von Lucke

Palin / Couric interview Seen this? Yah, that's what I want as the #2 leader of the most powerful nation on Earth. Great choice. Just brilliant.

Carter's Army 1970 --- stars Stephen Boyd(!) as a Southern officer assigned to command an all-black infantry unit in WW2 Italy. The troopers are filled out by Richard Pryor(!), Billy Dee Williams, Moses Gunn, and Rosie Greer. A great cast in a so-so story (it was the 1970's, after all), but still better than Spike's bizarre hybrid of war movie / mystical realism / black historical revisionism.

Only if you expect Georgia to allow those territories to go their own way, with no possibility of an invasion anytime in the near (or middle) future. Given the region's history, I'm not so optimistic as you seem to be. Your second sentence (minus the question marks) seems the most likely outcome, to me. The question is, will it be instigated by Georgian government troops or "militias", and how far down the road.

This just in: Russia recognizes the independance of South Ossetia and Abkhazia: The Plot Thickens "This is not an easy choice to make, but it represents the only possibility to save human lives," Medvedev said Tuesday in a televised address. Ummm, huh? Seems like the greatest possibility to lose human lives, as it will only encourage more fighting.

STALKER: Clear Sky is finally being released Sept 5.

Three words: Read. The. Book.

I thought that was yet another Seven Samurai remake?

What's that old saying? No combat ready unit ever passed inspection? Even in the US Army, what goes in the field would never be permitted in garrison. Like how? Condie's "If Russia doesn't stand down, we will take appropriate action" is the emptiest of threats. Define "appropriate action"? Kick them out of the G8? Haw! Exclude them from negotiations with Iran / North Korea? Never happen. Ya know, this is just the sort of opportunity Putin has been looking for to show that the US is all talk and no action. That Russia still controls it's borders. I think he's proven his point.

Not familiar with the 1956 Olympics water polo match between Hungary and USSR? Blood in The Water The Olympics has always been analogous to war --- it's just more obvious at times. Yes, why would an organization formed for the specific purpose of uniting in common defense against an emergent USSR, want to admit a member they might have to defend against an emergent Russia? Boggles the mind, it does!

In an attempt to unite the two skeins of this thread: The origin of the word "trophy" comes from the ancient Greek military tradition of the winner of a battle creating a monument on the battlefield out of the defeated enemy's armor and weapons. Derived from the word "Tropaion", from the verb "trope" (to rout). Things haven't changed that much. And: Ukraine is practically the only CIS country to openly back Georgia demanding that Russia immediately withdraw its troops from the territory of Georgia. Yesterday Kiev threatened to block the returning of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet to Sevastopol in case the ships take part in a sea blockade of Georgia. I wonder how far the Hunkies are really willing to go to support their pals in Tiblisi? And what is the US doing --- besides the hypocritical rebuke from our ambassador, that is. We going to leave another East European semi-ally hanging in the event of a Russian invasion? Not like there isn't a precedent...

Ah, must be they don't accept any Herman Goering look-alikes into the ranks, then.

Yamato vs. USN airpower comes to mind. And this, from the previously cited wiki article on the INS Eilat, seems particularly relevant: Design to meet the threat, not design something and hope the threat never materializes.

Simple, yet addictive. My kind of time-waster.

About the only Vietnam War related game I've played that was any good is "Vietcong" (and it's expansion "Fist Alpha") by Pterodon. A mission-oriented FPS, you start out in the early sixties (with WW2 era equipment), work yr way up through some vintage French and / or Warsaw Pact armaments, and finally, the venerable M16. Some of the later missions --- especially the Firebase Apache mission --- are extremely challenging.

Don't be suprised if Ledger is up for an Oscar at years' end. The condolences-vote worked for Peter Finch back in '76, and Ledger's performance is several levels above what Finch portrayed in Network. Interestingly, they both played nut-jobs pandering to a public breathlessly awaiting their next over-the-top exploit...