Good Reading...

[cherzra]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Corth:
<B>Wow. Maybe Europe isn't a toilet after all.
</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

As if you would know. Stupid arrogant American fool.

[Corth]

I love getting a reaction out of you cherzra..

Corth

------------------
Goddamned slippery mage.

[Corth]

U.N., R.I.P.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A4011-2003Jan30.html

------------------
Goddamned slippery mage.

[Corth]

Beam Me Out Of This Death Trap, Scotty
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/featur ... brook.html

Originally published in 1980, prior to Columbia's maiden voyage, this article discusses some of the problems with the shuttle, including the tiles which are now being blamed for its destruction. The link posted above is the short version. If you can bear to read the long version there is an interesting account of the relation between the design of the ship and Nasa's budget. Like most things which are a compromise design by committee, the shuttle suffered from a lack of coherent theme. It seems like the overall venture was pretty thoughtless.


The Space Shuttle Must Be Stopped
It's costly, outmoded, impractical and, as we've learned again, deadly
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/artic ... 18,00.html

By the same author, Gregg Easterbrook, but written yesterday. Here Mr. Easterbrook reiterates his argument that the shuttle program is ill-conceived, and furthermore, proposes a new paradigm for the space program.

[Daz]

Some suspect the tile mounting is the least of Columbia's difficulties. "I don't think anybody appreciates the depths of the problems," Kapryan says. The tiles are the most important system NASA has ever designed as "safe life." That means there is no back-up for them. If they fail, the shuttle burns on reentry. If enough fall off, the shuttle may become unstable during landing, and thus un-pilotable. The worry runs deep enough that NASA investigated installing a crane assembly in Columbia so the crew could inspect and repair damaged tiles in space. (Verdict: Can't be done. You can hardly do it on the ground.)

*ponders*

[Corth]

Students cheat, professor disciplined
http://www.canoe.ca/Columnists/byfield.html

favorite line:

Prof. Simpson, observes the Vancouver Sun, is "a teacher with rigorous ethical standards who has zero tolerance for cheating." Which, of course, tells us more about the Vancouver Sun than it does about the teacher.

[Corth]

Professor Glenn Reynolds (instapundit) disagrees with Easterbrook's position:

As the Christian Science Monitor noted, Americans share


a hope for humans to break free of the material bounds of Earth and discover a better future in the expanse of the universe. That deep desire, like a chick pecking at its shell, goes beyond merely seeking useful spinoffs in technology, military defense, or international cooperation from the billions spent on space research. It's a hope that has served to revive public support for NASA after each disaster, starting with the 1967 Apollo fire, then the 1986 Challenger explosion, and now the loss of seven astronauts on Columbia's reentry to Earth. It's a hope that tolerates the risks of breaking new barriers but one that demands a rigorous investigation when things go wrong - not to end space research but to serve as a course correction for NASA.


I think that's right - I've even used the "cracking the shell metaphor myself. And I think that realization is what's missing from critiques like Gregg Easterbrook's article in Time entitled "The Shuttle Must Be Stopped." The Shuttle may indeed suffer from many of the problems Easterbrook identifies - in fact, I believe that it does, and those problems have been the talk of space enthusiasts for years. But what Easterbrook's critique, and his seeming enthusiasm for letting robots take over space travel entirely, miss is that space exploration is about far more than bringing back knowledge that will enrich the careers of planetary scientists. It's about paving the way for humanity's expansion into the solar system.

http://www.techcentralstation.com/1051/ ... 51-020303B

[Corth]

The axis of weasels suffer a defeat!

http://www.iht.com/articles/85349.html

[Corth]

That group of European policy-makers who for a long time have been busy profiting from poverty, suffering, torture, and death must know that the great Iranian nation, in a not-so-distant future, will uproot the vile presence of the fascist Hezbollah; and, following it, all of the inequitable contracts, which are in fact the price of European silence towards the crimes of the Islamic Republic, will be reanalyzed. It is clear that the future relations of a free Iran with each European country will be shaped by what their current basic position is towards the Islamic Republic!

http://www.iran-daneshjoo.org/cgi-bin/s ... 1044281655

Pro-democracy Iranian students demand the EU cease supporting despotic islamic regimes.

