Eval of Abrams performace
Hi all, Here's an interesting Powerpoint presentation of the performance of the M1 in the Gulf in the past war. http://www.sftt.org/PPT/article05242003a.ppt Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Tamiya's M151A2 MUTT w/TOW ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: army tortures iraqi prisoners, photos show
It's been a few days and I haven't heard anything of this in any other media source. You'd think someone else might have picked this up if it was real. The info about Lt. Col Tim Collins is reported elsewhere but nothing about photos. I think it has been previously established that The Sun is a sensationalist newspaper, and as a source, cannot be trusted. I don't know why The Fool keeps posting these articles (IIRC he posted one a while ago about an A-10 strafing brits) unless in his biased quest he ignores sources (just as important as the articles, IMHO). Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Tamiya's M151A2 MUTT w/TOW ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Are you a model citizen?
Heh heh...I got 0 years in prison and no fines... I especially enjoyed #19 as I live right next to Allentown and often go to the Mall there... Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Tamiya's M151A2 MUTT w/TOW ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Picking apart the Matrix - spoilers
And my random other observation about the matrix: Why the heck should the matrix be "just like real life in the year 2000" or whatever? Why not make it a perfect, ideal paradise for everyone? Then no one would want to leave it, and no one would be killed prematurely by violence in the simulation (which has to be an inefficiency). IIRC they explained this sometime in the beginning. They did try an utopian paradise but the humans didn't buy it and there were massive losses. They tried again with a "realistic" Matrix, which is the one in the movie. The year 2000 was chosen because it had the maximum level of happiness as compared to any other time period. Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Tamiya's M151A2 MUTT w/TOW ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Where are the European hypocrites?
After the Dryfus affair, Zionism got its start. Modern Zionism started in Eastern Europe--specifically Russia in the late 19th C, where anti-semitism was most virulent--according to my source. The roots of Zionism actually predate the affair by at least a decade. See _A History of the Modern Middle East_ by Cleveland pp. 235-237. Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Tamiya's M151A2 MUTT w/TOW ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: WMD
Wow, we must either be on different lists, or one of us isn't very perceptive. Of the politically vocal Americans on the list*, I count yourself, Georgis, Tarr, Cofey, Agretto and Cooper as well right of center. Heh heh. Would it surprise you then to know I am a registered Democrat and voted for Gore? Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Tamiya's M151A2 MUTT w/TOW ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: WMD
Well statistically it shocks the hell out of me, Damon. Army officers are what, 90% Republican? Something in that range. I dunno what the exact statistic is, but yes I would concede that the majority of all US military personnel are Republican. I personally look like the most rabid Republican when issues of defence come up, but in other issues I just can't come eye to eye with them. This gives me an element of schizophrenia when I actually go to vote; FREX I voted for Gore in the last election, but previous to that I voted for Dole. I couldn't vote for the election before that one, but would have voted for Perot if I could (don't blame me; I was in HS at the time!). That being said, if McCain had won the nomination I would have voted for him, and if Powell ever runs for office, and goes as a Republican, I would hands down vote for him. Usually I am more consistent when choosing candidates for local elections... Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: WMD
Would it surprise any of you that I was once a registered Republican and that, having participated in all the elections starting in 1972, I have never voted for a presidential candidate that lost the popular vote? Huh. So far every presidential candidate I've voted for lost! :( Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Br!n: Stuff for the Gurps Uplift Site.
And also coming soon, Uplift Minis! It'll have a selection of Chims, Dolphins and Tymbrimi. It's still in production, but I'll see if I can get some advance word on a release date. http://www.sjgames.com/miniatures/uplift/index.html Aargh! Gamer unfriendly packaging! Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Br!n: Stuff for the Gurps Uplift Site.
Huh? They're sold in a box. How is that unfriendly? I suppose if it was a box that punched you in the nose with a concealed spring-mounted boxing glove, but I've seen the boxes, and they don't do that. The reason its gamer unfriendly is that you have to buy the whole box of figures. Its great if you're just a collector, or have the urge to paint Uplift figures. But for a gamer its just so inconvenient! What if I need another dolphin? I have to buy it and get a bunch more chimps and Tymbrimis! It's much more user friendly if they came in individual blister packs so I can buy what I need and not worry about a bunch of "useless" figures... Damon, mini buyer for the past 18 years. PS: yes I WILL probably buy it... ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Br!n: Stuff for the Gurps Uplift Site.
Yeah, but packaged individually, the price would jump to ~$6 a fig, if not more. How friendly is /that/? FAR more user friendly than spending $25 to get one extra dolphin for an encounter... Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Brin: more re Gurps uplift
Getting it at the local hobby shop doesn't just spread the word, but more importantly keeps a local merchant in business. Because it really sucks when you don't have a store to go and buy stuff or game at... Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: [SPAM]constatine's 'cross' may have been mushroom cloudfrommeteor impact
Second comment. Aren't you usually ANTI-religion? If one does take at face value that Constantine got a meteor at just the right time, it does make it very probable that there are at least "more things under Heaven and in Earth than are dreamt of", right? Shouldn't you be saying things like: "Some historian probably wove the meteor report into the story, even though it happened three years BEFORE the battle." Didn't you read the quote at the end of the piece the Fool added in? Regardless the argument holds little water; more than likely the story of the cross was added by later writers to reflect the growing interest in Christianity occurring at the time. I doubt the idea of Constantine seeing such a sign encouraged him to win the battle, or to eventually end the persecution of Christians (which was never as popular as later Victorian historians or movies like you to believe); I think his mother had far more to do with it than that... Despite that I find the whole story and argument to be very shaky. He MIGHT have seen the meteor trail (though absolutely wouldn't see the blast) but that's not enough evidence to base any historical conclusions from. Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Constantine's "cross" may have been mushroom cloud frommeteor impact
The rise of the dark ages along with the rise the popes and 'universal' (catholic) belief, are hardly coincident. It was only when the absolute authority of the popes began to disintegrate into hundreds of competeing factions that europe began it's upward path again. If you are after "facts" then why don't you go and study both the origin and the idea of the "Dark Ages" as well as Early Medieval ecclesiastical history. Your above statement shows just how incorrect and biased you really are. Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Constantine's "cross" may have been mushroom cloud from meteor impact
