h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Starbirth we recited that poem at my Mothers funeral.
I thought it was perfect for her.


Lentilla
My your sister was very young too.
The number of accidents and suicides among the young is depressingly high.

I do not know how parents take losing children.
Losing your siblings is sure hard

It is nice to see you again Lentilla. Losing a loved one is the hardest thing I believe a human can endure. However I truly believe that we are a spritual being and that spirit is immortal.

Abbi I think the poem is great medicine for the mourning. It was for me and I hope it is for Della.

Blackberry cat

I don't think Iraq compares with Carthage militarily. Carthage (under hannibal) won a long series of military victories against the romans, on the italian pennisula. Iraq really didn't pose anywhere near the kind of threat to the US in the way that Carthage had to the Romans.

I prefer another analogy. During the 2nd punic war (and before) it was standard Roman military procedure to attack the enemy regardless of odds, without any fore thought, relying on the valor of the heavy roman infantry to carry the day. After Trasimene & Cannae, in which Hannibal completely destroyed the opposing Roman forces, the romans adopted a new strategy, implented initially by Fabius Maximus. It tranlates roughly as kicking the enemy in the stomach. It was the exact opposite - carefully controlling the enemies movements, hemming him in and restricting him, only offering battle under favorable conditions.

As you can imagine, many in Rome thought this strategy tarnished Romes reputation - but it ultimately was adopted, and won the war for them.

I think the US is at a similar critical juncture. We're currently using an old, outmoded form of foreign policy, that will not work in the current situation. We need to adopt a new approach. Hopefully the election in 2004 will allow us to do that.

dave

Dave

I wasn't trying to compare Iraq to Carthage (Saddam was certainly no Hannibal) but the U.S.A. to republican Rome, specificly that seeing potenial enemies and launching preemptive strikes against them only causes more conflict and creates more potential enemies. I certainly agree with the rest of your post.

I can see other parallels between republican Rome and the modern U.S. The republic was dominated by a military-fiscal complex that constantly sought new wars. The U.S. is not quite so bad IMO but the military-industrial complex does need threats to defend against to justify itself. Both Rome and the U.S. were/are fiercely meritocratic states where in theory anyone can aspire to the highest positions but in reality dominated by a self-perpetuating elite that allows in the ocasional new man.

Not to sound harsh - but could we put the memoriums to the lost researcher on other threads now? It's clogging up the thread, and will eventually be lost when this thread dies. It would be more worthwhile to post them on Empty Sky's page, or Della's...

if that sounds a bit off. They just depress me a little, especially when I come here to yell about the foibles of various researchers and countries.

Do you really think this thread is going to die Sat?

Thank you, Also Ran1. I know Maths Wizard has got great benefit from talking to you.
I went and looked at your apace - you've had an interesting career!

Hello, Starbirth, it's good to hear from you again! I hope you are well. Thank you so muchg for the poem, it's lovely.
I know Empty Sky really respected you.

In fact, the Romans were somewhat obsessed with Carthage, weren't they? I have always felt that the Romans were the Americans of the ancient world!

Thank you, Lentilla, I am sorry to hear about your sister. She sounds a person I would have liked to know.
Tahnk you for your kind words, everyone here has been wonderful!

Hi Della,

I have just read that lovely poem which Starbirth quoted. It really is so meaningful.

I have been so incredibly lucky in my life. and although I am in a wheelchair now, I am fortunate in being able to keep up my spirits and interest by means of the Internet and of course a passionate abiding interest in Justice and Peace.

Empty Sky, certainly seems to have been a big influence on many people. I do not seem to have found any postings of his though. I suppose that I have not had the time to find them. Was the name ES chosen for a particular reason?
With affection

Also Ran1

Its probably just #1 state syndrome. Groups with power tend to try to hold onto it. I'm sure there are many past empires you could say that about.

AR1 - Empty Sky has posted a lot on this thread

The male masturbation thread died, did it not? In the grand scheme of things, when the US deems slander against it's people and state illegal, this thread will be deleted from space and time. Obviously.

I just find the topic of death and memorial incredibly depressing, and although I am sad for Della () I would rather not read about it all on the thread. That's all.

It's from an Elton John song, Also Ran1. He had every Elton John album ever made, on LP, tape or CD...
He didn't make many postings here, but heaps on the other BBC boards.
The poem was brilliant, wasn't it?

<>
Let's hope the U.S state doesn't get that carried away with thir power to *that* extent! What a scary thought.
Actually, there was an anti-war protestor prosecuted in December 2003, for sending an email to the US Consulate. There was nothing offensive in it - but the US Ambassador insisted on a prosecution, saying that the secretary who'd opened the email was 'offended'. AFAIK, the charges were dropped by the NZ police in the end.

Although, please don't blame me if it comes true.

Nope, don't worry. Actually, with the Neocons around, it could well come true! Horror!

I don't have anything against Americans, but I tell you about an experience that happened to me the other day.
I'm an Englishman in Hong Kong, struggling to learn the language. I was shopping with my Cantonese girlfriend and we were looking for some specialist Belgian chocolates for her boss. At the Leonidas shop there were prices clearly displayed in Chinese and English for the chocolates regarding to the weight as is the norm for chocolates.
An American tourist approaches and asks the chinese girl behind the counter in a loud and slow patronising voice in English, "How much is ONE of these in AMERICAN dollars?" When the girl looked perplexed the man repeated, "How much FOR ONE in U. S. dollars?" Again the girl looked perplexed and the man stormed off. Now this kind of attitude doesn't help people feel friendly towards Americans. How should a cashier know what the convesion rate is? I only knew by converting into pounds and then into US dollars but surely as a tourist he would have been able to do it himself. It made me feel guilty to be foreign.

Ugh ... the Ugly American Tourist. A horrible beast that should not be allowed out of its native environment: Mexican Border towns, Duty Free and tacky souvenir shops, and Disney Cruise ships.

Anyone else get a tremendous laugh from the bimbette starlet in 'Lost in Translation' during her interview for Tokyo TV? "and I'm learning Kah Rah TEH?!"