Older than Time

Meme...can not resist...

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 21:27:26 GMT

hat tip to

The Meme

1. Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first article title on the page is the name of your band.

2. Go to http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four words of the very last quote is the title of your album.

3. Go to http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
The third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4. Create your album cover and post it.

Quote: At the worst, a house unkept cannot be so distressing as a life unlived - Dame Rose Macauley (English Novelist 1881-1958)
Wiki Entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Right_to_an_Answer
The Font is Weltron Urban
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chocokat718/2254985738/

Finally, a genius application to deal with inane library requests

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 17:49:43 GMT

If, like me you ever been asked for (unlikely, granted) "the green book with the dinosaur?"
This application of genius:

http://webcat.hud.ac.uk/perl/colour.pl

Put in the colour (or just push the random button for fun) to see all the covers with links to the catalogue entries!

SWAT Hand Signals

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 20:48:03 GMT

*Breathe*
Ribs in danger of piercing lungs
Laughing too hard

See http://humour.200ok.com.au/swat_team_hand_signals.html

Book Borrowing

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 12:57:51 GMT

Take a look at this site on book borrowing (from public libraries) worldwide
http://www.worldmapper.org/display.php?selected=344

(this site also has the underlying data which produced this freaky map

As for Ireland, where do we stand?

library books borrowed (millions) 1999 or nearest year: 12.49
library books borrowed (per person per year) 1999 or nearest year: 3.20
population (millions) 2002: 4
library books borrowed total (numbers) 1999 or nearest year: 12485000

That puts us pretty close to HUngary at 3.71 per person per year, Japan at 3.89

A Pair of Muppets?

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 19:47:50 GMT

I'd do a poll if I could be so bothered as to upgrade the account - leave your preference in comments so:
Ernie & Bert
or
Bert & Ernie

E-mail Addresses It Would Be Really Annoying to Give Out Over the Phone

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 07:30:39 GMT

This has me in complete stitches:

E-mail Addresses It Would Be Really Annoying to Give Out Over the Phone.

MikeUnderscore2004@yahoo.com

MikeAtYahooDotCom@hotmail.com

Mike_WardAllOneWord@yahoo.com

AAAAAThatsSixAs@yahoo.com

One1TheFirstJustTheNumberTheSecondSpelledOut@hotmail.com

Head over to http://www.mcsweeneys.net if you haven't been for other complete gems

First Strike! [Guerrilla Librarianship]

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 17:24:42 GMT

Made my first real foray into the world of Guerilla Librarianship on Saturday in Chapters upstairs.
Moved Tom Holland's Rubicon and Terry Jones' Crusades from Historical Fiction into History. Huzzah!

Red-Shirts beware

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 20:16:31 GMT

Proof, finally of the danger of wearing a red shirt
http://www.clicktracks.com/_images/insidetrack/star-trek-graph.jpg
I just want to see tracking of how many of these happened off-camera...

Mooch Ahoy!

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 19:58:48 GMT

I'm declaring BookMooching a success, having received two books in the post yesterday from 'moochees.
I'm not doing too badly out of it, having sent three abroad, mooched two from Ireland and four from foreign shores

Tonight's dinner

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 19:22:55 GMT

Thai Salmon Fillets

Ingredients:
2 Salmon Fillets

Marinade
Large pinch of Cumin Seeds
A few sprigs of Fresh Coriander, chopped roughly
1 Red Chilli, chopped finely
1" Ginger Root, grated
1 Clove of Garlic, chopped finely
Freshly ground Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil

Mix all of these ingredients together in a mortar and pestle, blending in the olive oil.
Smear the marinade onto the salmon fillets and place in a pre-heated oven at 190C/Gas Mark 5.
Cook for 9-10 minutes.

For the Tomato Sauce
Half a can of Chopped Tomatoes
2 Scallions (or a shallot)
1 Clove of Garlic
Pinch of ground Cumin
A few more sprigs of Fresh Coriander
A couple of lumps of butter
Freshly ground Pepper

Chop the Garlic and the Scallions and cook gently in a lump of butter
Add a pinch of ground Cumin and stir for a minute.
Add the tomatoes and stir well, adding the pepper and then the other lump of butter, turning down to a low heat.
When the butter has melted add the fresh Coriander.

