Air Force or Navy: Which Service is Right for You? Part 1

Bob Norris is a former Naval aviator who also did a 3-year exchange tour with the Air Force flying the F-15 Eagle. He is now an accomplished author of entertaining books about US Naval Aviation including “Check Six” and “Fly-Off”. In response to a letter from an aspiring fighter pilot on which military academy to attend, Bob replied with the following.

——————

Young Man,

Congratulations on your selection to both the Naval and Air Force Academies. Your goal of becoming a fighter pilot is impressive and a fine way to serve your country. As you requested, I’d be happy to share some insight into which service would be the best choice. Each service has a distinctly different culture. You need to ask yourself “Which one am I more likely to thrive in?”

USAF Snapshot: The USAF is exceptionally well organized and well run. Their training programs are terrific. All pilots are groomed to meet high standards for knowledge and professionalism. Their aircraft are top-notch and extremely well maintained. Their facilities are excellent. Their enlisted personnel are the brightest and the best trained. The USAF is homogeneous and macro. No matter where you go, you’ll know what to expect, what is expected of you, and you’ll be given the training & tools you need to meet those expectations. You will never be put in a situation over your head. Over a 20-year career, you will be home for most important family events. Your Mom would want you to be an Air Force pilot…so would your wife. Your Dad would want your sister to marry one.

Navy Snapshot: Aviators are part of the Navy, but so are Black shoes (surface warfare) and bubble heads (submariners). Furthermore, the Navy is split into two distinctly different Fleets (West and East Coast). The Navy is heterogeneous and micro. Your squadron is your home; it may be great, average, or awful. A squadron can go from one extreme to the other before you know it. You will spend months preparing for cruise and months on cruise. The quality of the aircraft varies directly with the availability of parts. Senior Navy enlisted are salt of the earth; you’ll be proud if you earn their respect. Junior enlisted vary from terrific to the troubled kid the judge made join the service. You will be given the opportunity to lead these people during your career; you will be humbled and get your hands dirty. The quality of your training will vary and sometimes you will be over your head. You will miss many important family events. There will be long stretches of tedious duty aboard ship. You will fly in very bad weather and/or at night and you will be scared many times. You will fly with legends in the Navy and they will kick your ass until you become a lethal force. And some days – when the scheduling Gods have smiled upon you – your jet will catapult into a glorious morning over a far-away sea and you will be drop-jawed that someone would pay you to do it. The hottest girl in the bar wants to meet the Naval Aviator. That bar is in Singapore.

Bottom line, son, if you gotta ask………….pack warm & good luck in Colorado.

Banzai

PS Air Force pilots wear scarves and iron their flight suits.

A Quote to Ponder

When a man unprincipled in private life desperate in his fortune, bold in his temper, possessed of considerable talents, having the advantage of military habits—despotic in his ordinary demeanour—known to have scoffed in private at the principles of liberty—when such a man is seen to mount the hobby horse of popularity—to join in the cry of danger to liberty—to take every opportunity of embarrassing the General Government & bringing it under suspicion—to flatter and fall in with all the non sense of the zealots of the day—It may justly be suspected that his object is to throw things into confusion that he may ‘ride the storm and direct the whirlwind.  Alexander Hamilton (and it’s not from the musical.)

January 26 is National Spouses Day

National Spouses Day:

is an unofficial holiday which encourages couples to celebrate each other on this day. On this day, people are supposed to take time out of their busy schedule to show just how important their spouse is to them. After all, the love that isn’t tended is most likely the one that doesn’t thrive. This holiday shouldn’t be confused with Military Spouses Day – a holiday which falls on May 12^th.

Interesting Facts About Marriage

• The average married couple has sex once a week
• 20% of married couples have a sex-less marriage
• It’s legal to marry someone who is dead in France
• Over 300 couples marry in Las Vegas every single day
• The 3rd year of marriage is usually the happiest for most couples
• Every hour, there are a 100 divorces in the United States
• Interracial marriage was banned in the U.S up until 1967  (Ironcially, it was a couple called Loving that brought this to an end. Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1, was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court that struck down laws banning interracial marriage as violations of the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution)
• Gamophobia is the fear of commitment
• Wedding rings go back to Ancient Egypt

How are you going to celebrate?

