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Tuesday, May 22, 2007

The Morning News

posted by on May 22 at 7:03 AM

Lebanon vs. Fatah al-Islam: A fragile ceasefire is in place after another day of heavy shelling.

Abortion: Pro-life groups now claiming it’s all about the health and safety of women.

Poisoning: Britain seeks to extradite a Russian businessman for the murder of Alexander Litvineko last November.

Immigration: Both sides of the aisle are unhappy with the latest plan.

Gasoline: Prices break records for the tenth day in a row. Now only New Jersey has an average below $3/gallon.

Under the Influence: German man pulled over for drunk driving…in a wheelchair.

Occupations: The Pentagon is mulling over the possibility of staying in Iraq for decades.

Leading the World: The U.S. doesn’t want to talk about climate change at next month’s G8 summit.

Happy Ending: Missing Issaquah jogger has returned home.

Aviation: Boeing’s mammoth 787 “Dreamliner” is entering its final assembly stage.

Pranks: Kentridge High School student suspended for posting video mocking teacher on-line.

And finally, some artillery advice from Infantry Drill Regulations, 1911:

422. Troops should be accustomed to being fired over by friendly artillery and impressed with the fact that the artillery should continue firing upon the enemy until the last possible moment. The few casualties resulting from shrapnel bursting short are trifling compared with those that would result from the increased effectiveness of the enemy’s infantry fire were the friendly artillery to cease firing.

Artillery_march1915.gif

RSS icon Comments

1

I could never wrap my head around the idea of being shelled by artillery for hours or even days on end as the enemy prepares to attack. Too insane to understand.

E. J. Leed explains the method to the madness in No Man's Land: Combat & Identity in World War I - "Experience has shown that a high degree of nervous tension is commonest among men who have to remain inactive while being shelled. For the man with ordinary self-control this soon becomes a matter of listening with strained attention for each approaching shell, and speculating how near it will explode; and behind this thought looms another, namely, how many seconds before he will be blown to pieces. An hour or two of this strain is more than most men can stand."

What is now understood as PTSD got you shot at dawn in WWI in order to maintain troop morale.

Posted by Lloyd Clydesdale | May 22, 2007 8:45 AM
2

The Issaquah jogger's story is just a bit fishy. Gone on a three day "jog"? Talk about a Lost Weekend.

Posted by DOUG. | May 22, 2007 8:46 AM
3

The 787 isn't really "mammoth." It's almost the same length as the 777. The Airbus A380 could be called that (and it could be called "hella ugly" too), but the only thing mammoth about the 787 project is the modified 747 Dreamlifter cargo plane.

Just sayin'.

Posted by Bill B | May 22, 2007 9:09 AM
4

Knocked unconscious for three days? I call bullshit! Jogger has to take one drink!

Posted by Sam | May 22, 2007 9:26 AM
5

I went to KR, and I was the VP of a club that Mrs. Mong was the advisor for, and... I feel bad for her, but the video doesn't say anything that isn't justified (except for the butt thing, that was unnecessary). The soap allergy/water fear rumor has been going around since I began my sophomore year in '99, and while that doesn't necessarily mean it's true, it was well-known that her hair was only done once a week, on the same day. The smell is overwhelming - kind of like a poorly-run nursing home mixed with cheese. The clutter is also obviously true, as well as the dismissiveness, irrationality... She could be very nice and was generally a sweet person (as is shown in her response to the whole thing, which was sort of heartbreaking), but she did have strange habits, and was generally considered not to be a good teacher. Also, the student who was suspended isn't even in the video, and his connection to it at all seems poorly supported; he certainly didn't deserve a 40-day suspension. I could tell stories of illegal/unethical things the administration did while I was there (one that led to a lawsuit, one that probably should have), and I think it's really unfortunate that the district has to continually fend of lawsuits instead of focusing that time/energy/money on providing a better education for students.

Posted by Aislinn | May 22, 2007 9:29 AM
7

Bill B @ 3 - True enough about the Dreamlifter. I marvel it up watching Mean Green fly in low above Elliot bay as it slants down to Boeing Field. The 747 LCF is the Beast to the 787's Beauty.

First flight of the LCF
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wevDZUcGpeM

and now imagine making a machine composed of six million parts look like a simple wave of the hand in a heavy crosswind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fjW6yK1eho

Posted by Lloyd Clydesdale | May 22, 2007 10:10 AM
8

Nice videos! The 747 (not that freakish cargo version) is such a beautiful craft. I got to stand on the tarmac at the rollout when I was a little kid. The LCF just boggles the mind; it looks quite a bit bigger than the Airbus Beluga.

Posted by Fnarf | May 22, 2007 10:48 AM
9

Lloyd @7:

I drove by Paine Field on Saturday and saw the Dreamlifter in its new livery. It looked pretty cool when it was primer green, but the new paint scheme is nice, too.

The 747 is a gorgeous machine. Looking forward to the 787 debut this year.

Posted by Bill B | May 22, 2007 10:53 AM
10

OK, I just read about this jogger knocked unconscious for three effing days, who walks home and is like "what's all the fuss about".

Puh-leeeeze!

You know that dude was off having his ass fucked by his secret boyfriend all weekend, and now is like...oh, shit...I'm so busted.

That's the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard.

Posted by el ganador | May 22, 2007 11:59 AM

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