Proactively “From the Sea”; an agent of change leveraging the littoral best practices for a paradigm breaking six-sigma best business case to synergize a consistent design in the global commons, rightsizing the core values supporting our mission statement via the 5-vector model through cultural diversity.
People often look at me funny when I tell them something along the lines, "There is nothing wrong with the kids now days. The problems all have to do with their parents, teachers, and the people we mistakenly outsource our parenting decisions to."
Mrs. Salamander found a perfect example of what I mean.
I am blessed; my children are voracious readers of books. They just devour them. Personally, I should open an American Girl library, I have them all. My preteen already reads at a college level and my youngest wants to catch up yesterday.
As a result, Mrs. Salamander is always on the lookout for good books, especially those with a historical bent, as the eldest takes after her father with her interest in all thing historical. Well, Mrs. Salamander spies Adèle Geras's (the accent over the "e" should have been a warning) book Troy. What does she read on the back?
A Publisher's Weekly Best Children's Book of the Year. A Smithsonian Magazine Notable Book for Children.
... and so on. It is a thick book - which is good too as it will last.
What wonderful seeds are waiting in this book to sprout roots in your child's brain from this book?
Here are just a few samples.
"Come and lie down beside me," he said, taking the cup out of her hands and putting it on the flor next to the bed. "I'm sad. I haven't been as sad as this since my father died, when I was a small boy. Lord Hector - he spoke to me last night. Comfort me, Marpessa. Hold me, so that I can weep with no one to see me."
Marpessa looked at him and a dizziness came over her, so that she almost swooned. Without a word, she lay down beside him and put her arms around him. his head was on her breast. She stared over his shoulder at the wall. Oh, Lady Aphrodite, she said to herself, help me. What is happening to me? She was trembling all over.
"Look at me, " Alastor said, lifting his head level with her face. "And open your mouth."
Marpessa did what he said, and her heart...something...everything...melted like a honeycomb held near the fire, and she felt her whole body grow limp and heavy, and her mouth was filled with sweetness. She closed her eyes, and a wave of darkness washed over her as she fell back against the pillows with Alastor's weight and heat upon her. - (page 128)
...and so on.
I know, don't hate the player - hate the game. BTW, what did that take - 30 seconds - from "Hold me, so that I can weep ... " to "Open your mouth."? Impressive. I don't think even Skippy can move that fast.
I don't know about you, but I don't know anyone who says "Open your mouth" before they kiss them. That must be ... ummmmm .... Kristen, for you I will not go further.
Back to the serious things.
That's Alastor's bastard, people would say ... unthinkable. A torture. And of her, a part that she didn't want ot listen to but that insisted on being heard, said in the wicked whisper of a snake, It will be a dind of punishment for him ... for the way he as treated you. Kill his child. It's what he deserves. Kill it. Soon. Rid your womb of every particle of his being. Cleanse yourself
"...I want to kill my child"
"How old? You don't look more than a child yourself."
"Here," Marpessa held her hand to her stomach. "It's not yet born.."
Mother poison made a sucking noise through her teeth.
"It's much easier to kill the ones that are already here. There are many ways of doing that. Are you quite sure you wouldn't prefer to wait, and hold a pillow over the infant's mouth? That's simplest." - (page 264)
Friends don't let friend's children read books written by Boomers for children until a responsible adult reads them.
Did you know there is a Teacher's Guide for this book? I only found out while getting links for this post.
Troy and Ithaka are companion novels appropriate for readers in grades nine through twelve, or students ages fourteen to eighteen.
Ok. That is one definition of child - but perhaps on the back of the book they should be more specific ... and to many of us, a strong reading child is 9-12 years old. - the exact type that is attracted to Harry Potter length novels.
I am lucky that Mrs. Salamander has a good Mother's Sense about things. We've been burned before with "recommended children's books" lists. What is it about some adults that they think that children should be fed Penthouse Forum Lite stories and the worst parts of human nature - all packaged in post-modernest prose that is barely readable? I don't know, but they are sick people.
