From: owner-deltagreen-digest@nocturne.org (deltagreen-digest) To: deltagreen-digest@nocturne.org Subject: deltagreen-digest V2 #75 Reply-To: Delta Green List Sender: owner-deltagreen-digest@nocturne.org Errors-To: owner-deltagreen-digest@nocturne.org Precedence: bulk deltagreen-digest Sunday, September 19 1999 Volume 02 : Number 075 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 15:04:41 +0900 From: "David Farnell" Subject: Re: DG: Eurocops From: Eckhard Huelshoff > Ahem: Doghnuts are nearly unknown in Germany! If you need clich$BqT(B about German > police, use the following: They ALL have a moustache. Even the women? (ZINNNNG!) >And then they asked me about my profession. When I > answered that I was a lawyer in training they changed within the wink of an eye. > They excused themselves for annoying me, desperately explaining that they were > simply working for everybody's security, blah, blah. > That's my tip for role-playing Bavaria's finest. Sounds like Texas cops when they realized the black guy they pulled over for driving a "car that looks suspiciously expensive" was their local judge--and it was the fifth time that week he'd been pulled over in his own town. Ah, profiling... Dave ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 15:03:58 +0900 From: "David Farnell" Subject: Re: DG: Tradecraft, was: Nobody F*cks With The Mouse From: Eckhard Huelshoff > Oh, too true! Karaoke bars are THE place for such rendezvous: Here in the Home of Karaoke, they are generally not the big, wide-open bars as seen in Black Rain (Michael Douglas, Ken Takakura, Andy Garcia), but subdivided into many small rooms. Which makes them great for meetings, as it's very easy to pick a random karaoke place, choose a random room (preferably an interior one), and be quite safe from eavesdropping. These can also be a low-priced alternative to love hotels, but not nearly so comfortable. > On the other hand: Another good place for such rendezvous are strip joints. > Everybody in the place is watching the chick that's dancing and nobody cares > about the fellow guests. It is a bad place of course for female investigators. Ah, so THAT'S why, in every cop movie, there's a scene where the cops meet to talk about sensitive things in strip joints. It all makes sense now. Dave who is still happy about the time he found "Secret Agent Man" on the playlist of a karaoke machine ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 08:54:43 +0200 From: EHuelshoff@t-online.de (Eckhard Huelshoff) Subject: Re: DG: Auto's in Campaigns David Farnell schrieb: > From: Eckhard Huelshoff > > I love that one and already used it: One of my players was en route to > bring a > > copy of "Cultes des Goules" to a DG Friendly capable of speaking French. > On his > > way he stopped to visit his mother [ ! ] and left the book in the trunk. > And of > > course the car got stolen by a junkie, who sold the car and separately the > book > to one of his "clients" from the local railway station's mensrooms. > This lead to > > an enjoyable and desperate hunt for the book by a character who > permanently got > > kicked in his arse for his utter stupidity. > > There's a whole adventure right there. Although I want to know quite what > "permanently" kicked in the arse might mean. Does that mean he gets kicked > as a little ceremony at the beginning of every game, now? Yep, it's a bit like that. ECKHARD ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 17:56:52 +0900 From: "Noyes" Subject: DG: Singing in the Pain Dave, as usual, was completely on the money with his remarks about Japanese karaoke (which, incidently, is pronounced "kah-rah-oh-keh", rather than the westernized "kerryokey". Other touches you can include if you want to inflict this, the third most horrifying (after gas attacks and the Yamanote line at rush hour, and only if I'm singing within earshot) experience to be had in the Big Mikan: 1) American tend to prefer group singing, with everyone clustered around the microphone, whereas Japanese tend toward solo performances. I think one of the reasons for this is that, in general, Westerners are much more judgemental of singing skill in a karaoke bar. People who sing alone tend to actually have some skill. Japanese usually just ignore the person who is singing and then applaud when their finished, or hoot and holler if they are a friend. I can remember one experience with a mixed group of Japanese and fresh-from-the-states gaijin. The karaoke machine was turned on (we were on a bus at the time; the things are everywhere) and the Japanese encourage the gaijin to join in. It sooned turned into a big group singalong of simple songs everyone knew. The then Japanese stepped up to the plate and sang songs, reading the words from the machine. They thought it was all quite enjoyable, but the Americans were confused and a little hurt, and asked me later why their hosts had killed all the fun. At the time I tried to explain the various cultural differences. In my heart, my opinion is that there is no culture on the planet that can render a good time quite as dull and ceremony-laden as the mainland Japanese. But that is just my opinion. 