tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post8576791180871714501..comments2024-03-28T10:07:24.955-04:00Comments on Northern Reflections: The Great ReckoningOwen Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06464860078574618579noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-91699936130241826602019-07-29T08:18:54.674-04:002019-07-29T08:18:54.674-04:00For Bacevich, Mound, the tragedy which has overtak...For Bacevich, Mound, the tragedy which has overtaken his country mirrors his own personal tragedy. It's what gives his writing power and purpose.Owen Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464860078574618579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-53480692163118637282019-07-28T22:01:45.868-04:002019-07-28T22:01:45.868-04:00When I read this piece I thought Bacevich was writ...When I read this piece I thought Bacevich was writing a eulogy for the country he once served and for which his son died in Iraq. It's been a very interesting transformation for Bacevich from a career US Army commander who led forces in Desert Storm, to watching his son follow in his shoes, to leaving the army only to realize most of what he had been led to believe about both the military and his country was propaganda. Then he pursued a second career as an academic and brought his life experiences into play in what must, by now, be five books.<br /><br />Bacevich finds the capture of the US government by special interests reflected in the latter day mutation of what we once knew as the military-industrial complex as new players joined in, among them Christian fundamentalists, the hyper-bellicose neo-conservatives, the new Republican right, and the commercial, for-profit, warfighters such as Halliburton, Blackwater and other contractors. They have together created an institution that exists to fight, not to win. Together they sculpted America's all volunteer army, the purpose of which was to isolate powerful advantaged groups, the rich and influential, from the obligation of sending their sons and daughters to war. Keep them onside and it's a virtual licence to wage perma-war, war without end. Anything to keep the machine churning.The Mound of Soundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09023839743772372922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-78869828143891677782019-07-28T16:59:47.953-04:002019-07-28T16:59:47.953-04:00We've had lots of near misses, ffd. My father ...We've had lots of near misses, ffd. My father used to call it "pure dumb luck." However, given what we face, I dont think we can rely on pure dumb luck.Owen Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464860078574618579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-7383862057599726172019-07-28T14:03:03.780-04:002019-07-28T14:03:03.780-04:00OK, the date of the near hit was 25 July.
Paul wr...OK, the date of the near hit was 25 July.<br /><br />Paul wrote: What a crazy coincidence. Last night I uploaded three videos on asteroid and comet impacts. This morning we had an extremely close call. Asteroid 2019 OK missed Earth by 0.19 LD (72,000 km; about 6 Earth diameters; 19% of Earth-to-Moon distance). Asteroid diameter was between 57 to 130 meters, speed 24.5 km/s. Upper end size would hit with an energy of 260 MT (17,000 Hiroshima size bombs), causing a 2.6 km diameter crater 556 meters deep. The fireball would have been 1.5 km in diameter, and the frequency of occurrence is about once every 12,000 years. An extremely close call; and a total surprise.<br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8Rm4Z0_Tmw <br /><br />Here is an example of a science story with very little or no MSM coverage. When people have no idea what is going on, they can't think sensibly.<br /><br />Paul is a font of info both scientific and practical. Anyway I hope that knowing we were not hit by a giant asteroid cheers us all up. ffdnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-75797365393321986482019-07-28T13:59:39.625-04:002019-07-28T13:59:39.625-04:00I suspect ordinary folks will reach a breaking poi...I suspect ordinary folks will reach a breaking point, ffd. What happened in Puerto Rico recently is a small preview of what will happen. And the results won't be pretty.Owen Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464860078574618579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-85876162179739266132019-07-28T13:35:26.097-04:002019-07-28T13:35:26.097-04:00Definitely something to think about and do somethi...Definitely something to think about and do something about. But the people I meet don't want to think. Maybe they are too harassed by daily life to have the energy to think.<br /><br />It is strange how hard it is to keep up with scientific developments without deliberately and actively seeking such information while endless drivel about, say, the royal family is hard to avoid. Even I know about baby Archie. How did that happen; I am not interested in baby Archie or the royals but I am interested in science, some understanding of which is necessary to appreciate the dangers of global warming.<br /><br />Even the science mags are dumbed down and this in one of the most exciting periods of scientific discovery ever to happen. <br /><br />As far as global warming info goes, I follow Paul Beckwith, a prof at the U of Ottawa,on his Youtube channel. He is very good but I feel like I need a remedial science course to understand his stuff. But I sure don't want him to dumb down anything. He mentioned very recently that we narrowly avoided a big asteroid hit on July 26, one that missed the Earth only by a few earth diameters.<br /><br />I suspect the powers that be are quite nervous about the general population taking global warming seriously and will minimize it as long as possible. When it begins to hit in a way that can't be ignored, the richer people will continue to live as they always have but they will decide the poorer people don't really need electricity, etc. This is the usual pattern anyway.<br /><br /> ffdnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-10369875765794975522019-07-28T12:55:22.377-04:002019-07-28T12:55:22.377-04:00Again and again, Rural, we are reminded of humanki...Again and again, Rural, we are reminded of humankind's essential illness. And, to date, no cure has been found.Owen Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464860078574618579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-71714608337315466842019-07-28T11:54:31.996-04:002019-07-28T11:54:31.996-04:00A remarkably succinct treatise that clearly outlin...A remarkably succinct treatise that clearly outlines our current dilemma and how little is being done to address it Owen. The climate, the birds & insects, the flowers & trees and indeed nature itself is trying to tell us something but by-enlarge it is being ignored in mankind's obsession with a different kind of wealth.Ruralhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11814103548500393628noreply@blogger.com