War Rages, But Life Goes On
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Isn't it amazing just how little the war really affects our daily life? Sitting in our westernised countries, watching from afar. I still visited GameSpot today, got irritated with VB.NET as usual, had clients calling and faxing through sign-offs. We visited some new office premises, had a breakfast meeting with some old boys, interviewed a couple of chapies for a new position. Sure we chat about the war. We read about the war. We play at arm chair generals and do some desktop politics. Still ate lunch today (pie, coke and a danish.) Took a photograph of a newspaper seller holding up the Argus with "IT'S WAR" on the front-page, he had a huge smile on his face and was giving me the thumbs up with his other hand while the Big Issue vendor tried to get my attention by dancing a jig. The soccer mom drove past in her X5 taking the kids to ballet and piano practice. Even more to the point was: A newspaper that Bluegrass is helping out with was being launched today, I had some photos published in it and was quite keen to find out what was going on. Turns out that the established South African paper already in London literally hijacked the launch. They broke into the distributors warehouse and replaced most of the new newspapers with theirs. We know the guy who runs the other paper and he is a typical upper crust, old boy, what, what type. He was rather miffed at hearing about us upstarts coming along and trying to ruin his pet project (he is big time rich, does not need to lift a finger for the rest of his life, the newspaper is his pet project.) So there he sat, Iraqis about to die, Americans and Brits about to charge into the unknown. Markets unsure, many deals waiting the outcome, every paper covered in the war and he decides to hijack an upstart newspaper... I just found that extremely odd. It's like the younger son hijacking his brothers wedding by announcing he is gay. It is bizarre. You sit for awhile trying to wrap your mind around the thought processes of that person and you just can't. We are so removed from the troubles of life. We are not dying of AIDs, we have three solid meals a day, we aren't slaves in a blood-diamond mine, we don't live on the street, we aren't about to be bombed. The closest we get is CNN.com, the local paper, the radio and some posts on CP. Then we go back to living our lives. Amazing stuff.
You're way off, Paul!! I mean I lost out on at least 60 minutes of sleep last night watching Foxnews/CNN. Uncomfortably dozing on the couch. (my neck is a bit stiff this morning) Oh the misery of it all! And this morning I'm dealing with a very slow internet connection, also. I can't keep up with the war that way!! So no! My life is far from / a bit different well, I suppose it's the same as always. But it does weigh on my mind some. **end sarcasm** You know the truth is, I'm saddened by the events occurring and my thoughts go out to the Iraqi citizens, I'm concerned about how this will change the global landscape, I'm excited by the storyline of getting the bad guy, I'm awed at the strength of my military, I'm hopeful for peace and the promise of prosperity beyond the elite in the middle east. But it's all just thinking. My daily life would be no different if I was ignorant of the war. the fact that I have a possibility to be mostly ignorant of the war shows that I am by and large untouched by it all. I feel I should be depressed by that, but I'm quite thankful. BW "We get general information and specific information, but none of the specific information talks about time, place or methods or means..." - Tom Ridge - US Secretary of Homeland Security
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Sean Winstead wrote: Or is it that the US maintained some peace wow, isn't it convenient to maintain world peace and protect your oil assets in one go. And don't forget boosting that supreme Amarican moral, increasing the value of the Dollar etc. This Bush must be really clever...
This Bush must be really clever... I personally think it would have been more clever to let loose the fetters on Saddam. This would allow the countries in the Middle East or Europe to deal with him, if they would or could. Sure, maybe thousands more would die than if we took care of him, but at least it would give people a chance to look at the situation differently. Sean Winstead
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You're way off, Paul!! I mean I lost out on at least 60 minutes of sleep last night watching Foxnews/CNN. Uncomfortably dozing on the couch. (my neck is a bit stiff this morning) Oh the misery of it all! And this morning I'm dealing with a very slow internet connection, also. I can't keep up with the war that way!! So no! My life is far from / a bit different well, I suppose it's the same as always. But it does weigh on my mind some. **end sarcasm** You know the truth is, I'm saddened by the events occurring and my thoughts go out to the Iraqi citizens, I'm concerned about how this will change the global landscape, I'm excited by the storyline of getting the bad guy, I'm awed at the strength of my military, I'm hopeful for peace and the promise of prosperity beyond the elite in the middle east. But it's all just thinking. My daily life would be no different if I was ignorant of the war. the fact that I have a possibility to be mostly ignorant of the war shows that I am by and large untouched by it all. I feel I should be depressed by that, but I'm quite thankful. BW "We get general information and specific information, but none of the specific information talks about time, place or methods or means..." - Tom Ridge - US Secretary of Homeland Security
brianwelsch wrote: the fact that I have a possibility to be mostly ignorant of the war shows that I am by and large untouched by it all. Good way of putting across what I mean. Thanks. brianwelsch wrote: And this morning I'm dealing with a very slow internet connection Odd. Internet is running normal speed here.