That's all very nice but you failed to directly address what I was referring to: you linked the "Dark Ages" with the rise of the Papacy. This shows a lack of research on your part, or even an acknowledgement of medieval history. The Dark Ages was a VERY specific period referred to by English historians describing the time between the withdraw of the Roman field army from Britain and the emergence of the Germanic kingdoms. The "dark" part refers to the fact that for this period extremely little written information is available (or so far discovered) and (at the time) only a little archaeological evidence. Pop historians (or just pop culture in general) applied the term to encompass the entire Early Middle Ages (approx 500 to 1100 AD) or in some cases the entire Middle Ages as a pejorative. But according to its actual definition, the "Dark Ages" never existed. Secondly, you link the idea that the rise in the Papacy and the "dark ages" is fundamentally linked somehow. Of course, if you actually researched early ecclesiastical history (post 500 to around 1000) you would realize that the power of the Catholic church during this period was tenuous at best, and survived only because of the sponsorship of some of the most powerful states of the Early Middle Ages: namely the Franks and to a certain (though different) extent the Eastern Roman Empire. Neither the Scandinavians, Slavs, Magyars, nor the Muslims cared one whit about the Catholic church, and in their own separate, individual ways, were threatening to destroy it. Finally, the idea that the Middle Ages were stagnant in any way shows a fundamental lack of understanding of history in general. Read a book. Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Constantine's "cross" may have been mushroom cloud from meteor impact
Gosh - that got a reaction! I think it's safe to say that Middle Ages were stagnant IN SOME WAYS, if we compare them to any other period of recorded history. It's not like the period 900-1000 compares to 1900-2000. Isn't that where the term Renaissance comes from? The MA was stagnant in some ways just like any other period in history. That is, if you examine any other historical periods, cultures or civilizations, you will find plenty of achievements as well as stagnation. The term "The Renaissance" was coined by 16th C historians and philosophers who wanted to highlight the achievements and prosperity of their age, and how things were so much better than the previous... Duh... Of course things would be "better" because civilizations are built upon their pasts! There would be no "Renaissance" if it were not for the developments of the High and Late Middle Ages. But more importantly Russ, how does the period 900-1000 compare to, say, 800-900, or 600-700, or any previous age? Trying to compare any other period in history with the 20th C and its developments will of course reflect negatively on the past. That goes without saying. The point I'm trying to make, however, is that the Middle Ages was not a period of ignorance, filth, barbarism and poverty that pop history and culture wants to make it...at least not moreso than any other period of history (we certainly have today our share of ignorance, filth, barbarism and poverty), and such attitudes tends to minimize the important developments and achievements of the period that has lead into the civilization that we, today, enjoy. Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Constantine's "cross" may have been mushroom cloud from meteor impact
Finally, the idea that the Middle Ages were stagnant in any way shows a fundamental lack of understanding of history in general. Read a book. Any suggestions? If you know nothing about the middle ages and want a good, concise, readable introduction, I'd recommend Hollister's _Medieval Europe_. Very entertaining and even humorous at times. For a thorough but readable introduction to feudalism read Carl Stephenson's _Medieval Feudalism_ to see why I go off on this topic periodically. Finally, to support my argument in these last few posts, read _The Twelfth Century Rennaisance_ by Hollister (currently OOP) or any of the other books dealing with the subject by Benson (_Renaissance and Renewal in the Twelfth Century_), Haskins ( _The Renaissance of the Twelfth Century_), or Swanson (_The Twelfth-Century Renaissance_). I'd also reccommend picking up Hollister's sourcebook companion for _Medieval Europe_ but it may currently be OOP. Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Constantine's "cross" may have been mushroom cloud from meteor impact
Not his again. They certainly were in many ways. Why don't you read a book like How the Irish Saved civilization. Just FYI this book has been criticized by professional historians pretty thoroughly. Its pop history. Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Constantine's "cross" may have been mushroom cloud from meteor impact
Can you offer any good talks or documentaries? Reviews even? I don't have time to spend on this topic to read something. I also don't quite understand your viewpoint. Are you saying that catholocism didn't stifle "scientific" advancement in the middle ages? No, what the Fool contended was that the rise of the Papacy and Catholicism has directly responsible for the "dark ages." My contention is that this is impossible because a) the Dark Ages did not exist, at least by the pop history definitition, b) the power of the catholic church was tenuous at best during the Early MA, and it was not until much later (the High MA) that the power of the church grew, precisely at the same time Europe was experiencing a literary, technological, economic, and social Renaissance of its own (which was, in fact, the second such development since the end of Roman authority in the West). Some time ago I speculated about the impact of classical learning on the development of science in Western civilization. Specifically, I wondered whether Greek learning was as much a hindrance as a help to this development. Along with Greek methodology you also had the baggage of the more daft ideas they had. Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Constantine's "cross" may have been mushroom cloud from meteor impact
I was referring to the more popular definition of dark ages. But my general definition of dark ages is about 500ad to the end of the crusades / renaissance. The popular definition of the Dark Ages is more a hindrance to understanding the MA as anything. Your post displays as much. There is also the greek dark ages. What does that have to do with the MA? Besides which, if you are a proponent of Rohl and James' New Chronology as put forward in the books A Test of Time and Centuries of Darkness (respectively) completely redefines the chronology of the Ancient period, up to and before a solar eclipse viewed by the Assyrians in 753 (a most solid and confirmable date), and proposes the evidence that the 21st and 22nd Dynasties of Egypt ruled concurrently rather than consecutively. By their argument the Greek Dark ages simply did not exist...the Achaian period simply blends and evolves into the Archaic period of Greek history. I personally think the evidence is compelling (though I am not an expert in the period). But don't take my word for it--read the books. They should still be available from Amazon.uk. Are you saying that there was no loss of technologies from about the time of Constantine to the renaissance? Are you saying their was no loss of mathematics? Are you saying their was no loss of religion? Sure there was some progress made during that time, but there was a lot was lost for a thousand years. Fool, you should have re-read your own argument more closely for the answer. The Late Roman Empire was stagnating; economically, socially and technologically. While the east continued to provide a sound economic center (which ended up propping up the west artificially for hundreds of years), the Roman empire failed to innovate technologically. If anything was lost from the collapse of the Roman Empire in the west, the fall was more like a stumble than a full-fledge step back. The fact that the "barbarians" of the Carolingian Empire were producing better steel than the Roman empire I think is telling. Or the fact that they were using iron shod ploughs allowing far more land to be brought under cultivation. Or that the 3 field system of crop rotation was a medieval development. Or that the horse collar was developed in Europe. Or that while the Chinese are credited with the invention of gunpowder, it was the Medieval Europeans who thought to use it to propel missiles. Or that it was a medieval German that invented the printing press. See http://scholar.chem.nyu.edu/tekpages/Technology.html for a great overview on medieval technology. Finally, you say "Are you saying their was no loss of religion?" For someone who professes to the Marxist belief that religion is delusional, what does this matter? Why is Christianity inferior to Mithraism, Zoroastrism, or Paganism? That's a pretty weak argument and one out of character for you. Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Constantine's "cross" may have been mushroom cloud from meteor impact
