dieseltaylor

In 1921 the New York Times* was reporting that German population growth was three times faster than the French. A cause for concern to the French. Their 1921 population was less than in 1881. from http://www.cairn.info/revue-population-english-2005-1-page-11.htm *http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9400E0DE1E3CE533A25755C2A9649C946395D6CF

Having seen the WW1 cemeteries all over France I can actually sympathise with the view that war is folly - another victory like WW1 would have beeen truly Phyrric. Population 40 million - military losses 1.4m so a similar percentage to the German Empire [pop.64M] however the number of wounded at 4.2M each shows that proportionally France suffered more. Furthermore if half your population is women and of the male half are under 16 and over 50 then those injured and dead come from a small pool. Fag packet calculation suggests of the military age group every other man was wounded. Wounded in this context I take to mean as suffering in some way however some analysis of the term is probably wise. I can say that wounded who died within 6 months of the war end were included in the wartime death results. You wonder how many countries would have been gung-ho having suffered so badly previously. The Franch death rate was the highest percentage of all nations in WW1 if one excludes Serbia, Rumania, and the Ottoman Empire.

I suspect Tooz has to pay for his medicines! * * In the UK medicine may be free but can also be heavily subsidised.

http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=21397 The real new engine of the future - by Lotus

A man who just died is delivered to the mortuary wearing an expensive ...... expertly tailored black suit. The mortician asked the deceased's wife how she would like the body dressed. He points out that the man does look good in the black suit he is already wearing. The widow, however, says that she always thought her husband looked his best in blue, and that she wants him in a blue suit. She gives the mortician a blank check and says, "I don't care what it costs, but please have my husband in a blue suit for the viewing." The woman returns the next day for the wake. To her delight, she finds her husband dressed in gorgeous blue suit with a subtle chalk stripe; the suit fits him perfectly. She says to the mortician, "Whatever this cost, I'm very satisfied. You did an excellent job and I'm very grateful. How much did you spend?" To her astonishment, the mortician presents her with the blank check. "There's no charge," he says. "No, really, I must compensate you for the cost of that exquisite blue suit!" she says. "Honestly, ma'am," the mortician says, "it cost nothing. You see, a deceased gentleman of about your husband's size was brought in shortly after you left yesterday, and he was wearing an attractive blue suit. I asked his wife if she minded him going to his grave wearing a black suit instead, and she said it made no difference as long as he looked nice." "So I just switched the heads"

Which is the longest version I have found. The earliest version I have found is 2006 and does not include Antipodeans or the US. I therefore suspect it is probably from the UK as it seems to grow with people adding there own or favourite enemy country. It was last widely quoted in 2007. And it is interesting to see which areas of the world it has popped up in during the last few days

Well done for reporting your findings : )

Good thread. I am also narked at the inaccurate snipe at France. Would be funny apart from so many of the uninformed appear to believe it.!

I did not know you were a butcher.

Interesting to see I may have been accusing peas unjustly, and surprisingly that dairy purines are helpful. http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=51

Interesting link. Thanks * I said pressure increased the pain - I should have said any pressure. A sheet bearing on the big toe as you sleep is enough for agonising pain. That would explain the sleepless reference.!

Yep I had an attack, my first last year in January. Too much rich food possibly but also quite possibly some elderly mince beef. Fortunately I have only had two slight attacks since. The most recent about two weeks ago when I had it in a thumb joint rather than the traditional big toe of the right foot. I believe that the attack was as a result of having a large bowl of thick pea soup which of course would be full of purines. I cannot prove it but unless I had unknowingly bruised the side of my thumb then I am pretty sure that was it. It is unlucky that your doctor has said you must have suffered for some time a he must have seen where the uric acid crystals have dmaged the joints. For those who have not suffered the pain is like someone sticking a needle in the joint and is waggling about when you put any pressure on the area. Unfortunately it is not an accupuncture needle but a large jagged one. It is less painful if you do not put pressure on - then it is simply athrobbing pain. As I was not sure what it was I put my foot up to rest it and manage to slow my blood to give a DVT to compound the fun!. Drink plenty, and avoid the triggers. In the US getting things other than sodas is not easy. Here in the UK we can get cordials easily but in may be trickier in Wisconsin. http://www.bottlegreen.co.uk/Home What we can buy. Elderflower is a big favourite and you can easily make your own. Wiki says: The flowers of Sambucus nigra are used to produce elderflower cordial. The French and Central Europeans produce elderflower syrup, commonly made from an extract of elderflower blossoms, which is added to pancake (Palatschinken) mixes instead of blueberries. People throughout much of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe use a similar method to make a syrup which is diluted with water and used as a drink. Based on this syrup, Fanta marketed a soft drink variety called "Shokata" which was sold in 15 countries worldwide. In the United States, this French elderflower syrup is used to make elderflower marshmallows. Wines, cordials and marmalade have been produced from the berries. In Italy (especially in Piedmont) and Germany the umbels of the elderberry are batter coated, fried and then served as a dessert or a sweet lunch with a sugar and cinnamon topping. More info here http://www.elderberries.com/elderberry-sambucus-info/ http://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/cs_sanic4.pdf http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SANIC4 and apparently the elderberry has more goodness than most fruit, particularly the flavanoids. There appear to also be extravagant[possibly] claims on how good elderberry is but I think we can assume that chasing an honest! dollar may have lead to some embroidery and dubious offerings. Using the flowers to make a nice cordial to dilute water and the berries for pies etc is probaly good fun. If you are going to have to give up beer and drink plenty!!!! Fingers crossed you have no more attacks.

