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Russia just invaded Ukraine --- for real this time
General | Posted 4 years agoThe sh** hit the fan real quick, didn't it?
I wish I could say that Ukraine was ready... but they aren't. Most of their tanks are T-64s (a design so bad that the T-72 was developed as an emergency last-minute successor), few of which have been modernized since the 1980s, and their fighters all date back to the 1980s. On top of that, at least two thirds of Ukraine's fighters have been inoperable for decades, due to a shortage of spare parts. I can't imagine that anything else in their inventory is in better shape. Ukraine's only warship, aside from auxiliaries and patrol craft, is a single Frigate, the Hetman Sahaydachniy.
They're gonna get curb-stomped, if they haven't already by the time you read this.
Ukraine has no allies. Several countries in Eastern Europe are on high alert over the invasion, but they don't have the power to affect the outcome of this war, and NATO doesn't want to get involved either.
The US is no ally of Ukraine either. The Beltway has spent the past 30 years using them to bait Russia (the same way a psychotic girlfriend tells the toughest and meanest guy at the bar that her boyfriend can completely PWN him), whilst simultaneously neither committing any US forces to defending it, nor selling them so much as even a single APC. The Pentagon's only contribution to Ukraine that I could find was Humvees, most of which were previously destined for the scrapyard due to being run far too hard for far too long in the War on Terror.
Not that the US has any reason to be an ally either, given that all other NATO countries disagree hard on the suggestion that Ukraine should ever be allowed to join NATO, and the US has neither militarily aided Ukraine ever, nor vice-versa. Also, off the top of your head, try to name five different trade products that Ukraine imports directly from the US, or vice-versa. That's also not even including the fact that a military confrontation with Russia is likely to end in a nuclear exchange.
This is going to end badly, and now you know why.
I wish I could say that Ukraine was ready... but they aren't. Most of their tanks are T-64s (a design so bad that the T-72 was developed as an emergency last-minute successor), few of which have been modernized since the 1980s, and their fighters all date back to the 1980s. On top of that, at least two thirds of Ukraine's fighters have been inoperable for decades, due to a shortage of spare parts. I can't imagine that anything else in their inventory is in better shape. Ukraine's only warship, aside from auxiliaries and patrol craft, is a single Frigate, the Hetman Sahaydachniy.
They're gonna get curb-stomped, if they haven't already by the time you read this.
Ukraine has no allies. Several countries in Eastern Europe are on high alert over the invasion, but they don't have the power to affect the outcome of this war, and NATO doesn't want to get involved either.
The US is no ally of Ukraine either. The Beltway has spent the past 30 years using them to bait Russia (the same way a psychotic girlfriend tells the toughest and meanest guy at the bar that her boyfriend can completely PWN him), whilst simultaneously neither committing any US forces to defending it, nor selling them so much as even a single APC. The Pentagon's only contribution to Ukraine that I could find was Humvees, most of which were previously destined for the scrapyard due to being run far too hard for far too long in the War on Terror.
Not that the US has any reason to be an ally either, given that all other NATO countries disagree hard on the suggestion that Ukraine should ever be allowed to join NATO, and the US has neither militarily aided Ukraine ever, nor vice-versa. Also, off the top of your head, try to name five different trade products that Ukraine imports directly from the US, or vice-versa. That's also not even including the fact that a military confrontation with Russia is likely to end in a nuclear exchange.
This is going to end badly, and now you know why.
US Navy NAVAIR caught reposting stolen fanart!
General | Posted 4 years agoThere was quite a stir a couple days ago in late October 2021, as the US Navy's NAVAIR department posted what they implied to be concept art for the new FA-XX aircraft program, intended to field the successor to the F-18 Hornet.
https://www.navalnews.com/naval-new.....oncept-design/
This is the image in question;
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FC5G4wxXIAEBJ2h?format=png&name=small
Now, take a good long look at that aircraft design one more time, before looking at this concept art published on the NationStates forum in 2007, which was created by a private user for world-building purposes;
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/nsd.....ghte-t324.html
Given how badly the Pentagon botched Afghanistan, should it really be surprising that they aren't above plagiarism?
https://www.navalnews.com/naval-new.....oncept-design/
This is the image in question;
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FC5G4wxXIAEBJ2h?format=png&name=small
Now, take a good long look at that aircraft design one more time, before looking at this concept art published on the NationStates forum in 2007, which was created by a private user for world-building purposes;
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/nsd.....ghte-t324.html
Given how badly the Pentagon botched Afghanistan, should it really be surprising that they aren't above plagiarism?
Afghanistan has fallen
General | Posted 4 years agoI hadn't intended to post another journal about the Afghan War, let alone another one this early, but it looks like that war is wrapping-up --- and not for the better.
5000 troops of the 82nd Airborne just touched-down in Kabul to cover the evacuation of the US Embassy, and heavy fighting with the Taliban is taking place within 30 miles of the capital;
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/bid.....liban-advance/
My expectation was that this war would end this way, but that it would take several more months. Now it looks like the Taliban will have a total victory within the next 7 days.
Another observation; 5000 men is a close analog of the "Interim Brigades" --- now called Brigade Combat Teams --- that the US Army has developed since 1999 to replace their 10,000-man Divisions. 5000 men can't shoulder the responsibilities and sustain casualties on the level that requires a Division. If they're lucky, they'll be up, over, and gone before the Taliban comes within a mile of them.
If not...
Also, here's an image to keep fresh in mind as you watch all of this unfold;
https://d.newsweek.com/en/full/3232.....am-fall-01.jpg
5000 troops of the 82nd Airborne just touched-down in Kabul to cover the evacuation of the US Embassy, and heavy fighting with the Taliban is taking place within 30 miles of the capital;
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/bid.....liban-advance/
My expectation was that this war would end this way, but that it would take several more months. Now it looks like the Taliban will have a total victory within the next 7 days.
Another observation; 5000 men is a close analog of the "Interim Brigades" --- now called Brigade Combat Teams --- that the US Army has developed since 1999 to replace their 10,000-man Divisions. 5000 men can't shoulder the responsibilities and sustain casualties on the level that requires a Division. If they're lucky, they'll be up, over, and gone before the Taliban comes within a mile of them.
If not...
Also, here's an image to keep fresh in mind as you watch all of this unfold;
https://d.newsweek.com/en/full/3232.....am-fall-01.jpg
Told you so
General | Posted 4 years agoBack in 2013, I predicted that Afghanistan was going to collapse into a complete fustercluck by 2020, in a journal I titled, "The Vietnamization of Afghanistan";
https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/4837535/
Seems I was right, though the Pentagon held-on for a year longer than I predicted.
One night a month ago, the Afghan General commanding the Bagram Airbase saw all the lights suddenly go out, and inquired about why all the power was off. He discovered that the entire US contingent had secretly retreated in the night, and shut-off the power as they left;
https://apnews.com/article/bagram-a.....251aaaa167e623
Like rats from a sinking ship.
https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/4837535/
Seems I was right, though the Pentagon held-on for a year longer than I predicted.
One night a month ago, the Afghan General commanding the Bagram Airbase saw all the lights suddenly go out, and inquired about why all the power was off. He discovered that the entire US contingent had secretly retreated in the night, and shut-off the power as they left;
https://apnews.com/article/bagram-a.....251aaaa167e623
Like rats from a sinking ship.
Ted Sheppard just passed away
General | Posted 4 years agoSeems there's a lot of bad news to go around lately. I was just informed by DireWolf505 that one of the greatest furry artists, Ted Sheppard, just died today. It cuts pretty deep, because I've corresponded with him before.
Sheppard made all sorts of furry art, and was part of a famous group of artists known as the "Tuscon Mob", but his best-known accomplishment was the Stosstrupp comic series, which remains one of my favorite furry comics. As far as I know, Stosstrupp is unfinished.
Sheppard made all sorts of furry art, and was part of a famous group of artists known as the "Tuscon Mob", but his best-known accomplishment was the Stosstrupp comic series, which remains one of my favorite furry comics. As far as I know, Stosstrupp is unfinished.
Bad news
General | Posted 6 years agoThose of you who have been following my work for a long time will have seen that there's been a steady decline in it. Increasingly less has been created and posted over time, with increasingly long gaps and hiatuses. It's also been ages since I posted anything here, even a journal. I admit that you've deserved an explanation for a very long time, but I've been reluctant to give one. I didn't want to burden you with my emotional baggage, but as of today, I don't see any point in being quiet about it any longer.
I spent some of my late teens and all of my adult life caring for my mother, who after a long and bitter series of injuries and illnesses became bed-ridden. We'd tried hiring many professional nurses and care-givers from time to time, but they all proved too expensive and inexperienced to be of any help. My dad is much older than her and not as sturdy or healthy as he used to be, my sister has a proper job that keeps her busy for most of the time, and we aren't exactly wealthy, so it was inevitable that I would be her primary care-giver. The reason my work has declined so much is because this role became increasingly demanding over time, and my mom was more important to me than anything I created or put onto the internet. Simply put, she was my highest priority.