I'll take the sex and violence in the classics - they have stood the time of centuries and are fairly opaque. But this stuff? Plenty of time for such things in life. Can't we let 12 year olds be 12 year olds?
Even going beyond the 12 year olds, aren't there plenty of novels to give 9th graders than ones that have descriptions of head games for oral sex and pondering on if it is best to have an abortion or commit infanticide?
If not - then perhaps "Children's Book" has a very different meaning today. In the end, this only reinforces the fact that outside your house's door, no one is really looking after your child's childhood but you.
As a side note - if you really want to know why her book gets recommended - think about who runs the education schools and populates the education bureaucracy. Then read this review.
With exceptional grace and enormous energy, Geras recreates the saga of the Trojan War from a feminist perspective, ... - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Great. Doing for the Trojan war what Dan Brown has done for Catholicism.
Anne - it continues to be a shame you and Mrs. Salamander never met.
Tell me again how you defend this horrid example of bean counting, CYA, discriminatory, patronizing, treatment. How?
Subject: NROTC Scholarship Option/Information Date: [REDACTED] From: [REDACTED] To: [REDACTED]
Good morning,
My name is [REDACTED], and I am a [REDACTED] with the Selection and Placement Division of the NROTC Scholarship Program in Pensacola, Florida. I am contacting you because of the outstanding application you submitted for the NROTC Program. Although our Four-Year National Scholarship application process for the fall of 2009 has closed, many scholarship opportunities are still available for you to begin college this fall.
One of the numerous scholarship opportunities that I want to make sure that you know about is our Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Scholarship. HBCU scholarships are available at sixteen colleges and universities and provide the same benefits as our regular Four-Year National Scholarship. The only difference is that the HBCU scholarship may only be used at one of our participating HBCU colleges and universities. You will find all but three listed at the following link:
https://www.nrotc.navy.mil/hist_black.asp. The three that aren't listed are: Allen University, Columbia SC / Texas Southern University, Houston TX / and Tuskegee University, Tuskegee AL.
This e-mail does not indicate that you have, or have not been awarded the 4YR National scholarship that you previously applied for, so continue to check the NROTC Web-Site for those results. This is simply another great scholarship opportunity that you may want to consider if you are not awarded the other one.
If you are interested, and would like to possibly participate in the HBCU scholarship program, all you need to do is reply to me using the contact information provided below. I will be glad to verify your eligibility and guide you through the process. I look forward to helping you begin your college career.
Very respectfully,
[REDACTED] [REDACTED] Naval Service Training Command/[REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED], FL [REDACTED] COMM:(850) 452-[REDACTED] DSN: 922-[REDACTED] FAX: (850) 452-[REDACTED] WEB: www.nrotc.navy.mil
To start with - I assume that they don't care what race you are, just that you go to a HBU? Huh? Then again, are just interested in what your DNA is and that you go to to a HBU? Do other universities get this special treatment? If I am blond haired and blue eyed and go to Howard University, I get a scholarship? If I am blond haired and blue eyed and go to Yale I don't?
When reader The-Other-Jeff (as I know him) emailed me about this, to be honest, I didn't believe it.To quote TOJ;
... the word "Japanese" or "Imperial Japanese Navy" were never uttered at the Midway Commemoration last Thursday at the Navy Memorial.
Sorry TOJ, you were exactly right; I'll never doubt you again.
This wasn't just any speech for any commemorative event by any schmo; this was the speech by the Chief of Naval Operations at the Navy Memorial in Washington DC to recognize the Battle of Midway. Read the whole speech here and come back. As for The Commandant's speech, I'll let the Marines deal with it - the CNO's speech starts about half way through after the Commandant's.
Not even a hint of anything "Japan" at all. Can we as an institution at least grow up and do honor to our history - and that of our once opponents and now friends? Can we stop patronizingly insulting the intelligence and professionalism of our Japanese allies?
The first four paragraphs are fine, but it went south after this line.
