The new FIE president...

[veeco]

Well, let's all hug and love each other then ;-)

[JackSparrow]

Originally Posted by CvilleFencer

If it makes you feel any better, most of the US does not hate Europeans (well, maybe France ) and 24% of us think the president is an idiot and his foriegn policy sucks. Unfourtunetly something like 50% are to lazy to get out and vote! No more New Englanders for president is my solution. Especially if they think that buying a ranch makes them a Texan.

Same problem in England (no, no, no we don't hate the French) I mean that millions of people are indifferent to the results of our genral elections. I think it's more down to apathy and cynicism rather than lazyness. Mind you, I heard that more people in this country voted for the winner of 'Pop Idol' than voted for Tony Blair to be Prime minister. I'll let you draw your own conclusions.

[CvilleFencer]

Originally Posted by veeco

Well, let's all hug and love each other then ;-)

Hugs all around! I tease about France as a general rule but everyone I have actually met from France has been a very decent person and I have liked all the ones I have gotten to know. Maybe someday I will have the time and funds to visit for myself and spend some time there, although my attempts to speak French may get me mob lynched (a Texas draw and the French Language do not seem to go together...)!

I guess most of my problems with France come from the old governments unsafe nuclear testing, their terrorist attack on the Rainbow warrior in New Zealand, the murder of a member of its crew and numerous incidents of their unlawfully detaining and kidnapping of peaceful protesters in international waters, the theft or destruction of their ships and property and so forth and the economic warfare they waged against NZ to keep them from raising to much of a stink about their act of war and to get their captured operatives back.

That was a different time and a different government however. If I want the rest of the world to not hold the policies and acts of the Bush (and some prior)administration against Americans as a whole and judge us as individuals I guess I should give up my grudges as well. If I make anymore unprovoked snide or rude comments about France (except when speaking of past incidents) please feel free to slap me in the back of the head (verbally or in person if applicable) as a way to remind me of my track towards redemption in stereotyping other countries. Apologies for my past comments Veeco, Sreckiki and others. I now un-hijack the thread and return it to the normal debate. And the new foil timings suck…

[sreckiki]

Originally Posted by CvilleFencer

Hugs all around! Apologies for my past comments Veeco, Sreckiki and others.

No offence taken from your previous posts. They always made me laugh...

So, see you in Richmond for the hug!

[D'Artag-NOT]

Originally Posted by JackSparrow

Same problem in England (no, no, no we don't hate the French)

Huh??? When did that happen?

Or should I stop reading my Aubrey and Maturin novels all the time and try something set in more recent times?

[oiuyt]

Originally Posted by D'Artag-NOT

Huh??? :eek: When did that happen?

Or should I stop reading my Aubrey and Maturin novels all the time and try something set in more recent times?

Just finished re-reading the series. O'Brian's a great writer. Not to drag the thread too far off-topic (okay, that's EXACTLY what I'm trying to do... :) ), do you have any suggestions for other high-quality historical fiction authors?

While I typically read SF, most of my favorite books have been HF. Difference is I enjoy crappy SF, but have fairly high standards for what HF I enjoy reading. Clavell's books prior to Whirlwind, Pillar of the Gods by Follet, the Aubrey/Maturin series are all near the top of my list.

-B :)

[DangerMouse]

Herman Wouk and Leon Uris are two of my favorites. I have yet to read a bad book from either of them.

[CvilleFencer]

David Weber and the Honor Harrington series is both good Sci Fi and an entertaining "star wars" take on traditional naval combat. Of course there are the Forester books, Hornblower and such. Louis Lamor wrote a couple of HF books that are some of my favorites, although I am not a fan of his normal genre. Fair Blows the Wind and The Marching Drum are great reads. The First details the life of an Irish swordsman and adventurer set adrift by tragedy and his adventures abroad during the "Great Ships" era and the second is a story of a young man who evolves into a warrior/scholar as he travels through the great centers of trade and learning looking for knowledge and revenge. Some very good historical sites, personalities and research in that one.

Maybe we should have a great book section. It seems to come up a lot!

[oiuyt]

Thx, I appreciate the suggestions. Now to pass them along to family looking for X-mas gift ideas and we'll see what comes of it all.

-B :)

[Black Jeebus]

You can almost think of the Honor Harrington series as "Hornblower in space". I still like it a lot even if it does seem like a lot of the stuff is borrowed.

[D'Artag-NOT]

Originally Posted by oiuyt

do you have any suggestions for other high-quality historical fiction authors?

Don't remember the author's name, but if you can't get enough of the Napoleonic wars there's a series about a soldier named Sharpe ("Sharpe's Rifles" et al.). I've read and enjoyed a couple of those.

Edna Ferber's books are good--"Giant", "Showboat", "Cimarron", etc.

And of course, James Michener is the great-granddaddy of the historical saga. His books also provide valuable weight training, at least in the hardcover edition.

[Inquartata]

Originally Posted by rory

Or possibly it's the fact that womens' sabre is less mature than the other weapons, and sacrificing another weapon just to fit it in seemed unfair.

And it always will be. That's the nature of a newer sport. It's never going to "catch up". So how long should we wait before it's inclusion is "fair"?

Europeans don't hate the USA: we just think your president's psychotic and your foreign policy sucks.

And we couldn't care less.