Dan's Thoughts

Good National Guard video

2008-05-19T13:22:00.001-05:00

If you ever wondered what a typical RSP/RSB weekend is like, check out this video. The reporter did a good job with this story.

http://op-for.com/2008/05/pretty_good_national_guard_vid.html

Aloha.

Iron Man

2008-05-17T16:07:00.002-05:00

Last Wednesday, my wife and I had my dad watch the girls while we went out to the movies, some light shopping and supper. It was a wonderful time. As is probably typical of a couple with small children, we don't get out often. So this was (again) wonderful.

We went to see Iron Man. I have nothing bad to say about the movie and plenty of good things.

First, they did a good job of modernizing the movie without rewriting the basics of the character. In fact, the story became more believable because of the modernization.

Second, Robert Downey Jr. is the perfect actor to portray Tony Stark. He is very intelligent but troubled. He definitely lived the "playboy" lifestyle. It is like Woody Allen playing a crazy person, OJ Simpson playing a murderer or Rev. Wright playing a racist.

Third, the supporting cast was spectacular. They played their roles well and it seemed natural.

Finally, the evolution of the story and character were superb. It was believable. You could really see this happening today.

I would highly recommend this film.

Aloha.

No, I have a better plan

2008-04-28T18:55:00.002-05:00

You're probably expecting some kind of post on government or politics. Not tonight.

Tonight, when I got home from work, the girls had not rested well and were very at the end of themselves. It took a lot of energy to keep tonight from turning into one big "time out", but we did it. Not one time out. We had a fun, yet exhausting, evening.

However, at the end of the evening, it was bed time. Mommy and I have been taking turns and tonight was Mommy's turn.

This, I was looking forward to.

A lot.

The girls picked out different stories to read and I was giving them final hugs and kisses in the bedroom. That's the setting. Here's the dialogue:

Mommy: Tonight is Mommy's turn for bed time. Daddy's turn is tomorrow night.

Mara (going directly to the best possible delay source, Daddy, since it wasn't Daddy's night): I have a better plan Daddy. How about you sit on my bed and read this book to me.

At that point I looked at Cherith and commented that I was amazed by something. I said, "How many times does God hear that a day? People saying, 'no, God, I don't want your plan. I have a better one.' It was at that point that I got the briefest glimpse into the grace that God offers and another reminder of how fortunate everyone is that I was not designated God.

Knowing that Mara was asking out of a desire for connection and not out of anything negative, I gave he a hug and kiss, told her I loved her and went out as Mommy was getting ready to start reading.

God, the perfect being, is constantly hearing fallen man cry out "Not your plan, God. I know better." Man cries out due to his sinful nature. And yet, somehow (my somehow, not His), God continues to exhibit his unlimited patience.

If it were me...well, let's just say I would not be so patient.

However, I am also reminded that someday the activity described in the book of Revelation will come to pass. Someday, God patience will end perfectly. Typically, when our patience ends, it ends in anger (not mine tonight, btw). God's patience will end with Justice as only He can deliver.

I take this as a reminder of "Not my will, but Yours."

Aloha.

Iran

2008-04-19T07:59:00.003-05:00

Back in September of 07 (last September) I posted this:

http://gung-ho-man.blogspot.com/2007/09/pot-vs-kettle.html

Let's follow that post with these current quotes from Iran's President:

"Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quoted Saturday as saying crude oil prices at $115 a barrel are too low, and that oil must "discover its real value."

"The oil price of $115 a barrel in today's global markets is a deceiving figure. Oil is a strategic commodity that needs to discover its real value," the Web site of Iran's state-run television quoted Ahmadinejad as saying."

Full story here:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351789,00.html

Again, economic warfare.

Aloha.

Good trombone videos

2008-04-15T21:34:00.003-05:00

Make sure you watch this all the way through. Note the blindfolds and the change up at the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH4I_1F5Ehk&feature=related

Another version, a little faster with more bones:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1KHl-s5nfE&feature=related

Mediocre trombone player, great dancer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVUlLe6Elog

Aloha.