From an insider who was smarter than most of Wall Street and takes some well aimed punches . Very well worth reading on how supervision simply did not exist ... http://www.fcic.gov/hearings/pdfs/2010-0113-Bass.pdf

A women blogged her husbands nocturnal ramblings and being pretty funny its rather taken off: http://www.sleeptalkinman.blogspot.com/ Here is a flavour - 0100115 Jan 14 2010 "If I wanted to see a long nose and a big ass, I'd look at a horse." "Butt cheeks ahoy! There she blows!" "You can't be a pirate if you don't have a beard. I said so. MY boat, MY rules." "We haven't got a plank. Just ****ing jump." "Yes I'm sad, but if you stood further away, I'd be happier. No, further away. Well, let's face it, just ****ing CUNT OFF! Thank you, I appreciate it." "Don't jump on me!" Wife's note: I dedicate the apparent pirate theme of last night's ramblings to our good friend Nikesh Shukla-- songwriter, author, and pirate enthusiast. AND, we were just on BBC London Radio! Skip ahead to 1:33:00.

Very interesting links all of them. I got distracted slightly by this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Komnene ! what a women - but essentially trouble

Nice to see another boardgamegeeker.! I sometimes wonder if , rather like books, some people have one great novel/game in them. After that it might be something that is commercially compromised. Perhaps we ned wealthy patrons like the Medici or appreciates the art of great game making. Sponsoring chess just seems a waste! : )

For more military gadgetry http://www.gizmag.com/fn-black-box-weapons/13649

wicky - that must have been an embarrassing crash to explain. I was reading Winkle Brown and after the war he was testing a Do-24 flyingboat and the German co-pilot showed him out to do it - go in a circle at full throttle and jump off the wake you have created! A novel technique. Went airborne at 71mph - not bad for a plane 88ft wide and 72ft long.

As the sites I got them from did not give any credits it would be difficult. However it does raise the point that a public figure using the lines does not prove he was the originator of the phrase simply he was the one that some people attribute the line to whom. Given the heavy use of script writers by comedians I would bet good money that most of these quips cannot be attributed to single famous people. Rather like all those Spoonerisms and Goldwynisms that were never really recorded as coming from their "authors" lips. I do normally like to give credit where possible but with one liners I find it harder to do as there is no distinctive style that ties it to a person and therefore most of the time I think it is giving credit to someone for repeating someone elses smarts. Oscar Wilde to Whistler - I wish I had said that Whistler - You will Oscar you will. Curiously in th UK CHurchill and Wilde seem to have said most of the funny things .....

I thought the word "found" was a clue ......... : ) I should add that in the UK we only have one Monopolies Commission and some more ones I have discovered: We all can’t be heroes. Somebody has to sit on the sides and clap as they go by. We found Jesus – he was behind the sofa all along. We live in a society where pizza gets to your house before the police. Welcome to Hell. Here’s your copy of Windows Vista. Welcome what you can’t avoid. What happens if you get scared half to death twice? What the hell, go ahead and put all your eggs in one basket. What we anticipate seldom occurs; what we least expect generally happens. When I am sad, I sing, and then the world is sad with me. When a man steals your wife, there is no better revenge than to let him keep her. When blondes have more fun, do they know it? When everything’s coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane. When in doubt empty the magazine. When in doubt, do what the President does. Guess. When in doubt, poke it with a stick. When someone points skyward, it’s the fool that looks at the finger. When the pin is pulled, Mr. grenade is not our friend. When vultures fly, are they allowed carrion luggage? When you don’t know what you are doing, do it neatly. Which is worse: Ignorance or apathy? Who knows? Who cares? While having never invented a sin, I’m trying to perfect several. Who are these kids and why are they calling me mom? Why buy shampoo when real poo is still free. Why do they use sterile needles for lethal injections? Why is the alphabet in that order? Is it because of that song? Wise people think all they say; fools say all they think. With a rubber duck, you’re never alone. With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine. Work harder: millions on welfare depend on you. Work is the curse of the drinking class. Worry is a misuse of the imagination. You can do more with a kind word and a gun than with just a kind word. You can observe a lot just by watching. You can only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough. You can tune a piano, but you can’t tuna fish. You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice. You will be a winner today. Pick a fight with a four-year-old. : )

