Keith the Thief wrote:Off-topic, but something you guys might know:
I need to find an online store that sells the kind of paper that resembles old-fashioned maps.

I don't know what this type of paper is called, and doing a search on terms like "maps", "cartography", "special paper", etc, yields just too many hits.

My nephew wants this for a Christmas present so he can make his own maps for wargames.

I'm thinking of a type of paper that is similar to the texture of the OD&D supplements.

Thoughts, anyone?  Anyone?  Bueller?  Bueller?

You can always find some old Judges Guild blank hex maps...  

JohnGaunt wrote:Doesn't Badmike have a shedload of blank JG hexmaps?

He could wallpaper his house with them from floor to ceiling, do the same with his neighbor's houses, and still have enough left over to start a bonfire with.  Or is that Simba Safari?  

Yeah, he has a lot.

Keith the Thief wrote:
Ooh, I could send my entire extended family to Mike's place in Texas.

Then I could lie around the house, drink beer, and watch the Bowl games.

Yeh, I have stacks of them....you need any Keith, let me know.

Mike B.

Kingofpain89 wrote:http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdo ... fl-wp13964

Don't these assholes make enough money playing in the NFL?  

Cmon man,  you can barely live on 5 million dollars for three years!  Of course you have to start your own drug distribution network!

Mike B.

Nobodies get wide press coverage, especially if a 'god' is the nobody.

Who is going to prison for Fast & Furious? This guy is small fry. Go after the big fish.

So, why not prosecute the Italian police who attended, and the crime scene personel for negligence, and the procecution legal team for fraud and slander?

Or is it a case that in Italy you can do what the F you like to secure a conviction and the law can't touch you? If all this is true, then who is protecting who here? Are the Italian judiciary and the Italian Police protecting their colleagues from criminal negligence and fraud?

And does this surprise anyone? I've never though that the Italian legal system was free from the influences of money and the Mafia, but I am surprised at how bad it really is, and how rife and deep corruption runs. Will the Italian Government bring those responsible to book now? Or will they cover it up and brush it under the carpet?

So...

Was the DNA on the knife and the fingerprints on the bra clasp 'manufactured'? Were they 'mistakes' of 'myths' that the prosecution published to build a favorable case for their cause?

I assume Gueedo's 'confession' was either 'manufactured' by the Police, beaten out of him, or received by them in exchange for a bribe. Are we gonna see repocussions in the Police force, or are the Italians gonna cover it up? It's not like they have a reputation to protect, but it does reflect badly on the world stage that the perceptions for corruption and dishonesty at all levels of society pervade in their public image. I am honestly surprised they actually published a public type of enquiry for people to read. I wonder if the full text is available online?

mbassoc2003 wrote:the influences of money

Right on, brother. The 1% with money have oppressed us long enough. Occupy Wall Street!

Favoritism, nepotism, corruption!!

These issues are present in every government and major corporation in the world

They simply are facts of life!

mbassoc2003 wrote:Problem is, I don't think its money that corrupts life in Italy. I think part of it is fear of the Mafia, and an insidious untalked about level of insinuation and quite threats in dark corridors. And the rest of it is the general acceptance by the public that dishonesty and corruption are part of life because its always been that way in Italy and collectively they can't imagine it every being honest or honourable. I would imagine the fact that this report happenned and was actually made public is far more shocking in Italy than the findings themselves, which were probably already known and accepted by their public. One wonders what percentage of their prison population are there for political reasons and not there becasue they committed a crime, and conversely, what percentage of their police forces and judiciary commit crimes as part of their everyday life, and how many Italians really give a F.

I suppose this is far more alarming to the likes of the US and the major European democracies, than to the other Mediteranean countries, all of whom seem to have fairly corrupt leagl and political systems.

Recently the French decided to be honest about their ex-PM's decades of fraud and corruption, but they couldn't bring themselves to punnish him or anyone else in Government. But being honest about such things was a landmark step for the French. It is reassuring to see that Italy have chosen to be honest in this instance too. Maybe the EU is bringing a greater level of honesty to the countries of Europe.

The problem in all countries is greed. The difference between countries in this instance is the mechanic by which that greed is fed, the level of acceptance bestowed by the countries' citizens, and the level of clarity and honesty demanded by individual country's peoples. Corporate greed in the US is not directly related to judicial or police corruption (although your banking industry comes damn close), however, there is a more direct link in the Med' between crime, greed, and government and judicial corruption.