http://www.cocomment.com/comments/islandbookworm Copyright 2007 coComment.com 2009-11-26T12:34:51.091+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/images/logo4rss.gif http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2610237&comment_id=139558477 Anonymous Hi! I've been listening to Middlemarch (read by the excellent Nadia May) so this was quite enjoyable. It's hard to separate the content from the language, but there's no mistaking Ladislaw's passion, Casaubon's dry-as-a-bone formality, Brooke's vacillating, Celia's rapid-fire gossiping, or Rosamond's image-consciousness. For the glory, then: A2, B5, C6, D1, E4, F8, G9, H3, I11, J12, K7, L10, M13. 2009-11-26T05:23:06.439+01:00 2009-11-26T05:23:06.439+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2610212&comment_id=139552475 Sylvia (Google) I saw that too and loved it. People get so offended when I try to suggest they may be somewhat misinformed (trying to be diplomatic, you see), that sometimes I wonder if it's worth it, but that interview encouraged me to keep trying. 2009-11-26T04:04:41.501+01:00 2009-11-26T04:04:41.501+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2610206&comment_id=139551458 Sylvia (Google) Yay comments! Now I can wish you Happy Birthday and Happy Learning! :) 2009-11-26T03:47:44.045+01:00 2009-11-26T03:47:44.045+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2610029&comment_id=139516729 Sylvia (Google) I just read in the comments of that post Boris linked to that these Penguin hardcovers are not even stitched! These books seem to be purely for show. Too bad. 2009-11-25T21:52:23.370+01:00 2009-11-25T21:52:23.370+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2609924&comment_id=139514769 Sylvia (Google) Thanks for that, Boris. I think maybe they could have come up with a better motif for Emma. Maybe strawberries. I think I'm with Tom, a book should withstand a little wear. If the book can't take some time in a purse, how will it do with multiple rereadings over the years? Books should above all be built to be read. 2009-11-25T21:32:48.275+01:00 2009-11-25T21:32:48.275+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2609924&comment_id=139500125 Sylvia (Google) Perhaps, Tom, though there's obviously a big difference in quality. I read one comment on that interview post that suggested the foil decoration on the Penguins comes off very easily. If that's so, then these books are not much more durable than the Penguin paperbacks. But I suppose that is commerce these days—get people buying and replacing things as often as possible. 2009-11-25T19:02:39.372+01:00 2009-11-25T19:02:39.372+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2608522&comment_id=139413863 Sylvia Excellent point! 2009-11-25T06:28:02.645+01:00 2009-11-25T06:28:02.645+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2609548&comment_id=139387941 undefined I'm sorry to hear about this! I hope it is only temporary and you'll be back on your feet soon. What p1nkg0dess said is true—be careful what you put online. Insurance companies are not above twisting the truth to get you off their hands. Here's that news story: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2009/11/19/quebec-facebook-sick-leave-benefits.html 2009-11-25T02:55:14.652+01:00 2009-11-25T02:55:14.652+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2608962&comment_id=139261353 Sylvia Bored?!?! I could listen to this stuff all day. :) Long live the book! 2009-11-24T03:16:13.984+01:00 2009-11-24T03:16:13.984+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2608803&comment_id=139222955 Sylvia (Google) I aim to please, Jodie! Of course, Stefanie, who but a librarian could combine literary sensitivity with technical know-how and produce such a masterpiece? ;) 2009-11-23T19:31:49.362+01:00 2009-11-23T19:31:49.362+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2608522&comment_id=139155624 Sylvia Isn't that the way with innovators? Last night I heard on the radio about all the trouble the inventors of wifi had hanging on to their patent in the face of multiple lawsuits from huge tech companies. The vultures are always waiting to profit from someone else's work and genius. I nominate Fust for inclusion in the Book of Book Villians! 2009-11-23T05:12:13.593+01:00 2009-11-23T05:12:13.593+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2608144&comment_id=139053363 undefined Hi Jessica, I haven't been here for a while and, oh my!, things have changed! I hope all is well. It sounds like you are working towards a very bright future. All the best! 2009-11-22T06:11:54.614+01:00 2009-11-22T06:11:54.614+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2607647&comment_id=139004782 IslandBookworm Hi neighbour! Nice weather for staying inside and proofing, eh? :lol: 2009-11-21T20:40:02.872+01:00 2009-11-21T20:40:02.872+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2607647&comment_id=138999258 IslandBookworm Thanks for that, Colin. If the unnecessary diffs are a problem perhaps discipline is in order. How about virtual stocks? ;) 2009-11-21T19:42:57.577+01:00 2009-11-21T19:42:57.577+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2607651&comment_id=138936469 IslandBookworm After looking at other topics I am starting to learn that it's clicking on the flag that submits the word to the GWL, not the Submit button. The Submit button seems to have nothing to do with "submitting" a word to the GWL. I guess the Submit button only applies any changes made in WordCheck to the page being edited. Perhaps the button should be renamed "Save Changes" or something like that, since nothing is actually being submitted to anywhere when the Submit button is pressed. It's so odd since buttons like "Save Changes" and "Cancel" are so ubiquitous in user interfaces of all kinds. It's taken me this long to figure this out so something is definitely wrong! 