Political earthquake across Europe this weekend ...

In Greece, the home of Democracy, citizens punished their ruling parties in parliamentary elections on Sunday and turned instead to an array of anti-Bailout parties on the far left and right.PASOK and New Democracy, the two parties that have dominated Greek politics for nearly 40 years, received a combined 33% of the vote -- less than half what they garnered during the last elections in 2009.

 While in France, where there was an 81% voter turnout, the election handed their presidency to leftist Francois Hollande, a champion of government stimulus programs who says the state should protect the downtrodden 

"In all the capitals ... there are people who, thanks to us, are hoping, are looking to us, and want to finish with austerity," he told supporters early Monday at Paris' Place de la Bastille. "You are a movement lifting up everywhere in Europe, and perhaps the world." Leftists were overjoyed to have one of their own in power for the first time since Socialist Francois Mitterrand was president from 1981 to 1995.

 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Idaho Airsoft Teams Take Aim - War simulation sport attracts brigades of new players

by Andrew Mentzer in the Boise Weekly

Your daily life quickly falls away when you take the field. You stealthily navigate the scrub brush, trying to remain undetected, and begin to wonder if your team has what it takes to outsmart and outmaneuver the opposition. Then you contemplate the line between reality and simulation.

This isn't a role-playing video game, nor is it real battle--yet you can't help but feel an exhilaration that could only come from playing a game that dabbles in several primal realities.

Have you prepared enough? Are you positioned correctly?

The intense feeling of vulnerability is both nerve-racking and empowering. Your commanding officer pipes through your headset and you begin shooting, consistent with the directives of the moment.

Of all of Boise's quirky game-sport outings, Airsoft stands on its own. To check it out for ourselves, Boise Weekly paid a visit to a large, organized contingency of gamers playing on a muggy Saturday morning near the Boise River west of Star.

Paintball's cousin, Airsoft has been around since the late 1970s and has international origins. The result of a firearm ban in Japan and some creative interpretation, Airsoft guns are replica weapons that shoot small plastic BBs. With the evolution of the market for this lifelike hardware came a desire to replicate real battle scenarios and the game of Airsoft was born.

Boise has a well established crew of folks dedicated to the game--rain or shine--every Saturday at locations throughout the Treasure Valley. There are five established Airsoft teams in the area: Mil-Sim Airsoft Group, Real World Airsoft, Alpha Omega Airsoft, Mike Force Irregulars and Blacklist Airsoft--formerly a paintball group. ....

With the exponential growth of the popularity of role-playing war simulation interactive video games, Airsoft has grown leaps and bounds in recent years. Teams get together for regional and national meets from coast to coast, bringing in thousands of players from all walks of life.

The appeal varies depending on who you talk to but the game's goal is universal: to have fun.

Kalen Fairchild of Boise has been playing Airsoft for about a year and enjoys the inclusiveness of the sport.

"Airsoft is meant for anybody. We have women and seniors that play with us," said Fairchild. ...

READ THE REST

++++++++++++++++++++++++