Cowbell Hero

2008-04-15T20:58:00.004-05:00

At lunch today we were discussing guitar hero and accordion hero. We then started brainstorming other "hero" game possibilities. We came up with Cowbell Hero. I was inspired to do a Google search. Here is the result:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHCDa337kzI

Here are some other alternatives worth the view:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dkygdt3l-LM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWPKblMM04k&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K_c9kwXNxE

I didn't find trombone hero, but here is a clip of an incredible trombone player:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL_BYyjzdfg

Finally, this is the Canadian Brass playing a piece a quintet I was in did my senior year of high school. The story goes that they only had time for one song for the Queen, so they decided to merge When the Saints Go Marching In and The Hallelujah Chorus and this was the result.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5wH7yEDR7I&feature=related

Aloha.

Funny Pictures

2008-04-07T20:04:00.002-05:00

The nature of Heaven and Hell

2008-04-07T19:33:00.000-05:00

Heaven is where the police are British, the chefs are Italian, the mechanics German, the lovers French and it is all organized by the Swiss.

Hell is where the police are German, the chefs British, the mechanics French, the lovers Swiss, and it is all organized by the Italians.

Saw this again and thought worth posting.

Aloha.

Celebrity Apprentice Finale

2008-04-02T22:01:00.002-05:00

If you don't want to know how the show ended almost a week ago, please stop reading now.

OK, now assuming that you are reading and don't mind being told who won, Piers Morgan won. Each celebrity represented a charity. Piers (who is British) represented the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. Quoting from the Celebrity Apprentice site:

"From 2000 to 2005 the Intrepid Fund provided close to $20 million to families of United States military personnel lost in performance of their duty. The Fund provided unrestricted grants to each spouse, child and parents of service members. The payments are coordinated with the casualty offices of the Armed Forces, to ensure all families received these benefits. In January 2007, the Fund also completed construction of a $40 million world-class state-of-the-art physical rehabilitation center at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. This charity particularly resonates with him because his brother has fought in 2 tours of duty in Iraq and his brother-in-law has fought in 2 tours of duty in Afghanistan. They both have lost several friends and comrades and Piers feels that this is a great charity to play for"

First, I am very pleased that such a worthy charity was represented by the winner and that that same charity won a lot of money because Piers won.

Second, it was apparent that Piers was highly motivated to win. He raised more money than all of the other contestants put together. He was aggressive and usually hostile, but pulled off (in one episode) what Donald Trump called the biggest thrashing in Apprentice history. He constantly reminded everyone that the reason they were all there was to raise money for their charities and that is why he was determined to win.

Third, I am somewhat ashamed that it took a Brit to represent a charity that gives back to the U.S. Military and their families. Why wasn't this charity represented by an American? Is this yet another example of how Hollywood (and celebrities) lack an appreciation for our military?

Let me know your thoughts on this.

Aloha.

Super Hero Movies

2008-04-02T21:34:00.002-05:00

There are a bunch of superhero movies coming out this summer. Here's my take on the 3 most important.

Iron Man:

May 2, 2008

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhgzIM-9lfA

The changes made to original story appear minor, to update to new era. Instead of being prisoner in Vietnam, he is prisoner in Iraq-like country. Robert Downey to play an alcoholic. What acting? Looks like there will be plenty of gratuitous violence. Gotta love that.

Batman: The Dark Knight

July 18, 2008

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaIR9dAZRR0

Heath Ledger freaks me out as the Joker. Wow. Looks like an impressive performance. Should be a very good movie.

The Incredible Hulk

June 13, 2008

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia3uPDuojmU

Edward Norton as Bruce Banner...not sure that is a good choice. I didn't recognize the villain until I traced the name down on the website. Even after comparing the image from the trailer and the image from the comics, I still didn't see a good comparison. I think this one will tank.