2) In general, the quality of singing skill in Japan is quite high, and very talented people often come from very unusaul backgrounds. This is pariticularly surprising considering the abysmal quality of Japanese pop music, which often reaches the level of self-parody. Go to a blues or jazz bar -- and there are many in Tokyo -- and I guarantee you will be astounded. 3) Many bars and karaoke businesses have songs on their machines that are accompanied by soft porn videos. This makes song selection eventful when you can't read Japanese very well. 4) Karaoke places are _everywhere_ in Tokyo. If you need a place to hide and plan for a few hours, take your team into one. There will even be a waitress to bring you drinks. A firefight in one would be horrifying, though. There is no such thing as a clear field of fire in Tokyo, unless you're shooting straight up. You are never farther than 100' feet from another human being (and usually quite a number of them, at that). 5) I have been barred from all karaoke establishments in the city for singing "My Way" one too many times. Jay ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 11:46:32 +0200 From: EHuelshoff@t-online.de (Eckhard Huelshoff) Subject: Re: DG: Singing in the Pain Noyes schrieb: [snip] > 2) In general, the quality of singing skill in Japan is quite high, and very > talented people often come from very unusaul backgrounds. I have had an experience with Japanese that on the one hand supports your statement and on the other hand left me rather confused: I was visiting Banff / Canada when a group of Japanese women came up to me and asked wether I could take pictures with their camera of them and some landscape. After I did that they asked if I were German and some started singing bits of German songs like "Ich weiß nicht, was soll es bedeuten" about the Lorelei and "Die lustige Forelle" before climaxing in hysterical giggles. This incident raises for me the following questions: Why do Japanese have an obvious interest in German culture? Why do travelling Japanese always take pictures of them AND the place they visit [ me and the Eiffel Tower, me and Grand Canyon, me and R'Lyeh ]?? What did they think when they found out that I cut off their heads when taking the pictures? [snip] > 5) I have been barred from all karaoke establishments in the city for > singing "My Way" one too many times. Probably "What's new Pussycat?" would have been the better choice? ECKHARD ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 11:59:42 +0200 From: EHuelshoff@t-online.de (Eckhard Huelshoff) Subject: DG: John Ford, the OSS, WWII and DG Good Morning. I just saw a documentary about director John Ford and his filming for the OSS during WWII, especially about his work on D-Day. In the documentary they said that A LOT of the material has been hidden or lost in archives. They also claimed that other OSS-film-teams had been sent on secret missions. Might there be some material that shows Karotechia activities or something that even shows evidence of the Mythos? Was John Ford in fact a DG agent? ECKHARD ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 12:29:13 +0200 From: Davide Mana Subject: Re: DG: Eurocops Greetings. Dr Cthulhu >Actually a Doctor of general Chaos and Destruction [fascinating subject, I wish I had more time to dedicate to it myself] answered my letter writing >> Two questions - what airport was that, and what colour was the uniform of >> the guys? > >The international one Near Roma (DiVinchie sp?), about 6 years ago. "da Vinci", like Leonardo - who never was too keen on Rome, but they appropriated his name anyway, go figure. >I belive the uniform was a dull green, but I was younger, and I was >looking for my ride more that at the guys. I do remember that they where >using a tactical sling to carry their SMG's, not the loop kind but the >kind that only attaches to the gun at 1 spot. Dull green - armed forces fatigues - you spotted a bunch of Airmen or paratroopers on security duty/crowd control. The tac sling reinforces the option. Weird about the shotgun. Very weird. Uniform Codes for Law Enforcement in Italy (in case somebody cares - it makes good EH detail material anyway) are . Black (winter)/ Black with Light Blue Shirt (summer), black leather accessories and silver buttons and insigna - Carabinieri. Basic sidearm 9mm Beretta 92S; troopers carry either a rifle or a submachine gun, but being Army in all respect, they can get, deopending on the occasion, just anything that can go under "army issue" (assault rifles, grenade launchers, whatever). Check COUNTDOWN for further details. . Ultramarine Blue (winter)/Ultramarine Blue with dark Blue Shirt (summer), white leather accessories - Pubblica Sicurezza (State Police); they get the 92S and the submachine gun like the carabinieri, but no rifles or army issue extras. . Grey - Finanza (Border Watch and Customs/Revenue Enforcing), same as Police in terms of weapons - are the likeliest to be supplied with shotguns for special duties. [yes, there's a whole lot of bailiwick (sp?) problems - add to the fact that carabinieri and State Police cordially hate each other and have a lot of Rhino opportunities] To the three forces mentioned above must be added the "Vigili Urbani" - Civic Police Force, organized, funded and equipped by the Town Hall and not by the Central Govt. Uniform - varies, but generally dark blue (winter)/dark blue with light blue shirt (summer) in northern Italy, dark blue(winter)/white (summer) in Southern. Sidearm - when allowed (some municipalities do not allow their civic force to carry firearms), or a low power, normally badly mantained 7.65 automatic in major cities with urban crime problems. The guys are generally not intensively trained (to put it mildly) and might be more dangerous than useful in a crisis situation. Today, they stick to traffic regulation and the like. Finally, there's the Private Police Forces - the most popular and widespread being "Mondialpol" (but every major city has at least one local Private Police agency); they are generally employed to provide security for banks and other private institutions. Uniform - usually NYC Police uniform as seen in Kojak, peaked cap and all. Turin's own "ARGUS" patrolmen were once defined "Nazi Bikers from Mars", and you get the picture. Black RayBans a must. Sidearm - Anything goes, but generally .357 Magnum Revolver. In at least one case I spotted a Brenten Automag, but the guy was probably a Miami Vice freak. The folklore depicts these guys as gun nuts bastards with a very short fuse and a tendency to disregard basic safety and crack under stress. News stories and a single scary personal experience tend to confirm this view. And this is it, I guess. Take care. Davide Mana Torino, Italy doctor.dee@iol.it The Ice Cave - http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine/leiber/50/ice_cave.htm ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 12:41:39 +0200 From: Davide Mana Subject: Re: DG: Singing in the Pain Greetings.. Eckhard asks >This incident raises for me the following questions: > >Why do Japanese have an obvious interest in German culture? I was led to believe (and I might be wrong, mind you) that Europe in general has a sort of romanthic aura for the Japanese. The East has, on the other hand, an aura of mystery for we westerners, so I guess it's all right. >Why do travelling Japanese always take pictures of them AND the place they visit >[ me and the Eiffel Tower, me and Grand Canyon, me and R'Lyeh ]?? "People take pictures of each other just to prove that they really existed [...] People take pictures of the summer, just in case someone thought that they missed it." [Raymond Douglas Davies - a DG friendly if ever there was one] Greetings. Davide Mana Torino, Italy doctor.dee@iol.it The Ice Cave - http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine/leiber/50/ice_cave.htm ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 12:46:39 +0200 From: Davide Mana Subject: Re: DG: John Ford, the OSS, WWII and DG Cheers! > >Was John Ford in fact a DG agent? > "My name is John Ford and I make westerns" [Ford to the McCarthy crowd during the Hollywood witch-hunt trials] He sure has my vote. More on this later (gotta go do lunch). Davide Mana ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 14:05:10 +0200 From: EHuelshoff@t-online.de (Eckhard Huelshoff) Subject: Re: DG: Eurocops Davide Mana schrieb: [snip] > Dull green - armed forces fatigues - you spotted a bunch of Airmen or > paratroopers on security duty/crowd control. The tac sling reinforces the > option. Weird about the shotgun. Very weird. Members of the armed forces on security duty or crowd control, therefore doing police jobs? Is there no strict separation in Italy between police jobs and army jobs? ECKHARD ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 10:36:27 -0400 (EDT) From: John Petherick Subject: Re: DG: Double-tap At 05:53 PM 9/18/99 EDT, you wrote: >In a message dated 9/18/99 1:02:28 PM Pacific Daylight Time, >jpetheri@cyberbeach.net writes: > ><< In terms of calibre selection, it's a matter of range and availability. > Many small abbatoirs in Ontario used .22 calibre rifles for dispatching / > stunning cattle and pigs before sticking them. As long as they got close > enough (ie. point blank) and weren't dealing with an older bull or cow, the > round would easily penetrate the skull. For that matter, sticking the rifle > in the ear of the animal would almost always work. You did hear of > ricochets from the skulls of bulls, however. >> > > On a more DGish note, I have come to understand (from fiction) that a .22 >pistol is favored for the infamous