I can't begin to tell you how difficult it was. She had MS and couldn't walk, had weak upper body strength and arms, little traction or tactile sensation on her hands, and little dexterity. Getting her out of bed and into a wheelchair --- and vice-versa --- was a tremendous physical challenge that a physical therapist actually trained me for, and even then my father and sister still had to assist us. It was a tremendous emotional and psychological challenge as well, because of her personality, hostility under pressure, and the possibility that she could slide out of the wheelchair and end up on the ground (which happened a few times).
Before reading any further, know that the rest of this from here on is EXTREMELY and increasingly bleak; it might be as devastating for you to read as it is for me to write.
The worst part is that she contracted sepsis via MRSA (a multiple drug resistant bacteria), and a surgeon had to remove part of a heel to stop it from getting worse. But the thing about MRSA, is that once it's in your blood, you have it for the rest of your life. Science and medicine haven't figured-out a way to remove it.
Mom ended up in the hospital at least a half-dozen times in 15 years because of this infection, bringing her perilously close to death every time. The only antibiotics that worked on her were two or three of the most powerful yet devised, and they were also poisonous. Many different internal maladies could cause an infection, usually in the form of kidney stones; either could cause the other, and would feed off one another in a vicious cycle. One such infection occured the day after our air conditioner broke-down, and despite our best efforts, she had become dehydrated and developed a kidney stone.
Early in February she developed another sepsis infection, this time so bad that she lost consciousness, almost stopped breathing by the time the paramedics arrived, and the use of CPR was the only reason she was still alive by then. When my family and I went to the hospital, that's when the rollercoaster started.
I had originally written much more about the circumstances of my mom's stay at the hospital, but I decided short of finishing that it would be disrespectful both to my mom and to you readers to just throw all that onto the internet for everyone to read. So I'll tell you the outcome.
At around dawn on March 4th 2020, my mother died.
A part of me died with her. We're now only a family of three, my entire world is shattered, and I don't even know what anything is anymore. I'm struggling to cope with the grief, with living without my mom's insight and enthusiasm, with trying to live day by day in this horrible new existence I suddenly live in and can't escape. It's even harder watching my family struggle with this.
Even so, I'm not going to give up on my life or my family. My mom wouldn't have wanted that. It's also my intention to eventually create and post more content on my web pages later, but I need to get my life in order first.
At the very least, now you all know why my creative endeavors have been such a struggle.
I spent some of my late teens and all of my adult life caring for my mother, who after a long and bitter series of injuries and illnesses became bed-ridden. We'd tried hiring many professional nurses and care-givers from time to time, but they all proved too expensive and inexperienced to be of any help. My dad is much older than her and not as sturdy or healthy as he used to be, my sister has a proper job that keeps her busy for most of the time, and we aren't exactly wealthy, so it was inevitable that I would be her primary care-giver. The reason my work has declined so much is because this role became increasingly demanding over time, and my mom was more important to me than anything I created or put onto the internet. Simply put, she was my highest priority.
I can't begin to tell you how difficult it was. She had MS and couldn't walk, had weak upper body strength and arms, little traction or tactile sensation on her hands, and little dexterity. Getting her out of bed and into a wheelchair --- and vice-versa --- was a tremendous physical challenge that a physical therapist actually trained me for, and even then my father and sister still had to assist us. It was a tremendous emotional and psychological challenge as well, because of her personality, hostility under pressure, and the possibility that she could slide out of the wheelchair and end up on the ground (which happened a few times).
Before reading any further, know that the rest of this from here on is EXTREMELY and increasingly bleak; it might be as devastating for you to read as it is for me to write.
The worst part is that she contracted sepsis via MRSA (a multiple drug resistant bacteria), and a surgeon had to remove part of a heel to stop it from getting worse. But the thing about MRSA, is that once it's in your blood, you have it for the rest of your life. Science and medicine haven't figured-out a way to remove it.
Mom ended up in the hospital at least a half-dozen times in 15 years because of this infection, bringing her perilously close to death every time. The only antibiotics that worked on her were two or three of the most powerful yet devised, and they were also poisonous. Many different internal maladies could cause an infection, usually in the form of kidney stones; either could cause the other, and would feed off one another in a vicious cycle. One such infection occured the day after our air conditioner broke-down, and despite our best efforts, she had become dehydrated and developed a kidney stone.
Early in February she developed another sepsis infection, this time so bad that she lost consciousness, almost stopped breathing by the time the paramedics arrived, and the use of CPR was the only reason she was still alive by then. When my family and I went to the hospital, that's when the rollercoaster started.
I had originally written much more about the circumstances of my mom's stay at the hospital, but I decided short of finishing that it would be disrespectful both to my mom and to you readers to just throw all that onto the internet for everyone to read. So I'll tell you the outcome.
At around dawn on March 4th 2020, my mother died.
A part of me died with her. We're now only a family of three, my entire world is shattered, and I don't even know what anything is anymore. I'm struggling to cope with the grief, with living without my mom's insight and enthusiasm, with trying to live day by day in this horrible new existence I suddenly live in and can't escape. It's even harder watching my family struggle with this.
Even so, I'm not going to give up on my life or my family. My mom wouldn't have wanted that. It's also my intention to eventually create and post more content on my web pages later, but I need to get my life in order first.
At the very least, now you all know why my creative endeavors have been such a struggle.
The Vietnamization of Afghanistan (or, why we lost long ago)
General | Posted 12 years agoAround 2009 or-so, the cat was out of the bag that Afghanistan's military and police were hopelessly corrupt and incompetent;
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2009.....1821260383357/
http://www.stripes.com/news/troops-.....forces-1.97195
http://www.counterpunch.org/2009/11.....r-afghan-ally/
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/21/world/asia/21afghan.html?hp&_r=0
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-sou.....-asia-11557781
http://hotair.com/archives/2009/12/.....ghan-soldiers/
In about 6 minutes and 30 seconds, this video condenses everything in the articles linked above into a single peephole into the Afghan quagmire;
https://youtu.be/DWWWotuUwd0
It also didn't help that the US government wasn't exatcly a sterling role model...;
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/201.....unds-wikileaks
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/.....data-show?lite
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/201...../sff1-m16.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/....._n_277532.html
http://kabulpress.org/my/spip.php?article108976
http://www.militarycorruption.com/
Oh, and the drug problem mentioned in 2009? About that...;
https://youtu.be/obhwoSameHg
"All of that was years ago, so it MUST have gotten better!", you say? No --- it's gotten far, far worse, and every indication is that the worst is yet to come;
https://youtu.be/Ja5Q75hf6QI
Does all this sound familiar? It should, because we've done it all before. Back then, it was called "Vietnamization";
http://thevietnamwar.info/what-was-.....zation-policy/
Corruption, incompetence, and all manner of misconduct was rampant in South Vietnam during that war as well, and was slowly destroying that nation from the inside out...;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngo_Dinh_Diem
http://www.vietnamwar.net/ARVN.htm
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/jmh/su......4andrade.html
...just as it was in the US military, as well;
http://www.gradesaver.com/the-thing.....uide/section9/
http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/01/healt.....-test-subjects
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ike_Atkinson
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietna.....es/my_lai.html
http://everything2.com/title/Zippo+Raid
During the Vietnam War, Colonel David H. Hackworth broke ranks and stated in a 1971 news interview that the North Vietnamese flag would fly over Saigon within 4 years. He was dead-on;
http://www.hackworth.com/biography.html
It's long overdue for someone to make the same prognosis for Afghanistan. It's often alluded to by those who know what actually happens over there (and is wise enough to discern what matters in the long term, from what doesn't), but to date I've never seen anyone show enough backbone to say it how it is, and this needs to be done. So, I'll be the first.
By 2020, Afghanistan will once again be;
- Controlled the the Taliban.
- A brutal, mass-murdering dictatorship.
- A "terrorist factory", that funds, trains, and equips terrorists to murder countless thousands all over the world.
- So politically embarrassing taboo for the US government, that we will allow it to grow and fester like an untreated tumor.
- A safe haven for said terrorists, because the US military won't try to oust the Taliban with another invasion, for obvious reasons.
If I'm right, tell everyone you heard it from me first. If I'm wrong...