The Battle of Midway is the ultimate statement of our Navy Ethos and character.
It just wanders in a context-free haze it never seems to come out of. If we want to use The Battle of Midway as the USN Trafalgar, then we are not even close to leveraging it as we should.Is this it?
...the strength of their character and firmness of their resolve- is why this battle is so significant in our history and why we commemorate it today.
... these pages tell the continuing story of extraordinary men and women whose honor, courage, and commitment created a true and proven hybrid force ready to meet any challenge to our nation’s security.
Weak horse. Yes, the earlier Ensign Evans quote is nice - but the Battle of Midway is so much larger than that. In para's 9 through 12 you can see a core of a speech that could be, but it is lost in the muddle that seems to drift in and out of other speeches in other venues - and in the process we lose the focus on The Battle of Midway and what it tells us.
Good googly moogly - give CDR Hendrix the charter to write that speech next year. Eeeekkkk, that vein on my forehead is going again.
For those who have had the pleasure of doing a tour with the Royal Navy or in close proximity to a critical mass of Royal Navy officers, then you know what Trafalgar Night is all about. You also know that there is no problem mentioning France and Spain - and the French and Spanish Navy officers in attendance have no issue with it.
This is not the time to use a pain-by-numbers method to have a speech written for the CNO to be delivered in the same tone and manner all other speeches are.
In another case of bad staff work, his staff did not change the title of the file they uploaded to the CNO's page to something that is even close to industry standards for the head of a serious organization. Here is the title of the speech.From that, I think we know who the author is. If the LT in the title isn't the author, then poor staff work having her name in the file. If the LT in the title is who wrote the speech we have an even larger vision problem than I think. A little time in Google will tell you all you need to know.
The LT is a fine person and officer, but for The Battle of Midway couldn't we get someone from the Navy Historical and Heritage Command to write the speech at a minimum? Someone with at PhD in history at least? The Navy has spent a lot of money to give warfare qualified officers a PhD in history. We all know who they are and how to get in touch with them. All we needed to do is say, "We are looking for a good Battle of Midway commemoration speech for the CNO. Please submit a proposal by next month and we will let you know if yours is selected." You will have the biggest geek slap-fight since the iPhone came out just to see who would get the honor of having the CNO read that speech. (noth'n but love, my geeky Shipmates)
Those officers would produce a speech that was focused and in context ... and the Navy would utilize a vastly under utilized asset.
The Battle of Midway deserves more. If we continue to fumble this opportunity to reset our cultural mindset, The Battle of Midway might as well be the week everyone hands out the CFC paperwork, and about as relevant.If you would rather hear it, go to the approx. 26:30 mark.
Next year let's give the CNO something to work with.Speaking of writing for the CNO - who fed him this?
"To me the biggest challenge is to make the young people of our country aware of the opportunities and the excitement that exists in the United States Navy. The term that I use is that we have to make it possible for young people, diverse young people, to find the Navy. Because once you find the Navy, the future explodes."
Just for the enemy - I hope. The CNO is a serious man in a very serious position. Are we manning his Staff the way we should - so he as the very best support for the most important areas?
Some of the characteristics of leadership on the way down: · People shield those in power from grim facts, fearful of penalty and criticism for shining light on the harsh realities. · People assert strong opinions without providing data, evidence, or a solid argument. · The team leader has a very low questions-to-statements ratio, avoiding critical input and/or allowing sloppy reasoning and unsupported opinions. · Team members seek as much credit for themselves. · Team members argue to look smart. · Team members seek to blame. · Team members often fail to deliver exceptional results.
Some of the characteristics of leadership on the way up: · Bring forth unpleasant facts, no matter how ugly. · People bring forth data, evidence, and logic. · Employs high question-to-statement ratio, challenges people. · Team members will credit others for success. · Team members argue and debate not to improve personal position, but to find the best answer to support the overall cause. · Each team member delivers exceptional results.
