Walsingham

Way to go, Boo. Sheesh. Monte just made me emit a huge grin. A huge yet sly and evil grin. ~~ Several of my exes are being rather nice to me at present. I have a total of fifteen texts from across the board from over the weekend. And of course, all the ones who remember my birthday and sent presents are the ones I was mean to. *shakes head* None of the ones I was good to. Bloody women.

Done! http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/11...hoices=tb8p94k9 Key points: 1. Reduction in government workers, but no reduction in contractors. (Have to be mirrored by reduction in legislation I expect) 2. Getting old will suck. No medicare or retirement until 70. I decided to go for this head on, as I think this needs a big societal solution, rather than papering over the question. 3. Estate tax goes up. 1 million is plenty to inherit without tax. 4. Mid incomes don't get hammered otherwise. 5. Banking reform to drive smaller banks. I believe that smaller banks are more agile, less risk-taking, and deliver better services to grassroots businesses. 6. No sales tax. No carbon tax.

You don't mention if its role is being subsumed by another body. Is this the case? If so, how great a decrement in capability will occur? Which specific capabilities do you think the previous system delivered that would significantly impact the outbreak of a pandemic?

I am beginning to get a heightened sense of alarm concerning all these developments. India and Brazil are making headway but are unlikely to be real powerhouses to match tehir potential thanks to the internal issues they have surrounding wealth distribution, education etc. Equally I feel Krez may be giving Russia and China too much credit for good sense. Autocracies, and large countries in general seem to me to have a habit of astonishingly bad decisions. Perhaps because their leaders are chosen by means of an internal game that works for higher stakes than the international one. Lose that internal game and you die. I can't begin to see a healthy outcome from all this. I can follow all too easily how governments tried to drive economic booms by pumping money in. But it seems they mostly did it the moron's way by simply hiring civil servants.

I'm perplexed by the fat children more than the fat guy.

I wonder if there'd be any goodness in trying to write a rennaissance notion of 'science' fiction. That is extrapolating from their notions of science. Which were a bit mad.

Oh, and thanks to all for the birthd'y wishes! :)

Thanks all. Had a great time, some ludicrous things were made including (if only I were making this up) a codpiece with a shaped charge (of party streamers) in it. In the shape of a lion's head. Pub crawl followed, where I discovered that you can take a large stein of budvar, and drop a small shot glass of spiced rum into it, and the result is like a good pale ale. Very very tasty. Monged about today. Just had a look at my weather forecast and tomorrow is just 'fog'. WTF?

I use steam because it has an architecture surrounding it which makes the games playable socially. In turn, it is smart about publicisiikng which games your friends are playing, and encourages you to buy same. Combine that with plenty of sales and the odd massive special offer and of course you win. They behave like a market leader, and surprise surprise they market lead. It's not sinister. It's basic degree level management theory. And unless the competition wish to get swallowed then they'd better come up with a better offerring, supported by marketing yadda yadda.

Given the 'twitter joke trial', it might be wise to be careful with associating 'evil' children and your flies. LOL

So you're saying that in order to be a good wealth creator I have to punch Glenn Beck in the nuts? I have no problem with this.

Agreed, but at least there are only one or two countries that can even do it. A more realistic threat to our infrastucture is someone firing off a high altitude E Bomb. Thats when you'll really see the poop hit the fan. Thing is that a mag pulse will hurt everything. Why bother when China could surgically whack all the military sats?

My retirement plan revolves around sitting at a bar and snarling at impressionable whippersnappers who come up to me asking for my help on the grounds that I was 'the best'.

Today I celebrate my birthday! I am having friends round and we will be eating pies and beer, and I have a number of construction challenges for people. Hopefully it will be quite fun. I spent a bunch on colourful bits, small party bangers , balloons and so forth so the challenges will be fun. If not, I shall be too drunk to care.

This is the problem with making art a business. Businesses want money, and money flows towards morons the way the foamy torrent of the mountains transforms sluggishly to the idle brown mud of the estuary.

Oh. I see. Makes you worry because basically EVERYTHING in the western military arsenal wants to talk to satellites the way a fat middle aged man wants to talk to the ladies shown in those annoying pop-ups.

Lloyds of London began life as a coffee house. Ok, maybe just a joke for business nerds.

May I remind you gentlemen that Harry Potter is for KIDS!

Eh, weve been doing it as early as 1985 and as recently as 2006. I don't buy the notion that strategic threat capability should be 'fair' somehow. I don't mind US doing it. I mind angry anti-democratic heavily industrialised, massively populated ****ers doing it.

That is absolutely stunning. What a play!

I will keep that in mind for my internet streamed suicide.

You get my desires? You poor, poor, sick man.

It's true. I could feel the icy cold of their evil murder thoughts all the way over here. Unless I've left my flies open again. Oh.

I felt ravenous when I came out of surgery. Had this insane and overpowerin desire to eat chinese takeaway.

Gfted1: isn't that actually an argument in favour of fixing how your government works, not just one program?