Sunday, February 23, 2014

Around The Blogs 2014-02-23


Lots of interesting bits and pieces tonight.

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Dustbury brings us the tale of a vending machine sale that proved rather more costly to the purchaser than he'd planned.  Of course, self-control would have helped . . .

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Captain Capitalism links to the account of a young American lady who finds out the hard way that she can't really make that much of a difference in the Third World.  I found her story cynically familiar, having observed the antics of the Peace Corps in much of Africa.  They'd arrive in breathless anticipation, sure they were going to solve all the problems in that part of the world then ride off rejoicing into the sunset.  Not so much . . .

Also, in a guest article at Return Of Kings, Captain Capitalism points out that 'You’ll Never Find A “Good” Corporate Job Like Your Parents Did'.  His analysis of the present and future job market is sobering, even depressing - but it's reality.  Useful input to help shape your thinking about your future.

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Two contributors at 'Bring The Heat, Bring The Stupid' entertain us this week.

First, Ultima Ratio Regis links to an article analyzing potential problems with the senior leadership of the US Army.  It's titled 'Seduced By Success; An Army Leadership Untrained for True War?'  Thought-provoking reading.

Next, XBradTC reminds us of the joys of Army cooking.




Hmmm . . . I see some of the cooks I remember from the South African military have made their way into the US armed forces!




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While on the subject of the US Army, American Mercenary examines 'Officer Culture:  Understanding The Numbers Argument'.  It's a useful study of officer-to-enlisted proportions, so-called 'command culture', and their consequences for military effectiveness.  Worthwhile reading.

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Matthew has a sad, draining tale of being called in to help trace a young girl who was kidnapped . . . too late to help her.  I haven't had to do his job, but I have had to be the pastor/chaplain who delivered the bad news.  I don't ever want to have to do that again . . .

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The Outrider made me laugh out loud by linking to customer reviews of a banana slicer on Amazon.com.  As usual when the Amazon crowd gets a bee in its collective bonnet, the reviews (approaching 5,000 of them already) are hysterical!




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Mike Miles (caution:  his blog is sometimes NSFW, although not this particular entry) brings us 'Amazing Wartime Facts from WWII'.  They include:

  • At the time of Pearl Harbor, the top US Navy command was called CINCUS (pronounced “sink us”), the shoulder patch of the US Army’s 45th Infantry division was the Swastika, and Hitler’s private train was named “Amerika”. All three were soon changed for PR purposes.
  • A number of air crewmen died of farts. (Ascending to 20,000 ft. in an un-pressurized aircraft causes intestinal gas to expand 300%!)
  • Among the first “Germans” captured at Normandy were several Koreans. They had been forced to fight for the Japanese Army until they were captured by the Russians, and forced to fight for the Russian Army until they were captured by the Germans, and forced to fight for the German Army until they were captured by the US Army.
  • During the Japanese attack on Hong Kong, British officers objected to Canadian infantrymen taking up positions in the officer’s mess. No enlisted men allowed!

There are more at the link.  Interesting stuff.

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Clayton Cramer links to a useful article by his daughter and son-in-law titled '5 Tips for a Strong Marriage'.  They have some worthwhile ideas.

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Karl Denninger fisks an anti-gun editorial in a Connecticut newspaper, pointing out that it's effectively advocating violence against local citizens who are exercising their Constitutional rights in the face of an unconstitutional law.  He's his usual uninhibited self (I'm pleased to say!).

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Rev. Donald Sensing brings us 'a handy guide to what's wrong with the American diet in 11 simple charts'.  Very useful and informative.

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Daniel Greenfield writes about 'The Inequality of Access'.

When government is big, then true inequality is not of wealth, but of political access ... Access isn't about money; it's about becoming useful to those in power.

There are two cities and two countries in America; the land of the politically connected who are part of a network that can score anything from millions in cash to open door prisons and the land of the politically unconnected who don't understand why the government won't leave them alone. It won't leave them alone because in a corrupt system, being left alone is a special political favor.

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In a city or a country run by income inequality campaigners like Barack Obama or Bill de Blasio, the inequality of wealth takes a back seat to the inequality of access.

There's much more at the link.  An interesting, cogent and depressingly accurate analysis, IMHO.




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Finally, Borepatch links to Gerard Vanderleun's 'Notes On Love And Death'.  I'd read the latter's blog before, some years ago, but had forgotten about it until this reminder.  Thanks, Borepatch!  It's worth renewing my acquaintance with his writing.

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That's all for this week.  More soon.

Peter

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