[Corth]

Apparently, the foam insulation used on the space shuttle was altered in 1997 for environmental reasons. They didnt want to use freon in it. A blog that I read (I dont remember which one) suggested that the author had personal knowledge that the reconstituted foam was more likely to break off on liftoff and become a safety hazard. At the time that I read this, I thought it was too far-fetched to bother posting on here. However, it looks like the Washington Post picked up on it. I think there is the potential for a big story here. If the shuttle was destroyed because of some politcally correct environmental-weenie BS then its sure going to make Nasa look very very bad.

Over the years, foam insulation often damaged the tiles. In fact, soon after NASA stopped using Freon in the foam, for environmental reasons, Columbia sustained significant tile damage during a 1997 liftoff because of flyaway foam, according to a report by NASA engineer Gregory Katnik.

Katnik raised the possibility at the time that the new foam concoction was not compatible with the severe conditions of takeoff. The foam recipe apparently was altered somewhat after the 1997 incident.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/ar ... 3Feb4.html

[Corth]

I'm no longer going to be posting in this thread. I'll essentially be doing the same thing, though, at my new blog.

http://rathipon.blogspot.com/

Corth

[Mplor]

Does Europe really universally oppose the US war in Iraq? Read this Wall Street Journal op-ed and find out:

http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110002994

Take special note of the authors. Look them up on google if you have to. They all have something in common, which makes their opinion pretty interesting.

[Corth]

Yawn. Old news :)

Heres something a little more current. 10 more European countries have agreed to join a coalition to remove saddam. Basically, its the western european countries (old europe) that are obstructing any true progress. So anyway, speaking of commonalities, what do these 10 countries have in common? I think Andrew Sullivan articulates it best:

What do Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia have in common? They know what tyranny is like and they know who saved them from it. Doesn't this confluence of countries who actually love freedom tell you something about the real issue here?

edit: Added the sullivan quote, clarified some statements, etc.

[Xisiqomelir]

Corth you broke your promise :(

[Corth]

As I often tell my girlfriend, its not a promise unless I explicitly say the word "promise". :)

[Corth]

Arafat gets asinine plea from PETA on intefadeh
http://www.pilotonline.com/opinion/op0206dou.html

[Corth]

Let’s quit the UN
http://www.spectator.co.uk/article.php3 ... 08&id=2761

Best argument I've seen to date on why its time to drop the UN like a bad habit.

[Corth]

For some reason I thought this was really funny

Germany Rankles After Rumsfeld Groups It With Libya, Cuba As Iraq War Opponents
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20030206_1058.html

[thanuk]

For some reason I thought this was really funny

Germany Rankles After Rumsfeld Groups It With Libya, Cuba As Iraq War Opponents
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20030206_1058.html

Rofl we hurt ze germans feelings! no leiderhosen for j00!

[Corth]

Heres one anti-war protest which I would really enjoy attending:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s ... 382v0.html

[Corth]

http://www.doctor-horsefeathers.com/arc ... php#000101

[Mplor]

Nobel-winning economists weigh in on Bush's plan to stimulate the economy.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/2735269.stm

[Corth]

Jimmy Carter won the 2002 nobel peace prize. It must have been because he helped draft the 1994 agreed framework where North Korea agreed to not make nukes. Or maybe it was cause he was such a great president (from an 'old' european persepective). :)

That being said, I agree with them that its a mistake to cut taxes and raise spending simultaneously. He should be cutting spending to offset the tax decreases.

Corth

[Corth]

Ok...

This article accomplished no small feat. It made me genuinely feel sympathy for France.

Corth

[Daz]

After reading that article I am forced to hope that some other person will step to France's aid in this thread, and prove that article horribly wrong.

On a different note, I will find myself living in paris in short order, for an extended period of time - maybe I misread of overlooked the answer to my question, but is this 'turn the other cheek' tactic employed in everyday city, or just in the immigrant housing?

My impression was that it was a widespread thing, hrmm. Does this mean, I can start barfights over there, with pretty much no fear of legal retribution? Man, I wonder what a drunk frenchman does when you call his nation a bunch of pussies.

