A Naval Officer takes a long strange trip to the Desert.

Friday, April 27, 2007

Check this out.

Cool stuff!
http://www.mapsofwar.com/images/EMPIRE17.swf

Actually, after you're done with that one. Go to the main page and see some of the other maps.
Fun, and educational!

http://www.mapsofwar.com/index.html

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Found it.

I found the article I was looking for. It makes some interesting points, but it doesn't have the numbers I was looking for. I think I was confusing it with a different article. (which I apparently need to keep digging for.)
I do love that last quotation, though.
Enjoy,

http://www.americanthinker.com/2007/03/why_no_one_wants_to_crack_the.html

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Is it June yet?

Hey Freaks,
I just want to throw out a quick update.
Things have been just as boring and monotonous as ever. I have, none the less, found some tasking to keep me busy. Or rather, it found me...
I saw this article this morning, posted on the Drudge Report, and it warmed my heart.
It would seem that Walmart is opening a number of trial clinics inside it's stores. There's nothing I like to see more than an enterprise expanding to meet the desires of it's customers. Of course, the political fallout for the company will probably be significant, especially with an election on the way. At least it was when they tried to get into banking a year or so ago. Emperor Hillary will probably accuse Walmart of trying to profit off the backs of the depressed, destitute, and uninsured masses. Which would be a shame, since that's supposed to be her job. Imagine how much better the US Government would run if it was forced to compete against a company like Walmart. Actually, I take that back...it really wouldn't be a competition at all. I for one, would rather stand in line at Walmart, than at the DMV.
Oh yeah, about the banking thing. I saw an interview with the Walmart CEO about a month ago. When asked about the companies attempt to get into the banking industry, his response was so beautifully objective it almost made me weep. He just stated that something like 20% of their customers didn't hold checking and savings accounts. That was it! And it illustrates just about everything you need to know about that company. See a need, offer a product, it's that simple.
Speaking about the clinic and health care issues, I read a piece a few weeks ago that addressed the idea of Health Insurance in an interesting way. It basically argued that the idea of Health Insurance was deeply flawed by virtue of the statistical fact that everyone will contract a severe condition of one type or another. As opposed to the "old days" when you were more likely to get sick and be told you had six weeks to live. Now, of course, almost everything is treatable, meaning longer hospital stays and expensive treatments. There's a lot more to it, of course, and the author addresses the bulk of it. I'm going to try to find it and include it in my next post.
Till next time.
Take care,
-J

Friday, April 20, 2007

Here's a must read.

In addition to having one of the most beautiful banners in the entire blogosphere, John and the "sista-infidel" at Infidels Are Cool published a darn good post about the history of gun ownership in Germany, pre-WWII. After the events at Virginia Tech, it's important to retain a clear focus of the lessons that history has to offer.

Please take a moment to read it.

Thank you.

-Jason

Thursday, April 19, 2007

I had a wonderful dream last night...

And today, Bill Clinton said that that dream, just might come true...
Hopefully, on a Green Party ticket.
http://blogs.usatoday.com/onpolitics/2007/04/bill_clinton_hi.html


UPDATE:
Yes, Algore is in fact, that stupid. Just don't tell anyone, it's a secret!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/04/22/wgore22.xml

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Meet "Betty".

I think we've been having too much fun in the office lately. Either that, or being so close to the end is making us giddy. This is "Miss Betty", the wonder sock. New best friend of my buddy Chris. The Petty Officer that works with us thought it would be funny to leave on his desk.
No word yet on how Chris's wife is going to feel about her...



Lets see, photo two is the little "garden" that we have growing in front of the office. The flashy things hanging on the lines above our fine lawn are CD's, cut in half to keep the birds from eating the grass seed. And it worked! (for about 20 minutes.)
I have no idea why they're still hung up.
And in picture three, you might detect a little bit of fog hanging in the air. That is not fog. That is dust. After walking around outside, you have to wash the grit out of your mouth. Beer works best for that kind of thing, but around here you have to make due with what you've got.
That's all I've got to report on tonight.
have a good one...
-Jason

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Under 50 days and counting...

Hey Guys,
It's getting to be that time of year when just about everyone in our organization turns over and goes home. For some reason I can't quite explain, there is a huge turnover in the May/June time frame. This year, a lot of our relief will not be coming here, but will be doing their jobs from a slightly different location due to new leadership and reorganization, standard bureaucratic BS.(Don't even ask about those TPS reports...has anyone seen my stapler?) Because of this, a slow and depressing bleed of personnel is beginning. This picture was taken after our last volleyball game together before people start hitting the road.

