I’ll second that, rather insightful.  Thanks timerover51.

TallPall, thanks for the invite, very generous of you, I really appreciate it.  It looks like I need to get my US entry waiver in order to enter the US.  Seems I was a bad boy in my youth with that stuff a few of your states just legalized.  Made the mistake of getting caught crossing the border (to get gas……) before I goy my Canadian pardon 20 years ago.

As for the long name, Mal is fine…Maladjusted, Malady, Malachi…  Got the nickname playing the axis in the original Nova version.  The Malachi brothers were from Happy Days and did the Malachi Crunch between the two of them.  Myself it was Germany then Japan against Russia.

So, current estimates of oil leaking in the gulf range from 35K-60K barrels per day, lets say 45K, so that is roughly a large WWII US tanker sinking every 3 days with its entire contents leaking out over 3 days in the exact same spot and repeat this for 20 tankers sinking and counting.  The average tanker sinking in the Pacific occured every 5-6 days and was on average smaller then the average WW II US tanker cited in my example.  So easily 2-3 times the daily average of oil spilled in the gulf of mexico compared to the oil lost during entire pacific campaign during WW II and all in one location.

Many WW II tankers sunk still contain much of their cargo and are cause for concern even now as they rot away and get ready to spew their cargo.

The United states did not threated to stop sending oil to Japan……They DID stop sending oil to Japan in august 1041 over Japan’s invovlement in China and the seizure of Indochina.  Since the US supplied 80% of Japan’s oil it forced Japan to choose between rolling over and dying or fighting.  Many Japanese militiary officers viewed this as an undeclared act of war.  You’d think the US would have anticipated a negative and probable military response.

I’d image most of the oil taken from the ground in WWII would have been of high quality light sweet texas crude and therefore less toxic.  After some initial tanker losses to u-boats an continental pipeline was created to pipe the oil from texas to the east coast thus eliminating much of the tanker targets.  When tankers were sunk, often the oil burned, and since the oil was concentrated it could burn most of it.  When oil floats up from a mile under and is acted on with dispersents at the source it is much harder to burn or collect.

Typical American WWII tankers held about 140,000 barrels cargo.  In the entire Pacific during the entire WWII period, only 333 oil tankers were sunk, 85% or so of them Japanese and most likely with a smaller average capacity.  http://www.sprep.org/publication/webpage/004ship_waste_ww2/WWII_Strategy/_private/Strategy_Report_May_03.doc

Here we go again with my text box screen jumping up and down with every key stroke…ugh

Last I checked there was lots of life around the Chernobyl reactor, well except for human life.  Just cause there is life somewhere does not imply its a great place for human life.

About as much as I think of the legend of carrots being good for your eyes.  A fun story to tell people as a segway to the battle of Britain and the importance of radar to that event.  As for the science behind it……67 years is a long time for special technology to NOT be independently rediscovered.  Computers being about a ten trillion times more powerful today compared to 1945 make anything that required calculations back then to be trivial today.

…and things continue to heat up.

China media denounce US warship in South China Sea
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-34655845

3 cups in 6 years in my opinion makes them a dynasty in a league of 30.  It’s not like they were bottom feeders 7 years and earlier and only recently benefited from high draft picks and cash at the right time.  Moreover their run isn’t over.  A few more playoff appearances going deep into the playoffs will assure them of dynasty status.

As a Maple Leafs fan…I can only dream of my team winning the cup ONCE in the last 48 years!  So the idea that 3 in 6 is no big deal is just hard to fathom.

LOL RE: Illuminati!  Hey YG, yeah should be able to make it out this year!  Thanks for the warm re-welcome guys!

China to ‘complete’ South China Sea land reclamation
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-33144751

I wonder when they will start to generate IPCs from the surrounding sea zones?  Let the games begin!

I played SFB in the 80s, still have all my rule books and SSD sheets I believe they were called.  It was a fun game but it at times became a war of rules with game play stopped because somebody was using something in expansion pack 3 that you were not aware of and forgot to establish ground rules for what expansion packs were used.

I had the same experience with AD&D.  There were people who wanted to play the game, and others who sought advantage in esoteric rules.

I was thinking of this thread with the recent troubles there and the island building by China.  I didn’t realize it was over 3 years I predicted this.  Mind you, give enough time nearly any prediction can come true……and the Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup…one can only hope…

Xbox password flaw exposed by five-year-old boy

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-26879185

Calling NFL and MLB champions “World Champions” is a lot conceited and not accurate. Even if they are the best team in the world (because no other country plays the sport), no other country has a team in competition.

True of the NFL but last time I checked the Toronto Blue Jays of MLB play in a different country that the US of A and in fact were World Champions twice.  Also much like American NHL champions, they were stocked with foreign players.  There is probably a higher % of Americans playing hockey than Canadians playing baseball or basketball, tho in basketballs case that is changing.

In any case……Silly Americans, Hockey is for Canadians…  for now!

We should focus on the important aspect and plan out who brings what booze, mix and drinking utensils….

Hey… you’re a Canadian! Of course you are opposed! You just want a US military to keep North America safe because Canada can’t!

Safe from whom?  The Chinese navy and invasion force?  The Russian navy and invasion force?  I suppose if one metric was the last time Canada was attacked by terrorists we are doing rather better than most countries.  Granted luck often plays a part, but one can make their own luck……

I understand that the US now spends 25% more in real dollars now then during the cold war when there really was an existential threat.  One can argue the balance of forces and where money is spent, but spending as much as the next 20 nations combined and 25% more than during the cold war has got to be too much money.

Mallery, I was suggesting that Indian innovation is superior to that of Chinas, not that it is superior to the US.

The US may have some old ghost towns, but they don’t build brand new cities on credit for a 1/4 of million people that are never inhabited.  Or the worlds largest shopping mall that is 99% unleased.  Only a centrally planned corrupt government can pull this off.