Bathroom Signs VI

Bathroom Signs from the Big Sur Restaurant at the Ventana Inn in Big Sur, CA

Graffiti inside one of the stall doors of the Ladies Room, Mission Ranch Restaurant, Carmel, CA

Phoenix Shop at Nepenthe in Big Sur, CA

The picture inside the bathroom at Chestnut Oaks Winery in Barboursville, VA

From Chicken Salad Chick restaurant in Greensboro, NC Courtesy of my friend Wendy Hill who was attending US Figure Skating Championship

Musings

Say What?

Has the bully pulpit become more bully than pulpit?

What is it about a subpoena that frightens the memory away?  Do they drink the fifth before they plead it?

Is Santa Claus a toy sleigher?

A woman says something.  One to three minutes later it percolates through a man’s brain and he utters the same words as an original  thought.  The other men in the group hail it as significant.  Why?

You hear something on the news that you agree with–Benghazi attack, withholding funds for Ukraine to mention two from the recent past.  You say you are not a conspiracy theorist type of person–is it because you agree with whichever side is being discussed? Do you think that the other side is actually part of a conspiracy theory?

“I may not know where I’m at but I know where I’m going.”  From an old woman confused about Charlotte, NC, and Charlottesville, VA.

A mother was having a discussion with her teenage daughter and had to eat a bite of her daughter’s bagel before saying anything. ” You don’t like nothing that they serve?

If you’re drifting, someone else is doing the thinking.  Congresswoman Love

Trump is a British slang word for fart. It is derived from the noun ‘trump’ which is a blast from a trumpet.
 

Happy Chinese New Year–Year of the Rat

Year of the Rat

The Rat is the first of all zodiac animals. According to one myth, the Jade Emperor said the order would be decided by the order in which they arrived to his party. The Rat tricked the Ox into giving him a ride. Then, just as they arrived at the finish line, Rat jumped down and landed ahead of Ox, becoming first.

The Rat is also associated with the Earthly Branch (地支—dì zhī) Zi (子) and the midnight hours. In the terms of yin and yang (阴阳—yīn yáng), the Rat is yang and represents the beginning of a new day.

In Chinese culture, rats were seen as a sign of wealth and surplus. Because of their reproduction rate, married couples also prayed to them for children.

What type of rat are you?

• Gym Rat
• Technoc-rat
• Bureauc-rat
• Artistoc-rat
• musk-rat
• autoc-rat

Chinese New Year is also known as Lunar New Year and Tet.

Inclusion vs. Diversity

When you say you want to speak for the voiceless, don’t speak for them, hand them the mike.– Wendy Osefo

Are inclusion and diversity the same thing?

I attended  The University of Virginia Center for Politics’ 21st annual American Democracy Conference this morning.  One of the panelists, Dr. Wendy Osefo made a comment about the difference between inclusion and diversity.

I am paraphrasing her thoughts. Diversity is when you tick off a checklist to make sure you have a variety of individuals as part of your group.  It can be a woman, a person of color, someone from a different religion, country of origin, class, age, political party,  ability or capability, or sexual orientation.

Inclusion is when they are not tokens to show how well-rounded or ecumenical the group is.  They are an integral part of the group, and not examples who should consider them fortunate to be invited to sit at the table or stand on the periphery.

From Trailhead.:

Diversity is the full range of ways a person can identify. When we say diversity in the workplace, we mean the idea that our companies reflect the communities we serve. Diversity has many facets including race, ethnicity, gender or gender identity, age, religious affiliation, and sexual orientation. But diversity isn’t always something we can measure or see. Diversity also includes people with differing educational backgrounds, personality types, cultural references, experiences, or physical abilities.

Inclusion is when every single person in the community is valued, heard, respected, empowered, and feels a true sense of belonging. It goes beyond tolerance to actually celebrating and elevating every person in the room.

Reblog: 14 Paris Museums Place 100K Works of Art Online for Free Download

Do you want to be able to download free copies of of some famous paintings that just entered the public domain?

My Modern Met just posted:

The start of a new decade has also brought a new wave of art entering the public domain. And in France, a collective of 14 museums is starting this year by placing over 100,000 pieces of art on its online portal—all of which are free to download and use as you please. Paris Musées, which runs the 14 City of Paris museums, uses the latest technology to digitize its work, ensuring high-quality imagery.

Claude Monet (1840-1926). “Setting sun in Lavacourt”. Oil on canvas. 1880. Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris, Petit Palais.

