Archives: 2007 January

The “decider” has spoken. Overriding the clearly expressed wishes of the vast majority of the American public, the wishes of the majority of the American congress, the earnest pleading of his top military advisors( those who opposed too vigorously have been removed from office), as well as the intelligence input from analysts at the CIA and The Department of State, President Bush remains firm in his desire to send additional troops to Iraq.

In my humble opinion, this stubbornness and arrogance will be the final blow to what is by any measure a failed Presidency. Bush will go down in the history books as one of the worst, if not the worst, “decider” in the proud, if rather short by world civilization standards, history of the United States.

Why Bush thinks that an additional 21,500 troops will make any real difference in Iraq only demonstrates once again his ignorance of the dynamics of fighting an insurgency. Yes, I know that this time the strategy is supposed to be different. The US, with major assistance from the Iraqi troops are supposed to hold an area once cleared of trouble makers.

One of the problems with this plan is that a fair percentage of the Iraqi troops who are supposed to do the a significant part of the holding and clearing are the trouble makers.

Another problem is that all of the talk about “winning the hearts and minds” of the population is largely crap when you have already destroyed the countries institutions, infrastructure, way of life, and have provided almost no security for anyone in Iraq except your hand picked functionaries.

Balad Air force Base has become one of the busiest airports in the world. Since the article below was published in the Washington Post on Feb. 4th, 2006 facilities at the base have been further expanded with permanent type structures, such as fancy enlisted mens and officers clubs, and comforable air conditioned barracks completed.

In Baghdad the largest American Embassy anywhere is under construction at a stated cost of $650,000,000.  Like every other construction project in Iraq the final cost will probably be a good bit higher. Cost over runs seem to be inevitable when security costs are factored in.

The enduring nature of these facilities speaks volumes about the true intentions of the Pentagon and the Bush administrations plans for Iraq. It would appear that from the get-go the “liberation” of Iraq was a thin cover for the American military and government to carve out a solid foot hole right in the middle of the Mid-East.

No wonder that our efforts in Iraq are looked at by such alarm by the Russians, French, Iranians, and particularly Arab governments in the region. It might also explain why President Bush moves ahead with his own dream for the region no matter what the wishes of the Congress and American public are.   

News story follows:
Biggest Base in Iraq Has Small-Town Feel
Most Troops at Balad Never Meet Iraqis

By Thomas E. Ricks
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, February 4, 2006; Page A14

BALAD, Iraq — Staff Sgt. Chad Twigg is on a one-year tour of duty in the middle of the Sunni Triangle. But on a recent winter morning, he wasn’t digging a foxhole or tracking an enemy sniper or trying to grab some sleep between firefights.

The robots are getting smarter and smarter. Just get out of their way and let them get to work.
Called “the first consumer robot to replace the mop and bucket” by Popular Science magazine, the Scooba (invented by the experts who created the Roomba) is the automatic robot that efficiently and simultaneously prepares, washes, scrubs, and dries tile, linoleum, or sealed hardwood floors, without human intervention.

The First Robotic Floor WasherScooba efficiently and simultaneously prepares, washes, scrubs, and dries tile, linoleum, or sealed hardwood floors, without human intervention.

Using a specially formulated bleach-free solution, Scooba methodically cleans a medium-sized kitchen floor in as little as 45 minutes, navigating independently and adjusting up to 67 times per second to maintain the most efficient pattern.

As it passes over flooring, the robot picks up loose dirt and sprays solution, while a rotary scrubber gently cleans, and a drier picks up the solution. Approximately the diameter of a dinner plate, the robot is compact enough to reach under cabinet kick boards and most furniture, and at the touch of a button, it courses through a room, moving around chair legs, ledges, and other potential roadblocks thanks to patented AWARE sensor technology that redirects the robot when it gently encounters an object in its path.

The robot cleans a standard-sized kitchen floor on a single tank. Hey, isn’t is better for you to have a loyal robot taking care of your dirty floors than by doing it yourself? Cleaning floors is hard work you know. Just relax and let this friendly little monster take over.

Depression can be a dangerous medical condition and needs to be treated. If you are feeling a bit down from time to time, that is normal. Most people have up days with a few down days mixed in along the way. Most of us are equipped to cope with the body’s bio rhythmic cycles and the frequent frustrations of life in the modern world.

However, if your down days persist and are getting out of hand you need to do something about it and fast. Even if you are nowhere near thinking seriously of cutting your life short, excessive bouts of depression can destroy relationships, ruin careers, lead to bad habits like taking illegal drugs, consuming too much alcohol, sleeping your life away, and generally causing life to be scary and unpleasant to live. And as wonderful as life can be that is a real shame.

If you are feeling down there is a website that I can recommend that has a lot of information about the causes and treatments for depression. There is an online quiz that may help you to decide to take action and get a doctors opinion. The information clearly states that anyone can get depression so don’t feel that you are at all alone. Millions of Americans suffer depression.

In fact, according to the information posted at the Depression.Com website 16% of all Americans will suffer from depression in their lifetimes. I expect there are many more countries where the percentages of adults suffering from depression is just as great. Americans are not the only ones with complicated lifestyles that seem to lead to mental disorders and bouts with depression.

Here is an item that no serious Ipod freak, errrr, that is fan, should be without. Make sure that your precious Ipod is safe, secure, and cozy no matter what the weather.

Never take the chance that your most precious possession is left out in the cold. Show your love for your Ipod by keeping it warm and contented next to your chest while being able to control the little beast from your jacket sleeve. No kidding. 

   

 

The iPod®-Controlling Jacket.    This fleece-lined, wind- and water-resistant jacket has an interior iPod pocket that protects your iPod from inclement weather, while a five button control system woven into the outer sleeve provides play, pause, volume, and track forward/backward control without having to open the jacket.

Don’t venture out into the cold, cruel world without your Ipod jacket. Be sure to purchase your Ipod first.