Paul Watson
Bluegrass
Cape Town, South AfricaMacbeth muttered: I am in blood / Stepped in so far, that should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o'er DavidW wrote: You are totally mad. Nice.
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brianwelsch wrote: the fact that I have a possibility to be mostly ignorant of the war shows that I am by and large untouched by it all. Good way of putting across what I mean. Thanks. brianwelsch wrote: And this morning I'm dealing with a very slow internet connection Odd. Internet is running normal speed here.
Paul Watson
Bluegrass
Cape Town, South AfricaMacbeth muttered: I am in blood / Stepped in so far, that should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o'er DavidW wrote: You are totally mad. Nice.
Paul Watson wrote: Internet is running normal speed here. Actually, its mostly news sites that are slow for me. Just didn't realize it at first. :-O BW "We get general information and specific information, but none of the specific information talks about time, place or methods or means..." - Tom Ridge - US Secretary of Homeland Security
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Sean Winstead wrote: Or is it that the US maintained some peace wow, isn't it convenient to maintain world peace and protect your oil assets in one go. And don't forget boosting that supreme Amarican moral, increasing the value of the Dollar etc. This Bush must be really clever...
Cois wrote: and protect your oil assets in one go Which oil assets? AFAIK, the US has no oil assets in Iraq. Gary Kirkham A working Program is one that has only unobserved bugs I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted paychecks
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Isn't it amazing just how little the war really affects our daily life? Sitting in our westernised countries, watching from afar. I still visited GameSpot today, got irritated with VB.NET as usual, had clients calling and faxing through sign-offs. We visited some new office premises, had a breakfast meeting with some old boys, interviewed a couple of chapies for a new position. Sure we chat about the war. We read about the war. We play at arm chair generals and do some desktop politics. Still ate lunch today (pie, coke and a danish.) Took a photograph of a newspaper seller holding up the Argus with "IT'S WAR" on the front-page, he had a huge smile on his face and was giving me the thumbs up with his other hand while the Big Issue vendor tried to get my attention by dancing a jig. The soccer mom drove past in her X5 taking the kids to ballet and piano practice. Even more to the point was: A newspaper that Bluegrass is helping out with was being launched today, I had some photos published in it and was quite keen to find out what was going on. Turns out that the established South African paper already in London literally hijacked the launch. They broke into the distributors warehouse and replaced most of the new newspapers with theirs. We know the guy who runs the other paper and he is a typical upper crust, old boy, what, what type. He was rather miffed at hearing about us upstarts coming along and trying to ruin his pet project (he is big time rich, does not need to lift a finger for the rest of his life, the newspaper is his pet project.) So there he sat, Iraqis about to die, Americans and Brits about to charge into the unknown. Markets unsure, many deals waiting the outcome, every paper covered in the war and he decides to hijack an upstart newspaper... I just found that extremely odd. It's like the younger son hijacking his brothers wedding by announcing he is gay. It is bizarre. You sit for awhile trying to wrap your mind around the thought processes of that person and you just can't. We are so removed from the troubles of life. We are not dying of AIDs, we have three solid meals a day, we aren't slaves in a blood-diamond mine, we don't live on the street, we aren't about to be bombed. The closest we get is CNN.com, the local paper, the radio and some posts on CP. Then we go back to living our lives. Amazing stuff.
Paul Watson wrote: Isn't it amazing just how little the war really affects our daily life? I guess you don't carry your gas mask with you...