So if you are a lover of Rembrandt, Cézanne, or Monet, get ready to start searching. These great painters are among the artists whose work is available through the portal. Aside from being able to download a high-resolution, 300-DPI digitization of an artwork, the online collection includes basic information about the piece, as well as instructions on how the public domain license works.

https://click.mlsend.com/link/c/YT0xMzM4NjMwNTQ3NTEzMDIxNjI2JmM9ZzBmMiZlPTE5MjgmYj0zMTEyNTEyMzgmZD11MXM0ajd3.uhhU-sIAtn22B8ilm5zhb1eJK8atL6q3E4sQWYO6SNs

Reblog: Southern Comfort–Soups, Stews, and Grits

January is Soup Month.  Since I love soups and do not have any homemade recipes to share, I thought I would share Camilla’s Cottage blog on the topic.  The recipes look warming and delicious on a chilly, grey January Saturday when Winter has decided to make a comeback after a two week hiatus.

To read this tasty blog posting click  here

Picture is from Soup and a Sandwich at Bold Rock Cidery in Nellysford and not from Camilla’s Cottage  blog.

.

Reblog: 10 Facts about Jane Austen’s Sanditon

Jane Austen died before finishing an untitled novel.  Although several people tried to finish it, it was not finished until the twentieth century.  It is now a series on PBS’s Masterpiece Theater.
Click here

 

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/612017/jane-austen-sanditon-book-facts

OK Boomer

Those of us old enough to be called Boomers may remember the old “Don’t trust  anyone over 30.”  That phrase became obsolete when the first boomers hit  30 in 1976.

The phrase, “Never trust anyone over 30,” was coined by Jack Weinberg, a political activist at Cal-Berkeley in the 1960s. Now on the other side of the fence, Boomers are more likely to say you shouldn’t trust anyone under 30. In return, Millennials just give Boomers the side-eye (whatever that means).–from Leading with Trust  by Randy Conley, June 4, 2017

Today, Boomers are on the other side of the generational divide. Millennials are tired of being stereotyped by boomers who refuse to

• retire
• share the wealth
• continue needed social programs
• recognize the crushing impact  of student loan debt
• quit running for president

Millennials’ answer to Boomers is an eye roll and the phrase “OK, Boomer.”

OK boomer is meant to be cutting and dismissive. It suggests that the conversation around the anxieties and concerns of younger generations has become so exhausting and unproductive that the younger generations are collectively over it. OK boomer implies that the older generation misunderstands millennial and Gen Z culture and politics so fundamentally that years of condescension and misrepresentation have led to this pointedly terse rebuttal and rejection. Rather than endlessly defend decisions stemming from deep economic strife, to save money instead of investing in stocks and retirement funds, to buy avocados instead of cereal — teens and younger adults are simply through.  Vox, November 19, 2019 by Aja Romano.

Although the phrase gained traction in 2019, according to Wikipedia, “The first recorded instance of the phrase “OK Boomer” appeared in a Reddit comment on 29 January 2009″

On Wednesday,January 15, 2020 the phrase,”OK, Boomer” was taken up by the Supreme Court to see if it conveyed ageism.
Because the Age Discrimination in Employment Act prevents employment discrimination only against anyone over age 40, it means our most maligned generation — those ages 23 to 38 — have no federal protection from age discrimination whatsoever.–https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/ok-boomer-ageist-maybe-supreme-court-case-won-t-fix-ncna1117496

Saving a Local Bookstore

Cynthia Reyes’ blogpost about a British bookstore is heartwarming and how sometimes twitterstorms can be a good thing.

Cynthia Reyes

If you love books, and value bookstores, you’ll want to read this remarkable story. It started with a single tweet:

7

Petersfield Bookshop@The_PBS

…Tumbleweed…

Not a single book sold today…

£0.00…

We think think this maybe the first time ever…

We know its miserable out but if you’d like to help us out please find our Abebooks offering below, all at 25% off at the moment….

Read the story here:

https://www.lifeisamazing.co.uk/kind-words-on-a-stormy-day

View original post

Reblog: How Military Law and Ethics Impacts the Military Medical Officer.

Ever Wonder How Military Law and Ethics Impacts the Military Medical Officer? by Trudy Hawkins

Providing medical care for soldiers has been a hallmark of civilization and dates as far back as Ancient Egypt. Fundamentals of Military Science defines military medicine as the application of medical art and science in a military setting. The medical doctor and military officer are two of the most prestigious professions in the United States. Military Medical Officers (MMO) are expected to be experts in both fields.

