# Argent Towers, Oh Rodhesiaaaa... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 16, 2011, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-oh-rodhesiaaaa/582066 "2011-05-16T04:07:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-oh-rodhesiaaaa/582066/21 "2011-05-16T09:13:19Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > **Stranger,** my friend, keep in mind that the post which you hold up as an example of my supposed Rhodesia obsession was posted _three years ago._ Yeah, I was wondering when you had brought up Rhodesia recently. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-oh-rodhesiaaaa/582066/22 "2011-05-16T09:19:59Z")
I’m glad \*\*Towers \*\*has moved on from the neocolonialist attitude he used to have. I just wish he’d acknowledge all the other facts about White rule in Rhodesia that I’ve pointed out before, like the fact that it[wasn’t an economic paradise](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Rhodesia#Economy), and the White government engaged in war crimes against their own citizens. And as for the oft-repeated canard that Zimbabwe used to be a nett exporter of grain, that overlooks 1. the environmental conditions inherent in the region and 2. exports have [jack](http://gadaa.com/oduu/609/2009/04/17/ethiopia-zenawi-admits-exporting-grains-while-millions-starve-and-die/) [shit](http://lankapolity.blogspot.com/2010/10/how-people-starve-in-india-as-food.html) [to do](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causes_of_the_Holodomor#Extensive_export_of_grain_and_other_food) with conditions in-country. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-oh-rodhesiaaaa/582066/23 "2011-05-16T09:28:41Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > 1. exports have [jack](http://gadaa.com/oduu/609/2009/04/17/ethiopia-zenawi-admits-exporting-grains-while-millions-starve-and-die/) [shit](http://lankapolity.blogspot.com/2010/10/how-people-starve-in-india-as-food.html) [to do](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causes_of_the_Holodomor#Extensive_export_of_grain_and_other_food) with conditions in-country. One more [data point](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Famine_%28Ireland%29#Food_exports_to_England) for this point. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-oh-rodhesiaaaa/582066/24 "2011-05-16T13:32:22Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > and statements that the _Challenger_ shuttle “exploded” Are you saying it didn’t? I haven’t been around too long so maybe I missed it but have you discoursed at length on that subject? I’d be interested to read your ideas. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-oh-rodhesiaaaa/582066/25 "2011-05-16T13:40:20Z")
> [@Raygun99](#): > > While I have no particular dog in this fight, I do. It’s a ridgeback. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-oh-rodhesiaaaa/582066/26 "2011-05-16T14:18:45Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Are you saying it didn’t? I haven’t been around too long so maybe I missed it but have you discoursed at length on that subject? I’d be interested to read your ideas. Laymen’s version (ie., dumbed down enough for _me_ to understand): the shuttle didn’t blow up. A seal on one of the external boosters failed, causing lots of fuel (hydrogen) to spray out towards the external fuel tank. That fuel then ignited, which caused the shuttle to go really, really fast, and the atmospheric friction ripped the shuttle to bits. In a vacuum, the shuttle (or at least the orbiter) would apparently have been tough enough to remain intact despite the explosion. ETA: So it was _destroyed_, just not _blown up._ ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-oh-rodhesiaaaa/582066/27 "2011-05-16T14:21:38Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Laymen’s version (ie., dumbed down enough for _me_ to understand): the shuttle didn’t blow up. A seal on one of the external boosters failed, causing lots of fuel (hydrogen) to spray out towards the external fuel tank. That fuel then ignited, which caused the shuttle to go really, really fast, and the atmospheric friction ripped the shuttle to bits. In a vacuum, the shuttle (or at least the orbiter) would apparently have been tough enough to remain intact despite the explosion. > > ETA: So it was _destroyed_, just not _blown up._ Ah, okay then. Thanks RNATB. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-oh-rodhesiaaaa/582066/28 "2011-05-16T14:22:37Z")