Damon, Is your last name D*##0^? You sound like DD word for word. Huh??? I think that if we got into specifics that we would disagree, but in generalizations this fits. Also, I think you are streatching the timelines and not giving enough credit to the catholic church. The Fool failed to define specifically what period he was talking about in his original post. The Dark Ages is popularly synonimous with the Early MA, which was the standpoint I was going for. >Along with Greek methodology you also had the baggage of the > more daft ideas they had. Word for word "daft ideas" when refering to the greeks. D*##0^ was very convincing in our 8 hour conversation. Are you the same guy? Probably not since I know of no such conversation, and not too much into chats. Besides, I NEVER hide behind aliases, and will ALWAYS sign my messages with my proper name if I have to have an alias (such as in a screen or login name). If it was me you would know about it. Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Constantine's "cross" may have been mushroom cloud from meteor impact
I know a lot of historians think that Diamond is way off the mark as well. History is one of those feilds where polotics and opinion mean a lot more than fact anyway. Well no, not precisely. It can be easily be said there is no fact in history, rather there is interpretation of events and information. So history IS opinion--or better INTERPRETATION--by learned individuals. There are some things you can know, and others that depend on who wrote the history. I have first hand experience with this where many historians have written that Native Americans had no writing and no history, and that just was not the case. For a long time custer was considered by history to have been very brave and a good warior. As it turns out he wasn't. You can't beleive everything you read, but you also can't allways trust the "experts" when it comes to a topic like history. Especialy when so many of them disagree. All of this can be summed up with the term "critical thinking." Learning to read critically is one of the most important things I learned in pursuit of my History BA. Certainly historians disagree, but that's the beauty of history; one can look at the evidence and make conclusions or interpretations, and that evidence or your argument can be challenged, forcing you (or others) to re-interperet or gather more evidence to support your argument. The result is (hopefully) a more thorough or solid view of history. Some people label this "revisionist" like its a dirty word, but having read some of the works put out by Victorian or even earlier I'm glad history has been reinterpreted since then. Your Custer example is a perfect fit of this. It wasn't because the original historians have been disqualified, but because others have stepped forward and suggested that the evidence doesn't fit the conclusions. Whenever reading history, the most important questions you must ask is a) what is this writer's bias, b) what sources or evidence does he use to support his argument, and c) do these sources or evidence pan out? Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Constantine's "cross" may have been mushroom cloud from meteor impact
--- Damon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >Or that it was a medieval German that invented the printing press. The chinese invented the printing press. That german just copied it. IIRC the Chinese version used wooden blocks where the text was fixed. The German version used a pallete composed of individual blocks of letters. The Chinese may have developed something similar, but the European version was clearly superior. Yet another sign of cultural stagnation? Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: constatine's 'cross' may have been mushroom cloud from meteor impact
What I heard is that Maxentius and Constantine were fighting, as the BBC article said. Maxentius had his clan and the support of the Mithraic elements in the army. These made for a powerful group. Constantine needed allies and put together a coalition that included Christians. During, or before the battle, Constantine had to pay a considerable political price to his new allies, the Christians. He did this by finding some clouds in the sky, and saying that they formed the shape of a cross. If he won, therefore, he would support those who favored the cross over those who favored the Mithraic emblems (which may have been horns, but which by that time were, I think, lightning bolts). This story I think sounds more plausible. Constantine WAS a man of his times, and was certainly not above playing his political cards. At the time of his reign Christians made up around 20% of the population, a very sizable minority. However, an important thing to consider is that Constantine never converted to Christianity except on his deathbed. He did, however, recognize the religion and encourage it as much as he could. One influence on the man that cannot be ignored, either, was his mother, a devout Christian. Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Custer and Little Big Horn
I think what Jan was referring to in his post about Custer was not the man's personal bravery nor his skills (or lack thereof) of a tactician. I think what he was referring to was the concept of the Last Stand as a heroic battle to the last. The reality, of course, is that Custer vastly underestimated his enemies, and he was there to kill them in a long series of conflicts that is sometimes compared to the Holocaust. The idea of a heroic Indian fighter is out of fashion these days, for good reason. Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Custer and Little Big Horn
? Not my my circles it isn't out of fasion at all. In fact the latest tribal newspaper has several stories on wariors who are serving in the middle east. What would the "good reason" be? Umm, an indian fighter is one who fights indians! Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: ebay
Wierd - I didn't know you could withdraw a bid at any time - I thought once you put it in you had made an offer... You'd have to wonder what's wrong with just bidding on it like a regular person. We're not talking millions here... Doesn't withdrawing a bid inpact negatively with your Ebay rating? I've wanted to do this in the past when I got "out of control" but hesitated... Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: W, the revisionist historian
Of course we all know who W blames the holocaust on: http://www.ffrf.org/news/holocaust.html I'm no Bush apologizer but this seems to denounce one extreme by taking the other extreme. Hitler's religious conviction isn't a clear cut as these authors would try to make it. There's many words one can use to describe Hitler, but a "devout Catholic" is not one of them. Again I ask: where is this author's bias and can this be trusted as an absolute credible source? Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: W, the revisionist historian
I think the freedom from religion foundation is a good source. Rationalist's tend to be. Religious nuts tend not to be. Well I detected a bias. I'm not saying that Bush's word is the Truth, but then again I can't say that this source is absolutely unbiased and critical. IOW, it seems like they have their own axe to grind. Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: W, the revisionist historian
No one is free from bias. That would be impossible. Absolutely. But the question is not whether one can be free of any bias, but to what extent it colors their evaluations, and to what extent they want to use "facts" to support their arguments. Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: AOL has problems
But are the accounting/legal problems worse than WorldCom's were? Julia dealt with MCI/WorldCom billing, burned the t-shirt Hee hee hee! I used to to collections for Worldcomm! That was...educational... Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Polish, stupidity myth
I always figured it was because of WW2 that they got that reputation. Didn't they attack tanks with cavalry during the Blitz, or some such? No; Polish cavalry were pursuing a unit of broken German infantry when they blundered on some German tanks. It's a myth. Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Polish, stupidity myth
Ouch! At what point during the war did this happen? Very early in the war (like Sept 1939). After the Fall of Poland I don't think the Polish deployed large units of horse cavalry...at least not the Free Polish serving in Western Europe. Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Polish, stupidity myth
