comparing sources. I certainly accept your general point that many of these states are far from being basket cases. It's yet another reason I get very antsy about the jifs cycling in and bossing everyone around. They want everywhere to become (old) Afghanistan.

I've yet to see the contents of a man's blood or the colour of his skin make a tuppeny f***'s worth of difference. I find your obsession with proving 'racial' inheritance one way or another a bit creepy.

I'm NOT looking forward to it. Once you remove humans from the delivery of force then what happens to human politics? Previously all dictatorships were inherently vulnerable to military dissent.

No win no fee? For the record, i accept I came at this slightly fact-wonky. But I still say she's an arse.

Next time you see her tell her it's crap. The A2 is fine, but the A1 no.

Skavenslayer, by William King. If literature was comestibles, this would be a tall frosty glass of fizzy soft drink, full of dancing ice cubes and excited bubbles.

Che Guevara t-shirt and beret? Guy Fawkes mask, che t-shirt, and beret.

I don' think they've been dismissed out of hand. That same report shows up in hundreds of other places. However, since as Oerwinde says, Russia has a clear commitment to the regime I hardly think they are in any position to wear any halos.

Why the hell are you so fired up about central Asian 'purity'?

I would recommend Michael Williams, but sadly he's dead.

I'm still going nuts trying to work out what variant that magazine is. The lip at the forward edge is too straight... Could it be home-made? Would explain the spring going - assuming I'm right about the spring.

What never ceases to amuse me is the notion that cubicles or open plan means good management control and mutual respect between departments. It's pure hogwash to make s*** managers feel they are in command when they aren't.

The point is that once you stop caring so much about the contents of the 'plane, who cares? But I share the discomfort at a notion of a war supposedly without human cost to one of the combatants. Throws the whole 20th century move towards pacifism into disarray.

Hold on a second. Isn't that a shipping container they're lading them into, right side?

So would I. I don't mind the taste of iodine.

I don't know, man. The point is to get you to engage with the primary character, right? the writers are using a relationship to make that come alive. The only way romance would be the only option is if romance was the only emotional relationship going, and it isn't. If my mates who studied medieval history are to be believed, romance isn't even a natural emotion. It's a made up emotion invented by shifty lute-players. If you watch the vlog post I linked in the OP you'd see she suggests that another reason romance won't always work is that romance is very personal. We all dig on different things. I like brains and courage, and... well anyway. You get the idea. But good parental traits are pretty stable. You can watch a Zulu mom and child and go 'aw...' just as easily as a Scottish mom and child.

*everyone turns to the 4th wall, and stares*