Serve on a bed of noodles with the salmon fillets on top.

Guerrilla Librarianship

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 13:56:31 GMT

So, let's assume you spot a book in the wrong section in a bookshop
What usually happens? Well if you're really into the subject you might be personally/professionally insulted, but you might just sport a bemused grin (or even a superior smirk)
What are your real options though? You could
a. absolutely ignore the issue
b. bring it up to the staff and suggest it go elsewhere -> however you might bump into worker apathy (I didn't shelf that section/you're a nut for caring mister), or you might bump into worker pride (I shelved that, and I'm quite happy with my categorisation)
c. covertly reshelf the book where you think it should go (along with any other copies of the work)

There are a lot of Science/New Age/Religion crossovers, Historical Fiction/History is another one

See Biologists helping Bookstores for more

Mooch!

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 11:00:53 GMT

Just starting BookMooching; have sent two books and mooched three.
Haven't received them yet, so it's early days, but so far I'm impressed with the concept although I think it could do with some streamlining on the user interface

Who knows, maybe I'll become a bookcrosser next...

Crazy RPG ideas Mk.I

Thu, 17 May 2007 12:30:46 GMT

I have three major writing projects for roleplaying games on my plate at the moment:
1. Write the 7th part of my multi-generational fantasy campaign (including full magic rules, as one of the players has decided to go down that route for the first time)
2. Start writing background and stories for our group's collaborative science fiction campaign (everyone writes, GMs and plays)
3. Write an Alias-style system with flashbacks as a major component for creating background/solving problems

But here's another:
I'll write a scenario using 4 themes/keywords from the first four people to write-in here; and then run the scenario for those people over the summer sometime
Sign-up here with your theme/keyword/idea...

Crazy Wargame Ideas Mk.I

Fri, 11 May 2007 08:18:41 GMT

Once upon a time myself and kindermord read a book http://www.ospreypublishing.com/title_detail.php/title=P3362~per=11 about the battle of Gettysburg. Quite handily it had a wargaming section with suggestions on how to handle the battle on the wargames table. The exact quote escapes me at the moment, but it began with something like:
"Only a complete and utter madman would attempt to wargame Gettysburg in its entirety."
Such a bald statement could not be left unchallenged!

So off we went, and wargamed Gettysburg in its entirety, at Gaelcon 2005. As the cherry on top of we ran it twice over the weekend.

(I think) We've built up a bit of a reputation on this front. We've run a gigantic game of Ogre - Operation Market Garden - covering most of southern Holland on an 18' by 4' table, we've run wargames campaigns and other big battles at conventions.

So what's next?

1. Run a multi-player wargames campaign, which would have multiple armies on each side, each with their own agenda/viewpoints, maybe all beholden to one political/military master, but with party/personal issues at stake. The Chickamauga-Chattanooga campaign of the American Civil War would be a good candidate. Maybe have a couple of players playing the political masters struggling with getting all their ducks in a row. Who wants to be Lincoln pulling his hair out?

2. Run a Napoleonic Wars battle in its entirety. Choose a small one and play with 2mm miniatures so that each figure on the wargames table represents one in the real battle and so that figure and ground-scales match

3. Run a WWI Aerial Campaign. Each player is a pilot in a squadron British or German

...

Hokum

Thu, 10 May 2007 08:45:48 GMT

On occasion I rock... (even if all possible/plausible spellings of 'occasion' currently look wrong)

Over on LibraryThing when tagging a couple of books I could come up with no better description of them than 'hokum'
At the time no one else was using this as a tag, but now two other brave souls have joined me in condescension *grin*

http://www.librarything.com/tag/Hokum

Meme questions from Xaosseed

Wed, 09 May 2007 07:31:47 GMT

1) You are very well read on Military History, what are your thoughts on two big nonmilitary 'is it really an issue' issues at present; Human-Induced Climate Change and Peak Oil?

