Having a female brain

Over the years, my husband has said something at times leading to a "discussion"

Usually it started about something "Women just wouldn’t understand" like car maintenance, vacations, how to spend our money, when the yard needs mowing, when can someone give the dog a much needed bath, can someone go to school and talk with our daughter’s counselor….who knows, there are endless variations over the years.

 Invariably though, the subject of how I think about whatever subject came down to something akin to “I wish I could understand how you think..."

 How do women think? Are we that different than men, mentally?

I know we are more emotional, seem to be more in touch with stuff…so I looked online to see what I could find out…

I searched for “Differences in male and female brains” I found lots of scientific stuff, and this video, in which this man seems to explain it all..(although I don't exactly agree with the video)

 

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Korean War II Brewing...??

B. B. Bell, General, US Army and native Tennessean, retired in 2008 following 39 years of military service. He graduated from the University of Chattanooga in 1969 with a degree in Business Administration.  After graduation, General Bell was commissioned in the Army as a participant in the University's ROTC program and designated a Distinguished Military Graduate.  He served fifteen years deployed overseas during both peace and war times.

As a two star general, he commanded the Army's Armor Center at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and later, as a three star general, he commanded the Army's Third Corps, headquartered at Fort Hood, Texas.

As a four star general, General Bell commanded the US Army in Europe, as well as NATO's Land Component Headquarters in Heidelberg, Germany.

Subsequently he served as the Commander of US Forces in Korea, as well as commander of all Allied forces in Korea. General Bell is a veteran of the Iraq Desert Storm Campaign where he served as General Norman Schwarzkopf's Executive Officer, as well as the Balkans Campaigns in southern Europe.  

So when he writes that the Korean Peninsula is ready to erupt into a full fledged shooting war, one should probably listen.

His scenario, published as a op-ed in the Chattanoogon, on April 21, 2010:

“Listen up everyone, we have one brewing over our shoulder right now that could drag us into another major war, whether we like it or not.

The United States is properly committed to a defense alliance with South Korea wherein we pledge to lead a war against north Korea, should north Korea attack South Korea. Here's the situation -- it's very possible north Korea has already attacked the South and as soon as everyone figures it out, we could be in a hot and lethal war again on the Korean peninsula.

Over the last 10 years, there have been three major naval engagements between the two Korea's along their western sea border area. In one of these engagements in 2002, six South Korean sailors were killed and a South Korean patrol board was sunk.

Just a month ago on March 26 of this year, things got worse, a lot worse. While patrolling the west sea border between the Korea's, the South Korean frigate, Cheonan, "mysteriously" and instantly was blown in half during the night, with the loss of 46 crew members of 104 on board. The South Koreans have salvaged most of the ship and are now examining its remains in dry dock. Already it is clear that there was an external explosion that cut the ship in half and caused it to sink almost immediately, with the large loss of life.

There are two plausible explanations for this disaster.

 

The first is that the Cheonan ran up against an old sea mine which had come loose from its moorings dating back to the Korean War. If this proves to have been the case, then this incident, while tragic, will be placed in the history books and South Korea will move on.

The other explanation is that the ship was deliberately ambushed by a north Korean submarine. Given the state of relations between the two Korea's, this is very possible, if not probable. The forensics should tell the tale within the next several days or weeks.

If the South Koreans determine their ship was ambushed and catastrophically sunk by a torpedo from a north Korean submarine with the loss of 46 of their sailors, there will almost assuredly be a quick and very decisive South Korean retaliatory strike. This whole process could escalate into a large scale war, before the generals, admirals and political leaders figure out what is happening around them. If a war does break out, we are in it for keeps meaning three wars at one time. It is essential that the United States work closely with its ally, the South Koreans, to determine the facts surrounding this naval catastrophe and assist them in planning and executing an appropriate response should it be determined that north Korea is the culprit.”

Well, South Korea is has pretty much decided it was the second scenario.

“South Korean Defense Minister Kim Tae-young has suggested a torpedo attack as the most likely cause of the sinking of the corvette Cheonan on March 26, the New York Times has reported on 25 April 2010.

 

46 South Korean sailors died in the sinking.

The Sinking of the Cheonan

Suspicion has been growing that Cheonan was sunk by a North Korean torpedo exploding before impact, causing a ‘bubble jet’ which broke the ship in two. Head of the investigation Yoon Duk-yong, told the New York Times that the ship was likely sunk “by a non-contact explosion, rather than a contact explosion,” saying that there was an absence on the wreck of damage normally left when a ship suffered a direct hit. “A bubble jet caused by a heavy torpedo is thought to be the most likely thing to be blamed, but various other possibilities are also under review,” said Mr. Kim.