Debbi who is taking ridiculous advantage of the opportunity to talk horses... :) Haha not to begrudge your chance to do so...! Of course what I meant by "large cavalry units" was of course traditional horse cavalry (which still had a role in WWII; both the Germans and the Soviets deployed divisions/brigades of horse cavalry, as well as some of the lesser allies. IIRC the last cavalry charge in history was done by the Italians...) Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: This Tiger Has No Teeth
The only Clancy book I read was Red Storm Rising and was utterly and completely dissatisfied with the ending. The beginning wasn't much better either... Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: This Tiger Has No Teeth
I think he's spread thin. There are three or four "collaboration" series out there now. I read the first couple of "Op Center" books and decided I didn't need to read any more of those and haven't read any of the other series. I haven't read his non-fiction books about tanks and subs and planes. I've read both Armored Cav and Into the Storm. The former didn't give me much new information, but the latter was (is?) useful as a source on Desert Storm (as it is co-written with Gen. Fred Franks, a corps commander during the assault) as well as some interesting info on Vietnam and the issues of large scale command. Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Esci/Italeri's M60A1 Patton ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Scouted: 10 ton whale leaps aboard British sailboat
The 10-ton humpback whale leapt out of the water and pulled the rigging and mast along with it as it slid down the boat, British media reported on Wednesday. I just hope for the whale's sake the other humpbacks weren't looking when he pulled this one off... :P Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Armorcast's Battletech Vulture ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Book Reccomendations
With the growing presence of Mars I've become more interested in Astronomy as of late. What are some good books on the subject that has both breadth and depth, more than my ASTRO 001 Intro to Astronomy textbook? Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Tamiya's M26 Pershing ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: br!n: feudalism meme in america
And America was not conceived of as a feudal state, feudalism being broadly defined as "rule by the super-rich." Rather, our nation was created in large part in reaction against centuries of European feudalism. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said in his lecture titled The Fortune of the Republic, delivered on December 1, 1863, "We began with freedom. America was opened after the feudal mischief was spent. No inquisitions here, no kings, no nobles, no dominant church." Of course I could go on to say that feudalism was an agreement between two men in which one did service for the other in exchange for land, and has nothing to do with rulership. But then, I don't think anyone really cares about history anymore, or "getting it right"... :( Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Tamiya's M26 Pershing ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Scouted: The Ultimate Roleplaying Purity Score
Hacklust 33.96% Sensitive Roleplaying 51.9% GM Experience 72.46% Systems Knowledge 92.51% Livin' La Vida Dorka 39.08% You are 62.54% pure Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Tamiya's M26 Pershing ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: br!n: feudalism meme in america
So feudalism was just a lot of private contracts? O.K..
But if one's choice is "accept a serfdom contract or starve", isn't
this in fact coercion?
Technically serfdom is outside the bounds of feudalism because a serf does
not do homage or swear fealty for his lands. Reguardless, using feudalism
to coerce one into a subservient role does not, by itself, imply that
feudalism is inherently a system of pyramid shaped rulership. Thats like
implying guns inherently create a pyramid shaped society. Reread the
original message and replace "feudalism" with "firearms."
There are plenty of examples where, in fact, where lords either released
their tenants from servile status, or infact held no land fiefs at all
("bastard" feudalism).
I've certainly leased a house, and not considered myself a
serf...
That's because you were not of the social class known as "serf."
Damon.
Damon Agretto
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum."
Now Building: Tamiya's M26 Pershing
___
http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: br!n: feudalism meme in america
Was this a freely made agreement between equals or was it a situation where one man owned the land through inheritance and the other had no option other than to work in the service of the lord. Where there the lord got to decide the terms of the agreement and if the peasent did not agree the power of the state would come down upon him. Feudalism was not a free market state. It was in fact just the opposite. The rise of trade unions helped to destroy feudalism First, as previously stated, peasants are outside the feudo-vassalic relationship. They belonged to something known as manorialism. Second, should the would-be vassal disagree with the arrangement, its not the power of the state he has to worry about (the modern concept of the State, indeed, did not exist in the middle ages) but the power of his lord. Why should the king care about the troubles between a baron and his vassal, unless it proved to be a serious disturbance to the peace? The would-be vassal can disagree with the terms as long as he realizes there are consequences to disagreement. Usually this meant ejection from his lands, forcefully if he did not vacate them (because then whatever rents or resources he collected becomes stealing). Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Tamiya's M26 Pershing ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: br!n: feudalism meme in america
So how exactly IS promising goods and services to a lord in exchange for land different from my leasing a house? I probably could do it as barter if I had to--but money is easier. Your definition of feudalism might stretch so far that it is meaningless. No, my definition of feudalism is very specific. Its different from leasing a house because you don't enter into a relationship with your landlord; you do not swear to uphold and defend him from all others, promise to render upon him specific services when asked, in exchange for your land, his protection, and his support. Your landlord doesn't come by when you're unemployed and give you food (typically), nor does he act as your lawyer in court, or protect you from burglars. Instead you give him money and he lets you live in his house. I'm sure there were "good" lords, just as there were "good" slave masters. But we're talking about the system of feudalism AS A WHOLE, aren't we? So the correct thing to do is to average coercion used over all lords, to produce an average coercion coefficient for the system as a whole. Or something like that. Perhaps I haven't been clear in what I'm trying to say. Feudalism, as a "system" (though custom should be a better word) does not create a pyramid shaped society by its very existance; such a society must already exist. Whether lords could coerce others into feudal relationships, or were "good" or "bad" is irrelevant; they can be all these things WITHOUT feudalism. Which is my point, specifically wrt the original article. Which is why I dislike the term used in that fashion. Especially when feudal relationships, specifically in the European Middle Ages, was less a pyramid and more a spider web of interlocking relationships, with the king at the top and everyone else trickling down to the bottom. Socially a knight may be below a count, but this doesn't mean a knight need listen to a foreign count (that is, one who is not his direct overlord). There was a phrase during the Middle Ages: "The man of my man is not my man." So did you learn the correct definition of feudalism in school, or something? Let's have it verbatim, then... : ) Feudalism is a relationship, usually between a lord and his vassal, in which a specific service is exchanged for payment in kind, with mutual obligations between both parties That's the short version. For the long version, read Carl Stephenson's _Medaeval Feudalism_. Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Now Building: Tamiya's M26 Pershing ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: We Want Your Online Dating Stories...