...well, let's all HOPE I'm wrong.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2009.....1821260383357/
http://www.stripes.com/news/troops-.....forces-1.97195
http://www.counterpunch.org/2009/11.....r-afghan-ally/
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/21/world/asia/21afghan.html?hp&_r=0
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-sou.....-asia-11557781
http://hotair.com/archives/2009/12/.....ghan-soldiers/
In about 6 minutes and 30 seconds, this video condenses everything in the articles linked above into a single peephole into the Afghan quagmire;
https://youtu.be/DWWWotuUwd0
It also didn't help that the US government wasn't exatcly a sterling role model...;
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/201.....unds-wikileaks
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/.....data-show?lite
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/201...../sff1-m16.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/....._n_277532.html
http://kabulpress.org/my/spip.php?article108976
http://www.militarycorruption.com/
Oh, and the drug problem mentioned in 2009? About that...;
https://youtu.be/obhwoSameHg
"All of that was years ago, so it MUST have gotten better!", you say? No --- it's gotten far, far worse, and every indication is that the worst is yet to come;
https://youtu.be/Ja5Q75hf6QI
Does all this sound familiar? It should, because we've done it all before. Back then, it was called "Vietnamization";
http://thevietnamwar.info/what-was-.....zation-policy/
Corruption, incompetence, and all manner of misconduct was rampant in South Vietnam during that war as well, and was slowly destroying that nation from the inside out...;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngo_Dinh_Diem
http://www.vietnamwar.net/ARVN.htm
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/jmh/su......4andrade.html
...just as it was in the US military, as well;
http://www.gradesaver.com/the-thing.....uide/section9/
http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/01/healt.....-test-subjects
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ike_Atkinson
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietna.....es/my_lai.html
http://everything2.com/title/Zippo+Raid
During the Vietnam War, Colonel David H. Hackworth broke ranks and stated in a 1971 news interview that the North Vietnamese flag would fly over Saigon within 4 years. He was dead-on;
http://www.hackworth.com/biography.html
It's long overdue for someone to make the same prognosis for Afghanistan. It's often alluded to by those who know what actually happens over there (and is wise enough to discern what matters in the long term, from what doesn't), but to date I've never seen anyone show enough backbone to say it how it is, and this needs to be done. So, I'll be the first.
By 2020, Afghanistan will once again be;
- Controlled the the Taliban.
- A brutal, mass-murdering dictatorship.
- A "terrorist factory", that funds, trains, and equips terrorists to murder countless thousands all over the world.
- So politically embarrassing taboo for the US government, that we will allow it to grow and fester like an untreated tumor.
- A safe haven for said terrorists, because the US military won't try to oust the Taliban with another invasion, for obvious reasons.
If I'm right, tell everyone you heard it from me first. If I'm wrong...
...well, let's all HOPE I'm wrong.
Happy 4th of July!
General | Posted 12 years agoIt's impossible to set-off real fireworks on a webpage, but I can link you to a video of them. XD
https://youtu.be/koqWiZCzUAw
https://youtu.be/koqWiZCzUAw
Seriously, WTF Hollywood? (Summer 2013 edition)
General | Posted 12 years agoI recently took a look at some films that are planned for release in 2014, and I noticed one that had a plot and themes that looked oddly familiar.
It's titled "Transcendence";
http://www.firstshowing.net/2012/mo.....transcendence/
Funny, the part where...;
According to the summary, a group of anti-technology terrorists assassinate Will, Evelyn uploads his brain into a prototype supercomputer. Although she at first finds the experiment seems to have gone wrong, before too long Evelyn finds Will responding in computer form.
...sounds an awful lot like;
http://acecombat.wikia.com/wiki/Abyssal_Dision
Furthermore, the very concept of "Transcendence" sounds an awful lot like...;
http://acecombat.wikia.com/wiki/Sublimation
...and "a computer that develops a malevolent awareness" sounds suspiciously similar to;
http://acecombat.wikia.com/wiki/Ouroboros
Thus, the movie "Transcendence" is nothing more than Ace Combat 3: Electosphere, but without a airplanes, a war, meaningful characters, relevant organizations and faction, or a believable plot to drive the whole thing.
In short, what we have here is;
Will = AI Dision and/or "a computer that develops a malevolent awareness"
Transcendence = Sublimation
Anti-technology group = Neucom (you have to love the irony!)
This movie = a sh**y version of Ace Combat 3
The script of this movie = PLAGIARISM
Seriously, WTF Hollywood?
And on a side-note, why is there no remake of Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere, when the comparatively vapid Ace Combat 2 already has one? (WTF, NAMCO?);
http://acecombat.wikia.com/wiki/Ace.....Horizon_Legacy
It's titled "Transcendence";
http://www.firstshowing.net/2012/mo.....transcendence/
Funny, the part where...;
According to the summary, a group of anti-technology terrorists assassinate Will, Evelyn uploads his brain into a prototype supercomputer. Although she at first finds the experiment seems to have gone wrong, before too long Evelyn finds Will responding in computer form.
...sounds an awful lot like;
http://acecombat.wikia.com/wiki/Abyssal_Dision
Furthermore, the very concept of "Transcendence" sounds an awful lot like...;
http://acecombat.wikia.com/wiki/Sublimation
...and "a computer that develops a malevolent awareness" sounds suspiciously similar to;
http://acecombat.wikia.com/wiki/Ouroboros
Thus, the movie "Transcendence" is nothing more than Ace Combat 3: Electosphere, but without a airplanes, a war, meaningful characters, relevant organizations and faction, or a believable plot to drive the whole thing.
In short, what we have here is;
Will = AI Dision and/or "a computer that develops a malevolent awareness"
Transcendence = Sublimation
Anti-technology group = Neucom (you have to love the irony!)
This movie = a sh**y version of Ace Combat 3
The script of this movie = PLAGIARISM
Seriously, WTF Hollywood?
And on a side-note, why is there no remake of Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere, when the comparatively vapid Ace Combat 2 already has one? (WTF, NAMCO?);
http://acecombat.wikia.com/wiki/Ace.....Horizon_Legacy
Pokemon Fusion
General | Posted 12 years agoI haven't been a Pokemon fan for over a decade, but this is one of the funniest things I've ever seen!
The Pokemon Fusion webpage allows you to combine any two Pokemon (out of some 130 available), resulting in a new critter with the face of one Pokemon, the body of another, and a similar combination of their names.
You can find it here;
http://www.furaffinity.net/controls/journal/
Here's a list of clever names that result from these combinations;
Machomp + Meowth = Math
Bellsprout + Weepinbell = Bellbell
Slowpoke + Rapidash = Slowdash
Dodrio + Gloom = Doom
Gastly + Vileplume = Gasplume
Kingler + Nidoking = Kingking
Golem + Koffing = Golfing
Squirtle + Haunter = Squirter
There are other combinations whose names are less interesting, but you have to see the results for yourselves;
Voltorb + Pikachu
Starmie + Golem
Psyduck + Tentacruel
Muk + Growlithe
Grimer + Growlithe
Jigglypuff + Cloyster
Jigglypuff + Gastly
Primeape + Dugtrio
Weepinbell + Rapidash
Electrode + Primeape
Raichu + Primeape
Jynx + Hitmonchan
Pinsir + Diglett
Zubat + Oddish
Golbat + Pikachu
I could go on, but it would take forever to document every single hilarious combination --- try them yourself, and see what you come up with! XD
The Pokemon Fusion webpage allows you to combine any two Pokemon (out of some 130 available), resulting in a new critter with the face of one Pokemon, the body of another, and a similar combination of their names.
You can find it here;
http://www.furaffinity.net/controls/journal/
Here's a list of clever names that result from these combinations;
Machomp + Meowth = Math
Bellsprout + Weepinbell = Bellbell
Slowpoke + Rapidash = Slowdash
Dodrio + Gloom = Doom
Gastly + Vileplume = Gasplume
Kingler + Nidoking = Kingking
Golem + Koffing = Golfing
Squirtle + Haunter = Squirter
There are other combinations whose names are less interesting, but you have to see the results for yourselves;
Voltorb + Pikachu
Starmie + Golem
Psyduck + Tentacruel
Muk + Growlithe
Grimer + Growlithe
Jigglypuff + Cloyster
Jigglypuff + Gastly
Primeape + Dugtrio
Weepinbell + Rapidash
Electrode + Primeape
Raichu + Primeape
Jynx + Hitmonchan
Pinsir + Diglett
Zubat + Oddish
Golbat + Pikachu
I could go on, but it would take forever to document every single hilarious combination --- try them yourself, and see what you come up with! XD
A friendly reminder...
General | Posted 12 years agoJust a quick thought for the day.
If the US military needs to be issued a card to remind them to adhere to the values that characterize their service...;
http://nation.time.com/2013/06/07/m.....es-get-carded/
...it means they've already failed;
http://nation.time.com/2013/06/10/a.....nder-in-japan/
http://www.militarycorruption.com/
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/ht...../20130605.aspx
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/ht...../20130403.aspx
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/ht...../20130318.aspx
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/ht...../20121210.aspx
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/ht...../20121001.aspx
But hey, at least we're winning!;
https://youtu.be/u8GcvdtaTa4
...right?