The region in the Yellow Sea in which the Cheonan sank has been the scene of a number of skirmishes between North and South. In 1999, a confrontation left 17 North Koreans dead, while in 2002 four South Korean sailors and at least 30 North Koreans died. During the ‘Sunshine Policy’ days of 1998 – 2008 South Korea was hesitant before pointing the finger at the North on any matter likely to increase tensions. Lately however, attitudes have hardened in Seoul under President Lee Myung-bak.”

 

Meanwhile, the Obama administrations chief diplomat, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday that she hoped there would be "no miscalculation" that could spark a new war between North and South Korea.

"I hope that there is no talk of war, there is no action or miscalculation that could provoke a response that might lead to conflict that is not in anyone's interests," the chief US diplomat told reporters.

Clinton had been asked to comment on North Korea's seizing South Korean-owned assets at a mountain resort and warning both sides were on the brink of war over the sinking of a warship on their disputed border.

"We have said time and time again that North Koreans should not engage in provocative actions and that they should return to the six-party talks," she said, referring to the talks for the de-nuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and other matters.

The UH-72A Lakota program: “A success of the first order”

This kind of makes me angry- and points out how truly stupid government procurement processes are. In 2007, it was pointed out that the UH72 helicopter (actually a Eurocopter EC145) had not met several key features, including a cabin that became too hot in desert conditions, inability to lift 2200 pounds, and other shortcomings. It was modified and became the UH72A. Still built by Eurocopter, only now in the USA under the name EADS North America.. In March of this year, this came out from the company "

American Eurocopter President and CEO Marc Paganini recalled the Lakota program’s aggressive schedule, which enabled the first UH-72A to be delivered in December 2006 – only months after the Army’s Light Utility Helicopter award in June of the same year.  

“We built this new plant in less than one year, we’ve successfully transferred the full production line from Germany, we’re hiring and training more than 300 employees, and our team has trained over 500 U.S. Army pilots and 200 of the service’s mechanics,” Paganini said.   “With the Lakota fleet having already flown more than 25,000 hours, American Eurocopter and EADS North America take great pride in supporting our armed forces.”

OK, so then the US Army posts a story about "Army's newest helicopter now flying in Europe" on April 23, 2010.

The Army's first UH-72A Lakota helicopter to reach Europe is off-loaded on Ramstein Air Base, April 13. The aircraft will be used by the Joint Multinational Readiness Center at Hohenfels, Germany. The Lakota, an advanced rotary-wing aircraft, is produced by American Eurocopter, a business unit of European Aeronautics Defense and Space.

"The Lakota is the military version of an existing aircraft - the EC 145 Eurocopter - it was actually designed in Donauwoerth, Germany, which makes it even better suited for the training mission here," said Bill Bennett, a contract field service representative with American Eurocopter.

Meeting the Army's commercial off-the-shelf acquisition strategy for light utility helicopters also equates to time and money saved for research and development as well as acquisition.

OK. So the US contracts a European company to build a plant in the USA, move a bunch of production equipment from Germany to the USA, set up the factory, build the helicopters, test fly them, disassemble them, load them in USAF C-5's, fly the disassembled helicopters  to Germany, when they are reassembled and put into service...got it?

My question is, if they know how many they were sending to Germany, wouldn't it have been cheaper just to buy them IN GERMANY instead??

 

Animal Lovers or not?

My Stick Family

There are people that really care about animals, and those that simply don't get it.

 I recently was talking with a friend, a former co-worker, and has he walked me to my car he noticed the "stick family" decal on the back window of my car, which has figures for my husband, me, our dog, our two cats and an angel dog- our scottie that had cancer and was euthanized in 2007.

He smiled and said it was cute, and asked about the halo dog- which I talked about a little,explaining that to me and a lot of people I have spoken with, pets are more than living property, they are parts of our family. I told him how we agonized over whether to put her down or not, and the vet telling us she was likely in some pain, which would only become worse has the cancer deteriorated her other organs, including her brain. I started crying, since I can't really think about it even three years later without becoming distraught. 

He said, "Canice, I never could see why people get so wound up about pets, I never had a dog and wouldn't want one"

To me this is unimaginable, not having a dog and or cat in the family. Let alone not caring for one. That's why the news about the dog in Southern California, named Courage by the people caring for him, strikes a chord of anger and disbelief in me. That's probably why Animal Planet shows about "Animal Cops" are so popular.

Roughly 60% of American families have a dog in their family. Some are like mine, probably pampered too much, go everywhere with their humans, including vacations and errand around town, most places. She even sleeps in out bedroom with us.

Some spend their lives outside, cared for but unwelcome in the house. Some don't even fare that well.

As part of the charity campaign at my work, I regularly give through payroll deduction to a variety of charities- including The American Humane and American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals...

People that can be mean and hurtful to an animal, can be mean to people. Many studies have found a link between cruelty to animals and other forms of interpersonal violence.

This is why this blog, which has lately focused on politics, has been focused on this story lately. Because the "alleged" person responsible for the cruelty towards this beautiful dog is also a mother. Statistically, cruelty cases involved child abuse.  The perpetrators either abused the children or force them to witness the cruelty to animals.