Let me know your thoughts. Am I on target, or missing something?

Aloha.

Celebrity Apprentice

2008-03-25T21:31:00.002-05:00

A former boss helped get me hooked on the Apprentice. I enjoy watching a show about business. I know...it is crazy.

Anyway, there was a very funny part of the show which is shown below. Please watch and return.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4DyA0BSvyk

I love the level of disgust in his voice..."wheat grass juice". I watched many times and laughed harder each time (and am laughing now as I write). "I will never get that time in my life back". Classic.

Aloha.

War's Cost

2008-03-24T11:41:00.003-05:00

So, the total casualty count is up to 4,000. Please review the link below:

http://gung-ho-man.blogspot.com/2006_12_01_archive.html

Also, here is a link to the question "How many people died on D-Day":

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_people_died_on_D-Day

Finally:

"When dark days in U.S. history are recalled, they usually include Pearl Harbor and the September 11 terrorist attacks, both of which killed about 3,000 people.

But the single bloodiest day in American military history occurred in 1862, in the battle of Antietam, near Sharpsburg, Maryland. Forces of Union General George McClellan and the Confederate troops of General Robert E. Lee met in a daylong pitched battle. By its end, more than 23,000 soldiers had been killed or wounded."

So, we are up to 1.6 D-Days and (using the 56% avg. KIA vs WIA Civil War figure and assuming 16 hours of combat) about 5 hours of Antietam.

Or, we are up to the first plane on Sept 12.

PER...SPEC...TIVE. PERSPECTIVE.

Aloha.

My drive home today

2008-03-21T18:57:00.003-05:00

I went in to work some of the day today. We had the day off, but I had some billing to catch up on and had moved my office somewhat on Friday and wanted to finish that.

My wife also went into GR today to do some shopping. She left town at 12:00 (when it had just started snowing in GR) and got home in the usual time (about 25 minutes). I left a little over 2 hours later, calling her at 2:11 to let her know I was on my way home. It had been snowing for only 2 hours. I walked in the door at home just after 5:00. It took me almost 3 hours to get home. At times the expressway was stopped, many times it was crawling at 3 mph. When we got up to 35 mph, I was very happy.

Truly amazing how quickly the weather can change driving conditions. In 2 hours the roads went from clear and dry to parking lot.

Wow.

BTW, I did call my wife 2 other times through the process so that she wouldn't worry. In one of those conversations I said "I would be happy if I was home by 4", to which both of us laughed, thinking that that would be very late.

Aloha.

Oh Danny Boy

2008-03-16T22:03:00.002-05:00

As performed by the Swedish Chef, Animal and Beeker:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCbuRA_D3KU

Aloha.

Personality Quiz

2008-03-14T23:50:00.002-05:00

I took another personality quiz. I think it is dead wrong. Here it is:

Egghead:

The Egghead exists exclusively online, playing World of Warcraft, working on their (fake) MySpace page, or taking stupid personality tests. They'd rather text than talk, even if the person they're texting is sitting right next to them (Ms U, lov U, alw thinkN of U).
Aliases: Nerd, Dweeb
Diet: Pizza, soda, anything deep fried
Aniamal: Computer Mouse
Friends: Creepy Loner, Suck Up
Habitat: Wherever there's a WiFi signal
Color: 2560X1600 (4096k)
Call: "OMG! LOL!"
Enemies: Party Animal, Bully

What do you think?

Aloha

Gary Gygax dies

2008-03-05T01:00:00.002-05:00

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/03/04/obit.gygax.ap/index.html

Some history: As a child, I wasn't interested in school. Quite frankly, it was too slow and boring. As for reading, what's the point. TV is better.

