New bash prompt

So, new bash prompt. What do you guys think?

Its like roaches...

From Totton,

“We have been screaming about this conflict for 30 years now,” Henry said as he dealt himself a hand of Solitaire from a deck of cards in his pocket. “But no one ever listened to us. Not until September 11. Now you know how we feel all the time. You have to keep up the pressure. You can never let go, not for one day, one hour, not for one second. The minute you let go, Michael, they will fight back and get stronger. This is the problem with your foreign policy.”

“Since 1975 we have been fighting for the free world,” Said said. “We are on the front lines. Why doesn’t the West understand this? America can withdraw from Iraq, you can go back to Oregon, but we are stuck here. We have to stay and live with what happens.”

http://www.michaeltotten.com/archives/001359.html

I could not agree more. We MUST press on, we must keep the fight.

Would you rather fight there... or here?

Mishaps

I was reading this morning about doctrine, strategy, and . I came across Operation El Dorado Canyon. Something caught my eye that I wanted to record.

After several days of diplomatic talks with European and Arab partners, President Ronald Reagan ordered the strike on Libya on April 14. F-111 aircraft flying from 48th Tactical Fighter Wing, RAF Lakenheath and 20th Tactical Fighter Wing, RAF Upper Heyford in England, along with A-6, A-7, and F/A-18 planes from the aircraft carriers USS America, USS Coral Sea and USS Saratoga struck five targets at 02:00 on April 15, in the hope that their destruction would send a message and reduce Libya's ability to support and train terrorists. The United States was denied overflight rights by France and Spain as well as the use of European continental bases, forcing the operation to be flown around France and through the Straits of Gibraltar, adding 1,300 miles (2,100 km) each way and requiring multiple aerial refuelings. The attack lasted about ten minutes. Several targets were hit and destroyed, but some civilian and diplomatic sites in Tripoli were struck as well, notably the French embassy, when a number of bombs missed their intended targets.
-wikipedia article "Bombing of Libya (April 1986)"

The French embassy was hit by accident. The French also wouldn't let us fly over their country, which made the whole operation more difficult. If you look at the airport photos post-strike, you see individual aircraft that were hit, with good aircraft right nearby.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/library/imint/lib_b1.htm

http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/library/imint/lib_b2.htm

So, if we can hit a Mig-23 (56.8 ft long), a F-27 (77 ft long), and a MI-8 (59.67 ft long) in an airbase, how do we hit a French Embassy. I should find a map and see how close the embassy was to the places that we hit. We did aim for some tents that might have held leadership, they would have been in a residential area.

I am not saying that we intentionally hit the French embassy. I would not rule out the use of precision strike to send messages to other governments though. The probability of success of the mission went down due to French actions, and the Libyans had just injured 63 US troops (and killed one) in Germany. Remind me to look into the other embassy bombing that I know about, in Kosovo.

The value of a haircut...

I was reading an article about the unemployed in Germany. First off, yes, I noticed that the man looks like a butch lesbian. This guy is 37. He had half bleached hair, rags for clothes, and rings from every orifice. He yells at a politician that he doesn't have a job, and the politician tells him, shave and get a haircut. He ties it, and then decides that maybe he will take a job rather than starve. Neat story. Not very important other than maybe an inspiration to losers.

The important part comes in at that end.

Beck was accused by some of attempting to shift responsibility for the country's jobless rate from the government to the unemployed. One Green Party member, Thea Dueckert, told the Die Welt newspaper that Beck was stigmatizing the jobless.

"With 4 million unemployed, you cannot seriously claim that the people themselves bear guilt for their destiny," she said.

Wow. I almost did not believe the quote, then I saw that it was from the Green Party. The unemployment of many Germans may be their own fault as they do not want certain jobs. If immigrants are moving there, then their must be jobs. They just need to "shave, and get a haircut". The other thing I noticed is that she says that "the people"can not "bear the guilt for their destiny". The people elected the current government. The people are responsible for their country. The people need to choose leaders that will get them out of 10% unemployment. The people are not victims. They are the cause. Germany as a country needs people and leaders that will realize that their destiny IS in their hands. Who's fault is it? Are you going to always blame leadership, chosen to represent the people? The people conveniently never have any responsibility. In that case, why not have a dictatorship?

Stupid ads

I got a piece of mail from Comcast a week ago. On it was this quote:

I switched because I could bundle my phone, TV, and Internet... all on one bill. With BellSouth I had to choose satellite service, which meant two bills to pay and no ON DEMAND.

That quote was on the outside. On the inside was this quote:

I switched because I could save up to 39% over the comparable unlimited plan from BellSouth. Yeah, I like to talk a lot, I just don't like to pay a lot.

I do not understand why the locations of the quotes was not switched. I personally did not notice the quote that mentions saving money until I started writing this post. I don't understand how having fewer bills is seen as a good thing if it increases the total cost. I can pay an extra 37 cents, use an extra check and 5 minutes of my time to get savings on a bill.

Remember kids, paying two bills that both owe $5 is better than paying one bill that owes $15.

Grammar

Double spaces at the beginning of sentences is for weenies and momma's boys. Real men use one space like god intended. Get a proportional font, Luddite. If you have to use a monospaced font, deal with one space. The "rivers" will not kill you, I am sorry that you can not see that a period ends a sentence.

The semicolon is a valid punctuation mark. If you think that it should never be used you are bovine. The fact that you never use them correctly is not a valid arguement against their use. Smart people get privileges, and semicolons are one of them.

These are not really directed at anyone. In general, I find grammar nazis on par with Hitler (not really Hitler, cuz he was a big dick and actually killed people instead of wasting my time). I am on the description side of linguistics, and prescriptors are just emulating the French.

Let the silly debates continue!

Hawk vs Squirrel: Rematch

Hawk almost got squirrel one day a few weeks ago. The hawk came down about 20 feet in front of me. People were walking by, and spooked the hawk just as it was trying to get the squirrel. The squirrel got away, and the hawk flew to a nearby tree. It was on a branch about 8 feet high, so I got a goood look at it. It was neat to have been able to see the ineraction.

In other news, I saw pidgeons on my street yesterday. I had not seen them for quite a while.

I got interrupted writing this blog post in a meeting. I have a post coming about the meeting.