Probably agree.

[Corth]

One of the problems with Europe is that people with radical backgrounds as gruesome as Joshka Fischer's can get enough votes to be legitimate politicians.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/ar ... Feb11.html

[Corth]

Update on Joschka Fischer

http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/c ... 021403.asp

[Corth]

A brief history of French warfare.

http://www.news-portal.com/mt/archives/003315.html

[Xisiqomelir]

A brief history of French warfare.

A more complete analysis

From the Battle of Rocroi in 1643 to the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, France was the Hegemon. That was hardly a short period of time IMO. For 172 years France was the dominant European and effectively world power. The early part of this period saw France simultaneously fighting the whole of Europe to a draw (The War of the Grand Alliance), without any allies, and during the War of Spanish Succession successfully place a Bourbon Dynast on the throne of Spain despite the opposition of, again, every power in Europe, excepting the Spanish who supported the Bourbonics.

That was the great era of French warfare, when the paper strength of the French army - in an age before mass musters! - exceeded 400,000 men, supported by a populace of twenty millions, and such famous generals as the Prince de Condé and the Vicomte de Turenne engineered tremendous victories against great odds, while the brilliant Marshal de Vaubon ringed France in mathematically precise, beautifully engineered, and powerfully resolute fortresses to defend against the incursions of the coalition armies that opposed the aims of L'Soleil Royale - The Sun King, Louis XIV.

At the other end of this great period of French magnificence, of course, we have the revolutionary councils and their tumult of generals, to be culminated by the Consulate, and then the crowning of Emperor Napoleon I of France, and his awesome trials and the brief span of his greatness.

Waterloo ushered in the age of the British world hegemon; but France was not exhausted yet. Her strength recovered and blossomed fully again in the Second Empire of Napoleon III, though second-rate to that of Britain. She was still, however, a Great Power. But when the Seven Weeks War of 1866 resulted in the creation of the North German Confederation and alignment of the South German States to the North German Confederation by secret treaty, the strength of France was doomed against that of a Germany unified in action if not in thought.

At that moment the power of France was doomed, though that doom was not proven: When the German Empire was declared in Louis XIV's Palace of Versailles a half-decade later, the doom was proven. The reign of France as a great power had ended.

The French, though, lusting upon the glories of their Sun King and their Empereur, have never excepted a second-rate status, and certainly not the third-rate status that very nearly looms as such powers as India threaten to rise above them also in the here-and-now. They cling to glories two centuries gone and do not abandon the whispered fadings of a dream.

To paraphrase an acquaintance: They are like an old noble family, where the income of their estates is gone. They live in the manor, and the paint has faded off of it, the furniture is all sold, their fine clothes are tattered and patched, but they still go through the old forms and functions, pretending their status remains the same as it used to be.

[Daz]

that about sums it up . . .

[Corth]

http://www.brain-terminal.com/articles/ ... otest.html

Peace protestors in their own words.

[Corth]

A Day in the Life of an Executioner

More proof that truth is stranger than fiction.

[Corth]

Peace Protestors, 2003:
<img src =http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20030215/i/1045321093.3624304745.jpg>

We, the German Fuhrer and Chancellor, and the British Prime Minister, have had a further meeting today and are agreed in recognizing that the question of Anglo-German relations is of the first importance for our two countries and for Europe.

We regard the agreement signed last night and the Anglo-German Naval Agreement as symbolic of the desire of our two peoples never to go to war with one another again.

We are resolved that the method of consultation shall be the method adopted to deal with any other questions that may concern our two countries, and we are determined to continue our efforts to remove possible sources of difference, and thus to contribute to assure the peace of Europe.

My good friends, for the second time in our history, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honor. I believe it is "peace for our time." Go home and get a nice quiet sleep

http://www.britannia.com/history/docs/peacetime.html
See also: http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadAr ... sp?ID=6255

[Corth]

This is required reading for anyone who wants to arrive at an informed opinion regarding Iraq.

