Winter Headlights

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Starbug\";p=\"40386)</div>

I LOVED Starship Troopers the movie, I'm amazed I haven't worn the tape out yet... need to buy it on DVD... Extra footage and what not... Starship Troopers 2 I caught on SciFi or Starz or something like that and it BLEW. About the time it should have been getting good, it ended. Seemed more like, if they had made it a tv series, that would have been one of the "eh..." episodes in the middle of the season. Much of a fan as I am, I DON'T recommend the second one.

The BOOK however is a completely brilliant piece of science fiction. Heinlein is a a phenominal writer and I want to get into some of his other works and see if they can captivate me the same way. Chaper 11 or 12... somewhere in there, they relate democracy and its downfalls to paper training a puppy. Sound strange? I thought so too, but it works First time I've EVER re-read a chapter 3 or 4 times before moving on in a book. Amazing! Even if you HATED the movie, I highly recommend the book if you even REMOTELY like science fiction and like books that get a fair amount political.

Oh, and... keep in mind,

this book was written in the FIFTIES! Fun little bit of trivia to keep in the back of your head when you read about the Russo-Chinese hegemony and a lot of the technology of "the day" even though he never mentions years.

Great way to make a book "timeless"[/b][/quote]

Yep, I loved the first Starship Troopers too. But also thought the sequal blew. That's why I said that if he didn't like the first, not to bother with the second. It really is too bad it wasn't nearly as good as the first, but then sequals rarely are.

Whoa, written in the 50's... had no idea.

Dave: I have tried audiobooks. I like them a lot, since being dyslexic makes reading very difficult and quite draining on me. So I do prefer audiobooks, since I can just listen to someone else's reading. (Note: as difficult a time as I have with reading, it still doesn't stop me from devouring a good book...)

Eep, phone call... will edit (add more) when off...

*gets off phone, and continues here*

Hdrygas: Ah, yes... Stranger in a Strange Land. Read it and loved it. I would like to re-read it, actually. About a year ago I borrowed it from my boss at my other job, so I'll have to ask to borrow it again.[/b][/quote]

Pulled some info off amazon.com re: Starship Troopers

Was written in 1959

Here's a review someone put. The last line astounded me. Who would have thought...

I first read Starship Troopers when I was 16, and since then I have always come back to it. It is full of quotes and relevant philosophy for our modern age. The average reader takes only the seemingly fascist overtones that are present in the book, but they do not see the deep analysis of why the current system of rule works. There is a specific passage where an instructor in Juan's O.C.S. informs the class that during peacetime, most of the veterans that come from the Federal Service (and have the right to vote in Heinlein's world) are not soldiers, but rather come form the non-combatant auxiliary services. This key point is often overlooked in reviews that paint the novel as a fascist war utopia. Heinlein uses the science fiction genre to explore pressing philosophical questions with his novels, and Starship Troopers is no different.

This novel asks the reader to do a lot of thinking about their beliefs and philosophy, especially about the concepts of humanity and citizenship. I think that everybody should read this novel, especially those who consider themselves "liberal." Often times I have found that many people take being a citizen of the United States for granted (especially liberals, but some conservatives as well). There is not a glorification of conservative values here, just an examination of what it means to be a citizen of a government and to serve your government. That's the reason the U.S. Marine Corps has this book on its required reading list for O.C.S. students.

 

Whoa, Starship Troopers is required reading for OCS students? Wow.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveinOlyWA\";p=\"38076)</div>

Dave, HELLO... you all live in Washington... it rains all the time :mrgreen:

I was transfered in the Navy from San Diego to Bremerton... being a ship move and on a carrier the Navy let us move our cars on the ship...arrived to snow, with slicks (the real ones, no groves)... I let all the air out of them and drove to the first gas station... and I paid for the Narrows Bridge, as the state dropped the toll the day we pulled out to sea...You are welcome...hahaha... I know you didn't know that bridge had a toll...you kid..

I also worked for Denny's as a traveling manager and was sent to Janzan Beach in Portland one November... there was snow on the ground and a sign in the window NO shirt No service...

Bob Andersen

 

BobA:

It doesn't rain all the time in Washington; it only rains once (it just starts at the end of Sept and ends mid-way through July!). :mrgreen: :lol: :mrgreen: :lol:

Sorry, couldn't help it.... :mrgreen:

 

actually Bob, you almost got it right. in reality, a condition of my moving to the state was that they drop the toll on the bridge...

 

Ah, so you are responsible for the bridge being toll-free now? The state's citizens owe you! Tolls suck.

:lol:

 

yep, im responsible... in fact since ive been here, twice the state threatened to start the tolls back up again...

well all i had to do was just look up U-Haul in the phone book and they backed down FAST!! :

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveinOlyWA\";p=\"41138)</div>

Woo-woo.. we'll call you the 'Toll God' :lol: :lol:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Starbug\";p=\"40851)</div>

Other than the sign that says, "Keep Washington green, bring money" the rain does it's share...
My X worked for an airline it was an easy ride from Reno to Pikes Market for lunch or dinner... been in town quite a few times and not gotten wet

 

Wow, you must have come on the only two days it doesn't rain! LOL. :lol: Honestly though, I like rain storms. The bigger, badder, and wetter (especially if thunder & lightning are involved), the more I like 'em. Hey, if my Prius gets struck by lightning, will that give my battery a nice deep charge, thereby improving my mpg? That would be so sweet. :mrgreen:

 

STAR!!

*shoves soap into star's mouth*


shame on you!!
the thought of what you said will give me nightmares now...

 

I love the lightning...didn't have much North of Santa Barbara where I grew up... had some in Reno... but really do here in Denver... a little east of here when they get lightning they get tornados too... those I can live with out... the news guy said that Denver actually got more hail than any other place in the country... haven't had much at the house... but some areas around have had there share... tv showed a Toyota dealer's lot with a bunch of hail damaged cars including a Prius with a broked back window

Bob Andersen

 

up here we have yet to have a real electric storm in all the time ive been here.

when i lived in Michigan, we had lightning that lit up the entire sky. it would make it bright enough in the living room to read by (if you could read fast) even with all the curtains closed. the thunder sounded like someone shooting a cannon in your front yard.

here... i think ive seen lightning maybe 2-3 times and never anything worth mentioning

 

Dave,

You don't live close enough to the mountains.

 

true... from what i understand, eastern wa gets all the fireworks...

 

We live near the foothills and we get several thunderstorms a year. They roll up or down the back [meaning west side] of the Cascades.

But nothing like the ones we would get when we lived in central Pennsylvania. And the rain, that was rain - a months worth in an hour.

 

mountians... mountians... in Washington.....hmmmmmm :lol:

 

We all can't have the Rockies in our back yard (the neighborhood would be too crowded).