The Next Ten Years – Part I: There will be blood - Eric Janszen

[flintlock]

Re: The Next Ten Years – Part I: There will be blood - Eric Janszen

I'm not advocating something needs to be done, but for discussion purpose, I think don't I can agree that radical countries that have nukes will not pose a danger to world peace in the long term. By long term, I'm looking at a 20-30 years time frame.

Nowadays, countries just don't attack each other directly or openly. Remember the Mumbai terrorists attack? Some Indians believe that the Pak military or spy agencies are behind it. Just a couple of men with AK 47 can wreck so much havoc. If something similar happens 30 years into the future, it maybe with one of the dudes carrying a suitcase nuke device.

I should have said, "With nukes, its the countries that don't have 'em that feel MOST threatened". Does anyone in the US really fear a direct nuclear attack by Iran? Probably not. What we do fear is a change of the status quo that an attack by Iran on a neighbor would bring about. Or any assistance Iran may give to terrorists who would like to nuke America. My point was that the most intimidated are those countries in the region with Iran who do not have the ability to retaliate, nor close enough relations with a power that can. Historically its the little guys who get treated like trading cards in the aftermath of wars. "I'll give you Alsace in return for Slovakia and a future country to be named at a later date".

[flintlock]

Re: The Next Ten Years – Part I: There will be blood - Eric Janszen

I'm still amazed that in WWI countries could get young men to subject themselves to such conditions. Trench warfare has to be about as bad as it gets. I just watched a documentary on Gallipoli, and I think it said that at any one time about 2/3 of the men had dysentery. Then throw in lack of decent food and water, broiling heat, freezing cold, the stench of thousands of dead bodies, and of course the idiot uncaring commanders. Yet for the most part, the British maintained discipline throughout the war. Amazing.

[Chris Coles]

Re: The Next Ten Years – Part I: There will be blood - Eric Janszen

I'm still amazed that in WWI countries could get young men to subject themselves to such conditions. Trench warfare has to be about as bad as it gets. I just watched a documentary on Gallipoli, and I think it said that at any one time about 2/3 of the men had dysentery. Then throw in lack of decent food and water, broiling heat, freezing cold, the stench of thousands of dead bodies, and of course the idiot uncaring commanders. Yet for the most part, the British maintained discipline throughout the war. Amazing.

Having been born in 1944 I can only record the extensive dinner conversations with my father who, at the age of 18 was posted to France to fly Spads and SE5a's with a Polish squadron. They averaged about six weeks lifespan and I remember seeing a map with the locations of all the downed aircraft. By all accounts they partied like there was no tomorrow and as kids we were often "treated" to his renditions of Polish war cries. He was once loaned a brand new Bristol fighter with a optical sight through the control panel and he tried to drop his bombs using that as he flew down on a target, pulling the toggles to release the two bombs. When he flew back to base, he arrived to find the airfield had a lot of people running around the field holding hands and he thought the party had spilled out onto the airfield. But when he went to land, it turned out that one of the bombs was hanging from his undercarriage and they were trying to warn him. The aircraft blew up as he landed, but he survived. He had lots of stores like that. But the truth is, he lost all his friends and the whole thing deeply affected him.

I had a similar meeting with an old man in Salisbury in the 1990's, bolt upright and steely strong but very frail. He turned out to be called "Pinky" because he was THE Regimental Sergeant Major for the Manchester Regiment whose parade uniform was pink. He had been the non commissioned officer that called the entire regiment to attention and then gave the order to march out of Singapore under the surrender to the Japanese. He related his experiences at the hands of the regiments captors; a truly harrowing story.

In the 1970's I worked in a section that also had a man that had fought in Burma; he would not talk about it. Not one word.

War effects everyone differently, dependent upon their role and responsibilities; war is not ever to be taken lightly; it has a devastating effect upon the strongest man or woman.

[jiimbergin]

Re: The Next Ten Years – Part I: There will be blood - Eric Janszen

Having been born in 1944 I can only record the extensive dinner conversations with my father who, at the age of 18 was posted to France to fly Spads and SE5a's with a Polish squadron. They averaged about six weeks lifespan and I remember seeing a map with the locations of all the downed aircraft. By all accounts they partied like there was no tomorrow and as kids we were often "treated" to his renditions of Polish war cries. He was once loaned a brand new Bristol fighter with a optical sight through the control panel and he tried to drop his bombs using that as he flew down on a target, pulling the toggles to release the two bombs. When he flew back to base, he arrived to find the airfield had a lot of people running around the field holding hands and he thought the party had spilled out onto the airfield. But when he went to land, it turned out that one of the bombs was hanging from his undercarriage and they were trying to warn him. The aircraft blew up as he landed, but he survived. He had lots of stores like that. But the truth is, he lost all his friends and the whole thing deeply affected him.

