Walsingham

I like to rock out with my e-**** out. But basically you've done **** all besides studenting as I've been saying all along. No real responsibilty, no need to manage people, which is why you have all these ideas which work on paper and nowhere else.

I do think there's a culture of 'distributed stupidity' in most large organisations. No-one wants to be the bloke who flags a big risk, and even when they do most oragnisations have no 'red channel' to tackle them. I'm not just talking about BP here. The banks obviosuly did it, governments mostly do it, manufacturing definitely does it. the only epopel i can think of who don't are construction. If you point at a bridge and say "this **** is about to fall down" then they generally wake up.

I don't know if it's funny, but my reaction was. It's 66 feet across and nearly 100 feet deep. Just appeared in a street with no warning. No one seems sure how or why.

I don't see that evil guys can't be pathetic. Evil IS pathetic.

OK I've had two so far. I guess that could be indicative of a bigger interest. I'll see if we could do a run on spec. EDIT: Ok he's not willing to do it without salving the IP question. So guess I'll need to get in touch with Bethesda. Do they own ALL the copyright?

And have you done anything else?

Rubbish! Get him on the tea there. Brew up!

An odd one on sunday. As you may have read in Way off topic, we got interrupted and were forced to go out for a late evening of drinking shots and live music instead. However, in the time available, and given only one PC, we had a go at moving things a bit. The clansire and hearthguard (ten dwarves) had been out for a short recce and established the rough whereabouts of the goblin camp. However, the opinion fractured on what to do next. 1. The lesser goblins were a small offshoot and should be swiftly rounded up by turning the whole clanhold out to get them. 2. The lesser goblins had some mates with them and should be attacked slightly more cautiously in strength, but leaving enough warriors to guard the clanhold 3. There was some sort of large army heading their way in which case they should institute a siege. [The beggar - not being present - had one of his turns and passed out.] I decided to see which option they went with my asking the player if he wanted to pitch in, and then rolling leadership checks (at 66%, standard dwarf) for each option. A failure in any option meant that option fell out of the running. If all three had fallen out in one round then I'd have assumed nothing could be decided. The dwarf PC made some good points about going to send an observation party, but he fluffed his fellowship and made a hash of mumbling his idea. They went with the second option, and I let the PC try and explain his idea again, which he succeeded in, and the assembly liked it so much that they let him go with two volunteers. In fact it later turned out he only went because he was hoping to loot the ruins of the village! The goblin camp being tracked from the village that is where the dwarf went, to discover most of the buildings were burned, and especially the winery (to his great lamentation). His two companions were a young badly equipped dwarf and a middle aged, averagely equipped dwarf. Between them they eventually managed to find the trail, and hiked up over the ridge into the next valley south. Clearly, the scattered junk and torn vegetation meant they were on the right trail. The goblin valley was wooded on its north side, the dwarves emerging in a saddle on the ridge, from which they could see the north side. There, soft sandstone had given way to some tougher flinty/iron bearing rock, with cliffs rising high to meet semi-glacial snow. A waterfall at the eastern end plunged 30 feet into a wide pool of water from which snaked a slender stream. Note that although I didn't mention it - they failed their intelligence checks all day - there's more water going in than seems to be coming out. This is because fissures in the rock are draining into the goblin caverns themselves. More of this later. I realised at this point that the 30 odd goblins have been working their way through the entire village's supply of booze, so even though there are some absolute goofs throughout the day the gobbos don't notice. Again, the Pc and his party repeatedly failed to work this out. So my helpful force balancer was squandered. The goblins themselves were in three caves at the base of the cliffs on the south side. The caves are of increasing depths, from a shallow scrape to a room sized overhang, to the entrance to the main cave system which is a big crack in the rocks. As the sun rises higher and passes noon the caves are lit up better and they eventually saw some goblins languidly piled up in heaps, snoozing gently. Less then ten were outside. The remainder are cool and safe underground. There was some good banter with the dwarf and some good roleplaying so he got a parcel of 20 xp and then fell back with dusk. Returning home, the dwarves relayed their story, but the clansire epicly failed his leadership check, and decided it was definitely a goblinoid army on the move, and everyone had to stay inside. With only the 10 hearth guard and about hirty warriors no risks could be taken. I'll continue later. I need dinner now.

Probably be about six or seven days. but it should fit through a mail box, so hopefully no dramas.

What I think is particularly amusing is the contrast between the youth and vigour and shapeliness of their hair, and their mad haggard faces.

Firstly, while Russia's not a continent in the technical sense I believe it qualifies in the practical everyday sense. It's big, it has its own distinctive geographic boundaries, and its own cultural/historical stew. But if it makes you happy then no it's not. An ad hominem attack is not required in this context. This is mainly because we are not classically debating. No one on this entire forum shows the least indication of buying an ounce of the tripe you push. My purpose is as much for your own sake. If you really care about people then you need to get involved. If you don't then you'll quickly learn you don't after your first serious injury or third bout of dysentery. Either way you're going to quit spamming this forum.

Parcel on its way to you now. Hope you like it!

This is going to sound ruder than I mean to, Cal: when did the genocide thing expire? The government of Gaza has declared war on Israel. Putting a naval emargo on someone you are fighting a war with doesn't very contentious to me.

