Walsingham

I cannot ski any more. Being a terrible old cripple. I had an awfully unproductive day, which has left me inexplicably cheerful. Mainly due to my friends.

Illuminator, I'm genuinely interested to hear you do not support terrorism, and I am more than willing to reconsider your statements now that you have stated unequivocally that you are of that opinion. However, to be fair to my prevailing mood, I have to also bear in mind all that business with you fondling your testicles constantly. And of course your defence of a man who - on balanec - is a violent dictator who kills people he disagrees with. Talk about being torn in twain.

So far as my (admittedly limited) thinking goes it is incumbent on the house to maintain the machines. If the machine is stated as in play by the house and it pays out then tha is the result which stands. No backsies. I am not for a moment saying there canot be mistakes, but given the seriousness of the game the emphasis MUST be on the operator.

Does she know?

I dunno, man. Surely our argument has to be that managing the publishers rights can be done in other ways than DDRM? If not, then we're basically saying they should quit making games.

I literally burst out laughing here. Wooooooooooooooo You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind. A journey without walls, a journey without statistics. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's the sign post up ahead, your next stop...The Rape Zone! EDIT: Nearly forgot my point. In the Jigsaw Man, Paul Britton discusses at length what goes into the minds of the 'average' rapist. And yes, they are young, male, and suffer from feelings of powerlessness. But a _KEY_ enabling factor which he dwells on is the use of violent themed pornography. It appeals to the pre-rapist character by salving their power-needs. But in time, and bearing in mind these men often live almost all their lives inside their heads and without contact with women, the logic of the porn takes over. I'm not sure what can be done practically to stop this, but a good show of moral outrage can only be to the good, IMO. These games should not be seen as an ironic subculture, but the last resort of losers. Hopefully then the losers will choose something else to occupy their time in the hopes of actually turning themselves around.

It's a capitalist conspiracy!

Neat. The track that plays automatically on the linked site is quite good. And the fact that he credits his guitar by name is pretty cool. He was a really cool guy. It was a tiny tiny gig, and he could have gone in half-assed and angry about the turnout, but instead he just started chatting with teh audience, telling stories and jokes ad playing away with technical _brilliance_. I absolutely heartily recommend him if you can catch him.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/newsbeat...000/8596827.stm Woman wins on a slot machine, and now the company are claiming it was a computer error. I say "Tough luck, sweethearts". I hope the woman gets a fantastic lawyer and sues the living **** out of them.

I know my own experience of training has been that - with the exception of the PTIs - it was entirely humane. We were treated very very well, and wherever possible had it explained to us what was going on and exactly why. It was a million miles from the public image of training from Full Metal Jacket, and the evidence it still delivers is hoofing around Afghanistan as we speak. I mention this because another feature of full conscription is that quality of training cadres nosedives to deliver bulk. They haven't any choice. My parents' generation did national service and their stories of NCOs is uniformly idle bastards, while the professional army is stuffed to the gills with top class veterans. So it's a case of comparing apples with oranges. I don't think full conscription would be the same experience.

I'm a liberal who thinks war needs as much justification as gravity, and political correctness is to equality what sex ed is to making love.

Hmmmmmmm. Do you known about praesumptio innocentiae? ROFL. What a great image that conjurs up. Vladimir Putin, sitting in front of his colonel's desk, like a bad schoolboy, head downcast. The colonel saying "Putin, it's just been brought to my attention that you've arrested and savagely punished ZERO enemies of the state. You realise you are letting me down personally on top of everything else." And Putin is saying "I knew I should have listened to my mother and stayed at home and become a night watchman. I never realised the KGB had to do all this running of camps and so on. Are you sure I can't just work in filing, comrade colonel?"

Although it's far from number one on my list I'd suggest a soft fruity red wine. Probably French, and a blend including Merlot. I'd steer clear of the hard stuff until your system has got it's legs back. A Merlot mix will be easygoing and very enjoyable. Then the next day I'd suggest some German style lagers. Then the day after that some light ales, like the ones from Bath Ales. Then on the fourth day of your resurrection move on to stout/imperial porter and whiskies.

Eighty percent of the public in the United States believes that the country is "run by a few big interests looking out for themselves." "Optimal performance" and bourgeois democracy cannot fit together. Self control. e: besides, the idea that Venezuela doesn't have a free press is bull**** that the US comes up with to prepare for the 2012 coup d'etat. I don't know enough about Venezuela to address your first objection, so I've cut it. But I'm genuinely tickled by the notion you have that an election decision based on information which has been processed in an open and (at least ostensibly) free fashion is not a prerequisite for that decision amounting to democracy. But then I'll just chalk it up on the list of mad things you believe such as the force required to govern depends on the degree to which the governance is alien to the governed. As for coup d'etat, I would have thought a big strong socialist like you would love coup d'etat. Plenty of shooting and waving banners from the top of cobblestone barricades. I'm sure you'd acquit yourself with the same admirable bravery you display in taking us all on.

As much as one can get worked up about these things I'm genuinely sorry to hear you think The Empire has been shafting Portugal. And noot just because Portugal is quite rocky and I worry about our national danglies. I thought we'd been the least well publicised allies ever, and have been greeted as such on numerous occasions by friendly portugees, who are happy to assume I'm a short, less nose-ridden Duke of Wellington.

Considering that UK has screwed around with many nations I only think its fair that it gets screwed over from time to time. With love from the nation UK is pushing towards bankruptcy. I'm not clear where you are writing from? Kampuchea?

Good god! A proud American on the internet! Quick, someone have him stuffed for historical record! Obyknev, I think the question about the KGB revolves around how healthy it is for a democracy to take its elected leaders from a background of extreme secrecy, not to say anti-democratic traditions. Your more appropriate response would have been to question how many US Executives come from the CIA.

I believe the point Mr Krezack was trying to make is that a democracy without a free press is like a car without wheels. It may still be a car but you won't get anything like the optimal performance out of it.

I think one of the key points which (I think) hasn't been dwelt on yet is that conscripts suck at counter-insurgency and peace-support/nation building. The real point of conscripts is to clutter of the landscape and soak up firepower in a total war. I really don't see that being a key problem at the moment.

Are you the skull cracker or just the cactus?

Its just a wee needle! Don't be a cry baby! *gristly crunch* BWAAHAAAHAAAAA! ~~ LOL

It's great that we have Russians laying out the news heer. But i'm confused. Who is Russian here? It's never occurred to me to ask.

I had one of the best nights of my life - musically - listening unexpectedly to Kent Duchaine Now, I happen to believe that the Blues is universal, but I was particularly gutted that Gfted1, and GD, not to mention Killian and Enoch couldn't be here. It was a really small gig, but easily the best blues I have ever heard, in technique and soul.

I have to agree with you, Raithe. I have huge time for the blokes at the sharp end of our cooperation, but the bureaucrats, like Rompuy are just ****ing insanely detached from reality.

Yeah. They go in the heart. Imagine Sand trying to inject one of his mates!