Then, one summer (between my 3rd and 4th grade years), my cousin from Washington state came to stay with our grandparents for the summer. He introduced me to Dungeons and Dragons (D&D). I was 8 years old. The books were for ages "12 and up". A lot of that rating had to do with reading level. Because my older cousin was interested, I was hooked. I discovered a reason to read. And I read up a storm. In 3rd grade I was in the middle/low end of the reading group spectrum. (Funny, they tried not to tell kids where they rated by calling the groups different colors. However, it was obvious when you progressed from one group to another, what the ranking was.) By the 4th grade, I was in the top reading group and never looked back. I would regularly be at the top of the top reading group. I attribute this change entirely to D&D. I believe my entire academic career was impacted by that important change.

Back in 1974 (the year I was born), Gary Gygax created D&D. If it weren't for him and his creation, my life would be very different. This complete stranger had a profound, positive impact upon my life. I am sad to see him go.

Aloha.

Mike Huckabee on SNL

2008-02-27T19:45:00.002-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvSXpM5qGmg

This is hilarious. He may not be the Republican nominee, but at least he is intelligent and funny. I am very glad to see that he can laugh at himself.

Aloha.

So Many Things

2008-02-16T18:57:00.005-05:00

Illness:

First, I have been ill since Monday night (today is Saturday). I have had a temperature over 100 the whole time. Shortly after becoming ill, I read a story indicating the flu season is pretty bad this year. Really? (sarcasm heavy here)

I may edit later when I am in my right mind, but for now, here are my thoughts on some topics:

University Shootings:

There was a shooting at a University where a former student entered onto a stage in a lecture hall kind of classroom armed with a shotgun and 3 handguns and opened fire on the instructor and the students, killing 5 and wounding over a dozen.

The following is a quote from a story on MSNBC.com:

Vulnerability exposed in today’s open campuses
'Can we stop it anywhere?' The answer, chillingly, may be no

Now, I don't want to offend or be too politically incorrect...oh wait...I do.

This comment is CRAP! Can we stop a gunman well in a "gun-free zone" like a school, hospital, sports arena, etc.? No. Does that mean we should just give up and call it a day? NO!!!

I don't know how many students were in that lecture hall. It sounds like quite a few. I would guess over 100. If even 10% were armed, and if only 50% of those felt comfortable using their weapons, that would be 5-to-1 odds. Even if those 5 were horrible shots, the shooter would still have been forced to keep his head down. Nothing makes you look for cover like being shot at.

We have chosen to make these target areas where everyone knows that they can bring a simple handgun and be the most heavily armed person. The fact that we advertise this is criminal.

The best way to stop a shooter is to shoot the shooter. In places (like a recent church shooting attempt in AZ) where someone has been armed and paying attention, large body counts have been avoided. From what I can tell, the only reason there isn't a higher body count on this one is the murder's use of a shotgun. I saw numerous pictures of people who were sprayed with shotgun pellets, but not killed by them. If he had used some of his limited military training and used something with more killing power, in a group that large, body counts would have been much higher. Good for us all that he was psycho and stupid.

We created these areas where the good guys can't shoot back...where good guys can't appropriately defend themselves. Criminal.

Now, I know I'll get feedback like "what about accidents", "what about people who turn into bad guys", "what about guns (even good guy guns) going off in a crowd like that", etc.

I could go into exhaustive arguments on these topic, but I'm not going to. I'm ill and those arguments lack merit. Here's what I will say to nay sayers: I dare you to look into the faces of the parents of the young adults who just died and tell them that their son or daughter shouldn't have had the right to defend him/herself. (Don't really do that. If you are reading this and from Berkeley, I know you are on the phone already.) Your right to feel safe does not trump anyone else's right to actually be safe. If you feel differently, you are selfish in the extreme.

We created "gun-free zones" on planes. Then 9/11 happened. Now, pilots can be armed and there are Federal Marshalls to protect us. I guess we could go that route. Let the staff/faculty of a University be armed and station armed law enforcement in classes. (Can anyone see any way the last part of that is practical?)

