We're the Military and Airpower Guys of Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online + a stray we found wandering around looking lost. All original material JHD, BHD, JR, WT, and KA 2003-2010 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html Sat, 24 Mar 2012 15:56:45 Z Movable Type 4.12 en Copyright 2012 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification First up: Happy Australia Day! A shout out to my Digger buddies! Little shiny bits that caught my eye this morning... Tidbits of history. Born: 1819 Abner Doubleday, Maj Gen, U.S, , d. this day, 1893 1880 General of the Army Douglas MacArthur Died: 1885 Charles George Gordon slain at 51 by the Mahdists, Khartoum, setting the stage for Charlton Heston's greatest role... 1893 Abner Doubleday, did not invent baseball (see above), on his 74th birthday 1993 Jan Gies, Dutch resistance fighter, who aided the Frank family - with the push of his wife. Event 1787 Daniel Shays &... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html Thu, 26 Jan 2006 07:31:39 -0600 Barb - We have Vegemite at the Castle. I like it - in small doses, with lots of butter, on bread. I have never quite managed to slather it on... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39648 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39648 Fri, 27 Jan 2006 07:13:57 -0600 Barb - A *veering* sense of humor? Are you implying that trying to follow my mental processes is like trying to follow my mental processes? http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39646 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39646 Thu, 26 Jan 2006 23:16:30 -0600 Ahh...to our grand Allies, the Aussies...cheers mates! And, the 54th was raised today. It might not have been matthew broderick's best movie (frankly, besides inspector gadget and ferris buellers day off, I don't think he had a "best movie"), however, the movie Glory itself had some really great actors in the support roles. Like Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman who actually made the movie. All the white actors over played their parts. But, I love the story line. Maybe the best parts were when Washingtons character was caught stealing or something and the punishment was 10 lashes, then he whipped his shirt off and put his hands on the wheel, showing his whip scarred back. Kind of reminded you of the point of the movie. Then, of course, when they struggled to learn marching drills and ...oh darn, I liked the movie. If there had been a few better actors playing the white officers, it would have been about perfect. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39640 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39640 Thu, 26 Jan 2006 19:31:30 -0600 Vegemite ... *blech* Nasty stuff... at least to those of us who didn't grow up with it. (All due respect to our good friends down under!) John ... you care because Bill's veering sense of humor is guaran-dam-teed to keep things lively ;-) http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39637 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39637 Thu, 26 Jan 2006 19:00:57 -0600 Well, no- WC wrote the history of the Dervish adventure as a historian. But his style is excellent and much of the rest of the book is from his personal experiences. I got my copy from a second-hand book store; check Yahoo- well worth the cost. The man could write. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39634 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39634 Thu, 26 Jan 2006 18:33:46 -0600 he was in the Sudan in 1898 - for the last cavalry charge the British Army ever made, at Omdurman. (This random historical aside is brought to you by the stack of stuff I'm trying to ignore, in the hopes that it goes away.) ]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39628 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39628 Thu, 26 Jan 2006 16:56:01 -0600 Offsite Meeting Helheim all day. I successfully kept a chair from drifting off into the atmosphere for seven hours straight... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39625 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39625 Thu, 26 Jan 2006 15:55:37 -0600 Frontiers and Wars by Winston Churchill contains a fine account of the rise of the Mahdi in Sudan, the eviction of the Egyptians, Gordon at Khartoum, and the Brit campaign to reclaim the Sudan- the whole shebang. The rest of the book ain't shabby, neither...]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39624 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39624 Thu, 26 Jan 2006 15:54:12 -0600 Heh. And here I was, wondering where you were today. Why do I care, again? http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39622 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39622 Thu, 26 Jan 2006 15:34:26 -0600 ...they all look like Indiam busses..." What's a subcomtimemt kissimg comtest got to do with it? ]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39620 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39620 Thu, 26 Jan 2006 15:28:26 -0600 John, I believe Sir Alec considered Obi Wan much more embarassing. Obi Wan was not slain by Vader because Lucas started out to do that. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39615 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39615 Thu, 26 Jan 2006 14:10:06 -0600 Chinese Gordon and Khartoum. Hmmm. Just great. Now I have a movie to work into my mil-history readings. Speaking of which - now I want to know more about this, as well. Any book recommendations here? The whole "Queen Victoria's Little Wars" period is interesting - aside from the Boer War, these different wars - Sudan, Afghanistan, Africa - were all fought by British regulars, I think. The regular standing army, rather than raised regiments. Sort of like our own Indian wars... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39608 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39608 Thu, 26 Jan 2006 11:23:14 -0600 its all in the road wheel gaps.... and you're right, we've imitated a good many fine pieces of their kit. when it works, it works. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39601 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39601 Thu, 26 Jan 2006 10:53:41 -0600 The pudgy bit *is* a help. I'm thinking of what they'll look like when they're festooned with all the ancillary crap we mech soldiers carry with us (because we *don't* have to hump it ourselves) and they all look like Indiam busses... And my "imitation" comment was intended to work both ways. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39594 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39594 Thu, 26 Jan 2006 08:50:50 -0600 Sorry, a Stryker has always looked like a pudgy BTR to me... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39592 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/hmmmm_interesting.html#comment-39592 Thu, 26 Jan 2006 08:16:19 -0600