I had a similar meeting with an old man in Salisbury in the 1990's, bolt upright and steely strong but very frail. He turned out to be called "Pinky" because he was THE Regimental Sergeant Major for the Manchester Regiment whose parade uniform was pink. He had been the non commissioned officer that called the entire regiment to attention and then gave the order to march out of Singapore under the surrender to the Japanese. He related his experiences at the hands of the regiments captors; a truly harrowing story.

In the 1970's I worked in a section that also had a man that had fought in Burma; he would not talk about it. Not one word.

War effects everyone differently, dependent upon their role and responsibilities; war is not ever to be taken lightly; it has a devastating effect upon the strongest man or woman.

1944 must have been a very good year since we both were born that year! I only knew one WWII vet who would talk much about what he did and I have yet to find a Vietnam vet who will talk at all.

[Chris Coles]

Re: The Next Ten Years – Part I: There will be blood - Eric Janszen

1944 must have been a very good year since we both were born that year! I only knew one WWII vet who would talk much about what he did and I have yet to find a Vietnam vet who will talk at all.

Vintage stuff Jiimbergin, perhaps best in the house??

[flintlock]

Re: The Next Ten Years – Part I: There will be blood - Eric Janszen

Your Dad was a WWI pilot! Amazing.

I try to explain to my kids how all this history stuff isn't all so ancient as it seems. My grandmother used to tell me about feeling the bullet still under her grandfather's skin from the American Civil War! Sometimes it fails to sink in just how real these events were.

[Chris Coles]

Re: The Next Ten Years – Part I: There will be blood - Eric Janszen

Your Dad was a WWI pilot! Amazing.

I try to explain to my kids how all this history stuff isn't all so ancient as it seems. My grandmother used to tell me about feeling the bullet still under her grandfather's skin from the American Civil War! Sometimes it fails to sink in just how real these events were.

May I be so bold as to suggest that you take your children to the National Air Museum at Dayton Ohio. One of the gigantic hangers is devoted to WW1 aircraft and the other to all the development aircraft during the great leap forward in the 1950' and 1960's. (From the web site it looks a lot bigger than when I saw it in the 1980's). http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/ Also, expect to spend the whole day there, there is a lot to see. One of my best days out ever.

[Ghent12]

Re: The Next Ten Years – Part I: There will be blood - Eric Janszen

I'm still amazed that in WWI countries could get young men to subject themselves to such conditions. Trench warfare has to be about as bad as it gets. I just watched a documentary on Gallipoli, and I think it said that at any one time about 2/3 of the men had dysentery. Then throw in lack of decent food and water, broiling heat, freezing cold, the stench of thousands of dead bodies, and of course the idiot uncaring commanders. Yet for the most part, the British maintained discipline throughout the war. Amazing.

War changes things considerably in the minds and bodies of its participants. I read the book "House to House" by David Bellavia which was about the most recent Iraq conflict and specifically about urban warfare inside Fallujah. It described how everyone he fought alongside and he had soiled themselves out of necessity. I think my paraphrasing isn't doing it justice--it's a good read to get an idea of the visceral nature of modern warfare.

[Chris Coles]

Re: The Next Ten Years – Part I: There will be blood - Eric Janszen

I'm still amazed that in WWI countries could get young men to subject themselves to such conditions. Trench warfare has to be about as bad as it gets. I just watched a documentary on Gallipoli, and I think it said that at any one time about 2/3 of the men had dysentery. Then throw in lack of decent food and water, broiling heat, freezing cold, the stench of thousands of dead bodies, and of course the idiot uncaring commanders. Yet for the most part, the British maintained discipline throughout the war. Amazing.

You need to think through the full situation of those troops. They had been placed on a ship, dropped off after a long voyage onto a shore with NO facilities whatever and then add that the slightest chance that ANY ONE of them were going to try and walk off; the individual would be shot as a deserter .... and, in any case, where were they going to go? No ship behind them, hostile Turks in front.

The same for WW1. if they did not go over the top they were to be branded as a coward. My own father went through that when, on an early flight, one of the connecting rods on his aircraft engine broke with it sticking out of the engine and the engine sounding like it was going to totally seize up, so he turned back to the airfield and was summarily arrested for cowardice and only got away with it when they could see he was telling the truth. If his engine had not been visibly damaged, I would not be here today as he would have been shot on the spot.

All those troops were drawn into the most horrific situation, way beyond anything a soldier has to endure today. Imagine watching 20,000 others dead right before your eyes and yet no option but to follow? Madness. Eventually, even the Generals were brought to realise their stupidity; but not until millions had been slaughtered. Utter Madness.

[touchring]

Re: The Next Ten Years – Part I: There will be blood - Eric Janszen

All those troops were drawn into the most horrific situation, way beyond anything a soldier has to endure today. Imagine watching 20,000 others dead right before your eyes and yet no option but to follow? Madness. Eventually, even the Generals were brought to realise their stupidity; but not until millions had been slaughtered. Utter Madness.

