Walsingham

That one never gets old.

You do know I was joking, right? Hence the smiley. Except for the taxes part. If a poor person can afford to by a XBox 360 game then he or she can afford an extra 5% sales tax, especially with no taxes being taken out of their paycheck. Sorry. It's LoF's fault for making me believe people can be completely barking mental. I apologise.

Ok. you got me. I didn't see that pun.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you a fething nutter. On the one hand, Sando here would have us abandon the diplomatic service entirely, to be replaced with fixed rules, which I think could be guaranteed to leave the US without friends in a year. Nationalising and giving foreign corporations to local corporations would of course provoke further bad feeling and might, you know, lead to the inverse being applied abroad with apocalyptic results for teh US economy. Although of course, sales tax going up would mean the poorest people would already be gut-punched like a fat bad guy. Finally, having lost all its friends, the withdrawal of US forces would lead to all remaining dependants and immediate wars breaking out all over. Wars which the 19th century and wholly discredited tactic of static defence would be incapable of keeping away from US territory. This is by far and away, and without a shadow of doubt the most contemptible political manifesto I have ever read. And I include that of Onur the Courageous in my assessment.

Sorry to hear it wasn't more, mate. I do believe there are some folks who should be used instead of those monkeys we shoot into space, or to test medicines on.

Thanks. I feel like an idiot now. ;C Your approach was far funnier, tho.

First drill night since 'washday' on Sunday. Medals for several from the unit who'd been in Afghan. News of my back injury had spread, and it was sad to see people clearly cutting ties and making distance, pre-empting my almost certain departure. I'm certainly gutted. I've worked bloody hard to try and get in. I guess I'm just not robust enough. It's the first time I've failed at something I really wanted, excluding affaire de coeur. On the plus side I had four separate offers of work today, or at least demands for me to come for interviews, or deliver lectures. Which may well lead on to work.

I rather assumed tackling that issue was implicit in the question.

Thought: Could we build new Holy Lands out in the Pacific?

Well, we all committed genocide on the neanderthals... Anyway, In the Court of the Red Czar goes into extensive detail about how much the inner circle knew about the famine, and its deliberate causes. Causes rooted in the notion that the 'rich' farmers had to be punished for willfully resisting the reallocation of their labour and belongings. Reallocation which our red chum over there dearly and gleefully anticipates happening worldwide. Massive revolutionary 'engineering' which also killed millions in China and Cambodia. but do not fear NEXT time it will all be fine I can't be bothered to hunt out references, because it would be far more challenging to find references which DIDN'T make the case I've put forward. Seriously, just wander out and have a look in the first book you (other forum readers) find.

Give her a present of some helium balloons. Everyone loves helium balloons. EDIT: Today I spent two hours mailing off for work to various agencies. I don't know why it only just occurred to me.

Ok, cool.

@ Muso: I don't recall mentioning this, but I may have done. We had a really poor GM who insisted on crowbar-ing us from point to point. We went to investigate a town instead of going where he wanted, and we got attacked by a succession of screaming diseased monkeys (you see the link). It turned out the were all coming from this twisted tree in the town square. Skull-fruit things were turning into monkeys, dropping off, and attacking us. Furthering the link, we established there was a practically unlimited supply of these monkeys, so we built a cage around the tree, and spent the rest of our days farming the little bastards, and selling the revolting pelts to a nearby tannery. End of campaign, end of that GM.

If what I know of the Sikh is right, they do training with weapons. So it's not a stretch to say that a wooden dagger is an effective weapon on their hand while still being a non-lethal mean of defense. It seems to me that dagger is worn less because functionality and more because of symbolism. I would need to check the legislation surrounding this case before making a definite conclusion, since its not clear to me what their legislation on carrying weapons and what it constitutes a weapon. I totally follow you on the symbolism thing, but if it was me I'd want it to also be at least technically capable of doing something. I mean a stick of celery could be a symbolic weapon, but it would lack a certain grace.

Just think how cool it's going to be to get to know someone completely new, when you find the next one! I'm putting my money on her being a Somali artist who works in light (flames etc), and has a boxer dog called 'Colin' (which she will pronounce correctly). She will make you excellent crepes, and find your feet hilarious.

Ah, of course. I have some information of my own, as well. Here: Serious business! The math involved in calculating that one is far too complex for you to grasp. And last but not least: That should settle it! Best post this year.

I see where you are going with the wooden dagger option. However, perhaps we need to return to the notion that the object is for defending others. Perhaps something that was not functionally a dagger, but sprayed marker ink (tagged to the instrument) meaning that the individuals could be easily found by the police? Just a thought.

Paul Bettany is great.

I am perfectly content to direct forum readers to make their own minds up on this point with reference to any reputable historian of their choice. Okay, which part of my statement do you disagree with? You'd have to be pretty silly to disagree with any, since every one is true (unless, I guess, you think that Stalin purposely orchestrated the death of huge numbers of Soviet nationals in its breadbaskets for no reason before he'd even done the Great Purge). I am perfectly content to direct forum readers to make their own minds up on this point with reference to any reputable historian of their choice. laughing.gif

Cool.

I was thinking the other day that Christianity could make a rather bold statement by renouncing any special ties to the Holy Land. All the officials get together and say for the record that it was no more holy than, say, New Jersey. Be a great precedent for the other Abrahamics.

Good point which strangely enough occurred to me last night. I am, after all, arguing that a religion be accorded special positive status. But accepting that precedent it becomes logically inescapable that other religions are suitable for special inferior status. This is of course anti-liberal, and probably illegal. But at the same time, running on a bit further, we odften discuss some religions as inferior. Scientology, Aum Shinrikyo, Heaven's Gate. These all spring to mind. Thoughts?

In other news: LoF continues hammering at the same point like a lovestarved woodpecker.

Woke from an incredibly deep sleep to find every muscle in my body hurts. I'm still a bit shellshocked after washing out. I recall my section commander being rerstrained from busting into the OC's office at the training base to defend me. I remember the colour sergeant in charge at the training base telling me he hoped I'd come back, along with four other recruits - which is awesome. But I also recall being a bit banjoed and being generally outlandish. For example, one of the physical training instructors (scary individuals) told me 80% of the problem was in my head; to which I responded that in fact no it was a mechanical engineering problem with the joints and muscles in my spine tearing and if they thought I could just will that straight again then they must be a "f***ing jedi". I know I must have been compelling in my delivery because they didn't even squeak, just looked stunned.

I am perfectly content to direct forum readers to make their own minds up on this point with reference to any reputable historian of their choice.