Link Dump 30 July
While I’m waiting for the computer to crunch through some other work…
- It’s been a while since I looked at 2Slick. He’s got an older post quoting Lt Gen Petraeus that is worth looking at with observations like “Act quickly, because every Army of liberation has a half-life.“.
- Pixy links to a movie called “Obsession” on Google Video that I would look at later but have not yet. Subject line: Islamists.
- The Armchair Generalist reviews the new Zinni book. The review (and the commenters on the post) think that Zinni’s channeling Thomas Barnett, or at least read one of Barnett’s books. The Generalist points out that building something like a Genocide Prevention Corps or SysAdmin or Zinni’s “National Monitoring and Planning Center” is a larger organizational change than was Goldwater-Nichols, and thus will be difficult to implement. I also noticed that the solution Zinni posits, as described by the Generalist, sounds awfully DoD-centric. (I haven’t been in complete agreement with Zinni for a couple of years, so this might be worth reading.)
- Speaking of Barnett, here’s his latest column. I’ll be darned if I can figure out why “equilibrium” is a good thing–and it sure sounds like Scowcroftesque “stability”, which I consider a nonstarter. I also don’t see a problem with the US continuing to be more powerful economically or militarily, which makes this column a bit silly to me. But there’s the link–you make the call.
- B3ta’s been digging into the YouTube a little too much. One of the more pixilated videos is here.
- Chaotic Synaptic’s new place is a new, clean design.
- The Doc is spending his anniversary in the Box. Drop him some deployed commenting love, willya? (Which reminds me: went to the yuppie grocery store again today, and complimented the early-twentyish girl at the counter on her new tat. New tat was a writeover, as she had her husband’s name on it, and the new tat we hadn’t seen was “Never” on one inner wrist and “Again” on the other. This is in Omaha, mind you. Now tell me tattoos aren’t mainstream.)
- A wonderful extracted comment from a polemic that needed written, over at Galley Slaves. The movie discussed is pretty lame indeed.
- Professor Dauber’s been on fire this week, including this zinger and…never mind. Just keep scrolling.
- This blogfight won’t register on Allah’s Top Ten, but it is pretty sad. Not really worth the click; but I typed this anyway.
- Tammi’s going on tour. Hope she gets her trackbacks fixed by the time she comes back, though…
- Jason van Steenwyk thinks bonds are bottomed, agreeing with this guy. Could be, or at least some of the cash sitting in our money market after getting out of First Command could go to a bond index.
- A profile of Walid Jumblatt from the Wall Street Journal.
7 Responses to “Link Dump 30 July”
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July 31st, 2006 at 7:27 am
First, I sure hope bonds have bottomed out. I am tired of not seeing my Bond index fund make any gains!
Second, there is nothing wrong with wanting stability, particularly if the alternative is condemning two generations of American youth (Let me re-phrase that-a very narrow sector of American youth, thanks to lack of any meanignful national service for men) to war with out end. What I have never understood about your arguement is how its justified for the US to interfere in the affairs of another soveign nation. And if it is then what prevents other less disciplined nations from imitating the US and as a result the world is in its current state of chaos.
And if we are going to got that route…..well maybe the pundits are right saying the problem in Iraq is that we did not kill enough Sunnis at the outset. Maybe a few Dresden style raids were actually what was needed on Baghdad and Fallujah. My point being is that you can get dragged down to the level of ones opponet.
That is something I don’t think we really want. Plus, as I have said before someone is going to have to convince me its worth it in the long run.
July 31st, 2006 at 9:15 am
A portion of your portfolio should definitely be in a bond index fund.
Vanguard founder John Bogle on the coming pension crisis and investing for retirement.
July 31st, 2006 at 5:14 pm
Where was the yuppie grocery store? I’ll say that tats are mainstream when you can find that tattoo on someone out at Village Pointe. :-p
July 31st, 2006 at 9:37 pm
Whole
PaycheckFoods in Westroads, close enough to Village Pointe. I’d check over there but being in the sticks that’s a significant drive.July 31st, 2006 at 11:36 pm
Heh, alright. Point taken. Excepting my job (landscaping) I rarely if ever make the jaunt out into that neck of the woods. I’m a Sarpy boy so that’s definitely not my crowd.
August 1st, 2006 at 9:08 pm
Well, having grown up first on the north side of town (Miller Park) then out by Boys Town, I recall when Westroads sprung up and along w/Regency, was considered to be cut of a different bolt of cloth than the rest of the city, save the Dundee area…sooo, I guess I wouldn’t have been surprised by tatooed lass.
-SJS
August 2nd, 2006 at 2:13 am
I’m waiting to see a gal on the beach, wearing a thong bottom, showing her two blue twin screws tattooed on the cheeks. I mean, we do have female machinist’s mates, right?