ran

there's no weather anymore, just a succession of quick changes between extreme climatic situations in Europe, I just hate it. I thought I was going to die in my office two years ago with temperatures reaching 45 to 50°C as the air conditioners were broken and my work office was then situtated in the last floor of a 10 story high building with my only window oriented full south. It seems like it's going to get quite hot this year too but I don't have to stay in an overheated office in a suit. I don't mind heat as long as I got enough water and wear adequate clothes. I'm thinking about doing some trekking on the Alps glaciers this summer I don't want to imagine what a heatwave such as the one experienced in France two years ago would look like in Scandinavian countries...

I think going "Khaled Kelkal" on them, even if not the perfect solution would be quite self satisfying and would answer to the revenge and bloodthirst of some as long as we find a way to prevent a martyrdom first on our own soil and then in the middle east. (the chance of finding a booklet filled with the names and coordinates of half of the members of the terrorist network in question here are pretty small but hell ... It would make for some entertaining TV footage)

What the hell is wrong with you psychotic Lederhose !!!!!!

yummy

Vanessa Paradis - Commando

2--> I think that a withdrawal in the same fashion as the abandon of Algeria would be criminal. Just look at Algeria after the french domination ended ... weekly if not daily massacres orchestrated by the GIA and other extremist groups. In the actual global context, I think that if the americans want to uphold their ideals, to fight terrorism and for once, to be efficient at it, they have no other choice than staying there and cleaning up the mess. It's not the cold war anymore and I doubt the USA could afford another vietnam-like fiasco if they want to stay at the top. The only solution I see is the US administration getting its acts together, make a long auto-critic, start on clean fresh bases and start to actually plan and act with some good sense.

Couldn't resist the temptation : Funker Vogt - Killing Fields so much depth in so few words ... just kidding (sorry for the caps too) And now for something more serious, a french version of Ich hatt' ein Kamaraden. It's a funeral song wrtten by a paratrooper named Jean de Brem in Algeria One evening in the gunfire, rushing in the unknown We were on a horse ride, you were my comrade, The one I loved the most (bis) A horseman to provocate, of his the most resolute Gave me a blow, it's been my comrade Who received it (bis) I avenged the wound this blow caused you But late in the cold night, I cried my comrade Near your lifeless body (bis) I'm on my gloomy road, and I'm walk without goal In the event of and ambush, I lost my comrade I will never laugh again (bis) Prince hear my ballad, and this restless call Pray the god of the horse rides to sit my comrade On the right of Jesus (bis)

Ever experienced such thing ? there's one after effect called "shock" happening in the minds of the people standing around.

downloaded it this afternoon and did a few skirmishes ... awesome

Pretty retarded comment... we could say the same about the brits and the englishmen for exemple... Why is retarded? You get people who say they hate The French, or the Germans or the Argentines. They probably haven't met any, but they hate all of them. You think thats right? Because that is what it sounded like. I don't think it's right, not at all, but "where's the love ?" and the few remains of good sense under the ozone layer ? Hating a people, or people from a certain nationality is just stupid. You can hold a few grudges against individuals you know personnaly but not against people you don't know. I know people from the opposite side of the political spectrum who are really nice and people sharing the same opinions as I who are finished bastards and retards. French people are people regrouped under the same geographical borders, that's all. Expressing a feeling as strong as hatred toward such a blurry entity is dumb. In my opinion, you can only hate things you really know. Repulsion toward the things and people you don't really know is just simple dislike and a natural defensive mechanism against difference, not only physical but political and any other aspect of a human being you could imagine. It naturally happens every once in a while that such dislike, or annoyance by the difference in the other's belief turns itself into real hatred as a result of some kind of crowd effect as you all know that crowds are always more dangrous and primitive than single individuals. What I didn't like in your reply was the "good" frenchies. Good people aren't always the most loved -edit-: I hope it made some sense as I'm a bit tired. And I guess this little argument is born from a misunderstanding of your comment.

Pretty retarded comment... we could say the same about the brits and the englishmen for exemple...

France is the nation that offered the most cheap shots to fire at. Germany and Russia backed most if not all of the decisions and words chosen by the french and also made their own statements, don't forget that.

