//I don't quite understand what's come over o sung wu.
I'm sure there must be a reason for his current
behaviour.//

Oh well. If he doesn't want to share what he's so crabby about, it obviously can't be that important. I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

Posted by SteeleRedux, Friday, 31 August 2018 1:00:53 PM- "The CIA World Factbook is very much at the back of the pack compared to the big 3, the World Bank, the IMF and the UN. If you would like to make the case that it is more accurate than these other agencies be my guest, but until then I am sticking with my figures thank you."

Answer- Well you could be right that my figures weren't that good. In fact I may not be a very good researcher. To be honest they were at the top of the Google search so I didn't really answer the essay question. Where were your figures and references? And birth statistics perhaps don't have much relevance without population numbers. I do find the CIA factbook usefully presents the information. It was a minimal functional product.

To O Sung Wu- It can be very interesting to see what people do when you give them some rope. :)

Dead mates deserve respect, live human maggots don't !

Dear o sung wu,

Again I fully agree. Indeed Josephus making unfounded comments was what had me giving him a serve. I know the usual response is to understand where the ignorance is coming from and then gently steer them to seeing the picture more fully, but sometimes I get so jack of it.

I spent a good part of my youth overseas and have seen some pretty ordinary outcomes due the fear, superstition and ignorance of others. Australia is supposed to be an enlightened country yet we have our own share of those who would create division and strife in our communities.

There are certainly ways to on the one hand highlight what stupid, senseless wars like the conflict in Vietnam really were while acknowledging the experiences of those who were tasked with prosecuting it on the ground. As other memories fade formative experiences are often held in stark relief. I would imagine this is doubly so for those who were part of the conflict.

Your description of the toll exacted is why I have so little respect for those who would have us only glorify war.

Dear Steele,

Your kind words are deeply and advice are deeply appreciated.
I shall try to live up to them.

I've known o sung wu for decades. We've disagreed many times -
but I don't recall him ever behaving the way he currently is.
I suspect it must be linked with the onset of his dementia.
And for that he deserves out patience and understanding and
I should have known better than to joke around. I deeply
regret it.