If the US military needs to be issued a card to remind them to adhere to the values that characterize their service...;
http://nation.time.com/2013/06/07/m.....es-get-carded/
...it means they've already failed;
http://nation.time.com/2013/06/10/a.....nder-in-japan/
http://www.militarycorruption.com/
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/ht...../20130605.aspx
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/ht...../20130403.aspx
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/ht...../20130318.aspx
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/ht...../20121210.aspx
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/ht...../20121001.aspx
But hey, at least we're winning!;
https://youtu.be/u8GcvdtaTa4
...right?
A news special on the Filthy Rich
General | Posted 12 years agoI was watching a presentation on CNBC recently, called "Filthy Rich", which is about a handful of people that hoard the income of developing nations for their own personal enrichment. It was a rather startling revelation, to say the least.
Get a load of the palatial mansion of Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue in Malibu Beach, which is so outrageously opulent, even multi-millionaire residents are embarrassed by it. Who is this guy, you ask? Equatorial Guinea's "Minister of Forestry"... and also the son of the "President" (i.e., self-imposed king, because he ousted and *executed* the real president long ago). The title of the video, "Stolen Money Keeps Africa Underdeveloped", pretty much says it all;
https://youtu.be/Ah5DH71azt8
And how about dirt-poor Azerbaijan? Virtually all of it's foreign income is hoarded by "President" (i.e., also self-imposed king) Ilham Aliyev;
https://youtu.be/7jpP95k2jbk
Don't think he's a king? He was "elected" ten years ago --- and Heydar Aliyev, his predecessor who also held office for ten years, is HIS FATHER;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilham_Aliyev
Here is the complete documentary, on Vimeo (assuming it hasn't been removed for some reason by the time you try to watch it);
http://vimeo.com/58718652
It's worth contrasting that with Oman, whose government shares a sizable chunk of it's wealth with the general populace;
http://www.expatfocus.com/expatriate-oman-taxation
http://www.whichoffshore.com/city-guides/oman
Moreover, unlike the "president" of Azerbaijan, the Omani sultanate is not even obligated to share this much wealth with the public --- they just do.
Get a load of the palatial mansion of Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue in Malibu Beach, which is so outrageously opulent, even multi-millionaire residents are embarrassed by it. Who is this guy, you ask? Equatorial Guinea's "Minister of Forestry"... and also the son of the "President" (i.e., self-imposed king, because he ousted and *executed* the real president long ago). The title of the video, "Stolen Money Keeps Africa Underdeveloped", pretty much says it all;
https://youtu.be/Ah5DH71azt8
And how about dirt-poor Azerbaijan? Virtually all of it's foreign income is hoarded by "President" (i.e., also self-imposed king) Ilham Aliyev;
https://youtu.be/7jpP95k2jbk
Don't think he's a king? He was "elected" ten years ago --- and Heydar Aliyev, his predecessor who also held office for ten years, is HIS FATHER;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilham_Aliyev
Here is the complete documentary, on Vimeo (assuming it hasn't been removed for some reason by the time you try to watch it);
http://vimeo.com/58718652
It's worth contrasting that with Oman, whose government shares a sizable chunk of it's wealth with the general populace;
http://www.expatfocus.com/expatriate-oman-taxation
http://www.whichoffshore.com/city-guides/oman
Moreover, unlike the "president" of Azerbaijan, the Omani sultanate is not even obligated to share this much wealth with the public --- they just do.
Random Video Game Names
General | Posted 12 years agoI'm *totally* lifting this meme off of DireWolf505's recent journal;
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/...../#cid:32989587
He's found a webpage that creates completely random and unpredictable video game names, which is located here;
http://videogamena.me/
Here are 10 random examples, in exactly the order that they were generated --- I have no control over what the names will be, so be advised that some may be offensive, or even boring.
1- Adventures of the Hippo Party
2- NCAA Elevator Dynasty
3- Crazy Axe CD
4- Vegetarian Jetski Bloodbath
5- Future Banjo Family
6- The Simpsons' Nazi Invasion
7- Demonic Beach Beta
8- Drug-Induced Mahjong Exhibition
9- Children of the Architecture Offensive
10- Grimy Funk Racer
Try the link, and see what you come up with!
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/...../#cid:32989587
He's found a webpage that creates completely random and unpredictable video game names, which is located here;
http://videogamena.me/
Here are 10 random examples, in exactly the order that they were generated --- I have no control over what the names will be, so be advised that some may be offensive, or even boring.
1- Adventures of the Hippo Party
2- NCAA Elevator Dynasty
3- Crazy Axe CD
4- Vegetarian Jetski Bloodbath
5- Future Banjo Family
6- The Simpsons' Nazi Invasion
7- Demonic Beach Beta
8- Drug-Induced Mahjong Exhibition
9- Children of the Architecture Offensive
10- Grimy Funk Racer
Try the link, and see what you come up with!
The use of Chemical Weapons in Syria; true, or false?
General | Posted 12 years agoThere's been a lot of hype lately about the Assad Regime's alleged use of Chemical Weapons in Syria. However, careful analysis of the "evidence" upon which this media feeding frenzy is based demonstrates it's... well... NOT evidence at all.
Here's a quote that should arouse suspicion, if you actually know what the described substance is and does;
Problem is, WP ("White Phosphorus") isn't a Chemical Weapon. It's used for smoke-laying (when set to air-burst), or for incendiary effects (when set to ground-burst).
"But [WP] is illegal, and it's use in war is forbidden under international law!", you say?
No;
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4442988.stm
According to Peter Kaiser, a spokeman for The Hague;
The Hague is THE authority of Chemical Weapons under international law. Their word is law --- literally --- on the legality of any given weapon. That makes the legality of WP a Legal Fact.
Also, if it was illegal, why does virtually every military use it, and use it *profusely*? White, Red, and Yellow Phosphorus is used in almost all Smoke-laying projectiles...;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owQI9NDR2ro
...almost all vehicle smoke dischargers...;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBKm3rj_d3I
...many smoke grenades...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkKuqPpTOio
...and many incendiary grenades;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlQc9a6-cjU
...to name a few applications. If it's use was prohibited under international law, these realities would not have been so.
"That's just a meaningless technicality, with no bearing on how [WP] actually functions!", you say?
No;
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ershdb/Eme....._29750025.html
According to the CDC, the chemical dangers of WP are;
- "Phosphorus spontaneously ignites on contact with air, producing toxic fumes (phosphorus oxides)."
- "Phosphorus reacts violently with oxidants, halogens, some metals, nitrites, sulfur, and many other compounds, causing a fire and explosion hazard."
- "Phosphorus reacts with strong bases to produce toxic phosgene gas."
That last one is only relevant if one *deliberately* tampers with a WP munition to make it produce Phosgene, which as you might imagine, is not an easy (or safe!) feat to attempt. Also, as you will soon see below, the symptoms indicated by Mohammad al-Doumani aren't caused by Phosgene.
All other safety warnings in the CDC's page on WP pertain to fires and/or explosions --- not anything relevant to a Chemical Agent.
Contrast that with the CDC's warnings concerning "Agent GB" (Sarin Nerve Gas);
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ershdb/Eme....._29750001.html
Here, you see the symptoms described by Mohammad al-Doumani, who claimed the Agent that caused it was "phosphorus". As you're now well aware, WP has no such effect.
It's not Phosgene (Agent CG), either. The effects described by Mohammad al-Doumani are collectively the result of a Nerve Agent. However, Phosgene is a Pulmonary Agent (i.e., a "Choking" Agent), not a Nerve Agent;
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ershdb/Eme....._29750023.html
As you can see, the symptoms of Pulmonary Agent poisoning are completely unlike those of a Nerve Agent.
Thus, we can conclude that the only possibilities are;
1- WP was used on the rebels, and they lied about it's effects, in order to exploit the emotionally-charged ignorance of the masses for their benefit.
2- WP was *not* used, and the whole story was made-up.
3- The rebels really were gassed with a chemical agent that had the described effects, but was incorrectly identified as "phosphorus".
4- Any combination of facts in the rebels' statement was embellished by a large number of falsehoods.
5- Both WP and chemical agents were used, but the rebels falsely attributed the cause of latter's effects of the former.
No matter how you look at it, the sources claiming a chemical attack in Syria occurred aren't trustworthy --- they're either lying, or they made a HUGE mistake. It's one, or the other.
But which is most likely? Well consider two things;
- First, the availability of information on how WP and Chemical Weapons function, via the Internet.
- Second, "Occam's Razor", a law which philosophy that holds that the simplest explanation is the most likely one to be correct;
http://science.howstuffworks.com/in.....cams-razor.htm
That said, it's pretty obvious what the most likely outcome is; the claim made by al-Doumani is false --- and therefore, given that this statement is the basis of the claim that Assad used Chemical Weapons, that claim is unverifiable. It may not be false, but it has not been proven true, and both of these assertions are self-evident
Perhaps most importantly, this demonstrates that the Corporate Media is unabashedly uncritical in it's acceptance of anecdotal evidence ("copy, paste, publish") in order to sell a "crisis"; and by extension, it's all you need to know not to accept everything they say at face value.
