THE WORLD WAR TWO GROUP discussion
Break Out Area
Very interesting news Tony. Thanks for sharing!
Nice link Tony. The ship is in amazing condition.
Great link, thanks for sharing Tony!
'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Manray9 wrote: "Liz V. wrote: "Tomorrow is World Book Day https://www.glasgowworld.com/read-thi..."
To me every day is book day."
I'm with..."
Same for me, hahaha! I've been slowly trying to get rid of the precariously towering stacks & piles in this room, so I can start building the desperately-needed bookcases this spring. That project is taking considerably longer than I had originally anticipated.
À propos the article in 'The Atlantic', I saw that also, Manray9, and your point is absolutely valid. I would point out, however, that the statement about "Russian withdrawal" was from Graeme Wood, the author, rather than from Dr. Luttwak. Luttwak can be a bit of a loose cannon at times, and I am not an admirer of his political tendencies (or, indeed, his sense of humour, which even I have thought to be in extremely poor taste on occasion), but in this case it appears that the misstatement ought to be credited to Mr. Wood. As far as the overall point of the article is concerned, though, I have always thought it was an extremely stupid and short-sighted decision to convert to an all-volunteer military and keep the draft suspended for all these decades. "VolAr" and associated policies were foolish in 1974, and are even more foolish now; I won't go into all the many reasons I believe that to be so, but it seems fairly obvious to me. Like I said, though, your criticism was dead on- there is no excuse for that sort of journalistic sloppiness in the internet age.
I also would like to concur with your statement in Message 2400. I have to be careful what I say here, so I cannot make any direct criticisms of U.S. political figures and/or government officials (it was not just my comments about the Postmaster General that angered the GR chekisty enough to punish me; there were other U.S. Officials involved as well). I cannot risk referring to such people by name, anyway.
The sickening truth is that Putin's invading military forces have openly committed multiple war crimes with an absolutely flagrant disregard for the Geneva & Hague Conventions, a couple of treaties, any and all traditional laws of war, and quite honestly without the slightest bit of even common sense, never mind common decency. When this is pointed out, he is arrogantly unrepentant and belligerent, threatening even worse actions.
I have spent a great deal of time during the last several years bitching about the mostly incompetent foreign policy of U.S. presidential administrations (of both major political parties) over the course of more than three decades. twenty years ago, it was quite amusing to see the shock & horror on peoples faces when I would say that I wished we had Nixon back in the White House; it has become increasingly less amusing during the last decade. It is profoundly depressing, if not utterly horrifying, to realise that the fate of Ukraine, and perhaps the fate of what used to be the "Free World", is largely in the hands of a politician who came to prominence, and was elected to national office for the first time, by calling for the U.S. Congress to cut off all military, financial or other aid to the embattled Republic of Viet Nam, and for the U.S. Government to unilaterally abrogate any and all commitments to that nation. He was successful in facilitating that; he then spent nearly a decade trying to prevent any refugees from Cambodia, Laos or Viet Nam from being allowed into the United States. It is not a record that tends to give me any confidence that the right decisions will be made at the right times, much less that the right thing(s) will be done to somehow put an end to this ungodly nightmare...
Not only that, but we could end up with one of the even less competent right-wing nutcases again in a couple of years, regardless of what happens in the world outside the U.S. Also, as hard as it was, from a military history perspective, to watch all the well-documented, well-known errors of the (relatively) recent past repeated for the best part of two decades, this present situation is in many ways the ultimate military history nightmare. That's what I meant a few days ago when I said the study of WWII had suddenly become more relevant.
Finally, my apologies to the group for being even more disjointed & obtuse than usual. It is somewhat difficult to be elliptical enough to hopefully keep the GR chekisty off my ass while still making some sort of sense.
Anyone else getting suspicious Goodreads friend offers? in the past I did get the obvious Nigerian prince type, recently I've got a few that at least aren't total doofus like, the one give away is recent addition of a bunch of books to look like a 'reader'. They start w/the innocent weather, where you live queries, then the more about your family, trying to compile something, not sure what but probably not good.
carl wrote: "Anyone else getting suspicious Goodreads friend offers? in the past I did get the obvious Nigerian prince type, recently I've got a few that at least aren't total doofus like, the one give away is ..."I have received several, but not recently. I sent then to GR's support address.
carl wrote: "Anyone else getting suspicious Goodreads friend offers? in the past I did get the obvious Nigerian prince type, recently I've got a few that at least aren't total doofus like, the one give away is ..."Just the usual with me. No further correspondence other than the request. Some I am never sure why as I read nothing like what they read, but I just accept.