This comprehensive reference provides foundations for a medical response within the battlefield of deployed military personnel by land, sea, or air. It also explores the operational, humanitarian, ethical, and strategic roles of military medicine and all officers, including command staff.

MMOs vow to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic and to hold faith and allegiance while also following orders of the President. They must adhere to both medical and military ethical standards. Additionally, MMOs ensure that the medical dimension of law of armed conflict is enforced in accordance to the United States’ obligation to the Geneva Convention. In the chapter covering the “History of the Military Medical Officer,” you will learn about some of the most shocking crimes that were conducted by doctors in Nazi Germany, who ran lethal experiments on human beings. These war crimes led to the development of the Nuremberg Code, the regulation of human medical experiments, and the adoption of the Geneva Convention of 1949.

“Military Law and Ethics,” another important chapter, provides several military law definitions and an overview of the military justice system.  Additionally, there are examples of “civilian” offenses, “uniquely military” offenses, military “catchall” offenses, and war crimes. The chapter goes onto to describe how the military justice system works with command discretion, investigations, mental health evaluation, courts-martial, disciplinary rules unique to public health service officers, and more. The section dedicated to  “Enlisted Members” narrates a brief history of the enlisted members in military medicine. Outlines are provided of the rank structure for military service personnel across America’s military branches, such as Junior Enlisted promotions to the Noncommissioned or Petty Officer.  This chapter also includes an overview of medical training of the enlisted personnel, such as laboratory equipment and diagnostic services, nursing and specialty medical care across many areas such as surgery, respiratory, preventive medicine, veterinary, and more.

Task Force Marauder participates in mass casualty exercise. Image from publication (by Capt. Jessica Donnelly).

Fundamentals of Military Medicine provides an in-depth look at various aspects of healthcare that the military prioritizes and includes dedicated chapters within this authoritative volume. Some of these include military law and ethics, physical fitness, performance nutrition, environmental extremes, psychological well-being, recovery, injury prevention, spiritual fitness, family readiness, tactical medicine, CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive) threats, and more.

The topics in this book serve as an introduction and as a broad overview of the responsibilities of America’s Military Medical Corps. This authoritative work may appeal most to people interested in military medicine and for medical students who want to explore a career in military medicine.

Many of the resources published by the Borden Institute can be found by searching GPO Online Bookstore Borden Institute collection and by searching through the Catalog of Government Publications, also commonly known as the “CGP” to academics and librarians.

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

HOW DO I OBTAIN THIS RESOURCE?

Sign up to receive promotional bulletin emails from the US Government Online Bookstore.

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy a vast majority of eBooks or print publications -with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide- from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

• Click here to download Fundamentals of Military Medicine
• Click here to download Occupational Health and the Service Member
• Click here to download Military Veterinary Services
• Check out more resources from our Borden Institute collection
  

Visit our Retail Store: To buy or order a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up(s).

Order by Phone or Email: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.  Email orders to ContactCenter@gpo.gov

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

Find more than a million official Federal Government publications from all three branches at www.govinfo.gov.

Maps That You May Have Seen Before

From a multi forwarded email so I don’t know its origins.

1. This map shows the world divided into 7 sections (each with distinct color)  —  each section containing  1 billion people.

2. This map shows (   in white)   where 98 percent of Australia ‘s entire population lives.    

3. It may not come as a surprise   ,   but more people live inside the circle than outside it.   

4. This map shows what is on the other side of the world from where you’re standing.  For the most part   ,   it’s water.   

5. Apparently you can’t get Big Macs everywhere.  This map shows (   in red   ) the countries that have McDonalds.   

6. This map shows the countries (   in blue   ) where people drive on the left side of the road.   

 
 
7. This map shows countries (   in white   ) that England has never invaded  There are only 22   (in the whole world)!   

9. This map shows the countries that  have “   heavily restricted  access” to the  Internet in 2013.   

1   0. This map shows (   in red   ) countries that were all Communist at one point in time.   