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Paul Watson wrote: Isn't it amazing just how little the war really affects our daily life? I guess you don't carry your gas mask with you...
Felix Gartsman wrote: I guess you don't carry your gas mask with you... Pardon? Do you carry a gas mask?
Paul Watson
Bluegrass
Cape Town, South AfricaMacbeth muttered: I am in blood / Stepped in so far, that should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o'er DavidW wrote: You are totally mad. Nice.
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Isn't it amazing just how little the war really affects our daily life? Sitting in our westernised countries, watching from afar. I still visited GameSpot today, got irritated with VB.NET as usual, had clients calling and faxing through sign-offs. We visited some new office premises, had a breakfast meeting with some old boys, interviewed a couple of chapies for a new position. Sure we chat about the war. We read about the war. We play at arm chair generals and do some desktop politics. Still ate lunch today (pie, coke and a danish.) Took a photograph of a newspaper seller holding up the Argus with "IT'S WAR" on the front-page, he had a huge smile on his face and was giving me the thumbs up with his other hand while the Big Issue vendor tried to get my attention by dancing a jig. The soccer mom drove past in her X5 taking the kids to ballet and piano practice. Even more to the point was: A newspaper that Bluegrass is helping out with was being launched today, I had some photos published in it and was quite keen to find out what was going on. Turns out that the established South African paper already in London literally hijacked the launch. They broke into the distributors warehouse and replaced most of the new newspapers with theirs. We know the guy who runs the other paper and he is a typical upper crust, old boy, what, what type. He was rather miffed at hearing about us upstarts coming along and trying to ruin his pet project (he is big time rich, does not need to lift a finger for the rest of his life, the newspaper is his pet project.) So there he sat, Iraqis about to die, Americans and Brits about to charge into the unknown. Markets unsure, many deals waiting the outcome, every paper covered in the war and he decides to hijack an upstart newspaper... I just found that extremely odd. It's like the younger son hijacking his brothers wedding by announcing he is gay. It is bizarre. You sit for awhile trying to wrap your mind around the thought processes of that person and you just can't. We are so removed from the troubles of life. We are not dying of AIDs, we have three solid meals a day, we aren't slaves in a blood-diamond mine, we don't live on the street, we aren't about to be bombed. The closest we get is CNN.com, the local paper, the radio and some posts on CP. Then we go back to living our lives. Amazing stuff.
Paul Watson wrote: Still ate lunch today (pie, coke and a danish.) Is South Africa a popular destination for Danes then? :eek:
David Wulff
"Somebody get this freakin' duck away from me!" - Strong Bad [^]
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Felix Gartsman wrote: I guess you don't carry your gas mask with you... Pardon? Do you carry a gas mask?
Paul Watson
Bluegrass
Cape Town, South AfricaMacbeth muttered: I am in blood / Stepped in so far, that should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o'er DavidW wrote: You are totally mad. Nice.
It's a national order to carry gas masks everywhere...
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Cois wrote: and protect your oil assets in one go Which oil assets? AFAIK, the US has no oil assets in Iraq. Gary Kirkham A working Program is one that has only unobserved bugs I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted paychecks
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Paul Watson wrote: Still ate lunch today (pie, coke and a danish.) Is South Africa a popular destination for Danes then? :eek:
David Wulff
"Somebody get this freakin' duck away from me!" - Strong Bad [^]
I wouldn't think so if they are going to be eaten for lunch. :omg: ;P BW "We get general information and specific information, but none of the specific information talks about time, place or methods or means..." - Tom Ridge - US Secretary of Homeland Security
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Gary Kirkham wrote: the US has no oil assets in Iraq the US has no oil assets in Iraq, yet :|
Angels banished from heaven have no choice but to become demons Cowboy Bebop
Anti-War/Anti-Bush people claimed that Desert Storm was "About the Oil". The question still remains, where is all of the oil we (the US) aquired after the last war? It doesn't exist! The argument didn't hold water then...it doesn't hold water now. Gary Kirkham A working Program is one that has only unobserved bugs I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted paychecks
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Sean Winstead wrote: Or is it that the US maintained some peace wow, isn't it convenient to maintain world peace and protect your oil assets in one go. And don't forget boosting that supreme Amarican moral, increasing the value of the Dollar etc. This Bush must be really clever...
