I got an idea, how about for every U.N. action that involves U.S. troops, equipment, time, we just bill it back to the U.N.? How about if it doesn’t get paid, we don’t go? How about everyone in the U.N. pays the same amount of money to make it run?

I confess to not being sure about these facts and figures – but I do know that the USA is by far the biggest hold-out on UN fees. The point Mr Patterson made above is true – the US is far more interested in its own welfare than that of the the rest of the world. And it’s tempting to say “fair enough” only I don’t think it is fair enough. When you’re that big, when your economy holds so much of the world in it’s sway – some form of noblesse oblige applies.

gnome

[quote]

U.S. Arrears

http://www.disinfopedia.org/wiki.phtml?title=United_Nations

For many years the United Nations has had problems with members refusing to pay the assessment levied upon them under the United Nations charter. Many states have at times refused to pay their dues for various reasons, but the most significant refusal in recent times has that of the United States. For a number of years the United States Congress has refused to authorise payment of the United States’ UN dues, in order to try to extract reforms from the organization and a reduction in the US assessment.

The United States and the United Nations after much dispute negotiated an agreement whereby the United States would pay a large part of the money it owes, and in exchange the United Nations would reduce the assessment rate ceiling from 25% to 22%.

The reduction in the assessment rate ceiling was among the reforms contained in the 1999 Helms-Biden legislation, which links payment of $926 million in U.S. arrears to the UN and other international organizations to a series of reform benchmarks.

U.S. arrears to the UN currently total over $1.3 billion. Of this, $612 million is payable under Helms-Biden. The remaining $700 million result from various legislative and policy withholdings; there are no current plans to pay these amounts.

[end quote]

Thanks for that link Dave – you’re right it looks like it might be well worth checking out when it sees the light of day (er, night).

You might like to think about changing the title of this thread to bring it to wider attention. “Reach for the Sky” is the title of Paul Brickhill’s bio on Douglas Bader and I’m not sure if the new film with Tom Cruise has the same title. There will be those who have had it with modern film remakes (think the remake of Memphis Belle and the caning you got for mentioning Feral Harbor!).

What this is all about is a doco on the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan – it may be fascinating provided the morose voice-overs and are kept to a minimum. Not to mention “We’ll meet again”. I have an otherwise viewable Lancaster documentary excessively infused with that over-dramatic gesture.

Well spotted Dave

Great pictures indeed – all sorts of wonderful things there.

Can anyone put up a brief history of this aircraft – and particularly how come it’s in the UK?

cheers, Gnome

No 2 looks kinda-like a Douglas TBD-1 Devastator.

HE 219 please

with acknowledgement to a thread I think maybe Stormbird started a while back about WWII colour photos – this was CGI but wouldn’t it be luvly

Love the way they fly – maybe silly question but – are there any Whitleys around these days?

Top photos Gareth – must have quite a sight and sound. Oh to be in England …

Question anybody … is that red light (unless it’s some weird dot) on PA474’s belly standard WWII fitment or a concession to current requirements?

cheers, Don