Thanks RNATB. Obviously the subject matter interests some. That’s fine but I’m not certain I would place it on my resume. (I would add that I have a lot of time for Stranger as a contributor). ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-oh-rodhesiaaaa/582066/29 "2011-05-16T14:44:39Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Laymen’s version (ie., dumbed down enough for _me_ to understand): the shuttle didn’t blow up. A seal on one of the external boosters failed, causing lots of fuel (hydrogen) to spray out towards the external fuel tank. That fuel then ignited, which caused the shuttle to go really, really fast, and the atmospheric friction ripped the shuttle to bits. In a vacuum, the shuttle (or at least the orbiter) would apparently have been tough enough to remain intact despite the explosion. > > ETA: So it was _destroyed_, just not _blown up._ Is there a thread about this? Why would an off-axis burn cause that much acceleration? And BTW, the the external boosters are have solid fuel, and I don’t believe they had any hydrogen which could “spray out”. Sorry, I now return you to your regularly scheduled Pitting. ---
**Author:** ![CannyDan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cannydan/32/548_2.png) [@CannyDan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CannyDan)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-oh-rodhesiaaaa/582066/30 "2011-05-16T15:01:24Z")
Yeah, my dumbed down version was that the failed solid fuel booster seal allowed a tongue of flame to escape, which ruptured and ignited the huge liquid fuel tank that the orbital vehicle is attached to. This caused the orbiter to fall, probably with live astronauts inside, all the way down until impact with the ocean ended their lives and the structural integrity of the orbiter. [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-oh-rodhesiaaaa/582066/31 "2011-05-16T15:18:14Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Are you saying it didn’t? Now you’ve done it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-oh-rodhesiaaaa/582066/32 "2011-05-16T15:39:03Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > It’s normally spellled as “Rhodesia”. 😕 Where does the “Z” go? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-oh-rodhesiaaaa/582066/33 "2011-05-16T15:41:36Z")
**Does there actually exist, anywhere,** the kind of white person who wants to re-establish the old European colonial-imperial system? Serious question. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-oh-rodhesiaaaa/582066/34 "2011-05-16T15:52:47Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > I do. It’s a ridgeback. 🙂 [QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Does there actually exist, anywhere, the kind of white person who wants to re-establish the old European colonial-imperial system? Serious question. [/QUOTE] Oh, yes. Not just anywhere. [Right here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=418783&page=1&pp=50). ETA I am, of course, making the big assumption that people like \*\*FRDE \*\*and \*\*Martini \*\*are White, but I could be wrong. Funnily enough, you posted to that thread… ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-oh-rodhesiaaaa/582066/35 "2011-05-16T16:27:19Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Is there a thread about this? Why would an off-axis burn cause that much acceleration? It wasn’t that it was an off-axis burn; it was the volume of fuel that ignited all at once. You’ll have to get the smart guy explanation from **SOAT**. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-oh-rodhesiaaaa/582066/36 "2011-05-16T16:35:16Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Are you saying it didn’t? I haven’t been around too long so maybe I missed it but have you discoursed at length on that subject? I’d be interested to read your ideas. It didn’t “blow up”. The aerodynamic forces the _Challenger_ encountered during the accident [caused it to break up](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster#Vehicle_breakup). > [@](#): > > The breakup of the vehicle began at T+73.162 seconds and at an altitude of 48,000 feet (14.6 km). With the external tank disintegrating (and with the semi-detached right SRB contributing its thrust on an anomalous vector), Challenger veered from its correct attitude with respect to the local air flow and was quickly torn apart by abnormal aerodynamic forces, resulting in a load factor of up to 20 (or 20 g), well over its design limit of 5 g. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-oh-rodhesiaaaa/582066/37 "2011-05-16T16:47:59Z")
And now there are seven astronauts, believed to be dead, being forced to work in secret and repay the costs of their bionic limbs on a government salary. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-oh-rodhesiaaaa/582066/38 "2011-05-16T17:17:30Z")
_Don’t cry for me Rhodesia…_ ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-oh-rodhesiaaaa/582066/39 "2011-05-16T17:20:43Z")
Actually, it’s “Dont cry for me Argent-desia”. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-oh-rodhesiaaaa/582066/40 "2011-05-16T17:43:27Z")
FWIW, a quick search indicates Argent Towers has posted in 40 threads about Rhodesia in the past 3 years. I find his defence of Rhodesia disgusting and a tad bizarre. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-oh-rodhesiaaaa/582066.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-oh-rodhesiaaaa/582066.md?page=3)