Good idea, I'll do that. One was a Saudi prince, guess he had time for GR. Manray9 wrote: " I sent then to GR's support address.
carl wrote: "Anyone else getting suspicious Goodreads friend offers? in the past I did get the obvious Nigerian prince type, recently I've got a few that at least aren't total doofus like, the one give away is ..."Had one a couple weeks ago, the individual had 1 review consisting of two (2) letters-"NM", 12 books currently reading and 162 to read. We did have 20 books in common. The individual joined GR in Jan 2022 so a newbie just trying to see what GR is about? After accepting friend request, I received a PM asking about hobbies. No further contact (I didn't reply).
Just got one yesterday with 1 book,
It's interesting that you guys are talking about this particular topic- I've gotten quite a few of those over the years (practically no books, handful of friends). They nearly always have a line somewhere on their profile, either in the "website" line or elsewhere with a request to follow the link, and the link will be to a Russian porn site. This is, to some extent, amusing- I'm not what one could accurately describe as "into" or interested in pornography, hahaha...If you just ignore them, they will almost always soon disappear. I usually get at least one every couple of weeks, but have seen none for nearly a month at the moment, probably due to the war...
'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Some people may find this article of interest:THE WARGAME BEFORE THE WAR: RUSSIA ATTACKS UKRAINE
James Lacey, Tim Barrick and Nathan Barrick:
https://warontherocks.com/2022/03/the......"
Rick, I just belatedly read the wargame article, and it was in fact interesting. As I've mentioned before in various discussion threads, I'm not really much of a "gamer" but will occasionally play "TOAOW" (Norm Koger's 'The Operational Art Of War'), which was originally developed during the 1990s as part of a USAF computer simulation/situational awareness/battle-tracking research program. The 'Blue Force Tracker' software used by the U.S. Military during the Iraq War was, according to what I have read, another off-shoot of the same program. The commercial game version was originally released in 1998, and although I have yet to see the newest version, the previous one still uses the original mapping & graphics (though somewhat expanded). One of the most interesting things about the MCU wargame is that, judging from the included snapshots, the overall quality of the mapping & other graphics is so much greater. It is absolutely amazing to see that level of precision in military simulations! After all, most of us in the group are old enough to remember a time when wargames were played on the table (or floor) with dice, pencils, paper and maybe a calculator & the sand-table model was still in common use by militaries the world over...
Good info on the scammers guys. thanks. Yes the obvious ones w/the Russian websites were a couple yrs ago, easy to note. The newer ones have been a bit more sophisticated. After a couple replies, last one revealed he was a UN doctor on the Lebanon border. okay....
Wasn't sure of the content here, but to my surprise it is a survey of the history of political thought, Plato to Nato as they say.
This is pleasing as a long term interest of mine !
Simon wrote: "Wasn't sure of the content here, but to my surprise it is a survey of the history of pol..."
Glad you enjoyed it. Might have to take a look myself
'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Its nice being retired 4ZZZ :)"Some of us still work for a living.
Graeme, all I can say is that you will have something to look forward once you have finished work :)
Relatively new film on Netflix is very much worth viewing. Danish film "The Bombardment" and it is on the low level bombing in the last few months of the war of the Gestapo HQ in Copenhagen. Less looked at from the military perspective than local inhabitants, the resistance and a Nazi sympathiser. Although it does include good focus on the crew of one of the bombers and the scenes of the planes flying at a low level just above the North Sea and then Denmark (and just missing an electricity transmission lone) are fantastic. It also highlights the confusion when over Copenhagen for the pilots of bombing the correct target.It is quite a dark film in highlighting the collateral damage of war on bystanders (which has some lessons given events in Ukraine) and the final 30 minutes is gripping and emotional. Not one for someone who is claustrophobic. It is also quite graphic particularly in the opening scenes.
Superbly acted, very tightly directed and heart rendering the "Bombardment" is tremendous film. A film that will stay with you.
I've got that on my watch-list Alex and I have been meaning to watch it for some time. Since its such a dreary day here in Canberra today I may sit down an watch it this afternoon.
It is a pretty short film Rick. was due to see Mincemeat but ended up filling in umpiring yesterday . grab a coffee in a few weeks ?
Alex wrote: "It is a pretty short film Rick. was due to see Mincemeat but ended up filling in umpiring yesterday . grab a coffee in a few weeks ?"
Sounds good to me :)
Looks like another gamer (in this case Chinese rather than British) couldn't resist using classified material in an attempt to win an on-line argument: https://taskandpurpose.com/entertainm...
Very interesting article Liam, thanks for posting the link. Some people taking gaming way too seriously!
My main interest is history. There are though other areas. The History of Political Thought (aka Plato to Nato). And also Science in various forms, Relativity, Particle Physics, Nuclear Weapons and Nuclear Civil Power. Recently my roving eye alighted on Astrophysics, the following 9 books are at various levels, with different focus.The Structure and Evolution of Galaxies
steven phillipps
Supernovae, Neutron Star Physics and Nucleosynthesis (Astronomy and Astrophysics Library) Graduate level
Bandyopadhyay, Debades
Introducing the Stars: Formation, Structure and Evolution (Undergraduate Lecture Notes in Physics) Undergrad and accessible
Beech, Martin
High Energy Astrophysics
Longair, Malcolm S.