We have plenty of access to the news, so of course I'm aware of what happened in Virginia yesterday. I'm very sorry that happened, I think a lot of people out here are surprised to see these kind of things. It's a good illustration of the differences between the U.S. and Iraq. In Iraq, this kind of madness happens almost daily, caused by some extremely hate full and intolerant people. When this kind of thing happens in the states, as terrible as it is, we can at least feel confident that it's an isolated incident caused by a single unstable individual.

Anyway, back to work.
Peace.

Friday, April 13, 2007

Cool pic from the IZ.

I took this at about 8:45 yesterday morning. A pretty good storm was just about to hit, and with all the dust in the air, and the reduced amount of day light, this is what we got.
Make sure you click on it to get a larger view.
Pretty cool stuff.

Props to Christina.

This is without a doubt, one of the strangest posts I've written up. I'm basically admitting to having watched MTV, something that I haven't admitting to since they stopped airing reruns of Monty Pythons Flying Circus in the late 80's. Kind of a guilty pleasure, I guess.
Anyway, I saw a video by a band called "OK GO" about a week ago that was very interesting. It was for a song called "Do what you want", and was really something to watch. So, I was flipping through the channels again last night and saw this new Christina Aguilera video, and...well...DAMN!!!
As well as having put together a very sexy video, this thing is very heavy on the WWII pin-up girl thing, and is very well done. Also, it's very Naval-oriented, which makes it so much more endearing. (what can I say, it's nice to be thought of on occasion...)
Marek, Bryce, Bob, and Carl, if you haven't seen this thing yet, put the TV on MTV and wait.
It's worth it.
It's the sexiest damn thing to appear on MTV in years.
The lyrics (which are also pretty titillating) are as follows:

"Candyman"
(Tarzan and Jane were swingin' on a vine)
Candy man, candy man

(Sippin' from a bottle of vodka double wine)
Sweet, sugar, candy man

Hey, uh
I met him out for dinner on a Friday night
He really got me working up an appetite
He had tattoos up and down his arm
There's nothing more dangerous than a boy with charm
He's a one stop jive, makes my panties drop
He's a sweet talkin' sugar coated candy man
A sweet talkin' sugar coated candy man

Ooh, yeah, yeah
He took me to this cotton club on Hollywood & Vine
We drank champagne and we danced all night
We shook the paparazzi for a big surprise (a big surprise)
....
He's a one stop jive, makes my cherry pop
He's a sweet talkin' sugar coated candy man (ooh yeah)
A sweet talkin sugar coated candy man

(Scatting)

Hey, yeah
Oh, yeah

He's a one stop jive, makes my cherry pop
He's a sweet talkin' sugar coated candy man (oh)
A sweet talkin sugar coated candy man

Whoa, yeah
Well, by now I?m getting all bothered and hot
[ these lyrics found on http://www.completealbumlyrics.com ]
When he hits my mouth he really hits the spot
He got lips like sugar cane, oh
Good things come for those who wait

(Tarzan and Jane were swingin' on a vine)
Candy man, candy man
(Sippin' from a bottle of vodka double wine)
Candy man, candy man

(Sweet, sugar, candy man)
He's a one stop, gotcha hot, makin all the panties drop
(Sweet, sugar, candy man)
He's a one stop, got me hot, makin' my *uh* pop
(Sweet, sugar, candy man)
He's a one stop, get it while it's hot, baby don't stop
(Sweet, sugar)

He got those lips like sugar cane
Good things come for ones who wait
He's a one stop jive with a real big *uh*
He's a sweet talkin' sugar coated candy man
(Say what) a sweet talkin sugar coated candy man
(Say) a sweet talkin sugar coated candy man, woo
A sweet talkin sugar coated candy man

Oooh, whoa
Candy man, candy man
Candy man, candy man
Candy man, candy man...

(Tarzan and Jane were swingin' on a vine
Tarzan and Jane were swingin' on a vine
Sippin' from a bottle of vodka double wine
Sippin' from a bottle of vodka double wine
Jane lost her grip and down she fell
Jane lost her grip and down she fell
Squared herself away as she let out a yell
Squared herself away as she let out a yell)

Monday, April 09, 2007

Quote of the day?

Here's a quote for today:
"I need a frickin' drink!"
-me

Thursday, April 05, 2007

A vision of the future?

I don't even remember where I found this one, but it's still funny.
A little scary as well.
I'm currently reading"Dereliction of Duty" about the first (joking!) Clinton presidency. Pretty interesting stuff. It's written by Robert Patterson, who was an Air Force Officer, and carried Bill Clinton's "nuclear football". Like I said, interesting stuff. I think that the successor to "Dried Squid" should have a special page to post book reviews. It might be cool to allow third parties to post reviews as well.
According to a pole I read the other day, Fred Thompson is sitting at second place in the GOP field, and he hasn't even committed to running yet. Also, kind of interesting.
Anyway, nothing has gone boom around our neck of the IZ in a while, which is pretty cool.
I have some things to keep me busy tomorrow, but if I work really hard, I might be able to get another post up by Monday.
Peace.
-J

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

The end of the lightbulb?