Here's a quote that should arouse suspicion, if you actually know what the described substance is and does;
"Doctors are describing the chemical weapon used as phosphorus that hits the nervous system and causes imbalance and loss of consciousness. The two fighters were very close to where the rockets exploded and they died swiftly. The rest are being treated with Atropine," said Mohammad al-Doumani, an activist in the nearby town of Douma, where the wounded were transported.Problem is, WP ("White Phosphorus") isn't a Chemical Weapon. It's used for smoke-laying (when set to air-burst), or for incendiary effects (when set to ground-burst).
"But [WP] is illegal, and it's use in war is forbidden under international law!", you say?
No;
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4442988.stm
According to Peter Kaiser, a spokeman for The Hague;
"No it's not forbidden by the CWC if it is used within the context of a military application which does not require or does not intend to use the toxic properties of white phosphorus. White phosphorus is normally used to produce smoke, to camouflage movement."The Hague is THE authority of Chemical Weapons under international law. Their word is law --- literally --- on the legality of any given weapon. That makes the legality of WP a Legal Fact.
Also, if it was illegal, why does virtually every military use it, and use it *profusely*? White, Red, and Yellow Phosphorus is used in almost all Smoke-laying projectiles...;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owQI9NDR2ro
...almost all vehicle smoke dischargers...;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBKm3rj_d3I
...many smoke grenades...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkKuqPpTOio
...and many incendiary grenades;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlQc9a6-cjU
...to name a few applications. If it's use was prohibited under international law, these realities would not have been so.
"That's just a meaningless technicality, with no bearing on how [WP] actually functions!", you say?
No;
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ershdb/Eme....._29750025.html
According to the CDC, the chemical dangers of WP are;
- "Phosphorus spontaneously ignites on contact with air, producing toxic fumes (phosphorus oxides)."
- "Phosphorus reacts violently with oxidants, halogens, some metals, nitrites, sulfur, and many other compounds, causing a fire and explosion hazard."
- "Phosphorus reacts with strong bases to produce toxic phosgene gas."
That last one is only relevant if one *deliberately* tampers with a WP munition to make it produce Phosgene, which as you might imagine, is not an easy (or safe!) feat to attempt. Also, as you will soon see below, the symptoms indicated by Mohammad al-Doumani aren't caused by Phosgene.
All other safety warnings in the CDC's page on WP pertain to fires and/or explosions --- not anything relevant to a Chemical Agent.
Contrast that with the CDC's warnings concerning "Agent GB" (Sarin Nerve Gas);
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ershdb/Eme....._29750001.html
Here, you see the symptoms described by Mohammad al-Doumani, who claimed the Agent that caused it was "phosphorus". As you're now well aware, WP has no such effect.
It's not Phosgene (Agent CG), either. The effects described by Mohammad al-Doumani are collectively the result of a Nerve Agent. However, Phosgene is a Pulmonary Agent (i.e., a "Choking" Agent), not a Nerve Agent;
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ershdb/Eme....._29750023.html
As you can see, the symptoms of Pulmonary Agent poisoning are completely unlike those of a Nerve Agent.
Thus, we can conclude that the only possibilities are;
1- WP was used on the rebels, and they lied about it's effects, in order to exploit the emotionally-charged ignorance of the masses for their benefit.
2- WP was *not* used, and the whole story was made-up.
3- The rebels really were gassed with a chemical agent that had the described effects, but was incorrectly identified as "phosphorus".
4- Any combination of facts in the rebels' statement was embellished by a large number of falsehoods.
5- Both WP and chemical agents were used, but the rebels falsely attributed the cause of latter's effects of the former.
No matter how you look at it, the sources claiming a chemical attack in Syria occurred aren't trustworthy --- they're either lying, or they made a HUGE mistake. It's one, or the other.
But which is most likely? Well consider two things;
- First, the availability of information on how WP and Chemical Weapons function, via the Internet.
- Second, "Occam's Razor", a law which philosophy that holds that the simplest explanation is the most likely one to be correct;
http://science.howstuffworks.com/in.....cams-razor.htm
That said, it's pretty obvious what the most likely outcome is; the claim made by al-Doumani is false --- and therefore, given that this statement is the basis of the claim that Assad used Chemical Weapons, that claim is unverifiable. It may not be false, but it has not been proven true, and both of these assertions are self-evident
Perhaps most importantly, this demonstrates that the Corporate Media is unabashedly uncritical in it's acceptance of anecdotal evidence ("copy, paste, publish") in order to sell a "crisis"; and by extension, it's all you need to know not to accept everything they say at face value.
MRE ration Reviews, Round 3!
General | Posted 12 years agoIt's been WAY too long since I posted anything on FA (let alone *artwork*, but I'm still working on that), so I'll put this up here for now.
As you may remember from before, the MRE (Mean Ready to Eat) is a type of Field Ration issued by the US military. The entrees for MREs come in a super-strong laminated foil pouch, and may be eaten cold if no heat source is available. For a detailed info on MREs, check out this webpage, which is all about that subject;
http://www.mreinfo.com/
I don't eat MREs very often (you'd have to be a soldier, a backpacker, a survivalist, or a Walt to do that!), but I do like to try new ones occasionally to see how each variety tastes. I only managed to get a hold of 3 varieties this time --- I wanted to wait until I'd tried several more, but I haven't put anything on FA in far too long.
The examples below were made for public use by Ameriqual Foods. They aren't actually military-issue, but are made almost exactly the same way as the real thing, and many are actually duplications of mil-spec MRES.
In any case, here's how they turned out...
CHILI WITH MACARONI
Quality: 10/10
This one is another winner. The Chili itself is perfectly spicy, savory, and a little smoky, while the ground beef is tender and plentiful. The macaroni is... well... macaroni. I had never eaten chili with pasta in it before, but after trying this entree, I have to make it a regular dish.
Highly recommended!
(NOTE: Chili With Macaroni is a recurring entree in US military-issue MREs, and has been on the official GI menu since 1995)
POTATO CHEDDAR SOUP, FLAVORED WITH BACON
Quality: 5/10
This one was kind of neither here nor there.
The flavor of the stock was difficult to describe. It was creamy, but seemingly less in a cheesy sort of way; it seemed almost oily in flavor, even though there was negligible grease. The flavor was only sort of cheesy, and seemed sort of... short. The texture was pretty good, though.
The bacon bits were tiny, chewy, and didn't really taste like much. They didn't add a whole lot to the soup, which would otherwise have had the bonus of being a vegetarian dish.
The potato slices were tiny, and there were only about two-dozen of them. It's too bad, because their texture and flavor were pretty good. In fact, there wasn't very much of *anything* in the package at all.
Overall, it was pretty bland. It was disappointing, because I've had many excellent MRE entrees.
(NOTE: "Potato Cheddar Soup" has been part of the US military's MRE menu since 2009, but I don't know for sure if it's the same variation of that recipe as this entree)
CHICKEN AND NOODLES WITH VEGETABLES IN SAUCE
Quality: 6/10
This one was also a disappointment. "Chicken and Noodles with Vegetables in Sauce" is basically a euphemism for "Chicken Casserole", but tven *then* it disappointing.
After I heated this ration and opened the package, it all hit the bowl at once, in one ration package-shaped rectangular mass. Charming. It didn't look very good, and I feared it would smell vaguely like vomit (this had actually happened with one MRE that actually LOOKED like vomit as well), but it fortunately smelled pretty good (though not *excellent*, mind you).
The vegetables were actually quite good, but there weren't many of them --- there were WAY too many chicken pieces, which did limited the consistency and flavor of this entree. This casserole wasn't formulated well.
The noodles were mushy, and seemed to split with no effort when you pressed a spoon against them, although this has also been the case with every other MRE I've ever eaten with noodles in it.
I gave this dish a "6" though, because it still looked and tasted alright, and still had good nutritional value. Ameriqual has done much better with more otherwise-inferior recipes though; so they could have done better with this one.
(NOTE: "Chicken With Noodles" has been in official military MREs since 1997, but I don't know if it's the same recipe as this one, or if it is, how close to the real thing this entree is)
As you may remember from before, the MRE (Mean Ready to Eat) is a type of Field Ration issued by the US military. The entrees for MREs come in a super-strong laminated foil pouch, and may be eaten cold if no heat source is available. For a detailed info on MREs, check out this webpage, which is all about that subject;
http://www.mreinfo.com/
I don't eat MREs very often (you'd have to be a soldier, a backpacker, a survivalist, or a Walt to do that!), but I do like to try new ones occasionally to see how each variety tastes. I only managed to get a hold of 3 varieties this time --- I wanted to wait until I'd tried several more, but I haven't put anything on FA in far too long.
The examples below were made for public use by Ameriqual Foods. They aren't actually military-issue, but are made almost exactly the same way as the real thing, and many are actually duplications of mil-spec MRES.
