Open post for those with something to share, updated through the day. New, complete posts come in below this one. Note: If trackbacking, please acknowledge this post in your post. That's only polite. [Hey - trackbacks work again!]
You're advertising here, we should get an ad at your place...
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Punxsutawney Phil says spring is coming early. Me, I'm holding out for more snow.
Well, it's official. This just in - the sun and sea-floor spreading activity have nothing to do with it. It's all just us. The UN says it's all our fault and there's nothing we can do about it. Of course, that won't stop them from trying some of the most breath-taking power grabs in the history of mankind. Heh. Glad I like mountains, and was never all that fond of the ocean. I don't have any beachfront property to worry about - and this just means I can move north, to less populated areas, to keep indulging my taste for snow. Keep in mind - we were going to freeze to death in the 70's. The truth is somewhere in between. -the Armorer
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Email discussion last night:
"Hey! I can't get on your site, what's up?"
"Hosting Matters is possibly under a DOS attack." (they weren't, it was a fiber trunk cut in Atlanta, but I didn't know that at the time.)
"Well, you should put up a note telling people that!"
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[crickets chirp]
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"Um, here's your sign..." -the Armorer
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Congratulations are in order!
This from Badgers Forward
Stop over at Acute Politics and congratulate the Teflon Don on his promotion to Specialist. Well deserved and I was proud to velcro his new rank to his unifrom this AM.
Passed along by Princess Crabby
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Sometimes listening to an opposing view can be healthy. Are we being petulant children about PRC with much more to be gained by cooperation?
Maybe.
But I know I still want the capability, if not the active design, to counter them if they go malignant. Cooperative but wary. That's what I think is prudent.
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Where's the outrage? Isn't this a war crime? Behead a man for not co-operating with you? Suspect him of being a spy for the other side and kill him without a trial? Oh, that's right, it's not MNF doing this so we don't get mad about it.
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There's some change coming down the pipe in Pakistan if this is right.
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Jaques Chirac says that if the US doesn't join the Kyoto Protocol we should be taxed.
ry.
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Further to Massa John’s entry yesterday…
You Gringos may all know this day for its reverence to a certain obstreperous rodent. However, we Spiks all around this fair Earth, know it better as El Dia de la Candelaria The Feast of Candelmas. The one and only day that we all Pyros out there can rejoice with abandon.
Back in the day when I was a little tyke of say 8 to 14 years of age, all kids in the neighborhood, would enter in a fierce competition. Starting January 7th, we would scour our neighborhood for all Christmas Trees thrown onto the curbs (Back home X-Mass Trees are kept until after Epiphany - Jan 6th). We would then stash them on top our roofs (All roofs being perfectly flat). And have the dried-up trees, “age” some more under the hot tropical sun for a few more weeks. Finally, at dusk of Feb 2nd, all kids in the neighborhood would gather-up all of their respective stashes (Braggin’ rights for the one with the biggest stash), and drag them up to the nearby playground. All trees then go into a big pile… a little spark of a friendly match… and FIRE!!!! The dried-up oils and resins of hundreds of trees go up in a purifying flame that reaches for the sky.
Ahhh – La Virgen de la Candelaria, unofficial protrectress of all PYROS, is my favorite. Sorry Saints Brigida & Babs, The Virgin Rules. - BOQ
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The sidebar isn't updating regularly(again). But this post by Kat---can I say I'm damn glad she's back again?---- really looks at something we all care about: media relations and informational warfare. Good read. Some real questions there.
ry
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Homefront Six has picture that says a thousand words. - FbL
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The Canadian Forces has just formally inked a deal with Boeing to purchase four C-17 Globemasters ASAP (formal announcement today at 1400 EST). Big thanks to the USAF for giving up slots in the production line for us. Given the political farting around on the regional pork aspect of the contract, I'm not sure we deserved the favour.
And in other CF-related news, our Navy and Air Force engineering shops have been working long hours for their Army brethren - putting threat-specific armour on our LAVIII armoured fighting vehicles in southern Afghanistan. If only CBC could get the story right... - Damian
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Blackfive is a goldmine today: a potential MoH SEAL, the military version of "six degrees," and an update on Rambo the Afghan. - FbL
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*A term of art from the artillery. Harassment and Interdiction Fires.
Back in the day, when you could just kill people and break things without a note from a lawyer, they were pre-planned, but to the enemy, random, fires at known gathering points, road junctions, Main Supply Routes, assembly areas, etc - to keep the bad guy nervous that the world around him might start exploding at any minute.
Not really relevant to today's operating environment, right? But, it *is*
The UAVs we fly over Afghanistan and Pakistan looking for targets of opportunity are a form of H&I fires, if you really want to parse it finely. We just have better sensors and fire control now.
I call the post that because it's random things posted by me and people I've given posting privileges to. It's also an open trackback, so if (Don Surber uses it this way a lot) someone has a post they're proud of, but it really isn't either Castle kind of stuff, or topical to a particular post, I've basically given blanket permission to use that post for that purpose. Another term of art that might be appropriate is "Free Fire Zone".
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