Mafia double-tap because the bullet will >pierce the (human) skull, but then ricochets within the skull -- guaranteeing >a fatal wound. > Yep, a .22 has rather surprising penetrating ability due to it's velocity and comparitively small diameter. For that matter, it was drummed into me during Hunter Safety training that a .22 could carry for up to a mile before dropping to earth. Or that might have been above water, where the bullet would skip a couple of times. If a non-jacketed bullet is used, penetration through the skull would be almost guaranteed but the bullet would fragment. All those smaller pieces of lead would whirl around, making brain puree. On DG notes: * silenced .22 calibre pistols were also apparently the favoured assassination weapon of the CIA. The already (relatively) low noise level of a .22 could be reduced by using a sub-sonic load and the weapon could be suppressed to a very low noise level. The High Standard Arms Company supposedly manufactured a batch of weapons without serial numbers for use by the government. * The tunnel rats in Vietnam also used .22 calibre pistols, because they would cause less immediate hearing damage in the small tunnels. Should probably be the preferred weapon of investigators stupid enough to pursue ghouls into their tunnels. Otherwise, a resourceful Case Officer would use "Make a Spot Hidden check at one-quarter since your ears are still ringing from that full clip burst from your 9mm." * Rifles or pistols issued solely for survival purposes to aircrew are often .22 calibre. The smaller weapon and ammunition saves on weight, but it's all that's needed to secure food. * .22 calibre weapons are often used for training purposes, particularly for new shooters. With weights and grips the feel of the full size weapon can be duplicated but the .22 has much less recoil. The philosophy seems to be: teach proper technique, then transition to the heavier recoil weapon. For agencies on a limited budget, .22 ammunition is much cheaper and the use of gallery shorts allows weapon ranges to be built in relatively small areas. In fact, one of the US pistol competitions (that I can't remember the name of) favoured by government and military personnel includes use of .22 calibre pistols, usually weighted and gripped to duplicate the .45 M1911 that is also used. * a .22 is great for varmint control. Nothing makes an object lesson to the mice infesting your wilderness hideout like scattering one of their compatriots across the floor with a .22 LR round. Of course, unless you don't mind the holes you should probably use shotshells for this. ********************************************************************* John Petherick, CIH jpetheri@cyberbeach.net ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 10:38:51 -0400 From: Jeff Ewing Subject: Re: DG: John Ford, the OSS, WWII and DG Eckhard Huelshoff wrote: > > Good Morning. > > I just saw a documentary about director John Ford and his filming for the OSS > during WWII, especially about his work on D-Day. In the documentary they said > that A LOT of the material has been hidden or lost in archives. They just found a bunch of color stock shot on the beach at Normandy, and are working it up for theatrical or TV release right now. > They also claimed > that other OSS-film-teams had been sent on secret missions. How cool would *that* be! Jeff ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 15:52:41 +0200 (CEST) From: alex@bofh.torun.pl (Janusz A. Urbanowicz) Subject: Re: DG: Eurocops > Greetings. > > Dr Cthulhu (oho, a fellow Doctor - marine biology, I guess) wrote > > >When I went to Italy I walked in to the airport and lookedup and I saw 3 > >guys walking on a cat walk with Various Heavy Guns, one of which looked > >to be a Styer Auto Shotgun, and the others had UZI's or simular lookin' > >things, now thats what I call air port security. [] > Two questions - what airport was that, and what colour was the uniform of > the guys? Interesting sidenote: I started workin in Warsaw (250 kms from my home in Toruñ) and I come home on wekends (to read DGML also), on Friday, when I was heading to my train at Warsaw Central Railway Station (well known for criminal activities) I saw a few black-dressed policemen with AK-74s. I think they were on duty (local railway security forces don't have such stuff usually). I started to think if I should feel more or less secure (considering penetration capabilities of 7.62 AK ammo). Alex - -- * | Janusz A. "Alex" Urbanowicz, | DSS: 1024/0x21939169 --+~| | http://eris.phys.uni.torun.pl/~alex/ | D-H: 2048/0xA2E48564 \_|/ | |_ RSA: 512/0xAB425659 | | "The art is an organized form of despair" ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 20 Sep 1999 01:38:33 +1000 From: Rob Shankly Subject: DG: Bar Codes Steve Jackson Games produces a regular "Dailly Illuminator" message: the following URL was posted and should be of interest to the list: http://patents.uspto.gov/cgi-bin/ifetch4?ENG+PATBIB-ALL+0+946309+0+7+25907+OF+1+1+1+PN%2f5%2c878%2c155 As well as the stated aims, this process will make stock control and re-ordering a breeze... - -- Rob Shankly ludo@bigpond.com.au :) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 09:17:50 -0700 From: Joseph Camp Subject: DG: Medical Cadaver Shenanigans >Audit reveals irregularities at university's cadaver donor program http://www.cnn.com/US/9909/18/AM-CadaverScandal.ap/index.html be seeing you, Alphonse ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 20 Sep 1999 01:48:30 +0900 From: "Noyes" Subject: RE: DG: Singing in the Pain >I was visiting Banff / Canada when a group of Japanese women came up to me and asked wether I could take pictures with their camera of them and some landscape. After I did that they asked if I were German and some started singing bits of German songs >Why do Japanese have an obvious interest in German culture? Not just German culture, but all cultures. As a group, the Japanese are in general more interested in the outside world than, say, Americans tend to be (okay, perhaps not the best example, as my countrymen are often convinced that everyone else in the world are really extras on a TV docudrama). Japan is a good place to be a foreigner in, as long as the country is not having a serious crisis. >Why do travelling Japanese always take pictures of them AND the place they visit [ me and the Eiffel Tower, me and Grand Canyon, me and R'Lyeh ]?? You got me, but they are _very_ serious about those pictures. And when they have the photographs developed, its customary to make copies for everyone in the picture. When my wife's family visits, they can be intertained for hours by a stack of old family photos. >What did they think when they found out that I cut off their heads when taking the pictures? Sorry, I read that the wrong way at first. You sounded like a mass murderer. They probably pegged it to typical gaijin insensitivity. We are typically (and not unjustifiably) seen as having all of the empathic ability and consideration of a loaf of bread. The flip side is that they tend to take things _very_ seriously. I have never made a request as a guest in a Japanese home that I did not later come to regret. Comments like "Please pass the ketchup" can instigate a major crisis. I'm not joking. Dave, you can feel free to contradict anything that I have said here. I think Japan is a great place to send agents to, especially considering the difficulties they would have in obtaining firearms. Adding these little cultural touches can really make a game. I'm sure that the Japanese version of the dreamlands is _very_ interesting. Jay ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 10:03:15 -0700 From: Gil Trevizo Subject: Re: DG: John Ford, the OSS, WWII and DG At 11:59 AM 9/19/99 +0200, Eckhard Huelshoff wrote: >I just saw a documentary about director John Ford and his filming for the OSS >during WWII, especially about his work on D-Day. In the documentary they said >that A LOT of the material has been hidden or lost in archives. They also claimed >that other OSS-film-teams had been sent on secret missions. > >Might there be some material that shows Karotechia activities or something that >even shows evidence of the Mythos? I'm still reading through a book called _Unholy Trinity: A History of Nazi Involvement with the Occult_ as part of never-ending research for that DG:WW2 site I'll probably never finish, but in part of the notes it speaks of the 1942 Brook Dolan expedition to Tibet, which followed in the footsteps of an earlier expedition to Tibet by SS-Ahnenerbe lead by Dr Ernst Schaefer. In the notes on this, the author states: "Tibet House also has in its possession a curious film made of the 1942 Brook Dolan expedition to Tibet. This was shown to me first, in error, when I requested the SS film. The Brook Dolan footage was an official OSS film, in sound and color, made during the height of the war, and essentially followed in the footsteps of Schafer, et. al." So, it's very likely that there was a camera crew on one or more DG missions - this was during wartime when the DG command would've thought they could control any material from leaking to the press, and that could easily be balanced for photographic material that makes the case for DG's existence very plain for any bureaucrats that might come gunning for them. BTW, _Unholy Trinity_ has lots of great DG hooks, but it's poorly arranged and doesn't go into enough detail, so it's best for game use as a bibliography to find other better books; also, the author is the same guy who wrote that Simon edition of the Necronomicon, so his validity is certainly to be questioned. >Was John Ford in fact a DG agent? Ford was probably involved in the propaganda aspect of the OSS, which was their mission as much as the usual espionage stuff right from the get-go. He would've likely never seen any covert action, staying