I found these thoughts: I hope you like them. planted some birdseed. A bird came up. Now I don't know what to feed it. I had amnesia once -- or twice. I went to San Francisco. I found someone's heart. Now what? Protons have mass? I didn't even know they were Catholic. All I ask is a chance to prove that money can't make me happy. If the world were a logical place, men would ride horses sidesaddle. What is a "free" gift? Aren't all gifts free? They told me I was gullible ... and I believed them. Teach a child to be polite and courteous in the home and, when he grows up, he'll never be able to merge his car onto a freeway. Two can live as cheaply as one, for half as long. Experience is the thing you have left when everything else is gone. What if there were no hypothetical questions? One nice thing about egotists: They don't talk about other people. When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to look like a nail. A flashlight is a case for holding dead batteries. What was the greatest thing before sliced bread? Hmmmm? My weight is perfect for my height -- which varies. I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure. The cost of living hasn't affected its popularity. How can there be self-help "groups"? Is there another word for synonym? Where do forest rangers go to "get away from it all"? The speed of time is one-second per second. Is it possible to be totally partial? What's another word for thesaurus? Is Marx's tomb a communist plot? If swimming is so good for your figure, how do you explain whales? Show me a man with both feet firmly on the ground, and I'll show you a man who can't get his pants off. It's not an optical illusion. It just looks like one. Is it my imagination, or do buffalo wings taste like chicken?

Indeed the man existed! And another fun letter this one from Wellington: Gentlemen, Whilst marching from Portugal to a position which commands the approach to Madrid and the French forces, my officers have been diligently complying with your requests which have been sent by H.M. ship from London to Lisbon and thence by dispatch to our headquarters. We have enumerated our saddles, bridles, tents and tent poles, and all manner of sundry items for which His Majesty's Government holds me accountable. I have dispatched reports on the character, wit, and spleen of every officer. Each item and every farthing has been accounted for, with two regrettable exceptions for which I beg your indulgence. Unfortunately the sum of one shilling and ninepence remains unaccounted for in one infantry battalion's petty cash and there has been a hideous confusion as the the number of jars of raspberry jam issued to one cavalry regiment during a sandstorm in western Spain. This reprehensible carelessness may be related to the pressure of circumstance, since we are war with France, a fact which may come as a bit of a surprise to you gentlemen in Whitehall. This brings me to my present purpose, which is to request elucidation of my instructions from His Majesty's Government so that I may better understand why I am dragging an army over these barren plains. I construe that perforce it must be one of two alternative duties, as given below. I shall pursue either one with the best of my ability, but I cannot do both: 1. To train an army of uniformed British clerks in Spain for the benefit of the accountants and copy-boys in London or, perchance, 2. To see to it that the forces of Napoleon are driven out of Spain. Your most obedient servant, Wellington

In extremis we have an early Christmas present to replace a DIA - a new monitor AcerP243w 24" which pivots to make reading and spreadsheeting easier. I kid you not the Declaration of Conformity is signed by: Easy Lai Director Acer Computers[shanghai]Ltd

As you know I am not a great fan of the drugs industry OR the movement of politicos/functionaries between Government and industry. Here is a doozy. Retire Jan 2009 heading up the regulatory agency, CDC, and come Jan 25th 2010 head up a division of a company that you used to regulate. You wonder if at any time their was a quid pro quo offered when she was with the CDC. It was she who introduced "reforms" that added extra layers to the CDC. Some saw it as a muzzling of the areas for a political adge. Anyway the full story is here http://www.naturalnews.com/027789_Dr_Julie_Gerberding_Merck.html but just to give a taste of how Merck does business

It is an interesting question. I watched a film of Jared Diamond's Guns Steel and Germs recently and noticed how China seemed to escape his eye. The fact remains that effectively China has been beaten up for a comparatively short time - 1840's to 1945 by modern technology. I suppose you could also include the Mongols - but then they toughed up pretty much everyone and eventually were naturalised. A point made in last nights QI [ a program well worth watching] made a claim that because the Chinese had porcelain they never developed glass so could not devlop telescope, microscopes etc which lead to them falling behind. I am not sure I totally buy it. What is known is that with earthquakes, rebellions famines and disease some of their advances were lost. I think I side with the idea that the commercial and military rivalry of the fairly stable Western European countries was the crucial difference in accelerating technology. The flip side IS THAT the Chinese did turn inwards and reap little from their trading abroad. They traded with East Africa, India, and the rest of the East etc in the early 1400's. An early voyage had a fleet of 62 treasure ships and 27800 men. I thing Sergei's point about the Romans is also very valid as I think the Chinese had no need to react to outside threats so the impetus to develop was small. And of course it takes good government/rulers also - and China failed on this. One final point , which was valid 30 years ago also, when ruling a country as vast as China can you control change so that it does not tear the country apart. And of course the subtext is - can I remain in power. Perhaps the Chinese rulers in earlier times preferred the status-quo.