In any case, here's how they turned out...
CHILI WITH MACARONI
Quality: 10/10
This one is another winner. The Chili itself is perfectly spicy, savory, and a little smoky, while the ground beef is tender and plentiful. The macaroni is... well... macaroni. I had never eaten chili with pasta in it before, but after trying this entree, I have to make it a regular dish.
Highly recommended!
(NOTE: Chili With Macaroni is a recurring entree in US military-issue MREs, and has been on the official GI menu since 1995)
POTATO CHEDDAR SOUP, FLAVORED WITH BACON
Quality: 5/10
This one was kind of neither here nor there.
The flavor of the stock was difficult to describe. It was creamy, but seemingly less in a cheesy sort of way; it seemed almost oily in flavor, even though there was negligible grease. The flavor was only sort of cheesy, and seemed sort of... short. The texture was pretty good, though.
The bacon bits were tiny, chewy, and didn't really taste like much. They didn't add a whole lot to the soup, which would otherwise have had the bonus of being a vegetarian dish.
The potato slices were tiny, and there were only about two-dozen of them. It's too bad, because their texture and flavor were pretty good. In fact, there wasn't very much of *anything* in the package at all.
Overall, it was pretty bland. It was disappointing, because I've had many excellent MRE entrees.
(NOTE: "Potato Cheddar Soup" has been part of the US military's MRE menu since 2009, but I don't know for sure if it's the same variation of that recipe as this entree)
CHICKEN AND NOODLES WITH VEGETABLES IN SAUCE
Quality: 6/10
This one was also a disappointment. "Chicken and Noodles with Vegetables in Sauce" is basically a euphemism for "Chicken Casserole", but tven *then* it disappointing.
After I heated this ration and opened the package, it all hit the bowl at once, in one ration package-shaped rectangular mass. Charming. It didn't look very good, and I feared it would smell vaguely like vomit (this had actually happened with one MRE that actually LOOKED like vomit as well), but it fortunately smelled pretty good (though not *excellent*, mind you).
The vegetables were actually quite good, but there weren't many of them --- there were WAY too many chicken pieces, which did limited the consistency and flavor of this entree. This casserole wasn't formulated well.
The noodles were mushy, and seemed to split with no effort when you pressed a spoon against them, although this has also been the case with every other MRE I've ever eaten with noodles in it.
I gave this dish a "6" though, because it still looked and tasted alright, and still had good nutritional value. Ameriqual has done much better with more otherwise-inferior recipes though; so they could have done better with this one.
(NOTE: "Chicken With Noodles" has been in official military MREs since 1997, but I don't know if it's the same recipe as this one, or if it is, how close to the real thing this entree is)
California water shortages; why they happen
General | Posted 13 years agoI live in Los Angeles County, specifically in the "Inland Valley". Contrary to popular belief, this region isn't a Desert, because evaporation does not exceed precipitation --- it is a "Steppe" region, which receives a fair amount of year-round rainfall, and a HUGE volume of it during the Winter. This is also true for much of LA County east of the Puente Hills (the LA Metropolitan Area), which for the most part is a flood plain. It is, nonetheless, relatively hot through much of the year, and frequently very dry (the summers are often rather severe).
The flooding was a major problem for many years, and in the early 20th century, what was at one time the most elaborate flood control system ever seen was built in LA County. It included literally THOUSANDS of miles of channels, tunnels, and concrete-lined rivers (to say nothing of dams, levees, storm drains, and floodgates), all to allow this rainfall to simply slide-off into the ocean. As this system grew and grew every year like a giant slime mold colony, there has steadily been less and less flooding in this area. The last big floods in my own hometown was in the 1970s.
Are you starting to see where this is going? It's a long story, but it has to be that way for you to understand the situation.
This county steadily became known less for flooding and more for water shortages, and this is why the California Aqueduct was created, which is another little-appreciated marvel of modern engineering. To keep water available for everyone's faucets, sprinklers, garden hoses, fountains, and crops, the Aqueduct grew and grew over time, stabbing further into the northern regions of the state. The demand for water is such that numerous Desert Lakes that have been brimming with water since time immemorial are now bare salt pans. Notably, Owens Lake was once so full, that miners and other settlers living around it used *steamboats* to shuffle people and cargo back and forth across it --- until a campaign to allow it to slowly recover began (only a few years ago), Owens Lake had been completely dry for almost a century.
The "Great California Water Heist" didn't finally take a big hit until recently, when people in Northern California began to scream bloody murder about Southern California taking all of their water. On top of that, the public started becoming vividly aware that one of the biggest lakes in this state --- Mono Lake, on the edge of the Mojave Desert --- had lost more than half it's water. Thus, the political pendulum has swung in favor of the Northern 4/5th of the state's geography.
The "Southerners" and the state government are predicting doomsday for the state's agriculture, should this trend continue, and their proposed solution is (naturally) to keep doing the same thing we had done for a century --- robbing Peter's lakes to water Paul's crops.
Completely unmentioned in ANY of this hysteria is that billions of gallons of water that nature herself deposits upon LA County is simply allowed to drain out into the ocean, while we fight over water that doesn't belong in this area. No one ever seriously thought to *store* any of this water, even though god gives it to us for free, no questions asked.
On top of that, I have also personally seen dozens of what appear to be concrete-lined reservoirs all over the county, which are appreciably gigantic. Several of these are right here in my home town, and though the city seems to try it's darndest to hide them, their efforts were never a match for my vigor or curiosity. In three decades that I've lived in this area, I have never once seen any of these reservoirs filled. It's a disgrace.
This isn't just a local issue, by the way, because there are 30 million people living in the aforementioned area, and --- as a direct result --- a huge chunk of the nation's overall agriculture and industry. The LA County's incompetent resource management has thus, over time, caused immeasurable economic damage to the entire nation.
Also, this is just ONE county. I don't dare contemplate how much all of the others mismanage their resources.
The flooding was a major problem for many years, and in the early 20th century, what was at one time the most elaborate flood control system ever seen was built in LA County. It included literally THOUSANDS of miles of channels, tunnels, and concrete-lined rivers (to say nothing of dams, levees, storm drains, and floodgates), all to allow this rainfall to simply slide-off into the ocean. As this system grew and grew every year like a giant slime mold colony, there has steadily been less and less flooding in this area. The last big floods in my own hometown was in the 1970s.
Are you starting to see where this is going? It's a long story, but it has to be that way for you to understand the situation.
This county steadily became known less for flooding and more for water shortages, and this is why the California Aqueduct was created, which is another little-appreciated marvel of modern engineering. To keep water available for everyone's faucets, sprinklers, garden hoses, fountains, and crops, the Aqueduct grew and grew over time, stabbing further into the northern regions of the state. The demand for water is such that numerous Desert Lakes that have been brimming with water since time immemorial are now bare salt pans. Notably, Owens Lake was once so full, that miners and other settlers living around it used *steamboats* to shuffle people and cargo back and forth across it --- until a campaign to allow it to slowly recover began (only a few years ago), Owens Lake had been completely dry for almost a century.
The "Great California Water Heist" didn't finally take a big hit until recently, when people in Northern California began to scream bloody murder about Southern California taking all of their water. On top of that, the public started becoming vividly aware that one of the biggest lakes in this state --- Mono Lake, on the edge of the Mojave Desert --- had lost more than half it's water. Thus, the political pendulum has swung in favor of the Northern 4/5th of the state's geography.
The "Southerners" and the state government are predicting doomsday for the state's agriculture, should this trend continue, and their proposed solution is (naturally) to keep doing the same thing we had done for a century --- robbing Peter's lakes to water Paul's crops.
Completely unmentioned in ANY of this hysteria is that billions of gallons of water that nature herself deposits upon LA County is simply allowed to drain out into the ocean, while we fight over water that doesn't belong in this area. No one ever seriously thought to *store* any of this water, even though god gives it to us for free, no questions asked.
On top of that, I have also personally seen dozens of what appear to be concrete-lined reservoirs all over the county, which are appreciably gigantic. Several of these are right here in my home town, and though the city seems to try it's darndest to hide them, their efforts were never a match for my vigor or curiosity. In three decades that I've lived in this area, I have never once seen any of these reservoirs filled. It's a disgrace.
This isn't just a local issue, by the way, because there are 30 million people living in the aforementioned area, and --- as a direct result --- a huge chunk of the nation's overall agriculture and industry. The LA County's incompetent resource management has thus, over time, caused immeasurable economic damage to the entire nation.
Also, this is just ONE county. I don't dare contemplate how much all of the others mismanage their resources.
Ten things you didn't know about me...
General | Posted 13 years agoAs the title implies, these are ten facts about me that most of you have never heard before (and NONE of you have ever heard all of).
1- I was born with blonde hair, but it naturally turned brown by itself by the time I was 10 years old. I have no idea how that could happen.