Human-Induced Climate Change
This is a toughie...
Is climate change significant: yes
Are human's affecting climate change: yes
Are human's significantly affecting climate change: ...probably
I don't think we have enough data on climate to know that significant parts of climate change aren't due to natural variables (there was a global warming period during the high middle ages)
What's going to happen? Well the problem is that while there may be a world community, there is no world polity, so that individual states aren't bound by general agreement on actions to be taken

Peak Oil
Is this really an issue? I'm not sure. OK, so oil production is going to peak in 10-15 years. All the easy oil has been got, so oil companies are going to have to be smarter in extracting unconventional resources. I don't think the current oil price highs are due to production (supply) issues, they're due to stability concerns (demand) of buyers.
But also other companies are going to have to be smarter in how they use oil products, and in how they can develop alternatives. Aviation fuel is probably the area which alternative fuels can least replace, plastics another.

2) What was the first game you got that tipped you from 'kid who has some games' into 'gamer'
Getting Cyberpunk 2020 for my 16th birthday

3) What kind of lies have they been telling you about me?
That you were the best commander they ever had!

4) Have you ever been convinced, even for less than a second, that you've actually met/spoken with a historical figure you've been reading about?
Depends where you draw the line between history and contemporary events...but no, not really

5) Where will you be in the mid twenty-teens - say 2015?
Dublin. I'd give Galway an outside 5% chance [although by the contract the job could send me to a variety of places]

Tasty!

Tue, 08 May 2007 21:08:45 GMT

Ingredients:
4 inches root ginger, grated
7 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne peper
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon salt
Juice from half a lemon
6 lamb chops
12 desertspoons of double cream
freshly ground black pepper
mint sprigs

Mix ginger, garlic, cumin, cayenne pepper, garam masala, salt and lemon juice in a bowl
Add the lamb chops
Massage th marinade into them thoroughly
Put everything in a zip-lock bag and refrigerate for 24 hours

Pre-heat the grill, and set the shelf (open-meshed rack on a solid tray) up about 6 inches from it
Sprinkle the black pepper on both sides of the chops
Spoon half of the cream over the chops and grill for about 8 minutes or until browned
Turn over and do the same to the other side
Garnish with the mint and serve

Meme Questions from Uber

Tue, 08 May 2007 12:45:51 GMT

1. I note from your flickr quite a few photos of food. Do you cook them yourself?
They are all mine. I planned to post the recipes on my LJ with photos attached, and maybe I'll get around to it yet.

2. Recommend me a recipe.
Yowza! Where to begin
Masala Lamb Chops, I'll edit this to include the full recipe tonight...

3. What are the main factors to consider in deciding scale for a model-based game?
a) Will the scale work with the game?
There's little point in trying to run a real-world battle with the larger scales (e.g. 25mm) Similarly running a cowboy skirmish in 6mm will look silly.
b) What's the budget?
To use extremly contrasting examples here, in 6mm you can put together a decent sized army for 30 quid. With GW that'll buy you a squad. We can probably tie in how much storage space you have available here as well.
C) Who will I be playing with?
If all your friends are playing in a certain scale, unless you're a model-scale evangelizer then that's probably what you're stuck with.

4. What would Alexei Uvarov make of the Putin Administration?
The trend of asset-striping, market manipulation, unpaid salaries and the destruction of life savings points towards the business elite's influence rather than any catering to the needs of the Russian people.
The melding of security services and political power fuels this self serving cycle...

5. What is your favourite website?
http://www.librarything.com/

This is the drill: leave a comment and I will ask you five questions, you answer them in your journal and make the same offer to your friends.

Technobabble - Geekhood...

Fri, 04 May 2007 11:36:17 GMT

Neat RPG Mechanics

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 16:22:23 GMT

Thinking about RPG Mechanics over the weekend (while struggling with an "authentic" medieval-style magic system that's playable (and that isn't ripped straight off Ars Magica))

1. Legend of Five Rings: Roll Pool, Keep Some
This is quite an elegant system, the ability to differentiate between characters who are very good at something and those who have the potential to be good at something. I know some people think that the difficulty of calculating odds is a disadvantage, but I see this kind of "I know I'm very good, but I just can't quantify the likelihood of success" as being a realistic way of managing characters' self-awareness. Not so sure about the open-endedness of the rolling though...