Can I add some experience, which has nothing to do with dating but the process? I'm logged onto two internet sites. The one site is popular, but some of the things I want to limit, don't limit my search options. I have a number one criteria, which it does limit by, yet I've been contacted by women whose answers didn't meet this limit, or worse lied and then admitted to me the truth after a few e-mails. I will say for my number two criteria, I listed what I am, but didn't limit my search to it because I don't care about that quality in them as long as they can accept my point of view. Ok here's a question...how on earth did you get contacted when the ONLY contact I EVER got was someone saying my ad was very nice (and she still wasn't interested in getting to know me...). I had ads on EVERY major dating server, complete with picture and very detailed description. I NEVER got replies (except for the one above)!?! It came to a point where I thought the only way I could get a date was by being a cocky d***head, like the many other guys I see with women. I'm glad that fate and fortune dictated otherwise... Damon, catching up on e-mail... ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: Revell's Tiger Ausf. H ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Scouted: LOONEY ALERT
Uhhh, wow. Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: Revell's Tiger Ausf. H ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Scouted: Dell follows Apple: Eliminates Floppies
I thought the corporate HQ had moved to Round Rock. I coulda *sworn* all those nice new office buildings on Louis Henna Blvd. in Round Rock that I drive by a couple of times a week were corporate HQ buildings. They are at RR. They have more than one office. I know; I used to do collections for Dell Financial (not part of Dell Computers, but closely associated). Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: Revell's Tiger Ausf. H ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Scouted: Dell follows Apple: Eliminates Floppies
At 06:19 AM 2/8/03 +0900, you wrote: The only problem (a sentimental one) with this for me is I will have to give up my Borland Pascal 7.0. I still have the original 12 or 13 720Kb 3.5" floppies and everytime I upgrade my computer, one of the first things I do is install it. I know it is old and has fallen out of use and favor, but Pascal has always been my favorite language, going back to Turbo Pascal on my Apple II+. I did much of my undergraduate work in Pascal (on a PDP-10) and most of my Masters work, writing a Pascal compiler in Pascal and an OS too. I still like to fiddle with it occasionally. I know I can get a floppy drive as an "extra" but it really must be a sign that I should start fiddling more with VB now. Sigh! Well next time you upgrade just get a CD burner and transfer it. I have one now and its great! I put a lot of high-k RPG materials on them (such as Wizards reprints of OOP as a .pdf, and Fanpro's publishing of old Battletech stuff). The disks will last as long as I do and the format looks like it will be around for a while (and if it goes the way of the do-do I'll just burn/copy them onto a new format). Definitely useful... Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: Revell's Tiger Ausf. H ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Special Star Trek Request
The show is OK. It has its high points and its low points. I do know is that they are completely screwing with continuity in many ways. I like the show though; the premise makes it interesting. But it DOES suffer at times from typical Trek script writing (i.e. lots of potential, but at times bad writing). Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: Revell's Tiger Ausf. H ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Brin: Condolences
I recently lost both my grandparents (May and Sept of last year) so I understand... Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: Revell's Tiger Ausf. H ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Question for George and/or Gautam
I responded to a post on the Culture list that stated the only reason the US had land mines along the DMZ was to provide profits for US weapons manufacturers. My counter pointed out the military forces that the N. Koreans had. The poster asked about US forces. I have the troop number: 37k, but I don't even have a rough estimate of numbers of US tanks and armored personnel carriers, etc. IIRC the only division stationed over there is the 2nd Infantry Division, and is of a composite structure (1 armored brigade @112 tanks, 1 Mech Infantry Brigade @56 tanks and one air assault brigade that's heliborne...also around 300 IFVs by my calculations...). THis is of course not counting support services, independent units, and AF ground personnel...IIRC there may be some marine units there as well... Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: Revell's Tiger Ausf. H ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Question for George and/or Gautam
Heh, spoke too soon. Popped over to the division webpage and it looks like they only have TWO brigades; Armored and infantry (air assault). Thank you defence budget cutbacks...:( Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: Revell's Tiger Ausf. H ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Question for George and/or Gautam
Better yet, check out this link: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/korea-orbat-021101.htm Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: Revell's Tiger Ausf. H ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Question for George and/or Gautam
An IFV is? Infantry Fighting Vehicle (aka the Bradley). Also check out this link for an accounting of S. Korea's Armed Forces: http://www.csun.edu/~btk29323/keithr~1.htm Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: Revell's Tiger Ausf. H ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The rapid decline of the Sci-Fi Channel....
Yeah, SciFi Channel pretty much sucks these days. There's SOME light in the tunnel...March 16th will premiere the new mini series Children of Dune. I know I'll be watching... Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: Revell's Tiger Ausf. H ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Films They Dare Not Make Today
Just read The Butlerian Jihad. It takes place 10,000 years from now and 10,000 before Dune. How is that possible? I thought the events of the original book took place in 10191. According to the above account the date would be 22003! I read the 1st book in the series and thought it rather unremarkable. I MIGHT read some of the other books, but only if there's not something else out that's better... Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: Revell's Tiger Ausf. H ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The rapid decline of the Sci-Fi Channel....
are trying to get away from doing space shows, presumably because they are more expensive that garbage like Tracker (my apologies to anyone on the list who might like that show). I don't regularly watch the SciFi channel (I don't regularly watch TV period). So what kind of show is Tracker like (so I can gauge how far they've slipped)? Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: Revell's Tiger Ausf. H ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The rapid decline of the Sci-Fi Channel....
I'm afraid that miniseries might be the last gasp, since it was probably commissioned before Sci-Fi's decision to kill Farscape, and get away from actual science fiction. So seriously though, what kind of content is the channel going to have other than SF? Goofy paranormal shows? Non-stop Trek marathons? Do the owners want to kill the channel as badly as they wanted to kill Futurama? Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: Revell's Tiger Ausf. H ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: The rapid decline of the Sci-Fi Channel....
I like Adrian Paul (hey, he's really easy on the eyes, and his Highlander had that brooding dangerous-yet-vulnerable quality so enchanting to many females ;} ), but Gary is absolutely correct. Heh. For some reason he has no effect on me... Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: Revell's Tiger Ausf. H ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: A Brave New World
The news reports this meeting that SAM Batteries have now been deployed throughout Washington, DC.The "Avenger" surface-to-air missiles can shoot down low-flying aircraft and helicopters. Its amazing to think that this is actually happening, since until now this had always been the stuff of science fiction novels.Welcome to the future. As opposed to the rings of sams that surrounded the capital and dotted the US landscape as defence from Soviet nuclear-armed bombers? Brave New World? I'd say Been There, Done That. I'd be more concerned about the dedication of the US Government in defending the capital with Avengers than anything. The little 10lb warhead isn't going to be terribly effective. Even deploying old, outdated HAWK systems is a huge leap in capability, able to engage targets from high altitude to like 100ft. I'm a HUGE critic of the Avenger weapon system (and the slightly more capable Bradley based Linebacker system); your Defence dollars at work. Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: Revell's Tiger Ausf. H ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Japan threatens force against N Korea
Now THAT's intetresting!!! Does anyone know of English language Japanese news sources... Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: Revell's Tiger Ausf. H ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Scouted: Nervous New York
One thing about gas masks...if they're military surplus they need to be checked out THOROUGHLY. Most gas masks use a diaphragm to control airflow. Breathe in the air comes through the filter; breathe out and the diaphragm opens and lets the air out. However, to work the diaphragm (obviously) needs to be supple enough to do its job, as well as provide a good seal when breathing in. Many times this diaphragm can "dry out" and loose its flexibility or not provide a good seal, so you might as well not wear the mask at all... Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: Revell's Tiger Ausf. H ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Scouted: Auto makers catch fuel-cell fever
I remember seeing this elsewhere. They also suggested that the universal chassis could have INTERCHANGABLE bodies, so that if one day you need a minivan just drop it on, and leave the sedan (or sports car) body in the garage. Obviously not practical for the average family, but it could revolutionize how cars are sold. A dealer need only have a collection of universal chassis in stock, and could add any number of bodies as requested by the buyer... Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: Revell's Tiger Ausf. H ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: snowstorm in the Midwest
Yes, I live in E. PA. Had to cut my GF time short today so I didn't have to drive in the snow. Couple that with the fact that I think I finally trashed the clutch in my car, its been a mediocre day all round. Except I have to shovel it tomorrow... The news report predicted 1-2 FEET of snow (304.8mm to 609.6mm for Alberto...) and its still coming down pretty good... That's ok cause this weekend I'm getting a new car... Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: Revell's Tiger Ausf. H ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: snowstorm in the Midwest
I never had to. I think if there were more than X snowdays ( I can't remember what X is) then we would have to make it up. But we never exceeded X. IIRC we had to make them up at the end of the year... Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: Revell's Tiger Ausf. H ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: weather update from central Ohio....