Uh Cois, you didn't talk about Russia and France protecting their oil interest did you?
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Anti-War/Anti-Bush people claimed that Desert Storm was "About the Oil". The question still remains, where is all of the oil we (the US) aquired after the last war? It doesn't exist! The argument didn't hold water then...it doesn't hold water now. Gary Kirkham A working Program is one that has only unobserved bugs I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted paychecks
Thanks to GW1 Us secured oil from Saudi Arabia and Koweit, with a military presence. Where's all the oil? in SUV, to sum-up. US are the biggest consumers of Oil through the entire World.
Angels banished from heaven have no choice but to become demons Cowboy Bebop
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I wouldn't think so if they are going to be eaten for lunch. :omg: ;P BW "We get general information and specific information, but none of the specific information talks about time, place or methods or means..." - Tom Ridge - US Secretary of Homeland Security
Well I dunno... that would be an incentive for me to take longer lunch breaks. :-O
David Wulff
"Somebody get this freakin' duck away from me!" - Strong Bad [^]
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It's a national order to carry gas masks everywhere...
Felix Gartsman wrote: It's a national order to carry gas masks everywhere... Where is this? (Can't see your location in your profile)
Paul Watson
Bluegrass
Cape Town, South AfricaMacbeth muttered: I am in blood / Stepped in so far, that should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o'er DavidW wrote: You are totally mad. Nice.
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Well I dunno... that would be an incentive for me to take longer lunch breaks. :-O
David Wulff
"Somebody get this freakin' duck away from me!" - Strong Bad [^]
:laugh: BW "We get general information and specific information, but none of the specific information talks about time, place or methods or means..." - Tom Ridge - US Secretary of Homeland Security
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Thanks to GW1 Us secured oil from Saudi Arabia and Koweit, with a military presence. Where's all the oil? in SUV, to sum-up. US are the biggest consumers of Oil through the entire World.
Angels banished from heaven have no choice but to become demons Cowboy Bebop
So are you saying that the US didn't buy oil from OPEC (i.e. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and others) before Desert Storm? KaЯl wrote: US are the biggest consumers of Oil through the entire World That may be so, but it is not Iraqi oil. Gary Kirkham A working Program is one that has only unobserved bugs I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted paychecks
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So are you saying that the US didn't buy oil from OPEC (i.e. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and others) before Desert Storm? KaЯl wrote: US are the biggest consumers of Oil through the entire World That may be so, but it is not Iraqi oil. Gary Kirkham A working Program is one that has only unobserved bugs I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted paychecks
IMO, western societies are highly dependant on oil, a strategical resource. It seems logical from the US point of view to ensure the flow coming from middle east will continue. Moreover, US have clearly said by the rejection of Kyoto protocol they refuse to change their way of consuming natural resources, and would continue to increase their needs. Control of Iraqi fields could be a solution to match the difference, without drilling in Alaska, for example. I don't think oil is the main reason for an US invasion, but I think it's definitively one. The economical side of this war is far from being negligeable: From the NY times, quoting the WSJ (need free registration): "Back in January, an article in The Wall Street Journal noted: "With oil reserves second only to Saudi Arabia's, Iraq would offer the oil industry enormous opportunity should a war topple Saddam Hussein. But the early spoils would probably go to companies needed to keep Iraq's already rundown oil operations running, especially if facilities were further damaged in a war. Oil-services firms such as Halliburton Co., where Vice President Dick Cheney formerly served as chief executive, and Schlumberger Ltd. are seen as favorites for what could be as much as $1.5 billion in contracts."
Angels banished from heaven have no choice but to become demons Cowboy Bebop
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Saddam has already said he will be using chem weapons. I guess those are the ones he destroyed. Tim Smith I'm going to patent thought. I have yet to see any prior art.
I did not see that news at all. When did he say that? I just looked at BBC, FOX and CNN. My article on a reference-counted smart pointer that supports polymorphic objects and raw pointers