Walsingham

Thinking about this on the train home I have to agree with the spirit of Monte's objections, given one addendum. Having a baseline healthcare system makes cold hard economic sense to me. But I also feel that there needs to be a far more concrete delineation of where that provision ends. This is difficult because we all pay for it in the UK, and no-one wants to be told they won't get what they need. But ANY system has to have limits. I can't think of any examples of this being a problem, but I do suspect that it must be, on simple logical principle.

That must have been some snow angel. *ahem* Anyway, sorry to hear your troubles Archie. I was back visiting the old town this weekend, and I decided to break the habit of a lifetime and simply run away from the problem of me and my brother. It was splendid. I had lunch with a very attractive ex of mine, took my stepdad to a burlesque show (which he enjoyed as much as was justified by the quality), and got a lot of work done. the moral of this tale is that you should make a staged withdrawal. However, I know from last year how the more stressed I got the more I wanted a cold beer, and was up for swinging my fists (mental usually). So I won't think any less of you if you don't do as I suggest.

I absolutely love this. A shame you can't recall where you heard it.

I liked meshugger's point about how it dilutes and demystifies the Forces. I'd not heard that one before. I am genuinely not trying to be rude, but some of teh stories on here MAY reflect a rather lacklustre approach to the training by the powers that were, rather than what the experience can be. But then part of that will be that if you expect EVERYONE to do it then you have to tone things down. As I say, I think the compulsory service should include non-military and elss physical options which are nevertheless seriously testing and which expose the individual to crap they wouldn't choose to do. Not sure what that might include besides manual labour. Perhaps forcing the weedier specimens to argue with LoF.

Interesting question, Monte, given how often one hears it as a supposed solution. My answer is two part. 1) As you say, conscripted soldiers are rubbish, pound for pound. 2) Having compulsory service where harsh reality is faced is something I support. I just think it should be something more relevant to society in general, like construction or coal mining.

It also says he was a fair shot with a pistol/revolver and an excellent fencer - not to mention the many times he uses more unconventional weapons such as riding crops. No to mention being able to bend steel pokers with his bare hands, as in the Adventure of the Speckled Band.

I thnk more music videos need that bearded guy dancing in them.

Um... Sando, you do realise that Civil War this time won't involve you sitting on a horse and grumbling into an extravagant moustache? I do agree with Gfted1 that voicing security concerns, when Congress is already effectively the biggest bullseye in the World is laughable.

Thanks I shalll certainly try to remember them for future perusal.

This. As we speak every man, woman and child in this country is on the hook for $41,000.00 in debt. Now toss on another TRILLION so 90% of the country can pay for the 10% that dont have insurance and its easy to see this is an unsustainable model. Hurlshot bemoaned "how could anyone be expected to pay off an $80,000.00 hospital bill" when in fact weve mortgaged our childrens futures to an amount that cant be realistically paid off, all so we can have a circle jerk and congratulate ourselves on funding a program that only 10% of our citizens needed. Talk about poor return on an investment... I apologise if you've already covered this elsewhere, but surely the whole point of the proposal is the assumption that there is some feedback benefit in paying for those 10%? I mean purely looking at it from your opponents' perspective?

Nirvana - I like to back British.

Can I hazard a wild four-part-harmony guess that you're a physical scientist, Obs?

Tigs, you're doing the best job you can of defending the right to be offended, but I think you're talking through your modhat. Ths is only tangentially about being offended, and far more about promoting terrorism as a response to a cartoon satirising Islam for being terrorist. Which is both monstrous in terms of the victims, and monstrously ironic. Given that Illuminator's entire pitch since arriving - apart from some fascinating anecdotes about eating - has been to aver the existence of a Western plot to destroy all Muslims, and to define democracy as an abomination before God, is there really any point in arguing?

While I find it hard to criticise their affirmation that the Founding Fathers were broadly in favour of religion, I lament their obvious neglect of their equal support for slavery and terrorism.

I have a feeling we may have just identified your personal motto.

Is it just me or is Sluggo speaking some Youth argot in those texts? EDIT: I cooked a huge pile of garlic-licious pasta and drank a light ale while ringing round old friends and chatting nonsense. I even rang up an old ex of mine, who informed me that singing extensively to myself is an old habit, not a new one. I have decided to be pleased by this.

Zombies in your moat is tr

Well, I am of the long held opinion that conflict is an inevitable concomitant of diversity, and that diversity should never be/can never be annihilated. Non-violent conflict should be the aim, as Sun Tzu says, but non-violence can always be ignored. If non-violence is ignored then the only recourse is surrender or violence. Or to use my favourite expression: you can ignore what I write with my pen, but you cannot ignore me poking you in the eye with it. Once you begin violent conflict then the physics of armed conflict apply, and you end up fighting with masses, and voila, we have war. And as every good Obsidian fan knows... war never changes. P.S. The Book of Five Rings sucks.

Observations that do not agree with the model serve that purpose. If new, reliable observations do not agree with your current model, your model is wrong. I realise we're being rather heated, but I am afraid I have to disagree further, rather than agree. Models in themselves merely describe a simulated behaviour, almost invariably hedged in with assumptions imperative due to restricted data and understanding. Yes, they are very valuable because as a 'working' model they often an be tested for internal coherence, but applying models as a form of reality prediction is fraught with danger. Models don't just become wrong as you suggest. They become restricted in application.

Survive the zombie apocalypse: build castles.

Singing Mbube just reminded me of a certain time when I got roped into playing an NPC elf knight in Live Action Rolepay. Our brief was that we would accompany the players trhough the Fey (fairy realm) past a sleeping dragon, chanting a magic chant to keep the dragon asleep while the players protected us from attack. Unfortunately for the gamesmaster chap I'd been listening to the earlier, and the lyrics for the chant invented themselves. Fortunately my freinds who were also knights live on the same wavelength as me and I merely had to start humming teh tune and they provided the background chant and the occasional whoop or trill. Sadly no-one but us found this as funny as we did. Run away Run away Oh run away Run away Run away Run away Yes run away Run away... In the Fey realm, the quiet fey realm, The dragon sleeps tonight Don't slay! Oooooh no. Run run run away. Or you'll pay! No no no no no Run run run away Run away Run away etc

Sitting in this chair day on day has finally driven me mad. I just spent ten minutes trying to 'Wimoweh' to myself, doing all the parts including the falsetto - which I managed tolerably well.

I've had this quoted to me correctly verbatim by a number of squaddies you'd think never read anything but the **** page: "Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap; An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit. Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?" But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll,"

'The peasants are revolting!' 'So tell me something I don't know!' Always cracks me up...

In an ideal world where every listener is at least as educated as every speaker, hate speech would be pointless, and therefore there would be no need for it to be banned. This is far from being an ideal world, though, and we all recognize the dangers of demagoguery and populism. I'm not arguing for absolute, 100% pure unadulterated free speech. The problem lies, as always, in the proverbial line on the sand. Excellent. My round, i believe. Oh wait, dammit I'm not in the pub.