Out of curiosity, is this the worst storm to come your way in a while? Well I live in PA and this is the snowiest winter we've had in years, and this is the worst snowstorm we've had in that same amount of time All in all lots of snow to be shoveled... Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Explosive Chirac finds EU dinner hard to digest
In a reference to Bulgaria and Romania, still negotiating their EU membership terms, M Chirac said: "If anyone had wanted to damage their chances of joining the EU, they could not have done it in a better way." Heh. "Fail to toe the line and we'll (France) will do what we can to make EU entrance difficult..." Very impolitoc of Chirac IMHO. Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Haig: U.S. Will Defeat Iraq in 'Hours'
does Haig have any current role in the administration, or is he just making stuff up? Yeah, I think hours is a VERY generous estimate. That would assume that after initial resistance there will be nothing between the Allies and Baghdad, and that the Allies know this and are not moving tactically. While the regular army units may put up little fight, I expect the RepGuard units to be a little more than a speed-bump (though still with the same spectacular failures seen in GW1...) Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Military offers signing bonus for morticians
Hee, hee my best friend matches all the criteria... Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Your Favorite SciFi/Fantasy Movie Soundtrack?
Basil Poledouris' soundtrack for Conan the Barbarian runs neck in neck with John Williams' Star Wars work. The Dune (by the band Toto) soundtrack is pretty good too. Of course, it's about the *only* thing good about the movie... :) WHICH version of Dune are you talking about? (old: looked & sounded good, written poor) (new: looked and sounded ok, written pretty good) Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Your Favorite SciFi/Fantasy Movie Soundtrack?
Hmmm... Conan the Barbarian, SW: ESB, LOTR: FOTR (would list TT but I don't have it...yet). For more unconventional stuff I like a lot of Japanese Anime soundtracks Including. Neon Genesis Evangelion (as well as End of Evangelion), Cowboy Beebob (lots of jazz/blues stuff), Record of the Lodoss War (Sea of Miracles), Ghost in the Shell, Macross Plus, Sol Bianca: The Legacy, Serial Experiment Lain... The last bears special mention. The theme song is taken from an English band called Boa, and was not special made for the show. The song is pretty good and motivated me to buy the album. I now LOVE this band! Really good music by musicians who know how to use their instruments (unfortunately not always true these days...) Also special mention here for the Best of Babylon 5. Most is your standard stuff, except for one track that was supposed to go into the Sierra B5 game. Outstanding! Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Your Favorite SciFi/Fantasy Movie Soundtrack?
That's what I found great about the early Trek novels. They expanded so much the Trek universe and made it entirely three-dimensional. Novels like ST:TMP went behind the psyche of James Kirk, to the point that the prologue to the book was SIGNED by "James T. Kirk". That was a rather nice touch. :) Novels like "Return to Yesterday", "Yesterday's Son" and "Sarek", by AC Crispin explored in depth the reality of Spock, while "Dreams of the Raven" by Carmen Carter dealt so much with the motivations behind the character of Bones. I don't mean to ramble, but I was rather dismayed when I found out Gene Rodenberry's "verdict" that stated the Trek novels were *not* part of the Trek continuum. After that, the Trek novels somewhat lost me, and I don't follow them with the same enthusiasm that I did until then. (This would've been.. '92 thru '95?). I've picked up the books occasionally, and I know what they're about, but I don't really go into them with the same energy. I didn't know this but I'm not surprised. However, there's a lot of people who think the ST novels are SUPERIOR to the tv/movie franchises. I've read a few including THE ROMULAN WAY, SPOCK'S WORLD, THE PANDORA PRINCIPLE, and STARFLEET: YEAR ONE. All were pretty good in terms of Genre novels, especially Spock's World. I recently picked up IN THE NAME OF HONOR which had good reviews so I'm looking forward to it (into a big genre novel kick...just read GHOST WAR for Mechwarrior: Dark Age and am about to read A CALL TO ARMS for same). The comments I've read is that the ST novels stick much more to internal consistency than the tv/movies do (Enterprise seems to be breaking the continuity bugbear and they don't care...) However, I also heard that George Lucas has approved the SW novels as part of the "canon" of the Star Wars universe. Was this true? Never heard this but I don't think I care anymore; I thought the Dark Force Rising trilogy to be mediocre and Truce at Bakuraa not very SW. Plus the fact that so far GL has dissappointed me wrt the SW franchise (Original trilogy special editions and the new movies). Too bad too... Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Jailed for 3,000 murders
He was also accused of being a member of al Qaeda and supporting the illegal terror cell. He received the maximum sentence possible in a German court of 15 years, which is the equivalent of a life sentence. How is a 15 year sentence the equivalent of a life sentence??? Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: X-Men 2
I watched X-Men 1.5 today and later went online to watch trailers for X2. it looks like its going to be much better than the first flick. What's X-men 1.5? The DVD? Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: X-Men 2
Exactly. It hit the shelves last week. 2 disks with a ton of extra stuff. Cool. Didn't know that. What kind of extra stuff? Extra footage in the movie? Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Ditch Turkey
Likewise, Hitchens totally fails to consider the consequences of endorsing the formation of a Kurdistan. For better or for worse, such actions would be viewed as the US dismembering an Arab, Muslim, State. Not true. Turkey is not an Arab state; its a Turkish state inhabited by Turks. Muslim yes, Arab no. Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Enough, children
Wasn't Charlemagne a German? Depends on how technical you want to get. Charlamange was a Frank...that is he belonged to the ancient Germanic tribe named the Franks. So in that aspect yes he WAS a German, but the Frankish tribe he belonged to would of course help establish the Kingdom of France and lend to the country its name. An argument can be made that ALL French are Germans, with an underlying Gallo-Romantic sub-strata. Gaul was occupied by the Franks, Visigoths, Burgundians, Alemanni, and other German tribes after the collapse of Roman authority in the West (and you could lump in the Norse in Normandy too several centuries later, as they were Germans as well, but a little north and separated in time to make them a distinct people). However, the ideas of "being French" (as opposed to being a Norman, Tolousian, Parisian, etc) would come MUCH later anyway...towards the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Early Modern period. So calling Charlemange "French" is not neccessarily an accurate description of a man that pre-exists any notion of a nation of France... Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Who is the sheriff?
