Walsingham

I agree. This is, sadly the inevitable upshot of our more ethical foreign policies over the last fifteen years. The Chinese are building a rapidly expanding sphere of influence with the people we have been excluding, and into the bargain making a mockery of efforts at peaceful sanctions and pressure.

Heh. Yes, I too was a little startled to hear that we are expecting China to pressurise Burma because they are a violently repressive dictatorship. I know hypocrisy is politics but sheezus.

i don't want to sound harsh, but nine dead isn't that many by any standards. Certainly not enough to provoke irreconcilable anger.

So I have two artists, both have created a work based on war, one pro and one anti, as well as two former soldiers, both have written a book about their experiences in combat, one anti war and one pro war. The views of those on one side contradict the views of those on the other. Who should I believe, who should I take as an authority? Help me Walsing-ham, you're my only hope. I'd suggest you evaluate each on the merits of their reasoning. If the pro-war ones are pro-war because they like hurting people for example that would reflect negatively, just as it ould if the anti-war ones find taking pictures of animals injurious to their dignity. Of course I'd also suggest you read more and view more artistic work, expand the sample size.

Do you have to know that in advance? Or is it somehow explained in the model itself?

Thanks for the list, Steve. I scanned through and am relieved to say I have no interests in any of the companies besides Rolls Royce, and I will bring it up with them next chance I get. My favourite: Mekong Travel Mekong Travel is a travel company based in Buckinghamshire which specialises in holidays to Indochina, including Burma. On their website they describe how decades of isolation as a result of military dictatorship

I do not know what the news media are doing in other countries but in the UK the unrest in Burma has been covered in depth. My own analysis, from recent reportage, and peering across the border in the 1990s is that the junta are nothing more than a militarised form of organised crime. They are exploiting the entire country for their amusment and enrichment, with the collusion of unscrupulous foreign interests. Particularly in China, Thailand, India, and Australia. Slave labour, forced prostitution of the rural population, brutalisation and oppression on higher levels for the urban classes. e.g. I wondered what people thought of this, and also wanted to share the cyber-dissident's handbook. A tool I hope none of our members ever have to use. http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=542

Way beyond me. Cool idea.

True. But we've had a lot of youth knife crime. My feeling is that one just sees a shift in methodology. On the other hand, a murderous spree with a knife is less lethal than one with a handgun or rifle. It also takes longer, permitting authorities to intervene. What is even more interesting is the number of foiled attacks citing Columbine as an inspiration. What kind of pathetic mind finds Columbine inspiring?

I don't think there was a serious problem with them. Interestingly handgun crime has shown no tendency to decrease in spite of the increased restrictions. Not that I can pretend I'm surprised.

Sorry, ladies and gentlemen, but this really isn't family friendly as a topic for discussion. I'm going to have to echo the Big Green and shut it down. No censure to any individuals.

When i was checking the background and response I found THIS http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brenda_Ann_Spencer How freaking weird. Two people killed because she was 'bored'. In fact http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_schoo...chool_incidents Man, it's been years since I looked into true 'regular' crime. HOw depressing is all this? Death after death...

You were right, Gfted1! The university here did as suggested in the Virginia Tech review panel report. they cancelled classes and initiated a lockdown. Still not good enough, though in my opinion. I think it's important to compare the contingency planning that corporations have for crises and these universities. Modern univesrsities are to most intents and purposes big companies, yet they refuse to behave with even a corporate degree of care! Which is surely a damning indictment! i mean, if you aren't even as 'nice' as Enron.

I see what you mean, Architect. However, I'm objecting precisely because artisits get given preference because they 'taste sweeter'. Not every wise or right person can speak in a strong compelling way. I worked with cerebral palsy kids many years ago and I had a hell of a time understanding what they were going through, but a couple left me with more profound insights into life than any book or pop song. Hell Kitty, you are of course correcty to bring me up on that point. We are endowed with imagination and empathy and reason prescisely so that we can renedr judgements on things which we have not directly epxerienced. It is basically what makes us special. However, it is my argument that there are limits to teh distance you can cover by pure thought. I'm not objecting to someone who has only driven in a cadillac singing about driving in a porsche. I'm bitching about people who've only seen a car on TV singing about driving a porsche AND people taking them as authorities. It's not the singing I mind, it's the audience credulity.

Discretely moved to C&C

True, Architect. True. But ... I don't know... I agree we tend to only accept things from individual artists that fit our notion of common sense. But who shapes our common sense? Artists are a big percentage of our background noise. It's not just a question of sense, IMO, but of emotion and ppower in the art itself. I mean who sings better about bad love? Ella Fitzgerald or the 'original' Britney Spears?

I agree with taks. Just because boys are conditioned to accept a more aggressive stance doesn't mean they can't get fethed up by premature congress. I also think there's a big difference emotionally and growth wise between congress with someone who is equally as confused and someone who is much more experienced. The latter stunts the natural maturation process by short circuit if you like. I think it's also important to point out that typically when an adult seeks a sexual relationship with a minor they are not doing so with 'healthy' intentions. They are generally acting out some pretty messed up personal issues, and this further damages the child.

True. But I do think in general we give artists far too much credibility. We accept their pronouncements on medical and scietific issues they haven't even a school grade education to understand, and accept tehir advice on drugs, love, sex, and life in general. I mean, if you went to your doctor and he said "Actually I'm not qualified as a doctor, but I can play guitar" Would you be very happy?

I was about to weigh in with some statement or other, then I realised it probably wasn't that special. This is one hell of a complex issue.

No Wals, that elasticity thing was just you. Maybe so.

Happy Birthday. Be sure to eat massive quantities and drink. Because when you hit 25 you'll suddenly lose all elasticity.

One of my professors once observed that if you want to know what it is like to be crazy imagine everyone else is crazy instead. Because mostly you don't realise you are the one who is mad. I reckon it would be bloody awful.

One should think before they post. Anyone with an imagination can write something about war by watching the bloody news, footage after a battle or images from pictures. Or do research and interview people who actually been on the front lines. They can certainly try. But I refute the notion that one can do justice to a situation with absolutely no experience of it. Would you accept the opinion of a farmer from the Congo on the life of an inuit? How much more extreme will be the disjunction when the phenomena in question is as dramatic as warfare? Moreover, I do not simply reference the logical failure, but can compare such work with the opinions of my many friends who have actually been in combat. As Gromnir would say; Hah! Good fun!

That was perfectly clear. No personal censure was implied.