Childress

Factory Girl, a golden oldie from the 70s. The Stones don't make great songs like this anymore. But they had their glory days (Wiki) Featuring Keith Richardson acoustic guitar, Rocky Dijon on conga drums, Ric Grech of Familyon fiddle/violin, Dave Mason, Nicky Hopkins or Brian Jones plays Mellotron using the mandolin sound, and Charlie Watts on tabla.

Okay, I've been duly chastised. I'll never go off the reservation again. So... my next thread (appearing in the BN forum) will discuss: Which tank had better flotation the Panther or the Tiger? I'm taking the Tiger. But the girlfriend thinks the extra wheels on the Panther provided better stability as well as more armor protection for the thin hull sides than smaller wheels or non-interleaved wheel systems. Is she right? And where did she learn this stuff? The post isn't finished but I want it to be sburke-proof before submitting it. Advice appreciated.

No problem, sburke, the thread was approaching US politics. Basta. Re: The original post. It was interesting trivia. Or I found it interesting...

Okay, sburke, I'll bite. Even as I hear the Threadcloser rattling the door and picking the lock. Generally speaking Ethno-masochism is self-hatred on an ethnic basis. IIRC, the term was coined by British/American commentator and novelist, John Derbyshire. The basic progression: I would not like to hurt others People are equal I like different people I prefer different people I hate people who are like me Currently this malady afflicts certain Western groups but any ethny can succumb. The founder was, arguably, the Roman historian Tacitus who's book Germania leaves the reader with the impression that that the barbarians were nobler, more courageous, and more virtuous than his own compatriots. And they may have been during his lifetime. Early Empire Romans raised decadence to impressive heights. Or Jean Jacques Rousseau who was enamored of Man in his natural, uncivilized state. And as far as ***** is concerned, I don't care. Or ***, for that matter. A propos of *******'s hurtful remarks in this thread Saul and I are considering a defamation suit. And, yes, even his 'thoughts' are in play.

A strong degree of ethno-masochism can be necessary on the part of the ruling ethny. At least from the point of the immigrants inundating that ethny's homeland. They had it coming! Hmm... Okay, that comment wasn't funny. So sue me. There are plenty of other threads to which you can contribute, Stiel. If you want to post here, better make it quick. The Threadcloser man approacheth. Thanks to ******

And Stephen Wiltshire has talent. And a genuine eidetic memory. An immigrant West Indian who only learned to talk at the age of nine, he has the ability to memorize complex patterns from a single glance. Wilthsire was appointed Member of the British Empire in 2006 and owns an art gallery in London that displays his architectural paintings and drawings. His speciality is flying briefly over a city in helicopter and then reproducing it down to the minutest detail on canvas.

You're absolutely right. Also Churchill. However both men had *some* talent. That's evident. More so, arguably, Churchill than Hitler. What's interesting about the former is that he took up painting in his later years. It was a hobby and he had an impressionistic bent. Hitler took himself much more seriously as an 'artist', a self-conception that made rejection all the more crushing. His works show mechanical expertise but give off, according to experts, a certain coldness. He preferred buildings to people who often appear as afterthoughts in his paintings.. Many 20th century dictators were failed artists. Stalin as a youth in Georgia dreamed of being a poet. Churchill's first painting after WW2:

His paintings sell for a lot of money these days. But not as well as Churchill's, true. He did have some talent however. The Vienna School of Arts disagreed. But can you paint this? I can't. I'd like to discuss these melancholy events with you, Stiel, but I'm a little burnt out on ethno-masochism for now. Questions: 1- Are you a college student? 2- Is one of your classes 'White Privilege'? If that's the case, it's okay. Just askin'.

That depends. The early Empire issues were 90% pure silver. Later on they're mostly base metal, not worth the bags they come in. I'm expecting the worst from these shysters. No complaints about my attorney, however. He was aces, I'm high on the guy, If you ever find yourself in a legal scrape better call Saul.

Wrong. My suit, Childress vs Italy, was just successfully concluded in my favor. Thanks, Saul Goodman! You're the Man! Problem is, there's a rumor that they'll be paying me off me in denarii. Is this a joke?

You could call "nameless guy" an idiot savant. I'm okay with that designation.

So you believe in genetic guilt. That's just sad, sburke. The concept has a whiiff of Nazi ideology. Sorry. Your great-grandfather was a Jew, so.... And what about your pre-American genealogy? Surely we can discover some sins. Black Burke, the pirate? The point is that there needs to be an expiration date on historical grievances. Or we'll all go mad. Or homicidal. I should also add that the majority of Black Americans came here voluntarily as immigrants. The pourcentage of blacks whose ancestors were slaves is shrinking daily.

They were all worthwhile candidates, sburke, perhaps the most worthwhile (except Kate Upton). But candidates to whom we cannot, sadly, ascribe a name. Voila tout. Both sides of my family fought for the Confederacy and owned slaves. My great-grandfather's photo as an 18 yr old dressed in an immaculate gray uniform(cum watch fob) hangs on my wall. Frankly, he looks like a young twerp. He's there as an historical curiosity. Do I feel guilty? Meh. The concept of inherited racial guilt strikes me as barbarous. Africans owned, and still own, African slaves. I have Native American ancestors, as well. Like many Americans. What infuriates me is that my distant Celtic ancestors were likely held as Roman slaves. Some of their masters were no doubt Africans, or North Africans. Black slaves back then were a minute minority, most were North Europeans, especially Germans. Many were no doubt worked to death on latifundia (vast commercial farms). Should I appeal to the Italian government for an apology or, better yet, remuneration?