“Build a better mouse trap, and the world will beat a path to your door”

This phrase used to be a call to arms for Americans to develop their creative potential, embrace the entrepreneurial spirit, and accept a great amount of personal financial risk. The reward for their risk and sacrifice, is profit, the amount of which to be determined by the value of their inventiveness in a free marketplace. I can’t remember the last time I actually heard someone use that old phrase. I wouldn’t be surprised if a significant percentage of today’s graduating High School students have never heard it.

This is an age of political correctness, when everyone is a hyphenated-American, our elected officials have the time to rename the “Global War on Terror” to something a bit softer and less politically abrasive, and our personal decisions are guided as much by liability and the fear of litigation as they are sound judgment and experience. I believe the original phrase can accurately be updated as such:

“Build an environmentally-friendly, fully recyclable, humane “mouse detainment device” at five times the price, and then hire lobbyists to influence legislators to pass laws to outlaw the use of your competition, hand you a near monopoly, and guarantee the future profitability of your corporation for years to come.”

The “Mouse Detainment Device” which I would like to specifically address comes in the shape of the compact fluorescent light bulb. In form true to the updated and politically correct version of the original phrase, both unscrupulous Legislators and equally unscrupulous Corporations are involved. In addition, we have a fanatical pseudo-religious environmental movement, hell bent on having the ultimate say so on everything we build, manufacture, and purchase. (If the acronyms NIMBY, and BANANA, aren’t familiar to you, ask a Californian.)

The person most directly responsible for this pending abuse of power is Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.), who has introduced legislation that would prohibit the sale of incandescent light bulbs in the United States after 2012. In her words, “This legislation, while a small step, could have an enormous impact,” (via the Huffington Post) She continued, saying, “And hopefully, it can help transform America into an energy-efficient and energy-independent nation.” What she should have said was that “The money spent by Americans on these $5(at least) light bulbs will ensure the profitability of the Phillips Corporation, secure the continued employment of lobbyists and make political campaign contributions a certainty for many years to come. In addition, you can you can feel good about yourself for having done virtually nothing beneficial for the environment, as well as for having a mercury containing device in every room of your home.”

But will it actually have an impact as she says? A fairly blasphemous statement, I know, but one that I feel is necessary considering that the future of the Earth itself rests on this very question. (The ability to analyze an issue in an objective manner is soooooo right wing.) One of my fellow bloggers observed correctly that peak hours, as they relate to energy production, occur in the daytime when air conditioning, industrial machinery, and office equipment are in highest usage.(ask anyone who ever had to endure a brown-out what time of day it was.) It isn’t until night time that light bulbs are most needed, and it is at this time that the demands placed on the power grids are at their lowest. Does it make any sense to reduce the electrical load at a time of day when there’s already a surplus of capacity? And don’t forget, we already institute daylight savings time, which means that during summer hours we have an additional measure of reduced evening usage.

While it’s difficult to forecast whether the legislation has a chance at becoming law or not, it is obvious that as long as we the taxpayers continue to allow corporate interests to profit via legislation, rather than compete in an open and free marketplace, we will continue to have our decisions made for us at the highest levels of government. These decisions will be made by people we have never met, who we will never know, and who place their own opportunities above ours. These people are more than happy to accept a small measure of political profit from their supporters in their home district, in exchange for our freedom to apply our own judgment as we see fit.

As song as we allow them to put political profit, and the oh-so subjective measure of the “common good” above our rights and freedoms, we will continue to have less and less choice in our daily lives, and a great deal more responsibility to comply with the regulations set forth for our “best interest”.

Sunday, April 01, 2007

Headline: "Hillary goes berserk! Mauls a campaign staffer!"


Even though her owner had stood up for her, claiming she had been a loyal and stable family pet for many years, she ultimately had to be put down.

This also popped up in the news, courtesy of Mike Glover of the Associated (with terrorists)Press:

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) - If President Bush vetoes an Iraq war spending bill as
promised, Congress quickly will provide the money without the withdrawal
timeline the White House objects to because no lawmaker ``wants to play
chicken with our troops,'' Sen. Barack Obama said Sunday.

Apparently, Hillary is the only Socialist/Democrat who actually has any fangs. The nut-roots are going to freakin' loose it when they hear about this.

Maybe that's why Pelosi went to Syria, she's looking for a good place to hide.

UPDATE:

I was right. LGF has a response from the moonbats over at Kos.

New addition

Hey Freaks,
I have added a new feature to the page.
I'm not sure if I like the way it works, or if it's going to display the kind of quotations that I would approve of. We'll see what happens...
Just one quote from a communist or a dirty enviro-nazi, and it's freakin' gone!
Enjoy!