[Corth]

Glenn Reynolds (instapundit) gives some advice to the peace protestors at msnbc

http://www.msnbc.com/news/856672.asp?0cv=CB20

[Corth]

Iranian students reflect on the American president's day.

http://www.iran-daneshjoo.org/cgi-bin/s ... 1045466075

[Corth]

Wonderful essay by Bill Whittle,

Courage
http://www.ejectejecteject.com/archives/000033.html

[Corth]

Another great essay by Steven Den Beste.

http://www.denbeste.nu/cd_log_entries/2 ... tism.shtml

[Corth]

The best argument to date in favor of an Iraq war, incredibly, was made today by Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi who said:

"Basically we do not agree with the plan of America that the Middle East has to be reshaped. This is the job of the mature people of the Middle East, not powers from outside"

Furthering the opposition's case even more, he noted:

"The status quo is better for us than the unpredictable situation"

[Corth]

ROFL

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainmen ... 779983.stm

[Sarvis]

Well... I guess that's the answer to the whole Iraq war thing. We should just start forcing them to watch our movies! ;)

[Corth]

Bill Whittle
Confidence
http://www.ejectejecteject.com/archives/000035.html

[kolasi]

Your mentioning about europe's rap getting old...

All i hear from americans is "We helped your ass in WWII...and now youre not helping with Iraq"

besides that being 58 years ago (and btw the States joined when germany was at its downfall anyway)

the us has taken part in over 50 'actions' (wars, interventions, whatever you wanna call them) and noones said shit.

Now, for this one time Europes saying enough, and your acting like little babies, who have dropped thier lolipop.

Unfortunately, i think eurpoe will agree with states, just as soon as the big powers decide on who gets how much of iraq when its all over.

[Corth]

http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=274155

Moral of the story: Smart kids over-analyze things.

[Corth]

Your mentioning about europe's rap getting old...

I'm not mentioning anything. I linked to an essay. If you have a problem with it, you can leave a note in the guy's comments section. Also, I didn't really see how it had much to do with Europe anyway, but I'm not going to argue about it one way or the other...

[Xisiqomelir]

Ya so it's a little old.

Idiotarian Dictionary
For the unfamiliar, idiotarians are folks who believe that September 11 was the United States' fault, that Israel is always wrong, and that Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein are nice guys who are just misunderstood. Like any illness, Idiotarianitis can be acute, serious or mild, but in all cases the symptoms include a decrease in mental ability, a tendancy towards appeasement, and the use of a strange vocabulary, similar to English but different, as outlined below.....

Activist: Someone who has a strong belief about the current situation, and who works with others to advance his or her viewpoint, and who expresses his or her feelings about current events, as long as those feelings are against the US, Israel, or the war.

Warmonger: Someone who has a strong belief about the current situation, and who works with others to advance his or her viewpoint, and who expresses his or her feelings about current events, as long as those feelings are in favor the US, Israel, or the war.

Militant: A misunderstood and sensitive Palestinian person who only wants peace for his people, and who works for peace by killing as many Israelis as he can.

Terrorist: Ariel Sharon, or George W. Bush

War criminal: See terrorist. Please note that war criminals and terrorists can only be American or Israeli.

Sovereignty: Good if we are talking about Iraq's, bad if we are talking about America's.

Improved Security: Strip-searching a 90-year-old grandma at the airport or banning plastic knives.

Profiling: Taking any conscious action based on the fact that all 19 Sept. 11 hijackers were young Arab men.

Racism: See profiling.

Palestinian Nationalism: A good thing, since those people deserve a homeland.

Zionism: A bad thing, since those people do not deserve a homeland.

Legitimate resistance to Occupation: Blowing up teenagers at a disco, or bombing a pizza parlor filled with families.

Afghanistan: A country in Asia that the United States deliberately went into and dropped daisy cutters on all the population centers intentionally killing over 580 million starving children and widows.

Human Rights Violation: Taking enemy combatants and providing them with three full meals a day, shelter, the ability to worship freely, and proper sanitation.

Yassir Arafat: The freely elected and legitimate President of the Palestinian people

Saddam Hussein: The freely elected and legitimate President of the Iraqi people

Oil: A substance which explains all US interaction with the Middle East, except for Israel, which is explained by the fact that Jews secretly control the US government, media, and hollywood.