You're probably on the money about that. The Roman Empire was heavily based on slave labor but there was considerable fluidity inherent in the system. Freedmen became power players over time. Not to mention fabulously wealthy if well connected. As far as the Ottoman Empire is concerned it was certainly unpleasant for a Christian youth to be wrenched from his family and forcibly converted to Islam. But becoming a Janissary was probably not a terrible gig.

Huh? HUH? Africans were the most culpable in the slave trade, followed by their middlemen the Arabs. But the Africans were the dealers, selling off all those captives captured in their incessant local wars.

Well, since sburke then I hijacked this thread we might as well discuss Michael Hart's ranking of the top 100 people in history. A most stimulating read. http://www.amazon.com/The-100-Ranking-Influential-Persons/dp/0806513500 Mind these are his most influential. Not the noblest, the smartest, or even the most famous. The Top Ten: Prophet Muhammad Isaac Newton Jesus Christ Buddha Confucius St. Paul Ts'ai Lun Johann Gutenberg Christopher Columbus Albert Einstein Pasteur and Galileo clock in at 12 and 13. Hitler's only #39 due to his devastating but relatively short term impact. Hart's reasoning is always cogent and compelling. For example, although he considers Christianity more influential than Islam, he ranks Muhammad #1 because he classes Jesus and St Paul as a team. The entire list: http://arankingofthe100.blogspot.com/2011/09/michael-h-hart.html

Jeez, Childress, there's only one 'l' in Galileo. Try to be more careful. Also Louis Pasteur, arguably the greatest benefactor of humanity that ever lived, would have a made a superior contrast.

Ian, (you ethno-masochist ) you're referring to the smallpox infected blanket allegedly tossed over the wall: Biological warfare (Wiki) The Siege of Fort Pitt took place in 1763 in what is now the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The siege was a part of Pontiac's Rebellion, an effort by American Indians to drive the British out of the Ohio Country and back across the Appalachian Mountains. The Indian effort to capture Fort Pitt ultimately failed. This event is best known for an allegation of biological warfare, in that the British commanding general ordered the use of smallpox. However, there is no evidence to suggest it ever happened, rather the allegation was instead propaganda. [1] Historian Philip Ranlet argues that it is doubtful that actual smallpox was transmitted. He concludes that Bouquet did not carry out Amherst's suggestion because he feared contracting the disease himself. Even if true that doesn't account for the epidemics already raging in the Spanish controlled regions since Cortes. Next to microbes the most deadly gift of the Europeans was alcohol.

Obviously the stage must be set before the 'Great Man' can walk onto the boards. In the case of Germany that was the punitive and humiliating Versailles Treaty followed by a depression. But you underestimate Hitler. I submit that he was a scientist of human psychology in the way Issac Newton.or Gallileo were scientists of nature. Very o/t, sburke, but I'll respond. Drug selling, like slavery, is held as wicked only in retrospect. Slavery was considered the Way of the World until the late 18th century.Opium, an analgesic, and its derivatives have been a net good for humanity. And the British fleet led the way in ending slavery in the 19th. Re: Manifest Destiny. Genocide implies deliberation. The Nazis committed genocide. Native Americans were victims of biology. Europeans from a densely populated continent came into the New World bearing various diseases, notably smallpox, to which the native population had developed no immunity. There was indeed a holocaust, but an inadvertent one. The NA's got their revenge with tobacco and (maybe) syphilis.

A whack job, for sure. But historical anecdotes attest to the Svengali-like appeal of Hitler's personality. Like Castro, he 'snowed' people. Foreigners, diplomats, his own generals would arrive at HQ furious with grievances and after an hour or so would leave the Fuhrer utterly entranced, confident in the rightness of his vision. Rommel comes to mind. Pessimism turned to optimism, even in the Bunker. Hitler really was a hero to his own valet (viz Heinz Linge). And his driver and his secretaries. If you could travel back in time and meet HItler, sburke, I submit that you'd love him. Even armed with historical hindsight. As the rest of us, no doubt. The exceptions were rare and confined to the final months of the Reich, chiefly among the Junker class of generals.

(Very) O/T: Public Service Medical Advice This is for the guys over forty. I'm assuming that the male qoutient on the BF forums approaches 100%. I woke up a few days ago practically unable to walk, a searing pain radiating downward from the hip to the calf. I attributed this setback to my status as an aging jock. A visit to the emergency ward yielded nothing of value and that's including a prescription for 800mg Ibuprofens- useless. So I began popping Vicodins left over from an old surgery. These were technically expired but judging by the jolt they provided still potent. Two days ago I visited a Neurologist. The first question she asked: do you sit on your wallet? Guilty as charged. Apparently that throws your hip out of alignment and constitutes the principal cause of sciatica among men. A bodybuilder neighbor confirmed this. Who knew? Men, don't sit on your wallets!

Richard Harris, a notorious bad boy of the cinema when younger, reminisces about Unforgiven, Clint Eastwood, and his out-of-nowhere smash pop hit MacArthur Park.

Thanks for the tip, JS. But the results are inconclusive. Windows 10, we hardly knew ye....

You're right, Doug. I was- and am- high on painkillers. (pinched nerve) Oh! The colors!

After setting off a smokescreen, Bond lays a hurting on SPECTRE assassin Red Grant in the closed quarters of a train cabin; the result is as vicious as anything in the Connery Bond films. Connery's athleticism is apparent. Wiki: Connery was a keen footballer, having played for Bonnyrigg Rose in his younger days. He was offered a trial with East Fife. While on tour with South Pacific, Connery played in a football match against a local team that Matt Busby, manager of Manchester United, happened to be scouting.[25] According to reports, Busby was impressed with his physical prowess and offered Connery a contract worth £25 a week immediately after the game. Connery admits that he was tempted to accept, but he recalls, "I realised that a top-class footballer could be over the hill by the age of 30, and I was already 23. I decided to become an actor and it turned out to be one of my more intelligent moves.