For those who have been to Bible study with me, you know that I cannot stand one-off Chapter and Verse quotations. I am a firm believer in the 10-up-and-10-down rule; you have to read the 10 Verses before and after the money quote in order to get a handle on the context. It is also helpful to have a copy of a parallel translations book as well ... but I digress.
So, there I am thumbing through Sun Tzu's The Art of War again, when I come across something we are all familiar with.
One who knows the enemy and knows himself will not be endangered in a hundred engagements.
... but that isn't the best part, this is;
One who does not know the enemy but knows himself will sometimes be victorious, sometimes meet with defear. One who knows neither the enemy nor himself will invariably be defeeated in every engagement.
Make sure you are reading this from the Chinese perspective you round-eyed devil - this helps.
If I know out troops can attack, but do not know the enemy cannot be attacked, it is only halfway to victory. If I know the enemy can be attacked, but do not realize our troops cannot attack, it is only halfway to victory.
Knowing that the enemy can be attacked, and knowing that our army can effect the attack, but not knowing the terrain is not suitable for combat, is only halfway to victory. Thus one who truly knows the army will never be deluded when he moves, never be impoverished when initiating an action.
Thus it is said if you know them and know yourself, your victory will not be imperiled. If you know them and know yourself, your victory will not be imperiled. If you know Heaven and you know Earth, your victory can be complete.
This has to do with being honest with yourself and gathering proper intel, good honest intel.
What is the main threat to the US from hostile intel services from the Clinton Administration on? China. They know their Sun Tzu better than we know our Clausewitz.
I want to pick on the last line from above.
If you know them and know yourself, your victory will not be imperiled. If you know Heaven and you know Earth, your victory can be complete.
One can argue how much we really know China I presume, but from the Korean War on I think the 51% of the argument is that we know a lot less than we think.
Now, from a USN perspective, how well do we know ourselves?
Do we know our deep strike capabilities? Review the lack of organic real tanking ability and lack of deep strike aircraft on our CVN. Don't even mention USAF quasi-peace time permissive tanking support. If you are going in harm's way from a ASW and AAW perspective, how many MK41 cells do you have left available for TLAM when you risk manage your ASW and AAW problem? SSGNs do look like a nice tool to have ... but for both surface and sub-surface units, how are our WESTPAC reload ability looking for sustained combat?
Do we know our ASW capability? ASW readiness for fixed and rotary wing - up to speed for both personnel and equipment? Just relying on SSN? How about your aircraft and ship light weight torpedoes - realistic warshot validation in the appropriate water and bottom profiles where we will fight? Numbers of warshots available allow for sustained combat with the expected number of attacks on false contacts?
Do we know our ship's capabilities? Enough LCS mission modules and ability to swap out forward deployed to match the changing MIW-ASW-ASUW-AAW threat as it appears? Oh, never mind ... none are and none are expected for a long time. OK then, DD ... FF (not-so-G)? Oops. Enough DDG-51's ready for ASW? Errr...P-3s?
Do we know our ability to escort CVN and Amphibs....
Through 050602AUG09, or longer if my readers find more stuff - I am going to open up a new weekly series, "Retro Wednesday" - 0602 every Wednesday.
Retro Wednesday will focus on the Navy in the immediate post-WWII period prior to The Korean War as seen by those who where there. Just simple pics with little to any commentary.
I have to thank Sid for these; these are from his collection.
For the opening punch, a little something for the ladies and perhaps others.
The frustration of being selected for fighters, but due to war's end, ending up as plowbacks in N2S's at "U.S.N.A.S." Corpus Christi not evident:
Come back next week for another shot at America and her Navy; flush with victory and promise.
Oh, and next time you see the old fella with the oxygen tube in his nose and sitting in a scooter outside the Exchange; give him a nod. That is what his 6-pack looked like when he was in his early 20s - how about yours?
, I have them all. My preteen already reads at a college level and my youngest wants to catch up yesterday.
. What does she read on the back?
length novels., ...
has done for Catholicism.