2. Call of Cthulhu: Sanity
The fact that as your SAN gets lower and lower, it becomes harder and harder to keep a handle on reality is exceptionally frightening I think.
[Of course this is quite different to the experience check system, which means that as you get better and better at something it becomes easier to succeed and earn a check, but more difficult to actually get better]

3. Deadlands: Cards
I'm not entirely sure that this is a brilliant mechanic in and of itself, but it matches the feel of the setting so well I can hardly ignore it.

How about you?

Visual DNA Widget

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 20:42:24 GMT

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Could be dangerous...

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 15:36:06 GMT

Tell me about a story I haven't written, and I'll give you one sentence from that story.

Yoinked from kindermord(who definitely goes overboard on the 'sentence' front)

Guam 1944 - After Action Report

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 09:33:31 GMT

GUAM CAMPAIGN – AFTER ACTION REPORT

About Memoir ‘44 (from Wikipedia)

Memoir '44 is a light wargame, or war-themed strategy board game, created by Richard Borg, for two players. The game can also be played with up to six players if played in teams and up to eight players in the "Overlord" scenarios that require two copies of the game.

The battlefield is divided into three sections by two red dotted lines, giving each player a left flank, a center and a right flank section. You command your troops by playing a command card. Command cards are used to order your troops to move, battle and/or execute a special command. There are two types of command cards: Section cards and Tactic cards. Section cards are used to order a move and/or battle in a specific section. These cards indicate in which section(s) of the battlefield you may order units and how many units you may order. Tactic cards allow you to make special moves, battle in a specific way or take special actions, as explained on the card.

The object of the game is to be the first to win a set number of Victory Medals (usually 4 to 6, depending on the selected battle scenario’s victory conditions). A Victory Medal is gained for each enemy unit entirely eliminated from the battlefield. In some scenarios, additional Medals may be gained from the board map itself, for capturing and holding certain terrain hexes or battlefield objectives.

About Theatre of War

Piquet’s Theatre of War is a campaign system which vividly represents the fog and friction of war, modelled by sequence decks and initiative rolls. as well as providing for pre-battle manoeuvring as both sides attempt to gain an advantage. Theatre of War places the player in the predicament of not knowing for sure what the tabletop game will hold - that is, not knowing until they’ve committed to the battle.

I’ve divided the island into territories using a grid, each territory being assigned a terrain type, a movement points cost and a victory points value.

Each of the territories has a pre-designed map for the 26 x 9 hex Memoir ’44 board.

We’re using a collection of 6mm miniatures by Irregular, each infantry unit having 4 stands of 6 men, each armour unit having 3 tanks etc.

The Set-Up

When writing this scenario I undertook to allow a broad range of actions and intentions by both sides. Obviously, the best chance of the Japanese stopping the US Marines cold was on the beaches.
But would they be able to get enough forces to those beaches in time? Would a delaying and guerrilla strategy in the interior of the island, far from the supply dumps on the beaches, give better return?

The US Marines had certain powerful advantages, namely quantity and quality. But given the circumstances any real setback inflicted on them by the Japanese was going to be more damaging to the Marine Corps’ ability to take the island. A victory by the Japanese might not mean that the island wasn’t taken, but it might mean that the army had to be called in, and several Marine regiments sent back to Australia/Hawaii for rest etc.

Imagine it, the ignominy of having the Army take an island that the Marines could not!

The main resources I used were online versions of US armed forces histories:
The Recapture of Guam by Major O.R. Lodge, USMC and
Marines in the Recapture of Guam: Marines in World War II Commemorative Series by Cyril J. O'Brien

Background to the Guam Campaign

To most American planners the islands of the Southern Marianas were essential in the drive to shorten the war. They occupy a central position dominating the Western Pacific on an arc from Tokyo through the Ryukus to Formosa, the Philippines, and northern New Guinea.

Their capture would cut the strategic line of communication from Japan to its island holdings in the South Pacific and effectively isolate the garrisons there and would, for the first time during the war, permit Americans to operate on interior rather than exterior lines.In addition, enemy planes could no longer stage through the airfields of Saipan, Tinian, and Guam to attack American forces hammering at the Japanese bases in the South and Central Pacific.

But uppermost in the minds of the high-level strategists were three further considerations that made the target even more attractive. First, from the same airfields now being used by enemy planes and other sites selected for early development, B-29's of the Army Air Forces could initiate raids on Japan itself. Secondly, capture of Guam would permit the establishment of a submarine refuelling point much closer to enemy areas. And finally, Apra Harbour offered a good anchorage for an advance naval base.