How accurate this turned out to be

People laughed when this was first on Saturday Night Live, but its odd how true it rings..

 

Courage the German Shepherd Update

April 7 -  a starved and near death 3 yr old German Shepherd is brought to the emergency veterinary, as revealed in this story from Orange County California:

Somewhere in a lonely back yard, a young dog lived chained to a tree without food, water or attention.

He waited for that food, and when it didn’t come, he ate dirt. Eventually the dog laid down and he didn’t get up.

But still, he didn’t die.

An anonymous Good Samaritan stepped in April 7 and rescued the German shepherd from sure death. The animal, not much more than skin and bone, wailed in agony on the way to get help.

The dog was taken to an emergency animal hospital in Orange County where a horrified veterinary technician called friends at German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County.

The dog’s owner, Kimberly Nizato of Bellflower, was arrested April 16 and charged with one count of felony animal cruelty and one misdemeanor count of failing to provide care. Nizato met her bail requirement and will be arraigned May 12 in Bellflower Superior Court.

She was fired from her job Wednesday as a full-time kennel attendant at Southern California Veterinary Specialty Hospital in Irvine.

Courage continues to rehabilitate with the help from a foster caretaker with GSROC.

 He has gained 20 pounds since he was rescued.

The April 24 peaceful protest, "March for Courage," in Bellflower, Calif., has been officially canceled due to fears the event would turn into a volatile situation, according to sources at German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County. " People in this community are angry, and want to know why a person working as a tech at a vet hospital wopuld do such a thing?"

It began as a way for a limited number of GSROC volunteers and others in the rescue community to silently protest animal cruelty as well as shed light on felony animal abuse suspect Kimberly Nizato, 26, and the near-starvation case of her dog, Courage the German Shepherd. But once word of the event got out in various media circuits and cross-posted online, the once-peaceful walk began looking more like a lynch mob.

"I very much regret this has happened because we could have done a lot of good," said march organizer and GSROC volunteer Shawn Hollub. "Unfortunately, I'm not comfortable lending my name [to this event anymore]. We don't want a mob scene. We want a peaceful walk in honor of Courage."

Follow Courage's recovery at Courage Lives

Constitution of the United States of America

Why is it that when people advocate government adherence to the Constitution the are labelled? Support an unpopular view and claim your First Amendment rights=Free Speech advocate;

 support the Right to keep and bear arms, you're a gun nut, militia member or wingnut...among other names.

Now if you advocate states resistance to federal government encroachment, you're a Tenther, part of the Tenth Amendment Movement.

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
--Tenth Amendment in the U.S. Constitution.

When I worked for the government, when honey joined the military, we always took an oath to preserve protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America...

California has a section in the Government Code that prohibits public employees from being paid if they do not sign an oath,

§ 1360. Necessity of taking constitutional oath

Unless otherwise provided, before any officer enters on the duties of his office, he shall take and subscribe the oath or affirmation set form in Section 3 of Article XX of the Constitution of California.

(Amended by Stats. 1953, c. 1250.)

I, , do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitutions of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties upon which I am about to enter

Does so doing make one also subject to derision as a "Oather"?

More things bugging me lately...

Why does the media like to hype the fact that Timothy McVeigh, who was executed for the Oklahoma City Bombing, was a military veteran?

 Is Military service now a precursor to being labelled a danger to the country they swore to defend?? 

Remember a year ago when Secretary of Homeland Security caused a furor for saying just that?

The problem is (and the administration knows this) that if you move too fast and too broadly you can create a resistance that becomes more than just political rallies and tea-party protests. Those are just harbingers. Beyond these harbingers is the darker realm of what is politely called "civil unrest."

This is especially the case when things are collapsing economically and your plan initiates, daily, policies that accelerate the collapse. In this situation, even nations with a long history of political patience and stability can rapidly devolve to the point where a government, to maintain itself, has to look at plans for placing the army in the cities. And all established governments have these plans. They would be negligent if they did not.

Have you ever lived in a city when the army is present?

 I have. It was Berkeley, California in May of 1969 in what was know as The People's Park Riots. (History at the link.) What began with about 250 Highway Patrol and Oakland police being sent in to take back control of a disputed piece of University property escalated to a situation where 2,700 National Guard troops were placed in the city to restore order.

 It's a strange thing to see a soldier on every corner with a loaded rifle. Something so rare that it is pretty much unthinkable to the average American today. But it did happen and it can happen. All it takes is, in times of collapse, a spark and a paranoid government.

(Note: In thinking about this, after 9/11 they posted the National Guard at the entrance to the San Francisco Bay bridge and other bridges- pretty weird, seeing troops with a roof mounted machine gun on a Hummer in the toll plaza...or when I went to Germany and there were machine gun armed soldiers patrolling the terminals...but I digress)

What are your thoughts?