Starship Troopers 3:

I don't know where I've been. Starship Troopers: Marauder (3) is in post-production (according to IMDB). It will be starring General Johnny Rico (once again, played by Casper). Johnny took Starship Troopers 2 off.

Now, I've never been a huge fan of the movies (other than the general "it has soldiers and guns and killing the enemy"). But, compared to the book, the movies have been bad. Really bad. The movies deomonstrate that the directors have no idea what Heinlein was talking about in his book.

So, without much information about the movie, I don't have much hope that it will be wonderful. But, I am amazed that they are still going. Who would have thought that there would be two more after the first one? Not me.

Finally, despite the fact that I was ill, my wife and I took note of the fact that we have been married for 14 1/2 years, as of this past Valentine's Day.

Well, that's all I've got for now.

Aloha.

More Berkeley

2008-02-08T21:32:00.000-05:00

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,329866,00.html

Short version: Mayor of Berkeley "Oh CRAP! You mean there are consequences to our actions? Well, our words don't really mean anything anyway...so we'll say we're sorry. Please don't take our money."

My response to Mayor of Berkeley: Bite me. Don't mess with the bull if you don't want the horns, son.

My recommendation: Look for even more money to take. Add an amendment to the new "rebate" bill to exclude anyone living in Berkeley or attending UC Berkeley.

Aloha.

Berkeley and server names

2008-02-07T13:22:00.000-05:00

Many of you know I am a professional computer person. I am also a military person. Here is where the two come together.

Through a rather convaluted set of circumstances, I became aware of one of the e-mail server names that UC Berkeley has. It is zahedan.eecs.berkeley.edu.

Typically, when a computer person names a server, there is some reason behind it. I have heard of naming conventions including snack foods, Comic books and (ours at CU) Disciples. So, when I saw this name, I wondered what zahedan was. I was curious.

Now many of you have seen my post about Berkeley the town and its response to the miltary and some suggested response from the military community.

Anyway, zehedan:

Zahedan, city in southeastern Iran, located near the borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan, the capital of Sistan and Baluchistan province at altitude of 1,352 m from sea level at a distance of 1,605 km from Tehran.

Lying east of the "Kavir-e Loot" desert, Zahedan used to be called "Dozdab", as it was the meeting place of bandits. "Dozd" means robbers and bandits. "Ab" means water or a place of water. Bandits used to frequent the place for their drinking water.

Why do they have a server named after an Iranian city??? Oh well. I guess the fighter jockeys can just have a better excuse for why they got the wrong zahedan. "Oh, I thought you meant the server at Berkeley. Oops."

Aloha.

Election Results Analysis

2008-02-05T22:01:00.001-05:00

Well, I have been holding off posting about elections. Many of you (my friends) have known that I have predicted that Hillary Clinton would win the presidency. I called this over a decade ago (and I have witnesses), when she was still the First Lady, not a citizen of New York, not a Senator from New York, not a democratic presidential candidate hopeful. Back then, I remember being questioned on Hillary's political aspirations (or apparent lack thereof at that time). I guess at least that question has been conclusively answered.

I am not going to focus on my precognative abilities any further in this post. What I want to focus on is some of the election results and demographics.

Tonight, as I listen to election coverage, I hear things that disturb me, as it reflects negatively on the state of our nation at its core.

Women are voting for Hillary, African Americans are voting for Obama, and the Mormons are voting for Romney. As the results of the elections pour in, we discover that we are still a selfish and self-centered nation. We vote for the candidate we most identify with personally. We still believe that if someone shares our gender, race or religion, that person will represent us best. There is a certain amount of distrust for someone "other".

I would have hoped that we would have been able to move beyond things like gender and race and vote for the person who has the best ideas and abilities to lead our nation.

What these results tell me is that the presidential race is a popularity contest, with the person "most like me" winning that contest.

How petty.