2009-11-21T07:17:53.358+01:00 2009-11-21T07:17:53.358+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2607627&comment_id=138935657 IslandBookworm Soooo let's put it in the Guidelines! It wouldn't take much to change the wording to apply only to obvious word fragments. E.g.: "On pages that start with what is obviously part of a word from the previous page..." 2009-11-21T07:12:44.000+01:00 2009-11-21T07:12:44.000+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2607647&comment_id=138935177 IslandBookworm Ok. I think it would be helpful if the guidelines specified that we should neither add nor remove blank spaces at the top of the page in situations other than the one in the rule. But that brings up another question: Why add a space in any case? It has nothing to do with matching text, and seems to be entirely a matter of formatting. As a relative newcomer, I find the mixing of proofing and formatting tasks adds unnecessary complication. It forces us to memorize seemingly arbitrary rules instead of using logic founded on basic principles. If the two tasks were more stringently separated it would streamline the work and things would probably go faster. I realize the two used to be one and things are better now, but there is still room for improvement, I think. 2009-11-21T07:05:25.294+01:00 2009-11-21T07:05:25.294+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2607627&comment_id=138928137 IslandBookworm This is the sort of thing that drives me batty. The Guidelines are very clear: we are to mark word fragments at the start of a page. There's nothing about it being "not strictly required." How are we supposed to know which guidelines are "not strictly required" and which ones will count as errors? It's crazy-making for those of us trying to get into P3. 2009-11-21T05:03:00.082+01:00 2009-11-21T05:03:00.082+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2606840&comment_id=138795428 undefined Oh no, you have to show us the cat fanning the rat and the cat whipping the human! You're so right about Phaidon. Gorgeous, top notch art books. They can send some to me too. ;) 2009-11-20T06:00:22.877+01:00 2009-11-20T06:00:22.877+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2606831&comment_id=138794788 Sylvia :D 2009-11-20T05:52:59.403+01:00 2009-11-20T05:52:59.403+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2606127&comment_id=138658116 Sylvia Ooo, I love all this stuff. I especially love how early books were made to resemble open scrolls—they started out with 6 narrow columns of text per opening, then 4 wider columns, and finally the two page-wide columns we're used to today. Also, as you say, Gothic hung on in northern Europe—that is what the Gutenberg Bible is printed in. Imagine if books were still printed in drastically different typefaces in different countries? 2009-11-19T06:28:41.575+01:00 2009-11-19T06:28:41.575+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2605917&comment_id=138602305 Sylvia (Google) Thanks, Tom, you're very kind. Congrats on the new blog! Stefanie, I fear the latest controversy is just more partisanship. Pro-lifers seem to have no problem with bombing foreign villages and apartment blocks (which undoubtedly contain pregnant women) but they go all consciencey when it comes to funding a legal medical procedure in a supposedly free and secular country as part of providing life-saving health care to their fellow citizens. I guess it's not enough to punish women for having sex, they must punish everyone who doesn't have health insurance too. [And this is why I don't have a political blog...] 2009-11-18T18:46:10.179+01:00 2009-11-18T18:46:10.179+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2605633&comment_id=138601630 Sylvia (Google) Yes, I have the feeling they won't have too much trouble selling them... :D 2009-11-18T18:36:00.881+01:00 2009-11-18T18:36:00.881+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2605651&comment_id=138548072 Sylvia Congratulations to Professor Kay and everyone who worked on the HTOED! I can't wait to get and review my own copy. It will sit proudly next to my Shorter OED. :) 2009-11-18T07:19:39.807+01:00 2009-11-18T07:19:39.807+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2605633&comment_id=138543066 Sylvia (Google) Andrew, note that it's much less expensive at Amazon.com than Amazon.ca (despite our high dollar). Of course that means putting it through the customs blender, so it probably would not arrive in pristine condition, but at least the set's box will help protect the books themselves. 