Of course BP will have done a risk assessment on the rig. But it doesn't automatically follow that this situation was a) foreseen b) doesn't lie far outside their acceptable loss c) they have any capability to fix it no matter what their intent is More importantly, Gromnir, what alternative is there to a risk management approach? Don't get involved in anything more risky than baking cupcakes?

Nice baiting, but it won't work. Unlike you, I don't do good things for cred mining. Well, actually, that is like you, except that you don't actually do good things at all! Funny that. LoF: I think its fairly obvious that I do things all the time. As usual I'm content to rely on the members who actually do more than spam this forum with propaganda. You on the other hand simply reel off academic theories and press cuttings. EDIT: For the record I've been an investigative crime reporter, aid worker, historian and professional analyst. The reason I'm sitting on my arse now is because I cracked my sternum and busted my spine in two places during military training en route to Afghanistan. I'm having physical therapy so I can hopefully re-enlist. I've travelled to every continent except Russia and Australia on numerous times, and hung out with gangsters, soldiers, policemen, terrorists, farmers, dying old men, and cheery orphans. I've had people try to murder me at least three times that I know of. I've been invited to speak at a national and international level. I can also cook, and sing, and am a self-taught mathematician and naval salvage engineer. Oblarg: Bring on the e-punching! Seriously though, how is it it irrelevant to want to put someone in their place on a sensitive and personal point? Do you think LoF has ever done more than a piece of assigned homework on apartheid?

You got a postal address we can send stuff to? PM me. I mean somewhere you can pick up from. I wouldn't suggest posting your home address.

Oh yeah. That's me. I'm a pinko terrorist sympathiser.

A few points in no particular order since I ought to be doing my work. 1. Monte did indeed point out that the convoy had refused to offload at Ashdod 2. Construction materials are not humanitarian essentials in any other situation that I know of. I can see the logic in them being considered as such, but I'd be obliged if you could give an example where they are. 3. Gaza is not some random bit of land full of helpless people. Yes there are a whole lot of helpless ordinary people there and I'm sad at the condition they are in. But the ruling group in Gaza have declared a _war of annihilation_ against Israel. 3b. The question of legal right has been debated in an interesting way, but I think we've missed the point above. Any nation could be considered within its rights to interdict shipping to a nation it is at war with. 4. The commandos would have been used because they have the whoel package of skills required to carry out what is a special operation. Namely you need a unified command structure covering transport, logistics, and fighting. You need officers who can think on their feet, and don't freak out if they are answering directly to the President. I don't think I'm slandering the good name of policing if I say that cops just don't have that capability. 5. I have no doubt that there will be internal criticism of the decision not to equip the troops with less than lethal options like tasers. But you need to also understand that a taser isn't going to provide crowd control. 6. As Meshugger points out, this is one move in an ongoing game. If Israel had let the convoy through then they may as well abandon the blockade entirely.

Because Israel has a blockade on Gaza, since you know, Hamas is sworn to destroy Israel. And of course the whole thing was meant to be a provocation Wals, there's no problem getting humanitarian supplies through relief organizations. I don't wish to turn away a kind word. But actually I've heard there are significant problems with getting supplies through as a regular thing. I have extended family who went on one of the bloody silly land convoys. The problem is that you've got such a wide array of people mixed up in these things. You have genuine kind hearted folk who just want to hand over a few shoes and some colouring crayons, alongside people smuggling weapon components. the Israeli govt. looks at these convoys and sees the latter. The gentle creatures in the convoy think the hostility is towards their innocuous gifts. ON a broader note I think it's interesting that information is so confused on this issue. I'm not saying I'm definitely right mind you. But essentially you've got this multi-player 'game' going on and the players can't even agree on what is actually happening, let alone formulate and deliver a meaningful resolution. Do you think it would help if there was some kind of permanent 'information referee'?

Well, it occurred to me that's exactly what he is, tho! Claims all sorts of credit due to his involvement in the glorious revolution, but shows not the slightest evidence of having been anywhere nearer the revolution than Seattle. If he ever actually met a peasant he'd probably refuse to shake hands in case he caught something.

*sigh* Sure, we'll advance women's rights by refusing to involve anyone who isn't already good with women's rights. Whatever you say.

Oy vey. Sorry to hear that, mate. Doubly sorry to hear you're uninsured.

Since I keep tabs on these things I knew this was coming up, although I am surprised by the precise turn of events. What is interesting is that none of you have mentioned a couple of key points: 1. Israel did not object to the delivery of the supplies. They had offerred to unload the supplies on land, check them, and pass them on. 2. This compromise solution was rejected by the Turkish group organising the event. Now, I don't know the specifics. It is possible that crossloading would have been too time consuming and detrimental to the cargoes. _OR_ it is possible that 1. The specific intention of the operation was to force a confrontation or a capitulation - either being detrimental to Israel. 2. The cargo contained materiel which would not pass inspection. I say this purely for the point of intellectual rigour. I don't have a side in this conflict because I don't believe either side can win.

Genuinely horrified when I saw this picture. Not so much at the horrifying visages, but at women wanting to be like them.