The vehicle looks more like a variant of the 1V12 artillery command and support vehicle series to me. -edit- oopsie hadn't seen that Tovarish had correctly answered

It's just a different mindset I guess. In Europe, if you're not a Légionnaire or some kind of kick-ass ladies man with a special hat, you don't get as much success with ladies. The only girls really attracted by the uniform are the soldiers girls living near the garissons. Here, hippies don't give a fuck about us and we don't mind them either. Here your friends become even friendlier with your wife and if they're real friends can't get any more friendly around here at least. The mom and dad thingy is a big fat cliché (talking from my own personnal experience and friends' testimonies here).

I remember a guy who´s girlfriend just split up from him in a 2 minute telephone talk from the other side of the globe. He went mad and did funny stuff with his gun, so we had to take him down, remove his weapons and hand him over to MP where he had to stay for a while. Anyway, the whole deal made him a bit suicidal, he took risks and put risks on us that had to be avoided so it was decided to send him home and take him to psychological treatment. Such things can happen and do happen. Another thought I can´t talk into much is the matter of children. I don´t have children (at least I don´t know of any) but I guess it´s pretty hard if you are : A. not in place when they birth B. not in place when they take their first steps C. not in place when they begin to speak .... It looks like this is also a big problem for some sometimes as they want to be at home to experience all that. As I said I can´t speak on this on my own, but that´t the impression I got from others. I have a good friend of mine who's now divorced and has missed absolutely all these and beleive me, it's quite depressing listening to him when he's talking about it. It's not that I don't want to have any children, we can't and I think it's better that way. It's already difficult enough when I have to leave my wife for several months not to have to leave a child along with her. (if the need should arise, we could always adopt, but not before the end of my comittments) In my opinion, the responsabilities implied by the arrival of a child in a familly forbid any kind of unnecessary risk. I've had the experience of my brothers and sister, I also know the case of my friend's kids and they didn't and still don't seem happy when their father (and even sometimes nowaday, mothers) is abroad in a warzone. Not forgetting heartbreaking sights such as those children I saw last november at the Invalides after the Unicorn broke its horn.

I think this is the main point that has to be made clear at the really beginning of a relationship. I personally would advise anybody wanting to enlist to wait having a good situation in the forces before looking for romance, and looking for that in particular circles of women already aware of all the things implied by military life and marrying with a soldier. I know it's hard as often, love stories pre-date the enlistment, but everything has to be clear from the moment you sign up your contract and even before (as to avoid any surprise to the girl) It's all about communication, you're right here. In my own experience, lack of communication is what has shot down a few of my relationships. I've also seen mates being "victims" of breakdowns in particularly shitty times and this is just bad and litterally deprived them of all their meens and rendered them almost useless and sometimes dangerous. This is quite right and this is what you should make sure of before going any further in a relationship while in the forces. And do not hesitate to introduce your girl and your mate's so they can withstand the fears and pressure together. That's why you have to give her an insight before going any further. The exchanges when it comes to daily life are also some kind of safeguard/safety. Wen it comes down to that, the routines from both sides aren't that different and talking about things as casual as that somewhat makes you alot closer than the actual distance and gives a certain illusion of being there. I tend to disagree as I have the luck to have found somebody able to understand at least a part of my experiences. I know it's quite often hard to put words on such deep and harsh experiences, but you should be able to express it, even with simple words, but for that, your companion has to show some intelligence to be able to read between the lines and hear the silent words and this only comes after some time. Loneliness, fear are among these, and both of you will feel them. Start from here it's the easiest as both of you will have experienced them, diffrently but they will be there in your both memories. And from there (and those are just exemples) you can dig deeper. You generally witness these changes if you maintain enough contact during your leave abroad. At least, I get the feeling I did. I personnaly always had a taste for self confident almost dominating and quite independant women. You have to open your mind and be ready for compromises, ready to sometimes close your eyes, as, as a free being a woman can't be stuck in your house forever, especially if you're not around. As an inconsequent Frenchman, I'd just say "ça passe ou ça casse" but it's actually much more complicated

no, the same treaties are still in place, that's all, we didn't go back in time, we just put the whole thing on hold. You may want things to go fast but believe me, what has been done in 50 years is incredible and on the scale of human history that's quite fast.