It depends on which side you're on. If you are an Afghan freedom fighter, you'll be in an even more horrific position than a WWI soldier. Or well, maybe less since the firepower from an Apache or Predator makes a relatively quick death.

[lakedaemonian]

Re: The Next Ten Years – Part I: There will be blood - Eric Janszen

It depends on which side you're on. If you are an Afghan freedom fighter, you'll be in an even more horrific position than a WWI soldier. Or well, maybe less since the firepower from an Apache or Predator makes a relatively quick death.

This would be an example of where cross pollination with other forums and respected SMEs might prove enlightening.

[c1ue]

Re: The Next Ten Years – Part I: There will be blood - Eric Janszen

In case you didn't know - there is no question that all those women-less, boy baby bulge youngsters in China don't have any fear of confrontation with the West.

The question has always been: will they be contained by the oldsters on top? Can they?

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketb...n=ncaab-wp4252

Follow Yahoo! Sports on Facebook and be the first to know about the most interesting stories of the day.
At the same time as Vice President Joe Biden is visiting Beijing in hopes of improving relations between the U.S. and China, another group on a goodwill trip from Washington encountered an unexpected diplomatic hiccup.


Georgetown had to leave the court during the fourth quarter of its exhibition game against the Bayi Rockets on Thursday night in Beijing after both benches emptied and a wild brawl erupted between the two teams. None of the Hoyas was seriously injured despite trading punches with the opposing players and having to dodge chairs thrown onto the court and water bottles hurled from the stands.

The best account of what led to the melee comes from the Washington Post's Gene Wang, apparently the lone U.S. reporter in attendance.

Wang wrote that the game was tense from the outset and had to be stopped earlier after two players exchanged words. At one point, a Rockets player even berated John Thompson III as the Georgetown coach yelled instructions to his players.

The hard fouls and constant bickering eventually devolved into bedlam when Bayi big man Hu Ke was called for a foul against Georgetown guard Jason Clark. The senior made it clear he did not appreciate the hard foul, sparking the initial exchange of shoves that led players from both benches to run onto the court in defense of their teammates.

Video of the melee is available at the bottom of this post and this photo gallery from Sina.com also offers several more scenes of the chaos. It was bad enough that Georgetown coach John Thompson III yanked his team off the court, made a hasty exit out of the arena with the score tied at 64 and then issued the following statement about the incident soon afterward.

"Tonight, two great teams played a very competitive game that unfortunately ended after heated exchanges with both teams," Thompson said. "We sincerely regret that this situation occurred. We remain grateful for the opportunity our student athletes are having to engage in a sport they love here in China, while strengthening their understanding of a nation we respect and admire at Georgetown University."

It's unclear whether Georgetown will continue its 11-day exhibition tour of China or not, but the Hoyas certainly have had a memorable trip so far.

Wednesday's impromptu visit with Biden once seemed like the most exciting part of the trip. Now that's a distant second.

[touchring]

Re: The Next Ten Years – Part I: There will be blood - Eric Janszen

In case you didn't know - there is no question that all those women-less, boy baby bulge youngsters in China don't have any fear of confrontation with the West.

The question has always been: will they be contained by the oldsters on top? Can they?

People can be brain washed easily by politicians to feel the sense invincibility. Why did Japan invade Pearl Harbor? Why would anyone perform kamikaze. Megalomania can be contagious.

Often the one's greatest enemy is oneself. That's why I always believe that authoritarianism will ultimately lead to the path of self-destruction. Regardless of how well one does at the beginning, the final result is destruction.

Satan is very real. Satan will lure you with success, money and glory at the start, but eventually will devour your soul and your very lives.

[c1ue]

Re: The Next Ten Years – Part I: There will be blood - Eric Janszen

Why did Japan invade Pearl Harbor?

We've already talked about this.

It had a little to do with Japan, and a lot to do with British and American economic warfare.

The rest was just a result of operations.

[Slimprofits]

Re: How can banks take the hit? --It's not thier money!

front page of the Sunday Boston Globe:

http://www.boston.com/business/artic...ly_get_poorer/

While family incomes across Massachusetts have generally risen over the past three decades, the state’s poorest residents have fallen behind. And nowhere have they fallen farther than here in Western Massachusetts, where families in the bottom fifth of the income scale have seen inflation-adjusted earnings drop below 1979 levels, according to a new study by University of Massachusetts economists.

[..]

For example, the inflation-adjusted median income of affluent families in Greater Boston has grown 54 percent since 1979, to $230,000 from $150,000 a year, largely due to high-paying technology jobs.

In Berkshire County and the Pioneer Valley, where decades of plant closings have left hollowed-out economies, the inflation-adjusted median income of the poorest families fell 24 percent, from $21,000 a year in 1979 to $16,000 - on par with some of the most impoverished parts of Appalachia.