2009-11-18T06:15:49.951+01:00 2009-11-18T06:15:49.951+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2604639&comment_id=138303231 undefined Oh dear, if your condition is severe I must be on death's door! ;) I suppose the doctor there only sees patients well enough for travel and perhaps has a skewed view of things. That sort of thing has definitely hampered proper research in the past, but hopefully whatever they discover from more functional patients will help the more housebound ones too. Thank you for participating in the research! 2009-11-16T04:47:44.032+01:00 2009-11-16T04:47:44.032+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2604057&comment_id=138151579 Sylvia Wow, Wall Street Journal! Congratulations! 2009-11-14T18:38:02.277+01:00 2009-11-14T18:38:02.277+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2603405&comment_id=137994281 Sylvia P.S. I love her use of "peptonized." :D 2009-11-13T03:24:10.503+01:00 2009-11-13T03:24:10.503+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2603405&comment_id=137994145 Sylvia Alas, intellectual ability is not democratic. Health, hard work, and good teaching can improve our brains, but not nearly enough to bridge the gulf between the bottom of the curve and the top. But I don't see the harm of encouraging "mechanical readers" read and discuss good books. The serious reader won't be harmed by their comments, since they already know better, and other "mechanical readers" won't be missing out on anything since they wouldn't be able to follow more substantial discussions anyway. This would seem to confound Wharton's argument that mechanical readers hold back the intellectual progress of society. I think the only case in which the mechanical reader/critic does harm is in misrepresenting a book as offensive, leading to its being banned or its author/publisher being threatened or physically attacked. I'm not sure what can be done about that. What would Wharton make of a world where death threats can stop a book from being published? 2009-11-13T03:21:53.950+01:00 2009-11-13T03:21:53.950+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2602942&comment_id=137897846 Sylvia I think I would have picked Persuasion for a book binge, but I appreciate Mansfield Park. Fanny's virtues are not as easily appreciated today as Elizabeth Bennet's or Anne Elliot's. And unlike the other Austen heroines, Fanny is not so defiant in the face of poverty. Makes you wonder where Austen would have headed with her writing had she lived longer. 2009-11-12T07:14:56.317+01:00 2009-11-12T07:14:56.317+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2602362&comment_id=137776463 Sylvia I second the gay theory. That was my first thought (other than jihad) when I heard his stats. If so, he and his victims are casualties of homophobia as well as jihad. 2009-11-11T08:01:30.911+01:00 2009-11-11T08:01:30.911+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2602128&comment_id=137746077 undefined I'm sorry to hear about your second headache. I hope your next flights go better. I wonder if it has anything to do with unusually low cabin pressure/oxygen on that particular airline? I don't know if all airlines pressurize their cabins equally or what. I do know that they don't fully pressurize their cabins so you're not getting as much oxygen as on the ground. That's one reason I don't fly any more—I have enough problems getting oxygen to my brain and muscles at sea level, I'd hate to think what would happen at altitude. 2009-11-10T23:57:27.718+01:00 2009-11-10T23:57:27.718+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2598855&comment_id=137737444 Sylvia (Google) No, but they might have giants looking for something to read... ;) 2009-11-10T22:16:22.416+01:00 2009-11-10T22:16:22.416+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2599831&comment_id=137729719 Sylvia bastardofthechurch, you'll only defend your fellow Americans if they also vote the same way you do? That's bizarre. 2009-11-10T20:12:41.755+01:00 2009-11-10T20:12:41.755+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2599831&comment_id=137676043 Sylvia So, when are you joining up, big man? 2009-11-10T07:09:02.579+01:00 2009-11-10T07:09:02.579+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2601564&comment_id=137668437 Sylvia (Google) Hi Sandra! I agree, "George" was a wonderful writer and most interesting person. I'm listening to Middlemarch on audio. I haven't read it before but I did see a film adaptation once (though I've forgotten most of it). I will read it also at some point. I have read Adam Bede, Silas Marner and Daniel Deronda, and enjoyed them all. You're right, too much meat there to rush through! 2009-11-10T04:45:49.467+01:00 2009-11-10T04:45:49.467+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2601526&comment_id=137658593 Sylvia I think your experience is a big reason why I'm not on board with readers. They are aptly named—they're good for reading but not much else. I sense intuitively (since I don't have one to try) that any task other than reading one page after another is going to be complicated on an e-reader. I'm glad to hear that annotating is easy. If they can figure out a way to mimic flipping through pages I would be more interested. It could never replace my library, though, because of the impermanence of electronic media. I just had a thought. If publishing starts gearing towards e-readers with search functions, will that be the last nail in the coffin for indexes? That would be a real shame. 