with the grunts to gather good color footage of our boys in action to be used in newsreels. What the OSS used camera crews for on their own missions was never likely seen in a newsreel, but likely only for private screenings for the Department of War brass. There might very well have been associates of Ford from the film industry used by the OSS to work those color cameras (which might've required an experienced specialist, though I really dunno) on covert missions, and hence some famous director of photography might've become a DG friendly by filming that which was never meant to be filmed on a DG mission. And that same friendly might've gotten blacklisted after the war simply by being a part of DG and the OSS - a lot of the agents in the OSS were left-wing and got shafted by the McCarthyites. Gil ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 19:03:39 +0200 From: Davide Mana Subject: Re: DG: Eurocops Greetings. Eckhard was surprised >Members of the armed forces on security duty or crowd control, therefore doing >police jobs? > >Is there no strict separation in Italy between police jobs and army jobs? Not so strict, not any longer. For one thing, the Carabinieri are by all means a light cavalry corps with law enforcement functions - that is, it time of war they go to the field (they have a few mechanized divisions, paratroopers and chopper squadron), in time of peace they act as police force. But it's generally in special circumstances that the armed forces are brought in with law enforcing functions: . special areas - such as airports and ports. Here, the armed forces can be employed with law enforcing duties in some cases - such as during terrorist alerts or during conflicts (during both Gulf War and Balkan NATO operations, eg). . emergencies - such as with the current flood of refugees landing on the Adriatic coast, or during hot gangland war in Southern Italy. In these cases, the regular police force is simply not enough to cover all the bases, and supplemental forces from the army are deployed. In both cases, the military authority is subjected to the civilian authority - that is, a general can't overrule the decisions and orders of the GIP (Giudice per le Indagini Preliminari - a magistrate overseeing investigations and operations). Recently it was even proposed to used armed forces elements to keep an eye on paroled convicts, and expecially on those criminals that get home arrest. The proposal has so far been stalled. In the case sighted by Dr. Cthulhu, it was probably a case of terrorist alert in a major international airport. This is, at least, the little I know. Hope it helps. Davide Mana Torino, Italy doctor.dee@iol.it The Ice Cave - http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine/leiber/50/ice_cave.htm ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 19:25:13 +0200 From: Davide Mana Subject: Re: DG: Eurocops Cheers. An interesting sidenote from Alex: > I started to think if I should feel more or less secure >(considering penetration capabilities of 7.62 AK ammo). That's the same kind of paranoia that Italian citizens know well. Shooting at judges, magistrates and union figureheads was a terrorist trick that organized crime learned fast and thoroughly. As a result, all potential terrorist/mafia targets are entitled to an armed escort. The guys go around with two to eight plainclothes Carabinieri, while a local tactical unit watches their house and family (there should be at least 16 of these in the centre of Turin alon - I di d a quick mental calculation of all those I normally see). "Local Tactical Unit" can sound impressive, but unless we are talking _really_ big shots, this means a sargeant with a number of enlisted kids doing their military service. In other words, a number of 18-20 years olds, carrying a machine gun at the ready, pacing up and down on a sidewalk smack in the middle of a residentia area. They are summarily trained and do not have the psychological makeup needed for such jobs (IMHO). True story: This was more than 15 years ago. On a quiet summer afternoon I was sitting, together with my mother and brother on the balcony facing our building's garden. All of a sudden a young woman, wearing a pair of jeans and a red shirt and carrying a big frigging gun runs into the garden, crying like a baby. A man in similar casual clothes, and carrying a BFG himself pursues her, reaches her, grabs her forcing her to stop, shouts something angrily ("Ma sei scema?!" - lit "Are you stupid?!") and then slaps her two or three times in the face. All the while, the two are holding these weapons, relaxed and pointing to the floor but there in plain sight all right. The whole thing takes up about two minutes, but already the garden's deserted and we on the balcony are exchanging glances, my mother already going for the telephone. It was later discovered that the two were plainclothes doing a protection job two blocks away. The girl had cracked