11. This map shows (   in red   ) the countries that don’t use the metric system.   

12. This map shows (   in blue   ) places where Google  street view is available.   

 
 

13. This map shows (   in green   ) all the landlocked countries of the world.   

14.   And this is what the world would look like   —   if all the countries with coastlines sank.   

15. This is a map of the all the rivers in the United States.   

16.   And these are all the rivers that feed into the Mississippi River   

17.This is a map of the highest paid public employees in the US.  (   It is q   uite telling as to wh   ere   our ‘priorities’  lie   .)   

18. This map shows how much space the United States would occupy on the moon.   

From Being the Goat to Being the G.O.A.T

Charlie Brown may not have been the original goat, but he came to personify it.

This type of Goat has even made it into Survivor lexicology.

During every season of Survivor, there will come the point when players and fans begin discussing which of the remaining players are “goats.” The goat refers to a player with a highly unlikely chance of winning; whom if taken to the Final Tribal Council should be easily beatable due to the way they played the game or treated the members of the jury. It has become such a repeated term that it is now cemented in the lexicon of Survivor;

How did Goat become G.O.A.T.?

According to GOAT| Know Your Meme:
G.O.A.T, is an acronym for the expression “greatest of all time,” which is commonly used in sports when referring to players who are widely considered the most talented. Online, It is often used on sites like reddit and 4chan when referring to someone who is believed to be the best at a certain skill.

On September 12th, 2000, rapper LL Cool J released his eighth studio album G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time). The album was a commercial success, reaching the number one position on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart.^[1]

Ken Jenning is Jeopardy’s GOAT.

Reblog: How Writer’s Map Their Imaginary Worlds

Do you like to look at maps and wonder who lives there, who drew the map, what world is this? This Atlas Obscura article is a true treasure trove of fictional maps created by some of your favorite authors.  From Thomas More’s Utopia through the Swiss Family Robinson and JRR Tolkien, fiction and fantasy books have taken readers to places they never imagined and only readers can explore.

One of life’s great treats, for a lover of books (especially fantasy books), is to open a cover to find a map secreted inside and filled with the details of a land about to be discovered. A writer’s map hints at a fully imagined world, and at the beginning of a book, it’s a promise. In the middle of a book, it’s a touchstone and a guide. And at the end, it’s a reminder of all the places the story has taken you.

Deferred Maintenance by Rolig Loon

Deferred Maintenance
Hebrews 13:2

In my experience,
Angels arrive quietly, not dancing on pinheads or making a great flapping
Of wings to announce themselves.
I always miss them completely,
Realizing only days later that they must have been responsible
For the feathery footprints in the snow on my doorstep.
I would have invited them in
If they had been more obvious and
If I hadn’t been busy with serious matters,
But I’m sure that angels understand that’s how life is.
Some day when I have less on my mind
They’ll be back again and I will be a proper host.
I will set out scones and tea, and we will chat about whatever it is that
Concerns angels.
I would like it to be said, when they return home, that they were
Well received.
I have made myself this promise each time, I know,
And I have always vowed to be more watchful.
The thing is,
Angels arrive so quietly.

How Well Do You Know the New York Public Library Lions?

Take this quiz and test your knowledge.  I got 80% or 4 of 5 correctd.

The New York Public Library asked: “How well do you know Patience and Fortitude?“

Reblog: 104 year old USMC Vet looking for Valentine’s Day Cards

Valentine’s Day is one-month from today!

Maj. Bill White served in World War II, survived the Battle of Iwo Jima and went on to continue a long career in the U.S. Marine Corps.

White keeps his proudest memories tucked away on his bookshelf and the 104-year-old veteran said he’s hoping his collection grows a little bigger this Valentine’s Day.

To read more about his story, click here.

If you would like to send White a Valentine’s Day card, you can address it to:

Operation Valentine
ATTN: Hold for Maj Bill White, USMC (Ret)
The Oaks at Inglewood
6725 Inglewood Ave.
Stockton, CA 95207

Who is that Dithery Lady of a Certain Age?

In the parking lot of the local Kroger grocery store, a woman of a certain age pushed her cart up and down the parking lot rows. She kept pointing her key fob in different directions as if trying to echo-locate her car.  The car did not return a confirming beep.

After walking down one row and up another, she paused to see if her car might be in a different row.  Even though she was not in the middle of the road, she unknowingly paused in front of a car, blocking its ability to drive forward.

She became aware of the frustrated driver within a few seconds, waved at the lady behind the wheel and pushed her cart forward.  The driver revved her engine to show her annoyance.

Was I the cart pusher or the frustrated drive?  Neither is an admirable person.