2009-11-10T02:43:53.196+01:00 2009-11-10T02:43:53.196+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2599831&comment_id=137622175 Sylvia @thebastardofthechurch, Hasan wasn't afraid of deployment (obviously he has no fear of death) but he didn't want to go and participate in a war against fellow Muslims. That seems abundantly clear from what he told family and friends. He did try to make a legal appeal but apparently his appeal was rejected last week. I think it is possible to get traumatized or at least deeply disturbed by hearing first-hand (not on film) stories of terrible atrocities all day every day, especially if you feel that those atrocities have been committed against your own people. How would you feel if it was your job to listen to people talk about killing Americans all day long? How could it not get to you after a while? 2009-11-09T19:13:51.560+01:00 2009-11-09T19:13:51.560+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2599831&comment_id=137546976 Sylvia Christy, that web posting might not be his, but people who know him are saying he has extremist views. For example: http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-11-07/major-hasans-hidden-militancy/full/ Combine that with social isolation, second-hand PTSD, and the pressure of imminent deployment, and...boom. 2009-11-09T06:44:59.510+01:00 2009-11-09T06:44:59.510+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2599862&comment_id=137385982 Sylvia Nabeel, it doesn't matter how much proof there is, cutting off a hand for stealing is brutal and excessive punishment. It is not humane to maim someone for life just because of a single mistake that didn't hurt anyone. In fact all corporal punishment is disgusting to modern Westerners, and yet it is practised and required in Islam. It's not ignorance, it's a difference in morals. We just don't believe in violent punishments for crimes under any circumstances (with the exception of capital punishment in some US states, which many people object to). If you grew up in a Muslim country (I gather you are from Pakistan) you were probably taught false history. Muslim textbooks are notorious for historical inaccuracies (e.g. denying the Holocaust). They can be proven to be false with concrete historical evidence. The history of Islam is especially prone to this, and many Muslims don't seem to be aware of the violence involved in the spread of Islam. As Perry said in the other thread, you should look at what the victims of Islamic conquest say about what happened to get the rest of the story. Honestly, it's great that you and most Muslims personally don't condone violence, but the past and the present shows that Islam is particularly prone to violent interpretation. Islam needs people like you to convince those extremist Muslims to stop using violence to get what they want. They're the ones you should be arguing with because they're the ones giving your religion a bad name. If there were no Islamist terrorists no one would have a problem with Islam. 2009-11-08T03:07:03.506+01:00 2009-11-08T03:07:03.506+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2599831&comment_id=137367660 Sylvia Thank you for putting it so clearly, Perry, that's what I was trying to say. 2009-11-07T22:21:01.458+01:00 2009-11-07T22:21:01.458+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2599831&comment_id=137363357 Sylvia Excellent point, Perry. Just because we consider someone's actions immoral doesn't mean they are crazy. I think we call people like this crazy because we don't want to get into moral arguments, partly because they are difficult and sensitive, and partly because they raise uncomfortable questions about our own actions. Hasan betrayed his country, but his country betrays its soldiers by sending them to die in an immoral war. Talking about right and wrong opens many cans of worms, so we'd rather just call him crazy and be done with it. 2009-11-07T21:20:25.660+01:00 2009-11-07T21:20:25.660+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2599831&comment_id=137339987 Sylvia mak009x, thank you for that information. It's too bad the text itself isn't clear about the context or how it should be interpreted. It seems to be completely open to interpretation. 2009-11-07T17:42:02.106+01:00 2009-11-07T17:42:02.106+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2599831&comment_id=137286292 Sylvia Nabeel, that verse was 9(Repentance):111, and previously mentioned was 9:123. I'd be interested to know the verses that state killing is allowed only as a last resort. 