2- I watched a fly-by of an SR-71 Blackbird during an airshow. It was the beginning of that aircraft's flight to Wright-Patterson Airfield in Dayton, Ohio, where it was to be mothballed. That was the last time a Blackbird ever flew.
3- I went on vacation with my sister to New England and Canada in 2001, to visit relatives. The date we were to leave was almost moved forward a month, but we decided at the last minute to follow the original schedule. Almost exactly a month later, two flights that *could* have been our return flights to California were hijacked by terrorists, and flown into the World Trade Center.
4- My father once worked for, among other companies, General Dynamics(!!!). He always thought something was a little off about it's corporate culture --- little did he know at the time that it was already a cyberpunk-style megacorp.
5- My father also served in the US Navy on the USS Carpenter (DDE-825). The Carpenter and her sister ship were the last Destroyer Escorts ever built by the US Navy, and because the hulls and machinery of two Gearing class Destroyers were used to build them out of, they were also the largest, fastest, and most heavily-armed Destroyer Escorts in history. It also used the US Navy's very first anti-submarine weapon that had a stand-off range; the Weapon Alfa (also called the "Weapon Able"), as well as a new-model 3" main gun that had much greater anti-aircraft capability than the 5"/38 guns used on previous US Destroyers (though it also had less overall firepower).
6- My grandfather was trained to be a fighter pilot in the First World War, and narrowly missed being involved in the fighting, due to an injury. He later became a journalist, and was so adept at cracking codes, he impressed my dad and his friends by decoding scrambled messages on the sides of cereal boxes (that ordinarily required a decoder ring!).
7- I was almost struck by lightning --- twice in a row. I've come dangerously close to being electrocuted on numerous occasions; I prefer not to press my luck with electricity, though.
8- One of my relatives was a pilot for one of the gliders that carried US troops into Normandy, during Operation Overlord in 1944. He'e one of only a few-dozen transport glider pilots who's still alive today --- and I've met him in person.
9- One of my ancestors signed the Declaration of Independence.
10- I was caught in the middle of a real gun battle at a restaurant when I was a teenager. A guy tried to hold-up the cashier, but there was an undercover cop at the bar having coffee, and he was armed. The would-be robber got capped, but no one else was hit.
1- I was born with blonde hair, but it naturally turned brown by itself by the time I was 10 years old. I have no idea how that could happen.
2- I watched a fly-by of an SR-71 Blackbird during an airshow. It was the beginning of that aircraft's flight to Wright-Patterson Airfield in Dayton, Ohio, where it was to be mothballed. That was the last time a Blackbird ever flew.
3- I went on vacation with my sister to New England and Canada in 2001, to visit relatives. The date we were to leave was almost moved forward a month, but we decided at the last minute to follow the original schedule. Almost exactly a month later, two flights that *could* have been our return flights to California were hijacked by terrorists, and flown into the World Trade Center.
4- My father once worked for, among other companies, General Dynamics(!!!). He always thought something was a little off about it's corporate culture --- little did he know at the time that it was already a cyberpunk-style megacorp.
5- My father also served in the US Navy on the USS Carpenter (DDE-825). The Carpenter and her sister ship were the last Destroyer Escorts ever built by the US Navy, and because the hulls and machinery of two Gearing class Destroyers were used to build them out of, they were also the largest, fastest, and most heavily-armed Destroyer Escorts in history. It also used the US Navy's very first anti-submarine weapon that had a stand-off range; the Weapon Alfa (also called the "Weapon Able"), as well as a new-model 3" main gun that had much greater anti-aircraft capability than the 5"/38 guns used on previous US Destroyers (though it also had less overall firepower).
6- My grandfather was trained to be a fighter pilot in the First World War, and narrowly missed being involved in the fighting, due to an injury. He later became a journalist, and was so adept at cracking codes, he impressed my dad and his friends by decoding scrambled messages on the sides of cereal boxes (that ordinarily required a decoder ring!).
7- I was almost struck by lightning --- twice in a row. I've come dangerously close to being electrocuted on numerous occasions; I prefer not to press my luck with electricity, though.
8- One of my relatives was a pilot for one of the gliders that carried US troops into Normandy, during Operation Overlord in 1944. He'e one of only a few-dozen transport glider pilots who's still alive today --- and I've met him in person.
9- One of my ancestors signed the Declaration of Independence.
10- I was caught in the middle of a real gun battle at a restaurant when I was a teenager. A guy tried to hold-up the cashier, but there was an undercover cop at the bar having coffee, and he was armed. The would-be robber got capped, but no one else was hit.
The best thing I've heard all year...
General | Posted 13 years agoI recently became aware of the soundtrack for Dodonpachi Saidaioujou (good luck trying to pronounce that out loud correctly...) while I was browsing Youtube. I figured is would have an excellent soundtrack, as all the previous titles in the Dodonpachi did --- and I wasn't disappointed.
However, there's one theme from the game that completely blew my mind.
Listen to THIS.
https://youtu.be/fb41shIeDCA
However, there's one theme from the game that completely blew my mind.
Listen to THIS.
https://youtu.be/fb41shIeDCA
Seriously, WTF Hollywood?
General | Posted 13 years agoA while back, I watched The Hobbit in the theaters with my sister. That isn't actually what this journal is about, but rather the movie previews that we saw before it started.
Now, I noticed something strange about these movie trailers, which you might notice as well when you see them.
First, have a look at "After Earth". It's a movie about people struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic Earth;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZIt20emgLY
Next, we have "Oblivion". It's a movie about people struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic Earth;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e00HL1RHZ0Q
Coincidence, you say? Now we have "The Host". It's a movie about people struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic Earth;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIQTDuCSEp4
I saw all 3 of those trailers right before the SAME MOVIE, almost one after the other. But just wait --- it gets worse...
Next, we= have "World War Z". It's a movie about people struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic Earth;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hGI_IBFwoY
Now, here we have "The Philosophers". It's a movie about people struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic Earth;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_-8Ys_40lU
F***ing really? Oh, but there's more.
Now we have something completely different. This one is called "Alienate". It's a movie about people struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic Earth;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JNOK_1JNEE
Oh look, something original --- "The End of the World"! It's a movie about people struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic Earth;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNs0vQgCWY0
Oh, goodie --- something different! Lot's of originality!
Seriously, WTF Hollywood?
Now, I noticed something strange about these movie trailers, which you might notice as well when you see them.
First, have a look at "After Earth". It's a movie about people struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic Earth;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZIt20emgLY
Next, we have "Oblivion". It's a movie about people struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic Earth;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e00HL1RHZ0Q
Coincidence, you say? Now we have "The Host". It's a movie about people struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic Earth;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIQTDuCSEp4
I saw all 3 of those trailers right before the SAME MOVIE, almost one after the other. But just wait --- it gets worse...
Next, we= have "World War Z". It's a movie about people struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic Earth;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hGI_IBFwoY
Now, here we have "The Philosophers". It's a movie about people struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic Earth;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_-8Ys_40lU
F***ing really? Oh, but there's more.
Now we have something completely different. This one is called "Alienate". It's a movie about people struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic Earth;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JNOK_1JNEE
Oh look, something original --- "The End of the World"! It's a movie about people struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic Earth;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNs0vQgCWY0
Oh, goodie --- something different! Lot's of originality!
Seriously, WTF Hollywood?
2013 update (in case anyone is still watching...)
General | Posted 13 years agoYep, I've managed to survive the dreaded Mayan 2012 Apocalypse! *sarcasm*
In any case, I've got new stuff to post to FA later, which includes the following;
- Cable Air Show 2012 photos
- More furry art(!)
- Cable Air Show 2013 photos
- A few new aircraft schematics
No more quizzes, recipes, or game reviews though. Few people bothered to look at these, and fewer still had any interest.
Also, I'll be moving my oldest series of photos still in my main gallery to the scraps section.
Finally, for anyone interested in military scandals, I'll be starting a new series on my Youtube channel soon, which is guaranteed to produce lulz! If you haven't seen my videos yet (I have over 300 online already), here's the web address of my channel;
http://www.youtube.com/user/BlacktailDefense
In any case, I've got new stuff to post to FA later, which includes the following;
- Cable Air Show 2012 photos
- More furry art(!)
- Cable Air Show 2013 photos
- A few new aircraft schematics
No more quizzes, recipes, or game reviews though. Few people bothered to look at these, and fewer still had any interest.
Also, I'll be moving my oldest series of photos still in my main gallery to the scraps section.
Finally, for anyone interested in military scandals, I'll be starting a new series on my Youtube channel soon, which is guaranteed to produce lulz! If you haven't seen my videos yet (I have over 300 online already), here's the web address of my channel;
http://www.youtube.com/user/BlacktailDefense
Star Fox soundtrack versus Star Fox 64 soundtrack
General | Posted 13 years agoI've come to a conclusion recently, concerning the soundtrack for Star Fox 64 --- it was composed by and for choads.