under pressure, leaving her post and forcing her colleague to follow her before she did something stupid. I sometimes wonder what might have happened. So yes - sometimes our increased security is debatable. End of post. Take care. Davide Mana Torino, Italy doctor.dee@iol.it The Ice Cave - http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine/leiber/50/ice_cave.htm ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 13:56:37 -0400 From: graemep@immagene.mcg.edu (Graeme Price) Subject: RE: DG: Singing in the Pain Jay wrote: >I have never made a request as a guest in a >Japanese home that I did not later come to regret. Comments like "Please >pass the ketchup" can instigate a major crisis. I'm not joking. Oh thanks Jay. I now have this vision of a confused gajin looking on in bewilderment as his host attempts to swallow the sauce bottle so as to later comply with the request. Sink plunger and Ex-Lax anyone? Later Graeme graemep@immag.mcg.edu ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 19:53:02 +0200 From: EHuelshoff@t-online.de (Eckhard Huelshoff) Subject: Re: DG: John Ford, the OSS, WWII and DG Gil Trevizo schrieb: [snip] So, it's very likely that > there was a camera crew on one or more DG missions - this was during > wartime when the DG command would've thought they could control any > material from leaking to the press, and that could easily be balanced for > photographic material that makes the case for DG's existence very plain for > any bureaucrats that might come gunning for them. A OSS-camera crew could make a good group for a 40s DG or CoC campaign. [snip] > What the OSS used camera crews for on their own missions was never likely > seen in a newsreel, but likely only for private screenings for the > Department of War brass. These screenings might have been the reason for some of the more suprising things or things hard to understand that happened during WWII on the allied side, like the nearly complete destruction of Dresden, when the war was nearly history. And that > same friendly might've gotten blacklisted after the war simply by being a > part of DG and the OSS - a lot of the agents in the OSS were left-wing and > got shafted by the McCarthyites. Anybody ever played a campaign during the McCarthy era? ECKHARD ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 20:30:22 +0200 From: EHuelshoff@t-online.de (Eckhard Huelshoff) Subject: Re: DG: Eurocops Davide Mana schrieb: [snip] > "Local Tactical Unit" can sound impressive, but unless we are talking > _really_ big shots, this means a sargeant with a number of enlisted kids > doing their military service. > In other words, a number of 18-20 years olds, carrying a machine gun at the > ready, pacing up and down on a sidewalk smack in the middle of a residentia > area. > They are summarily trained and do not have the psychological makeup needed > for such jobs (IMHO). > It might be interesting to see how profesional the Local Tactical Unit would react when some mafia boss would send a byakhee to get rid of a problem- ECKHARD ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 20:30:21 +0200 From: EHuelshoff@t-online.de (Eckhard Huelshoff) Subject: Re: DG: Eurocops Davide Mana schrieb: > Greetings. > Eckhard was surprised > > >Members of the armed forces on security duty or crowd control, therefore > doing > >police jobs? > > > >Is there no strict separation in Italy between police jobs and army jobs? > > Not so strict, not any longer. [ rest of helpful post snipped without mercy ] Perhaps something to explain my surprise: There are VERY strict regulations for the use of the armed forces in Germany which is a sign that we DID learn from our history [ not only 33-45, but Weimar as well ]. Example: In the 1960s there was a severe storm in the Hamburg area coming from the North sea featuring a major flooding [ word? ]. People were dying and the situation was really extreme. Because of this situation Helmut Schmidt [ who later became the chancellor before Kohl ] showed guts and asked / ordered Bundeswehr units [ especially Engineers ] in the area to help. Today it is a generally accepted fact that the intervention of the Armed forces prevented things from becoming really FUBAR. But at that time the intervention was ILLEGAL!! Anyway: Helmut Schmidt has made history and it is now accepted that the BW may intervene in the case of natural desasters. ECKHARD ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 20 Sep 1999 04:16:11 +0900 From: "Noyes" Subject: RE: DG: Singing in the Pain >Oh thanks Jay. I now have this vision of a confused gajin looking on in bewilderment as his host attempts to swallow the sauce bottle so as to >later comply with the request. Sink plunger and Ex-Lax anyone? Not quite. True story: My brother was visiting my Japanese in-laws with me and my wife. When dinner time rolls around, my in-laws send my wife out, who asks my brother if he likes meat. He said that yes, meat was