2009-11-07T08:04:41.888+01:00 2009-11-07T08:04:41.888+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2600016&comment_id=137282169 Sylvia It's truly horrific. Here in Canada, a guy killed and, uh, processed (he was a pig farmer) dozens of women. Because they were mostly prostitutes and native, the police didn't bother to look for them for years. It took street protests before they investigated. The street community knew for years who was behind it, but the police wouldn't listen to them. The general public was outraged when they found out and the police got raked over the coals for a good long time. Here's hoping the Cleveland authorities feel the heat too. 2009-11-07T06:42:04.266+01:00 2009-11-07T06:42:04.266+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2599831&comment_id=137249958 Sylvia Salman, it's difficult to say what the context for that verse is. Earlier parts of the sura chastise those who won't go to war with Mohammed, though it does say some should be excused to study and teach religion. It also promises paradise to those who kill and are killed for God. It's difficult to say if that is supposed to apply only to that time and place or forever and everywhere. That's the problem with these verses in the Qur'an: lack of context. You can't take something out of context if there's no context there to begin with! Maybe scholars know the historical context but the text itself doesn't seem to have much. 2009-11-06T23:37:11.036+01:00 2009-11-06T23:37:11.036+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2599831&comment_id=137237152 Sylvia Ya, it's true that males, in every culture and throughout time, commit the vast majority of violent acts. Yet another thing for society to take a look at. 2009-11-06T21:23:53.000+01:00 2009-11-06T21:23:53.000+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2599862&comment_id=137231342 Sylvia Thanks for the thoughtful response! Alas, the Quran (and Hadiths and Sira) are very specific about earthly (and divine) punishments for unbelievers and oppressors of believers (e.g. cutting off opposite hands and feet). It's not a metaphor, at least not in Mohammed's time. He was a warlord whose armies killed opponents in order to take over Arabia and institute Islam as national religion. That's just history. It doesn't have to be interpreted literally any more (most Muslims don't, some aren't even aware of those verses), but obviously the literal interpretations linger and some try to act them out. But your question is a good one. Mental illness is still such a mystery, and so difficult because in most cases it involves rational thought and valid issues. I don't blame Hasan one bit for not wanted to be involved in a fraudulent war. It should be mentioned that psychiatrists have a relatively high rate of mental illness and suicide. There is something about that profession that seems to put people at risk. It looks like a combination of multiple ingredients led to this—mental illness, ethnic identity, fundamentalist Islam, psychiatry, geopolitics, etc. Maybe it doesn't happen more often because these things don't come together in exactly this way very often. I don't know if we can ever say that one thing is the linchpin, but if we look at all of them and see what can be helped, maybe we can prevent this sort of thing from happening again. Removing one piece from the puzzle may be enough, whether it's more treatment for psychiatrists or not forcing people to fight against their own ethnic or religious group. I hope that's what comes out of this. 2009-11-06T20:36:44.956+01:00 2009-11-06T20:36:44.956+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2599831&comment_id=137225113 Sylvia Um... the Quran does say that, about a hundred times, e.g.: Qur'an (9:123) - "O you who believe! fight those of the unbelievers who are near to you and let them find in you hardness." And according to witnesses he was yelling the infamous "Allahu Akbar" before he opened fire. Yes, he's crazy, but his crazy had help. It's also relevant that he was Middle Eastern. According to colleagues and contacts, he didn't want to enter that theatre as part of an army fighting against those he felt to be his own people. He had been desperate to get out of the service for some time because of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, which is hardly crazy. They backed him into a corner, and it looks like he chose the glory of jihad as his way out (and he is already being glorified by like-minded Muslims). Maybe the army needs to look at whether they should compel people to fight (however indirectly) people of their own ethnicity if they don't want to. It may be asking too much, especially in a fraudulent war. These things are always complex, and we shouldn't dismiss any factors just to make ourselves more comfortable. They all need to be looked at. Just saying "he's crazy" is too simplistic. There may be things we can do to prevent these things if we look at them carefully and honestly. 2009-11-06T19:11:36.878+01:00 2009-11-06T19:11:36.878+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=islandbookworm&conv=2598855&comment_id=137006174 Sylvia (Google) Stefanie, yes it is. I just hope they don't get earthquakes there! Interesting idea, verbivore. I'd be happy with one whole wall of built-in shelves indoors! I don't know why that isn't a requirement of the building code... Jodie, there isn't much decoration where I live either, though I did once work in a building with a beautiful mural painted by one of our staff. I think these things come down to individual initiative. 2009-11-04T19:04:20.638+01:00 2009-11-04T19:04:20.638+01:00