This will cost us years. Why rushing things in the first place ?

note my posting time I respected the french CSA rules concerning the results (not a single word before 10pm) I'm relatively clueless when it comes to this constitution. My father has been pushing me really hard to vote against this constitution throwing in my face a whole lot of points relative to social issues. I voted no as this answer can't be that bad for Europe as a whole. I appreciate the European Union but from what I gathered on this constitution I guess it was time to sit down and look back before going headfirst into an ultra-liberal European Union, but will the other countries actually stop and wait for us ? I read the constitution and saw it, as has already been pointed out a few times here, as some kind of super economical treaty. As such, I don't see this negative answer as an immediate threat. What I'm waiting for now is a REAL constitution and not some paper block filled with economico-rethorical masturbation bordering onto bullshit. I won't say much more as I'm still somewhat tied to rules of neutrality due to my job when it comes to internal politics (I know it's the internet but I stand by my principles, well I try ) I had no real stance on the Maastricht treaty 13 years ago either and had other preoccupations when the Nice treaty saw the light of the day and it's roughly the same here. I have to add that I don't think this "non" will change our relationships with our neighboors all that much. And another reason for my vote was the apparent and progressive alignment of the European defence policy on NATO, a think I strongly disagree with. I'm in no way against partnerships but I can't stand the idea of basing our policies on external bodies.

non

I've been wondering about it for some time now ... I don't give a toss about the game in itself as I hate football, but this particular game makes a pretty nice target when you think about it ... Italy, United Kingdom in Turkey ... Two of the main contributors to the Iraq effort and one a nation that has been the target of several terror attacks lately and which is one of the main US allies in the region ... If I was one of them ... I know I would. Naturally, Intel services whose concern is the safety of their fellow countrymen are on the job, but it sometimes just isn't enough ... I thought about the bad guys pulling a "Kadirov" of some kind (and not just the presidential tribune with a couple plastic breads this time, but more along the lines of a dirty bomb planted in a nearby building or on a park place). Has there been any masonry done in the stadium or nearby recently ?

I don't like cheese all that much, I look nothing like a monkey and I have yet to surrender ;) (neither were my father, grandfathers and great grandfathers) Tchad is just one among a load of others : Africa (Algeria, Kolwezi anyone ? and more recently in Ivory Coast making world headlines) Middle East (Suez Crisis, Lebanon), Asia (Indochina, Afghanistan), Balkans are a just a few notorious exemples. A star sprangled banner sells better than a tri-color flag in the medias (It's actually nice to get so little attention as when bloopers or misfires happen, it gets barely noticed ). Saddam quite liked our stuff, just like most of our ME customers (Back in the days, the Iranians after seeing how good the AU F1, a self propelled artillery gun was in the hands of the iraqis asked us to hand them a few in exchange of hostages). Now, when it comes to business, I think everybody's hands are as dirty as ours, if not more

Manga depiction of women (including hentai ones) has always been art of my interogations ever since I've discovered them... I find them gross.

It's better to be in small numbers and be relevent than to be surrounded by scores of idiots messing around in an empty shell. That's one of the things I've been taught.

I have recently reinstalled OFP, and I once played the original OFP sniper mission while listenning to the Allegreto of Beethoven's seventh sympthony playing on my stereo ... oddly enough, it was pretty nice. Other than that, some hard Punish Yourself (Rock 'n' Roll machine, Gay Boys in Bondage -yeah, I know -, CNN war and all their aggressive songs), Dexy Corps (Overlord) or La Logique du Pire and sometimes some teutonic "tanz metal" (mainly Rammstein, and THE one song : Feuer Frei) during agrressive games. The rest of the time I listen to quieter things but I quite liked the feeling I've had a pretty nice time while playing and listenning to SOiL and especially the song Road to ruin from their albul Throttle Junkies. On night games I like listenning to Culturecide and Another Dark Age from S.P.K.'s AutoDaFe (especially the latter). Other than that, most of the things said above could do too, but most of the time I only have music in my ears while playing because I forgot to put off the Stereo But sometimes for the "show" factor, it's nice to have some sound to go with the nice pictures and noises coming out of the 'puter