[thanuk]

Your mentioning about europe's rap getting old...

All i hear from americans is "We helped your ass in WWII...and now youre not helping with Iraq"

besides that being 58 years ago (and btw the States joined when germany was at its downfall anyway)

the us has taken part in over 50 'actions' (wars, interventions, whatever you wanna call them) and noones said shit.

Now, for this one time Europes saying enough, and your acting like little babies, who have dropped thier lolipop.

http://denbeste.nu/external/Kagan01.html

A better explanation of Europe's greater tolerance for threats is, once again, Europe's relative weakness. Tolerance is also very much a realistic response in that Europe, precisely because it is weak, actually faces fewer threats than the far more powerful United States.

The psychology of weakness is easy enough to understand. A man armed only with a knife may decide that a bear prowling the forest is a tolerable danger, inasmuch as the alternative - hunting the bear armed only with a knife - is actually riskier than lying low and hoping the bear never attacks. The same man armed with a rifle, however, will likely make a different calculation of what constitutes a tolerable risk. Why should he risk being mauled to death if he doesn't need to?

...

Most Europeans do not see the great paradox: that their passage into post-history has depended on the United States not making the same passage. Because Europe has neither the will nor the ability to guard its own paradise and keep it from being overrun, spiritually as well as physically, by a world that has yet to accept the rule of "moral consciousness," it has become dependent on America's willingness to use its military might to deter or defeat those around the world who still believe in power politics.

Some Europeans do understand the conundrum. Some Britons, not surprisingly, understand it best. Thus Robert Cooper writes of the need to address the hard truth that although "within the postmodern world [i.e., the Europe of today], there are no security threats in the traditional sense," nevertheless, throughout the rest of the world - what Cooper calls the "modern and pre-modern zones" - threats abound. If the postmodern world does not protect itself, it can be destroyed. But how does Europe protect itself without discarding the very ideals and principles that undergird its pacific system?

"The challenge to the postmodern world," Cooper argues, "is to get used to the idea of double standards." Among themselves, Europeans may "operate on the basis of laws and open cooperative security." But when dealing with the world outside Europe, "we need to revert to the rougher methods of an earlier era - force, preemptive attack, deception, whatever is necessary." This is Cooper's principle for safeguarding society: "Among ourselves, we keep the law but when we are operating in the jungle, we must also use the laws of the jungle."

Cooper's argument is directed at Europe, and it is appropriately coupled with a call for Europeans to cease neglecting their defenses, "both physical and psychological." But what Cooper really describes is not Europe's future but America's present. For it is the United States that has had the difficult task of navigating between these two worlds, trying to abide by, defend, and further the laws of advanced civilized society while simultaneously employing military force against those who refuse to abide by those rules. The United States is already operating according to Cooper's double standard, and for the very reasons he suggests. American leaders, too, believe that global security and a liberal order - as well as Europe's "postmodern" paradise - cannot long survive unless the United States does use its power in the dangerous, Hobbesian world that still flourishes outside Europe.

What this means is that although the United States has played the critical role in bringing Europe into this Kantian paradise, and still plays a key role in making that paradise possible, it cannot enter this paradise itself. It mans the walls but cannot walk through the gate. The United States, with all its vast power, remains stuck in history, left to deal with the Saddams and the ayatollahs, the Kim Jong Ils and the Jiang Zemins, leaving the happy benefits to others.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Edit -- After re-reading your post, i shouldn't have bothered..."The german army was at its downfall anyway"...You are either kidding or seriously deluded. Maybe you meant that the british army? Because they were the only one's who were about to fall when the U.S. got involved...

[Corth]

Remember how everyone said that the war in Afghanistan would be such a huge catastrophe?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/ar ... Feb25.html

[Corth]

Poor Saddam.

If it wasn't bad enough that there are 250,000 US troops waiting for their chance to kill him, his human shields got scared and fled when they found out they would actually have to put their asses on the line and protect the dictator.

[Corth]

http://cloud.prohosting.com/bronze35/ayiabtu.html