[DL] Several Thread Takes

[Frempath2@netscape.net]

Well since netscape decided I really didn't want to read my mail....

I am going to give my take on several threads in order to get caught up.

1)Gaming Outpost
Earlier this week it was shut down with a message that they had run out of money and were looking at how to get it back up.  It appears that their solution was to do away with free company forum access.  Significant loss, but not great as it had been fairly quiet for some time.

2).45 vs 9mm
In non-combat, target hole punching, I would take a 9mm as a easier operating (less recoil), cheaper ammo firearm.  For putting some thing down with out it getting up before it realizes it is dead, gimme a .45.  The reason is as the thread stated balistics.  Yes the 9mm has a higher energy potential.  For wound transfer though, you want surface area and time on target.  A topical example would be comparing a m1861 Springfield to an M-16.  Large, slow projectile vs small, fast projectile.  The M-16 has a higher energy content, and the "yawing" wounding effect. However the light nature of the bullet makes it easily deflected and the projectile passes through a target quickly.  The Springfield  1861 had a large (.58) bore and a slow (less than 1000 fps) speed. This bullet covered a large surface area and spent a relatively long time passing through a target and could not be easlily deflected.  This translates to a round which transfered a huge amount of energy/damage to the target, creating wounds which could not be healed even 140 years later.  

3)Europe and Alliances
All very asute observations.  My main contribution is that if Bismark does not unify Germany, France and England do not Ally.  With a few notable exceptions, France and England have been rivals and enemies for centuries. The changes in this relationship were directly related to Bismark.  France and England were global, colonial powers.  Bismark wished this for a unified Prussia/Germany and butted against France and England.  With the defeat of France in the Franco-Prussia war Bismark isolated France from Europe, leaving it far weaker for the experiance.  Only when Bismark was out of the picture and the german stratagy for france softened did France return to power.  France turned to anyone who could help against the strong imperial Germany.  England and Germany became rivals and enemies as Germany moved to create a navy to rival the Royal Navy.  Germany wanted an Empire and to hold a global empire you needed to be able to hold it.  To do that you needed to have a large powerful navy capable of defeating even the preeminant power of the age, the Royal Navy.  With France in decline following the Franco-Prussian war, the rise of Germany and the Imperial Navy became a threat to England which England attempted to counter with an alliance with its historic rival, France.  So the short is: with no strong unified Germany as a compelling force England and France would continue to be conflicting with each other on a global scale.

Well, it was a little long winded but I feel better now.

g'day
frempath
kevin jameson
nebr. terr.


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