Finally, your third choice. And what expertise in Special Ops leads you to believe that this is possible? Watching _Air Force One_ probably isn't enough. Now, I know a fair number of people in the Special Ops community, and I know what their reaction would be if you suggested something like this. So, in the realm of the, you know, possible, what would you do, given that your first two preferences have been exhausted and the third is something that happens in Hollywood, not in reality? Or don't you think we would have tried something like that with Milosevic? Utterly agree here. I was in the Army myself. Sending specops to seize Hussein and exfiltrate with him is utter lunacy and a suicide mission. Further, if it fails it gives Hussein ammo to use against the rest of the world. Finally it has already been stated that seizing/killing Hussein is very problematic due to his tendency to use doubles. Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Preview of Blix's report
"Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix says Iraq's destruction of banned al-Samoud missiles over the past several days constitutes what he calls "real disarmament." I'd prefer to see this quote in context with the rest of the report. Demolition of a few missiles is meaningless if the molds/tools/patterns for said missiles are not secured and destroyed as well. Once the controversy dies down it would be a simple matter for Hussein to secretly produce more. Finally, this act is merely the destruction of the weapon DELIVERY SYSTEMS, not the weapons themselves (the aforsaid NBC weapons Iraq is allegedly developing). In my book "real disarmament" will come with the destruction of those weapons and their plans/molds/tools. Right now this just looks like a token gesture. Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Who is the sheriff?
Do the Israelis *have* nuclear weapons? I don't remember ever seeing hard confirmation of that. Does anybody have a link on this? No link but its pretty common knowledge. I remember a TIME article about it, so poking around on the Time website may be illuminating. IIRC the Israeli's never OFFICIALLY declared themselves as a Nuclear power, but it was possible that they "allowed" the info to leak as a warning to their Arab neighbours. Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Arts degrees 'reduce earnings'
[1] If you earn less than a certain proportion of the average salary you can defer repayment for a year. The numbers are adjusted every year, and you can reapply every year that you still qualify. The present threshold is around UKP 15000 /annum. Wow, too bad we don't have something like that here in the US, though granted we do have an "economic hardship" clause that allows us to defer loans for IIRC 6mo. I used it when I lost my job. Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Water conservation
1. Is this a good idea _for the United States_? and I think a run down of troops in Europe is a neutral idea (i.e. neither good nor bad). While it would reduce costs, it would also mean that if troubles emerged in Europe in some fashion we would be less able to react. That being said, even during the Serbian campaign we did not need to intervene with ground troops, and the peacekeepers sent later were small comparatively to the portion of troops in Europe. Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly less likely that a war will erupt in Europe as its not in the best interests for ANYONE. That being said its always a possibility, and a small force will still allow the US some sort of immediate response and still show support for European defence. OTOH, I think a troop rundown in Korea is a bad idea. Yes, it might mean less confrontationalism with N. Korea, but then I trust the North as far as I can throw Kim. Again having troops there gives the US an immediate response force to NK antics should it be deemed neccessary. I personally am FAR more uncomfortable with NK having nukes than Iraq, especially in light of the fact that NK MAY have missiles that can reach the continental US. 2. Is this a good idea for the rest of the world? Heh, well that depends on how the rest of the world wants to respond. If the US troops pull out of SK and are replaced with, say, Japanese troops, it would be less of a concern to me than if we just left with nothing to replace them. But then would Japanese troops actually go there? And how welcome would they be to the Koreans? The problem is, again, the willingness of the US to intervene in international crises, and the willingness of the rest of the world to do so. There are some bright spots (off the top of my head, Australia's intervention in East Timor without US leadership), but then again there are some that are not so bright. Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Who is the sheriff?
This may well be so, but bear in mind that the British Army has already started receiving its Apache Longbows and the French and German armies will start getting their Tigers in December (I must admit to knowing little about helicopters, but it seems to me that the Tigers will be not much less capable than the Apaches, and for all I know their missile and rocket systems may be superior). I'm skeptical about this. From what last I heard the helicopter will have an inferior warload, and will further be less flexible than the Apache. The current loadout of an AH-64A Apache includes a 30mm cannon with armor depleting ammunition (effective against light armored vehicles, and can tackle larger targets under good circumstances) and can carry between 8 to 16 Hellfire laser guided missiles (IIRC semi-active homing from every description I've read of them) and between 2 to 4 pods with either 7 or 19 2.75" rockets, as well as 4 Stinger missiles for defence. The Longbow Apache can carry a similar warload but uses next generation Hellfires with a millimeter wavelength radar guidance system (an Active guidance system) for a true "fire-and-forget" attack. Compare this to the anti-armor variant of the Tiger which has an optional 12.7mm gunpod and a similar variety of weapons (although the photos I saw give no indication that AIM missiles can be used to supplement the primary armament without sacrificing attack firepower, like in the Apache). An air-to-air variant offers a 30mm cannon, rockets and AIM missiles. A fire support version is identical to the anti-armor variant with the only difference being possibly role and detail differences. The greatest difference is in the Tiger's primary anti-armor weapon system: the aircraft launched anti-tank guided missiles. The Tiger is to be armed with the HOT missile system (for all intents and purposes largely equivalent to the US TOW II weapon system) which is limited in range (it is wire-guided and thus limited by the length of the wire spool) and the fact that the launch aircraft has much less capability to undertake evasive maneuvers compared to the Apache. Semi-active laser homing Hellfires do not require the launch helicopter to hold its position as rigorously, only that the target is continuously illuminated with a laser beam. Additionally, laser Hellfires can be "lobbed" over hills and the target designated either by other Apache's (or Super Cobras for that matter), Kiowa Warrior scouts helicopters, or ground forces. The limitations of wire guidance does not allow any of these options. Furthermore, while the Trigat missile system offers laser guidance, the information I found suggests that it will use Laser Beam Riding guidance (which means the missile literally rides a laser beam down to the target) suggesting not only less maneuverability for the missile system itself, but also less capability for remote designation or indirect fire. Finally the MR version of the Trigat has a range of around 2400m, far less than the some 6km of the Hellfire (note that the Trigan appears to be an improved version of the new Trigat man-portable anti-armor guided missile system). My evaluation: the Tiger has significant limitations in its payload and weapons systems when compared to the new generation Apaches. Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Sometimes the Security Council is wrong
