Lost in a Lost World (Page 23)

ghostgeek: I hear they used to grind mummies up and use them as a pigment for painters, until they ran out of the essential ingredient.

Zanjan: I wonder what colour that produced.

ghostgeek: Seeing as they used stiffs from the later period, who were battered in bitumen, one can assume it was rather dark.

ghostgeek: Interesting to see you spell "colour" the English way rather than following American practice. Is that a one-off or are Canadian spellings more in tune with what I'm familiar with?

Zanjan: Canadians were taught to follow the Queen's English. Colour, neighbour, labour and such are the correct spellings.

However, I hate certain trends where people are using stupid language like "near miss" (for an escape), and "oversight" (for monitoring). Those are the direct opposites of their correct meaning.

ghostgeek: Without trends people wouldn't feel part of the herd. Then where would they be?

ghostgeek: Ever wondered what the world would have been like if Adam and the missus had nibbled the fruit from the Tree of Life? Maybe we'll be finding out:

U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), the organization that administers America’s Spec Ops forces, says it will soon start clinical trials of an “anti-aging pill” that could halt some naturally degenerative effects of aging.

“We have completed pre-clinical safety and dosing studies in anticipation of follow-on performance testing in fiscal year 2022,” Navy Commander Tim Hawkins, a SOCOM spokesperson, told Breaking Defense.

The pill involves what Hawkins called a “human performance small molecule” that will be fashioned into a nutraceutical form for both civilians and military personnel. He continued:

“These efforts are not about creating physical traits that don’t already exist naturally. This is about enhancing the mission readiness of our forces by improving performance characteristics that typically decline with age. Essentially, we are working with leading industry partners and clinical research institutions to develop a nutraceutical, in the form of a pill that is suitable for a variety of uses by both civilians and military members, whose resulting benefits may include improved human performance—like increased endurance and faster recovery from injury.”

[ https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a36905562/us-military-testing-anti-aging-pill/?utm_source=pocket-newtab-global-en-GB ]

chronology: Ghost. There is in fact no reason why humans cannot live indefinitely. Inside the body is the what genetics experts call the Master Gene which contains a biological clock. At various life stages the Gene sends out instructions to all the cells move to the next stage in life. Puberty, middle age etc. The body then follows the time marker instructions and begins wrinkling skin and turning hair grey and all the other stages of the life cycle. But if the Master Gene never sent out these age begin markers, people would live as healthy young adults for ever.
Not my cup of tea old man. Plus you have the population explosion that occurred before the Flood. With people not dieing, and babies being born, the place would wind up like it did last time, an overcrowded crime ridden slum.

chronology: By the way ghost, perhaps the American DoD should remember the old Proverb 'be careful what you wish for'.
The Book of Revelation describes Genetically modified fighters with tails like scorpions. It also describes people who just like the DoD projects, very difficult to kill.
It won't work out too well for soldiers stung by the scorpion tail things. In agony, but unable to die.

Zanjan: Chron, if that "Master Gene" never sent out aging markers, the baby would never become an adult.

There's a birth defect where one ages too rapidly - they're an old man by the time they're six years old and they never grow taller than a six year old. If one could reverse engineer that, they still couldn't configure it to a desirable age.

I don't know what all the fuss is about. The military has gone digital so combat soldiers wont really be needed much at all in the very near future. No physical bombs to drop, no missiles, bullets or black ops either. You NEVER see hand- to- hand combat on the battlefield anymore, just in the bar after work. That's all very antiquated.

Today, Intelligence is gathered via satellite and drones, and wars are now fought on the cyberfront with malware. Military soldiers are used for rescue and disaster relief. When they get too old, they're easily replaced by a new generation. It's a respectable profession with thousands waiting in line to move up the ladder.

chronology: Interesting comments zan. When you talk about the 'working life of soldiers' I presume you mean Infantry Combat. For many Armies infantry soldiers are kept at a high level of physical fitness and preparedness. They have a working life of about 6 years if they do not move up into NCO positions which are much less physically demanding. So you would need a high turnover of manpower. Tim McVeigh was a good example. Tim was worn out and over the top after just 3 years of American infantry life. One reason he dropped out of the U.S. Army was he just couldn't take the gruelling work load anymore.
Also zan, I doubt even the Americans could find enough replacement recruits at the level you suggest. The American Marines have even higher standards than the Army Infantry. And few young Americans would be happy with the Draft. Robots are definitely the way to go.
But I agree with you that you just cannot replace the loyalty and courage of American Marines. They are a credit to their country and their families. We were talking about them yesterday. How they managed to be the elite Waffen SS Units in WW2 is still one of histories surprises. European folks were laughing when the Marines and others landed on D Day. They expected the German Army to mop the floor with the Americans and British. But the Marines and people like the Black Watch just came out winners. To the surprise of everyone.

