Walsingham

We hear men speaking for us of new laws strong and sweet,Yet is there no man speaketh as we speak in the street.It may be we shall rise the last as Frenchmen rose the first,Our wrath come after Russia's wrath and our wrath be the worst.It may be we are meant to mark with our riot and our restGod's scorn for all men governing. It may be beer is best.But we are the people of England; and we have not spoken yet.Smile at us, pay us, pass us. But do not quite forget.

Not to mention being sexier than FHM's top 100 sexiest women, bathed in a cream, brandy and monkey gland sauce.

I agree with Monte. We need to GM some giant bugs, pronto. Or failing that cram Volourn into a giant crab suit. ~~ I wasn't conscripted, being in England, but my boarding school had compulsory cadets. It was appalling. Nearly put me off the Army for life. I think that far from improving the connection with the Armed Forces conscription hugely undermines it by filling the ranks with people who don't want to be there and who drag down those who do. Having said that I _DO_ think conscription into some sort of bloody awful service like nursing homes would be improving. Nothing builds character like getting sprayed with p***. But basically I'd just find it funny to mither people younger, healthier, and better looking than myself.

http://www.xenophon-mil.org/rushistory/battles/ivanbook.htm Fascinating and extensive resource on medieval Russian armies, including enough background social whatnot to make running a campaign in the era quite plausible.

Madder than a coconut dusted monkey.

Aw. No one got my Gettysburg reference.

According to Stratfor.com the move is essetially placing a Russian 'counter' on the mediterranean board, where it currently has none. "Russia has a strategic interest in maintaining a naval presence in the Mediterranean at Syria's Tartus port. Even as Syria fragments along ethnic and sectarian lines, Tartus would still likely remain under Alawite control, making it imperative for Russia to maintain close ties with the ethnic minority when Moscow is already a clear adversary of the Sunni rebels. Moscow is one of the few countries that can hold a conversation with the United States, still has influence in the al Assad regime and has strong intelligence capabilities on the ground in Syria that could prove critical to Western attempts to seize and secure chemical weapons stockpiles. Russia may cooperate sporadically to entice the West, by restricting fuel shipments or certain weapons transfers, but as long as the United States acts disinterested, much less confrontational, with Russia, Moscow has little incentive to sacrifice its existing influence in Syria. Currently, Russia is reinforcing its supply lines to Syria. It is deploying five to six warships with support ships from its Pacific fleet to establish a permanent presence in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time since the fall of the Soviet Union. A permanent command structure in the Mediterranean would oversee a constant presence of these ships that would be rotated in from different fleets. Critically, Russia's reinforced naval presence in the Mediterranean would not only entrench Russian interests in the region but could also provide a secure line of supply for the Alawites in Syria unless foreign groups want to risk a military conflict on the Mediterranean by trying to blockade these shipments." Pretty much what Agiel said, above.

oby finally unmasked. I believe masks are more traditionally worn on the other end.

I think you said that few people had applied when you did. This is Big HR at work, surely? They need a certain number of applications or they can't tick a number of *antiHR rant preemptively snipped*

Stratfor.com make the point that the protests are so far only involving the 'usual suspects'. Until they spread to areas dominated by traditional ruling party supporters then it won't constitute a genuine threat. Because the ruling party really do have a lot of support country-wide. I think it's interesting to see how the reporting works on this issue. Clearly the Beeb and others want another 'Arab' <sic> spring. But for the reason above I don't think they're going to get it. If anything the protests will merely cement support for the ruling party among their core voters. It may even swing support across from moderates. My prediction is that we're going to see a few more days of violence, but without something game changing it will die down.

Well, I take your point about conserving outrage in good faith. But if I can't get upset about soldiers being beheaded on the streets of London I don't really know what I'm saving it up for. Racist squirrels butt****ing the queen on prime-time TV?

Crowds aren't frightening. Each individual is less alert and focussed than they would be normally. They go back down the evolutionary ladder and want simple things. If anything I'm less wary in a big crowd than in a small one. The only issue is if someone in the crowd is chasing you, but how often is that the case?

Isn't that rather the point? I was curious to see how a modern audience of youngers would react.

Heh. Well, I will say, my greatest fear in getting old is that I'll stop giving a **** completely. Sounds like you're way ahead of me, Malc.

Can I just say "Bayonnnnnneettts!"

That... elf... has quite _literally_ no genitals. Although the leather waistcoat over bare chest was what made me look.

It strikes me as rather ignorant to suggest that rules constraining behaviour simply paper over bad behaviour. I have to ask if you really think that is the case, and if so whether you've been in charge of any groups for any period of time. Mostly conduct in groups is down to personal leadership and example. What the rules do is permit active trimming of poor conduct without that trimming being unfairly applied. They do less to govern the governed and more to govern the governors. And before you ask, I simply got too old to care. Now someone else has to keep me in line rather than the other way around. It's quite liberating.

I really can't see either side winning this. I mean a civil war could drag on easily for, what, I think 12 years is normal. But this could just run and run, quite honestly.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/31/world/meast/syria-civil-war/index.html Russia sending 10 Mig 29s over. It just occurred to me that perhaps the Kremlin is using oby's posts as some sort of foreign policy generator. I'm at a loss to conclude how supplying migs is going to calm the situation. Also, how the hell are the Syrians paying for all this new kit? They can't export any oil or gas ta the moment.

I fear you have got confused, Zoraptor. There are differences of opinion, and then there is cutting a man's head off in broad daylight. Not much to debate there, at least from the pesrpective of the man who had his head cut off. Or his wife and kids.

How. Do. I. Make. It. Stop?

My goD! That TP thrower is genius!

I just think it's yet another one of those historical situations that belies glib summation. *snip* EDIT: I guess what I was driving at was that perhaps if the flag could be used in some successful practical campaign as a symbol of _civil freedoms_ it might legitimately win the right to be honoured as such.

Trashman, I can't really claim to be the world's best online debater - insert mass debating joke here - but it seems pretty logical that if you up and tell your audience that you don't give a flying **** what they think then they'd be more likely to tell you to **** off and stop listening. Either you're debating the point because you care about our opinion or you're simply a timewasting arse.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22741644 I apologise, but while I can't remember who it is, I seem to recall some members are Turkish or live in Turkey. I just wondered what the local view is. I don't trust the BBC;s coverage as far as I could kick it when it comes to this kind of 'populist angle' stuff. This could just be a few handfuls of ne'erdowells.