fine. She runs back to the kitchen and tell her mother and sister. I sit with my brother and father-in-law and drink sake. I can hear the sounds of an extended conversation (just listening to my mother-in-law is fun; her dialect of Japanese has a kind of burr to it). My wife is sent out again. She asks my brother if he would like ketchup with his meat. He says that,yes, he loves ketchup. Wife leaves. Really long conversation next time. Wife returns and gets father-in-law. More burring talk from the kitchen. I begin to grow suspicious. I go back into the kitchen, where I find the whole family deep in conversation. After much pestering, I found out that a) there was no meat and b) there was no ketchup. To procure both would involve an hour and a half drive. Father in law has been at the sake, so he couldn't go and the mother doesn't drive at night, and no-one else has a Japanese license. They had just about decided to go pester a neighbor and get them to make the trip when I intervened and said that, no, it was't necessary, that the fish that mother _had already cooked_ (but had lost confidence in) was completely acceptable. Japanese _love_ complications. Any investigation over here should have the characters suicidal long before they ever actually see a monster -- or even get through customs for that matter. Jay ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 18 Sep 1999 01:38:11 -0700 From: Capitalisit Bastard Subject: Re: DG: Medical Cadaver Shenanigans Speaking of Cadavers, I was wathcing the tele last night and I saw a show about the mew tricks in plastic surgery, one of them being a doctor takes tisue out of a Cadaver and places it under the lip of a live patient to make the lip look fuller. Does this sound like a Reanimator we all know? Joseph Camp wrote: > > >Audit reveals irregularities at university's cadaver donor program > > http://www.cnn.com/US/9909/18/AM-CadaverScandal.ap/index.html > > be seeing you, > Alphonse ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 15:39:52 EDT From: LizardRoi@aol.com Subject: Re: DG: Singing in the Pain In a message dated 9/19/99 2:51:45 AM Pacific Daylight Time, EHuelshoff@t-online.de writes: << After I did that they asked if I were German and some started singing bits of German songs like "Ich weiß nicht, was soll es bedeuten" about the Lorelei and "Die lustige Forelle" before climaxing in hysterical giggles. This incident raises for me the following questions: Why do Japanese have an obvious interest in German culture?>> I'm inclined to think the interest was in classical music. Which is not to say that the study of German culture isn't a fine hobby. A few years ago a coworker who was knowledgeable about classical music in general told me of some threads on alt.classical.music or somesuch. According to my friend, most Japanese corporations have their own symphony orchestra composed of their employees. Competent playing of a musical instrument is a given in Japan (according to the thread. I can't verify that firsthand, but I wasn't looking at the time). Western classical music is a popular passion. According to this source, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony has achieved a high cultural status. It has now become a 'tradition" for the company orchestras to perform the Ninth on New Year's Eve. Y'know, if it's not a tradition, it should be. The Ninth pushes a lot of my buttons. I nominate the Ninth as the anthem of the Mythos Defiant faction. [Meanwhile, in another universe] of course, the trailer for Mythos Defiant: The Movie will feature the Carmina Burana by Orff. We are in negotiations with Will Smith, who will be playing you-know-who, for the hit single over the end credits. We still have some sets from Soldier for the video. We've been market testing the Zippy the Rhino action figures, and we're so happy we can hardly count. [back to the previous message, in progress] A possible urban myth states that when Sony engineers were determining the proper size for the music CD, their standard was to place the Deutsche Grammophon recording of Beethoven's Ninth on one disk. I hope it's all true. The Ninth encodes some good memes. Mark McFadden In the novel "A Clockwork Orange", Burgess has Alex effected by classical 'emotional' music in general. It was Kubrick who focused on the Ninth. [Meanwhile, in another universe] Hagbard would like to point out that nine is also three squared, and two cubed is infinity if you look at it in a Fresh way. P.S. << Why do travelling Japanese always take pictures of them AND the place they visit [ me and the Eiffel Tower, me and Grand Canyon, me and R'Lyeh ]?? >> I have a collection of photos from my world travels. Each is of some foreign pavement with my right foot standing on it. They are labeled "My Foot in Hong Kong", "My Foot in Karachi", "My Foot in Rome" etc. etc. etc. ------------------------------ End of deltagreen-digest V2 #75 *******************************