Cool picture -and I don't know what you mean, I wear my beret like that – as a matter of fact, I'm wearing it that way right now!!Seriously, any signficance to the fact that both Iraqis are making the thumb and forefinger circle with their free hands? I know that in some areas I've been deployed to it bore some cultural significance as an insult.
I have a friend who works at the Virginia Museum of Military Vehicle (http://vmmv.org/) and they have quite a collection. He's frequently off to the far corners of the world to buy at T-34 or some other iron beast.
Rambling slightly related thoughts and comments:I read a news report today that stated that 1 in 4 Americans in the appropriate age group are medically or physically unqualified to serve in the military.It isn't a civil rights issue - it is a "good order and discipline" issue as it relates to combat effectiveness. How long before combat effectiveness and unit cohesion is destroyed because there is the perception that favoritism is being exercised in a combat situation? The dangerous tasks are never assigned to him because he's giving sexual favors to the squad leader or platoon sergeant? Or they are being assigned to him because he's not giving sexual favors to the squad leader or platoon sergeant? Doesn't matter if it is acually happening - the mere belief that it is happening is enough to destroy unit cohesion which in turn destroys combat effectiveness. There is no doubt that gay soldiers can fight effectively - that's not the issue, because we don't go into battle as individuals, we go in to battle as units.There is no conclusive proof that one is "born gay" - most scientists and psychologist theorize (that's the key word, theorize) that sexual orientation (or should that be preference) is determined by a combination of factors that may (another key word, "may") include genetics and environment. I thought that the choice of the phrase "sexual orientation" was telling - becuase that opens the door to Pandora's box. I don't doubt for a minute that it is a combination of "nature and nurture." A combination of genetics and environmental factors could result in a sexual orientation of an adult toward another adult of the same sex or of the opposite sex... okay, or perhaps it could result in a sexual orientation of an adult toward a child of the same or opposite sex - or perhaps toward farm animals - but does that make it acceptable to society? Does not a combination of genetics and environment result in a sexual orientation of some people to be promiscuous? Is homosexuality the same as pedophelia or screwing around on your spouse? Of course not - those are opposite ends of the extreme - but at what point do we draw the line about acceptable behavior? At what point do we, as a society, say that it is not okay to give in to some sexual impulses? We've already seen where society is willing to accept Roman Polanski's rape of a 13 year old girl simply because he's a celebrity - how far down the slope do we go, and how slippery will it be?
Equality in credentials and quality…. There's the rub.Military or combat experience will not make one historian superior to another - it is the quality of their research and analysis - and the quality of their writing (and editors). I have read many military historians with military and combat experience who wrote poor history - likewise I have read gripping narrative accounts from journalists and veterans that, while authentic and well written, weren't subjected to the historical process, and therefore wouldn't really qualify as history. Likewise, extensive academic immersion and rigorous checking of various sources, "mastering the literature," and anal-retentive analysis doesn't necessary make a military history work any more or less valid. One could ask if it is a matter of historical bias - is the combat veteran more biased in his analysis and interpretation of events?By extension of the corallary that one must have military or combat experience to truly write valid military history, could we also state that in order to accurately write about ancient military history one must have experienced battle in the phalanx? Dodging RPGs, IEDs and small arms fire has its own challenges and horrors, but does it compare to close combat with edged weapons? I think that military or combat experience lends a unique perspective to a historian who focuses on military matters, but I don't think that it is a qualifier or requirement -- nor do I think that the lack of this experience is a disqualifier. I think that the differentiator between a good military historian and one who is not good is the quality of their work.
I thought they were doing the patdowns because of the underwear bomber. I think he only had it taped to his underwear and not inside him anywhere.And since these TSA x-rays can't see internal organs, why can't a terrorist just swallow a bomb or something? They smuggle drugs that way afterall.
This new procedure cannot be related to the underwear bomber - Secretary Napolitano told us that the system worked in regards to the underwear bomber. So, if the system worked, why would we institute these new procedures to counter that threat?Now, for the serious question, after going through the "enhanced patdown" do you need to confess to your spouse? Would that constitute "cheating"?Okay, really, now for a truly serious question - I have a fair amount of metal in my body and I set of magnometers on a routine basis - so I have been getting the old fashioned "un-enhanced" pat down for years. With the new machine that "sees under our clothes" do we still have to pass through the metal detector? In other words, going through the new scanner will I still be required to go through additional screening because of the metal in my body?
When I was in high school, I took a computer programming course “Programming in Basic BASIC”. Yes, our projects were done on both punch cards and rolled up paper tapes (basic probability programs). Our terminals connected to the mainframe at the University of Virginia via an 8k modem. Truly high speed stuff.