21^st July, 1944

Major General Roy S. Geiger decided to send in Colonel Merlin F. Schneider leading the 22^nd Marines in to take Agat Beach. The Regiment is met by Colonel Tsunetaro Suenaga’s 38^th Regiment, and delay in getting the Marine attack underway led to Suenaga bringing up reserves to meet it head-on and with maximum firepower…

Japanese hold Town against Armour flanking attack [Battle for Agat Beach]

The Marines attempt to get as many as possible up the beaches, to avoid being pushed back into the water, this proves to be difficult given the lack of armoured support for the advance. The Japanese are cautious with pushing forward and only do so in order to grab defensive terrain features.

US Marines race through artillery fire from LCVPs to town [Battle for Agat Beach]

In the centre the Marine advance is slower, with fewer companies making it off the landing craft, and those that do are in danger of being split by the small rivers running down the beach.

Japanese advance on US Marines before more can disembark [Battle for Agat Beach]

Covered by artillery support the Marine advance on their right goes well, but the Japanese with artillery on both flanking hills give as good as they get.

US Marines reach ridge overlooking beach [Battle for Agat Beach]

The 22^nd Marines are beaten, but the Japanese forces are no better off. Schneider’s regiment has avoided the disaster of being pushed off the beach, but only just…

23^rd July, 1944

As the US Marines prepare to take Agat Beach on a second attempt, the Japanese commander ordered a night attack. Again the Japanese are extremely lucky in getting all their available companies into the fight, and their numbers almost match the Marines huddled around their landing craft.

Japanese wipe out US Marines right flank [Night Attack at Agat Beach]

The Japanese night attack was launched very early, and the Marines are praying for dawn as visibility remains very bad for the entire battle. Conversely they know that the Japanese artillery is zeroed in on some of their positions and that daylight will only bring a torrent of fire.

Japanese Banzai charge reached the landing craft [Night Attack at Agat Beach]

The night-fighting is especially fierce around Agat town, where the Japanese artillery pushed back dangerous advances made by the Marines. The Marines do make headway and slowly they take the blocks despite the frenzied counter-attacks by the Japanese battalion.

Japanese hold town against advance by US Marines left flank [Night Attack at Agat Beach]

As the Japanese victory seems inevitable; the Marines right flank is being crushed and their centre is in danger of annihilation; the Marines live up to the grandest traditions of the Corps – Bladensburg, Beallau Wood, Tarawa – and break the Japanese Regiment at the cusp of their triumph!

[The Marines drew three ‘Their Finest Hour’ cards in four turns! Turning a decisive defeat into another bloody draw]

24^th July, 1944

Geiger lands Lt. Colonel Alan Shapley’s 4^th Marines on Agat Beach, in an attempt to join up with the 22^nd Marines and establish a serious force superiority over the Japanese defenders.

As that is about to happen, the Japanese attempt to push the US Marines 22^nd Regiment off their beachhead again.

This time however, the Marines are outnumbered and without any artillery assets, as well as being stuck around their landing craft. The tiring Marines recognise their dire situation, and attempt to make the Japanese pay the cost in another mauling.

The 4^th Marines are withdrawn from the beaches in disarray.

25^th July, 1944

Geiger, eager to open up the battle for Guam to a region where the Japanese do not have such an advantage quickly lands the 21^st Marines under Colonel Arthur H. Butler and the 9^th Marines under Colonel Edward A. Craig on Asan Beach.

Moving inland from Asan Beach, the combined 21^st and 9^th Marines moves to Mount Tenjo where the Japanese 48^th Independent Mixed Brigade under Major Hamada is stationed, overlooking Agat Beach.

The 48^th avoids battle, despite the favourable terrain.

Although the Japanese 38^th have withdrawn from the beach to lick their wounds they are obviously preparing to push the new Marine arrivals off Guam to join their comrades.

The 4^th Marines decide to move before they have a chance to complete their plans, and advances past Agat town to clear the beachhead.

This battle does not go well for the Marines, although several sections of the battlefield hold their own, the Japanese slowly squeeze the life out of them, and forcing the Marines back to their start line.