ghostgeek: Has anybody had a peek at Afghanistan recently? Seems that the Taliban, who are about as far as you can get from high-tech soldiery, are doing a victory march across the country.

ghostgeek: All it took was staying power.

chronology: Ghost. Really Old Boy, Afghan tribal forces have the singular advantage of their home turf.

They have not actually won anything in terms of war. No disrespect to the Afghan tribal fighter's but they carry on hit and run attacks against regular armies, usually on very remote and rough high altitude roads that are most often winding through rock strewn vallies.

The Soviet's had no solution to the hit and run ambush style, the Americans were just as frustrated. But the rough countryside is the Taliban's great advantage. But you do have to concede that they are highly skilled at running away and hiding after attacks. They must have extensive tunnel systems in the mountains.
A great movie worth watching about fighting in tunnels is called 'Tunnel Rats' . Although that was set in Vietnam. You wonder if any of the old Tunnel Rat heroes in America advised their younger fellow Americans in Afghanistan.

Fractured fairy tale: Rather A Embarresement Isn"t It , Can"t Beat people riding Donkeys that they Trained in the First Place HAAA

Fractured fairy tale: Milatry leadership and politicans Should be Drawn and Quaterd for that Stuff up , But they wont be will they , It will just keep happening again and Again

ghostgeek: Maybe the Taliban can't cut it in a straight fight with Western troops, but so what? If they end up back in charge then they've won the war.

If I remember right, something similar happened in Vietnam a few decades ago.

ghostgeek: As for hit and run tactics, the Romans thwarted Hannibal by using them.

chronology: My history may be a little hazy ghost. But I remember American successes far outnumbered other outcomes. In Granada U.S. services successfully rescue American's. In Panama American service's ended major Drug Cartel Operations. In the Balkans American Service's rescued victim's from concentration camp detention and other Human Rights abuse's. In Kuwait American Force's rescued the country from invasion. In Ireland, American promoted Peace Talk's concluded a conflict that had killed thousands of innocent Irish people. American Air Command patrols protected Kurds in Iraq from genocide. American Force's liberated Iraq, ending the suffering and death of Iraqi civilians due to sanctions.

Seems way more success than anything else there ghost. Some American assistance operations are still in progress. American African Peace keeping assistance, United States Coast Guard operations against drug cartels in the Gulf of Mexico.

Am sure by the way, American servicemen and women would remind people American successes were greatly assisted by local Armed Force's who were Allie's.

Fractured fairy tale: Meanwhile 500.000 die every year from drug overdoses. You keep telling yourself that Chronogy one day you might believe it

Zanjan: Ghost: "If they end up back in charge then they've won the war."

Their war is never over. At one time, they were in charge; they lost that. If they get that back, they'll just lose it again because they don't have the right stuff. They can't even attract a woman. Whereas, the Romans could.

ghostgeek: The "right stuff"? They've got Allah, so what more do the Taliban need?

chronology: Ghost. It is not so simple in Afghanistan. Some of the folks there believe in the Cult of the sacred fire or something. Zan could explain this better than me. American troops have probably tried to explain that there is One God up in the sky. But that will not make much impression on the Fire Cult folks.
There is also a Cult out there that worships the Devil. They don't see themselves as evil, just that lucifer is a misunderstood genius or something.

Again zan can explain this.

ghostgeek: In many ways Afghanistan is like my garden. It needs constant attention to keep the weeds down. America may be good with the hoe but it hasn't got the perserverance for the long haul. Sticking at it for fifty, a hundred, maybe a thousand years as the dead trickle home. That's why, when challenged about Afghanistan, Biden replied, "I want to talk about happy things, man."

Afghanistan isn't a happy place and never will be.

chronology: I think most Americans would disagree who have served there. The people are tough and most of the men can stand their ground in a one to one argument. But on those high mountain roads it is just too tempting not to pop some Russian or American peace keepers. The roads are high long and winding. Americans probably have altitude sickness most of the time. Even Gunships are no use. Afghan fighters can fire down on them from the high parts of the valley's. The Gunship armour is vulnerable from above.