Friends – I have to tell you that this was quite an awesome experience. Unfortunately it was not conducive to photographs – it is a “drive through” of the battlefield, and being low light, there was no chance to stop and set up a tripod (we'll know better if we go back next year).They set up 23,110 luminaria (white paper bags with candles/lights in them) - one for every soldier - North and South - who died at Anteitam. The luminaria were in rows and columns interspersed on either side of the road as you pass through the battlefield (from Rt 34 - about half way between Burnside Bridge and the Sunken Road) and continued up on toward the cornfield. The scale was difficult to comprehend - the magnitude of the loss of life. It is difficult to put it into words.I would encourage anyone within driving distance to consider this next year. The illumination happens (weather permitting) the first Saturday of December every year. Generally, there are living history events that take place at points of interest across the battlefield during the day. The park closes early that day and gates open for the driving tour at 6 PM.Here are some hints if you want to try and do this:1. Thousands of people do the drive through. It is only open for one night.2. Cars start staging along Route 34 several hours before the gates open. Come in to Anteitam on Rt 34 from Boonesboro and you'll see the signs several miles out. The traffic stages on the westbound shoulder.3. Plan on committing several hours to the event - have a full tank of gas and be sure to hit the restroom before you get in line.4. Be sure to turn off your headlights when you pull into the park - go through the driving tour with just parking lights (please).5. The tour ends on Dunker Church road (the way you usually go into the park) - don't make the mistake of trying to go in that way.6. As we were leaving the park around 8:00PM, the cars along Rt 34 were staged for about four miles - don't know how long the wait was for the last guy in line, but I'm betting that it was significant. We did witness two cars along the shoulder that either broke down or ran out of gas.7. There really isn't time to linger on the tour - they have four miles of cars to get through the park! 8. I did see some folks park in the town of Sharpsburg and walk up toward the National Cemetary with cameras and tripods - might be worth a shot, but I'd venture to guess that you'll either want to do the drive through or try to take photos from the distance - not both (if it is a cold and windy as it was Saturday).9. Plan on making a day of it - maybe stage along Route 34 around 4:00 or 4:30 and have picnic dinner10. Make a point of going if at all possible - it is well worth the effort. This is something that any historian, and I'd venture, every American, ought to see. For some, it's a beautiful display of lights for the holiday - but at it's core, it is a moving tribute to a time and a conflict that brought out nation together. Noted Civil War historian and professor at Virginia Tech, Dr. James Robertson commented that "Before the Civil War everyone stated that 'The United States are such and such', but after the Civil War, everyone stated 'The United States is thus and so' - such is the importance of the conflict in forming our national identity." (or words to that effect).
Ah… but there's the rub. Man's carbon emissions are responsible for “severe weather” – global “warming” is a misnomer. It causes hotter temperatures, more severe and colder winters, earthquakes, volcanic erruptions, sun spots, droughts, floods, and male pattern baldness.
Do you think we had this same discussion 30-40-50 years ago? Does the incorporation of microfiche in the college library erode the students' abilities to conduct research and learning where to find information?Does the use of the overhead projector and transparencies erode the professor's lecture skills? Is oratory dying because professors now use transparencies, pictures, and projected text instead of straight lecture? Does it erode the Socratic method?Word processors! Don't get me started! Not only do word processors mean an erosion of typing skills, they allow students to write their papers at the last minute and not give their papers the appropriate proof reading!(okay, seriously, proof reading has gone down the toilet as a lost skill with the advent of "spell check" - most students I know are in desperate need of a "homonym checker"!).As mentioned above, technology has acclerated research - allowing historians unprecedented access to documents and resources. However, as always, there are good students/historians and bad/lazy students/historians. Technology makes plaigerism much easier to execute (and much easier to catch). It allows people to take shortcuts in place of adding efficiencies.
23 – moderate morning type. Odd… I have no issues getting up absurdly early to do stuff and I have no issues staying up to midnight or later if there is something to do — running a 20 hour day isn't out of the question a couple of times a week… although they are getting fewer and further between as I age.
Here's my thought on all (and I mean ALL) of these “evil government conspiracy theories” — our government can't keep a secret for sh!t. Hundreds of thousands of classified documents on Wikileaks, Valerie Plame and other “spies” outed, Watergate, Presidential peccadillos under the desk in the Oval Office… Like we could keep aliens in Area 51 a secret, let alone the well understood collusion between Hollywood and Washington! Gimme a break!
Ski – you're right, up to a point. I don't think that this election result will have any lasting impact on our MSM. Give them 30 days and it'll be back to “normal”.Any chance you saw the clips from Leno the other night? Said "Repbulicans won in a mudslide" -- typical "stuff" -- the bias is too deeply ingrained.