Life and Death of the Stars (Undergraduate Lecture Notes in Physics) Undergrad and accessible
Srinivasan, Ganesan
An Introduction to the Theory of Stellar Structure and Evolution
Prialnik, Dina
An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics Huge but not too heavy in content.
Carroll, Bradley W.
Stellar Structure and Evolution (Astronomy and Astrophysics Library)
Kippenhahn, Rudolf
Nuclear Physics of Stars Heavy maths but loads on Nucleosynthesis, which fascinates me.
Iliadis, Christian
Some interesting books there Simon! Enjoy :)
Here is an interesting look at Market-Garden and the Movie A Bridge too Far. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjbEd...
Great link, thanks for that Dj.
Here is an interesting lecture on Debunking the Top Myths about American Wars. Not exactly a riveting lecturer but some fine points were made. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUrOX...
Boudewijn wrote: "I guess we can all realate:https://imgur.com/xceQJCX"
Well except for the coffee it is spot on
Boudewijn wrote: "I guess we can all realate:https://imgur.com/xceQJCX"
Hahaha, sho'nuff! Right down to the coffee for me...
The cat is drinking tea ! Liam wrote: "Boudewijn wrote: "I guess we can all realate:
https://imgur.com/xceQJCX"
Hahaha, sho'nuff! Right down to the coffee for me..."
And it looks nothing like Tyrion Lannister.
I live in Colorado in the northern Denver suburbs. Someone distributed an antisemitic flyer in mailboxes throughout my neighborhood around 2:15 a.m. last night (per a neighbor's camera time stamp). The flyer contains pure Nazi propaganda filth and would make Joseph Goebbels proud. It's so upsetting that this sentiment still exists today. Luckily, this is already being investigated by our local police. I'm glad to know it is being taken seriously. Such hate should not be tolerated!
Liam, you seem to have as much faith in your Police (leadership) as we do over here. Although some arse kicking is definately required.
Yes, luckily in this instance - I along with three other neighbors, emailed our mayor. She confirmed that this is being investigated. Police officers have been contacting neighbors to ask for ant available video footage to try and identify the individual. So, I do feel like this is being taken seriously. Just not sure if they'll be able to identify the person. It really is sickening.
The newest addition to the Addams Family entertainment is on Netflix and it is Amazing. Wednesday is pure rollicking fun. No WWII references, it does however have the actress that played Lucifer in the Sandman series as the Principle. When she stands next to poor Wednesday you realize just how tall she really is. She was also in Game of Thrones and the newest Star Wars trilogy. A great break from Wars of Mass destruction although it is a Tim Burton show, so there is plenty of Doom and Gloom.
I want to wish all my friends here who live in the US - HAPPY THANKS GIVING!!For those who don't - Happy 24th of November :)
This month it's payday, so I'll go for that, and a happy thanksgiving to all you across the pond
happy wrote: "I want to wish all my friends here who live in the US - HAPPY THANKS GIVING!!For those who don't - Happy 24th of November :)"
Thanks Happy and Johnny. Despite all the world's troubles we still have much for which to be thankful. Here we're all (mostly) healthy -- except for the typical problems of old age -- and our table will be groaning under the feast. I've laid in two bottles of 2021 Pewsey Vale Eden Valley Riesling from Down Under to accompany the turkey.
To all my fellow Americans, Happy Thanksgiving!
Yes, I second that Manray9.Reading here now comes to second place, now the World Cup is going on. Just realised that all persons usually active here probably have a team to root for. Australia, USA, Canada, England, Belgium, Poland, the Netherlands... perhaps even France or Germany?
Goodluck to all teams!
Well, aal the best and have yerselves a canny Christmas folks, and all you Yanks wrap up now! Have a good or folks, and like every year if you need help getting the bairns off NORAD have your back:https://www.noradsanta.org/en/map
Merry Christmas to all from Australia. I hope everyone has a great day and all the best for 2023.
Merry Christmas from Belgium to all. It's all NUTS and no truce this year.
THE WORLD WAR TWO GROUP
Books mentioned in this topic
The Shepherd (other topics)The Passion of the Western Mind: Understanding the Ideas that Have Shaped Our World View (other topics)
The Passion of the Western Mind: Understanding the Ideas that Have Shaped Our World View (other topics)
New Contributions to the History of the Ukrainian Language (other topics)
Not One Inch: America, Russia, and the Making of Post-Cold War Stalemate (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Frederick Forsyth (other topics)Edward N. Luttwak (other topics)
Edward N. Luttwak (other topics)
Michael Moser (other topics)
Mary Elise Sarotte (other topics)
More...
À propos my mention of RUSI above- the author of one of the articles I read on their website earlier, Justin Bronk, was interviewed on the state of Russian..."
We are keeping up on all info with a cautious eye to facts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWQl3...