We have a political responsibility to elect the best candidate. When we make it a popularity contest or simply elect the person who will guarantee the most money from the public coffers to "me personally", we abuse that responsibility and mock the blood of those over the centuries who have died to provide this unprecedented level of political power.

How tragic.

Aloha

Berkeley at it again

2008-01-31T09:42:00.000-05:00

Read full story at link. Excerpt below.

http://www.blackfive.net/main/2008/01/is-there-a-way.html

"Thankfully, Move America Forward is spreading the word on this atrocity. Many thanks to them for their continued efforts to counter these oxygen thieves who are stealing the air of someone who could use it to be more productive.

Here is what my plan of action would be...

First, the US Marines would get a new Urban Warfare Training Center, the entire city of Berkeley, complete with role playing civilians, insurgents (codenamed dirtbags or hippies) and a new bombing range, codenamed "UC Berkeley" in order to practice getting JDAMs on target in an urban environment."

Aloha.

I-Pod commercial mockery

2008-01-15T22:33:00.001-05:00

I thought this was funny. Mild language issues (this aired on Fox at 11 pm).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i32NkW0s94&feature=related

Aloha.

The A-10

2008-01-15T13:54:00.001-05:00

Today at lunch, we were discussing the A-10. Here is a link to a video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cxa-qQuoKxs&NR=1

Impressive.

Aloha.

Oh no...the scary Lakota are coming

2007-12-20T13:03:00.000-05:00

Lakota Indians Withdraw Treaties Signed With U.S. 150 Years Ago

The Lakota Indians, who gave the world legendary warriors Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, have withdrawn from treaties with the United States.

"We are no longer citizens of the United States of America and all those who live in the five-state area that encompasses our country are free to join us,'' long-time Indian rights activist Russell Means said.

A delegation of Lakota leaders has delivered a message to the State Department, and said they were unilaterally withdrawing from treaties they signed with the federal government of the U.S., some of them more than 150 years old.

The group also visited the Bolivian, Chilean, South African and Venezuelan embassies, and would continue on their diplomatic mission and take it overseas in the coming weeks and months.

Lakota country includes parts of the states of Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming.

The new country would issue its own passports and driving licences, and living there would be tax-free - provided residents renounce their U.S. citizenship, Mr Means said.
The treaties signed with the U.S. were merely "worthless words on worthless paper," the Lakota freedom activists said.

Withdrawing from the treaties was entirely legal, Means said.
"This is according to the laws of the United States, specifically article six of the constitution,'' which states that treaties are the supreme law of the land, he said.

"It is also within the laws on treaties passed at the Vienna Convention and put into effect by the US and the rest of the international community in 1980. We are legally within our rights to be free and independent,'' said Means.

The Lakota relaunched their journey to freedom in 1974, when they drafted a declaration of continuing independence — an overt play on the title of the United States' Declaration of Independence from England.

Thirty-three years have elapsed since then because "it takes critical mass to combat colonialism and we wanted to make sure that all our ducks were in a row,'' Means said.

One duck moved into place in September, when the United Nations adopted a non-binding declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples — despite opposition from the United States, which said it clashed with its own laws.

"We have 33 treaties with the United States that they have not lived by. They continue to take our land, our water, our children,'' Phyllis Young, who helped organize the first international conference on indigenous rights in Geneva in 1977, told the news conference.

The U.S. "annexation'' of native American land has resulted in once proud tribes such as the Lakota becoming mere "facsimiles of white people,'' said Means.

Oppression at the hands of the U.S. government has taken its toll on the Lakota, whose men have one of the shortest life expectancies - less than 44 years - in the world.

Lakota teen suicides are 150 per cent above the norm for the U.S.; infant mortality is five times higher than the U.S. average; and unemployment is rife, according to the Lakota freedom movement's website

This is insane. The who just voided their treaties with us??? I say, let's give them the land that they deserve (that which they did not lose through our conquest) and let them run their own country. I bet they do better than we do.

Aloha.