It's VERY weak compared to the SNES/Super Famicom game that Star Fox 64 is essentially a parody of. Listen to the actual music, and hear it for yourself. Observe;
The Asteroid Field theme from Star Fox 64;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK2EXqFsqs0
...and now, the Asteroid Field theme for Star Fox;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbp8UQHBXFU
The first sounds like a generic, royalty-free, filler track that people post onto the internet all the time. The second sounds like it's from a film score, despite being a *chiptune*.
Not convinced yet? Listen to the Sector X theme, from SF64;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2bgOzo6IzU
Ooh, a cheap midi cover with a xylophone thrown in --- I'm quaking in my boots at the mysteeeeeriousness of it! Now listen to the Sector X theme from Star Fox;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQXuc1yFSpA
...and now change your pants. And in case you're wondering, Sector X in the original Star Fox REALLY IS that terrifying --- gamers from the 64-bit era onwards are sissies.
Next-up, the Titania and Macbeth theme from SF64;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoRFFEzWzwI
Not bad, but very weak compared to the "spacy" Titania theme from Star Fox;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHVTE9MOTYY
...and not as edgy, spacy, or spooky as the Macbeth theme from Star Fox. Yes, each of those planets has it's OWN MUSIC SCORE;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KoEbocyPhI
They also their own environments in Star Fox, Titania being an Ice Planet, and Macbeth being extremely cavernous --- not both just generic "desert worlds" as in SF64 (for shame, Nintendo).
Or maybe your thing is epic final level themes? Here's the Planet Venom theme from SF64...;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_WsSyYLgAs
...and here's the WAY better theme from Star Fox;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9JfPDQZMBg
Still not epic enough for you? There's ANOTHER theme for Venom in Star Fox, used in the the Medium Difficulty course;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gilL9zFitaI
The biggest teller of all, however, is the definitive Boss Battle theme of SF64...;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W5FvJQSsqc
...versus the definitive Boss Battle theme of Star Fox;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxrII8XW340
Again let me remind you that Star Fox was released in 1993 on the SUPER F***ING NINTENDO, and has a chiptune soundtrack. Star Fox 64 was released way later in 1997, on a game system with 4x the processing power --- yet, it's soundtrack sounds like it was made for a little kid's show on PBS, not a sci-fi space war epic like the Star Fox franchise.
It's VERY weak compared to the SNES/Super Famicom game that Star Fox 64 is essentially a parody of. Listen to the actual music, and hear it for yourself. Observe;
The Asteroid Field theme from Star Fox 64;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK2EXqFsqs0
...and now, the Asteroid Field theme for Star Fox;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbp8UQHBXFU
The first sounds like a generic, royalty-free, filler track that people post onto the internet all the time. The second sounds like it's from a film score, despite being a *chiptune*.
Not convinced yet? Listen to the Sector X theme, from SF64;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2bgOzo6IzU
Ooh, a cheap midi cover with a xylophone thrown in --- I'm quaking in my boots at the mysteeeeeriousness of it! Now listen to the Sector X theme from Star Fox;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQXuc1yFSpA
...and now change your pants. And in case you're wondering, Sector X in the original Star Fox REALLY IS that terrifying --- gamers from the 64-bit era onwards are sissies.
Next-up, the Titania and Macbeth theme from SF64;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoRFFEzWzwI
Not bad, but very weak compared to the "spacy" Titania theme from Star Fox;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHVTE9MOTYY
...and not as edgy, spacy, or spooky as the Macbeth theme from Star Fox. Yes, each of those planets has it's OWN MUSIC SCORE;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KoEbocyPhI
They also their own environments in Star Fox, Titania being an Ice Planet, and Macbeth being extremely cavernous --- not both just generic "desert worlds" as in SF64 (for shame, Nintendo).
Or maybe your thing is epic final level themes? Here's the Planet Venom theme from SF64...;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_WsSyYLgAs
...and here's the WAY better theme from Star Fox;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9JfPDQZMBg
Still not epic enough for you? There's ANOTHER theme for Venom in Star Fox, used in the the Medium Difficulty course;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gilL9zFitaI
The biggest teller of all, however, is the definitive Boss Battle theme of SF64...;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W5FvJQSsqc
...versus the definitive Boss Battle theme of Star Fox;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxrII8XW340
Again let me remind you that Star Fox was released in 1993 on the SUPER F***ING NINTENDO, and has a chiptune soundtrack. Star Fox 64 was released way later in 1997, on a game system with 4x the processing power --- yet, it's soundtrack sounds like it was made for a little kid's show on PBS, not a sci-fi space war epic like the Star Fox franchise.
An unusual comment on my most recent upload...
General | Posted 13 years agoThe title of this journal is a little misleading, but I'm not really sure what to call it. Once you've read it, you'll see what I mean.
I just had a look at a comment that was left on my most recent upload (a recipe for Lemon-Oregano Chicken), and found that it was deleted. That in itself is nothing unusual --- people delete their comments all the time on FA, and it's not a big deal.
But this instance is a little... unusual.
You'd expect to see "Comment deleted by it's author" or something like that, but instead the caption read;
"Comment hidden by the Administration"
.....
WTF?
I just had a look at a comment that was left on my most recent upload (a recipe for Lemon-Oregano Chicken), and found that it was deleted. That in itself is nothing unusual --- people delete their comments all the time on FA, and it's not a big deal.
But this instance is a little... unusual.
You'd expect to see "Comment deleted by it's author" or something like that, but instead the caption read;
"Comment hidden by the Administration"
.....
WTF?
When Mexico isn't Mexico(?!)
General | Posted 13 years agoI can't believe this. The President of Mexico has proposed officially re-naming his nation;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-lat.....erica-20457443
They can call their nation whatever they want, but this is silly. The only way I'll ever recognize that country as anything other than "Mexico" is if the proposal wins by a POPULAR vote.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-lat.....erica-20457443
They can call their nation whatever they want, but this is silly. The only way I'll ever recognize that country as anything other than "Mexico" is if the proposal wins by a POPULAR vote.
New furry art on the way!
General | Posted 13 years agoI've got four new furry art pieces that I'm going to upload to FA!
I haven't drawn any new art in a long time. It's not out of choice, though --- I find it excruciating to try to draw something without inspiration, and I'm seldom inspired these days.
Two pieces are already complete, while the other two are still being colored and shaded (I also generally don't like to upload sketches).
The first one will be uploaded as soon as the fourth is completed.
I haven't drawn any new art in a long time. It's not out of choice, though --- I find it excruciating to try to draw something without inspiration, and I'm seldom inspired these days.
Two pieces are already complete, while the other two are still being colored and shaded (I also generally don't like to upload sketches).
The first one will be uploaded as soon as the fourth is completed.
Logical Fallacy: "Amphiboly"
General | Posted 13 years agoI ran across a totally random headline today that reminded me of a very common mistake, which is considered a Logical Fallacy --- it's called an "Amphiboly".
This is what a type of "Fallacy of Ambiguity", which you can read about here;
http://www.philosophypages.com/lg/e06c.htm
Here's a more specific page on the Amphiboly;
http://courses.csusm.edu/fallacies/amphiboly.htm
The simple description is that an Amphiboly is a statement that isn't clear on what it's actual meaning is. There are two or more ways of interpreting what it actually means. In my Logic class a while back, the professor used this newspaper headline (these are INFAMOUS for committing Amphibolies) as an example;
That could be interpreted to mean that either the elderly often suffer from burns, or they they often burn their victims (either of which is a pretty grim scenario).
So what's the actual headline that brought all this to my mind, you ask? This one;
http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/ne.....ing-spree-ever
"22 Elephants shot from helicopter"
So... does that mean that people in a helicopter shot 22 Elephants, or that 22 Elephants on a helicopter discharged firearms? Or did a helicopter fire 22 Elephants as projectiles?
The mind boggles...
This is what a type of "Fallacy of Ambiguity", which you can read about here;
http://www.philosophypages.com/lg/e06c.htm
Here's a more specific page on the Amphiboly;
http://courses.csusm.edu/fallacies/amphiboly.htm
The simple description is that an Amphiboly is a statement that isn't clear on what it's actual meaning is. There are two or more ways of interpreting what it actually means. In my Logic class a while back, the professor used this newspaper headline (these are INFAMOUS for committing Amphibolies) as an example;
"Elderly often burn victims"That could be interpreted to mean that either the elderly often suffer from burns, or they they often burn their victims (either of which is a pretty grim scenario).
So what's the actual headline that brought all this to my mind, you ask? This one;
http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/ne.....ing-spree-ever
"22 Elephants shot from helicopter"
So... does that mean that people in a helicopter shot 22 Elephants, or that 22 Elephants on a helicopter discharged firearms? Or did a helicopter fire 22 Elephants as projectiles?
The mind boggles...