26^th July, 1944

Sensing an opportunity Shapely orders the 4^th Marines south of Agat towards Mount Alifan, where any attempt by the Japanese to finish his unit off will occur in the defensive foothills. This leaves behind any chance of his taking a base of operations for the amphibious corps and is extremely dangerous.

Butler quickly ordered the 21^st and 9^th to engage the opposing 48^th: “They can’t avoid battle again and still hold onto these hills!” This time the Japanese cannot avoid the battle and are flanked by the superior numbers Butler has brought to bear. The flank march takes control of the vital summit of Mount Tenjo itself and with his big guns brought to bear on those defensive positions the Japanese do control, the battle is over almost before it can begin!

Now Geiger sees the opportunity to sweep in behind the 38^th holding Agat, but instead Butler orders his units to follow up and harry the 48^th down towards the Pago River.

27^th July, 1944

Following up, the Xth Marines catches the Japanese 48^th at Pago River.

Massed US Armour prepares to advance [Battle of Pago River]

The disparity in numbers is dreadfully apparent, and given that the Marines have also succeeded in bringing a strategic reserve of halftracks for their infantry, mobile howitzers and heavy tanks the Japanese can only hope to sell their lives dearly.

Japanese defend hill despite the fearful odds [Battle of Pago River]

Initial pushes from armour units find the main strength on the Japanese side. They have refused their left flank and are trusting on the Pago River to slow down the Marine advance on that side.

US Marines centre backed up by mobile howitzers [Battle of Pago River]

The Marine attack on their left meets with some serious resistance, the Japanese have several batteries dug in on a hill, supported by several infantry companies. Meanwhile in their centre they begun to move units (including some armour) around a hill and some jungle to take advantage of a sloppy Marine advance.

Japanese lurk in elephant grass [Battle of Pago River]

Japanese defensive formation in the expanse of elephant grass is smoked out and destroyed with the help of a seriously effective air strike by the Marine flyers, and the last remnant s of the Japanese force charges out to attempt to drive one Marine unit into the river.

Cut off, the last Japanese platoon charges [Battle of Pago River]

On the Marine left the stiff resistance on the hill is crushed by an armoured spearhead, backed up by mechanised infantry. The Japanese are wiped out to the last man!

US Marines left takes vital hill after destroying massed batteries there [Battle of Pago River]

Aftermath

Unfortunately we didn’t get the chance to run the final battle of the campaign, but I hope to have it run at the next Thursday night available for the group…

Given the beating both sides have taken in the campaign so far – it will definitely be the decisive battle.

Writing/Reading Books

Thu, 22 Feb 2007 16:21:20 GMT

A few statistics on reading, writing and books in general (most of them pertinent to the US, but hey, I don't think we as a society should feel too superior on this front)

81% of the population feels they have a book inside them
On the average, a book store browser spends eight seconds looking at the front cover and 15 seconds looking at the back cover.
6 million manuscripts are making the rounds
70% of the books published do not earn out their advance
LA Times receives 600 to 700 books for review each week

58% of the US adult population never reads another book after high school
70% of US adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.
57% of new books are not read to completion

from http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/statistics.cfm

Enlistments

Wed, 21 Feb 2007 20:58:34 GMT

On foot of a reply to a post by kindermordon his LJ
Well, these were the very people being recruited into the regular army and the national guard in the post-cold war volunteer army that Clinton is to a large extent, responsible for, following up on Bush Snr. Rumsfeld was a fan of the concept, and you can see why people like Powell espoused it.
It was professional, highly skilled and adaptable, and with the Powell doctrine, they were confidant that they wouldn't be needlessly spent on ill-thought out and ill-planned policy wars.
Even when the army found itself in a long-term/large-scale conflict, it could cope without a draft because of the large reserve base offered by the National Guard - guaranteed when they were only used for short period of time.
Because the army is being used without a clear strategy, in a counter-insurgency mission that they haven't been trained for, without any real political goals, and because the (I can't remember it exactly) "one weekend a month, one week a year" maxim has been run roughshod; it is slowly disintegrating.
Leaving in more candidates with lower qualifications and more candidates with felonies and misdeameanours is accelerating the pace of this disintegration.