A news item today really made me stop and think. It was about Rwandan President Paul Kagame, whose country lost 800,000 people in a conflict that the U.N. was very slow to act upon, who said that sometimes the United Nations is wrong and member nations must act alone. I'm not sure who else could get away with saying that. I can't think of anyone from whom it would make such an impact. It didn't convince me that we *must* go to war, but darn, it was a good reminder. Yes... It makes me wonder what will happen if/when allied forces roll into Baghdad and find the Anthrax/Mustard Gas plants and documentation on a nuclear program what the UN (and better the world) response will be... Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Sometimes the Security Council is wrong
They will not find them in Baghdad. Either they will find them the hard way - by being killed by them - or they will not find them Well I disagree that they will NOT be found...if Iraq is TOTALLY defeated evidence can and will be found. Look at the situation in Germany at the end of WWII. Lots of information was discovered about a host of different things. Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: E-Learning on the Patriot Act
Wow that's really cool! I'm gonna scrape together the money ASAP and participate in the class. If there's interest I'll post my reaction... Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Situation Spiraling Out of Control
of control like this. I can think of situations where a miscalculation caused a war (the first Gulf War is a good example) but not one that could be described as "spiraling out of control". I think the start of World War I *might* fit the bill but I'm not up on my WWI history, unfortunately. I would say no to this. The Central Powers (specifically Germany) knew exactly what would happen and indeed based their war plans on it. They knew that if Austro-Hungary declared war on Serbia, Russia would come to Serbia's aid (as the defender of "Pan-Slavism), France would declare war as they were treaty bound with Russia to do so. Britain would declare war when Germany violated Belgium's sovereignty. The Germans indeed miscalculated on many areas (that the Russians would be slow to mobilize, though it didn't matter in the end, that Belgium would roll over and die in a timely manner, that the French would roll over and die in a timely manner, and that GB wouldn't be a factor until it was too late) but from the opening shots Germany was clearly in control of the situation (or at least thought they were!) Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Computer Repair Question
Not a computer expert but I built my own PC... Sounds like a power supply problem on first guess. Best way to fix is buy a new case and migrate the rest of your PC into it. Not easy if you've never done this before... Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Computer Repair Question
I think that's a good guess, Damon. But because it involves less work, I would suggest first unplugging and re-plugging all the power plugs leading from the power supply to the motherboard (or even easier, if you can tell which ones go to the power switch, just try those). If the side panel got shaken/vibrated off, maybe a power connection alsocame loose. Worth a try before swapping the power supply out. Haha, I just assumed that he would've tried that. My bad... :P Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Children Of Dune - A brief review
So did this include the events of "Dune Messiah" or not? Yes it did. I thought Dune Messiah was a little rushed through, but it was (for the most part) all there... Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Leaflets dropped on Iraq
If you look at the 1st leaflet and the 1st soldier wearing the gas mask, it looks like he is not in MOPP gear nor does he have gloves on. Therefore he's not too prepared at all (fyi the vehicle pictured looks like a FOX CBR recon vehicle). Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The real reason for the War
What grade is she in? How did she answer the question (if I may ask)? Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Patriots seem to have worked a lot better this time
Well they've been upgraded since 1991 so its no surprise. Note one important detail: the Patriot is NOT an anti-missile missile; it is an anti-aircraft missile that was accurate enough to engage missiles. Since Gulf War I its capabilities have been expanded. Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Corrected French history (was RE: Deadlier Than War)
it just didn't make sense. All is not, however, lost, as I am currently trying to pull what (few) strings I have to get an exemption for the color-blindess (odds are low, but possible) and, if I do, I will explore the possibility of doing two years _after_ my current job, although at 25 I will be getting rather old for that. Not too old. You need to be 27.5 yo to be still eligible for an officer commission in the Active Army, and 31 in the Guard. I know; I've already been down this road. For my part I already joined and was in Combat Arms. If a significant conflict occurred during the early to mid '90s I would be the one on the front line, and in some cases, with my finger on the trigger. Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Corrected French history (was RE: Deadlier Than War)
That's the truly shocking thing. Even in Nazi Germany, if you wanted out of the mass execution squads, (einsatzgruppen, I think, but I bet Damon will correct me) You are correct I think. Problem with Brin-L and my desire to keep up with other lists is that, invariably, I get way behind! Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Corrected French history (was RE: Deadlier Than War)
I do remember seeing a history of WWII that indicated that the Nazis were first greeted as liberators in the USSR, until their behavior turned people against them. If they were as generous with terms of occupation in the USSR as they were in France, would the citizens of the USSR have fought as hard? This is absolutely true. But even WITH Nazi mis-management there was STILL support for the Nazis in occupied Soviet Union. To put this into perspective, the Waffen SS attempted to raise around 3 divisions of Ukranians in 1944. They needed around 45,000 volunteers, and expected to get less than that. As a result, over 200,000 Ukranians showed up to volunteer for service. This force was intended to defend the Ukraine against the advancing Soviets. I think this is quite telling of attitudes during the period (source: Stein, George H. _The Waffen SS: Hitler's Elite Guard at War_). Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Corrected French history (was RE: Deadlier Than War)
Quit those other lists, then. I mean, when you have Brin-L, why would you need any other lists? :-) Well, Jeroen, if Brin-L can supply my gaming fix then you'd have a valid point! Anyone want to talk about Fading Suns RPG or Battletech? :) Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Why is the military surprised?
I don't know if "surprise" is quite the right word, or at least in the "standard" parlance of the term. I think they were surprised in that they weren't suspecting it at the time, but NOT surprised in that they thought the Iraqis incapable of doing so. The US had gotten intelligence suggesting that the Iraqis were planning something like this all along, but using US uniforms... Also the "ticker-tape" infobar is very unreliable and non-specific and I personally rely on it very little. Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: You know what would be cool?
'Cause if there were something like that, we could all have enemas with the stuff, and everyone suffering from stick-up-the-butt-itis would end up being a lot more comfortable afterwards. Or it could be a nifty cure for Athlete's Foot... I know what you're thinking: but is a fungus a *plant?* Damon. :p ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: online science fiction stories
My friend runs an SF related site with fiction: http://www.nuketown.com/ Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Israel's Secret Weapon
Give me *one* good reason why a country should have *undeclared* nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, and *no* outside inspections. Because Israel's neighbours, both past and present, have declared Israel's destruction? Damon. ---- Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
